Fourth Event, day 2.

Flint's PoV:

"Put your back more into it! Hammer those impurities away! Don't let it spoil your hard work!" - Muramana

Muramana, the old Oni I assisted in the Blackard Casino event, shouted instructions with an excited face as he saw me forging the metal into an ingot.

The sound of colliding metal filled the scorching forge. The intensity of the heat coming from the furnace could make even a Fire Spirit sweat, but I ignored it and used a Health Potion to recover the lost HP due to the heat. 

While removing the impurities in the melted metal with the larger forging hammer, I used a smaller hammer held with my tail to shape it according to my ideas and adjusted the metal's position to help me remove even more of the impurities.

As I worked, I layered the metal I was working on. Each bend doubled the number of layers, merging the metals into a more solid construct each time, improving its hardness and strength even further.

"...and done." - Flint

"Great work! A great example of a Wootz Ingot!" - Muramana

What I had been working on was wootz steel. A merging of steel and other materials ended up as a metal with a wood-like pattern. It may not be one of the strongest on the market, but as I gaze at the silverly-white metal with black wood-like patterns, a whole world of ideas entered my brain.

"Normal coal and steel produced an ingot with this durability, but if the materials were switched...burning the remains of a powerful monster or magical tree could produce ashes and coal with more supernatural properties..." - Flint

"You already got the point behind the lesson!? I wish my pupils could take after you." - Muramana

"Don't blame them. I have been working as a smith, so my mind is more open to new ideas compared to one still in training." - Flint

"Tch, should I start getting stricter with them?" - Muramana

Let's give a prayer for those poor chumps...

"Anyway, let's move on to the next lesson: on how weapon proficiency skills have a point to play in what weapons you should equip!" - Muramana

"? Isn't that because skills like [Swordsmanship] assist in using those weapons?" - Flint

"That too, but it also allows one to more successfully equip weapons~! If someone without a high-tier skill evolved from [Swordsmanship] wanted to equip a legendary sword, they wouldn't be able to utilize even 1% of the sword's legendary powers!" - Muramana

"WHAT?!?! That's a big deal, no, the biggest deal in the history of smithing!!" - Flint

What good is it to forge the greatest weapon the world has ever seen if it can never be used to its full potential!? Damn, why was I never told about this!?!?!

"People do go gaga over stuff like Unique Equipment instead though~. Those things are the real medal that shows a samurai... or should I say, an adventurer's worth-" - Muramana

"GAAAH!! Don't remind me! They are another wall I have to conquer! Let me focus on the one I'm striving with climbing over for now!" - Flint

"...this guy may be a bigger smithing fool than me." - Muramana

Damn it all!!!! Wait, but I do have someone that can make my dream come true!! ...speaking of that sword-loving girl, wonder how she is faring?

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Mira's PoV:

How long have I walked around this labyrinth? I mean, it's pretty, but the whole event is making me fear the worst...

It's the second day of walking through these large labyrinth-like walls. They are made of what appears to be wood, but they wouldn't budge even if I used the Dark Knight's True Damage-type skill.

It's possible to climb over them, but...there is nothing past there except for fog as far as you can see. I dropped a stone from the top of the wall...it never made a sound...

I've been walking through this labyrinth while following the signs at each crossroad. On each sign, there's a quiz and people have to answer properly if they want to reach their goal as soon as possible. If you're not honest with these questions, you'll end up not finding this "worst nightmare" thing before the event is finished. 

But still, who made these signs? Lots of these questions are damn embarrassing! And they shout out your name and answer when you walk down the road...

Ah! Is this the "worst nightmare"!? No, that can't be...right?

Will I end up having to spend another night at one of those inns? Rather, why are there inns inside a labyrinth? Is it being used outside of the festival? And if that's the case, what is it being used for? Damn, I'm making myself go confused all on my own...

Oh? Were my prayers answered? A large door is blocking the path. The sign at the start did mention that only those who have reached their "destined end" could perceive these, so...

I won! Wahoo! On the second day as well! Could I be the first one of the Guild to clear his/her trial?

