When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword - Chapter 86

When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 86   The Skill

The giant rabbit let out a sharp cry, an unnerving sound that didn’t seem to belong to a rabbit at all, as it lunged at us. And there were two of them. Caught off guard, Amethyst and I froze in place, our eyes wide in shock. But Dia, who had anticipated the ambush, moved faster than anyone else.

She blocked the attacking rabbits with her Immortal Great Shield. Then, with a powerful shove, she pushed the rabbits back.

“Thanks, Dia!”

Without wasting a moment, I drew the Rusted Sword from its sheath on my back, transforming it into the Cursed Magic Sword. At the same time, Amethyst raised her right hand, preparing for battle. We couldn’t afford to lag behind Dia.

“Let’s see what you’ve got!” Amethyst exclaimed with excitement, directing her right palm toward the rabbits. She wasn’t just referring to the rabbits—her words were clearly aimed at Dia and me.

Not wanting to be outdone by her taunt, I gripped my sword firmly and leaped out from behind Dia, slashing at one of the rabbits.

“Kiii!?”

The giant rabbit stiffened in shock, unable to react to my sudden charge. Seizing this opening, I swung my sword, delivering a swift, decisive strike.

“Haah!”

The rabbit, cleaved by the magic sword, dissolved into particles of light, disappearing instantly. There was almost no resistance—the divine power of the magic sword was incredible, but these creatures likely weren’t very strong to begin with. If I had to classify them by adventurer standards, they’d probably be of Bronze rank.

Just as I finished off the first rabbit, the second one lunged at me, aiming to strike while I was vulnerable. Though it moved at a speed I could have easily countered, Dia was even faster, stepping in to intercept it.

“Hah!”

Once again, Dia blocked the rabbit’s attack, pushing it back with her shield. At the same time, she called out a name.

“Amethyst!”

I turned to see Amethyst aiming at the rabbit she had just pushed back, her right palm ready to cast a spell.

“Purple Lightning!”

In an instant, a purple bolt of lightning shot out from Amethyst’s palm. The deafening roar echoed through the forest as the lightning pierced through the giant rabbit. Its power was so overwhelming that the rabbit didn’t even have time to cry out before it disintegrated, leaving behind only the smell of burning.

I stared at Amethyst, who stood with her right hand still extended. Her magic had become significantly more powerful since our last battle. It was clear that the divine power she received from her sacred weapon had grown immensely. The giant rabbit wasn’t a particularly strong monster, but even so, the destruction was impressive. She must have made significant progress in developing her sacred weapon in a short period of time.

Amethyst noticed my gaze and looked back at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Well, what do you think?” I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should respond, but ultimately, I decided to look away without saying anything.

With the monsters defeated, we all relaxed, taking a moment to catch our breath.

“Kii!”

“—!?”

Suddenly, another giant rabbit emerged from the bushes. It had been hiding there all along. We were completely caught off guard. The rabbit sprouted an ice spear-like horn from its head and launched it at us at high speed. It was a magical, fast strike, contrasting the earlier rabbits’ leaping attacks with a rapid, unexpected assault. Though it didn’t seem particularly powerful, its speed was overwhelming.

There was no way to dodge it. In that instant, while Amethyst and I were frozen in surprise, Dia was already moving. She had anticipated the presence of this hidden rabbit and its magical attack.

Dia quickly stepped in front of us, her shield raised.

“Enchant—Mirror Shield Reflection!”

As she chanted the spell, Dia’s great shield gleamed with a silver light. The moment the ice spear struck the shield, it made a chime-like sound. Just as I marveled at the beautiful sound, the ice spear that seemed to have embedded itself in the shield was suddenly reflected back in the opposite direction.

“Kiii!?”

The giant rabbit barely avoided its own reflected attack and fled in shock. Even after the monster had retreated, Amethyst and I remained rooted in place, astonished by what we had just witnessed.

That was Dia’s new technique—Enchant: Mirror Shield Reflection. She had apparently awakened this power during a battle with a serpent-like demon, using it to achieve a hard-fought victory. According to her, this enchantment perfectly reflects any magic attack. This was my first time seeing it in action.

When I first heard that Dia had defeated a demon by herself, I wondered how she had managed it, but now I understood. With this enchantment, it was entirely possible. In fact, it was simply powerful—being able to perfectly reflect any magic attack, regardless of its strength, was a truly impressive technique with immense potential to turn the tide of battle.

