Dragon Ball: Saiyan's Gourmet Journey

Chapter 698 Sword Dance Tutorial, Do You Want to Dance Too?
"Well then, without further ado, Miss Ryu, let's begin the lesson."

Of all the characters he had tried to win over, Liu Liang was the one he had made the least progress with. She was a bit aloof and not very approachable. While the other characters' happiness stats were already in double digits, hers was still in single digits. Broly couldn't wait to do her a favor, so he reached out and grabbed the female elf's hand, and began to teach her how to channel her energy and how to use the opponent's power when clashing with their attacks.

"Eh?!"

Liu was caught off guard when the boy grabbed her hand. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Broly got to the point too quickly, immediately explaining the practical tips of the sword technique of using the opponent's force against them. This made her realize that it wasn't that the other party was being presumptuous or rude, but rather that he might not know that the Elven race has a custom of not allowing their skin to be touched easily.

He just wanted to teach me things quickly...

Liu turned her face slightly to the side, and her pointed ears twitched twice, but she stopped her subconscious movement of pulling her hand away.

"Miss Ryu, are you listening?"

Seeing that she seemed distracted, Broly quickly raised his hand and waved it in front of her.

"Ah, I'm listening!"

Liu realized what was happening and quickly answered.

"Now, try out the technique I just described. When your opponent launches such an attack directly at you, how should you use their force against them?"

Broly stood before the female elf, sword in hand, and made a gesture as if to demonstrate the frontal thrust he had just used in his demonstration, wanting the elf lady to show him what he had just taught her.

Liu: “…”

She was distracted and didn't know what to do, so she instinctively raised her wooden sword to block.

“Hey, Miss Ryu, I meant using the opponent’s force against them, not using your own strength to block their attack. You won’t be able to learn my Phantom Sword Dance if you do that.”

She soon received a helpless comment from the Saiyan boy.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr. Broly, could you please teach me again?"

Liu blushed slightly. The boy in front of her was generous in sharing his secret techniques, but she was somewhat distracted by the small matter of having her hand held.

It was like a teacher lecturing attentively in class, while she, as the student, wasn't paying attention. This made the highly moral elf feel that she had disrespected others.

"It's alright, Miss Ryu, you can learn slowly. I promise I'll teach you."

Broly always had plenty of patience for those he pursued who were acknowledged by Crystal Palace.

"For example, when dealing with a frontal attack, you need to follow the momentum of the opponent's force and transform the opponent's force into your own force by rotating your wrist."

Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't defend against your opponent's attacks, but rather that you should redirect your opponent's force and take control of the power.

If the opponent's force is to the left, you pull to the left; if the opponent's force is to the right, you pull to the right. If it's neither to the left nor to the right, you can step back and pull backward. If you can't step back, then turn to the side and create a force that shifts towards your center of gravity..."

Broly stepped forward and took the elf's hand again. His meticulous teaching method was like chewing up the knowledge of using leverage and feeding it to her.

Ryu was being manipulated by the Saiyan boy, who was teaching her different techniques for applying force in various situations. This made her feel like a toddler learning to walk, while he was like an adult protecting her as she walked, afraid that she would fall flat on her face.

“Ah, Mr. Broly, I understand what you’re saying. You don’t need to teach me in such detail.”

[Especially your hands, please stop pinching my forearm, it's starting to feel a little numb~]

"Okay, let's try it again."

Broly thrust his sword forward again, but this time the elf deflected the force of his sword, instead using her right side to brace against the blade and pull it towards herself. She then flipped her wrist, performing a sword flourish to reverse the direction of her attack, and thrust back at Broly.

Of course, since it was just a movement of force from Broly's teaching, it wasn't a real counter-attack, and it stopped voluntarily after reaching the boy.

"Very good. You've mastered the upper body movements for dealing with frontal attacks. Now let's teach you the lower body movements."

"Hey, do we have to do leg training too?"

When the boy tried to grab her leg, the elf was so frightened that she quickly backed away.

"Of course, the upper body is important, but the lower body is even more important."

Broly nodded. The reason why Phantom Sword Dance is named Phantom Sword Dance is because it includes both swordsmanship and dance steps. The hand movements must be flexible, but the lower body steps must also keep up.

Otherwise, if you encounter a powerful enemy, your hand movements will not be able to overcome their force, and you will be defeated by their strength, which would be very embarrassing. However, if you combine it with dance steps that deflect force, you can greatly improve the margin for error.

Broly, as the creator of this move, tested it and found that as long as the technique of shifting force and deflecting force is up to par, it is perfectly capable of dealing with enemies whose strength is two or three times greater than one's own.

If the opponent is a big, clumsy guy who only uses brute force, it will be even easier to deal with him. He will be worn down to death by the increasingly fast and heavy sword dance.

Of course, there's another interpretation, like the Undying Demon King, who is unkillable and possesses incredible stamina.

"Just tell me what to say and I'll listen, don't grab my leg."

"Uh, that works too."

