Kurumazuka Natsumi [Wand] [Chariot] [Star] [Power level: 29] ┣ Body: 12 ┣ Skill: 7 ┗ Mind: 10 Combat skill-Wind Breathing Style [Wind Breathing Style] ┣ LV.1 Novice ┣ Progress: 271/500 ┗ Sword forms mastered 9/9: [First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter] [Second Form: Claws: Koto Wind] [Third Form: ...]
Unlike the elaborate, flashy panels in most games, the interface before Xia Xi was remarkably clean and straightforward.
Kurumazuka Natsumi was the in-game name the system had automatically generated from his input during character creation.
This special mechanism prevented players from entering bizarre strings of characters, preserving the experience.
After all, when NPCs were pouring their hearts into a tragic farewell, only to call out names like [Mr. Crinkle-Cut Potato], [Little Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon], or [Bro↑ Jay↓]...
It really broke the immersion.
The entries following his name were the character backgrounds Xia Xi had randomly rolled during character creation.
[Reversed Wand] You have become a torch of venomous hatred: both your parents died at the hands of villains, and the younger sister who was your only remaining family was devoured by a demon. Effect: evokes a degree of sympathy from others; slightly increases willpower in combat. [Upright Chariot] Wear your scars like medals: fighting? Killing? To you, they are as simple as eating and drinking. Effect: slightly increases damage dealt in combat; slightly improves training effectiveness. [Reversed Star] With your spine as your sword, you defy the world's mediocrity: an unyielding will and a backbone of resistance ensure you never bow your head. Effect: reduces debuffs caused by bodily injuries in combat; slightly increases attributes against powerful enemies.
Hmm...
Xia Xi stared at the entries, briefly lost in thought.
I'm playing a game. I'm a staunch human supremacist-in other games, it's always about serving the Emperor of Mankind or exterminating every alien.
This time, too, he had simply selected the human race and entered the game. He had never really examined the randomly rolled background.
Now that he looked, practically every entry was combat-oriented.
So I started as an orphan...
No wonder his master always looked at him with that mixture of sympathy and understanding.
As for his attributes, there were only three.
Body (physique/body), Skill (skill/technique), and Mind (spirit/will).
They totaled a mere 29 points, less than a fifth of his master Kazami Kōgi's.
If I remember right, this character started with only about ten points in total?
They had gradually increased through a year of exercise and Breathing Style training.
As for Breathing Styles...
They were the game's main combat system.
Practicing these arts forged a stronger body and greater combat skill.
That foundation allowed humans to fight man-eating demons far beyond human limits.
Overcoming the strong with the weak.
Every slash biting into flesh.
Countering each move as it came.
Traditional action games—Xia Xi knew them well.
So, after more than half a year of physical conditioning, his character had needed only three or four months to master all the essentials and sword forms of this Breathing Style...
Even by the standards of Kazami Kōgi's years of experience as a trainer, Xia Xi's progress was already fast.
"But sending a beginner straight into a selection with a high death rate..."
Does this demon-slaying corps have so many people that it can afford to throw away recruits' lives?
The setting is the ancient Far East, and it's an action game about humans fighting monsters. Don't tell me they're dragging out that same old Far Eastern trope: "If you're not prepared to die, you might as well perish here."
Whatever he thought, his hands never stopped moving.
Assuming the proper stance, Xia Xi began swinging his wooden sword again and again.
Two hours of Suburi training, two hours of Breathing Style training, and two hours of sword-form training.
Between each session came another half hour of meditation, or a trip to the hillside to experience the breath of the wind.
That was the training schedule his trainer, Kazami, had devised for him.
Of course, it had initially included physical conditioning and practice exchanges with wooden swords. But once Xia Xi's strength passed ten and he mastered his Breathing Style, those basic exercises had gradually taken up less of the schedule.
He had three days left.
Xia Xi decided to make the most of them and see whether he could raise his Breathing Style level a little further.
Soon, he felt his awareness gradually detach from his body.
He had entered [System Assistance Mode].
Games these days sought to avoid tedious repetition and preserve the player experience.
They often sped up repetitive training or dull stretches of travel.
For Xia Xi, that basically meant exercising until the computer took over, playing training animations while steadily accelerating the passage of game time.
EXP +1 EXP +1
In short, his hard work consisted of watching the attribute panel and harvesting every fruit of his labor with his eyes.
And while Xia Xi devoted himself wholeheartedly to training and pouring out his sweat...
Inside the house in the distance, Kazami Kōgi silently watched the boy's efforts.
In his eyes...
Xia Xi had always been a quiet, exceptionally disciplined child.
