Chapter 392 - My CO Stash #92 - A Sword Named Archer by A Dyslexic Writer (Fate/staynightXTenseishitaraKendeshita)

-Feeling kinda spoiled with all these xover Fate fics from the author, just kinda spook of them getting abandonned

Synopsis: Nameless Archer reincarnated as a sword.

Rated: T

Words: 139K

Posted on: fanfiction.net/s/13429955/1/A-Sword-Named-Archer (A Dyslexic Writer)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

If forced to make a list of all the most improbable things that had ever happened around him, being snatched out of Moon-Cell and turned into an 'actual' sword might just make it into the Nameless Archer's top ten. Slightly more unlikely then becoming the Servant of a rogue NPC, but definitely not on the level of anything that the Phantasmal Carnival had thrown at him.

Not to say any of those things were unpleasant, just… you know… unlikely.

Saber Lion had been absolutely adorable, and Archer had grown fond of Hakuno over those eight weeks they had spent together. It had been after he had pushed himself to his limit, disobeying Moon-Cell's orders to win the AI girl her freedom that he had felt himself pulled out of the Moon-Cell and the world in general and into an entirely different world.

He would wonder what had the kind of power needed to reach into Moon-Cell and steal a Servant off of its deathbed, but his new ability, [Appraisal], gave him a damn good hint. Looking into his own [Perimeters] Archer saw an unfamiliar trait that seemed to explain everything.

[Blessings of the Chaos Goddess – Shit happens. Survive and grow strong.]

Well, at least this Goddess has a sense of humor, if that message and her turning him into a literal sword was anything to go by.

If there was any consolation to be had, it would be that he was at least a rather good-looking sword, if nothing else. As a broadsword, with a wide shiny blade and a silver cross guard decorated with the visage of a wolf, Archer wouldn't have looked out of place among some of the Noble Phantasms that he had seen. The [Self-Repair] ability seemed to keep him looking as though he had just been freshly polished.

Pity his blade wasn't all that great. Without magical enhancements it was hardly on the level of a grunt weapon. Even if reinforced to its peak, it would barely even compare to the level of a low end of E rank Noble Phantasms, and 200 units of mana was not even half as much as a good magus would have. It was a far cry from the 15000 units he would have had if he was still a Servant.

Name: Nameless

Wielder Registrant: None

Race: Intelligent Weapon | Heroic Spirit

Attack:132 Mana: 200/200 Durability:100/100 Mana Channel: A

Skills:

Appraisal: Lv6, Self-Repair, Self-Evolving (Rank 1 | Magic Stone Value 0/100 | Memory 10), Telekinesis, Telepathy, Wielder Status ↑ Low, Wielder Recovery ↑ Low, Skill Sharing, Magician.

Unique Skills:

Blessings of the Chaos Goddess

Extra Skills:

Principle of an Element LvEX (Sword), Weapon Control, Independent Action, Clairvoyance, Eye of the Mind (False).

Set Skills:

None.

Stored Skills:

None.

So no shit there he was, a magic sword stuck in a stone pedestal in the middle of a garden in some ruins, waiting for someone to come and pull him from the stone so that he could make them king or something. Honestly, if a petite blonde girl turns up, Archer wasn't sure if he would ever stop laughing. Though if they are going to turn up, he hopes that they will at least hurry it up. As it turned out, there wasn't much for a sword to do when they were waiting to be pulled out of the stone.

Sighing with boredom, he triggered his telekinesis, grabbed a nearby rock and chunked it, watching it skip across the ground.

Mana: 199/200.

Then he traced a regular sword and shot it at the rock.

Mana: 195/200.

He had been sitting in that bit of stone floor for just a day and had taken the liberty to play around with a few things, just to kill time. Telekinesis was interesting, but costly, draining 1 unit of mana every second. Tracing a single ordinary weapon cost 4 units, which was inline with what he was used to. But rather than a low-level Noble Phantasm costing around 20 units to create, it cost much much more.

As it turned out, being in a world where the legends that act as a base for the Noble Phantasm's power don't exist, Archer had to not only trick the world into believing the sword was really there, but he also had to force it to accept the legend was real as well. Tracing an E rank Noble Phantasm from his old world cost more mana than he had at the moment. He wasn't sure how much it would take, but he ballparked it to being somewhere around 500 units. Same went for any ordinary magic weapon that used religions symbols from his old world.

