I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord-Chapter 34: Darin’s Surprisingly Decent Skills

"Alright," Vincent said, tossing Darin a wooden practice sword. "Let's see what you've got."

Darin caught it without dropping it (which, honestly, was already a victory in itself). He adjusted his grip, shifting his stance a little awkwardly.

"Start with the basics," Vincent instructed. "Try a simple overhead strike."

Darin nodded, exhaled, and swung.

The wooden sword came down fast and clean—

And immediately bounced off the training dummy like a useless stick.

Vincent blinked. "...Huh."

The sorceress, who had been watching with arms crossed, raised an eyebrow.

Darin stepped back. "...What?"

Vincent tilted his head. "That was... actually decent?"

Darin frowned. "Wait. What do you mean 'actually?'"

Vincent smirked. "I mean, I expected you to trip over yourself and die."

Darin glared. "Wow. Such faith in me."

The Overlord chuckled in his head.

"Honestly, so did I. I was really hoping for some entertainment."

Darin groaned. "Great. Even my unwanted mental parasite thinks I'm useless."

Vincent clapped his hands together. "Alright! Let's keep going. Try a side swing!"

Darin shifted his stance and swung—

WHACK!

The wooden blade connected with the practice dummy, landing with a satisfyingly solid hit.

Vincent let out a low whistle. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Darin grinned. "Hey! Maybe I'm actually good at this!"

Then he took another swing—

and immediately lost his grip.

The wooden sword went flying.

It twirled through the air like a very ungraceful bird—

—before smacking Vincent directly in the face.

Silence.

Darin froze.

The sorceress blinked.

Vincent slowly reached up, grabbed the wooden sword that was now resting against his cheek, and lowered it.

Then he turned to Darin, deadpan.

"...Are you trying to kill me?"

Darin gulped. "Uh. No?"

Vincent sighed. "Alright, new rule: hold onto your weapon."

The Overlord cackled.

"Oh, I take back what I said. This is very entertaining."

Darin muttered under his breath, "I hate my life."

The sorceress, who had been watching intently, nodded slightly. "I suppose you still have some of your past-life instincts."

Vincent scratched his chin. "Huh. You might actually have a chance in this duel."

Darin let out a breath of relief. "That's great! So that means I can use a sword in the fight, right?"

Vincent and the sorceress exchanged a glance.

Then—

"No."

Darin's face fell. "Wait—WHAT?!"

The sorceress sighed. "Your form is decent. But there's something... off."

Darin blinked. "Off how?"

She walked over, gesturing for him to hold his stance again. Darin complied, gripping the practice sword tightly.

The sorceress studied him for a moment before nodding. "You're instinctively trying to swing with more force than your body is built for."

Darin frowned. "And that's bad because...?"

Vincent grinned. "Because your swordplay is all about power. You're swinging like you're trying to cleave through armor."

Darin hesitated. "...And?"

The sorceress folded her arms. "Swords aren't meant to be blunt force weapons. The way you fight doesn't suit them."

Vincent clapped his hands together. "Which means—we're giving you something else!"

Darin's stomach sank. "Something else?"

The sorceress nodded. "A warhammer."

Silence.

Then—

Darin choked. "A WHAT?!"

Five minutes later, Darin found himself staring at the biggest, meanest-looking warhammer he had ever seen in his life.

The weapon was nearly as tall as his torso, with a heavy metal head and reinforced handles wrapped in thick leather.

Darin poked it. "This... looks like it could kill a horse."

Vincent patted him on the back. "Exactly! And now it's your problem!"

Darin turned to the sorceress. "WHY a warhammer?!"

She shrugged. "You fight like a brute. A warhammer suits you better."

Darin sputtered. "I do NOT fight like a brute!"

Vincent snorted. "Darin. You were just trying to swing a sword like it was an axe."

Darin opened his mouth. Paused.

"...That doesn't mean I fight like a brute!"

The Overlord laughed in his head.

"Oh, it absolutely does."

Darin groaned.

Vincent pushed the warhammer into his hands. "Alright, stop whining and give it a try."

Darin staggered slightly from the weight but managed to lift it up. It was... surprisingly comfortable?

The grip felt natural, and when he adjusted his hold, something in his muscle memory clicked.

Hesitantly, he raised it overhead—

And swung.

WHAM!

The warhammer obliterated the practice dummy.

Like—completely.

There was nothing left.

Just splinters and dust.

Darin stared. "...Oh."

Vincent let out a low whistle. "Well. That was violent."

The sorceress nodded in approval. "Yes. That's more like it."

Darin blinked slowly. Then, without thinking, he muttered,

"This... reminds me of my blacksmithing days."

Vincent grinned. "So you're saying you have experience hitting things very hard?"

Darin squinted. "...I don't like the way you said that."

The Overlord snickered.

"Ah, yes. The reincarnated knight... reduced to a glorified hammer-wielding barbarian. I love this."

Darin lifted the hammer again. It was heavy, but not in a bad way. In fact, the weight felt... right.

Like it had been waiting for him.

The sorceress crossed her arms. "Good. Now we train properly."

Darin sighed. "Right. Let's do this."

Vincent grinned. "Try not to break the palace."

Darin smirked. "No promises."

