Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The workshop owner cautiously continued to examine the ogre skin with slow, deliberate gestures.

How much time had passed?

As I swallowed nervously, waiting for a response, the workshop owner nodded and said,

“Indeed, the ogre skin and tendons are unmistakable.”

He appeared to have checked the tendons that were beside the skin I had shown him.

I nodded and opened my mouth.

“I’d like to make equipment with it. Boots, gloves, leather armor, and a cloak too.”

“You plan to cover yourself completely in ogre skin?”

“Yes.”

“How about a belt as well?”

“Is that a good idea…?”

“Hah…”

The workshop owner chuckled as if he found my question ridiculous.

However, it didn’t take long for that smile to fade away.

With a serious expression, he asked me,

“This isn’t stolen property, is it?”

“Stolen? It’s definitely mine.”

“Hmm… Do you have any proof of that?”

“Proof? Is that really necessary just to place a crafting order?”

“You do realize this is ogre skin, right? If it somehow turns out to be stolen, I’d be in trouble too.”

The workshop owner spoke to me earnestly.

Listening to him, I could not argue that he was wrong.

But what kind of proof was he expecting? He couldn’t possibly be interested in how I obtained this ogre skin.

“What kind of proof do you need?”

“Well, it’s simple. If you bought the ogre skin, you’d need a receipt from the guild; if you captured it yourself, you should have the skill to do so. If you’re an adventurer, showing your rank badge would do the trick.”

It seemed that the workshop owner wasn’t going to accept this request without some sort of proof, and he rolled the skin up and handed it back to me.

I glanced at the employee beside him, and he nodded in agreement, signaling that he felt the same.

I let out a small sigh.

Since I hadn’t purchased the skin, there was no receipt from the guild.

As for the rank badge of an adventurer, I only had a lowly bronze one.

Displaying that wouldn’t convince him in the slightest.

Thus, I was left with only one option.

I took a deep breath and lightly waved my hand.

“This is…”

The workshop owner, who seemed to notice something odd, looked around with a confused expression.

The employee beside him was also wide-eyed in surprise.

But it was too early for them to be shocked.

I intended to show them everything I could possibly demonstrate.

Everything would begin with a gentle breeze.

A soft wind, conjured through mana, spread peacefully through the shop.

The wind soon transformed into starlight and was soon swept up by a cold chill.

The vast expanse of blue starlight began to flow towards my hand, accompanied by the chilly breeze.

The swirling mass, resembling a whirlpool, started taking shape like one might see in the open sea.

This wasn’t practical. It was merely magic that wasted mana and prioritized flamboyance over utility.

There was no way I could defeat an ogre using this kind of magic.

Nevertheless, the reason I displayed such magic was singular.

Because of the image attached to being a wizard.

I heard from Rain that wizards are generally reclusive people.

They are extremely wary of having their magical knowledge disseminated to the public, so ordinary folks wouldn’t have any knowledge of magic.

Thus, simply implanting the image of being a wizard who could manipulate mana would ensure that these two no longer doubted my abilities.

“Are you… a wizard?”

“Whoa…”

As expected, the attitudes of the workshop owner and his employee changed drastically.

I scattered the whirling starlight in my hands and nodded.

“Hah, then you can be trusted. Why didn’t you mention it from the start?”

The workshop owner grinned sheepishly and winked at his employee.

The employee then dashed into the back of the shop with a measuring tape.

“Oh, how rude of me. I promise to make it to the best of my ability.”

The workshop owner snatched the measuring tape from the employee and hastily started writing the order form himself.

While doing so, he subtly requested that I promote his workshop to the mage tower, but of course, that request would go nowhere.

After all, I wasn’t a wizard affiliated with the mage tower.

“The production cost is 10 gold. The time frame is one week.”

“One week…?”

The one surprised by the workshop owner’s statement was not me.

It was the employee standing next to him, whose face turned pale.

The workshop owner lightly chuckled and patted the employee’s shoulder.

“What’s there to worry about? You can handle it, right?”

“B-but… there’s still so much work…”

The workshop owner cut him off and pushed him further inside the shop.

It seemed my order had risen to the top of the priority list.

“Anyway! Come back in a week! Oh, and when you do, I’d appreciate it if you could wear a robe like the wizards do. Wouldn’t want any misunderstandings, you know?”

With those last words, the workshop owner whisked away the ogre skin and hurried inside.

The fact that he didn’t demand payment suggested that I’d settle the payment when the goods were completed.

As I exited the workshop and walked vacantly down the street, a thought suddenly struck me.

The swordsmanship I was using.

I became curious about which school of swordsmanship it precisely belonged to that I learned from the suspicious gatekeeper.

If I could trace the origins of this swordsmanship, wouldn’t I also be able to learn the subsequent techniques?

I hurriedly dashed to the Swordsmanship Guild.

Considering it was a place where many sword users gathered, I figured they would have information about the swordsmanship I practiced.

Upon my arrival, I stood before a very large building.

It was far bigger and more imposing than the Swordsmanship Guild where I previously had my rank badge evaluated.

So many people were coming and going that the doorway was bustling with activity.

I stepped into the Swordsmanship Guild and approached the receptionist.

He looked weary, similar to the receptionists at other guilds.

“Hello?”

“Hmm…?”

The receptionist tilted his head at my greeting.

He glanced around before finally spotting me below and nodded.

