I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 454

"So while I was focusing on my main duties for the tournament rank, in the meantime... you've built mountains of corpses and rivers of blood again. On top of that, it seems you've been giving an absurd amount of help with the new class release."

"Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear that first part."

"…Thank you, Eugene, for your boundless generosity and benevolenceeeaaaaargh!"

A cracking sound echoed ominously, blending with the scream, reverberating through the SSM building.

People nearby rushed toward the source of the commotion, only to pause and nod knowingly when they saw Dice and me entangled in a peculiar form. Then they calmly returned to their seats. The "entanglement," of course, referred to the cobra twist I had applied to Dice.

Benevolence and generosity, my foot.

Naturally, I didn't apply full force—Dice's body was far too delicate for that. The power was adjusted just enough to make her feel considerably lighter… or maybe not. At least I'd reestablished discipline after a long time. Now it was time to offer the carrot after the stick.

"Say ‘ah.’"

"Ahhh."

Using the fork held by the tip of my tail, I stabbed a piece of cake and brought it to Dice's mouth.

Though she tried to put on a sulky face, she couldn’t hold back a smile, and the tension in the air immediately dissolved. Sweetness worked wonders, and a touch of charm from my tail sealed the deal.

With the first step of teaching this cheeky dice a lesson complete, we could return to our usual chatter. The topic naturally shifted to recent events—specifically, those involving me and Glory and Honor.

"Yesterday, the players who ran into you looked like their world had ended. What happened? Were they that shocked just because you used an axe?"

"Hard to say for sure, but I think it’s because of preconceived notions."

"Preconceived notions?"

"Well, up until now, I’ve always used two daggers."

Why were they so shocked? I had a pretty good guess.

To strip away all the flowery language: they simply didn’t expect me to use anything other than daggers. And since yesterday was the first time both of my daggers were taken away, I could understand their surprise.

But the world always demands preparation for the unexpected. While they hadn’t prepared, I had—and the tactical tomahawk proved it.

Though I hadn’t mentioned what happened after I drew the tomahawk, they probably all knew how the story ended.

"Honestly, it was kind of brutal... but still, it was awesome."

"I’m not sure if I should be glad to hear that…"

Dice had enough spare time to keep up with my stream even during tournament rank prep. How convenient.

Like me, Dice had achieved excellent results in the last Final Championship. This meant she could afford to ignore preliminary ranks and KSM qualifiers to focus on the Asian preliminaries—though, from another angle, it could also mean she was slacking off while other gamers were grinding hard.

Anyway, it was time to change the topic. Since we were spending yet another leisurely day at the SSM headquarters in Seongdong-gu instead of home, I figured we might as well discuss something productive—like the CQC curriculum I’d been enthusiastically teaching.

"By the way, was the lesson I taught you last time useful?"

"Oh, you mean the CQC training? Yeah, it was incredibly helpful."

"Is that so."

"Some players even… skipped picking up guns and just went straight to stabbing enemies at the start of matches."

"Oh no…"

…I don’t recall ever suggesting that.

At Dice’s gesture, several screens floated in the air, showing pro gamers landing and immediately grabbing tactical tomahawks to attack others opening crates. It looked like something out of a zombie movie—except with axes instead of teeth.

Dice continued talking, explaining how this chaotic early-game build had gained notoriety over the past two weeks in tournament ranks. It made sense. Numerous private streams had featured players charging with axes in hand.

As I mentioned earlier, the sight of those players, reminiscent of zombies, didn’t evoke laughter but fear. Watching them rush across the map the moment they spawned felt… undeniably abnormal.

"Well, its effectiveness is proven. Though I doubt many will follow suit."

"Some people are trying to mimic it, but surprisingly, not as many as you’d think. I have a hunch why."

"Well, if it works, there’s no need to worry too much."

I glossed over the topic lightly. It wasn’t as if I’d taught them something they absolutely had to follow. As long as everyone adapted on their own, there wasn’t much else to worry about.

Dice added a few more comments, but to sum it up: everything was running smoothly without me. It wasn’t surprising. The system wasn’t designed to fall apart just because one person wasn’t around.

The conversation then shifted back to me, thanks to Dice’s question.

"So, Eugene… what are you up to these days? Are you planning to keep grinding ranked games?"

"Probably, but I might change things up a bit. I’ve done just about everything I can with daggers. I’m thinking of trying a different weapon."

"A… different weapon?"

"Lately, I’ve been interested in large weapons like claymores or zweihänders."

I mimicked swinging a large sword, though my form was clumsy since I hadn’t properly learned yet.

Dice struggled to stifle her laughter, turning away with a chuckle. Even I had to admit I looked awkward—more like I was playing golf than wielding a sword.

In the game, large swords felt heavy. In reality, I could swing them like toothpicks. Still, mastering such weapons in-game would likely be quite challenging. Proper control, especially utilizing centrifugal force, was crucial—something I’d realized after sparring against advanced AI a few weeks ago.

Unlike typical heavy-attack or light-attack combos, I had my own ideas about how to wield such weapons effectively.

"I did some research online, and there’s a fair amount of material on swordsmanship for large weapons. Maybe soon you’ll see me swinging a greatsword on stream."

