When I said, "You can be a hero," to a child with no talent, he really started to become a hero, so I acted like I knew what I was doing, like I was a wise master. - Chap 12.2 - Awakening - Will vs. Dya

After parting with Hero Dan, Will returned to his village and split firewood. Even after becoming an adventurer, he continued to help out at home. As an adventurer, he took on requests and contributed a small amount of money to the household.

Both he and those around him could feel him gradually changing. With his increased strength, he could split firewood at a speed that made him seem like a different person than before.

“Will, you’ve really become strong.”

“Ah, yeah.”

His childhood friend, Menmen, watched him with curious eyes. She seemed to be experiencing a sense of dissonance due to the stark differences from his past self.

“Hey, something definitely happened, didn’t it? Tell me.”

“Eh? Um, nothing really…”

“That’s a lie. You weren’t scared of the goblins, you saved me, suddenly decided to take the adventurer’s exam, and passed it… It’s all too strange!”

“Do you really think so…?”

(Oh no… Menmen is getting suspicious. But I absolutely have to keep my relationship with Hero Dan a secret…)

As Will thought about how to make an excuse, two shadows approached them.

“Hey, Will. You still look as gloomy as ever.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself just because you passed the adventurer’s test like us.”

The two who came to Will and Menmen were boys of the same age, Ludo and Western. They were like sidekicks to a boy named Dya, who was known to have the most talent in their village, and the three of them had passed the adventurer’s test together.

“Stop it, both of you! Leave Will alone!”

“Always hiding behind a girl.”

“You probably cheated on the adventurer’s test.”

“Go away!”

Menmen gets angry and tries to distance Will from the two, but it’s not that simple. Will had always been used to being treated like that, so he just looks down and says nothing.

“Will has gotten really strong! He didn’t cheat! He could easily take on your boss, Dya!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Then let him fight against our Dya!!”

Lude and Western proposed a duel between Dya and Will, almost as if they had been waiting for this moment. Menmen, who was angry at them for belittling Will, accepted their challenge without hesitation.

“Fine! Because Will will definitely win!”

With their challenge issued, the two boys left, leaving Menmen to quickly cool down and regret what she had done.

“S-s-sorry, Will! I, um…”

“Ah, no. I was surprised how quickly everything got decided, but… you said it for me, so I’m not mad.”

(Even so… this might be a good opportunity. To see how much I can match up to Dya now. To see how much I’ve caught up. It’s worth doing, even if it was all set up.)

Will decided to fight Dya in the time before his training with Dan. A battle with someone he once couldn’t even compare himself to was about to begin.

***

Will and Dya face each other.

“So you’re really going to fight me, Will?”

“Yeah… I want to see how much I can do.”

Will’s hands were opening and closing in a restless manner. That’s because he was fundamentally a timid person, and now there was an audience.

“Hey, are Dya and Will really going to fight?”

“He doesn’t stand a chance. He won’t be able to get a hit in.”

Kids their age were also curious, and had come out to watch the duel. Actually, it was Rood and Western who had gathered them. They were annoyed by Will’s sudden rise, and planned to make him make a fool of himself in public by fighting Dya, who they were certain would win.

Dya was unaware of this. However, he, too, wanted the duel with Will for different reasons. He wanted to test the strength of Will, who had grown so rapidly that he could be called a different person.

“I’ll give you the first move, Will.”

“Thanks.”

Will’s foot sank into the ground, and from there, he accelerated rapidly, swinging his sword down. Dya blocked the strike that seemed to cut through the wind.

(–He’s fast, his physical abilities, and the fluid form he’s created…–)

There’s no way he could have gained this much strength in such a short amount of time, but the being before his eyes was embodying that. He was filled with surprise, jealousy, and awe. However, that moment was fleeting, and the roles of offense and defense switched, with Dya aiming his sword tip and unleashing a thrust.

Dya’s sword play was so impressive that it seemed like the match would be decided by it. For just a brief moment, the crowd sensed the conclusion of the match. –However, Will again evaded the vital point with a side-sweep.

(I thought it was over–)

Those who were watching the battle finally began to realize that Will had undergone rapid growth, and was on the verge of becoming an extraordinary individual.

“Will, I’ve noticed you’ve been moving more lightly recently, but what really happened to you?”

“What kind of swordsmanship is that?”

“Dya is from the Zetsumaryu school, right?”

“No, I’m talking about Will… Will’s swordsmanship.”

Those words faintly reached Dya’s ears as well.

(Yes, what school is this swordsmanship from!? This sword!?)

He could not even dream that the crying, good-for-nothing Will was receiving sword instruction directly from a living legend. To begin with, Dan’s sword is a special sword, and the knowledge he had learned in his previous life and his thoughts in this world were carefully, very carefully, built up little by little, like building a castle in the sand.

While there may be similar swords, there are no identical ones. The truth of the sword at its core is incredibly simple, but no one has yet noticed it.

(What… what on earth is he? I’m, I’m, I’m the strongest in this village.)

Dya had pride. He was a kind young man who could be found anywhere. However, he also had a desire to show off his power, to prove his strength and gain fame. There’s nothing wrong with that. Desire can make a person grow.