If he wanted a supply of easy to make magic weapons, he would need to start over from the ground up and copy weapons from this world, create original weapons of his own, or find a way of cheating this world's system even more.

Mana: 196/200… Mana: 197/200… Mana: 198/200.

The regeneration of Mana seemed to be about 1 unit every minute, and he had nothing better to do then just watch it slowly recharge. It had been three whole days since he had first woken up as a sword. While life as an agent of Moon-Cell was hell, it hadn't prepared Archer to deal with long periods of boredom.

Finally, the nearby bushes started to wrestle, gaining Archer's attention. He wondered if whatever poor fool that the Goddess of Chaos had set up to be his wielder had finally shown up. However, he was surprised when rather than a naive youth who was about to start on an epic quest to save the land, because aren't they always, two dozen humanoid monsters with warty green skin appeared, wearing loincloths and bone helmets. The largest of these creatures stood at around six feet tall, while the rest were only around four and a half.

Goblin King Lv.21

Race: Goblin (Evil Being)

HP: 87, MP: 26, STR: 47, END: 39

AGI: 26, INT: 17, MGC: 16, DEX: 29

Skills:

Coercion: Lv1, Sword Techniques: Lv2, Sword Arts: Lv4, Leadership: Lv4, Raise Morale: Lv3, Shield Arts: Lv2, Provocation: Lv1, Throwing: Lv1, Ambition: Lv1, Energy Manipulation.

Equipment:

Broken Crude-Iron Long Sword, Cracked Crude-Iron Armor, Leather Shield, Leather Loincloth.

Well it was a King, if not the kind he was expecting. His hat was off to the Goddess of Chaos for subverting his expectations a little.

Not that the creature was going to be able to pull him out of the stone. After all, he was a magic sword, so there was no way that it could…

The Goblin King tossed its broken long sword to the side and grabbed on to Archer's hilt and easily pulled him up out of the stone base. The former servant was so shocked that he didn't know what to do.

"Ah… with this magic sword, I unite the neighboring tribes. I raise up stamped of thousands of Goblins!" The Goblin King shouted to his men and he waved Archer around above his head, much to the delight of the other goblins. "We push down into the valley and take the human villages! We kill and slaughter, steal their weapons and **** their women! We drain their blood into the soil and give homage to our Evil God!"

[...Oh hell no!] Archer growled, using telepathy to rip himself from the goblin's hands before pumping 50 units of mana into sharpening his blade, driving it down into the creature's head and splitting him in two down the middle from the top if his head down into the center of his chest.

Before any of the other goblins had time to react, 23 blades appeared out of thin air and flew straight through their heads, instantly killing them.

[God. I feel so violated.] Archer said, the warmth of the goblin's slimy hands still clinging to his hilt. He would have shivered if that was even feasibly possible. [At least I'm out of that stupid rock now.]

As he mentally adjusted himself to what had just happened, he noticed his blade glow as a foreign mana flowed into him. There had been some kind of stone within the Goblin King's body, and his blade and sliced right into it.

Self-Evolving (Rank 1 | Magic Stone Value 3/100 | Memory 10)

New Skills Unlocked:

Coercion: Lv1, Sword Techniques: Lv1, Sword Arts: Lv1, Leadership: Lv1, Raise Morale: Lv1, Shield Arts: Lv1, Provocation: Lv1, Throwing: Lv1, Ambition: Lv1, Energy Manipulation.

Information seeped into Archer's consciousness. Knowledge about how to use these 'skills', which he seemed to have learned by absorbing the mana inside of the crystal that had been in the Goblin King's chest.

[Curious.] Archer thought, glancing around at the other bodies. He wondered if there were more of these crystals and if he could absorb more of these 'skills'. Nothing he had gotten was useful so far, as Archer's own knowledge of weapons and tactics far exceeded what was provided by the skills, but it was something that peaked his curiosity. He also wanted to know what this [Self-Evolving] thing was about.

So as his mana recharged and he could make short trips with his telekinesis, he went to the individual goblins, stabbing them through the chests and harvesting their mana crystals, getting himself such invaluable skills as [Digging], [Dismantling] and [Climbing] and slowly increasing the magic stone meter of his own. He was laughing at the absurdity of the useless skills that couldn't even match up to his own knowledge, when he stabbed into one goblin that was holding a staff and immediately stopped laughing.

