The face staring back at her from the card... Selene knew it instantly. It was Samanosuke Akechi, the protagonist from the old Onimusha games she used to play! How on earth did she pull him?
Is it because I'm learning swordsmanship now? Does the system draw cards based on my current path? The possibilities swirled in her mind.
More importantly, how did these cards actually work? Eager for answers, Selene focused her intent, probing the card's details within the system interface.
[Akechi Samanosuke Hidemitsu]
Card Rarity: 3-Star (Purple)Title: Onimusha (Ogre Warrior)Level: 1Strength: 50Speed: 50HP: 50Nen: 50Skills:True Issen: Counterattack with extreme speed for massive damage precisely as an enemy attack is about to land.Deflect Issen: After parrying an attack, immediately launch an extremely fast counterattack for massive damage.Chain Issen: If initiated before the window for an Issen closes, subsequent attacks can deal continuous massive damage.Bonds:Obtain Kaede: HP +32%Obtain Mori Ranmaru: Strength +25%Obtain Oda Nobunaga: Nen +20%
A three-star card, fittingly possessing three skills. Selene's eyes lit up as she read the descriptions. Issen! That was the absolute core mechanic of the Onimusha games, the high-risk, high-reward counter system she remembered spending hours mastering. A flicker of genuine excitement sparked within her.
[Card obtained. Equip to Card Slot?]
The system prompted coolly. "Yes! Equip!" Selene confirmed without hesitation, impatient to see the effect.
The interface shifted, displaying her 'Team' setup. Including her own 'Host' character slot, there were six potential slots for equipping cards. However, only two were currently unlocked. She slotted the Samanosuke card into the first available one. The remaining four slots showed small padlock icons. Just like any other game, Selene deduced wryly. Probably need to level up my own character to unlock more slots.
The moment the card settled into place, Selene felt a distinct, albeit subtle, shift within herself. Checking her own status again, she saw the tangible results:
Strength: 7 + 15
Speed: 5 + 15
HP: 10 + 15
Nen: 0 + 15
[Card Equipped. 'Nen' attribute activated!]
Oh! That was unexpected, but incredibly welcome. She'd been wondering how to awaken that dormant 'Nen' stat, and just equipping a card had done it. A definite plus.
Doing some quick mental math, Selene queried the system, "So, a 3-star card grants 30% of its base stats?"
[Correct. 1-Star grants 10%, 2-Star grants 20%, and so on. A maximum 5-Star Card provides a 50% stat bonus.]
Selene nodded, satisfied with that. "Can the cards themselves be improved?"
[Yes. Cards have their own levels. Increasing a card's level raises its base stats, which then proportionally increases the bonus granted to the Host. Cards can also be Ascended to higher star ratings, increasing both base stats and the percentage bonus. Card Ascension requires specific materials and duplicates. Recharging Diamonds can accelerate the cultivation process!]
"Right, recharging..." Selene sighed internally. "Can we maybe table the 'recharge' talk until I actually have, you know, money?" she thought sarcastically, before asking aloud, "How does Ascension work exactly?"
[Acquire duplicate character fragments and use Ascension Stones. Obtaining a duplicate 3-Star card automatically converts it into 30 Character Fragments.]
Selene navigated to the Ascension tab for the Samanosuke card. Her brief flicker of hope dimmed. To ascend him to 4-Stars required a staggering 120 character fragments. That meant she needed to pull four more identical copies of this specific 3-Star card.
Yeah, that's going to take a while... she thought, resigned. A long while.
Shifting her focus, she examined her own skill list again, hoping to see the powerful Issen techniques added.
But her skill list remained disappointingly sparse: just the single entry for [Basic Swordsmanship].
"Wait, I can't use the card's skills?" she asked the system, a touch of panic rising.
[Host must meet the prerequisite foundational skill level to utilize equipped card skills.]
Of course. With a sinking feeling, Selene checked the Samanosuke card again where it sat in her equipped slot. The skill descriptions had indeed updated with new requirements:
True Issen: ...Requires [Swordsmanship - Beginner]Deflect Issen: ...Requires [Swordsmanship - Intermediate] Activation.Chain Issen: ...Requires [Swordsmanship - Advanced] Activation.
And she was still stuck at plain old [Basic Swordsmanship]...
With a heavy sigh, Selene mentally withdrew from the system interface. It seemed there was no shortcut. If she wanted to use these powerful abilities, she had no choice but to grind her own fundamental skills relentlessly.
