Even the Gale Has a Way Home

[S-rank Gift Box, opening now, rolling, please wait]

After clicking on the treasure chest emitting a golden glow in his inventory, this line of text popped up in the information bar on the left.

"I have to roll for it first?"

Noah felt a bit surprised. As he turned his gaze back to the inventory on the right, he noticed a square blue die had appeared in front of the panel screen.

Each face was engraved with corresponding text.

Before the blue die began to spin rapidly, Noah secretly memorized the text on every side.

They were:

Attribute Points, Consumables, Weapons, Skill Scrolls, Defensive Items, and... Eggs.

"Is the last one a bit out of place?"

Noah felt the first few items were quite normal, but upon seeing the last face, he couldn't help but fall into silent contemplation. "Although the cutesy phrasing is disgusting, it shouldn't mean anything else, right? It just refers to pet eggs? Like the kind that might hatch a falcon or a shark?"

This was the most plausible guess, though Noah didn't particularly want that type of reward at the moment. As for the other categories, no matter which one he rolled, he could accept it as long as the item wasn't too terrible.

[Roll complete]

The information bar refreshed with new text, and at the same time, the blue die gradually stopped spinning.

[Gift Box reward type: Weapon]

"Weapon?"

Noah subconsciously glanced at the Kotpira by his side.

He had been using this Great Grade sword of Momousagi for days and had gradually grown accustomed to it.

Every time he thought about having to return it to its rightful owner soon and being forced to use a standard-issue Marine longsword, he felt a sense of regret and reluctance, as if he had seen the vast ocean and could no longer be satisfied by mere streams.

So...

If the weapon reward he rolled was also a decent sword, that would be pretty good, right?

"Please don't let it be some mountain-cleaving axe or spiked club; that wouldn't fit my style at all..."

Noah prayed silently in his heart, his eyes fixed on the slowly opening treasure chest.

As the golden light gradually dissipated, a pair of somewhat familiar swords appeared before him.

[You have obtained a new item: Yone's Dual Swords]

[Name: Wind Sword / Yone's Sword]

[Type: Weapon]

[Quality: Epic]

[Description: The Wind Sword was originally just a fine blade forged by a mortal master. After returning from the Spirit Realm with Yone, it underwent a sublimation. The other blade, Yone's Sword, comes from the dwelling place of demons and possesses the terrifying power to sever souls.]

[Note: The power of the dual swords has not been fully awakened. Go do something and restore them!]

["I once chased the untamed wind; now, I hunt the storm born of darkness."]

[One sword to slay evil, one sword to suppress souls]

"Yone's dual swords?"

Noah felt a bit surprised. He still had some impression of the name; wasn't he Yasuo's older brother in the Valoran lore?

However, before he transmigrated, this hero hadn't been officially released yet and was only briefly mentioned a few times in the background story, so Noah didn't know much else about him.

He didn't care much about that, though; the key was the quality of the swords.

Glancing at T Bone, who was steering at the bow, Noah leaped up and moved quietly to the blind spot at the stern. Facing the sea breeze, he took the two newly acquired blades out of his inventory.

Of the two swords, one was sheathed, and the other was not.

The sheathed one was called the "Wind Sword." The blade was slender and exquisite; after being drawn, the snow-white edge shimmered with a dazzling cold light in the sunlight. A gentle swing made it seem as if a gale were whistling in his ears.

The unsheathed sword was called "Yone's Sword."

Compared to the relatively common-looking Wind Sword, this one was longer and broader.

The dark red blade looked like surging, scalding lava, or as if it had been soaked in the blood of sinners. Near the hilt, the color gradually turned to ink-black, with five mysterious silver patterns engraved side by side.

"Both are fine swords..."

As a swordsman who had practiced since childhood, Noah could feel the extraordinary nature of this pair of swords just by looking at their appearance. When he gripped the hilts, he could even faintly feel a subtle sense of extreme compatibility.

"I hit the jackpot."

He grinned, feeling delighted—for a dual-wielding swordsman, what weapon reward could be better or more suitable than a pair of matching blades?

"Let's test their power."

Noah held the red-and-white blade horizontally in front with one hand and gripped the other behind his back, assuming a classic dual-wielding starting stance he remembered, and closed his eyes slightly.

A sharp aura rose silently around him.

The next instant.

His tightly shut eyes snapped open, revealing pupils like stars in the night sky. He let out a low shout, bringing both blades down in unison, and struck out toward the sea ahead!

Swoosh!

The sound of wind being torn apart erupted. Noah skillfully unleashed the dual-blade sword techniques he had been honing for over a decade.

Amidst the dazzling flashes of steel, a few unstable wisps of sword intent occasionally spilled out. The small patch of sea near the stern was instantly churned into turmoil, sending waves rising high, one after another.

Splash!

From time to time, waves crashed onto the deck, accompanied by the salty sea breeze. Before long, Noah was soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat.

But Noah, his excitement fully ignited, couldn't care less. He continued to swing his twin swords with total focus, over and over again, completely immersed in his own world.

The afternoon sun was warm and healing, and at the edge of the azure sky, white News Coos occasionally spread their wings and glided past.

The small boat sailing alone on the boundless sea, and the handsome black-haired youth swinging his swords against the wind on deck, silently formed a beautiful picture of motion and stillness combined.

I do not know how much time had passed.

It was only when his limbs grew slightly sore and his entire body, from his black hair down to his heels, was drenched—making it impossible to distinguish sweat from seawater—that Noah finally stopped.

The sky had already darkened.

Closing his eyes slightly to adjust his breathing, he spread his arms wide and laughed heartily at the setting sun.

After carefully examining the twin blades for a long while, he finally sheathed them.

"I've made progress again."

Bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, Noah stroked the hilts at his waist, feeling deeply satisfied.

He was now able to occasionally unleash thin, thread-like sword intent when he struck, projecting it outward to affect his surroundings.

This was the result of day after day of grueling training, and also thanks to the insights he had gained from Ryuma's sword-path notes.

At this rate, the day he could consistently unleash a Flying Slash and join the ranks of master swordsmen was drawing incredibly near.

Noah looked down at the two swords in his hands again.

Only today did he truly understand one thing.

For a swordsman, how important it is to have a good blade that suits them!

Momousagi's Kotpira, as one of the Wazamono 21, was certainly a top-tier, famous blade in this world, but it ultimately lacked compatibility with him; using it always felt like there was a thin veil between them.

But the pair of blades he had received from the gift box felt completely different.

Not only did they perfectly suit his identity as a dual-wielding swordsman, making them incredibly intuitive to use, but after getting familiar with them, he felt a subtle sense of his soul merging with the steel.

Whether in training or in combat, it seemed that as long as he willed it, he could fully immerse his mind and enter a state of unity between man and sword at any moment.