Pearl lingered, utterly captivated by the Profound Feather Pen.
The combination of its automatic writing feature—which would be revolutionary for any student—and its promised defense made it irresistible.
She knew her father would gladly pay for a genuine artifact.
To formally bond the pen to its owner, Pearl had to put a single drop of her blood onto its nib.
She did it without the slightest hesitation, her trust in Jaune already absolute.
That level of blind faith from an heiress Jaune had known for an hour made him feel a strange blend of warmth and fear.
Pearl's bodyguards transferred 100,000 lien to Jaune's account, giving him the funds he desperately needed.
She left after and told him that she would visit him often.
"I have a silver coin now! Yupee!"
Jaune cheered internally, looking at the newly updated balance.
"Ciel, is there anything worth buying with a silver coin that can help me right now?"
[The Host is now fully aware of the local threats and has acquired sufficient currency for protection. The Host's primary weakness is the inability to fully utilize the God Physical Body in combat. The Host needed something called a Cultivation Technique or a master-level skill. Doubled with the Host's enhanced durability and speed potential, this will be the most effective way to protect himself. Here is the best option for a single silver coin.]
Skill—Kaminari No Kokyo (Thunder Breathing Technique)
Origin—Demon Slayer World
Rank—Silver
Price—1 msc
Jaune didn't question Ciel; the system had provided the best solution every time.
He bought it, and an immense flood of complex information—breathing forms, muscle utilization, and focused movement—poured into his mind.
"Oh my Oum! Kaminari No Kokyu is super strong!"
Jaune felt the instantaneous, visceral understanding of the technique.
"I can move even faster than Ruby!"
And with his God Physical Body, which provided stamina far beyond a normal human's, he knew he could withstand using the high-intensity technique for prolonged periods.
Jaune immediately tested it.
He focused, drawing a deep, precise breath, and tiny arcs of brilliant, pale lightning began to spark around his new body.
With a simple, focused jump, he launched himself into the sky, the Thunder Breathing giving him explosive initial acceleration.
"Haha, with this technique, if I were to join the Beacon initiation, I would not die because of the tree!"
Jaune laughed, using the Flight Necklace to help him control the direction, then engaging the Kaminari No Kokyu to propel himself through the air.
The combined speed was terrifyingly fast, exponentially quicker than just using the necklace.
He flew around for a brief, exhilarating moment, testing his movements, then returned to the shop.
He was now fast, but he still needed a weapon.
"I need to get back my family heirloom. Crocea Mors should be inside the Emerald Forest, right where I… died."
Jaune was preparing to ask Ciel for directions to the Emerald Forest, when he realized someone was waiting for him at his shop.
It was Qrow Branwen, and next to him was a striking, beautiful woman with blonde hair pulled into a severe ponytail, dressed in an immaculate white suit.
Jaune immediately recognized her.
"Isn't that Professor Glynda Goodwitch? Why is she here with Qrow?"
Jaune muttered, a feeling of deep dread washing over him.
His fabricated history was about to be revealed.
But does it matter? To her he already died.
Glynda Goodwitch had been sent here with Qrow to personally check on the bizarre new establishment and its strange proprietor.
Ozpin had high, desperate expectations.
He had used the Remedy on Amber, the current Fall Maiden, and a miracle had indeed happened—it helped pull her out of her coma, though she still needed time to recover from her injuries.
Glynda carried a physical file containing Jaune's forged transcripts.
He had never gone to any combat school and had sent Beacon fake papers.
However, Ozpin—operating on the logic that all heroes he knew had a screw loose and that Jaune came from a long line of heroes—was willing to overlook a great deal.
Jaune pushed the dread down and approached the counter with a forced smile.
"Hello, what can I do for you today?"
Glynda heard a melodic, naturally pleasant male voice.
It was calming and oddly familiar, but she focused on the man himself.
She took one look at Jaune's new visage and felt a genuine shock.
She compared the face before her to the grainy, pale, average picture on his transcripts.
"You even faked your face,"
Glynda stated, her usual stern demeanor momentarily shattered by disbelief.
"Why?"
The man before her was super handsome—chiseled, radiating health, and possessing an oddly captivating charisma—but he still had that familiar, slightly goofy energy that marked him as the boy she remembered from the documents.
He was the most handsome fraud she had ever encountered.