“Oh. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if there are any books detailing the characteristics of various swordsmanship techniques?”

“Hmm… Books?”

“Yes, I’m curious about the origins of some sword techniques.”

“Well, I can’t say if what you’re looking for is available, but we do have a library with swordsmanship books.”

“Oh… Where is it?”

“On the second floor, at the very end to the right. The entrance fee is 2 silver. Do you happen to have a Swordsmanship Guild rank badge? If you do, you can enter for free.”

“Ah, as for the rank badge…”

I pulled out my bronze badge from my pocket at the receptionist’s words.

The receptionist took the badge but shook his head and returned it to me.

“Sorry, but that’s a badge we can’t accept here.”

“Ah… So I can’t even use it at the Adventurer’s Guild?”

“That’s right. If you want, you can take one of the assessments here. Would you like to do that?”

“Yes.”

The receptionist pulled out a document and began asking me several questions.

About the types of monsters I recently hunted and my experience in the Aben Kingdom.

I decided not to mention the ogre, fearing they wouldn’t believe me if I said I had slain one.

“My sword training period is about 7 months… and I’ve been active as an adventurer for 2 months… Given that you received a bronze rank, it seems you’ve trained under a decent instructor.”

“Yes, that seems to be the case, but that person didn’t even tell me the name of the swordsmanship style. So I’m trying to find out.”

“Sounds like a strange person indeed.”

The receptionist said as he handed me a ticket.

“You’re in luck, there aren’t any waiting individuals, so you can take the assessment right away. You see that room at the end on the right? Just head in there.”

“Oh, alright.”

Following the receptionist’s instructions, I approached the door at the end of the first-floor hallway and knocked.

At the soft knock, a voice from inside responded.

[Come in.]

Upon hearing that, I opened the door and found a female swordsman waiting for me.

The first thing my eyes fell on was her legs.

Long, lean legs clad in sleek leather boots that rose up to her calves.

Her pants were tight-fitting black fabric that gave a sharp impression.

The top she wore had a similar fit—a black cloth that seemed to meld with her skin, paired with a light vest.

“Oh?”

Surprised to see her, I wasn’t the only one; she looked equally astonished.

Our gazes briefly locked in the air.

The first image that came to mind upon seeing her crimson eyes was of a scorching flame.

However, that flame vanished in an instant.

“Are you here for your assessment?”

I found myself blinking in a daze.

I forgot that I needed to answer her question.

That earlier sensation of heat had been too intense.

Was it just a misunderstanding? The hot flame I felt was nowhere to be found in this room now.

“Hey?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, I’m here for my assessment.”

I replied and fumbled around in my pocket for my ticket.

On the back of the ticket was a brief note about my information, which caused a faint smile to spread across the female swordsman’s face as she confirmed my details.

“You’re a bronze, huh?”

“Yes…”

“Hmm…”

“Let’s see your skills.”

The female swordsman stated as she drew a sword from beside the table and opened another door at the back of the room.

As she gestured for me to follow, it appeared there was a sparring arena set up in the back.

I hurriedly followed her.

She walked on effortlessly and ascended onto the arena, which seemed to be well-maintained with a floor so shiny it almost reflected my face.

“Were you named Seris? My name is Celyon.”

Celyon said as she grasped her sword.

A cool glow began to emit from the sword as its blade revealed itself, and with its dull edge, it resembled a training sword.

Holding the sword with one hand, Celyon performed some peculiar tricks.

She skillfully rotated it between her fingers and occasionally tossed it lightly to change its direction.

“Are you not drawing your sword?”

“Oh…”

At her prompt, I quickly unsheathed my sword.

I wondered if there could be any training swords left behind elsewhere, but there were none.

It seemed I had to use my own sword.

Holding my sword, I exhaled lightly.

My body began to respond. The muscles in my arms and legs started tensing naturally, and my legs had more strength than usual.

As an adventurer, I had fought in several battles.

Drawing my sword meant I was willing to fight for my life.

Thus, there were no signals announcing my attack, nor any loud battle cries.

I simply rushed forward and swung my sword.

My first attack, of course, would be the most confident downward slash.

I recalled the strike the gatekeeper had demonstrated and swung my sword like a pale moonlight.

As the moonlight extended from my sword and aimed at Celyon, she began to move.

Her movement was incredibly swift—like a quiet blaze spreading forth.

As her long, red hair swayed and filled my vision, my sword struck the ground.

Clang!

There was no surprise. I expected such an attack to miss, given my status as someone undergoing assessment in the Swordsmanship Guild.

I immediately twisted my body.

With the abrupt shift in direction, power travels through me.

In that moment, the starlight flaring inside my heart raced forward.

The starlight mana stretching toward my arms and legs assisted the muscles and enabled a sharp change in direction.

The next attack was a thrust.

The fallen moonlight shot forward in a straight line.

In that moment, Celyon lightly swung her sword.

Clang!

As our blades clashed, tiny sparks flew into the air.

I pondered as I watched the shattered moonlight.

If I had coated my sword with a thin layer of mana, would the outcome have been different?

No, it wouldn’t have.

All my two attacks had completely failed. My stance had collapsed, and the flow had entirely shifted into Celyon’s favor.

The instant I recognized my situation, Celyon’s counterattack began.

“If you keep being so careless, you’re going to be in big trouble!”

The moment Celyon finished her warning.

A heavy iron sword fell from above me.

It was an unavoidable attack.

Thud!