Chapter 5
"I still have some beri left—100,000 beri is exactly one lottery draw. I'll keep 50,000 aside for emergencies."
"System recharge: beri," Jepack silently commanded.
Recharge successful. Current balance: 1,000 system coins.
"System lottery!"
As soon as he thought it, a dramatic image flashed in his mind: "Time to gamble~!"
The pointer spun wildly before stopping on green. Not disappointed, not thrilled—just relieved it hadn't landed on white.
"Select Basic Swordsmanship."
The reward flowed into his body. At first, he felt nothing special.
He casually picked up a straight stick lying nearby and instantly noticed the difference.
He could hear the rustle of leaves three meters up in the tree. With a lazy swing, he cleanly bisected a falling leaf.
"So it sharpened my five senses and reaction speed. Wonder if there's more. I'll need a real spar to find out."
Swinging his improvised "longsword" and muttering "Hasaki!" under his breath, he headed back toward the dojo.
"Jepack! What are you doing out here?" a voice called from halfway up the slope.
"Oh, Zoro! Just taking a walk—nothing better to do. You're still training this late? You're really dedicated!"
"You got nothing going on? Wanna spar?" Zoro asked excitedly.
"Of course."
Perfect timing—I wanted someone to test the full effects of Basic Swordsmanship. I thought about asking Guina, but I'm still getting used to it. Accidentally hurting her would be bad.
Zoro's fine, though. Thick-skinned as they come. Talk about a pillow arriving right when I need sleep!
On flat ground beneath the trees, the two stood three meters apart, wooden swords ready. A gust kicked up yellow dust as both lunged forward.
Jepack was clearly faster. He slashed downward; Zoro blocked the first strike.
In one fluid motion, Jepack shifted the angle from top-down to bottom-up, knocking Zoro's sword clean out of his hands. Both stopped.
Zoro stared blankly at his fallen sword and muttered, "Jepack… you're that strong?"
"This isn't the Zoro I know! Are you giving up on your dream already?"
Jepack shouted at the stunned boy.
Zoro snapped out of it. "Again!"
He snatched his sword and charged. The end result: Zoro on the ground, too beaten to stand.
"I'm done!"
Jepack was nearly out of stamina too, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.
"How do you two train? Why are you both stronger than me? Is there some secret to getting better?" Zoro asked, still panting.
"Maybe it's because we spar every night. Real combat experience makes the difference," Jepack replied.
"So that's it…"
Unseen in a nearby tree, Elder Koushirou had watched the entire exchange.
That Jepack kid's pretty good—shares what he knows freely and motivates his opponent at the right moment. Zoro's solid too: persistent, talented, and willing to learn. Fine. I'll give them a little guidance tonight.
He leaped down and appeared before them.
"Who—!? Oh, it's Grandpa Koushirou."
Jepack and Zoro tensed at first, then relaxed and greeted the elder from the dojo politely.
"You two have real potential—both your talent and your drive prove you're no ordinary kids. But do you know what 'The Essence of the Blade' and 'Abandoning Name and Wisdom' truly mean?"
Both shook their heads.
"The blade is the swordsman's weapon, our closest companion. We care for it, maintain it. One day, you'll each find the swords that belong to you.
'Abandoning Name and Wisdom' means casting aside reputation and cleverness—throwing everything into the fight, trusting only your blade and your own strength to challenge the impossible!"
Elder Koushirou went on to explain the philosophies in depth…
When he paused, Jepack thought: Time to bail. I'm not big on lectures, and I already know where my swordsmanship came from.
"Mr. Koushirou, it's getting late. I should head back to rest—I've got chores tomorrow. Thank you for the lesson tonight!"
With that, he bolted toward the dojo.
Koushirou watched Jepack vanish in a flash, then glanced at the drowsy Zoro and chuckled, shaking his head.
"You two brats… you've each got your own paths to carve. Zoro, take these two blades. They're nothing fancy, but they'll serve you well at this stage. Treat them right."
He vanished in a blink.
Zoro snapped awake at the gift, but when he looked up to thank the elder, no one was there.
"Everyone runs off that fast, huh?"
He didn't dwell on it. Thrilled, he picked up the swords and swung them—immediately feeling how well dual-wielding suited him. He practiced until who-knows-when.
The next day, Zoro eagerly sought Jepack for a rematch with his new blades, but Jepack brushed him off.
"Come challenge me once you actually master two-sword style. Right now, I'm off for a run!"
"Hey, wait up—you 19 cm bragging jerk! You're cheating again! I'm training stamina too!"
Zoro shouted, chasing close behind…
"Jepack, if you keep holding back, pay me back right now!"
That night, Guina fumed at him.
Life settled into a comfortable rhythm for the next three years.
Mornings: physical training. Afternoons: cleaning and maintenance. Evenings: sparring with Guina.
By now, Jepack's swordsmanship clearly surpassed hers—he occasionally held back to keep her motivated.
After losing repeatedly to both with two-sword style, Zoro evolved into three-sword style.
"I guess I'm basically witnessing history here," Jepack thought, then opened the system panel.
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield