Tanaka moved through the streets of Firstia, his destination already set—he just needed to follow the pillar of golden light.
But he didn't rush. No, that would be too suspicious.
Even though he only had a few viewers, if they kept asking about his "divine power," he wouldn't have any answer other than instinct.
Which was why Tanaka played it safe.
From time to time, he stopped at street stalls selling various items and equipment, casually browsing as if he had no particular goal.
Tanaka had quite a bit of money to spend. After selling all his beginner armor at the start, along with the monster drops he collected, he now had around 10,000.
Since a dagger wasn't really his preferred weapon, he checked several shops—
—but nothing truly caught his eye.
It didn't take long before Tanaka reached the golden pillar.
It was on a bridge.
To be precise—
Under the bridge.
[YAnnaY: Why'd you suddenly stop?]
Anna noticed it first, as the other two viewers were busy arguing about which weapon was better in the game—despite neither of them having actually played SLF.
Tanaka didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Even if it was faint… he could hear it.
Someone breathing.
Heavy.
Strained.
As if they were struggling just to stay alive.
"I hear something. It's under the bridge," Tanaka said as he opened his eyes.
[PeachyMarine: Maybe it's a rat? Gosh, I don't like rats.]
[Devilwithagun: Then go check it out. It's boring just watching you walk around.]
Seeing that his viewers didn't suspect anything, Tanaka smiled lightly.
It wasn't like he was lying—
He really could hear someone breathing.
But it was suppressed.
Deliberately.
As if whoever it was… was hiding.
Tanaka didn't hesitate.
He jumped off the bridge and landed in the shallow canal below. The water only reached his knees, barely soaking him.
Staring into the massive, dark tunnel beneath the bridge, Tanaka began to see it—
Golden threads.
Guiding him forward.
He stepped inside.
The tunnel was pitch black, with only faint light coming from the entrance behind him.
As he moved deeper, a humanoid figure appeared, blocking his path.
Tanaka noticed the red name above it and immediately pulled out his dagger.
The creature noticed him too.
With a bestial growl, it lunged forward on all fours.
As it got closer, its form became clearer.
A humanoid monster with long, thin limbs crawling on all fours. Its body was withered, its face wrapped in cloth—
And its mouth…
Filled with jagged, bloodstained fangs.
[Dark Walker Lv. 10]
[PeachyMarine: Eek! It looks like something out of a horror movie!]
Swoosh—!
Boom!
It swung its limb toward Tanaka.
Already prepared, Tanaka didn't block.
Instead—
With perfect timing—
He redirected the attack with his dagger.
A clean parry.
"That was a powerful attack. A single hit from that would kill me instantly," Tanaka said.
Yet instead of fear—
His eyes gleamed.
And a smile formed on his lips.
He stepped forward and thrust his dagger toward its neck.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the blade struck its skin.
"It's that tough?" Tanaka muttered, stepping back.
[Devilwithagun: That skin is insane! Light, retreat for now! That's not something you can beat yet!]
"It's fine," Tanaka replied calmly.
He ducked just in time to avoid a bite, then thrust again.
Clang!
Repelled once more.
But Tanaka wasn't discouraged.
He could see it.
The golden light—
Was getting brighter.
ROAR!!
The Walker suddenly went berserk, thrashing wildly and swinging its limbs in every direction.
But Tanaka had already stepped back before it could fully lose control.
[PeachyMarine: It's going crazy! In most games, that means it'll weaken after! Just wait it out!]
[YAnnaY: Yeah, I think so too!]
But to their shock—
Tanaka didn't wait.
He lunged forward.
Weaving through the flailing limbs, he dodged each attack by mere inches.
Before anyone could react—
He was already in range.
He thrust his dagger toward its neck.
Splurt!
[Critical Strike!]
The blade pierced through its tough skin and sank deep.
ROAAAAAR!!
The Walker snapped out of its frenzy and lunged to bite his upper body.
Tanaka twisted his dagger free—
Then slashed upward.
Redirecting the bite.
[Parried!]
In that brief opening—
His dagger glowed.
He struck again.
[Vital Strike!]
Bang!
[You have defeated Dark Walker Lv. 10]
The creature dissolved into particles of light.
"Well… that was intense," Tanaka said, winking at the livestream.
[PeachyMarine: AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!]
[PeachyMarine: THAT WAS SO COOL!!!]
[PeachyMarine: YOU LOOKED LIKE A FINAL BOSS FIGHT SCENE 😭✨]
[YAnnaY: Wah—! That was amazing!!]
[YAnnaY: You dodged everything at the last second!]
[YAnnaY: I thought you were going to get hit, but you didn't! 😳]
[Devilwithagun: Heh.]
[Devilwithagun: Not bad.]
Ding!
[Level Up! 4 → 7]
[Learned a new skill — Full Counter]
[PeachyMarine: HE GOT A SKILL!!!]
[PeachyMarine: SHOW IT SHOW IT!!!]
[YAnnaY: A new skill? That's so fast!]
"Alright, alright, calm down. I just learned it too, so I'm also in the dark. Let's check it out together," Tanaka said with a smile.
As he continued deeper into the tunnel, he opened the skill window.
[Full Counter]
Convert defense into lethal offense. A perfectly timed parry reflects the enemy's power back at them.
