Sword God Style Sword Draw Style

Chapter 30: Sword God Style - Sword Draw Style

Perhaps out of humanitarian concern, the arthropods weren't made to look ugly. On the contrary, they adopted a cute, stylized approach.

At least Asuna didn't scream and run away upon seeing them.

The bugs weren't strong; they were the kind you could swat to death with little effort. As they reached the center of the valley, the tall trees gradually thinned, revealing the exposed rocks within.

This area was the territory of the Man-eating Flowers, considered a high-level resource mob zone. There were several special types of mobs here.

While the Man-eating Flowers weren't densely packed, their relatively high level meant that dealing with more than three at a time could be a death sentence.

Of course, this was for a beginner like Asuna.

As for Kazuto Kirigaya, you'd have to chip away at his last bit of HP.

Giant stems and thick roots were intertwined on the ground.

[Man-eating Flower]

[level:4]

Several lines of small text popped up above its head.

The Man-eating Flower had a large maw on its head, and some even had a bright red bud.

The Man-eating Flower wasn't a difficult opponent, but seeing the red fruit made Kazuto Kirigaya feel uneasy.

He had watched Sword Art Online, but that was a long time ago. Although his soul had undergone a transformation, his memory was still a bit hazy.

But since it was still in the testing phase, he thought, and said to Asuna, "Asuna, go attack the ones with the bright red fruit on their heads."

Asuna nodded and moved forward to engage a Man-eating Flower with a fruit on its head.

Then, with a bang, the fruit exploded, spreading countless pink mists. The surrounding Man-eating Flowers began to close in rapidly, like sharks smelling blood.

"So that's how it is, it's for luring mobs," Kazuto Kirigaya nodded inwardly.

Hearing this, Asuna's expression was priceless. She glared at Kazuto Kirigaya and said, "You tricked me!"

Kazuto Kirigaya immediately grabbed Asuna and pulled her behind him.

As they ran, Asuna pinched Kazuto Kirigaya hard.

Kazuto Kirigaya yelped in pain and almost let go. Facing an angry Asuna, he sheepishly said, "How can you say I tricked you? Hmm, look, we got out, and you didn't lose any levels."

"Hmph," Asuna snorted, her expression as cold as ice.

Kazuto Kirigaya quickly tried to appease the girl, saying, "This is just trial and error. Trial and error is necessary."

Asuna snorted, "Don't use me for trial and error next time. If you want to try, try it yourself."

Roa quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, I'll do it myself next time."

Only then did Asuna let the young man off the hook.

After they got out of the Man-eating Flowers' aggro range and waited for another fifteen minutes, they stealthily crept back in.

The Man-eating Flowers that had gathered together had dispersed, with only three or four scattered in the center.

Roa let out a breath and said to Asuna sternly, "I'll clear the mobs."

Asuna hesitated and asked, "Are you confident?"

Roa replied, "No problem, trust me."

The beginner's iron sword appeared in Roa's hand. He quietly circled behind the Man-eating Flower and landed a backstab as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was just a shame that Roa's attack couldn't instantly kill the high-HP Man-eating Flower. The three surrounding Man-eating Flowers lunged at Roa.

Roa gripped his long sword, took a deep breath, bent his body forward, stepped forward with his right foot, and swung his long sword like a shooting star. A cold, sharp light flashed as a massive slash struck the Man-eating Flower's torso.

The Man-eating Flower that was first ambushed had its HP reduced to zero and dissipated into blue light.

The two Man-eating Flowers below quickly surrounded Roa. Roa retreated, and a deep blue light flashed on his sword—the sign of a Sword Skill being activated.

Basic Sword Skill: Slanting Slash - single slanting slash.

His posture adjusted, his movements became swift, and an unknown power guided Kazuto Kirigaya.

Kazuto Kirigaya's eyes lit up. Was this the System's assistance?

His body became lighter, and Kazuto Kirigaya thrust his sword forward. He moved like a phantom to the right side of the Man-eating Flower and slashed upward diagonally with his iron sword.

After the slash, he quickly switched Sword Skills. Another deep blue light flickered on his sword.

Tethered Skill: Horizontal Slash - single horizontal slash. Taking advantage of the Man-eating Flower's stunned state, he swiftly drew his sword again. A cold light erupted as the slash struck the Man-eating Flower once more.

The Man-eating Flower's HP dropped rapidly but hadn't reached zero yet.

There was nothing that could be done about it, given that Kazuto Kirigaya's weapon hadn't been upgraded and he was still using the iron sword he got right after leaving the novice village.

Another Man-eating Flower closed in, its massive maw lunging towards Kazuto Kirigaya. Kazuto Kirigaya was forced to retreat, gripping his sword with his right hand again.

This time, it should work.

He vaguely grasped the evaluation mechanism of the System's Sword Skills.

SAO possessed the world's most realistic physics engine. Logically, any sword technique achievable in reality should not be impossible in the game, but the only reason his first attempt wasn't recognized by the System was that his movements weren't perfect.

Sword Skills weren't exclusive to the System's inventory. Wasn't the Sword God Style a Sword Skill? Absolutely not. Kazuto Kirigaya's golden eyes flashed with brilliant light as his figure moved swiftly, dodging and weaving. The benefits of his frequent real-world training became apparent. Not only were his base stats a cut above others, but his control over his own body was practically perfect.

He pressed the iron sword to his side, gripped the hilt with his right hand, and assumed the Iai stance.

Sword God Style - Sword Draw Style.

The Sword God Style inherently pursued a one-hit kill, which demanded decisive action.

A gentle breeze blew past, and the sword was already drawn.

A blue sheen flashed repeatedly, the azure sword body completely enveloped in blue sword light.

A massive slash curved through the air, cleaving the Man-eating Flower in two, its HP instantly reduced to zero.

[System Notification]

[You have learned a new Sword Skill]

[???]

[Charge, Draw Sword]

[Effect: Increases with charging time, up to 500% of the base sword move's attack power]

[Cooldown: 10s]

Kazuto Kirigaya showed a look of "just as I expected."

It seemed his thoughts were correct, and now he had a path to explore.

This Sword Skill was quite good. Its offensive speed was swift, and with a charged attack, it could instantly kill some small monsters. The wind-up animation could also be canceled depending on the situation.

More importantly, this was only a Level 1 skill. Furthermore, his original self knew this sword art. As long as he could replicate the entire Sword God Style sword art here and use the System's assistance to improve its proficiency, he believed his original self would be absolutely delighted to see this outcome.

Asuna stood nearby, stunned by the boy's feat of taking on three opponents at once.

His movements were fluid and natural, like those of a battle-hardened warrior.

He wore simple cloth attire, with soft, dazzling golden hair and a handsome face.

Why did he seem so much like a legendary adventurer? Even though this adventurer hadn't left the novice village yet, even though this adventurer had just tricked her a little, and even though this adventurer had a rather unpleasant personality.