Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 22: A Little Later, but No Less Striking.
Only moments after the meat was thrown—
“Oh, here they come.”
A school of fish appeared beneath the water.
Every one of them was a monster large enough that Ren would need both arms to carry it. Thick blue scales covered their bodies, and sharp fangs like those of carnivorous beasts filled their mouths.
They were known as Berserk Fish.
The sight of so many swimming together was distinctly unsettling.
Ren’s cheek twitched as he tossed another piece of meat into the hole.
“Kakakaka!”
“Kaka!”
The sound came from the Berserk Fish grinding their fangs together.
Several shot from the water like bullets, racing toward the bait.
Ren swung the Iron Magic Sword.
He continued doing so each time another Berserk Fish broke through the surface.
One, two… ten, then fifteen. In moments, a heap of defeated fish had accumulated atop the ice.
The frenzy finally subsided after Ren killed nineteen.
“Is it really acceptable for this to be so easy?”
Berserk Fish entered their breeding season during winter.
In this lake, the season began after thick ice covered the surface. The young hatched beneath it and repeatedly devoured one another whenever hunger struck.
Their ferocity produced tremendous attacking power through their razor-sharp fangs.
That savage behavior in their juvenile stage had given the species its name.
Surprisingly, mature Berserk Fish were relatively calm.
They might prey upon birds landing on the water after the ice melted, but they rarely chose to attack humans. Their truly vicious temperament lasted only while they were young.
“This barely feels like an achievement… but it really was evolution.”
――――――
Ren Ashton
[Job] Eldest Son of House Ashton
[Skills]
Magic Sword Summoning — Level 1: 0/0
Magic Sword Summoning Technique — Level 5: 95/5000
Level 1: Summon one magic sword.
Level 2: Gain Physical Ability Up (Small) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 3: Summon two magic swords.
Level 4: Gain Physical Ability Up (Medium) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 5: Unlock Magic Sword evolution.
Level 6: Gain Physical Ability Up (Large) while a magic sword is summoned.
Level 7: *****************************
[Acquired Magic Swords]
Great Tree Magic Sword — Level 3: 114/2000
Enables attacks comparable to Nature Magic (Medium).
Its effective range expands as its level rises.
Iron Magic Sword — Level 3: 3039/4500
Its sharpness increases as its level rises.
Thief’s Magic Sword — Level 1: 0/3
Has a fixed chance to steal a random item from the target.
Shield Magic Sword — Level 2: 0/5
Creates a barrier of mana. Its strength and effective area increase with its level.
Flame Magic Sword — Level 1: 1/1
Its inferno is the wrath of a dragon, an embodiment of power.
――――――
Two major changes had occurred.
The first was that Magic Sword Summoning Technique had reached Level 5, unlocking Magic Sword evolution.
The amount of proficiency required for the next level remained painfully distant, though Level 6 promised Physical Ability Up (Large).
The second change was the one Ren cared about most.
After evolution became available, the Wooden Magic Sword—which had remained unable to level despite reaching its proficiency limit—finally advanced.
It had evolved into the Great Tree Magic Sword.
“Oh… that sounds rather impressive.”
Being alone made it very easy to talk to himself.
Ren drove the Iron Magic Sword into the ice. Its sharpness immediately cracked the surface and caused the sword to sink, so he dismissed it and summoned the Great Tree Magic Sword instead.
One might say that a long-held wish had finally been fulfilled.
The sword that appeared in the air no longer resembled a wooden knife.
Beautiful carvings covered its surface, giving it the appearance of a ceremonial blade.
Another change soon occurred to Ren.
The power that had previously been described as Nature Magic (Small) had strengthened to Nature Magic (Medium).
Ren’s nature would never allow him to leave that untested.
“Go!”
After carefully confirming that no one was nearby, he swung the Great Tree Magic Sword.
As usual, he intended to produce roots and vines.
He deliberately envisioned something stronger, trusting that the improved Nature Magic could answer that expectation.
Even so, it was only a change from Small to Medium.
He tried not to expect too much, lest he disappoint himself.
Then—
“Oh?”
The tip of the lowered sword pointed through the opening in the ice.
A deep rumbling rose from beneath the lake. Ren watched with his head tilted, uncertain what his new power had done.
