The Black Swordsman
Volume 1 - Black Region
On September 8, at NE176 Station 92 in the city of Katrinidad,
A man wearing a black cloak was eating at a table in the canteen area. He had three swords on his back and two swords on the left and right sides of his waist. The swords were visually striking, particularly the black and light green swords. The light blue sword in the middle was also attractive, but it did not compare to the other two. On his waist, there were two long, sword-shaped katanas.
The man was eating a large amount of food at his table, and the people nearby seemed indifferent and accustomed to seeing this."
"Num, num, num, num... Mhhn... Mmmhn, num, num, mhhn" The man on the table also doesn't bother by the situation in his surroundings.
He just eats until he ran out of food.
"Boss, another 5!" He said.
"Sigh, Got it!" The chef replied helplessly and it seemed he was also used to it.
After 30 minutes.
"Gu-uh" He burped.
"It's so good. Whew, I think it's time to go, Boss Thank you, here!" He put 3,000 pesos in front of the table of the owner.
"Whatever, just go, I don't want to see you anymore." The owner who was lying down on the table was glad that the monster was leaving.
The man didn't care, he checked his swords and a bag on his right shoulder. He saw that nothing was missing, and he left.
Someone at another table asked their companion, "That... that guy was eating so fast, do you know who he is?"
"He also had so many swords!" the other newcomer said.
The senior person at their table warned the newcomers, "Oh, that's right, you're still new here, so here's my advice: don't ever provoke that guy no matter what happens."
The newcomer asked, "Why, is he strong?"
Another newcomer asked in response, "Do you think a guy who can eat like that is not strong?"
The senior person at the table said, "Yes, that guy was a beast, he's a Late Senior Expert!"
"Oh, Senior Stage?"
One of the newcomers asked, "Hey, Senior, is that guy a college student?"
The senior replied, "I don't know, but based on what I've heard, he came here for the punishment. And, it's been 2 years since he came here."
The senior added, "Oh, there's one thing, he's also a Rank 3 Hunter."
The newcomer asked in confusion, "Rank 3? How? Senior, didn't you say earlier that it's only applicable for Experts?"
The senior explained, "Certainly, that's because most Rank 3 Hunters are experts and are the only ones capable of hunting enhanced beasts alone, which makes most people think that only Rank 3 Hunters can beat enhanced beasts. However, the rules of the Hunter Guild are simple. As long as you complete a mission task alone, you are qualified to upgrade, even if your rank is lower than the standard. Take that guy, for example. He hunted more than 20 enhanced beasts, so he was qualified to upgrade to Rank 3."
"He's the person you heard earlier who killed more than a hundred normal beasts last year, and 6 months ago, I remember seeing that guy come to the station with blood all over his body. He had a scar on his chest, right shoulder, and cheek, and he was holding two dead enhanced beasts 'Leoporo' in his two hands," the senior said.
"GULP!" The two newcomers were shocked and swallowed their saliva.
The senior continued, "All the hunters here at the station were shocked, including me. And the scariest thing is that just a few weeks ago when that incident happened, except for the scar on his chest, everything was healed as if nothing had happened. That's also when his appetite for food started to increase. This is the same scenario that has been happening every week, month, until now. All he does is hunt normal and enhanced beasts, eat, and then, after a few days, he goes back to the forest to hunt." The senior spoke with a mix of fear and admiration in his eyes.
The newcomers' eyes lit up with admiration as they said, "Amazing! I also want to be like him."
The senior sneered at them, "Hmph... Don't even think about it. Even I don't dare to do that. Do you think you can?"
One of the newcomers seemed frustrated and said, "Hmph... Who knows?"
"There's a rumor about that incident six months ago," the senior said.
"Huh... Senior, what is it?" the newcomers asked.
"Come here," the senior beckoned them to come closer.
The newcomers approached him and the senior whispered to them, "When that incident happened, he was still a Rank 2 Hunter. There's a rumor saying that at that time, when he went to the forest, there was a hunter team that planned to assassinate him."
"Huh... then?" the newcomers were intrigued.
"It was one Rank 3 Hunter and two Rank 2 Hunters," the senior said.
"What... You mean... Rank 3? Isn't it... isn't it-"
"Yeah... It was an Expert Grade and two Senior Grades," the senior replied.
"Wuhhh-" The newcomers took a deep breath.
"Then, what happened to them?" they asked.
The senior didn't speak, he just looked at them as if to say, "You know."
"You mean, they got killed? Isn't it against the rules?" the newcomers asked.
"Who knows if he's the killer? There's no evidence that he's the culprit. Ah... I forgot, but based on the result, they weren't killed, just missing," the senior replied.
"Missing? Not even a bone remains?" the newcomers asked.
"Yeah, they couldn't find it. So here at this station, there's something I want to remind you: rules are only applicable here at the station. If we're outside of the station, you must be careful. Once we go out to the forest, we have to be aware not only of the beasts but also of other humans. Do you understand?" the senior said.
"Yes," the newcomers replied.
"By the way, Senior, are you also a Senior Grade?" one of the newcomers asked.
"Uh... eh... yes," the senior replied.
"Can you also beat an enhanced beast?" the newcomer asked.
The senior coughed and said, "Pu... Cough... cough... gulp... don't try to compare me to that guy. Although I can fight an enhanced beast, I can't defeat one alone. Enhanced beasts are different from normal beasts. Based on my experience, the longer we fight an enhanced beast, the more at a disadvantage we are. So you have to kill it fast because they have strong physical resistance and quick recovery."
