Chapter 43

[You have acquired the hidden title ’60 million swings’!]

[60 Million Swings]

[60,000,000 / 50,000,000]

The counter before my eyes stopped exactly at 60 million, and a long-awaited translucent window appeared, indicating that I had finally acquired the hidden title I had been waiting for.

“Phew…”

The moment I saw it, pain surged through my legs, arms, and every part of my body, making me collapse to the ground on the spot.

I had no idea how many hours I’d been swinging my sword like this.

At first, I only intended to try it briefly, but the promise of a hidden title tempted me. Without even knowing what effects it might grant, my greed had taken over, driving me to achieve it in a frenzy.

Honestly, I knew it too.

Anyone with even a shred of sanity, or even those who were a bit insane, couldn’t possibly swing a sword more than 10 million times in a single day.

The only reason it had been possible was likely due to my prior dedication to magic training.

Even though the sword had been perfectly tailored to me, its weight had started to feel heavier midway through. I think this feat was only possible because I had cast support magic to lighten the sword and make my arm muscles move more easily.

Clap, clap—clap, clap, clap, clap—

But as I sat there, overwhelmed by my thoughts, the sudden sound of applause broke the silence.

Clap, clap, clap, clap! Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The sound spread throughout the entire training ground.

Startled, I quickly turned around, only to realize that a surprisingly large crowd had gathered behind me. They were all sitting there, watching me as I swung my sword over and over.

No way. Seriously? Sure, it made sense that the seniors who came for autographs were still here, but why were they all sitting together like it was some kind of show?

A wave of embarrassment rushed over me.

Wasn’t the whole point of a training ground that everyone focused on their own practice without bothering anyone else?

Why did it feel like they had come on a picnic just to sit and watch me?

It wasn’t like I had taken over the entire training ground either.

I’d just tucked myself into a corner, imagining a scarecrow in front of me, and swung my sword with all my focus.

“Sir Theo! You’ve worked so hard!”

“Sir Theo, you’ve done an amazing job.”

And then, out of nowhere, those two showed up.

Estelle and Iris came rushing over. They pulled out what looked like an incredibly expensive handkerchief to wipe the sweat from my face.

“You were absolutely incredible! How can you swing your sword for so long? And when you used support magic in between so effortlessly, I was just… completely in awe!”

Estelle clasped her hands together in a pose so reverent it was like she was worshipping a deity. The whole situation left me completely flustered.

No, really, I had only planned to keep going until the seniors came over with their things they wanted me to sign. They didn’t show up, so I just kept going. That’s it.

When I finally checked my phone to see how much time had passed, I realized it had been exactly six hours since I started.

“Wow.”

Even I had to admit that was surprising.

Back when I trained at Uncle Duncan’s training ground, I had swung my sword for up to three hours at most, but six hours was truly a new record.

“Uh, so, about that autograph… Can I get it now?”

The seniors who had asked for autographs earlier started to creep out one by one, and I couldn’t help but feel exasperated.

If they’d come, they could’ve just asked me to sign right away! Who leaves someone swinging a sword for hours on end like this?

“Ah, sure. It’s not really an autograph, just writing my name, though…”

I mean, I wasn’t some celebrity with an official autograph or anything.

And I didn’t plan on creating one anytime in the future. Still, I guess writing my name could technically count as a signature?

But honestly, with both Iris and Estelle right there, why were they insisting on getting my autograph?

At first, I thought it was because the two of them hadn’t been around earlier, but now… what a peculiar bunch.

“Wow! Amazing! I can’t wait to show this off to my classmates!”

“I’m totally coming to the training ground more often, hehe…!”

Seeing how excited the seniors looked as they left with their autographs, I had no idea why they were so thrilled, but it reminded me that I should probably head back too.

“Phew, I must’ve overdone it more than I thought. My hands and feet aren’t moving like they should.”

“Of course you overdid it. Come here; I’ll use healing magic on you.”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s fine. You don’t have to go that far…”

But Estelle clearly wasn’t planning to listen. She came over and started casting healing magic on me without so much as a word.

Was it because the divine power from the healing magic entered my body?

It felt incredibly warm.

“Your muscles are significantly damaged. I’ve treated you overall, but I think it’d be best if you take it easy for the rest of the day.”

Estelle spoke warmly with a gentle smile. She looked every bit the image of a Saintess.

“Uh, yes, yeah. Thank you, Estelle.”

“Not at all. Protecting you is my duty.”

“Ahaha, I don’t think you need to go as far as protecting me, though.”

