A heavy silence fell over the area.
Igarashi Urasome looked at his hands, which were slightly numb but still firmly gripping his Nichirin Sword. Then, he looked at Kuguruma Natsunishi, who remained in a punching stance a short distance away, panting continuously.
Was his junior fellow disciple truly this exceptional?
Igarashi slowly pushed up his glasses, which hadn't even tilted. The gaze behind the lenses was filled with an unprecedented sense of wonder and scrutiny.
"I see..." he whispered to himself, a genuinely excited smile spreading across his face. "Although [Sen no Sen] predicted the force-exertion technique of your strike, it underestimated the explosive power and the depth of your Total Concentration."
"Kuguruma, your Total Concentration... is very different from others. It is likely nearly double the maximum value I had estimated."
He walked up to Kuguruma Natsunishi, his eyes burning bright.
"Perhaps practicing multiple Breathing Styles has deepened your understanding of the essence of 'Breathing' itself. Or perhaps you've grasped the 'logic' behind technique and physical balance. Regardless, it's impressive! This isn't something achieved through mere hard work. Kuguruma Natsunishi, you may have already unconsciously stepped onto the path you wish to forge."
"In time, you will surely become a pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Perhaps..."
Igarashi looked at the youth, who seemed a bit dazed, and shook his head with a smile.
"Perhaps you will even surpass our generation of 'old-timers' and reach a realm no one has ever achieved before."
Kuguruma Natsunishi nodded somewhat blankly. Inside, however, he was ecstatic as he stared at the system panel.
How long had it been? The proficiency of his various Breathing Styles had just taken a massive leap. Adding the four styles together, it was almost equivalent to half a month of bitter cultivation or slaying several demons of decent strength. Moreover, his Fist Blade proficiency, which was at 13% just moments ago, had directly doubled to 26%.
Furthermore, he had unlocked two new combat-oriented Life Skills.
[Fist Principles LV.0] NEW
Summary: The fist is not the extension of the limb, but the surge of the spirit's intent.
Effect: Effectiveness increases when using striking techniques.
[Little Li (Power Dissipation) LV.0] NEW
Summary: When the enemy's force hits the body, view it as the flowing wind brushing the hills, or the bright moon reflecting on the great river.
Effect: Effectiveness increases when using breakfall or impact-absorption techniques.
But then again, could skills that clearly provided combat bonuses really be considered "Life Skills"?
I see! It's martial arts! This is the victory of martial arts!
While his mind raced with these thoughts, Kuguruma Natsunishi turned a burning gaze toward Igarashi. It turned out his senior brother was a human experience pack with a high drop rate.
Igarashi: ?
I didn't hit him in the head just now, did I? Why does this kid suddenly look so foolish?
Yokohama, a certain traditional Karate Dojo
The wooden floorboards emitted a dull vibration underfoot, and the scent of sweat mingled with old wood. Five black-belt instructors stood in a fan shape surrounding Kuguruma Natsunishi, their eyes sharp and their breathing steady.
This was a routine dojo session. It wasn't about defeating opponents or simple impact training; it was about attempting to "insight" the offensive patterns and combat "logic" of each person without using Breathing Styles.
"Please advise."
One person on the left lunged first, a low sweep kick snapping out like a whip!
In a Karate sweep, the center of gravity sinks and leans forward, while the shoulder blades retract. Therefore, the upper body openings are significant. Kuguruma Natsunishi seemed to hear the fragments of the Storm Hashira's teachings in his mind.
His mind was elsewhere, but his movements were not slow. Almost the instant that man's shoulder twitched, Kuguruma Natsunishi had already raised his knee to block. Simultaneously, his right hand formed a claw, hooking the opponent's collar like an iron talon, using the momentum to hurl him toward the second attacker approaching from the right.
A third person closed in silently from behind, a hand-sword striking straight for the back of the neck.
Kuguruma Natsunishi did not turn his head. In reality, he had sensed the opponent long ago. When attempting a sneak attack, people subconsciously hold their breath. While footsteps might become lighter, those with insufficient skill will cause the sound of fabric friction to sharpen.
He ducked and spun abruptly, a precise back-kick slamming into the opponent's chest. Naturally, he held back his strength. The instructor stumbled and fell to the floor.
