[91] Bell

"Next, you must remember everything I'm about to say. Do you understand?" Aiden's voice was serious and firm.

"Yes." Bell responded, nodding solemnly.

"But first, I need to ask you a question. You knew that the cat people's ambush technique wouldn't work on me, so why did you try to emulate it?" 

"...Because when facing your sword, I didn't know how to attack." Bell lowered his head in silence for a moment before scratching it awkwardly.

"Alright, it must have been tough for you." Aiden sighed.

Unless Bell's speed and skill were on par with or close to Aiden's, facing a wooden sword longer than both his arm and dagger combined was a daunting task. Any attack Bell made could be easily countered by a slight adjustment of Aiden's sword.

"Based on my combat experience over the past month, I'll point out two of your weaknesses." Aiden looked into Bell's bright red eyes.

"Please, senpai, guide me." Bell bowed deeply with sincerity.

"Stop bowing all the time. First, let's talk about your exertion. When you charged at me with all your might, did you consider the consequences of failure? In actual combat, you'd be dead by now." As he spoke, Aiden's sword tip pointed directly at Bell's throat.

With Aiden's sword at his vital spot, Bell swallowed nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"What you need to know is that before planning for victory, consider the consequences of defeat. You should think about what happens if you fail before you plan for success. Charging in recklessly exposes your weaknesses." As Aiden spoke, his sword moved to point at various vital points on Bell's body, including his eyes and heart.

"So, it's not that you shouldn't give it your all, but you need to know when to hold back. This way, you can adapt to the enemy's counterattack. Understand?" Aiden retracted the wooden sword, smiling.

Bell nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the lesson.

Aiden then demonstrated his point.

"Besides knowing when to hold back, there's another crucial point. Bell, don't you find using a dagger inconvenient? It is common knowledge that an inch longer is an inch stronger; an inch shorter is an inch riskier. This applies to weapons. You've experienced this, haven't you?" Aiden tapped his palm with the wooden sword after the demonstration.

"Yes, when facing your sword just now, I had no idea how to attack." Bell biting his lip in embarrassment.

"No problem. This is exactly what I'm addressing. Hand me your dagger." Aiden smiled.

"Alright." Bell handed over the dagger with both hands.

"As a short weapon, a dagger is more suited for close-quarters combat, self-defense, or assassination... not for a direct confrontation like this. It's also not suitable for novices fighting dungeon monsters." Aiden twirled Bell's dagger as he spoke.

"Right now, it's fine because you're only facing the lowest-level monsters like goblins and kobolds. But once your skill level increases, you'll be up against orcs, silverback, infant dragons, and even minotaurs, which are several times your height."

"Leaving aside the danger of having to get close to them, the short blade of a dagger makes it difficult to deal effective damage unless you hit a vital spot or have a high-grade weapon."

"With the same level of risk and strength, a longsword or longblade can inflict much more damage on large monsters than a dagger can. Don't you think so?" Aiden asked, playing with the dagger.

Bell imagined himself wielding a small dagger against a massive monster and shuddered before nodding vigorously.

Aiden handed the dagger back to Bell, then drew Durandal, pointing to its blade. "This is called Durandal. Do you think its length is sufficient?"

Bell compared his dagger to Durandal and nodded.

"But even when I use Durandal with all my strength if I don't hit a vital spot, I still can't kill an infant dragon. If you were using a dagger, it would be even harder. Besides the insufficient damage, you'd also have to get dangerously close to the monster. So, short blades are indeed unsuitable for novices in the dungeon." Aiden gently stroked the purple pattern along Durandal's spine.

Bell nodded thoughtfully.

"Now that I've told you all this, what are your thoughts?" Aiden observes Bell's contemplative expression.

"Do you mean you want me to switch to a different weapon?" Bell asked, looking up.

"It's just a suggestion, but it's a conclusion I've drawn from my experience. You can consider it." Aiden said with a smile.

With that, Aiden drew Dragon Slayer from his back and the Roman short sword that had been hanging on the wall since its forging.

Aiden laid out the three weapons before Bell, gently stroking the dark red blade of Dragon Slayer. "It's not that daggers are unusable." Aiden explained, "But since you're still a novice, swords and blades are far more practical. Daggers can serve as backup weapons for emergencies or for when you're more experienced and interested. I currently wield two weapons; I used to keep a short sword as a backup, and it was with this that I slew my first young dragon and leveled up to Level 2."

Bell's crimson eyes lit up with excitement, much like a rabbit's. "Senpai, may I have a look at it?"

"Of course. Your build is different from mine, and your path will be different too. My greatest strength is power, so I use weapons that exploit that strength, like greatswords and long blades." Aiden said with a smile and a nod.

"Senpai, I understand. What kind of weapon do you think would suit me best?" After hearing Aiden's thorough analysis, Bell realized the necessity of changing his weapon and asked eagerly.

"Judging by your speed just now, your strength lies in agility. Therefore, you'd be suited to light weapons like daggers, short swords, or one-handed swords." Aiden replied with a smile.

So why was Aiden so keen on having Bell switch from dual-wielding daggers to dual-wielding swords? Besides the practical reasons mentioned earlier, there was also a touch of personal amusement.

After all, Bell's voice actor was Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, the same as Kirito from Sword Art Online, who also had a harem trait. Turning Bell into a mini-Kirito seemed like an amusing idea.

A black-clad swordsman, Bell Cranel, wielding dual blades... it was an intriguing thought.

"Alright, Senpai. I'll use a one-handed sword." Bell decided firmly, determined to change his weapon.

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