For the rest of the morning, Selene didn't resume her physical training. Instead, she sat quietly in seiza within the dojo, focusing on her breathing, allowing her protesting muscles to recover. It was another technique Master Koshiro had taught her – a form of mindful breathing meditation that seemed to help clear lactic acid faster than any massage. The deep, rhythmic breaths slowly eased the trembling in her limbs and the fiery ache deep within her muscles.
She remained there, lost in the quiet focus, until midday, when Kuina arrived carrying a tray laden with food.
The dojo Selene now called home was named Isshin Dojo. It was surprisingly spacious, but only a few people actually resided there permanently. There was Master Koshiro, the owner; his daughter, Kuina; Selene herself, the adopted eldest disciple; and Koshiro's own junior martial brother, Sosuke, a middle-aged man with a neat mustache who served as an assistant instructor. He was the "adult" Kuina could supposedly defeat that Koshiro had mentioned earlier.
These four lived on the premises. The gaggle of younger boys who trained there were all residents of Shimotsuki Village and went home for meals.
Now, however, there was a new permanent resident joining their meals: Zoro.
As the only female actively involved in the dojo's daily running besides Selene, Kuina handled most of the cooking. Her skills were quite good, Selene had discovered, and she always enjoyed the simple but nourishing meals.
Seeing Kuina approach, Selene offered a tired smile and rose to help set the low table with bowls and chopsticks.
They sat facing each other, ready to eat. "Where's Master?" Selene asked, noticing Koshiro's absence.
"I already took Father his meal," Kuina replied softly.
Selene nodded, not pressing further, and began to eat.
Over the past three months, Selene had noticed a subtle pattern. When speaking of Koshiro, Kuina almost always used the formal, respectful term "Chichi-ue" (Father), sometimes even adding the honorific "-sama". Selene couldn't recall ever hearing her use a more familiar, affectionate term like "Otou-san" (Dad) or "Papa".
The difference in address spoke volumes about the level of intimacy, or lack thereof. Selene sensed a distinct, almost formal distance between Kuina and her father.
Based on her observations during her time here, Selene had pieced together a likely reason for this strained dynamic. Master Koshiro, despite his perpetually gentle smile and kind demeanor towards everyone, harbored deeply ingrained traditional beliefs. He had desperately wanted a son to inherit the Isshin Dojo and carry on his legacy. Fate, however, had given him a daughter through Kuina's late mother.
And in Koshiro's traditional view, a woman, limited by her physiology, could never reach the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship, could never truly be the strongest.
While Koshiro undoubtedly loved Kuina, this underlying disappointment occasionally surfaced in his words or actions, subtle hints of regret. Kuina, being intelligent and perceptive, surely sensed her father's unspoken wish. Perhaps in an effort to bridge that gap, to earn his full approval and perhaps his deeper affection, Kuina had begun to mold herself into the son he never had.
She kept her hair short, trained relentlessly, pushing herself to become stronger than anyone else in the dojo, even defeating Sosuke, her father's own junior. All of it, Selene suspected, was a desperate attempt to prove she was worthy, that she could inherit the dojo and fulfill his ambitions.
It was a silent plea for her father's complete love and acceptance.
Tragically, Selene believed Kuina's efforts were ultimately futile. They couldn't sway Koshiro's deeply rooted conviction that a girl couldn't truly inherit his path. Kuina herself might not have fully grasped this devastating reality, but Selene, with her adult perspective from another world, saw the heartbreaking truth with painful clarity.
"Big Sis Selene? What are you thinking about?"
Kuina's voice pulled Selene from her somber reflections. She looked up to see Kuina regarding her with curious, wide eyes.
"Ah... This grilled fish is delicious!" Selene said quickly, forcing a bright smile. "Kuina, your cooking gets better every day!" She deftly changed the subject.
"Oh, Mr. Helmeppo, the fisherman from the village, gave it to us this morning!" Kuina replied, her expression softening into a genuinely sweet, girlish smile – a rare sight Selene cherished, usually only glimpsed during these quiet, domestic moments.
They continued eating and chatting amiably. Suddenly, the relative peace was shattered as a figure burst unceremoniously into the room.
It was Zoro, drenched in sweat, clearly having just finished another grueling, self-imposed training session. Spotting Selene and Kuina eating, he immediately started yelling.
"Hey! No fair! You guys started eating without me! Where's mine?!"