Several seconds later—
“Wh-what!?”
Roots erupted through the surrounding ice.
Every one possessed extraordinary thickness, enough that they seemed capable of binding even an enormous Mana Eater. They emerged throughout the broad lake, displaying a range and force utterly incomparable to the previous Wooden Magic Sword.
Confronted with power far beyond his expectations, Ren hurriedly dismissed the magic.
Its strength was disproportionately great compared with the mana it consumed. He could no longer regard the difference between Small and Medium as insignificant.
(It is called an evolution, after all.)
Seen that way, the transformation made sense.
Even so, Ren remained astonished by how dramatically the sword had strengthened.
The thick ice covering the lake had split in numerous places. Broken sheets already drifted quietly across the exposed water.
Ren exhaled and felt that he could celebrate the evolution again and again.
One reminder of his remaining weakness soon returned to him: the Flame Magic Sword.
Since early spring, he had repeatedly considered trying to summon it. Every attempt had ended in a severe headache resembling complete mana exhaustion.
(Perhaps it is simply too powerful, even when it is not Flame Sword: Asval.)
He tried once more.
The pain seemed slightly less intense than before.
There was no reason to force himself here, so Ren stopped after confirming that much progress.
He was still not strong enough. With that conclusion, he ceased concentrating on the Flame Magic Sword.
Ren set several large burlap sacks on the ice and packed every defeated Berserk Fish inside them.
Once the sacks were bulging, he carried them toward the shore.
Deep snow made the ground around the lake difficult to cross, but Ren proceeded home without appearing troubled.
“The method is efficient, but doing this every day would be…”
During Legend of the Seven Heroes, this hunting method could be used only for a limited period.
The season had to be winter, so the player could hunt here only when the story’s progression allowed it.
That restriction made the lake an exceptionally efficient source of proficiency during a narrow window.
This world, however, was not a game. The number of living monsters had to be finite.
Ren could return and hunt again, but killing too many Berserk Fish might eventually eradicate them and alter the surrounding ecosystem.
Realistically, that ought to be avoided.
“Still… there is no one else anywhere nearby.”
Winter had monsters of its own, but very few winter-exclusive species appeared in this region.
Most monsters showed themselves less often than during warmer seasons. Adventurers seeking winter prey therefore seldom visited the area.
Almost no one deliberately fished for vicious juvenile Berserk Fish, and fewer still wanted to fight an entire school while standing on dangerous ice.
Those circumstances made Ren’s hunting location a hidden opportunity.
Merchants and ordinary travelers had even less reason to come this way.
The combination of all those factors probably explained why he had encountered no one.
Whatever the case, today’s catch was enormous.
With nothing to occupy his hands while walking, Ren thought about the Great Tree Magic Sword and almost unconsciously reached inside his coat.
He withdrew the vial Edgar had given him and closed his palm around it, as he had grown accustomed to doing.
“Should I sell these at the guild? Berserk Fish meat is supposed to be delicious, though…”
While Ren considered what to do with the catch, a faint sound like breaking glass came from his hand.
“Hmm?”
He stopped and looked down.
The vial was the only object in his hand, so his first thought was that he had accidentally broken it.
But the glass container remained intact.
When Ren opened his palm, he saw the crystal sphere inside.
“Oh. It broke.”
The sphere had not merely developed a scratch or split in half.
It had shattered completely into powder-like fragments.
The suddenness did surprise him.
Yet the crystal had been given to him specifically so he could practice the mana control required to master Mantle.
Once even a fragment of that control manifested successfully, the crystal would react.
The effect was not meant to appear gradually. When it came, it came all at once.
Realizing that his daily effort had finally borne fruit filled Ren with satisfaction, and a smile spread across his face.
Between the unlocked evolution and the shattered crystal, this had unquestionably become a day worth celebrating.
Ren’s steps were remarkably light as he continued along the snow-covered animal trail.
Wait, so he accidentally cracked it while fishing via using magic swords?
If this were a xinxia novel, he would have had to kneel down and meditate, and genuinely peactice controlling his Qi, guiding it through his meridians, and ultimately directing it to congregate out of his palm and into the object to accomplish this challenge. I can’t deny this loosey-goosey way of success feels lqckluster, as if anyone could have done it if they simply kept it in their pocket long enough.