"Then, why can he do it?" the newcomers asked.
"That's why he's different from us. Maybe he's a genius," the senior sighed and said.
"A strong person like him should be capable of fighting in the Artheran D or C University Competition, right?" one of the newcomers asked.
"I also wondered about that, so I checked his name on the list and was surprised because his name wasn't on it. Maybe it's because our city is in a remote area," the senior said, shaking his head.
"Anyway, don't provoke him... That guy is also hot-tempered. I can't count how many people have provoked him and experienced the real terror," the senior whispered to the newcomers.
"By the way, Senior, what's his name?" one of the newcomers asked.
"His name...? It's the 'Black Swordsman', Tristan Black!" the senior replied.
....
"Achoo... Is there someone talking about me?" Tristan looked around as he walked.
He noticed people bowing their heads and avoiding him, afraid of being implicated.
Tristan sneered, "Heng, they're always like that. That's how they are. Those people who always provoke me, they speak loudly when I'm behind, but when they're in front of me, they look like paper tigers." He thought his enemies were talking behind his back again.
Tristan just smiled at the reaction of the people around him. Inside, he was proud that this happened. This meant that his arrogant and proud reputation had spread throughout Station 92 and no one dared to provoke him.
A few minutes later, Tristan arrived at his small house on a street on the side of a small alley.
After putting down his things, he drank water from a glass.
(System, can you check my status?) Tristan said in his mind.
[Ok, just wait]
[1% 28% 49% 72% 95% 100%]
[Ding!]
[Name: Tristan Black
Age: 20 years old
Profession: Swordsman (Roronoa Zoro's Template)
1 Sword: Beginner (68%)
2 Sword: Intermediate (32%)
3 Sword: Beginner (81%)
Element: Lightning – Senior Late Stage
Unique Ability: Berserker's Blood
Bloodline: D. (Observation Willpower) – (Locked, Requirements: Crown) (Armament Willpower) – (Locked, Requirements: Crown) (Conqueror's Willpower) – (Locked, Requirements: Crown)
Technique: Thunder Breathing Technique
...
Item:
Roronoa Zoro's Template Card *1 - (Unlocked),
Thunder Breathing Technique Card *1 - (Unlocked),
Snow Chaser Sword *1 – (Unlocked)
Elucidator *1 – (Unlocked)
Dark Repulser * 1 – (Unlocked)
Sandai Kitetsu Sword *1 – (Unlocked)
Bloodline D. Card *1 (Unlocked)
Berserker's Blood Card * 1 (Unlocked)
Namikaze Minato's Reflex Talent Card *1 - (Unlocked)
Enma Sword *1 – 15,000 Points (Locked)
Wado Ichimonji Sword *1 – 13,500 Points (Locked)
Shusui Sword *1– 12,500 (Locked)
Pokemon Summoner Contract Scroll *1 – 5,000 Points (Locked)
Blackwyrm Coat *1 – 2,000 Points (Locked)
Training Field: 100Points/per day
Points: 22,400]
This is the item reward given by the system since it appeared two years ago. But except for the Roronoa Zoro's Template, the Thunder Breathing Technique, and the Snow Chaser Sword, the others aren't free. It's hard to imagine how hard Tristan worked to accumulate points to buy the other items.
The Training Field is a venue where you can train by yourself, rest to ease your mentality for one day, or use shadow fighting to find a character based on your imagination. All you need to do is find a suitable place and the system will take care of scanning. A one-day training in the Training Field is just a blink of an eye in real life. However, the Training Field is only available once per day and cannot be used more than once. One disadvantage of the Training Field is that it can only strengthen mental strength, it cannot refill physical strength.
Two years ago, Tristan was punished by his high school for attempting to attack a schoolmate in an evaluation for the top 10 qualification match. The punishment was to send him to a remote city for two years to serve as a hunter and fight the invasion of beasts as atonement. This punishment was especially harsh because Tristan was supposed to apply to university to become a warrior.
Universities, known not only in the country but all over the world, have abundant resources to cultivate warriors such as Experts, Crowns, Elites, or even Champions. The Alliance also supports these universities for healthy competition, and there are many universities all over the world.
Imagine being punished for two years with no resources. Tristan's gap would have gotten wider and wider compared to his classmates and schoolmates, almost like a death sentence. But he survived and even caught up to the level of rookie geniuses and other seniors at Artheran National Universities.
After Tristan was brought to the City of Katrinidad, he had a hard time earning points to use in the Training Field per day. After three months of suffering, he managed to stabilize his usage of the Training Field.
This was also thanks to the teachings of his three previous senior/leader hunters, who had already died in the invasion of the beast and assassination. They taught him basic survival when encountering beasts, scouting, and how to recognize what is dangerous.
Tristan's fast growth also attracted the attention of other leaders in the Hunter Guild. They tried to invite or intimidate him to join their troop, but Tristan was turned off by their arrogant expressions and treated him as nothing. He couldn't bear this and quickly got into a fight with one of them.
One day, some people were attracted to Tristan's sword and planned to steal it, so he taught them a lesson. This incident provoked the backer of those people.
As a result of that conflict, Tristan and his third leader were planned to be assassinated while they were on a mission in the forest. His third leader asked them to escape, but Tristan couldn't let that happen. He and his third leader went to fight, except for one guy who ran away.