After hearing this, Tamaba Satori thought for a moment, then resumed her carefree smile, hugging the parchment and rubbing against Heimdall.
"Hmph~"
"Since God-sama says so."
"Then little Satori will reluctantly accept it~"
...
Tamaba Satori, holding her parchment, retreated to the side.
Now.
The spot by the bed was vacant.
In the center of the room, only Kikakujuo Mary and Rin remained standing.
In the corner, Hanazake Warabi was still hiding behind the Black Bear named Fierce Person, only her eyes visible, staring intently at everything.
"Ahem!"
Noticing Heimdall's gaze fall upon her,
Kikakujuo Mary immediately straightened her posture, tightly clutching the thick dictionary in her arms, her eyes darting rapidly between Rin and Heimdall.
"S...since everyone is so eager..."
Kikakujuo Mary took a step forward, raising her voice slightly.
"Then I suppose I'll reluctantly..."
"That's enough, no need to act. Come here."
Heimdall sat on the edge of the bed, beckoning her with his hand, cutting her off.
"Ugh!"
Kikakujuo Mary choked, the words she had prepared stuck in her throat.
Her cheeks instantly flushed, the redness spreading from her ears to her neck.
In the end,
Kikakujuo Mary could only toss the thick dictionary she was holding onto the bed.
It landed with a dull thud.
The mattress bounced slightly.
Then she walked straight up to Heimdall.
"Fine, let's get this over with! Who's afraid of whom?!"
Kikakujuo Mary looked like she was marching to her doom.
But,
Despite her bold words,
When her hands finally touched the ties of her nightgown, her fingers stiffened, and her movements slowed.
The blush on her cheeks didn't fade; instead, it spread to her ears.
...
The room was silent except for the sound of fabric rustling.
Finally,
Kikakujuo Mary closed her eyes and pulled down her nightgown.
It slid down her shoulders, pooling at her waist.
She awkwardly crawled onto the bed, her hands supporting her as she lay face down.
Unlike the others, who were seasoned warriors with honed physiques,
Kikakujuo Mary's back did not have taut muscles but rather a smooth, rounded curve.
Her skin was fair, glowing softly under the light, with a thin layer of subcutaneous fat around her shoulder blades, exuding an air of privilege.
This befitted her status as a pampered young lady.
Heimdall straddled her.
Kikakujuo Mary's body tensed, her hands gripping the sheets beneath her.
"Drip."
A drop of blood fell from Heimdall's fingertip.
The crimson liquid touched her fair back and instantly merged with it.
A red light glowed.
Complex patterns spread and intertwined across her back, finally settling.
The light faded.
Heimdall took a piece of parchment and imprinted the data from her back.
[Name]: Kikakujuo Mary
[Race]: Human
[Level]: Lv.1
[Abilities]: Strength: I0 / Endurance: I0 / Agility: I0 / Dexterity: I0 / Magic: I0
[Development Abilities]: None
[Magic]: None
[Skills]: Noble Judgment, Elegant Footwork
Heimdall glanced at the skill section, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Interesting."
Skills:
Noble Judgment
When using a Western-style sword, attack speed and precision increase.
When striking the same area multiple times, attack speed stacks, with the number of stacks depending on the [Agility] value.
A thrust to the opponent's nerve center causes intense pain, multiple times the normal attack, and can feedback spiritual power based on the pain inflicted.
Elegant Footwork
Maintaining specific dance steps during combat slightly increases evasion rate.
Additionally, each successful evasion increases the precision and damage of the next attack slightly.
...
Suddenly,
"Swish—"
With remarkable speed, Kikakujuo Mary pulled up her nightgown, wrapping herself tightly, covering the glimpse of skin.
Heimdall handed her the parchment.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching the parchment, her eyes widening as she stared at the words.
"This..."
"These are my skills?"
Kikakujuo Mary's voice trembled.
Then,
She suddenly looked up, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"How about it? God, these are amazing skills, right?"
Kikakujuo Mary held the parchment up to Heimdall, her eagerness to be praised almost palpable.
Seeing this, Heimdall smiled helplessly and nodded, pointing to the parchment.
"Indeed, these are two very powerful skills."
"Moreover, these two skills complement each other perfectly."
"When combined, they form a formidable combo."