New Skills Unlocked:

Fire Magic: Lv1, MGC ↑ Low, Magic Manipulation.

…In this world, he had just learned fire magic.

Chapter 2

"Graaa!" The Tyrant Saber Tiger cried out its final roar as Archer drove himself into the demonic beast's chest, penetrating its magic stone and draining it dry of mana. Without mana, the phantasmal creature's life was snuffed out and it fell down dead.

[So much for C rank threats.] Archer said, more than a little disappointed. It had been the most powerful monster he had encountered in his week of exploring the area around the ruins in which he had awaken, but it was just a mindless beast. While its attacks would have certainly snapped him in two if they had landed, it was too easy to predict and couldn't manage a blow on the spirit turned sword.

Self-Evolving:

(Rank 6 | Magic Stone Value 1895/2100 | Memory 53 | Points 42) → (Rank 7 | Magic Stone Value 2109/2800 | Memory 60 | Points 77)

ATK: 310 → 342 MP: 1375 → 1550 Durability: 1300 → 1450 Mana Channel: A

New Skills Unlocked:

Vibration Impact, Vibration Fang.

Skills Leveled:

Intimidate: Lv4 → Lv5, Wind Magic Lv2 → Lv3, Hunting Lv5 → Lv6.

[Hm…] Archer pondered as he sorted through the skills that started to trickle into his mind. Vibration Impact seemed to be a method for focusing one's magical energy around their attacks into a wave that could better penetrate the body and deal internal damage. Kind of like an overpowered microwave generator, one strong enough to rip through muscle with ease. The vibrations could also be focused into a blade in order to make it act more like a chainsaw, though with a high cost to durability. Interesting.

After finding out that he could absorb magical skills by killing these Demonic Beasts, Archer started to hunt them down. He felt justified in doing so, as most of them were active threats to humanity in some form or another. Others even attacked him on sight, and if you are so battle crazed as to attack a flouting sword on sight, then you kind of deserve what's coming to you.

Things had started out pretty slow for the former Servant, as he couldn't use his telekinesis for more than a minute for every hour of rest, but during his second day he got his first big break through. A sort of flouting jellyfish that possessed two key skills, the first being [Flout], which when combined with [Telekinesis] allowed Archer to get around on just one fifth of his old cost, while the second, [Mana Drain: Lv1], allowed him to recover Mana at a much higher rate and let him steal it from the enemies he killed. [Mana Drain] was the first skill that Archer actually spent points leveling up, just because of how useful it was.

While his Skills could level up by consuming more of that same skill, he could also level them up by spending the Evolution-Points he received each time he increased in Rank from gathering magic stone. It cost 2 points per level for normal skills, 3 per level for rarer skills, 5 in order to upgrade a non-level-based skill, and 10 for a rare non-level-based skill. He could also buy other skills for 5-10 points.

He gained five times his rank every time he ranked up. Though so far, he had only used 58 points. 18 on maxing out [Mana Drain], 8 on increasing [Appraisal] to its max level, and 5 more to purchase a skill called [Demonic Beast Knowledge], which granted him knowledge of the weak points of all the Demonic Beasts he came across, as well as where in their bodies their magic stones were. It also gave him a ranking for each monster, though Archer didn't know their significance. Still, information was key, so both [Appraisal] and [Demonic Beast Knowledge] were musts.

Ranking [Mana Drain] up to max level had also unlocked [Mana Thief], which could steal mana from everyone and thing around Archer. Just by leaving it on and drawing Mana out of the air, Archer could basically half the cost of flouting around. Though he hadn't leveled the new skill up, as most of his Mana Problems were already taken care off by this point.

The final skill that Archer had invested his points into was called [Body Split], which cost him 27 points to max out. He had gotten the skill from a giant serpent that was capable of creating perfect body doubles, and the skill was supposed to allow Archer to do the same. However, when Archer started to mess with the skill, he found to his delight that it gave a lot more leeway than it sounded and provided a lot of exploits.

For one, it didn't necessarily have to be his current form that was copied. Granted, his first attempt to recreate his Servant body was met with absolute failure, as the mana cost was just too stupidly high for him to do such a thing yet. Even creating a body that had half of his old perimeters cost more than 4000 mana, and that was just the overhead cost. However, he could use the skill to recreate any of his Noble Phantasms for a fraction of the price of tracing them, with the only drawback being that he could only sustain a Noble Phantasm form for one tenth of the time of his normal sword form.

