Chapter 423: Matching Weapons (3)

Jin-ah and Seon-ah’s weapon selection took up quite a bit more time than expected.

First off, since nothing was decided at all regarding what weapons they would use, Areum had to explain the weapon’s usage one by one every time the younger sisters tried them out.

I, too, have used various weapons for a Hunter, but what I could teach was, at best, about swords, shields, and spears.

After all, when it came to handling other weapons, Areum, the very person who made them, would surely be the greater expert.

Furthermore, just by looking, it wasn’t possible to confirm whether they were immediately effective or not.

Once it was determined that they had at least minimal power, subjective criteria inevitably had to come into play.

Since they were both animal-type ability users, the top priority to consider was, of course, mobility. More precisely, they determined it by checking if the weapon hindered mobility even while equipped.

And unlike Jin-ah, who kept trying on and swinging various pieces of equipment, Seon-ah was able to pick out equipment that suited her body relatively quickly.

“…This kind of weapon seems like the best fit for me.”

The weapon Seon-ah chose was knuckles.

To be precise, while they were knuckles, they had blades protruding from the front of the hand, allowing them to substitute for the role of her primary tools, her claws.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes. Since I’ve always used my claws, this type of weapon really seems like the best fit for me.”

“There seemed to be types that fit on the wrist, not the fingers. Not like regular knuckles.”

“Gloves like that get in the way, making it hard to move like I normally do. So, for me, this much is just right.”

“Right, since it’s a weapon you’ll be using, your opinion is the most important, Seon-ah.”

I wondered if she compromised on knuckles because the wrist-worn types were more expensive, but that probably wasn’t the case.

In that process, Seon-ah’s weapon was relatively quickly able to find its owner.

However, the problem was not Seon-ah, but Jin-ah, the twin sister.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

“Swing it harder, ankkana! Will a hole even be blown in the monster’s head with that!”

“Ugh, Aaaaaaaah…!”

Jin-ah, who couldn’t handle the weapon she chose properly, swung it while trembling with exhaustion, her legs shaking, looking quite tired.

Due to the weakened power, Jin-ah’s kicks couldn’t even properly break the practice dummy placed there.

Her plan seemed to be to attach weapons to her feet, the way she usually attacked, but weapons attached to the feet couldn’t ignore their weight, naturally.

Instead, due to the accumulating fatigue in her feet, her mobility significantly decreased, effectively preventing her from properly utilizing even Jin-ah’s original strength, her quick movements.

“Haa, I’m tired…! I can’t do this anymore…!”

In the end, Han Jin-ah collapsed right there, saying she couldn’t do it anymore.

Seeing her entire body drenched in sweat, one could sense that she had struggled considerably.

Swinging her feet with added weight, different from usual, must have been no easy feat.

The more distal the part of the body, the more energy is required to move it.

Especially in Jin-ah’s case, since blades were attached to her feet, the very ends of her body, the workload involved must have been considerable.

Moreover, unlike Seon-ah, who divided the roles of attack and movement between her hands and legs, Jin-ah was handling both attack and movement solely with her two legs.

In effect, it was like investing over 80% of her combat effort into her lower body alone, so when additional burden was placed on it, she was bound to collapse.

Perhaps even if not today, a problem was bound to arise sooner or later with this combat style.

Right now, they were facing D-rank monsters, so even if it was a bit strenuous, they could finish the fight before their bodies got too tired. However, if the twins faced monsters even one rank higher, Jin-ah’s method would likely become unusable again.

Indeed, bringing the younger sisters to Areum’s workshop today was the right decision in many ways.

“It’s tough… Practicing this is harder than catching monsters in a dungeon…”

“Let’s give up on the foot-mounted weapons, Jin-ah.”

“Huh…?”

“Even from my perspective, that seems like it would be better. I think there might be a weapon that suits Jin-ah-ssi better.”

“…”

Jin-ah herself, perhaps realizing her physical limitations to some extent, quietly nodded.

She probably acknowledged that her combat style would be cumbersome at higher ranks.

She had to pivot away from lower-body weapons like blade shoes or steel boots towards a different direction.

Although it might not be familiar, ultimately, it was more efficient for Jin-ah to fight with weapons in her hands rather than her feet.

“Besides foot-mounted weapons, have you thought of any other weapons?”

“Other weapons… maybe a greatsword?”

“You want to wield a greatsword? You, Jin-ah?”

