Bell drew the card "Hydra Dagger." The card-shaped Craft Essence instantly vanished, transforming into a silver-white dagger with dual blades and multiple barbs.
"So it really can materialize from a card. In that case, the Divine Construct I was imagining might not be just a fantasy after all. Still, it's best not to pin too much hope on that holy sword. Just getting it would be good enough."
For now, he'd use a short sword forged by Lady Hephaestus. If he were lucky enough to draw a "Divine Construct" later, it might serve as a long sword. Ideally, he needed to pull it before reaching Lv. 2—otherwise, once the gacha restrictions were lifted, the odds would only get worse.
Of course, to Bell, a "Divine Construct" was just a trump card—one he wasn't even sure he could use. Not everyone could wield a holy sword like Excalibur, and who knew whether a holy sword pulled from the gacha would have usage restrictions. If it did, even drawing it might be pointless. It was better to assume he couldn't use it from the start and not get his hopes up.
He turned his attention to "Hidden Sword: Pheasant Reversal." Out of ten three-star Craft Essences, he had pulled five of this one. Derived from Sasaki Kojirou's Tsubame Gaeshi, it was unclear whether this Craft Essence could replicate the legendary "multi-dimensional spatial twist."
"Type-Moon System, I want to enhance this Craft Essence."
No sooner had Bell finished the thought than a line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Enhancement requires 1,000,000 Valis.]
The steep cost nearly made him hit "No." He only had 6.4 million Valis in total, and enhancing a three-star Craft Essence cost a million? That was far more than a single gacha pull. He didn't know if this was a standard enhancement fee or just specific to three-star Craft Essences.
With a pained heart, Bell clicked "Yes." He heard a click beside his ear, and his available Valis dropped from 6.3 million to 5.3 million. Just one enhancement had cost him ten times more than a pull. It hurt.
The five "Hidden Sword: Pheasant Reversal" cards floated in the air, slowly spinning before merging into one. There were no special effects—just a silent fusion. Bell took a deep breath, picked up the card, and glanced at it. The name had changed. And as he read it, the sting of his lost Valis faded, replaced by a strange sense of joy.
"Hidden Blade: Tsubame Gaeshi." The "Pheasant Reversal" was now "Tsubame Gaeshi." The old background featuring Sasaki Kojirou and Fuuma Kotarou was gone—replaced by Kojirou alone, sword raised, in the Tsubame Gaeshi stance.
"So that means I got Sasaki Kojiro's Hidden Blade for less than 1.1 million Valis? Let's see if this Hidden Blade can become one of my skills."
Bell was eager to test the power of the Hidden Blade. But… how was this Craft Essence supposed to be used?
As he pondered this, the Craft Essence in his hand dissolved into data and flew straight into his forehead. In that instant, a man's life began to unfold before his eyes. Nameless, origin unknown—his past and future both blank. This man's life was equally simple and unadorned.
No thrilling adventures, just a quiet life of swordsmanship. No pursuit of fame, only a path he chose for himself. The nameless swordsman showed Bell the entirety of his life.
Starting from the thought, 'How do I cut down a swallow?', this nameless swordsman dedicated himself to relentless training. His entire life revolved around swordsmanship—his only pursuit was finding a way to cut down a swallow flying at high speed.
A single strike was easy for the swallow to dodge. Even two strikes could be avoided. But a third—three perfectly timed slashes—was what finally brought the swallow down. The nameless swordsman painstakingly refined this technique, and on his deathbed, he at last completed it, managing to cut down the swallow.
Bell had clearly witnessed the entire life of that nameless swordsman. There were no dramatic lows, no soaring highs—just a continuous, steady pursuit of his passion. The swordsman never aimed for supreme mastery of the blade. All he wanted was to fulfill that original wish of his heart: to cut down a swallow in mid-flight. He gave his life to this goal, and in the end, he succeeded in mastering an unbelievable technique. That lifetime of dedication became nourishment for Bell.
"It's really Tsubame Gaeshi."
At that moment, Bell felt as if his brain was telling him, 'I've mastered Tsubame Gaeshi.' But of course, he knew that was just an illusion. It was a sensation that only came from having accepted the swordsman's entire life. It wasn't actual mastery—only the understanding of how it could be achieved.
Beyond just Tsubame Gaeshi, Bell had gained far more. A life capable of completing such a technique carried with it countless insights and combat experiences beyond the technique itself.
'I've grasped the way to perform Tsubame Gaeshi... but that move isn't something a normal person can pull off. A technique that causes spatial distortion like that—no amount of time or effort alone will get you there. Without extraordinary talent, you'd hit a dead end. Without experiencing that life, I might as well have been dreaming if I thought I could master it.'
Bell understood that he lacked the natural talent to perfect Tsubame Gaeshi. But he had obtained the key to reach that level. Maybe he didn't have the qualifications, but he now possessed the life required to accomplish it. Finding the keyhole would still take time, but it was far easier than forging the key from scratch.
After calming himself, he remembered there was still one Craft Essence he hadn't looked at yet—the Spell Tome. Bell couldn't recall what effect the Spell Tome had. After all, there were so many Craft Essences in FGO, and he only had a general knowledge of them, not deep expertise.
'Come to think of it, could the Spell Tome become that kind of thing in this world?'
Bell vaguely remembered that in Orario, spell tomes that allowed people to learn magic did exist. In the original story, the protagonist had received a spell tome as a special gift from the Goddess of Beauty, which granted him magic—and not just any magic, but the kind that didn't require chanting. Bell recalled that these tomes were priced nearly the same as top-tier weapons.
'Wait, if it really is a Spell Tome, could I use it to pay off debts?'
But Bell didn't know if the Craft Essence called "Spell Tome" had that kind of effect. Even if it did, he couldn't afford to hand it over. There was no way to explain where it came from. If it truly was a Spell Tome, it would be best to keep it for personal use. Using it to settle debts would only stir up unnecessary trouble.