But in his case, he went a little too far in keeping it inside. In the depths of his heart, he looked down on someone, laughed at them, and confirmed his strength against others.

Hence, he felt rushed. He felt rushed by the sudden emergence of a being less than third-rate.

(Sure, he’s something. But… I’m stronger!)

Dya has also built up something. He learned the sword of Zetsumaryu, and he also has talent for magic. Undoubtedly, he is one of those on the path of the strong. His sword gained more power and changed from a sword to test Will’s strength to a sword to crush him.

As Will was gradually cornered, Memmen clenched her hands as if praying. She regretted that this fight had started because of her slip of the tongue, but she also supported him. That’s because she…

(Will… you’ll be fine, right?)

“Hey, what’s going on here?”

“Eh?”

A light, off-beat voice. When she looked to the side, a man with spiky black hair was nonchalantly watching the duel between the two.

“Um, it’s like a duel between the young people in the village… I, I’m actually the cause of it.”

(Is this guy not from the village…? And he wasn’t here a moment ago, and there’s no sound of footsteps…)

“Hmm, a duel, huh…”

The man seemed to be deeply interested in the duel. From his gaze and unique aura, she realized something.

(I wonder if this man can see the fight perfectly… I honestly can’t see it.)

“Um, do you think the black-haired boy over there can win?”

“Hmm, he definitely seems like he’s going to lose.”

“Oh…”

“But… since it’s a rare occasion, I’d like him to try a bit harder.”

Saying that, the young man shaped his hand like a megaphone and brought it to his mouth. He then began to call out to Will, who had started to gradually accept defeat.

“Keep going! You can still do it! Isn’t there still something you haven’t given everything to?!”

The surroundings buzzed. Who is that spiky-haired young man over there, they started to ask. Where did he come from all of a sudden? But only Will noticed the source of the voice.

It was Ban, who had taken the adventurer’s exam with him just the other day. He didn’t know why Ban was here, but he realized that Ban was cheering for him.

(It’s strange, but I feel energized by his cheer… I have to think. I can’t allow myself to be satisfied with just being able to put up a decent fight as the successor of the hero Dan!)

(From here… even further…)

He felt a sensation as if a current had run through his head – and he remembered.

(My spine, reflexes… the familiarity of my movements, his movements, thinking and dealing with things after seeing them with my eyes… my movements are slow… I see – this is…)

(This is what the Hero Dan was talking about!)

Determined, he takes a leap forward again. He grips his sword, releases his full might, and challenges his formidable foe.

However, everyone watching is taken aback by his action.

“Huh…?”

It was a word spilled out by one of the observers. But it was also a representation of the thoughts of everyone present, except for one person. That’s because Will had closed his eyes.

(You fool, there’s no way you can beat me like that. Have you given up?)

Dya had also thought he had grasped the end of the match this time around – however, he realized without a moment to blink that a sword was beginning to point at his neck, and he hurriedly tried to deal with it.

Up, down, right, left, he swings his sword with his eyes closed.

(If it’s slow because I think and respond after seeing with my eyes, then I don’t need my eyes. I’ll anticipate Dya’s movements that I’ve been watching up until now in my head and move accordingly…)

(Hero Dan had already given me the hint…)

Will had admired the Hero Dan since he was born. There were others besides him who felt the same way, and Dya was one of them. He was talented and a hero in the village. All Will could do was watch in awe.

But he watched. Despite being torn between jealousy and his own worthlessness, he had been watching Dya’s sword for many years as someone who was ahead of him.

Therefore, he inevitably understood Dya’s movements. He also had a slight idea of what Dya might be thinking. He filled in the gaps with the actual combat that had just begun and his own intuition, recreating a kind of limited foresight.

(When I try to swing my sword, there’s already a sword in place!)

The weak Will approached the strong Dya. Everyone could feel the sensation of the roles of offense and defense being reversed, one move, one step at a time.

Could it be that he’s going to win? Will… people began to harbor hope.

“It’s not over yet, right, left, up, right…”

Muttering Dya’s movements in his head like a spell, Will swung his sword. The feeling of having his sword completely read, of having his mind seen, sent chills down his spine. Dya keenly felt the desperation of being driven to the edge.

“There’s no way I can lose…”

The last wooden sword that Dya randomly swung in his realization of defeat hit Will’s head.

At the very end, he misread it, and furthermore, Will, who was at his physical and mental limit, collapsed. The recreation of limited foresight had put that much strain on his brain.

Dya had won. However, no one raised their voice in victory. Dya himself didn’t even think he had won.

“……What the hell, why did you suddenly come next to me?”

Will did not respond to Dya’s words. Instead, he closed his eyes as he was swept away by a wave of fatigue. Just before falling asleep, he had a dream.

Far ahead, there was an existence that was so far beyond comparison with Dya. He felt as if he could barely see the back of a hero standing at the pinnacle of strength that seemed to reach the heavens.

“I will surely become a hero like you.”

In his dream, he felt as if Hero Dan, wearing a metal mask, was laughing.