"Your expertise in Western swordsmanship already emphasizes footwork and thrusting."
"By inflicting extreme pain on your enemies, you can feedback spiritual power."
"This means the longer the battle and the more pain your enemies feel, the more exhilarated and powerful you become."
"So,"
"Your combat style can utilize Elegant Footwork to dance around your enemies,"
"Then use your sword to sever their tendons and pierce their nerves,"
"Maximizing your ability to incapacitate your opponents."
"Incapacitate?"
Kikakujuo Mary murmured to herself.
Although it sounded a bit sadistic,
Why did she feel a strange thrill?
"Alright."
"With such powerful skills, things should be easier now. Go back."
"Yes!"
Hearing Heimdall's words, Kikakujuo Mary nodded vigorously. She quickly straightened her disheveled nightgown, clutching the parchment tightly, and jumped off the bed.
She then walked back to the group.
However,
As she passed Rin,
Kikakujuo Mary deliberately paused.
She lifted her chin high, her mouth curving into a smirk as she glanced at Rin from the corner of her eye.
"Hmph."
She let out a short, triumphant snort, the challenge in her tone unmistakable.
Rin watched Kikakujuo Mary's smug retreat, her eye twitching slightly.
This girl...
Is she trying to provoke me?
Based on what Rin knew about Kikakujuo Mary,
She was probably thinking, "I've already gotten super powerful skills, so you, still hesitating, will be left in the dust."
...
Thinking this, Rin took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing.
When she opened them again,
The last trace of hesitation in her eyes was replaced with resolve.
Since she had come this far,
Since she had decided to change,
There was no turning back.
Rin stepped forward.
Her hands untied her sash.
"Swoosh—"
The already short nightgown slid down her body.
Without pausing, she leaned forward, crawling onto the bed and lying face down.
Her back wasn't as rounded as Marie's
Nor did it have the explosive muscular definition of Kirukiru's.
Instead, it had a more subtle, restrained lines.
Taut and well-proportioned.
Her spine was as straight as a sword, shoulder blades drawn slightly together as if ready to unleash a sharp slash at any moment.
Even in a few inconspicuous places on her back,
one could see several faint, old scars, as if left by some kind of sharp blade.
These were the medals left by her day after day of sword practice.
Heimdall looked at this body full of stories, a flicker of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
Without any unnecessary words,
he straddled over her.
A fingertip coagulated with blood.
"Drip."
Fresh red divine blood fell.
"Hmm—"
Red light rose once more.
This time, the patterns carved on the girl's spine appeared exceptionally complex.
A moment later,
the light dissipated.
Heimdall picked up a new piece of parchment and imprinted the data onto it.
[Name]: Rin
[Race]: Human
[Level]: Lv.1
[Basic Abilities]: Strength: I0 / Endurance: I0 / Dexterity: I0 / Agility: I0 / Magic: I0
[Development Abilities]: None
[Magic]: None
[Skills]: Clear Mirror Sword Heart, Sword Soul: Sealed Heart
Looking at these two skills, the corner of Heimdall's mouth lifted slightly.
"As expected..."
"Where the heart leads, the body follows."
"This is the most suitable path for you."
Heimdall pulled the sleeping robe up to cover Rin, then handed the parchment to her.
Rin quickly put on her clothes, still somewhat nervously accepting the parchment.
Her gaze fell on the two lines describing the skills.
The next second,
her pupils contracted sharply, and her entire person froze in shock.
Skills:
Clear Mirror Sword Heart
A clear and unclouded sword heart, unstained by dust.
In battle, the calmer and more focused the state of mind, the higher the numerical correction to [Dexterity] and [Agility].
When the state of mind reaches the ultimate realm of emptiness, slash attack power is greatly increased.
Sword Soul: Sealed Heart
The mask is both a seal and a switch.
[While Wearing the Mask]:
Heart sealed, self-suggestion active.
[Strength] and [Endurance] are greatly increased, and the [Mental Immunity] effect is obtained.
[After Removing the Mask]:
Seal released, senses fully opened.
[Agility] and [Dexterity] are greatly increased, the [Hyper-Sense] effect is obtained, and the ability to perceive attack trajectories is doubled.
...
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 50 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/Rexlent
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"