The skill was only supposed to last 5 minutes, times the skill's level, but because of Archer's [Independent Action] ability, it became 1 hour, times its level, and the passive cost was decreased from 1 mana a second to 1 mana every 30 seconds. Meaning that at its max level it lasted for 10 hours and its cost was mostly mitigated by Mana Thief. During this time, Archer could control it and use any [Skill] he possessed through it.

Beyond that, when he recreated his current sword form with it, that form with start with its Mana at full, similar to the cheat method he had used when tracing. While his copy only had 80% of his stats, it meant that he could spend 100 units of Mana and get over 1000 units back. And Mana could be shared between the bodies, greatly increasing his storage capacity. If he was running low, he could create and absorb the body double in order to fill himself right back up in an instant. Though the [Skill] could only be used once every 24 hours, the timer could be rest by leveling the skill up… not that he could do that anymore.

[Body Split] had drastically increased his hunting speed, as he could literally be in two places at once.

Beyond that, Archer was holding off on his investments. Many of the skills he was getting were useful, and he wanted to see them strengthened, but he had the feeling that he should wait and see. He didn't know how long he would continue to rank up. He might be allowed to rank up to 100, in which case he would have all the points he could really need. But what if it maxed out sooner, like at 10. Those points might be a nonrenewable resource, and if he could level up his skills by just hunting more monsters that possess the same skill, then why waste? He should just save the points for rarer and more valuable skills.

That had been half the reason he had tried to hunt the 'Gourmet Orcs' to extinction, as they had commonly had fire magic. The second reason was because the [Demonic Beast Knowledge] skill said they cooked people.

He had managed to raise his [Fire Magic] skill all the way up to its max level by killing those guys, unlocking [Flame Magic: Lv1] as a result. Sadly, no matter how many of them he killed, it didn't raise the [Flame Magic] skill any… and he killed a lot of them. Though after casting its [Flame Burst] spell a few hundred times, it leveled up to Lv2.

It seemed that some skills could be leveled through just using them a bunch. Must be how normal creatures in this world get their skills. [Sword Art] and [Sword Technique] also increased rather fast due to this. Not that Archer really cared that much for [Sword Art], since his own swordsmanship far outstripped it even at Lv8. [Sword Technique Lv7] provided some interesting pseudo spells, such as a technique that momentarily created a blade made of condensed magic somewhere within 5 meters of him and then shot it. Less useful than tracing to him, but it meant that he couldn't be completely dismissive of the skill.

Archer tossed the Tyrant Saber Tiger into his [Dimensional Storage], another infinitely useful skill he gained from killing a giant slime monster, and continued on his way.

He couldn't exactly say why he was storing away the corpses of the enemies he killed, perhaps it was just that when you are given a giant four-dimensional pocket, you just start to shovel stuff into it, just to see if you can fill it up. To not do so would be a crime.

He had been moving further and further away from the ruins where he had first woken up, though he had been mostly wandering around aimlessly. There was no point in staying in that place for long, since it didn't seem like any Heroes in need of a legendary weapon were around, Archer might as well just go and slay evil by himself… all alone.

Loneliness was one of the things that Archer hadn't expected to have to deal with. He had been used to pushing people away. Even when he had been That Man, the 'Hero of Justice' who's name even he himself had forgotten, Archer hadn't really ever made time for the people around him, not even the ones he loved. It was the reason why She betrayed him in the end, because She couldn't believe that he loved her. Not that he blamed her. When even that woman thought that he had gone too far and that he had lost all his humanity, it was probably true. Like with everyone else in his original life, he couldn't quite remember her name, just a face which granted him a sense of happy nostalgia.

But those eight weeks spent with Hakuno had made him feel more accustomed to having someone around. Even if that someone was about as good at displaying emotion as a dead fish. The NPC turned girl had been like a curious child, growing into a very harsh and cruel world, and while Archer would admit that he had found her lack of skill and general naivety annoying at first, he had grown fond of his unusual Master as she gained more skill and displayed more cunning. To not having her presence, with her curious, nonjudging, blank stare…

Don't know what you got till it's gone.

