Re:Zero: No Job, No Magic, Just a Stupid Romance System

Rudy was flustered for a moment, but then he suddenly blinked and looked at Alan's face. After hesitating briefly, he spoke tentatively.

"So you can't… this is a fraud of the Northern God Style."

The next moment, a stone whirled in the wind, brushed past Rudy's cheek, and shot into the thick fog—disappearing without a trace.

Rudy touched his cheek in a daze, looking at Alan, who was still in a throwing stance and about to retract his hand.

The stone had come from Alan's left hand—the one that had never held a blade.

Alan looked at Rudy's stunned face, lowered the sword in his right hand, and grinned.

"I just wanted to remind you—if you ever meet a Northern God Style swordsman in the future, be careful of that move."

Rudy stared at Alan for a long time, then sighed and got up from the ground.

"…I lose."

"Continue."

Rudy was visibly surprised. But he saw that Alan had already put away his smile and was speaking seriously again.

"On the other hand, if I didn't know the throwing technique, you would have completed the magic. So go ahead—finish your arrangement. I want to see how far you can push me when I don't know the throwing technique."

Rudy's expression turned serious as well.

"…Okay."

Alan shifted his legs slightly in the mud.

"Don't get discouraged. Go all out. You don't want to lose to me twice in the same match, right?"

"Don't joke, Alan. If I complete the fog spell, I…"

Rudy looked up and smiled.

"…I will win."

Not long after his words fell, Rudy's figure was shrouded by a spreading fog. Soon, the fog grew denser until the visibility dropped to just five meters.

Alan stood still, watching where Rudy's figure had disappeared.

Then suddenly—

BOOM!

A massive rock cannonball burst through the fog! The howling wind opened a hole in the mist, revealing Rudy's smiling face. At that moment, the two locked eyes.

Alan remained expressionless. Rudy was smiling.

In the next moment, Alan drew his sword and cleaved down at the approaching cannonball. His blade, brimming with fighting spirit, sliced clean through—the rock splitting in two and crashing down on either side of him.

But Rudy had already vanished again, his figure obscured once more by the fog.

Did he use the impact of the rock shell to mask his movement?

Next time, it won't be another huge cannonball. It'll likely be a thinner, quieter blade-like spell—probably an ice knife. If I deflect it again, will he shift positions during the mist disturbance? Can I take advantage of that moment to pinpoint his location and launch a close-range strike?

Alan took two steps in the mud—and immediately felt it.

...Too much resistance. The geothermal magic hardened some of the lower mud. Without a foothold, I can't close the gap instantly from this distance.

Alan lowered his gaze—then closed his eyes.

He sighed inwardly.

In that case, I should return to what I'm best at—the Water God Style. Fortunately, I have Dragon Saint Fighting Qi to enhance my five senses. Otherwise, Rudy might actually wear me down. Even though we're both transmigrators, I have the Sword Path System—and I'm four years older. Even if he's closed a 100-meter gap in just a few years, I'm not losing here.

Three slender ice blades silently swept in from the side, slicing through the fog without disturbing it much. The mist rippled slightly—just enough to faintly reveal Rudy's face again.

Alan still didn't open his eyes.

Instead, an image of an old woman's smile flashed in his mind.

Last year, I had the fortune of developing a secret counter-technique—perfect for situations like this.

The three blades approached the side of his face.

Alan raised his sword slowly—almost lazily—and flicked it through the air.

Clink—crack!

The ice blades shattered neatly into six pieces.

But this time, they didn't fly outward.

Instead, the broken shards curved and dropped straight down into the mud—like their trajectory had been rerouted.

Alan's blade paused beside him, "watching" the residual magic energy fading from the ice shards. He smiled silently.

He could still hear the voice of Leda from last year:

"Use one of the five secrets of the Water God Style—'Sense Flow'—as inspiration. Give up on sensing distant distractions. Focus all five senses within the range of your blade. Compress it—until it's just one meter. Then, in that compressed zone, use the purest version of 'Sense Flow' you can manage. It'll help you deflect both physical and magical attacks with your current mastery level. Not bad, huh?"

"The drawbacks? Obvious. First—it's too passive. You're just turtling. Second—against a high-tier master with insane speed or advanced attacks, it won't keep up. But still, the pros outweigh the cons. Master it, Alan… and you'll reach Water Saint rank."

"Hmm? A name? Striking water mid-stream… solid as a rock. Let's just call it Rock."

Alan opened his eyes, stared into the thick fog, and smiled again.

Water God Style – Self-created Secret Technique...

"Rock."

The fog trembled slightly—changing tactics.

This time, an ice spear compressed for higher impact came flying through.

It shattered the moment it touched Alan—splitting into chunks and falling harmlessly at his feet.

Rudy, clearly flustered, quickly repositioned and launched several high-speed spinning rock shells.

All of them—cut down and dropped into the mud like before.

Alan's gaze shifted, locking briefly on Rudy's fleeting figure in the mist.

The fog thickened again—but Alan scoffed.

"Is that all you've got? Come on—hit me with something big!"

Provoked, Rudy fired three rock shells—sharper than before.

Alan's sword danced again, cutting them apart. The rocks crashed to the ground around him.

He glanced at the growing pile of debris underfoot.

Seems he hasn't noticed… he's practically built me a platform to push off from. One more spell, and I can launch forward. Then—Sword God Style. Before he escapes back into the fog.

Alan exhaled—and stepped out of his defensive stance.

Then he shouted.

"Rudy! I see you!!"

Immediately, the fog to the left surged—and a massive ice spear launched toward him.

Alan moved.

He stepped on the patchwork "high platform" of broken spells hidden just beneath the muddy surface. The suction and resistance vanished. The moment he pushed off—it felt like he was flying.

The ice spear came closer.

Rudy's panicked face began to fade back into the mist.

At that instant, the ice spear's tip overlapped with Rudy's reflection in Alan's pupils.

Alan smiled—and silently mouthed two words to Rudy.

Though he couldn't hear Alan, Rudy could read his lips clearly:

"I see you."

The mist rippled—layer by layer.

Alan stepped through the shifting fog, his blade extended a meter forward.

The tip trembled slightly.

"You lose."

Behind them, the massive ice spear broke in half with a crack and fell into the mud.

The mist in front of Rudy's stunned face flowed like a solid sheet of water—motionless and heavy.

[You have grasped the essence of the Sword God Style. "Silent Sword" acquired. Sword God Style Level Up: Sword God Style – Advanced.]

Alan reached out to sheath his sword—only to find the blade was rolled and warped.

He fell silent, then asked inwardly:

"…What about the Water God Style?"