On top of that, Dia possessed a talent for sensing danger, almost like precognition. She could predict when, where, and what kind of attack was coming. Previously, I had thought her defenses against magic were her only weak point, but now that she had completely overcome that, Dia had undoubtedly become a true guardian deity.

“…Well, that’s impressive.”

Even I, who already knew about the enchantment magic, was surprised by Dia’s skill, so Amethyst must have been even more caught off guard. She walked up to Dia, her eyes fixed on the glowing shield, and spoke.

“You’ve managed to defeat a demon by yourself now.”

“Y-Yes. Though it was like this,” Dia replied, somewhat bashfully.

“No matter the method, being able to defeat a demon is a significant accomplishment. Well done, Dia.”

“Th-Thank you,” Dia responded, blushing and lowering her gaze as she received the praise from the Amethyst she admired.

But as Dia shyly averted her eyes, Amethyst’s expression grew more serious as she continued.

“However, it seems that your power can be difficult to use effectively. In this situation, you probably shouldn’t have used it.”

“Huh? Why not?” Dia asked, surprised.

“You didn’t need to use your magic. Either I or this guy could have handled it by stepping forward. Plus, the enemy wasn’t that strong. There wasn’t really a need to waste your precious magic power on the enchantment.”

Dia looked taken aback by the unexpected advice. I, too, was secretly impressed by Amethyst’s sharp observation. Indeed, the giant rabbit we faced wasn’t that powerful. Dia’s magic power isn’t particularly abundant, so it wasn’t necessary for her to use her enchantment magic in that situation. Amethyst seemed to have made that judgment instantly.

“Also, if your enchantment magic is seen once, your opponent will be able to counter it. From what I can tell, it reflects magical attacks, right? Ideally, you’d want to use it in a situation where you can deliver a decisive blow. Reflecting a perfect strike from your opponent to turn the tables—that’s the most ideal use. So be careful when choosing when to use it.”

“…Y-Yes,” Dia replied, her voice a bit uncertain.

The exchange felt like one between a teacher and a student at an academy. While I was thinking about that, Amethyst turned her attention to me.

“And you, as her comrade, should give advice like this yourself. It’s a waste of Dia’s great power.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” I responded, caught off guard.

Her pointed criticism made me instinctively offer a sincere apology. But honestly, it was my first time seeing it, so wasn’t my reaction understandable? Instead, shouldn’t the conversation be about how amazing it is that Amethyst, who knew nothing about Dia’s enchantment magic, was able to give such precise advice on the spot?

“Honestly, both of you are just wasting your potential. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch. How did you even manage to reach Gold rank? If I don’t see some hint of advancement during this journey, it’s going to be a problem for me.”

For some reason, Amethyst seemed annoyed as she quickly walked ahead. Dia and I exchanged complicated glances, feeling the weight of her words. A hint for advancing in rank? I’d love to show her one if I could, but it’s probably not that simple. The only reason we managed to rank up was because of sheer luck.

It seemed like Amethyst joined us on this quest to understand why we’ve progressed further, but I doubt she’ll find the answers she’s looking for. In fact, it’s more likely that we’ll be the ones learning from her on this journey. With that thought in mind, Dia and I hurried after Amethyst.

After walking through the forest for a while, the sun began to set, and the sky grew dark. We decided to rest for the night. As we sat around the fire, nibbling on some rations, I asked Amethyst about something that had been on my mind.

“What kind of quests have you and your team taken on?”

It was something I’d been curious about. Amethyst and her group are almost like our peers as adventurers. What kind of quests have they been on? I’m aware that Dia and I have had some unusual experiences, but I wanted to know what paths others had taken.

When I asked, Amethyst, nibbling distastefully on a bland piece of bread, replied.

“Nothing special. Unlike a certain someone, we’re just lowly Bronze-rank adventurers, so the quests we can take are limited.”

“…”

Why did she have to say it so sarcastically? I didn’t mean to ask in a way that would come off as snide. Anyway, it seems Amethyst and her team haven’t been caught up in any unusual incidents like we have. I thought that was just part of the adventurer’s life, but I guess not. After all, it’s not every day that a new adventurer finds themselves fighting one of the Seven Great Demons right away.

“Oh, but there was this one time we got to join a special quest to raid a Renegade hideout.”

“Really? That sounds like a pretty dangerous quest. How did you get to join that?”