He never fooled around or slacked off like other children.
Nor did he ever complain that the training assigned to him was too difficult.
As long as it did not kill him, he would train himself half to death.
He never allowed himself a moment's rest.
Naturally, Kazami knew why.
His younger sister's death.
Amid the flames, she had screamed as a Lower Rank demon slowly devoured her alive.
The sheer horror of that sight would have been overwhelming for anyone, let alone a teenage child.
Even he could hardly bear to recall it.
It had affected Xia Xi far too deeply.
He did not know whether that blazing desire for revenge against all demons would one day consume the boy or become the strength that carried him forward.
The old man unconsciously tightened his grip on the window frame.
The wooden frame creaked softly beneath his palm.
"I hope your hard work and anger will help you survive the Final Selection."
Dawn gave way to dusk.
Two days quietly slipped past amid the boy's sweat.
[Wind Breathing Style] ┣ LV.1 Novice ┗ Progress: 316/500 (+45)
Martial mastery ultimately took a thousand days of work; it could not be achieved in a single leap.
Two days of overnight idle grinding, with all their effort and sweat, had merely given Xia Xi the [Fatigued] status. They were nowhere near enough to push his Breathing Style to level two.
Even if such clearly visible progress already marked him as exceptionally gifted compared with other swordsmen.
"I won't make it... Huh? Did I unlock a new feature?"
Seeing that he would not make the deadline, Xia Xi could only end his diligent training.
While wiping away his sweat, however, he noticed a new notification on the system panel.
Two newly lit skill icons had appeared in the new [Life Skills] panel.
[Suburi LV.1 (17/500)] (NEW) [Physical Training LV.1 (89/500)] (NEW)
Instinctively, he expanded them to check the details.
[Suburi LV.1 (17/500)] Overview: the foundation of swordsmanship lies in tempering mind, energy, and body; this is also the essence of training. Effect: marginally increases swordsmanship training speed. [Physical Training LV.1 (89/500)] Overview: builds a strong body, laying a solid foundation for training. Effect: marginally increases the growth rate of strength and agility.
At the same time, an unexpected notification appeared on the panel.
[Achievement points gained: 2] [These points can be used to increase combat skill levels.]
Huh?
Xia Xi froze for a moment. Could this... actually be the game's core mechanic?
Unlocking life skills can raise my Breathing Style level?
So if I grind life skills like crazy, I can pump unlimited points into my core Breathing Style?!
Couldn't I just draw circles with my left hand and squares with my right, and grind out a mountain of points?!
He hurriedly switched to the Breathing Style interface.
Sure enough.
A [+] had appeared beside [Wind Breathing].
With a thought...
A faint progress bar appeared over the experience bar, previewing the experience he would receive by investing an achievement point.
[EXP +325] [Please note: current Breathing Style compatibility: 65%] [Achievement point conversion loss: 35%]
Wait, what?
Xia Xi could not help staring in surprise.
The point-allocation mechanic for Breathing Styles actually came with a conversion loss.
He suddenly remembered Master Kazami saying that there were many schools of Breathing Styles in the world.
Although none was inherently superior or inferior...
Differences in physique, temperament, and even spiritual disposition meant that each person achieved different results with different Breathing Styles.
Those differences even affected the power they could unleash through the accompanying sword forms.
In other words, everyone had a Breathing Style suited to them.
The higher the compatibility, the smoother the training and the stronger the techniques.
Conversely, poor compatibility meant twice the effort for half the results.
Only now did Xia Xi realize that Wind Breathing did not seem to be his best match.
Do I need to switch to another Breathing Style?
Come to think of it, would my ready-made master accuse me of "betraying the school" over that?
You lousy designers, get out here and take your beating!
Despite his inward cursing, he ultimately went ahead and invested the point.
After all, Wind Breathing Style was the only one he currently practiced.
A chime rang out that only Xia Xi could hear.
[Wind Breathing LV.1 → LV.2] [Novice → Basic proficiency] [Progress: 141/1000 (+325)] [Power level: 29 → 35] ┣ Body: 12 → 16 ┣ Skill: 7 → 8 ┗ Mind: 10 → 11 [Your mastery of sword forms has improved!]
"Why do these proficiency ratings feel straight out of a martial arts game..."
He was only halfway through muttering.
A surge of warmth, as gentle as a spring breeze, swept through his whole body.
Kurumazuka Natsumi froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up, his cheeks flushing slightly with excitement.
Oh, oh, oh!
Here it comes... this is the feeling of a breakthrough I haven't felt in so long!
He could feel it clearly-power, power was welling up!
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