Seeing the elf lady blush, Broly didn't insist on grabbing her leg. Although directly feeling the other's leg muscles would allow her to learn the Phantom Sword Dance steps faster, his single-digit happiness stat wasn't high enough to do so.

"Oh right, you should also twist your waist along with it. Is this what I told you to do?"

"Ah."

Liu nodded.

Broly didn't say anything more and immediately started demonstrating the disassembly.

Liu followed along, looking a bit like she was learning to dance.

After practicing the steps for dealing with frontal attacks, move on to situational application problems.

Or should we thrust the sword forward head-on?

Ryu's posture of deflecting the attack and using the momentum to swing her sword became even more natural and fluid.

"Next, we will teach you the body language techniques for dealing with attacks from the side..."

From left to right, from right to left.

From top to bottom, from bottom to top.

Finally, there was also an attack from the rear.

After completing these lessons, it's only enough to deal with attacks from short swords and similar mid-to-short-range weapons.

To effectively utilize the opponent's strength against them, one must also adapt to medium- to long-range weapon attacks, and even long-range attacks such as those launched from a bow and arrow.

Is it difficult to learn? If you break down and explain the effects of each movement on using and deflecting force, each movement is not difficult to learn. However, if you put them all together and apply them in actual combat, then it becomes quite complicated. If you don't have enough talent, you have to develop muscle memory.

"No matter how much theoretical knowledge you learn, it's not as good as practical combat training. Miss Liu, you have already learned all the basic movements of Phantom Sword Dance to deal with short and medium-range weapons. Let me be your test opponent and use an attack speed that you can accept to get you used to using Phantom Sword Dance."

The jingling sound soon began, but this time it was no longer a chaotic sound; instead, it was the rhythmic sound of fencing at the same frequency, sounding somewhat like a classical dance piece.

Bell, Lily Luca, and the others who were continuing their training stopped again, their attention drawn to the two people over there who seemed to be dancing a waltz with swords.

Of course, dancing the waltz is just a metaphor, referring to the situation where two people's swords collide and then separate, and then clash again with exquisite steps, a situation of separation and reunion.

One was practicing moves with the female elf, while the other was practicing using the technique of redirecting force from the Saiyan boy. The scene looked incredibly harmonious and beautiful.

During this exchange of skills, Broly glanced toward the little girl, because he had received a notification that Lily Luca's happiness level was decreasing, just as the elf girl's happiness level was increasing.

As evening approached, at 4:55 PM, the practice dance woven from swordplay finally stopped in Orario.

"Yes, you've mastered the basic techniques of using and deflecting force. The rest is to train them until they become second nature to you."

Broly sheathed his sword and said.

"Mr. Broly, thank you very much for your guidance."

Liu sincerely thanked him, and the coldness on her usually aloof face was replaced by a blush, the joy of mastering a new and powerful sword technique.

"You're welcome. Just remember our agreement."

Broly waved his hand.

"I won't forget it."

Miss Elf nodded, gradually calming her excited emotions.

"Mr. Broly, when you have time in the future, may I come over here to practice swordsmanship with you?"

She thought for a moment and then asked.

Learning swordsmanship and being able to use it proficiently are two different things.

Ryu, who also possesses considerable skill in swordsmanship, realized the importance of having a good sparring partner.

Additionally, she wanted to get to know more boys in order to find out more about her friend.

"Of course, you can come and see me anytime you have time, Miss Ryu."

Alternatively, you can join my team and go dungeons with me.

Broly was very happy to welcome this somewhat aloof elf lady to the party.

"Ah."

Liu nodded.

“By the way, Mr. Broly, may I ask you a question?” she asked again.

"what is the problem?"

Broly looked at her.

"My friend Seele seems to care about you. I wonder what your opinion is of her?"

The happiness boost from sharing everything made Ryu directly ask the boy for his opinion on his friend.

"Miss Seele is a very gentle and lovely girl."

She cooks delicious food, and I really like it.

ヾ(ｏω)ノ”

Broly answered honestly.

Do you prefer the food or the person?

Liu pressed for an answer.

I like both the food and the people.

Broly did not hesitate.

"So, Mr. Broly, you actually have feelings for Seele, right?"

"of course."

"Okay, I understand. I will pass on your message to Seele."

As Liu spoke, she looked up at the sky, which was nearing dusk.

"It's getting late, I should go back to the tavern to help out. Mr. Broly is coming over for dinner tonight, isn't he?"

"Ah."

Broly nodded.

"Then tonight's meal is on me."

Ryu said she would treat everyone to dinner that night, and then waved goodbye.

"Lily, are you a little unhappy?"

After the elf girl left, Broly walked over to the little girl and asked her a question directly.

"I'm not upset at all, Brother Broly, you can teach that elf lady some advanced swordsmanship techniques as you please."

[Clearly unhappy...]

Bell and the three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia internally complained.

"If Lily wants to learn, I can teach you too."

"Hey, really?"