"Beware, those who have arrived here. This is the resting place of the most bloodthirsty, the most venomous, and the worst fiend you will ever find. Do not pass these doors. Do not-" is written on the door with red paint, but the last part seems to be badly done. There's even a long stroke done on the last letter...

Just how bad has my life been to have something this...nightmare-ish? Let's be careful as we advance.

I carefully opened the door after equipping my best armor and sword. Behind the door was a huge, circular room filled with sakura trees, an indoor lake in the middle, plus a platform in the middle of the lake again. And cages. Bloody cages. Filled with skeletons. Heck, some are covered with clothes that seem to be made of human skin! There are even faces on them! Disgusting!! 

And on the island-acting platform in the middle of the lake was a figure dressed in a black kimono with a purple flower pattern...and red stains on it. Two poison-purple sharp horns, characteristic traits of the oni-races, could be seen peeking up from her bangs as she lay slovenly on a large carpet, drinking from a huge saucer-like cup with a bigger barrel filled with the same liquid. Probably sake, looking at the drunk expression on the female oni's face...

And why does she have to look like Garami!? 

...oh yeah. That drunk rampage she did back after the Velantas Civil War...No wonder. Even I have some mental scars from that...

Back to the point, is this some alternative from a possible timeline or whatever they called it back at the school? This one looks 100% local...and more bloodthirsty than the original. And brutal. Is this what would happen if Garami was born on this continent instead of Invidia?

"......A-hahaha!!" - Fake Garami

Crap, she noticed me! The fake Garami threw her saucer towards me, giving me no other choice but to duck from the sudden attack. The saucer then...proceeded to hit the door leading to his room, sealing it shut in the process. Oni-Garami then jumped at me with her fist ready...you're a bonafide Oni, aren't you?!

The attack came at such speed that I instinctively ducked instead of blocking the attack, but if I had tried to do that, then...I would end up breaking several of my bones. Yeah, well done, my instincts. Don't joke with dishes that make craters in the wall.

And they tell me to leave this place!

I created some phantasmal swords and sent them flying with Force Shot, but Oni-Garami moved her body in mid-air like she had wings! Some things never change...

"Then how about this!" - Mira

I made more swords appear where the Oni-Garami would land, but-

"[Venom Cutter]!" - Oni-Garami

She made a cutting motion with her hand and a purple blade flew toward my phantasmal swords and destroyed them! No, cut them up! 

Even their skills are different...let's hope she doesn't have that crazy number of skills like the original.

Oni-Garami landed on the broken remains of the swords and looked at me...Oh, man. This is NOT good. She's drunk. I recognize that expression. It's just like when Garami went on her drunken rampage after the Civil War. Except, there is something else...

"Ehehehe...fresh meat~♡. New skin~♡. Rich blood~♡." - Oni-Garami

*Shivers!!*

This ain't good! This Garami ain't good! She's completely feral!

*Ding*

Huh? That sound...I think it was this armor's anti-status ailment function...I was almost inflicted by one!? How!? I was only...she can do something to people just by talking? Come on, that can't be fair, right?

Oni-Garami looked at me with confusion on her face. Tch, so she must have such a skill. And seeing that I was unaffected, Oni-Garami jumped toward me with her fists glowing purple. [Poison Attack]? No, something else is mixed in. 

I created a [Crystal Shield] in front of Oni-Garami and saw her punch the solid crystal into pieces with her punch. Damn, is this one more STR-specialized than the original? 

Right after Oni-Garami had crushed the shield and thereby broke her posture, I ran up to her before she could react and used [Lightforce Shield] to bash the fake's face in and sent her flying into the lake. Alas, she used a skill similar to Garami's [Sky Jump] and returned with just a bloody nose.

"Ehehehe...[Poison Recycle]~. [Poison Revitalization]~." - Oni-Garami

The purple liquid she used to break my sword-spike trap flew towards her before turning into a purple light that seems to have healed her bloody nose. From the names, are those two skills something to use nearby poison to replenish MP, and a recovery skill based on poison?

