Chapter 2: 1-2 First time

For now Argon calmed himself down. He did not know where he was but if this place was anything like Evaren, the forest would surely be filled with ferocious beasts. This forest wasn’t devoid of animals. In fact, he could sense— nay, he could hear the scuttling of various small animals in his surroundings.

Looks like these ears of mine aren’t just for show. But what do I do now?

He asked himself. He wasn’t so naive to believe that there were no threat in this forest just because he couldn’t hear them. For all he knew, there could be one threat that was already lying in waiting for the right moment and opportunity to strike.

It seemed that he had also lost almost of all his cognitive abilities but he wondered if Sixth Sense was the compensation or replacement.

Sixth Sense - allows the user to sense the unseen and know the imperceptible phenomenons.

Okay… that was vague. What about Spirit Magic? Never heard of that one before.

Spirit Magic - allows the user to interact with the mystical realm of Spirits and draw its power. Spells of Spirit Magic are not fueled by Mana but Faerin, an energy force native to the Spirit Realm.

Argon blinked. He had never of Spirits before. At most, they were old wives’ tales and bedtime stories. There were even multiple reiterations of “Spirits”. And he certainly had not heard of Faerin.

Well, I’m not going to figure anything out by dallying around in this unknown forest. For now, let’s get out of here and head to the nearest settlement.

He told himself and proceed to walk towards the sun. Coincidentally, it was also the direction where he could hear the sound of running water coming from. Although he was not fully accustom to his new body, he didn’t have much trouble with walking and moving, as long as he wasn’t doing some extreme acrobatic movements.

“Even if I’m a girl now, provisionally speaking, why do I have these excessive lump of fats? How bothersome,” he expressed his contempt, or so he verbally claimed to himself.

Truth to be told, he had been eyeing his own chest ever since he discovered the two lumps dangling in front of his chest. Admittedly, he played with them— *cough*— he examined them for a few good minutes but stopped when he felt a strange yet exciting feeling brimming within him.

He knew what that feeling was but he dared not to acknowledged it.

Still, he walked with his arm wrapped around one another as his finger caressed his own skin slowly and softly. It was vexing to admit it but he like the feel of his own current skin. He had been brushing them for quite a while now. It wasn’t rough like his former body. He was starting to enjoy this new body of his—

No, I am not enjoying it! This is nothing. I’m just curious about the abrupt change in my body. He told himself. Yes, that’s only it. I am not acknowledging the change or anything. Absolutely not, okay?

As he leisurely paced down the narrow path between trees with his slim and curvaceous hip swaying from side to side along with his fluffy tail— he tried his best not to pay any heed to it,— he took a good look at the screen that appeared in his mind. It was a queer sensation. It wasn’t in his vision but the picture was as clear as if he was looking directly it. As a matter of fact, it was clearer than everything he was seeing with his eyes.

I understand what level is. It’s use to measure the degree of one’s overall abilities. Therefore, the higher the level, the stronger I am, right?

Although he knew about levels but it wasn’t to say that level was exactly like the one he knew of in Evaren’s literature. There were some minor difference in what he knew and what it actually was but he was sure the difference wouldn’t make much difference in his overall understanding. With that, he convinced himself to move on.

Now, what do Might, Arcane, and Finesse mean?

As he asked these questions in his head, three tabs of information popped into his mind. Getting caught with the unexpected influx of information by surprise, he shrieked like a schoolgirl, unbefitting of one who was known as the Sword Saint. He hoped no one heard it.

Increment of the ability, Might, leads to the increase of your strength, your vitality, and your stamina.

Increment of the ability, Arcane, leads to the increase of Magic Arts’ effectiveness, Magic Arts efficiency, and Magic Vigor.

Increment of the ability, Finesses, leads to the increase of precision, agility, and mastery of any physical skills.

While he understood all of the given explanation, there was one thing he couldn’t quite get. That is, magic vigor. And so, another line of information popped into his head.

Magic vigor, also known as, Mana, is the energy/fuel for the conjuration of Magic Arts and some Combat Arts. Upon depletion, user is often met with dizziness and fatigue. Magic Vigor can be recovered slowly through a still mind and an unmoving body by absorbing the magic particles in the air.

Argon widened his eyes. He knew about Mana. The Magecraft system in Evaren used the same concept. While his main proficient lay in the sword, around seventy percent of his skills relied on Mana to activate his vast variety of skills.

Does this means that I’m still in the same world as Evaren?

He pondered deeply as his feet carried him closer and closer to the source of the running water sound. There was another thing that bothered him.

Sword Art… if that’s the representation of my sword skills in words and numbers, why is it art instead of mastery or skill? And why the fuck is it only level five? Wait… or is level five the maximum level?

From what he remembered about the campfire tales, skill levels was theorized to reach a maximum level of ten while the person’s level itself could reach a hundred. But of course, that was only a theory. Level five could be the max level or…

… his skill with the sword had plummet after his supposedly reincarnation.

No… that can’t be… can it?

He wanted to find out as quick as possible but he didn’t have a sword with him. All he had was this strange robe he was wearing. It didn’t have any special enchantment. It was just a robe.

What do I do if something attacks me?

As he began to search for any object that could possibly be used as a weapon, he was suddenly assailed by a dreadful feeling.

[Sixth Sense has been activated. Hostiles detected.]

Huh? Sixth Sense activated? Hostiles detected?