"Of course, but Lily, you need to solidify your swordsmanship foundation first, because Phantom Sword Dance is an advanced swordsmanship technique, and it will be relatively difficult to master without a sufficient foundation in swordsmanship."

Brolyda conveyed to the little girl that it wasn't that he wouldn't teach her, but rather that she couldn't learn it yet.

"Then, when the time comes, I want to dance with you, Brother Broly, using a sword, just like the elf lady from before, is that alright?"

The little girl asked.

"Of course, but if Lily just wants to dance, I can dance with you right now."

Broly took Lilyluka's hand and led her in two dances in the yard.

[Lilyluka Erd, happiness level is increasing...]

In that instant, the happiness level that had just dropped returned, and even exceeded it by a little.

Occasionally, imbalances may arise between the characters being pursued, leading to unpleasant situations.

In situations like this, all you need to do is find the reason for their unhappiness and comfort them.

Lily was unhappy because of the sword dance she had with Miss Ryu. Since it was a dance, she decided to dance instead.

If you're unhappy, just hold hands and dance...

Bell took notes in his mind, thinking he might need them later.

If Miss Anna were to get angry with him one day, perhaps this would be the best course of action.

[Hey, hey, hey, we're still here, outsiders! Do you really not consider us outsiders, or do you just not treat us like human beings?]

Kashima Sakura, a member of the Takemikazuchi Familia, thought to herself, while Hitachi Chigusa secretly glanced at him. Yamato Mikoto, watching the Saiyan boy holding the hand of a Tontatta girl and dancing, thought to himself, "If only Lord Takemikazuchi could hold my hand like that and dance with me..."

The three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts. It was only then that Lily Luca noticed the gazes directed at them and quickly called out, "Brother Broly, that's enough, that's enough. Lily is satisfied. We can't let our training be delayed."

"Hey, is that all?"

"Ah."

She was jealous just now, but now that she was being stared at by a group of people, Lily Luca felt a little embarrassed.

"It's getting late, let's call it a day for training."

Broly stopped, looked at the sky above, and said.

"Uh, okay, thank you for your guidance today, Mr. Broly."

Kashima Sakura thought the training was going to continue, but it was already over, so she bowed and thanked them.

"Thank you for your guidance."

The other two girls also realized what was happening and bowed to express their gratitude.

Broly's good attitude prompted him to say a few more words.

“You’re going to the middle zone. Besides this basic positioning training, I have a suggestion for you.”

"Mr. Broly, please enlighten me."

"Go and learn about the monsters and environment in the middle level of the dungeon. Sometimes, having enough information about the dungeon may be more important than improving your own personal abilities."

Broly had learned his lesson from Goliath, which is why he gave this advice.

"Well, we know that too, but we don't have the resources to access that information."

The three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia exchanged glances, and Yamato said with some helplessness, "Intelligence is certainly important, but who would teach others this valuable dungeon experience and knowledge for free?"
As for purchasing intelligence, to be honest, the Takemikazuchi Familia isn't doing very well in Orario. Even the funds for repairing equipment, buying potions, and maintaining the normal operation of the Familia are somewhat lacking compared to other exploration-oriented Familias.

This is the true picture of low-level exploration-type Familias in Orario. People like Yamato and Mikoto don't have such a high drop rate when killing monsters in dungeons, let alone successfully defeating the floor master and earning a lot of familias to build a luxurious Familia base.

Well, Broly's party's drop rate is actually quite unusual; normal adventurer parties don't have such a high drop rate.

"My dungeon advisor is a responsible person. She regularly gives classes to adventurers, teaching them about dungeons, and it's free."

"Wow, there are really such good people?!"

"Her name is Eina, but most adventurers don't really like studying..."

Broly recalled the fulfilling feeling of being taught by the half-elf lady, his mind filled with all sorts of knowledge.

He's still a little shaken, and from this perspective, he's actually someone who doesn't like studying complicated and tedious monster science and dungeon environment science.

"Well, if you don't mind filling your brains with all sorts of dungeon knowledge, I think I can recommend you attend her class. There's one tomorrow."

Miss Eina warmly welcomes every adventurer who seeks to learn dungeon knowledge from her for their own safety.

For the half-elf lady, realizing her self-worth as a dungeon advisor was more important than gaining practical benefits.

Broly was invited to teach tomorrow's class again the day before yesterday, but unfortunately he couldn't make the schedule, and he probably won't be going to the dungeon anytime soon.

But I think Miss Eina would be pleased to recommend some studious adventurers to go there.

"Ah, if that's the case, then I'm extremely grateful."

Upon hearing this, Yamato and the other two quickly expressed their gratitude, completely unaware of the kind of instruction they were about to receive.

"Come train with us tomorrow morning after you finish your classes and have lunch."

Broly made the training arrangements for the three of them for tomorrow, and the three members of the Takemikazuchi Familia thanked him and took their leave.

"How was the combat experience with Bell, Lily, and the Lv.2 adventurer?"

After the three left, Broly asked the little girl and the white-haired boy questions.

(End of this chapter)