"[Poison Rain]!" - Oni-Garami

And now there's a huge magic circle over me that is releasing weak poison like rain! It's a complete Poison festival! Glad this last skill doesn't have much power compared to the cutter thing, but now this beast has more poison to recycle! 

I shot some new phantasmal swords towards her to test the waters, but Oni-Garami only grinned as she knocked the swords away with her fists and legs in a manner that seems closer to a wild animal than proper martial arts. Then my [Intuition] skill covered my sight in red. 

Stepping back in a hurry, I escaped the sudden purple sphere that emerged from the ground. A-a trapping skill. That was too close for comfort. And this sphere...poison again? 

"...tch. Shuten-Doji!" - Oni-Garami

Oni-Garami looked angry at my escape and shouted a new move's name out loud. Then, a large amount of transparent liquid came from underneath her feet before creating a large wave toward me. Liquid, huh? Bad choice.

"Lightning Lance!" - Mira

I used one of my seldom-used Lightning Magic spells, a spear made of lighting, against the wave. The spear crashed into the wave, but even though this spell would have normally crushed it, the wave persisted. The electricity which the spear was made of, however, was doing its job.

As she was standing in the liquid, Oni-Garami was affected by the spell's lingering electricity and was shocked silly, resulting in the wave falling apart as Oni-Garami's control over it was lost when she was stunned.

I was planning to cut her down while she was stunned, but seeing what the liquid had done to the trees that it had come in contact with, I decided to run instead. What is that stuff made of?! The trees melted into some gooey...something! After poison, now I have to look out for acid!?

Oni-Garami looked at me with disdain after she shook off the last of the electricity, but a creepy smile replaced it as she saw me running away. Now that I think about it, aren't onis good at chasing others...?

And she's fast! Why do you still have that speed despite being an STR-specialized Garami!?

"Damn! [Spark Fence]!" - Mira

I created walls of electricity half in panic. And it made her stop in her tracks! She must have felt that last shock...and she jumped over them. Tch...

And that gave me an idea. I ran around the circular room with Oni-Garami hot on my heels. I kept on spamming [Spark Fence], the evolved skill from [Spark Ball], to create electrical obstructions for her, but Oni-Garami is too acrobatic! She slips through the fences with ease!

I kept on running until...I reached full circle. That's right, this room's circular in shape. And my path is now blocked by that acid liquid from the start.

"No~ more~ running~ away~," said Oni-Garami as she slipped past the last fence.

"Yeah...for you. [Chain Lightning]!" - Mira

Saying this, I enveloped my greatsword with electricity through [Lightning Edge] and activated my trap.

[Chain Lightning] is the evolved skill from [Discharge]. It activates the electrical charges I have placed through other skills, combines them, and increases the force for each connection. 

Through it, the first [Spark Fence] released a lightning bolt towards the second fence, which absorbed the electricity and released a much greater lightning bolt towards the third fence, and the process was once again repeated. 

Oni-Garami looked with confusion in her eyes toward the first fence, but by then, it had already reached the last fence. And then, the next and last lightning bolt was aimed at...my greatsword, currently affected by [Lightning Edge]. But before that, it went through the obstacle between the last fence and the sword: Oni-Garami.

"G-GYAAAAAAA!!" - Oni-Garami

All the electricity spread throughout her body before heading towards my greatsword, drastically improving the power of [Lightning Edge]...hey, isn't this a little too much? This large amount of electricity is making me have cold sweat here...

Not wanting this thing to explode in my hand, I used the [Flash Step] skill to instantly move closer to Oni-Garami and used the Heavy Slash Art with my over-charged sword. The gigantic sword of lightning cut through the fried oni's body with relative ease, but the electricity then decided to discharge, sending me flying to the wall. When I got back up, I saw that Oni-Garami has been cut in half, and greatly scorched as a bonus...

Hey, hey, this is too much of an overkill. So much for being a replica of Garami...

I saw a doorway appear on the island in the middle of the lake, so I picked up my greatsword, took a last look at the sorry remains of Oni-Garami, and moved on. 

...this is not a fight I want to repeat. Ever. No matter the circumstances. 

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Kigal-Note/Extra Skills: [Shuten-Doji – Sake-Loving Oni]