“A, a wish is something I can express, right? It’s also the weapon Oppa uses.”

“Oppa? Does Jin-ah-ssi have any brothers?”

“Ah, no, that… not Oppa, but Unnie…”

“…”

Perhaps due to exhaustion from the repeated training, Han Jin-ah inadvertently slipped up again.

If this continues, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Areum finds out my true identity.

To prevent that, it seemed better in many ways for me to reveal that I’m male to Areum first soon.

Areum, who had treated me as female until now, might feel betrayed for a moment, but that couldn’t be helped.

Anyway, right now wasn’t the right time to reveal it, so I quickly changed the subject to diffuse the atmosphere.

“If you really want to wield a greatsword, try holding this first.”

“Unnie’s sword?”

“Yeah. You still need to hold it once to get a rough sense of the weight.”

“Okay…”

Han Jin-ah, nodding at my words, took the Mithril greatsword I handed her with both hands.

Struggling with the unexpectedly daunting weight, she began to lift it.

“W-what? Why is this so heavy…?”

“Considering its size and material, of course it’s heavy. It’s probably around 30kg, give or take.”

“…3, 30?!”

“I had some expectation, but I never imagined you’d be swinging that much weight every day.”

“This one is Mithril, so the weight is reduced. The one I originally used was close to 50kg.”

“5, 50…”

Han Jin-ah muttered in shock at my nonchalant statement.

Fundamentally, a lump of iron, shaped as wide as a person’s height, couldn’t possibly be light due to its structure.

Even I, before my body was properly complete, couldn’t even swing the sword; just holding it would drain all my energy.

Thinking back, how I managed to lift it before my awakening is truly baffling.

Now, after awakening, I can swing 30kg or 50kg without issue, but back in my school days, I swung that heavy greatsword bare-handed.

Even though Jin-ah is an Awakened, she isn’t a strength-specialized ability user, so wielding it with Jin-ah’s body would be virtually impossible.

“I, I’ll give up on the greatsword…”

“Good call.”

“Jin-ah-ssi is an American Rabbit, after all, so wouldn’t a light weapon that utilizes her quick mobility be better?”

“How about using daggers like Min-ah Unnie? She rose to become an A-rank Hunter with daggers, you know.”

“Hmm… Unlike Unnie, I somehow feel like it wouldn’t suit me…”

Han Jin-ah tilted her head as if vaguely displeased.

I also didn’t think daggers were a particularly suitable weapon for Jin-ah. It wasn’t a worry that she might not handle them well, but more of a gut feeling.

If it’s a weapon that allows her to utilize the leg strength from her bouncy movements most efficiently, then perhaps…

“How about a spear?”

“A spear?”

“Considering your mobility, Jin-ah, a thrusting weapon seems much more efficient than a slashing one. Your movements have explosive power that’s great for sudden bursts, but changing direction in a pinch is a bit difficult. Considering that, a weapon that thrusts straight forward would be the most efficient.”

Moreover, spears are light.

Not to mention compared to greatswords, they were much lighter than most swords.

Even so, they weren’t as light as daggers, but typically daggers are held one in each hand, so the combined weight would be similar.

Yet, they were longer, ensuring safety. Honestly, this part appealed to me the most.

It meant I wouldn’t have to see Han Jin-ah returning from dungeons with broken hands and feet anymore.

“Okay. I’ll try it.”

“Try swinging these one by one. We need to check roughly what length fits Jin-ah-ssi’s body perfectly.”

Areum, nodding as if intrigued by my suggestion, handed her spears of slightly different lengths.

From short spears around 1 meter to long ones over 3 meters, Han Jin-ah’s attempts at thrusting, holding various ones, didn’t look too bad.

It might be a bit premature to conclude just yet, but holding a spear was definitely more stable in many ways.

Moreover, she herself was trying hard to get used to the new weapon. Although her form was still a bit awkward in various ways.

Thus, Han Jin-ah tried all the different types of spears, chose three or four from them, then switched them around multiple times, testing the new weapons.

Ultimately, she chose a moderately sized spear, about 1.7 meters long, slightly longer than her own height.

“This length is the best. It feels the most comfortable to handle.”

“How about the spear itself? Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I’ll take this one.”

As if forgetting all her recent struggles, Han Jin-ah coolly made her choice for a new weapon.

Thus, the twins each ended up with a suitable weapon in hand. Now, I could only earnestly hope they would return from the dungeon without getting hurt.