The Stone Forest brought me back in time, even though when I was here, it was mostly a nightmarish place full of danger. I could barely kill the weakest monsters since Takehiko-sensei had the difficulty set at the highest to farm for his own experience.

And talking about experience…

I gently unsheathed the sword and walked toward the stumbling Small Stonewood Bonsai. The little thing swung its club, but in return, I expended a small portion of my mana to use the coolest skill that had ever existed. However, it felt very uncomfortable to do so. Not that I had never used mana-based abilities, but there was something very particular about this that made it feel like I was trying to cram a train through a rathole.

Beginner Sword Beam

I felt energy rush through the sword and I swung decisively, focusing on my Master Sword Mastery. Even though my own swordsmanship was already beyond what most could comprehend at this point in time, even among the Undead, it seemed to have no bearing on the Beginner Sword Beam. In fact, the sword beam just slammed weakly into the Small Stonewood Bonsai, making it stumble back.

“Not good,” I heard Takehiko-sensei comment from my back.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, just slashing horizontally, feeling the power of Master Sword Mastery flowing through my veins and bisecting the monster on the spot—sure, they were tough, but they were still the weakest monsters in this Dungeon.

You have killed Small Stonewood Bonsai.

You gain 3 EXP.

You gain 3 Points.

You have unlocked ‘Levels.’ You can check it out in your Status page.

The System had never provided a tutorial, nor many hints, about how things worked. Unlike in staged videogames, humanity had to figure it out almost all by themselves.

— Status —

Name: Shane Leone

Level 1 (3/5 EXP)

Points: 64,657

Race: Human

Age: 18

Strength: 16

Recovery: 10

Endurance: 12

Vigor: 10

Intelligence: 18

Wisdom: 15

Luck: 45

Heh, let’s just get a move.

What happened after was pretty boring. I mostly observed Takehiko-sensei use the first stance of his sword art as I tried to make the stupid sword beam work… not with much success. There had been a reason why no one had really managed to get many levels in this skill, including Takehiko-sensei, who had ditched it pretty early on and advised everyone to keep away from it.

In fact, even the past version of him frowned at me after killing his own Small Stonewood Bonsai and seeing me knock mine back with the stupid skill. Embarassed, I just cut the monster in half and sighed, defeated. My mana kept feeling extremely weird and forceful every time I tried activating the skill; it was almost as if my own energy was refused by it.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Shane-san, skill… not good?”

“Well, that’s not really my main thing, sensei. I’ve yet to use the other skill since I don’t know if it has any side-effects.”

“Side-effects?” Takehiko-sensei frowned.

“Yeah. Some skill can knock you out the first time you use it because of their cost. The System doesn’t provide us with precise measurements for our health, mana, and stamina. But every skill has its price. If I use my main skill and I go into stamina-starvation, I might need twenty-four hours before being useful again.”

“I see,” the man frowned. “And this skill?”

He pointed at the disappearing form of the Small Stonewood Bonsai I had been knocking over and over with my Beginner Sword Beam.

“I’ve always wanted to learn it, you know… it’s just that…”

“Yes?”

“No one really figured out how to use it in the future. I thought…” I felt too embarassed to continue.

However, Takehiko-sensei simply got close to me and patted my shoulder, “you are very brave and your blade is very good, Shane-san. Figure it out.”

“Thank you, sensei,” I smiled shyly.

“Now, what about the stat points?” He changed topic.

“Oh, right,” I cringed. We had already leveled up several times and I had forgotten to say anything about it.

I checked the most recent notification.

You have reached level 6.

5 Stat Points awarded.

You have twenty-five stat points unspent.

“Well, they don’t really change much in terms of classes, sensei. One usually waits to get the skill classes and see what they might synergize with before using the stat points.”

The man nodded at me, not really saying anything else as we keep going through the gray landscape in search of more monsters to kill.

I kept trying over and over again to activate the skill, imagining a sharper blade, forcing my expertise with swords into it… I tried everything. But there was no point to it. For all I tried, the result was always the same. If the Beginner Sword Beam hit the monster well, the best it did is knocking it over. Every time, the skill rejected my mana, forced it back, and I had to have a reverse tug of war with it until it actually went through.

Frustration started growing on me.

I wasn’t really worrying about my performance in this life. I was very self-aware of where my talent stands—it would have been easier to go running around and murdering things at top speed. But talent didn’t simply work like that. Sooner or later I would have hit a big wall while everyone else scrambled to reach for me, which would create a trail effect and leave me in big trouble. Plus, if we kept following my directives, we’d soon be war criminals, which was complicated enough to handle.

I knocked over the same Small Stonewood Bonsai again and then just growled palming my face and regretting ever purchasing this skill, already feeling like dumping it in favor of something more practical.

“Shane-san,” Takehiko-sensei asked, “problem?”

“It’s just…” I cringed. “It’s hard, sensei. That’s all. The skill, Beginner Sword Beam, is supposed to create a blade that travels and hits the enemy from the distance… like in cartoons? Animes? Mangas?”

The man raised an eyebrow.

“It’s… I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to do it.”

“Shane-san, the wind caresses the cherry blossoms unseen. Not force, but understanding.”

I looked at the Japanese man, hoping that something in my mind would suddenly unlock and create an enlightenment so big I’d immediately pivot on my back foot, swing at the forest, and cut every tree in a mile radius in half.

Instead, I just looked at the man, a very confused expression on my face, “I don’t follow.”

“You not follow,” he wagged a finger, “you save the world.”

“No, sensei. You save the world. I’m just helping.”

“Shane-san,” the tone of Takehiko-sensei became deeper, “I don’t save the world alone. You help. We save the world. It’s responsibility. You need relax and responsibility.”

As he said this very simple piece, I felt some warmth in my chest. Suddenly, I looked down at it, confused by the feeling—it wasn’t metaphorical. I had felt a very distinct warmth in it.

What the—

I interrupted my own thoughts as I felt something exert pressure on my own chest and then rise up to my head.

Relax.

The word almost came naturally to me as I relaxed all my muscles and let this feeling wash over me, vaguely familiar. Then, with a fluid motion, I grabbed my sword with both hands and closed my eyes, facing toward the opposite way of Takehiko-sensei.

Responsibility.

Images flashed in my mind.

The petals—my own kata that I had developed for Master Sword Mastery, and then pictures of my blade reaching farther than it had ever had, the swing slicing through the ether, piercing above me, right up the heavens.

My ears picked up on movement coming my direction.

Another monster.

The images started coalescing together under the pressure that was forcing them to meld. So, as I opened my eyes and saw a Small Stonewood Bonsai approach, I exhaled and swung my sword.

Mana flowed easily through my veins, like a calm, but relentless river through a forest of blossoming cherry trees.