The secret of the legendary magic sword

He had been on the road for days. He was exhausted, but certainly not more than his horse. It was pretty clear, he would have to camp and rest for a day or two. He couldn’t afford to lose his mount. In a place so far from everything, it would be impossible to even steal someone’s stables. He had never heard of a village nearby.

The only thing that was said to exist in that region was the reason for his quest, the legendary magic sword. An object like no other that was able to decide the direction of the history of Japan. And there, in the far corners of the country, was a young samurai motivated to relive the glory days of that weapon.

He was always dedicated, as dedicated as many apprentices in the village where he grew up. Everyone knew that training hard was the secret to achieving perfection in the art of the sword. His upper hand was that in addition to discipline he also questioned the world more than most of his friends. For him, it was not only important how much he trained, but how he trained.

So now he was riding his horse in such a wilderness. He knew that an advantage over his opponent could change the course of the fight between the most skilled swordsmen. As a fighter who would be born centuries later in a distant country would say, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. And between being the owner of the hand or the face, our young samurai preferred to be the owner the hand.

Having a magic sword would be an improvement that even the most intense training could not offer. And he always trained a lot. The difference was that in addition to specializing in his favorite style, he had studied some of the most varied forms of Kenjutsu. So in every fight he could shape his plans according to the situation.

Then, after a day of rest and after make sure of his horse recovery, he decided to carry on his mission. He rode for two more days until he reached the mountain where the legendary sword was said to be. He really thought how strange it was that all the rumors pointed to that place and even then, no one had found that sword famous for deciding the battle of Sekigahara.

It was a very high mountain. Perhaps, it was really a dangerous climb. But he was determined and before doing anything, he left his horse next to a lake and with abundant pastures. The horse deserved to rest. Mainly because, if everything went well, there would be a long way back.

The young samurai started his climb. Despite the variety of his training, he soon realized that mountain climbing was more difficult than it looked. In the beginning it was difficult, then, the climb changed for the better, and when it reached the highest parts, it seems that it got worse. Mostly because the snow made the path more slippery and deadly. More than once, he was left hanging from the mountain by just one arm.

Fortunately, the physical part of the training helped and with his philosophy of constant learning in different situations, in a few hours he already understood the best strategies for climbing a mountain. But night was already falling and it was better to find some shelter. Luckily, a few feet up there was a small cave embedded in the mountain that served as his room that night.

Woke up early. In any case, it was not very easy to sleep in that place. The howl of the wind made life difficult for those who were trained to have a light sleep to face any danger that could approach. Even if any kind of presence was very unlikely there. Then he started his climb again. He planned to reach the top at the end of the day.

His prediction was accurate. The last rays of sunlight illuminated the top of the mountain when he arrived. To his surprise, the place didn’t look too large and in a quick round of the place, there didn’t seem to be any sword. The problem is that the legend never mentioned the exact location, only the mountain. Would he need to dig? If he had known, he would have brought a shovel. The way would be to dig with his hands and his own swords.

Soon, the young man mapped the place and decided that if he dug in five different points, he would have managed to cover almost the entire top of the mountain, it would be the most efficient way to search. But also, it would be more efficient to do that in daylight, the reason why he would have to spend a cold night in that place.

After waking up from a freezing night, he began excavation work at the central point of the top of the mountain. If someone were to choose a place to hide a powerful artifact, it would really be there. But after much effort, and a huge open crater, there was no magic sword in his hands. And after even more effort and 4 more huge craters, his only achievement was a few bubbles in his hands.

The only thing to do was to get down to his horse and go home. Perhaps that was why they called it the legendary sword. It was really a legend. At least, the path to the ground was easier than he imagined and at sunset he was already beside his mount, ready for the road. Until he stopped and thought for a while.

After all, the legend has always said about the mountain, never about the top of the mountain. It was worth taking a walk around that gigantic work of nature to see if it was possible to discover something. And there was no need to walk much. Right there, near the lake, he found a cave embedded in the rock.

The young samurai entered the dark cave and there, in the centre, found an ancient sword. Then a voice behind him spoke:

- So, finally someone was worthy to find my magic sword?

The words had come from an old man, still muscular. The young man, surprised, replied:

- Sorry sir. I wasn’t aware that the sword still had an owner. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even look for it.

The old man replied: — I was the one who spread the rumors at first place. But as you can see, the sword is not at the top of the mountain. Only someone with an open mind and sharper thinking could reach that conclusion. I haven’t intended to use the magic sword in a long time. It is yours now.

After thanking the lord, the young samurai immediately went to test the blade against the branches of a tree. It should cut like lightning. But to his disappointment, the rusty sword barely cut anything. A little disappointed, but looking for explanation, the young man said:

- I think that after sharpening the sword, the magic will come back.

It was time for the secret to be revealed by the old man:

- On the contrary. If you sharpen your sword, it will end your power.

- How’s that so? Do you want me to fight with a blunt sword?

- You can’t understand yet? This is the true power of the sword. With a blunt sword, I had to become a much better swordsman to beat my opponents.