Born with a Mark, Transparent World!

All was silent.

In the distance lay an endless sea, its glittering waves cautiously soaking into the gray sky.

"So it really is the sea."

"I'm... on an island?!"

The cave was located atop a mountain. Wearing nothing but a tattered pair of burlap shorts and a crude sleeveless fur vest, Tsugikuni Yoriichi stood in the clearing before the cave entrance and gazed into the distance.

The climate in this world was strange. The wind outside the cave had been bone-chillingly cold last night, yet as soon as morning arrived, the temperature immediately warmed up. The bizarre shift in temperature left Tsugikuni Yoriichi struggling to adjust.

"First... I should take a look around."

After taking several deep breaths of fresh air, Tsugikuni Yoriichi returned to the cave. Before long, he emerged with his long sword in hand. After looking around, he followed the only narrow path before the cave down the mountain.

It was clear that the previous owner had lived in this cave for quite some time. The area around the entrance bore obvious signs of having been cleared.

Before long, Tsugikuni Yoriichi vanished into the dense forest.

This was a primeval forest, filled with ancient, towering trees that reached into the clouds.

Their branches interwove overhead, their lush foliage spreading like emerald clouds and completely blocking out the blue sky. As the sea breeze passed through, the leaves rustled like a giant dragon's sigh.

Along the way, Tsugikuni Yoriichi saw many strange plants he had never heard of before. These peculiar plants often drew his attention, and he would occasionally stop to inspect them. It was not merely out of curiosity—he wanted to see whether they bore any familiar fruit that could fill his stomach.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi had not forgotten the scene inside the cave yesterday. The only thing in the entire cave that could count as food was that paste-like substance. Given a choice, he absolutely did not want to try it.

Unfortunately, he had not seen anything resembling a fruit tree along the way.

ROAR!!!

Suddenly, a resounding roar exploded from within the forest. The next second, a rancid gust of wind rushed toward Tsugikuni Yoriichi's face.

Tsugikuni Yoriichi instinctively drew his sword. With a light tap of his toes against the ground, he instantly leaped several meters away. The very next second after he left his original position, a massive claw crashed down, smashing the ground into a web of cracks.

"What is that?!"

Focusing his gaze, he saw a gigantic striped tiger nearly ten meters long standing before him.

Yet this tiger was far beyond Tsugikuni Yoriichi's understanding. Setting aside its absurdly enormous size, the two fangs extending from its jaws alone were nearly half a meter long, making his vision swim.

Under the gaze of such a monstrous tiger, the hairs on Tsugikuni Yoriichi's current body stood uncontrollably on end. At some point, his long sword had already left its sheath, and he stared gravely at the abnormally large "tiger" before him.

ROAR!!!

Another roar rang out. Having missed its first strike, the giant tiger suddenly lunged forward, reaching Tsugikuni Yoriichi in an instant and pouncing at him head-on. Its two enormous foreclaws scissored viciously toward him, and the thick stench made Tsugikuni Yoriichi's breath catch.

Who knew how many animals had died beneath those claws?

Yet in that critical moment, Tsugikuni Yoriichi's mind was utterly clear, and the rhythm of his breathing quietly changed.

The giant tiger's movements seemed to slow in his eyes, while the world before him underwent a drastic transformation.

Transparent World!

By concentrating and shutting down unnecessary senses, living bodies appeared almost transparent. One's own speed, ability to predict attacks, and evasive ability were all markedly enhanced. Even the flow of blood through an opponent's lungs became clearly visible, while the contraction of one's own muscles could be grasped more quickly. One could even freely shut off one's fighting spirit as needed. With accelerated perception, an enemy's movements appeared slower as well.

In this world, Tsugikuni Yoriichi awakened this terrifying talent that should have been innate to him. From his perspective, every organ within the giant tiger's body became plainly visible. Its enormous beating heart contained terrifying vitality with every contraction and expansion.