“Normally, only Silver-rank adventurers and above can participate, but we were special. We occasionally did joint quests with some of the adventurers who were going on that raid, and they recommended us because they saw potential in our skills.”

So they’ve been on a quest like that before. I found it surprising at first, but then I reconsidered—it’s not so surprising given Amethyst’s party. I’m not just being flattering when I say their abilities seemed to be on par with Silver-rank even during the adventurer exam.

With their skills continuing to grow through experience, it’s only natural that someone would recognize their strength, even if they’re officially ranked as Bronze. It’s no wonder they got pulled into a Silver-level quest. Their promotion to Silver rank is probably just a matter of time, especially since they’ve already succeeded in a quest of that caliber.

“That was definitely the most dangerous quest we’ve taken on so far. And since the enemy was human, we had to hold back. On top of that, they were trickier than any demon, using all sorts of cunning tactics. It was a real pain.”

Amethyst tore into her bread, as if venting her frustration while recalling the past. Dealing with the Renegade Heretics must have required a lot of caution. Not only did they need to hold back in battle, but they also had to be wary of the dangerous and twisted ideologies these heretics harbored—very different from facing demons. I’m not exactly sure how one would go about handling them, though.

Come to think of it, have we ever encountered the Renegade Heretics before? I don’t think we have. But it’s only a matter of time before we do, so maybe it’s worth considering some countermeasures now. Perhaps we could get some advice from Amethyst in front of us.

“Well, fighting the Renegade Heretics was a real hassle, but it was a valuable experience. It made me a lot stronger, and now I’m even considering becoming a specialist in capturing Renegade Heretics.”

“A capture specialist, huh?”

Not all adventurers follow the same path. Even though we’re all called adventurers, our activities can vary greatly. Some focus on gathering requests and become gathering adventurers. Others specialize in hunting and become hunting adventurers. There are also those who focus on capture requests, like capture adventurers. Many adventurers choose their preferred type of quest and stick with it consistently.

As for us, we haven’t settled on any particular direction yet and just take on quests as they come. But I have to admit, the idea of Amethyst becoming a capture adventurer oddly fits her. I can easily picture her rounding up a large group of Renegade Heretics.

“Do you guys have any specific goals? Any particular type of adventurer you want to become?”

“Eh?”

Dia and I both let out confused sounds at the same time, leading us to exchange glances. What kind of adventurer do I want to be? I’ve thought about it vaguely, but I don’t think I have an answer that would satisfy Amethyst. Rather than specializing in something, Dia and I are just focused on achieving our overarching goals.

While I was pondering how to respond, Dia spoke up first.

“I don’t really have any particular goal in mind for the type of adventurer I want to become. Right now, my main objective is to raise my rank so I can search for my mom and dad.”

“Oh, right. Your parents disappeared a few years ago, didn’t they?”

It seemed Amethyst was already aware of Dia’s situation. Hearing Dia’s response, Amethyst nodded in understanding before turning her sharp gaze toward me.

“And what about you?”

“Eh?”

“Do you have any goals or a specific type of adventurer you want to become, like Dia? Not that I really care.”

…Then why ask?

I felt a bit annoyed by her question, but I didn’t want to just stay silent. So, after a moment’s hesitation, I answered, picturing a red-haired girl in my mind.

“I don’t really have a specific type of adventurer I want to become either. But right now, I just want to catch up to someone I admire.”

“Someone you admire?”

“Yeah, someone who helped me a long time ago. She’s an adventurer now, and one day, I want to stand by her side and fight together. That’s what I want to do right now. So, if I had to say, I guess I want to become ‘an adventurer like her.'”

“Hmm.”

She responded with a nonchalant “hmm,” as if she wasn’t really interested. I had taken the time to explain a bit more, so I thought she could at least react a little more. But something about the way she responded felt like there was an underlying meaning, which made me glare at Amethyst.

“W-What’s that ‘hmm’ supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing. I just didn’t expect such a reasonable answer from you, that’s all. I figured your goal would be to get ‘revenge’ on the bullies from your past.”

“What do you think of me, anyway?”

And how does she even know I was bullied? I never told her that. I’d appreciate it if she didn’t just assume things about me. Not to mention, I’ve never once thought about getting back at those bullies. Although, I suppose I wouldn’t mind showing them how far I’ve come one day.

With those trivial thoughts in mind, we spent the rest of the night talking. Tomorrow, we’d finally begin our serious exploration of the dangerous area.