He held the warhammer in both hands, shifting his grip as he got used to the weight. It was heavy, yes, but not unmanageable. There was something... familiar about it. Something that made his body feel more at home than the sword ever had.

But that didn't mean it would be easy.

Vincent clapped his hands. "Now that we've discovered you were secretly meant to be a walking siege weapon, let's get to training!"

Darin adjusted his stance. "I'm ready."

The Overlord snorted.

"No, you're not."

Darin ignored him.

Vincent grinned. "Great! Now, swing it with all your strength."

Darin nodded. He exhaled, focused—

And swung.

WHAM!

The hammer came down hard, obliterating another practice dummy—

And then, immediately, the weight pulled him forward.

Darin let out a very undignified yelp as his own momentum sent him stumbling. He tried to stop himself—

Failed.

And promptly fell face-first onto the dirt.

Silence.

Then—

Vincent burst out laughing.

The sorceress sighed.

And the Overlord?

The Overlord was cackling.

"Absolutely pathetic. You could have crushed a kingdom with that swing, and then immediately tripped into your own grave."

Darin groaned loudly, face still in the dirt.

Vincent, still laughing, walked over and patted him on the back. "Well. You definitely have power. Now you just need to not die while using it."

Darin slowly pushed himself up. "I hate you."

Vincent grinned. "Good! That means we're making progress!"

After his humiliating first attempt, Darin spent the next hour getting used to the warhammer.

Vincent and the sorceress watched critically as he practiced basic swings, slowly adjusting his stance so that he wasn't just flailing wildly like an idiot.

Vincent clapped his hands. "Alright, Darin! Let's try that again, without launching yourself into the ground this time!"

Darin grumbled. "I was just... testing gravity."

The Overlord chuckled.

"Oh yes, very thorough testing. The ground definitely still exists."

Darin gritted his teeth. "I hate you so much."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?"

Darin immediately tensed.

"Uh—no one! Shut up!"

Vincent squinted suspiciously but shrugged. "Alright, whatever. Just focus."

Darin adjusted his stance. He tightened his grip, planted his feet—

And swung.

WHAM!

The warhammer crashed down again, sending a small shockwave through the dirt. The impact was still wild and heavy, but this time—

He didn't fall.

Vincent nodded. "Better. Still terrible, but better."

The sorceress tapped her chin. "You need to stop putting your entire body into the swing. Let the weight do the work."

Darin frowned. "That... actually makes sense."

Vincent smirked. "Wow! A lesson actually got through that thick skull of yours! A miracle!"

Darin glared. "I am holding a very large weapon, Vincent. Do not test me."

Vincent grinned. "Oh, I'd love to see you try."

The Overlord hummed.

"Yes. Crush him. Give in to your anger."

Darin muttered, "Not helping."

Vincent blinked. "Huh?"

"Nothing."

"Alright!" Vincent clapped his hands. "Now that you're not falling on your face anymore, let's make things more interesting."

Darin squinted. "...Define 'interesting.'"

Vincent grinned mischievously. "Try hitting me."

Darin blinked. "Excuse me?"

Vincent cracked his neck. "Come on. Give it your best shot."

Darin hesitated. "Uh. You do realize that I'm swinging a massive weapon, right?"

Vincent waved dismissively. "Please. You couldn't hit me even if I stood still."

Darin's eye twitched.

Visit freewebnoveℓ.com for the best novel reading exp𝒆rience.

The sorceress sighed. "This is a bad idea."

Vincent smirked. "Which makes it a great idea."

Darin exhaled. "Fine. If you insist."

He tightened his grip, took a deep breath—

And swung.

The hammer whooshed through the air—

And hit absolutely nothing.

Vincent had already vanished.

Darin stumbled slightly, barely stopping himself from tripping. He turned—

And Vincent was suddenly behind him.

Darin jumped. "HOW—"

Vincent tapped his shoulder. "Too slow."

Darin groaned.

The Overlord snickered.

"Oh, this is wonderful. You have the power of a god and the reflexes of a drunk squirrel."

Darin ignored him.

Vincent grinned. "Come on. Again."

Darin gritted his teeth. "Alright. Fine."

He adjusted his stance. Swung—

Missed again.

And again.

And again.

Vincent danced around the battlefield, dodging every single swing like it was a mild inconvenience.

Darin was getting frustrated.

"STOP MOVING!"

Vincent laughed. "That's the point, Darin!"

Darin swung harder—

Vincent ducked, spun, and casually flicked Darin's forehead.

Darin stumbled back, clutching his face. "OW! What the hell?!"

Vincent smirked. "Gotta be faster than that, buddy."

Darin scowled. "Oh, I will end you."

Vincent stretched lazily. "Go ahead and try."

The Overlord chuckled.

"Oh, I'm really enjoying this. Watching you fail never gets old."

Darin growled under his breath. "I. Hate. You. All."

By the end of the training session, Darin was lying on the ground, exhausted, covered in dirt and regret.

Vincent stood over him, hands on his hips. "Well, you almost hit me once. So that's something!"

The sorceress sighed. "He's improving. Slowly."

Darin wheezed. "I... want to die."

Vincent grinned. "Nope! You have a duel to fight first."

Darin groaned.

The Overlord snickered.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be here to laugh at you the whole way through."

Vincent patted his back. "Get used to it, buddy!"

Darin sighed.