Chapter 2 Born with the Mark, Perceiving the Transparent World!
All was silent.
In the distance lay a boundless sea. The shimmering waves on its surface cautiously reflected against the gray sky.
"Sure enough... it is the sea."
"Am I... on an island?!"
The cave was located at the top of a mountain. Yoriichi Tsugikuni, wearing nothing but a pair of tattered linen shorts and a coarse sleeveless animal-skin vest, stood on the open ground before the cave entrance, gazing into the distance.
The climate of this world was very strange. Last night, the air outside the cave had been bone-chillingly cold, yet as soon as morning came, the temperature immediately warmed. The bizarre shift left Yoriichi momentarily unsure how to adapt.
"First... I should take a look at the surrounding environment."
After taking several deep breaths of fresh air, Yoriichi returned briefly to the cave. Before long, he came out again, holding his long sword. He glanced around, then followed the only small path leading down the mountain from the cave entrance.
It could be seen that the cave's previous inhabitant had already lived there for quite some time there were clear signs of human clearing and modification around the entrance.
Before long, Yoriichi's figure disappeared into the dense forest.
…
This was a primitive forest, filled with towering ancient trees that reached high into the clouds.
The branches intertwined, and the lush, spreading canopy of leaves formed a green sky, blocking the blue heavens completely. As the sea breeze brushed past, the leaves rustled softly like the sigh of a great dragon.
Along the way, Yoriichi encountered many strange plants he had never seen or even heard of before. He was often drawn to these peculiar plants and would occasionally stop to observe them. It wasn't simply out of curiosity he just wanted to see if any of these plants bore familiar fruits that could serve as food.
Yoriichi had not forgotten the scene inside the cave yesterday. In that entire cave, the only thing that could barely be considered "food" was that paste-like substance. If given the choice, he would absolutely rather not eat that again.
Unfortunately, along his path so far, he hadn't seen a single plant that looked like a fruit tree.
"Roar!!!"
Suddenly, a loud and piercing roar exploded from deep within the forest. A moment later, a foul fishy wind surged toward Yoriichi.
He instinctively leaped backward, his toes lightly touching the ground as he sprang several meters away in an instant. The very next second, a massive claw came crashing down where he had just stood, smashing into the ground with a thunderous impact that left the earth covered in web-like cracks.
"What is that?!"
Focusing his gaze, Yoriichi saw a massive tiger, nearly ten meters long, emerge before him.
However, this tiger was far beyond anything within Yoriichi's understanding. Even setting aside its enormous size, the two fangs protruding from its jaws each nearly half a meter long made Yoriichi's vision blur for a moment.
Being stared down by such a monstrous beast, Yoriichi's current body reacted instinctively the hair on his arms and neck stood on end. At some point, his long sword had already been drawn from its scabbard. His expression grew solemn as he faced the creature before him this abnormally large "tiger."
"Roar!!!"
With another furious bellow, the massive tiger, having missed its first strike, suddenly lunged forward, pouncing straight toward Yoriichi. Its enormous front claws slashed fiercely at him, carrying a heavy, fishy gust that nearly took his breath away.
One could only imagine how many creatures had already died beneath those claws.
At that critical moment, Yoriichi's mind became crystal clear. His breathing rhythm quietly shifted.
The giant tiger's movements seemed to slow before his eyes and the entire world within his vision changed dramatically.
Transparent World!
By focusing and shutting out unnecessary senses, a living being's body would appear almost transparent. One's movement speed, ability to predict attacks, and evasion capacity would all increase dramatically. The flow of blood within the opponent's lungs and vessels became visible, and even one's own muscle contractions could be perceived and controlled more precisely. When necessary, one could freely suppress their fighting aura as heightened perception made the enemy's movements appear slower.
In this world, Yoriichi awakened this terrifying innate ability something that should have been his by birth.
From Yoriichi's perspective, every organ within the massive tiger became vividly clear. Its enormous heart throbbed with terrifying vitality, expanding and contracting with each beat.
If Yoriichi had to make a comparison, the lifeforce of this tiger was not much different from that of the Lower Moon demon he had once slain.
"I can see it! Just like before I can see everything!"
"Sun Breathing — First Form: Dance!"
The familiar sight before him made Tsugikuni Yoriichi's tension vanish in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, his blade flashed three times.
The enormous claws lunging toward him missed their mark completely, sweeping past on either side like wild horses breaking free of their reins.
A heartbeat later, blood burst forth, splattering across the ground as the thick metallic scent filled the air.
Thud!
The massive tiger that had struck at him collapsed with a deafening crash, its blood quickly soaking into the earth.
The beast's corpse lay there, both forelegs severed cleanly at the roots, leaving behind smooth, flat cross-sections. Blood poured endlessly from the wounds, and a deep gash split its massive head open, flesh and gore streaming together.
With wounds like that, it was no wonder such a monstrous tiger had died in an instant.
Yoriichi was just about to sheath his sword and step forward for a closer look when something caught his attention. He halted abruptly and lifted his gaze toward the canopy above.
Whoosh!
A loud noise rang out overhead.
A strange bird tore through the thick foliage, swooping downward. In the next instant, a dark shadow flickered before Yoriichi's eyes the creature's talons clamped onto the tiger's corpse.
With a single beat of its wings, it lifted off, vanishing from sight with its prize in tow.
"What kind of world is this…?"
Yoriichi stood frozen, stunned by the scene before him.
If his eyes hadn't deceived him, that bird's wingspan must have stretched close to twenty meters.
He had never seen such a creature before the vitality pulsing from its heart was even stronger than that of the tiger moments ago.
Perhaps on par with a Lower Moon of the middle ranks, he thought.
Of course, that only referred to its life force, not necessarily its actual strength.
Two bizarre creatures appearing one after another filled Yoriichi with curiosity.
What kind of world could give birth to such strange, powerful beings?
And this body astonishingly it could sustain Total Concentration Constant breathing with ease, without the slightest strain.
Each sword swing felt smoother, more effortless than ever before.
That dodge from the tiger's earlier attack had been nothing but instinct, a reflexive motion of the body.
Without question, this body was even stronger than the one he had before!
As he pieced these clues together, Yoriichi began to form a suspicion.
Could it be… that this is a world of cultivation?
The thought lingered as he walked to where the tiger's claws had fallen.
Though calling them claws wasn't quite right since he'd severed them from the roots, "tiger legs" seemed more fitting.
Each leg was three to four meters long and must have weighed a tremendous amount.
"They should be… edible, right?"
"Well, at least I've gotten something out of this. No need to try that paste anymore."
"If this really is a cultivation world, this would count as a spirit beast, wouldn't it? Given its size."
"I wonder if spirit beast meat is really like the legends say one meal and you become strong and vigorous, able to sprint up five flights of stairs without losing your breath."
Muttering to himself, Yoriichi moved to cut off some meat from the leg but as he approached, a strange and absurd thought crossed his mind.
He sheathed his blade, wrapped his hands around the tiger's leg, and decided to try lifting it.
He hadn't expected much but when he exerted strength, the entire leg rose easily from the ground.
Even more astonishingly, he didn't feel any strain at all.
"What kind of monstrous strength is this?"
Yoriichi couldn't make sense of the terrifying power in his new body. But he didn't dwell on it after all, he'd already been through transmigration twice now.
Having a body blessed with immense strength hardly seemed surprising anymore.
Yoriichi attributed all this to heaven's favor perhaps, after all, heaven's most beloved child wasn't that little brat who loved drinking beast milk.
(End of chapter)