Novice Reincarnator

My plan was coming together nicely. With Pepper’s bright flame, I could easily cause my shadow to stretch in whichever direction I wanted. I spent the next few nights practicing different strategies.

After contracting multiple throwaway Lesser Skeletons in Unnamed Grave, I traveled to Goblin Nest and worked on reaching max level. It was nice to bludgeon my way through goblins using superior numbers for once.

I didn’t even need to lift a finger. Whenever a fight began, I manipulated Pepper’s position to make my shadow fall on my enemies and then summoned Lesser Skeletons from my shadows. The startled goblins easily fell prey to attacks from all sides.

The Lesser Skeletons that lived grew stronger and those that died were easily replaced by a trip to Unnamed Grave. Unfortunately, there was a limit to both the size of the shadow space created from [Shadow’s Refuge] and the number of contracts I could form.

As far as I could tell, both were limited by my own personal strength. It was impossible for me to contract an endless army of skeletons in my shadow. As such, I needed to focus on quality rather than quantity.

I needed a strong weapon that would allow me to temporarily disable the core of a Crystalline Compact. It was for that reason that I entered the dungeon called Sword Graveyard. For the first time since I began my exploration activities, I encountered another explorer in the dungeon.

We nodded at each other and went our own ways. In fact, there were several explorers within the Sword Graveyard dungeon. Swords stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. This dungeon was famous for having weapons for all levels of explorers.

There were no monsters in this dungeon. Instead, there were spirit swords and cursed swords. Each explorer could try to claim a sword. The process was simple. If you could pull the sword from the ground, then that meant you had been acknowledged by the spirit dwelling in the sword and that you were free to leave with it.

I wandered from sword to sword, trying my own luck. Amidst that mindless wandering, a noisy comment appeared in my vision.

 

Black: Boobs!

 

“Ah, yes. Nice to see you again, Black.”

Black had disappeared ever since that night when I first entered the Unnamed Grave dungeon. I had come to learn that it was unusual to have the same person show up for every broadcast. People had their own lives to lead. Big Sis had only shown up once since we first met and tonight, there was only Black.

 

Black: Not that.

Black: Your chest.

Black: It is huge!

 

“I decided to grow a pair.”

I manned up and stopped hiding. Or in this case, would it be womanned up?

 

Black: Damn girl.

Black: Nice.

Black: I admire you.

Black: What did you do to grow them so big?

 

I put my hands on an ornate hilt and pulled, but it was no good. I was not chosen by this overwhelmingly fancy sword. Figures.

“What, are you looking for some tips?”

 

Black: ASDSFG@#

Black: You did not just call me flat chested.

Black: I’ll have you know.

Black: Everyone praises my chest.

Black: It is true.

 

I tugged at the simple, wooden sword buried in the ground. It refused to budge. Another explorer and I sighed at the same time. We shared a smile before moving on to different swords.

“Sorry, but I don’t know what to say. My breasts were like this when I reincarnated.”

 

Black: @#$@#$

Black: Unfair.

Black: I even drank the highest quality milk everyday.

Black: Why did mine stop growing?

 

“Heh.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Black’s frustration. At the same time, I made a mental note that Black was a girl.

 

Black: You did not just laugh at me.

Black: TS Demon.

Black: How does it feel being a man with large breasts?

 

“How does it feel knowing that you lost to a man in your precious breast size?”

 

Black: Kuuuu!

Black: I will not be defeated.

Black: Just wait.

Black: I’ll grow a pair of big ones that will knock your socks off.

 

“...Bigger than mine?”

I tried to imagine it and failed. My chest certainly wasn’t the biggest in the world, but it was definitely up there when you compared it to the size of my body.

 

Black: You are doing this on purpose.

Black: A girl is more than her breasts.

 

“That is not what you said before.”

I was starting to understand why Black was harassing me for answers about what part of Cecilia I liked. My viewer gave such interesting reactions that it was fun to tease her like this.

I grasped a bronze sword and there was a reaction. I experimentally tried forming a contract, but it was no good. I gave up on pulling out the sword and moved on to the next one.

 

Black: Sure.

Black: Breasts are a woman’s strongest features.

