Daru snapped his fingers to open his status once more, focusing on a single line:
Status: Sealed (Novice Swordheart Cores - 0/100)
'Hmm? Shouldn't it have progressed?' he pondered with a frown.
He then paused for a few moments to think before remembering something, tapping on the belt bag strapped on his waist.
The inventory window popped up.
There were fifty slots by default, and four of them were occupied.
'Oh…right…'
Daru had completely forgotten about his trial gifts.
There wasn't much to understand about the [Deft Practitioner Gloves], so he simply wore them, obtaining a slight bonus in dexterity.
He then shifted his attention to the [Oni Mask] in the next moment.
===
Name: Oni Mask
Type: Mask
Tier: SSS
Description: Forged beneath a blood-red moon, the mask grants its master many faces and names, but beware, every disguise leaves a trace, and the mask…it remembers everything from time immemorial to the futures yet unwritten.
Innate Abilities:
[No Same Visage Twice] - Allows the user to change their appearance to that of a previous wearer recorded by the mask. Once an appearance has been used, it cannot be used again for 30 days.
[I Go By Many Names (Sword Trials)] - Allows the user to change their trial name and decide the color in which it would be written.
[The Trace (Sword Trials)] - Allows the user to change the color of their sword's handle and scabbard, but the form and the color of the blade cannot be altered.
Cooldown per ability: 300 seconds
Note: This is a [Soulbound] item. Cannot be dropped, traded, or stolen.
===
Daru's brows rose, finding the mask extremely useful but not appreciating the innate abilities…yet.
He was more shocked by the item's tier and the note beneath the cooldown.
Neither the altar officer nor their instructors informed him that they would be receiving a [Soulbound] item aside from their swords...
In any case, he could somewhat link the mask to deceit and trickery, both of which he wasn't too fond of.
Daru didn't plan on using it unless absolutely needed.
Who would even care about an F-ranked swordsman like him, anyway?
Soon, he got back to business, withdrawing the faintly glowing, light-golden Swordheart Core from his inventory and observing it up close while holding it.
'Hmm…'
Daru stopped to think for a few moments before decisively tossing the core in the air and slashing it vertically in two.
The Swordheart core dimmed, and its now transparent shells fell to the ground before dissipating into red cubic particles as though a slain Swordspawn.
A wave of light-golden energy then infused itself into the tachi, cleansing it of rust, if only slightly.
Daru didn't notice the changes as he was already smiling, pleased as he stared at a specific line in his status window:
Status: Sealed (Swordheart Cores - 1/100)
'Nice…only ninety-nine more…'
With this discovery, he didn't need to return to the city and could wholeheartedly commit to fighting monsters while honing himself with semi-realistic battles.
Daru looked in the direction of the Novice Sword Plains, scanning his eyes over the entire area.
His classmates and those from other classes were already purging this side of the plains of Blader Bunnies and Slasher Squirrels, with only around a hundred students daring to go after Cutter Chipmunks and Razor Raccoons.
He also noticed False Witness, Silver Serpent, Lionbreaker, Sylphina, and a few other individuals whose names were written in purple and orange enter the forest before him, with his classmates shooting challenging glances his way before doing so.
Clearly, they weren't convinced by his earlier performance, especially the snobbish A-ranker.
They believed they could've easily done the same thing he did, but simply chose not to.
While the four now acknowledged that he does have some skills, they didn't believe he was as high-level as the rumors said he was.
Of course, Daru didn't spare their thoughts any mental energy.
He simply enjoyed the competitive atmosphere, feeling alive far more than he did on Neo-Earth, where no one his age could give him much of a challenge.
Here, everyone was motivated, and the mechanics of combat could easily exceed the limits of the human body.
He was still ahead now, but would it remain that way in the future?
Even the usually lazy ones are sweating in the fields, grinding just as hard, if not harder than the ones next to them, hoping to kill a Swordspawn even by just a fraction of a second faster so they could quickly fight another and progress their levels.
Furthermore, every student from every other high school in the entire world was now in this realm.
It was only a matter of time before he encountered someone who could ignite his spirit.
Who knows?
Maybe he was actually average? Maybe he still had a lot to learn?
"Hahaha, I can't lose now, can I?"
Gripping his rusty tachi tighter, Daru turned and entered the forest.
He shall better himself through semi-realistic combat against Swordspawns so that one day, when the fateful encounter with rivals on the same level as him finally happens, he will be ready.