Flying over the forest, he had spotted what looked a little like a dirt road snaking through the trees and had decided to follow it, hoping to find some kind of civilization. He wasn't so sure what he would do once he found it, since normal people might be a little freaked out by a magical flying sword, but it would be nice to at least know it was there.

[Hm? That's strange, my Mana is lowering rather fast.] Archer said, noticing that he wasn't drawing in Mana as fast as he usually was. He still had quite a bit, but if he got into a fight with low mana, it might make things hairy for him. Better to just rest and continue when he was back at full power. So Archer let himself sink down with his tip pushing lazily into the ground… and then slid down like a rock as his Mana was sucked dry and his Telekinesis disappeared. [What the hell!?] Archer shouted to himself, trying desperately to call up enough Mana to pull himself free before it was too late.

It was no good, his mana levels hit 0 before he could escape.

[…Great.] Archer said with a disgruntled sigh. [Guess I am stuck playing the waiting game again.]

Chapter 3

You know when Archer complained about boredom after being stuck in a stone alter for three days? He took it all back.

It had been over three weeks since he had 'accidentally' landed it when appeared to be mana draining soil. Three weeks of not even having thumbs to twiddle. He hadn't even had to wait this long for his execution.

Seriously, there was a dirt road just thirty feet away from him, why the hell had no one shown up let? Archer wouldn't complain if another goblin came around to pull him out. He might even spare that one out of gratitude.

Even worse, while as a Servant one didn't need to sleep, as a sword it was literal impossible to. Archer was so bored that he opted to try to count the swords in his Unlimited Blade Works and spent a massive amount of time pondering the truths of this World.

He had in those few days of freedom gathered quite a few different forms of magecraft. Fire Magic, Wind Magic, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Recovery Magic, Oath Magic, Contract Magic, Summon Familiar, Purification Magic. More than fifty individual spells in all. However, rather than knowing the mechanics behind the spells, all Archer knew was the words that needed to be chanted in order to activate them, and how to shape the mana. He didn't understand how they worked or even what some of them even did, and he was fairly certain that the monsters he took them from hadn't really known any better than he had. The world itself was providing them with the ability, even without them having any understanding to act as a base.

It was obnoxious, because it meant that he couldn't modify or create his own spells. But then again, how many years of research would it usually take to learn so many spells? Some of them were the kind that a Caster might have in their personal arsenal for quick use. The magus of his old world would probably accuse him of getting everything handed to him on a silver platter. He had gone from being compatible with just his own unique magecraft to being able to use all the basic elements and then some.

It was just like when he was starting out, copying weapons of legendary figures and stealing their fighting styles. He had knowledge of all their work, but his own skills and muscles lagged behind, making it far less effective. Only in this world it was even weirder, as every goblin with lv1 [Sword Art] had the exact same fighting style.

Archer could imagine thousands of ways to take advantage of the holes in the [Sword Art] style, up to the 7th level using nothing but basic kendo skills common to the average high school club. If understood, no one who depends on the [Skill] would be an actual threat. Not without such overwhelming physical parameters as to make fighting them impossible. The giving of the knowledge was presented as a sort of blessing, but in reality, it was creating a ceiling. One could only get as far as [Sword Art] would take them, because depending on it to grow would rob them of the kind of outlook required to grow even further.

Archer wondered if the humans of this world realized that, if there were any humans. He actually hadn't seen a single human since he had arrived, but the Goblin King had said something about human settlements. For all he knew, what he took for a dirt road was really just a trail made by a passive monster, and no one ever really came this way.

...God he was bored.

[Hey, Goddess of Chaos. You brought me here to entertain you, didn't you? Well, are you entertained by seeing me just sitting here in the ground?] Archer throw out into the void, hoping to get some kind of response.

Perhaps his attempt to provoke fate worked, because he started to hear something coming.

It was faint at first, but it quickly grew louder. The sounds of a wagon coming his way.

[Thank you, Goddess.]

He was in luck, the wagon was taking the bend far too quickly. When it tried to take the turn, it would hit that lump in the road and get overturned right in front of him.

And so it was, just as Archer predicted. The wagon was overturned, pouring out both items and people, including a seriously obess middle aged man who was dressed like a merchant, a thin and short driver… and over a dozen men and women wearing metal collars around their necks.

