==

Curse: Yama's Discontent (Soulbound Sword)

Description: Yama senses the existence of your sword. In utter discontent, he has dispatched a servant of the underworld to destroy it for good.

Effects: +200 aggression from swordspawns of the underworld.

Warning: A spawn of the underworld is actively hunting for you and your sword.

==

'Another pursuer, huh? I wonder if this one's just as strong as Excalibur's wielder?' Daru mused, not caring much about the effects of the said curse.

He wasn't afraid, far from it.

In fact, he was rather pleased that strong enemies were coming for him, as this meant that he didn't have to waste his time looking.

'I'll prepare myself while waiting for them…'

He hadn't noticed when he closed the status window, but his momentary frown had now turned into a smile of anticipation…that froze as he noticed someone standing in front of him.

Equally dumbfounded was a young woman.

Her long, blueberry hair swayed in the wind as her nameplate floated above her, written in eye-catching red:

==

Edelweiss

HP: 820 / 820

==

For two moments, one could only hear the passing breeze, broken in the next by Iris' soothing voice, her soft words carried by the winds:

"Daru Finnley…so it was you…"

"Edelweiss…where have I…" Daru muttered in response, his expression brightening after remembering just a second later: "Ahh…you're from Class 69."

"Yes. I'm Iris Snowcrest from Class 69, known in the Myriad Sword Realm as Edelweiss," the rather soft-spoken lady confirmed. "Nice to meet you, Daru Finnley."

"Likewise."

Two more seconds of awkward silence ensued, though neither seemed bothered, merely continuing to lock gazes.

"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll go first." Daru broke the silence.

But then, when he was about to go, Iris stopped him: "Ahh, please wait."

"Hmm?"

Daru's brows rose in puzzlement.

To his slight bewilderment, Snowflower suddenly offered a deep bow.

"Thank you for the boosts. I'll be able to level up a lot quicker with them." She then left, leaving Daru confused.

He could only follow the blueberry-haired lady with his gaze.

Then, he remembered something and hurriedly looked up to check his nameplate.

There the name "Onimaru Kunitsuna" was, displayed in a similar red text as Iris' Edelweiss.

'Ahh…'

He didn't know why, but he extended his hands for a moment, seemingly hoping to stop Iris from leaving.

But once the impulse was gone, Daru pulled his hand back, took a deep breath, and then turned to leave.

Why was he even trying to hide the fact that he's now an S-ranker, anyway?

However, strangely, the further he walked, the more uneasy he became.

His instincts told him that there was something he was avoiding, which was why he was feeling uneasy with just letting anyone see his true trial name and sword's current tier.

Soon enough, Daru was able to pinpoint the reason: freedom.

No one cared about an F-ranker, so he could do what he wanted.

From what he heard in the conversations in their classroom, even A-rankers were being observed and followed by agents of the world government and the Seven Sword Guilds from time to time, which he believed he wouldn't appreciate.

Daru turned to look in the direction Iris had gone.

Snowflower was the only one who knew, though it seemed like his secret was safe with her…

What else could he do, anyway? Hunt her down in the sword realm and silence her?

That would be a bit too extreme, wouldn't it?

What has happened has already happened.

So, Daru simply decided not to let anyone know aside from her, tapping on his belt bag to open the inventory window.

He then retrieved a certain item and stared at it for a few moments.

He didn't expect that he would use the deceitful Oni Mask this soon…

With a sigh, he put it on, and the item latched on his face like a melted glue stick.

His appearance hasn't changed yet, but a prompt appeared in front of him.

Daru selected the first choice: [No Same Visage Twice].

The next thing he knew, he was in an endless crimson void, with tens of thousands of silhouettes lined up before him, their faces being the only parts visible.

The empty expressions only added to the rather creepy and unsettling atmosphere.

Still, Daru walked, tracing the first row and spotting a tan-skinned, orange-haired youngster of similar height.

He didn't know how to "choose" an appearance, so he simply touched the face.

To Daru's surprise, his vision darkened, and the moment he recovered, he realized he was now back at the Sunblade Savannah.

It wasn't too hard for him to confirm that his appearance had changed based on the color of his skin.

The Oni Mask's skill window was still in front of him, though the [No Same Visage Twice] option was grayed out.

The next thing Daru did was change his trial name to "Okuni", selecting the color purple, which made him appear as a young, orange-haired B-ranker.

It seemed like his disguise was already enough, so he didn't go a step further and alter his weapon too.

He very much liked the original appearance of his sword.

Nodding in satisfaction, Daru proceeded to head back to the zone where he previously found Havoc the Honey Badger, hoping to challenge it to start his day.

The Sunblade Savannah was vast, and Daru was deep in it, so it took him around thirty minutes before he was able to return.

Arriving at the area, his brows rose as he heard the sounds of battle resounding in the distance.

Daru quickened his pace.

Is the field boss fighting an (Elite) Lurker Leopard again?

The battle between the two Swordspawns had always been intense, and since he was strong enough this time, maybe he could swoop in and play fisherman.

In the past, Daru would have never done such a thing.

But his goal has now changed.

He wanted to become an excellent bladeborn, and if he wanted to achieve this, then he had to be good at every aspect of the profession.

Wits has now entered the equation.

Thus, even if he wasn't really that good at using his brain, he inwardly vowed to do his best.

He crept closer to the battle, peering from behind the trunk of a Bur Oak.

He was surprised at what he saw.

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