Honestly, I’d much rather see her enjoying herself, laughing and joking around with Iris than worrying about protecting me.

“For the first time, I thought it would have been nice if I had divine power too.”

“Huh? Iris! Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden? Why divine power?”

“Oh, no reason… It’s just that swordsmanship is the only thing I’m good at.”

Only swordsmanship, she says. As if there aren’t countless people in the world who can’t even manage that.

“I think it’s great that you’re skilled in swordsmanship, Iris. It means we can spar and improve together.”

Of course, give it a little time, and Iris will undoubtedly grow far stronger than me; so much so that I won’t be able to keep up.

“Since you put it that way, I’ll work even harder to hone my swordsmanship!”

Iris’s expression brightened as if she’d just heard exactly what she wanted.

Seriously, though, these kids rely on their favorite friends way too much.

It was the same in the game, wasn’t it?

They always leaned heavily on Lina, to the point where anyone watching might wonder if the three of them were in some sort of relationship. Back in the game, they kept throwing around promises to protect her and casual confessions of affection like it was nothing.

“Anyway, shall we start heading back?”

“Yes! I’ll make sure to escort you comfortably to the dormitory!”

Estelle began to prepare her teleportation magic, but I hurriedly grabbed her hand.

“Ah, Estelle! Would it be okay if I handled it today? I’d like to practice using teleportation magic too.”

“Ah…! Y-Yes! Of course…!”

As I looked at Estelle who was still holding onto my hand, it seemed like she only just realized she was gripping it tightly, and she quickly let go.

“Oh, I’m so sorry…!”

“No, it’s fine. Well, both of you, have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh, and thanks for keeping an eye on the others as well…? Much appreciated.”

After bidding farewell to the still-dazed group sitting around nearby, I focused on setting the coordinates to my room and cast the teleportation spell.

I could definitely tell that the dizziness from teleportation had decreased significantly compared to before. It made me think it might not be a bad idea to rely on my magic for future travels whenever possible.

But still, why did I feel like I was growing stronger in magic even though I hadn’t been putting any real effort into it?

“Well, no harm in growing for free, right?”

That said, how far had I actually teleported today?

The distance from the dormitory to the training ground was roughly 500 meters, so…

I guess I must have covered about a kilometer just today.

It seemed that “I Can Move This Far!” was still a beginner-like title compared to “Fifty Million Swings” as it only required moving a distance of 2 kilometers. If I went back and forth to the training ground a few more times today, I could easily meet the requirement.

But… could there be a hidden mission tied to this too?

Eh, whatever. I decided to just try it first and think about it later.

***

Titles: Proud Son, Village’s Best Handyman, Skilled Swordsman, Scarecrow Slayer, Scarecrow Crusher, Someone with a Large Mana Pool, Competent Magic User, Farming? Easy as Pie, Skilled Mediator, 50 Million Swings, [Hidden] 60 Million Swing, I Can Move This Far!, [Hidden] I Can Move Farther?

As it turned out, the title “I Can Move This Far!” also had a hidden counterpart.

It didn’t require as much additional movement as I expected; after traveling just another kilometer, I unlocked the hidden title “I Can Move Farthe?”

[You possess the appropriate titles!]

[You possess a hidden title!]

[Hidden Advancement has been completed!]

Moreover, the advancement that was supposed to occur naturally upon obtaining the titles was now labeled as “Hidden advancement Completed” thanks to the hidden titles.

Unbelievable! A hidden advancement?!

Honestly, even if I could brush off everything else, wasn’t this something I could genuinely look forward to?

It was a hidden advancement, after all.

This time, I could finally leave behind all those ordinary “Amazing Villager” titles or whatever and aim for something like “Hero Protecting the World!”

At the very least, couldn’t I get something like “Best Friend of the Main Characters” or something equally cool?

My heart started pounding seriously fast.

“No, no, don’t get your hopes up. I’ve been let down so many times before when I got excited like this…!”

I tried desperately to calm myself down, but it was easier said than done.

“But still… I mean, this time…!”

Breathe, calm down. Please, just calm down. Breathe in, breathe out…!

It’s going to be something lame again. Totally lame.

Yeah, there was a ridiculously high chance it’d just turn out to be something like “[Hidden] Really Amazing Villager” again!

Damn it, just slapping “Hidden” in front of something doesn’t magically make it a hidden job!

No, no, calm down. I haven’t confirmed it yet, so let’s just stay calm and…

Take a deep breath… okay, let’s check it…

“Status window.”

And with that, the status window appeared in front of my eyes.