"Oh dear, really."

"Since we’re on the topic, why not give the game a try, Dice—"

"No way. Not happening."

Once again, my attempt failed.

If Dice could read my mind, she’d probably question what was so "unfortunate" about her refusal. But pointing that out would lack charm.

For now, I had no immediate obligations. Tournament rank was ongoing, and the journey to the finals was proceeding smoothly. I decided to practice with a greatsword once I got home.

Just as I was thinking that, Dice spoke up.

"It’s getting late. Want to grab dinner? My treat."

"Is it that late already—"

I trailed off as I noticed the bright, blazing sun outside.

Suppressing my exasperation, I added:

"…Yes. So very late."

"Hehe."

And so, my curfew was postponed by about five hours.

"Contrary to what many might imagine, fighting with a greatsword—especially one the size of a person—is an art of distance control."

Kaang!

The knight, clad in gauntlets, gripped the sword with both hands and slammed it into the ground, as if creating a cross out of the weapon. The Challenger patch on his shoulder glowed brightly.

Around him, spectators—including myself—watched with fascination.

The tiers of attendees varied. Many hid their ranks—about one-third kept theirs concealed. I did the same to avoid unnecessary attention.

Each of us had a greatsword before us, standing silently.

We were all students.

And so began my first lesson in greatsword combat. The session was more engaging than I’d anticipated.

As the lesson continued, I started observing the nuanced differences between greatsword techniques and smaller weapon handling. The instructor demonstrated various moves with precise terminology: Zornhau, Krumphau, Ochs, Hangetort, and Schielhau. Each strike came with a labeled explanation floating in augmented reality for clarity.

"Notice the grip," I thought, analyzing the instructor. "Right hand near the crossguard, left hand near the pommel."

The elongated handle allowed greater flexibility for wrist, elbow, and shoulder movements. While the greatsword lacked the agility of smaller weapons, its sheer power and range compensated well. Proper management of stamina seemed to be the key to maintaining effective combat.

After a series of practice swings and theoretical instructions, the instructor paused and addressed us.

"For those observant enough, you might realize the attack patterns I just demonstrated aren't commonly used in the game. There's a reason for this. These are primarily for controlling engagements and setting up defensive counters. However, in-game opponents will more likely try to keep you at range."

He played video examples, showing enemies using crossbows, smoke bombs, or other ranged tactics. Even in 3v3 combat scenarios, players exploited distractions to land devastating flanking attacks.

The message was clear: greatsword mastery required adaptation and seamless chaining of feints, counters, and decisive strikes.

"To summarize, you must learn to mix quick jabs, powerful strikes, and effective feints. Mastering these will allow you to dominate with a greatsword."

The instructor demonstrated sequences: feint ? light attack ? heavy attack, or feint ? feint ? light attack ? guard break. The possible variations were endless but always included a balance of offense and defense.

"Start with probing strikes," he continued. "Then, find your rhythm and seize control of the fight. Sometimes, cancel a heavy attack midway, feint into a guard position, and rush forward. The unpredictability alone can grant you an edge."

While the lecture became more theoretical, the hands-on component excited the attendees. The instructor emphasized the importance of practice, encouraging us to find our own flow with the weapon.

I couldn’t help but reflect on the clumsy greatsword users I’d encountered before. They’d likely never delved into this depth of technique.

"…So that’s what they were trying to do," I mused, smiling slightly.

As the lesson wrapped up, pairs of attendees moved to practice under supervision. Unfortunately, I was at the tail end of the rotation, leaving me wondering who my sparring partner would be.

"…Eugene. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you hiding here with your Challenger patch tucked away?"

"Ah."

I hadn’t exactly been hiding, but I’d certainly been caught.

Fortunately, the timing worked in my favor. Assistants moved to supervise the others while I stammered through an explanation.

"Well, I wasn’t sneaking in or anything. I’ve just recently taken an interest in greatswords and saw an opening for this session, so I applied, and, um…"

The instructor remained skeptical but nodded after a moment.

"Alright. So, you’re saying you joined today’s session out of genuine interest in learning greatsword techniques?"

"That’s right. If not, why else would I be holding this?"

"Hmm. Fair enough."

Though my form still felt a bit clumsy, I did my best to adopt the Ochs stance, raising the greatsword defensively.

Seeing this, the instructor smiled and raised his own sword.

"Opportunities like this don’t come every day. Since fate has brought us together, I’d like to show you just how enjoyable greatsword combat can be."

"I’ll give it my best."

"That’s all I ask."

Two enormous blades swung through the air, carving distinct arcs.

And then—

"…If I may say, perhaps Manifestors should stick to fighting one another."

"Wow, that guy’s ranked in the top 15 for greatsword classes, and you turned him into mincemeat."

"Teacher, beating someone to a pulp with a claymore isn’t allowed."

"Well, it just… sort of happened."

Two minutes and forty-six seconds later.

I found myself staring awkwardly down at today’s instructor, a Challenger-level player named Pascal, who now resembled a thoroughly tenderized cutlet.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

And yet, I felt oddly satisfied.