This wasn't the power of a Breathing Style, but a prediction and deconstruction based purely on "observational logic." Although he hadn't mastered the [Sen no Sen] the Storm Hashira spoke of, the results were beginning to take a rudimentary shape.
For two months, the Storm Hashira had made him observe the daily lives of thousands of ordinary people, and those observations were now bearing fruit. He could "see" the lines of tension in an opponent's muscles. He could "hear" the subtle shifts in floor pressure when an opponent transferred their weight.
These were special cues independent of the system's combat assistance. The difficulty of the game seemed to have become even easier.
Seeing Kuguruma Natsunishi looking distracted, the fourth instructor, feeling slighted, charged with a roar. It was a classic Karate frontal thrust—bold and direct.
In Kuguruma Natsunishi's mind, three effective counter-attack routes had already surfaced. Shift past the attack and dislocate the joint? Or parry the punch and deliver an elbow strike to the abdominal diaphragm? Or, more simply, just trip him with a sweep.
Just as he was about to choose...
"CAW—!!"
A sharp crow's cry tore through the intense atmosphere of the dojo. It was Kuguruma Natsunishi's Kasugai Crow.
Shiro-chan pushed open the window, flapping its wings to land precisely on Kuguruma Natsunishi's shoulder. In its talons, it held a small roll of blood-stained cloth.
"Emergency orders! Yokohama Port Area, Warehouse Three! Multiple demons confirmed! Corps members trapped! Immediate backup! Immediate backup!"
The dojo fell instantly silent. The five instructors stared in shock at this surreal scene.
The crow... the crow spoke!
Kuguruma Natsunishi took a deep breath and slowly stood tall. After a slight nod to the head instructor, he walked to the corner of the dojo and picked up his gear.
"My apologies, today's training must end here. Thank you for your hard work."
Kuguruma Natsunishi took a few running steps, leaped at the edge of the dojo, caught the window frame with one hand, and his figure vanished gracefully into the streets outside. His speed and agility far exceeded those of a normal human.
Once Kuguruma Natsunishi left, the black-belt instructors seemed to exhale in collective relief, collapsing onto the floor one after another. After a full minute, the eldest head instructor finally let out a long breath. Massaging his aching wrist, he said dryly, "That kid... he wasn't using his full strength at all."
"More than just not using full strength..." Another person lay sprawled out, complaining without any pretense of dignity, "When I landed a kick, it felt like I was hitting a solid wooden post. He only looks about fifteen, yet he's actually more powerful than us who have trained for years. All those years of training... wasted."
The remaining two instructors, who hadn't been knocked down, looked at each other.
"Just now... that crow, it spoke, didn't it?"
"Demons, members... emergency mission... that doesn't sound like work for the Police Department."
"I say, Boss, who exactly is that kid?"
The head instructor lowered his voice. "He was a boy introduced by the Igarashi family. I originally thought he was a genius martial artist from the Police Department..."
A younger instructor added, "But looking at this, that's not right, is it? Speaking of which, have you heard the recent rumors? My wife heard it at a tea party. They say the Tokyo Police Department has secretly established a department specifically for handling supernatural incidents. What was it called..."
Another instructor took over the conversation. He had a relative in Yamanashi who had seen this hidden group and had even been helped by them.
"I heard it's called Special Task Section 9, or the Demon Hunter Mobile Unit, something like that." According to his distant relative, every member possessed extraordinary skills. They were samurai and shrine maidens responsible for dealing with great monsters.
The young instructor gasped. "Could Kuguruma-kun be..."
"Stop guessing!" the head instructor barked, but his eyes also flickered with uncertain light. "In some matters, not knowing is better than knowing. Everything that happened here today, including that crow and our guesses—not a single word to the outside world! Understand?"
The others nodded solemnly. However, a mixture of awe, fear, and faint excitement had already taken root in their hearts.
I definitely have to talk to my wife/bros/dad about this incredible stuff when I get home today! each of them thought individually.
Certain rumors were destined to grow quietly in the undercurrents of Yokohama in ways Kuguruma Natsunishi would never know—ways that were more secretive and far more exaggerated.
"A-choo!"
Kuguruma Natsunishi sneezed. As he hurried along, he thought to himself: Can you catch a cold in this game?