Midnight Test Cut

The sound of rustling through grass echoed softly along the riverbank late at night.

On my shoulder was a long object wrapped tightly in rags.

From the outside, I might look like a criminal heading to dispose of a body, but in a sense, that wasn't far off.

What I was about to do was a rehearsal for building mountains of corpses in the future.

"… This spot should do."

Several hundred meters from the bridge, a place where all signs of people had completely vanished.

Perhaps remnants of bank reinforcement work, the area was scattered with moderately sized concrete blocks and thick driftwood that had washed down from upstream.

I lowered my load and carefully unwrapped the rags.

Under the moonlight, the dull-gray iron mass revealed itself.

Two meters long, about six kilograms. A deformed piece of rebar.

The tip was sharpened to a razor edge, and black grip tape was wrapped around the handle.

I gripped it in my right hand.

The solid weight.

Until yesterday, it was "just a heavy stick."

But now that I'd learned Body Strengthening, it felt like an extension of my fingertips.

"… First, mana synchronization."

I closed my eyes and sent the mana refined from my dantian to my arm.

Then further still, channeling it into the rebar I gripped.

Iron conducts maso easily.

My mana penetrated the steel's crystal structure without resistance, reinforcing its strength from within.

Vwoom…

With a low hum, the entire rebar began to glow faintly with pale phosphorescence.

The foundation of Mana Armament.

Without this, a full-force strike would bend the rebar from the impact.

This was a coating to protect the weapon, and simultaneously a blade to enhance cutting power.

"Target, five meters ahead."

I fixed my gaze.

The target was an old concrete block about the size of an adult's torso.

Hardened by years of wind and rain, it was as strong as stone.

Far harder than a goblin's skull.

I slowly raised the rebar.

A middle-stance guard.

Relaxed.

Steady my breathing.

(Body Strengthening, output 30%… Here I go.)

THUD!

With my step-in, gravel exploded.

My body shot forward like an arrow, instantly closing the distance to zero.

Hip rotation, shoulder twist, and arm swing.

I concentrated all my body's spring power and the torrent of mana into a single point: the rebar's tip.

"—SHATTER!!"

With a roar, I swung the rebar in a full horizontal slash.

KABOOOOM!!

Not a dry crack. An explosion rang out.

The moment the iron mass struck the concrete, the shockwave rippled the air and whipped my bangs.

When the dust cloud cleared, a devastating scene lay before me.

The concrete block hadn't "broken." It had been "pulverized."

It had burst apart from the center, scattering pebble-sized fragments all around.

"… Phew."

I lowered the rebar and released my zanshin.

I checked the sensation remaining in my hand.

There was a tingling numbness, but no unpleasant recoil.

I examined the rebar. No bending. No edge damage.

Proof that the mana coating had worked perfectly.

"With this… I can do it."

I rolled a piece of the shattered concrete with my toe.

Goblins, the quintessential F-rank monsters, have skin with a hard, rubber-like elasticity.

Orc muscles are as thick as layered old tires.

But with this destructive power, I could pulverize them, bones and all.

Penetration power and destruction power, both satisfactory.

Even against enemies that modern weapons were mere peashooters against, this mass of steel and mana could deliver a killing blow.

"You'll make a good partner."

I stroked the rebar affectionately.

Just construction material, yet by absorbing my mana, it was ascending toward becoming a "magic sword."

Right now it was still a crude iron bar, but the more I used it, the better it would attune to my mana, and its edge would only grow sharper.

I looked up at the night sky.

The full moon illuminated us coldly.

Beyond that moon, "they" might already be lining up to march toward our world.

But I felt no more anxiety.

My body had awakened.

My weapon was honed.

The fear within me had completely vanished, replaced by quiet killing intent and confidence.

"Preparations are complete."

I began wrapping the rebar in rags again.

The next time I unwrap this cloth, it won't be for a test cut.

It will be a real battle to the death.

When that time comes, will this iron mass first drink my blood, or monster blood?

Either way, it's far better than a boring everyday life.

With a light step, I left the riverbank behind, now swallowed by darkness.