Archer was momentarily dumbfounded at the sight of all of those slaves, dressed in what could generously be called rags. Even in the position that he was in, he had no trouble identifying the magic on the slave collars, which would force the people to do whatever they were told.

Even though they were injured from the fall, they got up when the fat man ordered them to and quickly got to work trying to pick up the various objects that had been dumped out. Those whose injuries were too great to allow them to obey gave out cries of pain as they were punished for their disobedience.

But as the two free men tried to motivate the slaves to work faster, the reason for their haste became known. A massive two-headed bear came from the trees and started to charge towards the group.

With proper motivation, the slaves managed to get the wagon back up on its wheels and the items back inside of it. But the bear was faster than the horse drawn wagon.

"Slaves, hold it back!" The merchant shouted at the slave, who all froze in shock, before their collars forced them to obey.

The weaponless and defenseless slaves stood there ground… waiting to be eaten so that their master could escape. Despite the Bear only having a threat level of F class, the slaves were helpless before it, and Archer could do nothing but watch as they were ripped apart one by one. Each of them crying and cursing their fate.

He wanted to call out to them. He wanted to help them. But without mana, he could do nothing but sit there and watch. And as he watched, he made a silent oath never to try to taunt a God into action again.

But as many of the slaves stood there to face their deaths, one of them acted differently.

A young girl, no more than twelve years old, with black hair and eyes, as well as a cat's ears and tail. She was dirty and dangerously thin. She had scraps over much of her body, likely from being beaten. She looked as though she was already half dead, and her face was slack, as if lacking emotion.

But there was a will in her eyes. A will to survive.

She had noticed Archer and had moved towards him, unimpeded by the slave collar, as her orders were to 'hold back' the bear, not necessarily to allow herself to be eaten.

She grabbed onto Archer's hilt and pulled… but the sword didn't so much as budge. She tried again and again as the cries of the rest of the slaves were silenced, one after another, until only this girl remained.

Then, the bear's eyes fell on her. It's twin-heads snarling as blood dripped from its mouths, though the monster seemed to be in no hurry.

Time was running out, and the child's desperate tugs started to get weaker and weaker.

[Don't give up! There is still time!] Archer shouted at the girl, managing to project his limited telepathy the few inches between them.

"...A voice?" The child said, her tone flat as she looked around for the source.

[Pull me out of the ground! Hurry!]

"A talking sword? Surprising." She said, though she didn't sound surprised at all.

[Be surprised later! If you want to live, pull now!] Archer urged the child. [Pull me out, and I promise that I will save you!]

The girl nodded and dug in her heels, putting all her weight behind getting Archer's blade to budge, and after a long, hard push, it slowly did.

Archer's blade slide free from the ground. The girl pulled him to the side, though her arms were too weak to properly lift him, and free as Archer was from the dirt, he was still without any mana.

Name: Nameless

Age: 12

Race: Black Catkin

Job: None

Status: Enslaved, Malnutrition

Level: 4/45

HP: 29, MP: 17, STR: 13, END: 10, AGI: 16, INT: 8, MGC: 7, DEX: 15

Skills: Sword Arts: Lv1, Night Vision, Directional Sense, Hunger Resistance: Lv3, Cold Resistance: Lv2, Exhaustion Resistance: Lv2

Titles: None

Equipment: Old Rags

Level 4 and [Sword Arts] level 1. It wasn't much, but the girl still some kind of fighter.

[Listen carefully. I need you to equip me.] Archer told the girl.

"I do have you equipped." She replied.

[Not good enough. Imagine it going deeper.]

The girl nodded and focused herself.

(Registered wielder: Nameless)

All of the Skills that Archer had been hoarding transferred to the girl, giving her more combat knowledge and strength.

(Nameless has received Multiple Titles)

Name: Nameless

Age: 12

Race: Black Catkin

Job: None

Status: Enslaved, Malnutrition

Level: 4/45

HP: 49, MP: 37, STR: 39, END: 30, AGI: 36, INT: 28, MGC: 27, DEX: 35

Shared Skills: Sword Arts: Lv7, Fire Magic: LvMax, Flame Magic: Lv1, Cooking: LvMax, Dismantling: LvMax, Digging: LvMax, ...