Black: But I have more than just breasts.

Black: Like height.

 

I paused my search and reconsidered my strategy. If at all possible, I didn’t want any average sword. I wanted a sword that would allow me to defeat a foe far stronger than me. I needed a sword that would allow the weak to defeat the strong. My eyes roamed the graveyard in search of a sword that met my criteria.

“Being small is cute.”

 

Black: Certainly.

Black: I just want to hug every small girl I come across.

Black: But as far as sex appeals go…

Black: Tall girls are sexier.

Black: Like me.

Black: My body is too sinful.

Black: Fufufu.

 

My eyes fell on a distant sword that was clouded in a heavy miasma. Several other swords were scattered away from it. It was almost like they feared getting close.

“Hmm…”

 

Black: Why does it sound like you are doubting me.

Black: It is true.

Black: I’m awesome.

 

“It is not that, Black. I was just thinking that I would rather be cute than sexy.”

I made up my mind and moved to the distant sword covered in miasma. I had nothing to lose by checking our compatibility.

 

Black: Sex appeal is the key to a girl’s charm.

Black: You will never attract a lover without sex appeal.

 

“Sorry, but I don’t plan on getting a lover at the moment.”

 

Black: !?

Black: What a waste of a fine pair of tits.

 

Black fell silent, which suited my purposes just fine. Now that I got close to the half buried black sword, I was hit by an ominous sensation. A quiet death knell of a sword quietly rumbled in the back of my mind.

Unpleasant sweat broke out on my back and my heart palpitated in my chest. I wanted to say this was an unfamiliar feeling, but I experienced it every night. This sword was making me feel terrified even though it was buried in the ground.

The strangest thing of all was that while the sword certainly seemed scary, the actual strength I sensed from it was incredibly weak. My eyes drank in every detail, trying to figure out an answer to this paradox.

The blade of the sword was pitch black like the darkest of nights. It was a long, single edged sword with a slight curve and a sharp point. All extra adornments had been discarded in favor of utilitarian efficiency.

Was it a weak blade pretending to be strong or was it a weak blade that was actually terrifyingly strong?

It had a fragile appearance like a single good strike would shatter its blade. Something about that resonated with me. My own appearance made others think I was delicate and weak. They wouldn’t be exactly wrong either.

It was because I was weak that I dreamed of defeating the strong. I made up my mind when my thoughts reached that far. I placed both hands on the hilt of the sword. The sword’s reaction was rather lukewarm.

I wasn’t going to give up so easily. I poured my strength and intentions into [Contract] and shouted my usual catch phrase.

“Become mine!”

The ominous feelings surrounding the sword coalesced into a single blade that lunged straight into my mind. The sharp blade of terror tried to cut down my connection with the black blade.

My heart stopped and I lost the ability to breathe. My legs gave out. I pissed myself in fear. Terror blanketed my mind so thoroughly that I could not even form a single, coherent thought.

Even so, my hands never left the hilt of the buried blade. This level of fear was not enough to defeat me when I faced death in my dreams every night. Compared to my wish to beat a Crystalline Colossus, this was nothing.

With the last of my dwindling strength, I carved a [Contract] onto the sword and pulled it out of the ground. The wave of terror in my mind disappeared instantly. I collapsed onto the ground, uncaring of how I looked. My mouth eagerly drank in fresh air and all of the cells in my body cried out in joy that I was alive.

 

Black: Did you know?

Black: That sword is called the Giant Slaying Sword of Ruin.

Black: Countless have tried to wake it from its slumber.

Black: But few have ever succeeded.

 

I held the sword up to examine. It was a dark blade that was as beautiful as it was deadly.

“Ruin, huh? Nice to meet you.”

The dark blade, Ruin, hummed as if in response to my words. It was strangely noisy in my surroundings.

Several explorers that were in Sword Graveyard with me rushed over. Pulling Ruin up was apparently kind of a big deal. In fact, the viewer count to my broadcast started to spike up in numbers.

To be honest, I didn’t really care. At that moment, all I wanted to do was to go home, take a hot shower, and collapse onto my bed. Due to my noisy surroundings, it took a lot longer than I would have liked to accomplish that.