Before he could question the sudden intrusion of this strange message in his mind, something leaped out of the bush to his right.

Due to the many years of honing his body and instincts to an extensive degree, he was able to move in conjunction to his so-called “Sixth Sense”. He rolled forward as that “thing” lunged for his head. However, the two extra weights on the front of his body and his imbalanced light weight body made him bungled his maneuver. He ended up tumbling further than he intended and smacked his back right into a tree.

Sparing not a moment to assess his blunder and wounds, he stood straight up with a slight wobble. He tried his best to focus his gaze on his sudden assailant instead of his breasts which was jiggling due to his abrupt movements.

Rot-rat?

He recognized the “thing” that attacked him. It was a rodent-like monster. It was a dog-sized rat with bloody eyes and a pair of large fangs which looked rotten, hence its name. Unlike a rat, besides its size, it had claws for its feet and its tail was short and furry instead of long, furless, and tapered.

Is this really the same world as Evaren after all?

That was the question in his mind instead of the monster in front of him. It wasn’t because he was heedless but it was the fact that Rot-rat was some of the lowest tier of monsters in terms of threat level. Even an adult could easily kill one of these with a pitchfork.

However, Argon had no such object in his hand and he certainly could not rely on his fist.

Snapping back to reality, he dodged the rodent monster’s pouncing attack at the last second as it missed and slammed itself into the tree.

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It must have hurt a lot since there was a small paint of blood left on the tree trunk.

Looking around in a hurry, a branch belonging to some medium-sized plant caught Argon’s eyes. He immediately dragged his imbalanced body to the plant.

With a sharp breath and a battle cry, he chopped the branch off the plant with a straightened palm. It worked but…

“Aaaaaah!!!” he screamed.

He had forgotten in the split moment that he was no longer in the body of a Sword Saint, he was in the frail body of a Demi-human fox girl.

[Warning: Status is changed to Bruised (Right Hand)]

Fucking hell, really!?

Argon shouted back to the warning announcement.

The Rot-rat charged at him once again but this time, Argon stood his ground with the branch in his left hand. He was ambidextrous, thankfully.

He didn’t know if it would work but there was no time for him to hesitate. He poured magic into the branch as he swung at the leaping Rot-rat.

As the wooden branch came into contact with the rodent-monster’s head, a message appeared in his mind.

[Combat Arts: Arcane Edge Lv. 1 - Acquired]

Argon wasn’t baffle this time as the skill was an old flame. While his skills never had any official name to them in previous life, judging from the name’s connotation, he knew what this skill was. In his time as the Sword Saint, this skill was his bread and butter. Arcane Edge was basically augmenting a blade with magic, increasing the cutting force.

As he relished in the unexpected familiarity, the branch burst into splinters as the Rot-rat’s head shared the same fate as it.

Blood was not a rare sight for the Sword Saint but somehow, he now found it appalling and he immediately pulled back a few distance to avoid being splattered by the blood and guts.

Why did I avoid it? Why did I find it disgusting?

[Experience Gained - Level Progression: 50%]

While he lament over his newfound aversion towards gore and blood, this message plopped into his head.

Hmm? Experience? Level Progression?

Naturally, the knowledge of levels would come with the knowledge of the experience concept. However, he never heard about implementing it as a design. Still, he found it useful, so he didn’t think too much of it.

While he was fascinated by the progression display, his mind went back to an important topic, his sword skills. Although it was just some simple swing with a wooden branch, he had confirm it. His sword skill had in fact, regress.

It was a weird feeling. He had the knowledge but his body and muscle didn’t move like he wanted them to. And he could somehow guess the reason… it was this damnable frail and sexy— *cough cough*— frail and delicate fox-kin body of his.

His memory was still there but not his muscle memory since this was a new body.

So… Sword Art’s level is five is because I lost half of my skill due to having a new body…. Oh Gods of the whatever, what have I ever done to be bestowed by such a fate?

As he sighed in exasperation over his aberrant and mysterious second life, his sensitive ears picked up approaching sounds. And he remembered something important.

Rot-rat weren’t solitary hunters.

Four more Rot-rats emerged from the bushes. All of them stared with voracious hunger right at the fluffy-eared girl with white hair in a baggy robe.

Argon took another branch from the same plant but this time, he used his feet instead of his hand to break the branches. It went so much better that he inwardly labeled himself as an idiot. He broke two more and laid them by his feet.

“Come on, then. Come at me. I, the Sword Saint, am ready for the the likes of you lowly rodent monsters!!”

And he immediately regretted his taunt as his ears twitched in apprehension.

His pride as the Sword Saint had gotten to his head and made him forgot about another important detail.

Rot-rat pack normally came in at least six, up to ten, not just four or five. As if to laughed at his oversight and arrogance, five more Rot-rats appeared from the surrounding bushes.

Unconsciously, his tail hid between his legs. His hands were even shaking. His mind was acclimatize to adversaries but his new body was not.

With his current level, strength, and skill, there was no way for the current Argon Raze to go against such a number, even if he had a proper sword.

And so, the Sword Saint, the best swordsman of Evaren, Argon Raze did the one thing he had never done before in his previous life.

He turned tail and bolted out of the place.

The Sword Saint had run away from his challenge for the first time in his life— well, lives.

 

Erinthea - Forest-kin: Fox-kin

Level: 1 | Status: Bruised (Right Hand)

Might: 5 | Arcane: 10 | Finesse: 10

Level Progression: 50%

 

 

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