Effect ▸ On successful Parry/Deflect, enter Counter State
▸ Next attack deals 200% of incoming damage
▸ Applies only to the immediate follow-up strike
Cost: 5 Stamina
Cooldown: 5 Seconds
Condition: ▸ Requires precise timing
▸ Activates only on successful defensive action
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"Their strength becomes your blade."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
"Oh… so my last desperate defense turned into a skill," Tanaka chuckled.
Looking at it again, the ability was undeniably powerful.
Returning double the damage of an incoming attack—
That was insane.
If he countered something like an ultimate skill, the reflected damage alone could erase an enemy completely.
But of course—
Powerful skills came with harsh conditions.
Precise timing.
Perfect reactions.
Situational awareness.
99.99% of players wouldn't be able to meet those requirements.
But for Tanaka—
This skill was perfect.
Because his divine power complemented it flawlessly.
After chatting with his viewers for a while, Tanaka finally noticed a faint light ahead.
Approaching it, he found a small chamber.
Inside—
A man in full armor slumped against the wall, clutching his stomach as blood poured from the wound.
[Ding!]
[You have discovered Legolas, the survivor messenger who came to ask for assistance]
"An adventurer…! Please… I don't have much time…" the man gasped.
"I beg you… help our village… it's going to be attacked by the Sunlit Scripture Knights!"
He tried to stand, but his body failed him.
Even so—
He wasn't begging for himself.
But for his people.
"Tell me where it is. I'll help," Tanaka said, pulling out his map.
"H-Here… Carne Village…" the man pointed weakly. "No time… to explain… please… defend them…"
"The only thing I can offer… is this sword…"
His hand trembled as he passed it to Tanaka.
"…Please…"
And then—
He stopped breathing.
[Ding!]
[You have received a time-limited quest!]
[Regolas' Plea for Help]
Time Limit: 48 Hours
Reach Carne Village before the Sunlit Scripture arrives.
Location has been marked on your map.
[Ding!]
[You have received: Zweihander Sword (Rare)]
Tanaka lowered his gaze to the weapon in his hands.
The Zweihander was massive—far larger than any sword he had seen in the shops. Nearly as tall as he was, its presence alone felt overwhelming.
The blade was long and broad, forged from dark steel that reflected light like a calm, black mirror. Faint silver lines ran along its surface, forming intricate patterns that shimmered subtly whenever it caught the light—like veins pulsing with dormant power.
Near the base of the blade, just above the guard, two small protruding hooks jutted outward—designed to catch or break an opponent's weapon.
The crossguard itself was wide and slightly curved, its edges etched with worn, ancient markings that hinted at battles long forgotten.
The grip was wrapped in deep crimson leather, slightly worn but firm, fitting perfectly in Tanaka's hands despite its size.
And at the pommel—
A heavy steel counterweight shaped like a flattened sphere, engraved with a faint symbol that glowed ever so slightly.
Tanaka raised the sword.
It was heavy.
Far heavier than anything he had used before.
Before he could even test a normal swing, golden guiding lines flickered into existence before his eyes.
Without hesitation, Tanaka followed them.
Whoosh—!
The Zweihander carved through the air with overwhelming force.
This wasn't a weapon meant for speed.
It was built for pressure.
Each swing carried enough weight to force opponents on the defensive—
and once they blocked, they would inevitably be left open for the next attack.
But that same power came with a flaw.
After a single strike, the sword couldn't be pulled back immediately.
A dangerous delay.
A fatal opening.
"…That's a problem," Tanaka muttered.
But then—
He paused.
Another golden line appeared.
Not for the sword.
To his left.
For his body.
Tanaka's eyes widened slightly.
"…I see."
When wielding a weapon like the Zweihander—
You don't rely on the sword alone.
You fight with everything.
If the blade couldn't return in time—
Then his body would continue the attack.
A punch.
A kick.
A follow-up using pure momentum.
The moment his swing finished, Tanaka stepped forward—
Thud!
A sharp forward kick followed the arc of his strike.
Seamless.
Natural.
Like it was always meant to be that way.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Oh… I'm liking this."
A surge of excitement ran through him.
For the first time—
This wasn't just instinct.
It felt like a style.
Then he glanced at his chat—
And it was completely flooded.
[YAnnaY: WAAAAAAAIT!!! 😳✨]
[YAnnaY: YOU CAN DO THAT???]
[YAnnaY: You swung AND kicked right after—LIKE—WHAT??]
[YAnnaY: That looked so smooth!!! 💖]
[YAnnaY: It's like dancing… but scary 😭]
[PeachyMarine: AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!]
[PeachyMarine: THAT WAS SO COOL WHAT?! 😭✨]
[PeachyMarine: YOU JUST COMBO'D WITH A GIANT SWORD???]
[PeachyMarine: THAT SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE!!!]
[PeachyMarine: WAIT WAIT—]
[PeachyMarine: YOU LOOK LIKE A DARK KNIGHT OR SOMETHING 😭💖]
[Devilwithagun: …Heh.]
[Devilwithagun: Now that's interesting.]
[Devilwithagun: You figured it out already.]
[Devilwithagun: The delay isn't a weakness.]
[Devilwithagun: It's bait.]
[Devilwithagun: They block your swing—]
[Devilwithagun: —and walk straight into your next hit.]
[YAnnaY: EHHH?! That's so scary when you say it like that!! 😣]
[PeachyMarine: No but he's right though 😭]
[PeachyMarine: That combo looked like it would DESTROY someone…]
Tanaka adjusted his grip on the Zweihander, his smile sharpening.
"So it's not about speed…"
He swung again, following another golden line—
"…it's about overwhelming them."