That guy was a woman.

　I was surprised to learn the truth after five years.

'Bad. I thought you were a complete man.
''Ta, it's true that I had short hair back then, and I was often told I looked like a boy, but...!

　On the other hand, what I have in front of me right now is a very mature and beautiful girl.
　It's no wonder they don't match.

''Wait, wait a minute, Laina...!

　It was Lilia who interrupted me there.

''You, the 《Swordsman》, lost?　This boy with no job...?　Just kidding, right?

　Laina shook her head.

'No wonder you're surprised. But it's true.'
'Oh, but that was before you were given a profession, wasn't it?　That makes sense.
Not so. I had become a Swordsman a year before this man. And I had already mastered the Swordsmanship Intermediate skill. And yet, I was defeated by this man, who was only an unemployed man.
That's...impossible...isn't it?

　Normally," Lyna responded in a small way, and then

'But I'm not the same now as I was then. I'm far stronger than I've been in the last five years.

　That's what I'm doing.

"This is a good opportunity. It would be foolish to deal with an unemployed person like you at this point in time, but I have to make up for it. If you are still imitating swordsmen, from now on you must deal with me.






　Then we went to the training grounds in the basement of the headquarters.

　I face Laina.
　Laina checks on me.

"The rules are the same as they were then, right?
Yeah, it's all good.

　The game is played until the blessing is less than half full.

　It's a large training ground with even spectator seats set up, but there is only one spectator.
　Lilia said, "Are you really going to have a match with the 《Unemployed》...? He looks at me from there with a look of "I'm sorry.

Then let's go.
Mm, I'm ready for you.
Huh, now's the time to make yourself comfortable.

　Laina kicked the ground.

'Can you still prevent this from happening to you?　Double-bladed slayer!

A double-edged slash, huh?
　You handled it perfectly at the time, and yet you dare to bring this out.
　...Is it possible that he's not paying attention to what's going on, or does he have some kind of plan?

　I also responded with a double-edged slash.

"Hm?

　I thought I had flicked Laina's blade, which was coming at me from both sides, perfectly.
　But her blade didn't falter at all, to say the least.
　It felt as if the blade had slammed into a block of steel.

　I jumped back as quickly as I could, but I couldn't avoid it, and I had been slashed all over both shoulders.
　Nearly a third of the blessings would be lost at once.

''I told you.　I've become much stronger in the last five years,

　Laina says triumphantly.

''Now I'm no longer just a [Swordsman]. I'm a [senior] rigid swordsman.

A rigid swordsman.
Was it a profession that could learn skills such as 《Monstrous Power》 and boasted of its overwhelming power?

　What did she think, Laina took her hand away from the hilt of her sword.
　Then it crashed into the ground and a heavy sound of a thud echoed out.

　I see.
　That sword, that's no ordinary weight.

This sword is made of a special metal, and it's roughly five times heavier than an ordinary sword. If it weren't for my supernatural skills, it would be impossible for me to wield it at such a high speed.

　What happens if you strike with a sword five times as heavy?
　The answer is the phenomenon I mentioned earlier.
　You will be defeated for sure.

"So you can't use the same move you did last time?
That's what I'm talking about.
But it was good?　It's that easy to go to seed.
No problem. In fact, you'll need a handicap of this magnitude. Just to be sure, as we just saw, that doesn't mean that my sword speed will drop. On the contrary, it's much faster than a [Basic Position] swordsman.

　Laina slashed at him again.
　I can't catch the slash.
　You will be defeated like before, or if you're not good at it, our sword itself will be broken.

''Hmm. But with this degree of speed, there's no need to catch it.
"Hooray!　I got it!

　Laina's sword cuts through me.
　But I'm already not there.

"What?
Behind you.

　My sword strikes Laina's back.

''Kuh.......when did you get behind.......!　I'm sure my sword caught you...!
It's an afterimage.

　I used it against a King Orc as well, and it is an imitation of the Swordswoman's skill, Afterimage.
You can only use this skill if you can shrink it, so you could say it's an application of the Shrinkage skill.

One of the strengths of the Kenhime is its speed.
　It's no less than the fastest swordsman in the class of swordsmanship, even if it's not as fast as the Thin Swordsman.

''Silly........　How in the world can you imitate that, you...?
Simply put, you have to move insanely fast.
"...What?　There's no way I can do that...

　I leave the afterimage again and deliver a stab at Laina from my blind spot.

"Not twice as fast as that!

　This time, however, he didn't deceive me. He reacted to me and fought back.

"It's an afterimage,
Nope.

　The real me slashed her shoulder.

'Hm?　Hardly any less blessings, huh?
The Sturdy Swordsman is also skilled in the art of sturdiness!　Your slashes won't do much damage!

　The blessings are consumed according to the depth of the wounds he would have received if he didn't have them.
　Hence, Laina, who is protected by the Sturdy skill, has difficulty in reducing her blessings.
　If you are attacking normally, you'll have to take at least ten more shots.

''On the other hand, if I can get even one decent hit, I win!

　Laina slashes at me without punishment.
　I catch her sword and...

Fool!　I'm going to cut you open with my sword!

　The counterattack skill "Obtain Counter".

　I did not oppose her slash, on the contrary, I absorbed its power.
　Moreover, I blinked and added centrifugal force to my body, and I hit the strongest and fastest counter.

''Gah!

　As expected of a "rigid swordsman", even the "rigid swordsman" took a lot of damage from this, and her blessings were cut in half.