After the first Crystal-Armored Crocodile fell, the rest of the waterway fell silent.
Lin Yuan did not rush to approach. He stood in the center of the platform and spread his spatial perception downwards along the wooden stakes.
The Black Mud could obscure the view, but it couldn't hide the ever-changing distances within the waterway. Several slender silhouettes were hidden beneath the platform; some lay motionless in the mud, while others were slowly retreating towards the outskirts of the medicine shop.
"There are six left," he said.
Kaben's shoulders, which had just relaxed, tensed again. "So much?"
The biggest one has already been revealed.
Lin Yuan looked down at the Boundary-Severing Blade in his hand.
The blade is formed from a spatial rift; it has no weight and will not dull due to impact. The problem lies entirely with the person wielding it.
The following battles were much faster than the first.
Kaben instructed the herbalists to use long poles to strike the waterway, driving the Crystal-Armored Crocodile hiding below one by one into the wide mud pool. Lin Yuan guarded the exit, no longer trying to break through the armor from the front, but only looking for the moment when the monsters turned around, raised their legs, or swung their tails to open their scales.
The Boundary-Severing Blade swept across the seam time and time again.
Twice the angle was perfect, the blade slicing along the underside of the armor plates, immediately destroying the shock-absorbing structure of the entire crystal armor. The other time, however, the cut went too deep, the blade getting stuck between two scales, and he was almost dragged into the mud by the rolling crocodile.
The last three, unable to reach the exit, turned and fled into the depths of the swamp.
The request was to drive away the monsters attacking the medicine farm, not to have Lin Yuan chase them into the entire Black Mud Swamp. He left several spatial markers at the entrance to the waterway and helped the herbalists rebuild the broken fence before withdrawing his True Magic.
When Kaben signed the acceptance form, he specifically wrote down the loss of herbs that had been turned into the mud.
"Two and a half baskets in total."
Why is there only half a basket?
"We scooped up half of one basket."
Lin Yuan glanced at the basket of herbs that were still dripping black liquid.
"This still works?"
"It can be used to repel insects after drying."
"What did you do before?"
"Making tea."
Lin Yuan decided not to ask any more questions.
Four days later, he returned to Magnolia with the acceptance form and two pieces of crystal scale armor.
A wagon loaded with grain sacks was parked in front of the guild. Several blackened demon rats hung from the back of the wagon, and Macao was telling the onlookers how he had driven out the entire underground horde of beasts with a single puff of smoke.
Mira, sitting on the carriage shaft, turned her head when she heard footsteps.
Where are your teeth?
What teeth?
"Making a necklace for Elfman."
"It wasn't pulled out."
"You went there for nothing?"
Lin Yuan tossed the crystal scale over. Mira caught it, examined it against the sunlight, and then used it to pat Natsu's head to test just how hard it was.
Natsu, of course, immediately gave chase.
Lin Yuan bypassed the two men and handed the commission to Makarov. After checking the seal, the old man glanced at the loss column again.
"Why do you always seem to have to pay for things in the jobs you've taken on lately?"
"This time we only lost two and a half baskets of herbs."
"You sound quite satisfied."
"Much less compared to the riverbank."
Makarov opened his mouth, then finally slammed the acceptance form heavily into the task book.
Erza was maintaining her longsword on the other side of the hall.
A soft cloth was laid out in front of her, with the handguard, scabbard, and removed retaining rings arranged in a row. The blade was polished to a gleaming shine, and the edge formed a straight, thin line under the light.
Lin Yuan sat down opposite her.
Teach me how to use a sword.
Erza stopped drawing the cloth in her hand.
The nearby tables also fell silent. Gray put down his cup, Macao stopped talking about the Rat, and even Natsu, who was chasing Mira, turned his head away.
"You want to learn swordsmanship?" Erza, confirming.
"Um."
"Why?"
Black and silver magic extended from Lin Yuan's palm, condensing into a long blade without a physical form. In order not to damage the table, he only preserved its outline and did not unfold the actual spatial rift.
"I just learned this during the mission. The blade can cut through defenses, but I don't know how to use it correctly."
Erza did not immediately agree. She reassembled her sword, stood up, and looked around the Boundary-Severing Blade.
Can the length be changed?
"Can."
What about the weight?
"No."
Does the grip slip?
"Won't."
Can it be maintained after being sold?
"It's possible in a short time."
Erza's expression grew increasingly serious.
"It's completely different from an ordinary longsword. The lack of weight means your swing won't stop naturally; the ability to change length at any time can lead to misjudging distances. And the fact that it persists after being released makes it easier for you to develop bad habits."
Lin Yuan dispersed the Boundary-Severing Blade: "That's why I came to find you."
Erza turned and walked towards the guild's backyard.
Natsu immediately followed up. "Want to fight?"
"It wasn't you."
"I can fight from the side!"
"No, that won't work either."
The backyard quickly filled with people. Erza took two unsharpened practice swords from the weapon rack, tossed one to Lin Yuan, and held the other in her own hand.
When Lin Yuan caught the sword, his wrist dipped slightly downwards.
The weight of a real longsword is completely different from that of Boundary-Severing Blade.
"Should we teach you how to stand first?" he asked.
"You're already an S-Class Mage, and you have your own fighting style. Memorizing one stance will only make your spatial True Magic more awkward."
Erza raised her practice sword, the tip pointing steadily at Lin Yuan.
"Attack me the way you do in the mission. Fold your distance, change your position, anything goes."
"You should look at the question first?"
"Right."
She took a step forward, her calm gaze instantly turning sharp.
"Let me see just how bad you are at using a sword."