"The Parasitic sword has already entered your body and become flesh and blood,"
At the beginning of the special training, the vampire Judite explained it this way.
"As a nature, it is similar to my blood."
Saying that, Judite reached out her left hand.
"Rose Blade."
The moment she muttered that, a blade made of blood sprang from her left wrist.
"I can manipulate the blood flowing in my body like this. You should also be able to freely manipulate the Parasitic sword inside your body."
"Understood."
With that response, I closed my eyes and turned my consciousness to the puppeteer circulating in my body.
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You have acquired the skill "Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master."
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"What…?"
I'm astonished by the sudden appearance of this message.
"It seems you've been able to elevate a technique into a skill,"
I've heard of this. For example, if you train with a sword every day, you may acquire the skill "Swordsmanship." Skills are often considered innate, but they can also be obtained through effort. So, it's likely a similar principle that allowed me to acquire this skill.
I close my eyes once more.
As a result, I can sense the puppeteer circulating within my body.
I materialize it outside of my body.
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You have acquired the derived skill "Black Blade."
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When I open my eyes, along with the message about acquiring the skill, a black one-handed sword is held in my hand.
"At the very least, this should make you capable of fighting,"
The vampire Judite declared.
"Now, shall we begin your special training?"
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From that day on, special training with the vampire Judite began.
"Keep your guard tighter, and your step-ins are too soft!"
"Yes!"
Facing Judite, brandishing a sword made of blood. In response, I desperately caught it using the puppeteer.
Judite's strikes were heavy, and just blocking them caused me to stagger backward. Nevertheless, I clung on desperately.
"Don't be afraid of monsters, attack more boldly!"
"Understood!"
In addition to training with Judite, I also trained against monsters.
Currently, I was battling the A-class difficulty monster in the dungeon, the Headless Mule. I could fight with confidence, knowing that if I were on the brink of death, the vampire Judite would come to my rescue.
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Monster subjugation confirmed.
Acquired skill points.
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As I cut the Headless Mule with my sword, a message window appeared at the same time.
"All right!"
I couldn't help but strike a triumphant pose.
With control over the puppeteer, I had successfully defeated a monster for the first time.
"Hmm, you have quite a good physique, don't you?"
Out of nowhere, Judite complimented me, leaving me surprised.
"Is that so?"
Honestly, I don't think I have any sense for combat.
"Well, I never expected you to be able to defeat it on your own at this stage. You seem to be exceptionally skilled at reading the movements of the monsters and dodging their attacks. Do you have any experience in combat?"
"No, not really."
"In that case, it might be a natural talent."
As I received compliments, I internally realized something. After all, I had dodged the attacks of the armored bear bugbear countless times by dying and resetting.
I had extensive experience in avoiding monster attacks, and that was likely helping me stay alive in combat.
"Now that you've acquired skill points, how about trying to level up your skills?"
"…Yes."
As I replied, I opened the status screen.
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Name: Kiska
Skill 1: Save & Reset Skill 2: Provocation Level 1 Skill 3: Swordsmanship Level 1 Skill 4: Attribute Bestowal Level 1 Skill 5: Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master Level 1
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I noticed that all five skill slots were now filled. It brought back memories of when I had only the "Save & Reset" skill at the beginning.
By the way, I displayed the number of skill points I currently had and the number of skill points needed to level up.
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Current Skill Points: 14
〈Provocation Level 1〉 Remaining Skill Points for Level Up: 10
〈Swordsmanship Level 1〉 Remaining Skill Points for Level Up: 30
〈Attribute Bestowal Level 1〉 Remaining Skill Points for Level Up: 50
〈Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master Level 1〉 Remaining Skill Points for Level Up: 70
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It appears that the number of points required to level up each skill varies.
〈Provocation〉 requires only 10 points to level up, while 〈Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master〉 requires a substantial 70 points.
Now, let's take a closer look at 〈Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master〉.
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Skill: Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master Level 1
Derived Skills Level 1 ⇒ Black Blade Level 2 ⇒ ???
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This skill, 〈Parasitic Sword Puppeteer Master Level 1〉, has derived skills, with 〈Black Blade〉 being the first one available. The second derived skill is currently unknown (???).
Let's focus on the section that says "Level 2 ⇒ ???."
Could it be that by raising the level further, you can obtain additional derived skills? That's intriguing.
I'm genuinely curious about what kind of derived skills can be obtained by leveling up.
However, to reach Level 2, it requires a hefty 70 skill points, so it might have to wait for now.
"How did it go?"
Judite, who had been waiting for me, inquired.
"Well, I think I want to start by leveling up my 〈Swordsmanship〉 skill, so I'll try to save up my skill points until I have 30."
"Indeed, that's the safest choice."
With the plan set, I began hunting monsters to further accumulate skill points.