Slime boss (P.3) – Chapter 9

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After having a long, nice sleep like usual, I woke up only to find that I was alone in the bed.

'Aoi must've woken up before me…'

I was already aware that this wasn't another long dream when I imagined having someone else by my side because near the bed I could see her pink panites which she seemed to have taken off during the sleep.

She was always a restless sleeper. And even though she is asleep, she always takes off one part of her clothing for some reason.

Anyway, after stretching out my arms and legs, I took a deep breath and headed to the first floor, where I assumed Aoi would be.

After looking for her in the living area and the kitchen, I soon heard some panting noises coming from the open area where we would exercise. There I found Aoi, as she seemed to be swinging around her whip sword on the target that she had prepared.

From what I was seeing, she was trying to destroy four targets at once at an interesting distance.

"...Heup!"

As she took a long, deep breath, she let her sword go limp until it extended into whip form, where she managed to deal a clean and nice cut on the three dummy targets. However, the fourth one only managed to get grazed a little.

"....not enough…." She said this to herself as she breathed for air.

Then, for the following minutes or so, Aoi continued doing the same kind of exercises in different positions.

I can see that she has taken my advice very seriously.

If she truly wants to improve, then she needs to improve the aspects where she has difficulties first. And that is when an enemy is near her.

When a monster is within close range of Aoi, she won't be able to gather enough momentum on her swing in order to cause a fatal blow to the target. And the time that would be required for the blade to reach her targets would increase as well.

I was never a fan of the whip sword, which is why I couldn't really help her master it completely.

However, from what I'm seeing right now, she seems to be adapting to that sword quite quickly.

"If you wish to progress even quicker, then a moving target might help."

"...Huh?"

Upon taking a step inside the exercise area, I tried giving a suggestion to Aoi, to which she replied with a confused look.

I could see that she seemed confused about what I was talking about for a moment, but after she saw me pick up a wooden sword laying near her, she seemed to grasp what I was talking about.

"How about I become your sparring partner? You can go all out on me. Use whatever method you want, and if you manage to even graze me a bit, you win. How about it?"

"...Are you sure? I'm still using a real sword here. Won't it be more safe to also use a wooden sword?"

After seeing her concerned look on her face about my suggestion, I smiled before reassuring her.

"Unfortunately, we don't really have wooden swords that take the form of whips. But you don't need to worry, because I'm quite confident in my skills."

"...."

After thinking about this for a brief moment, she eventually replied to me with a firm expression on her face.

"Then please take care of me."

"...Understood."

After getting her confirmation, we established some safety rules and we moved into the rectangular ring.

"The rules are straightforward. In order for you to win, you need at least to get a hit on me or simply make me step out of the ring. And since I'm giving you a handicap, if I manage to get exactly 10 clear hits on you, I win."

"....I-I understand."

Having outlined the conditions to each other, she gave a nod of acknowledgment as we both prepared ourselves. While I was holding a wooden sword in my weaker left hand, Aoi was sternly looking at me.

"You can begin whenever you want."

"..."

After a brief moment of silence, Aoi took a deep breath before swinging her solid sword until it extended into its whip form and aimed it at my chest within a split second.

"...Heup!"

Understanding the quick-paced attack from Aoi, I easily dodged the dangerous blades of the sword by simply leaning back.

"...Huh?"

She was surprised when she saw how easily I managed to avoid her attack. But she didn't back away. With a single spin, she launched another attack, this time with increased speed and precision.

I understood what she was trying to do. 

I quickly dove down and charged directly at Aoi while also avoiding the blades of the whip, which were all moving around in midair. But of course, this was due to my incredible fast instincts, which made the whip look like it was moving really slowly.

".....?!"

As she watched me approach, seemingly unaffected by her whip's deadly dance, she attempted to pull her weapon back to intercept me.

However, before she could even react in time, it was already over.

*Thud*

"That's one strike."

"...ugh!"

My wooden sword lightly brushed against her head, but the abruptness of my move caused her to stumble and fall

"When facing a cunning opponent, such as in this scenario, using your environment to your advantage is crucial. Also, the whip form of your sword has a special trait. It can read the muscles of your body, which would allow you to change its trajectory at will. So don't be afraid when you miss the target. And lastly, but most importantly, pay attention to your steps."

"...my steps?"

"Yes." I continued, "Even though the sword mostly uses the movement of your arms, you still need to take advantage of your body in every way. Just like before, when you spinned to tangle the sword in midair to trap me. So if you apply more movement to your legs, you will be able to get a better position when fighting against stronger monsters."

"...movements of my legs..."

Once I carefully explained to her the importance of why she should also focus on the way she moves, she seemed to mutter something under her breath, seemingly absorbing the advice that I gave her.

Then, after a moment of silence, she got up with a glint in her eyes, ready for the next round.

And just like that, we continued sparring with one another for what I would assume was an hour before she fell on her butt, trying to catch her breath.

"Haaa…..Haaa….Haa….."

"I think this should be enough for today."

"...Haaa…..Haaa...Haa….. I can…..Haa… still keep going…."

Seeing how she was trying to stand up by resting her hands over her bent knees, I tried calling the sparring between us over. 

"This was just a simple sparring. There's no need for us to go this far. Besides, you'll have your chance of going all out when we enter the dungeon."

"…But still…" She spoke with a gentle tone, "I couldn't even land a hit on you."

"Don't feel so frustrated with yourself. You've achieved more than you think."

"What do you mean….?"

"Take a break. You'll need your energy for the final battle with the slime boss."

As I suggested that to Aoi, I turned around and walked out of the room. But while walking out, I glanced at the palm of my own right hand, noticing a small, visible cut.

With a smile on my face, I clenched my own fist and then left to change my clothes.