"Huh?"
Ryukawa froze.
This was…
Just falling from the sky for free?
He had been a little tempted by that killing move earlier, but he hadn't obsessed over it.
Yet now—
Surprise landed right on his head?
At that very moment, while Ryukawa stood there stunned…
A tidal wave of knowledge surged violently into his mind, rushing through every corner of his consciousness.
He absorbed it all instinctively.
A moment later—
Ryukawa opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed inside them.
The wooden sword in his hand…
Suddenly felt different.
More familiar.
More natural.
Almost like an extension of his arm.
He could feel the changes in his body—clearer than ever before.
Following the newly flooded knowledge in his mind, Ryukawa raised his wooden sword and aimed it at a nearby training post.
Then—
Without any hesitation—
He swung.
A faint streak of red sword energy wrapped around the blade. And the instant the wooden sword cut downward, that red aura found its outlet and released all at once.
It shot toward the post.
Bang!
A crisp sound echoed.
Crack!
A deep fissure tore through the center of the wooden pillar—clean, penetrating all the way through, leaving a gaping hole as if a giant insect had tunneled straight through it.
Splinters rained across the floor.
Ryukawa just stood there, staring blankly at the wooden post three meters away.
His gaze locked onto the fissure in its center.
Unblinking.
His sword had never touched the wood…
Yet the sword aura alone had pierced it from a distance of three meters.
"This is…"
"Sword aura? A sword wave?"
Looking down, he could clearly see the wooden fragments scattered across the floor.
The wooden sword hadn't made contact—
But the sword aura had formed.
And that aura had slashed the post apart.
After his moment of shock passed, excitement surged through Ryukawa.
Sword aura.
He had actually unleashed sword aura!
That was the entry threshold for a true swordsman!
He hadn't expected—
He'd reach it so quickly.
"Iai One-Sword Slash… just like that, I'm already at entry level?"
His heart pounded wildly.
It was only now…
That he fully grasped the system's monstrous power.
Not only did it strengthen his swordsmanship, strength, and speed—
Simply swinging the sword enough times would reward him with destructive sword techniques.
A killing move lost and then regained…
His anticipation for the future burned even brighter.
"With a proper killing move, my strength has taken an enormous leap. In a real fight, raw power and speed alone won't guarantee victory."
"A swordsman needs techniques. Techniques with killing intent."
"No matter how refined your basics are, without a killing move, your destructive power is limited."
Ryukawa inhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
He summoned his status panel.
[Host: Ryukawa]
[Strength: 41 (+5)]
[Speed: 40 (+5)]
[Stamina: 43 (+4)]
[Skills: Swordsmanship Lv9 (+1)]
[ Ittoryu — Iai One-Sword Slash Lv1]
[Total sword swings: 601]
"Just entry level… still a long way to go."
"Swordsmanship must rise. Killing moves must rise with it. A powerful sword style needs powerful finishing moves, or it'll never show its full potential."
He raised his wooden sword again.
Lift.
Swing.
Swing again.
The same motion, repeated endlessly.
To others, it might look boring, pointless, even masochistic.
To Ryukawa—
It was the fastest path to power.
As long as he swung his sword, he would continue to grow stronger at a monstrous rate—
So fast others would never be able to catch up.
Only by swinging—
Could he feel truly alive.
[Ding! Total sword swings: 700]
[Reward: Iai One-Sword Slash +1 level]
Time passed quickly.
Three hours soon slipped by.
Kozaburo arrived right on schedule, striding into the dojo and stopping beside Ryukawa.
"Boy. Let this old man see what three hours did for you."
He didn't bother with small talk.
Kozaburo was genuinely curious—
How much could this so-called "genius" improve after a single demonstration of Iai One-Sword Slash?
Could he reach entry level?
"Impossible."
"Even the brightest prodigy in Wano couldn't fully grasp it within three hours. It's a high-difficulty killing move."
Kozaburo concluded internally.
No matter how gifted Ryukawa was, that much was unrealistic.
"At best, I'll see how many key concepts the brat understood. That's what I'm really testing."
Kozaburo watched him expectantly.
Meanwhile—
Ryukawa was debating.
Should he go all out?
Should he show the full extent of the technique he'd already mastered?
Seeing him hesitate, Kozaburo sighed lightly.
"Boy, even if you didn't reach entry level, it's fine. This move isn't something you learn in a few hours. It's normal not to grasp it yet."
"What I want to see—
Is how much progress you've made."
Hearing this, Ryukawa made his decision.
No holding back.
In Kozaburo's expectant gaze—
Ryukawa said nothing.
He simply raised his wooden sword.
Facing the training post.
The wooden blade emitted a sharp presence, almost like tempered steel.
"Hm? The aura's not bad. But how much of the technique has he really grasped…?"
Kozaburo narrowed his eyes.
Then—
Ryukawa moved.
No flourish.
No wasted motion.
Just a single clean, decisive downward cut.
Simple.
Efficient.
And—
Brimming with power.
A streak of faint red sword aura burst forth from the blade, coiling tightly around its edge before shooting ahead like a fiery whip.
"Iai One-Sword Slash!"
Though the wooden sword and post were five meters apart—
The sword aura detonated forward across the distance.
And struck.
BOOM!!!
The entire wooden post split apart at the middle, blowing into fragments that scattered across the air like a cloudburst.
Silence.
Utter silence.
The atmosphere became eerie.
Not a single sound.
Kozaburo's jaw fell open.
His aged face went stiff, blank, stunned.
He stared at the scattered remains of the training post—
And the complete devastation across the floor.
At that moment—
Kozaburo was completely dumbfounded.
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