If Tsugikuni Yoriichi had to make a comparison, the vitality of its heart was roughly on par with that of the demon known as a Lower Moon whom he had once killed.

"I can see it! Just like before, I can see everything!"

Sun Breathing—First Form—Dance!!

The familiar sight in his eyes instantly dispelled Tsugikuni Yoriichi's tension. In the blink of an eye, he slashed three times. The giant claws striking toward him flew past both sides of Tsugikuni Yoriichi like runaway wild horses.

The next second, blood burst forth and splashed across the ground, its thick stench filling his nostrils.

Thud!

The tiger that had swung its claws had already collapsed with a crash, blood instantly soaking the ground.

Both foreclaws of the tiger corpse on the ground had been severed at the roots, leaving only clean, level cuts. Large amounts of blood gushed from the wounds. At the same time, a long gash had opened across its enormous head, blood and brain matter flowing out together.

With injuries like those, it was no wonder even such a monstrous beast had died in an instant.

Just as Tsugikuni Yoriichi was about to sheathe his sword and step forward to inspect it, he seemed to sense something. He abruptly stopped and looked up.

Whoosh—

A tremendous sound came from above Tsugikuni Yoriichi's head.

A monstrous bird burst through the dense canopy and swooped down. The next second, a black shadow flashed before Tsugikuni Yoriichi. The bird's talons seized the tiger's corpse directly, and in an instant it spread its wings and flew away, carrying the corpse out of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's sight.

"What kind of world is this?"

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was stunned by the change before him. If he had not seen wrong, the monstrous bird that had just swooped down had a wingspan close to twenty meters. He had never seen such a creature before, and the vitality of its heart was even stronger than that of the tiger just now.

It had even reached the level of a mid-ranked Lower Moon.

Of course, that referred only to the vitality of its heart and had no necessary connection to strength.

The appearance of two strange creatures in succession filled Tsugikuni Yoriichi with curiosity about the world he now inhabited. What kind of world could nurture such bizarre creatures?

Moreover, this body could effortlessly sustain the breathing method of "Total Concentration Constant," without feeling any pressure at all. The smoothness when swinging his blade felt even more comfortable than it had in the past.

That move in which he had dodged the giant tiger's attack earlier had been entirely his body's instinctive reaction.

Without a doubt, this body in this world was even somewhat stronger than his previous one!

Putting all the signs together, Yoriichi began to form a few guesses about the world he was in. Could this possibly be a cultivation world?

With that thought in mind, Tsugikuni Yoriichi paced over to the two tiger paws he had just sent flying. Though calling them tiger paws was not quite accurate, since he had severed them at the root. Tiger legs would probably be more fitting.

Both tiger legs were three or four meters long, and as for their weight, it was impossible to tell how many pounds they weighed.

"They should be edible, right?"

"At least I got something out of this. I won't have to try that paste."

"If this is a cultivation world, then this should count as a spirit beast, right? It's so huge, after all."

"I wonder whether spirit beast meat really is like the legends say—one meal makes you strong and sturdy, enough to climb five flights of stairs without losing your breath."

Muttering to himself, Tsugikuni Yoriichi prepared to cut some meat off one of the tiger legs. But as he approached, an absurd thought suddenly rose in his mind.

Sheathing his sword, he wrapped both arms around the "claws," actually intending to lift one of the tiger legs.

He had only meant to give it a try, but when Tsugikuni Yoriichi exerted himself, he discovered that the tiger leg had actually left the ground completely. What surprised him even more was that he did not feel any strain whatsoever!

"What kind of monstrous strength is this?!"

Tsugikuni Yoriichi was equally baffled by the terrifying power of his own body and had no idea where it came from. But he did not dwell on it. After all, transmigration had already happened to him twice. Having immense strength was perfectly reasonable too.

Yoriichi chalked it up to heaven's favor. Perhaps Heaven's most beloved child was not necessarily that little brat who liked drinking beast milk.