Titles: Fire Mage, Lord of Cooking, Lord of Dismantling, Lord of Digging, Skill Collector, Incarnation of the Sword, Favoured of the Goddess of Chaos

Equipment: Nameless, Old Rags

Equipping Archer had given the girl +20 to all her stats due to a [Wielder ALL ↑ Low] Skill, with an extra boost to her STR from a [STR ↑ Low] he had picked up somewhere, which over doubled her stats.

She also gained sixty Skills of varying levels of usefulness through Archer's [Skill Sharing] ability. She seemed to have gained titles for Archer's maxed out skills, that increased the effectiveness of the related Skills, and Skill Collector increased the ease by which one could gain new Skills and level up existing ones.

As for 'Incarnation of the Sword', it increased the rate by which one could level up any weapon based Skill, and 'Favoured of the Goddess of Chaos' granted a dramatic increase in luck while raises the chance of randomly getting into trouble with both monsters and people… What?

Something to worry about later.

With her strength increased and her [Sword Arts] boosted, the girl managed to pick up Archer and stand in what was a pretty decent stance… only her body was still too weak from fatigue.

As the bear attacked her, she less than gracefully moved out of the way, as that was about the most she could do.

Archer needed to do something to restore her stamina, but he didn't have any mana.

...He could drain her mana to do it.

No, that would be counterproductive. Any stamina he managed to restore would have came at the price of her own energy, leaving them back where they started.

But there was no mana in the air, and they couldn't get close enough to the bear to steal its mana without risking injury.

Then it hit him.

[Girl, raise me to your slave collar!] Archer instructed her.

"Nn." She said with a nod, lifting Archer's body up to the metal collar.

As soon as he came into contact with it, he immediately used [Mana Drain] to suck all of the mana that was being used to fuel the contract out of the girl's collar. Once it was all gone, the collar crumbled away into nothing.

Normally, breaking the collar would have killed the slave, however, as Archer had drained away all the power the contract had, it had no means by which to execute her.

(Nameless's 'Enslaved' status has been lifted.)

"I'm… free?" The girl said, still somehow managing to sound monotone about it as she continued to move away from the bear's attacks.

Archer wasn't listening though. He was too busy trying to make things work.

He only had 11 MP to work with, so he had to make it count.

He quickly spent 6 Evolution Points to level up his Recovery Magic Skill to level 5, gaining some spells that were handy for the situation, and could be cast for cheap; 'Lesser Heal' and 'Stamina Heal'.

The scraps and bruises one the child's body disappeared and her physical strength returned to its normal levels.

With her body recovered, her movements became much more elegant and her eyes became sharper. As the bear charged her, its two heads snapping wildly, she spotted an opening and made her move.

The Demonic Beast gave out a gasp as its heart was pieces in a single fluid strike. Archer's blade sinking into the mana crystal contained within and consuming it in an instant. The Twin-Headed Bear collapsed to the ground, dead.

"...Eh?" The girl said dumbly as she stared at the creature.

[Congratulations, you killed it.] Archer said to the girl.

"Nn... Is that thanks to you?" The girl asked, holding up Archer in order to look more closely at him.

[In a way, but I am just a sword. It was you who wielded me. You did very well.]

"Thank you." After saying so, the girl prepared to put me back into the ground, so Archer stopper her in a hurry.

[Wait! Don't put me back into the ground!] Archer managed to say before she finished the action. [The ground here has been draining me of my mana. Because of it, I can't do anything. So, would you mind taking me with you instead?]

"Nn..." The girl said with a nod of her head. She was still expressionless, but Archer had the impression that she was happy about it. Though soon enough, her eyes did go to the other slaves, the ones lying dead in the road.

It felt wrong to just leave them there...

[...I suppose I could stand having my blade put in the soil a little longer.] Archer said with a sigh, it wasn't like he had any mana at the moment anyways. So he told the girl to go ahead and use him like a shovel.

Between the max leveled digging Skill that he got from killing so many Goblins, and the Lord of Digging title, it didn't take long for them to dig graves for the fallen slaves.

Then, they were rewarded for their good deed. The Slave Traders had came back to see if they could salvage any more of their lost cargo.

The child seemed excited to see them return. Apparently, she had been trying to kill them for a long time, but the slave collar had always stopped her.

Well, there was no slave collar now.

She slashed off their heads and left their bodies to the beasts. Taking the horse, wagon and whatever materials they had with them, the girl and Archer rode off into the sunset, leaving that cursed forest behind them.