"Yes! That's it! Now turn around and look here, hehe."
It was morning the next day. In order to find the perfect martial arts for me, Bianca flew back to her lair. She brought all kinds of equipment for me to try, from ordinary weapons like swords and spears to unique weapons like a scythe and chakrams. The problem is that the weapon she brought came with unique features. It was enchanted with a magic spell that transformed the user's clothing to fit the weapon.
"Did you like it? I enchanted them all last night."
I looked at myself and murmured.
"Isn't this just cosplay?"
Currently, I have the appearance of Robin Hood holding a yew bow, complete with a green tunic and all that. It's not like this world has a legend about Robin Hood, but there must be something similar to that.
Still, what annoys me even more is that the clothing was actually of high quality and felt comfortable to wear.
"It's frustrating, keuk… but I like it, I guess."
"Right? Hehe"
Bianca circled around me and smiled. She seemed like a little girl asking to be praised for doing a good job. Still, no matter how she looked, she was actually older than me.
'Then again, considering her race as a dragon, it's true that she's actually on the younger side.'
Surprisingly, we might be similar in age? Mentally speaking, that is.
"Alright. So how do you feel about archery?"
"Well…"
I look at the arrow stuck in the trees instead of the apple I was supposed to target.
"It's very strong, but I don't think I have the talent for it."
"That's natural, because this is the first time you were holding a bow. I'm not asking whether you're talented or not, I just want to know whether archery is something you like enough to pursue."
"Hm… I'm not sure."
Honestly, it's an okay choice. As my proficiency improves, all problems in archery will definitely be solved, such as creating arrows with mana instead of having to worry about running out of arrows, being able to shoot while running instead of being stuck in one place like now, and more. But the problem is, it's not versatile enough to suit my taste.
"I don't think being the strongest damage dealer is the best fit for me. Although I admit that having something to use for long-range fight is enticing."
I put down the bow on the ground.
Then, suddenly, my clothing reverts back to normal.
"I see, I see. Then let's try the next clothes–I mean, next weapon."
Well, at least she's enjoying this.
If I had to make a comparison, she might be similar to people who like dressing their cats in clothes.
'Let's just be glad it's not any weirder than this.'
If she started putting makeup on me, that would be the worst.
"Kuhm, anyway, if you like long-range, how about this chakram or that poison darts over there?"
"Both seems hard to use. Aren't darts too fragile to pierce monsters shell?"
"That's because they are commonly used by assassins. To kill humans."
"I see."
Certainly, that's a good choice if it's for that purpose. Darts are small enough to carry and hide, too.
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"But my priority is killing monster. If possible, I want something versatile enough to help me respond in any situation."
I don't know what kind of monsters I would face.
At times, it might be a monster with shells so tough it needs to be pierced.
Other times, an inorganic golem where a blunt weapon works best.
Heck, I might be fighting spiritual beings that can only be damaged by magic and non-physical attacks.
So, rather than a specialized weapon, I need a weapon that can deal blunt damage, sharp cuts, and pierce attacks—something I can use in short, mid, and long distances. But did such a weapon even exist?
"Hm… Is there a need to choose just one?"
Bianca said.
"If you know you need them all, then just bring them all?"
"... What? Isn't the purpose of me doing all this to let me focus on a specific weapon rather than learning them all? Do I even have the time to practice everything?"
"Or you can choose one main weapon and a few sub-weapon. You only have to practice your main one. As for the rest, it's enough to just have and use them when needed. Your sub-weapon skill will improve just fine that way too."
"I see. That's not a bad idea."
"Right?"
So, I can probably choose a short—to mid-range primary weapon and any decent auxiliary weapon to fight long-range.
'I don't think I need to fight flying enemies that much, right?'
If so, then I don't need to learn archery. If I really have to fight flying enemies, it's better to think of ways to bring them to the ground.
'I can deal with all monsters that appear in the game. Of course, now that this world is no longer a game, enemies I don't know of might pop up from time to time.'
I picked a single-edged knife and a dagger, swinging them around to get a basic feel before throwing them to the apple.
Both weapons missed the apple. But with this, I think I have decided on my sub-weapon.
"I'll take the dagger."
All daggers are double-edged and symmetrical, so they would be easier to use in short-range fights, too, for blocking attacks and such. Additionally, I can throw them long-range in case I ever need them and probably use telekinesis magic to retrieve them or something.
"A good choice."
Bianca smiled.
"What about your main?"
"Hm…"
Something I can use mid-range.
'A spear?'
No, the dagger is enough for piercing attacks. I could probably use aura to cover my fist or any hard weapon I could find for blunt attacks. So, all that's left is a slash-type weapon.
'A sword? How long? How thin?'
I picked several swords and swung them around.
'A heavy sword is no good. Longsword too. Sword and shield too. Actually, isn't there a pattern here?'
I looked around and noticed something about my preference.
'It seems like anything that needs both hand to use is no good.'
A simple shortsword or one-handed sword might be best.
I narrowed down the search and only tried one-handed weapon from then on.
After using all kinds of swords to slash here and there, I have finally found a weapon I am satisfied with.
"Have you decided?"
Did it show on my face? Bianca smiled as if she liked what she was seeing.
"Yes."
I wiped my sweaty face with a towel.
"I like this sword best. It's one-handed despite being double-edged. It's not too heavy either so I can use it for quick attacks."
A perfect sword for attack and defense. It's also light enough without being too brittle, which means it's somewhat balanced, unlike heavy swords that focus on pure power while still being stronger than thin swords like rapier. This opens up a lot of ways to fight instead of just simply attacking and blocking.
Sure, the sword's reach was a bit shorter than that of a longsword, but it was still much longer than a dagger.
Furthermore, that's a problem I can solve with aura later on by extending the sword's reach.
So, it was not a problem unless I planned to fight day and night until my aura was depleted.
"What is this sword called?"
When I showed Bianca the sword, I noticed that her face seemed stiffened.
"I see. So you also chose that one..."
She murmured.
"Teacher?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was distracted for a bit."
She coughed and answered my question.
"It’s called a Jian sword. As you said, it's a good sword. So take good care of it, okay?"
Then, as if her previous expression was a lie, Bianca returned to her usual smile and messed up my hair.
"Now that you have decided on your weapon, just wait a bit. I will write a skill book that best fits that weapon, along with other things that you can use as backups."
She then listed survival skills like grappling, fist technique, and more. These skills would be helpful if my weapon broke or I was put in a difficult situation.
Before long, Bianca left before I could ask about what her expression meant just now.
"Hm…"
I looked at the sword in my hand.
It seems like there's a backstory between this sword and Bianca. A detail that didn't even appear anywhere in the game.