Grand Duelist Way

Finding a secluded spot, Ryōken sat down cross-legged. The pain radiating from his chest made him grimace. Pulling open his clothes, he saw a horrifying wound across his chest, blood trickling from it. It had missed his heart by only a fraction.

As Ryōken calmed himself and kept his body still, a green glow slowly emerged around the wound. Only then did the piercing pain ease slightly.

"Close one!"

Looking at that vicious wound, Ryōken gave a bitter smile.

He had nearly died.

His timing had not been wrong, but he had overlooked their difference in height. In the end, he had to jump slightly to strike the man's throat, giving the ninja a tiny window to react. For a battle-hardened Elite Ninja, that tiny moment was enough.

In his desperate counterattack, Ryōken had still been badly wounded.

After a while, the wound on Ryōken's chest finally stopped bleeding. Trembling, he rose to his feet and shook his muddled head.

That battle had been brief, yet it felt as though it had lasted an eternity.

Still, great danger brought great rewards.

Thinking of this, Ryōken recalled the voice that had echoed in his mind after he killed the Rain Ninja, and he could barely contain his delight.

Congratulations, Host. Fearless Advance has leveled up to LV2.

Congratulations, Host. You have successfully killed an Elite Genin and gained four Skill Points.

Congratulations, Host. You have obtained one Superior Lottery chance.

That battle had been Ryōken's first since arriving in this world, and it had been a battle that decided life or death. Victory meant life; defeat meant death.

Fortunately, the battle had been short, and his chosen response had been perfectly timed, allowing him to kill his opponent in one stroke.

If it had dragged on, he would surely have been the one to die.

During the fight, Ryōken's mind had been highly focused, every thought fixed on the kunai. Not only had his mental will undergone a degree of sublimation, but he could now clearly sense that the next time he refined chakra, he would definitely break through and possess Genin-level chakra.

Genin-level chakra was enough for him to learn some low-level ninjutsu.

Moreover, after half a month of training, Fearless Advance had also broken through to LV2 in one go.

It was unexpected, yet reasonable, and did not truly surprise Ryōken.

Fearless Advance was now faster, and its cooldown had dropped to three seconds. It was foreseeable that at max level, Fearless Advance would probably have no cooldown at all; it would only require a powerful physique.

"An Elite Genin gives four Skill Points?"

Ryōken asked inwardly.

Yes. A Genin can give at most five Skill Points. Elite Genin are relatively strong, so they give four.

"Is that so? Then there should be a level at the Genin limit. I wonder if Minato Namikaze counts?"

In the next instant, Ryōken thought of the strongest student in his class, Naruto's father and the future Yellow Flash.

This method of obtaining Skill Points was limited to the first person killed at each level. In other words, since Ryōken had killed an Elite Genin this time, killing other Genin in the future would no longer earn him Skill Points.

Thus, if Ryōken wanted more Skill Points, he had to seek out opponents who were stronger—or even the strongest—within their respective levels.

"I wonder who has Chunin-limit strength? Does the grown Minato Namikaze count? And what exactly does 'limit' mean?"

Ryōken scratched his head in frustration, then stopped dwelling on the matter and asked about something else.

"What's this Superior Lottery?"

Lotteries are divided into superior and inferior tiers. Superior Lotteries can draw things like Heroic Inheritances, while Inferior Lotteries can only draw skills.

"Is that so?"

Ryōken nodded thoughtfully, understanding something. This was probably the bonus reward for killing an Elite Genin. If it had been an ordinary Genin, he likely would have received only an Inferior Lottery.

"So does that mean I can only fight elite monsters from now on?"

Ryōken thought resentfully, at a loss for words.

Night fell.

Konoha was brightly lit, bustling with prosperity.

Along the way, Ryōken occasionally saw ninjas in shinobi attire leaping about.

Among them were several Hyuga Ninja with white eyes, their Byakugan activated as they anxiously searched everywhere for something.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, most pedestrians returned home early instead of lingering outside.

"Looks like even if I hadn't run into her, Hiwa Hyuga probably wouldn't have been taken out of Konoha."

That made sense. In the original story, the only Byakugan that seemed to have fallen into foreign hands was the one in Kirigakure.

But none of that concerned him. Though he had suffered some injuries, with the recovery of his talent Tenacity, he would probably be able to continue training by tomorrow morning.

Not to mention the huge haul from killing an elite monster.

After returning home, Ryōken took a quick bath, sat on his bed, and prepared to begin the hard-earned Superior Lottery.

The familiar images flashed before Ryōken's eyes, but this time they seemed more real, vivid and lifelike.

It was not the first time he had seen them, but they were still exhilarating.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Fiora, the Grand Duelist's inherited way—Grand Duelist Way.

As soon as the electronic voice fell silent, the image before him froze.

A woman holding a rapier appeared before him. She had a graceful figure and a proud expression, and her eyes contained an intent like that of a blade, as though she could see through anyone's weakness.

At the same time, proud voices echoed beside Ryōken's ears.

"I long for a worthy opponent!"

"Precise and elegant!"

"Too slow!"

An indescribable insight suddenly surged into his heart, leaving Ryōken somewhat dazed.

It was as if, so long as he held a sword in his hand, he would fear nothing.

At the same time, scenes of memories played endlessly through Ryōken's mind like a slideshow.

These were scenes of Fiora defeating her enemies again and again. Her bearing was elegant, yet she always dispatched her opponents cleanly and decisively.

Under those sharp eyes of hers, every enemy seemed utterly vulnerable.

After a long while, the memories finished playing, but Ryōken remained unable to recover his senses.

Before this, he could never have believed that the way of the sword could be so vast and profound.

The memories had finished playing, but naturally they had not disappeared. They merely remained in Ryōken's mind, and he could review them whenever he wished.

Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the core skill of Grand Duelist Way—Duelist Eye!