Chapter 130: New Feature Unlocked
Uzui was officially sold.
In terms of technique, physical stats, and sheer combat logic, he had to admit
there was a massive canyon between him and the Natsuya of today. In fact, he
suspected Natsuya hadn't even exerted 70% of his total power during that
exchange.
Despite the significant gains Uzui had made over the last six months, Natsuya
remained leagues ahead, leaving him in the dust.
"I've been schooled... honestly, is every aspect of your character sheet
monster-tier?"
The ninja stood up from the riverbank, drying himself off. His signature
flamboyant grin returned to his face.
"It looks like Lord Uzui's training needs to get even flashier if I want to
close the gap!"
If I take one more step, I'll officially be a Hashira, Uzui thought. Which means
Natsuya is already playing at the Pillar level. He might not even be the weakest
one among them.
If I can reach that tier, Moon-rank or not, I'll be able to delete them in
style!
The initial sting of defeat was rapidly converted into high-octane motivation.
He shouted, "You know what? You should just be the one to train me!"
"I've heard the rumors from the other Slayers. You've got some kind of 'Secret
Training Meta'."
"They say even the weakest Mizunoto scrub can experience a massive stat-boost
after just two months under your 'Guidance'."
Natsuya: [?] Has the effect of my [Mentorship] skill already leaked to the
entire server?
He noticed Sabito standing nearby, his eyes lighting up with the same eager
spark as Uzui's.
"Where did you hear that?" Natsuya asked.
"A kid named Kojiro mentioned it, and the staff at the Butterfly Mansion," Uzui
said, toweling off. "More than one person has vouched for you. What? You aren't
going to refuse your Senior Brother, are you?"
Natsuya shook his head. "Nah. But you're always busy on missions. Managing the
schedule for a Rank 1 veteran would be—"
Sabito stepped forward then, his expression unusually solemn and sincere.
"Senior Natsuya, I have a selfish request as well."
The boy bowed his head.
"Could you... guide me once more?"
"I hunger for strength. I want the power to protect everything I cherish."
Back at Mt. Sagiri, he hadn't fully appreciated the opportunity. But seeing
Natsuya's absolute dominance today—winning a 1v1 while clearly suppressed—made
him realize the true scale of the gap.
Winning against Uzui hadn't surprised Sabito. He honestly couldn't imagine a
scenario where Natsuya lost a duel. What had shocked him was the new "Visual
Effects" Natsuya had displayed.
"Also... could I learn the Breathing Style you just used? That 'Radiant'
feeling... it felt far more powerful than vanilla Water Breathing."
Natsuya had been ready to accept their requests. After all, training one is a
chore, but training two is just efficiency. However, the fox-boy's request made
him pause.
Luminary Breathing was a custom-made UR Card tuned specifically for Natsuya's
body; its compatibility was nearly 100%. If he tried to "Gift" it to Sabito, the
compatibility would drop to rock bottom. Sabito would probably hit a permanent
progression wall.
As for the Primal Breath (Sun Breathing) that it was based on... that was an
even higher requirement. Even the legendary founders of the basic styles
couldn't handle that "Source Code."
"My style is hard-coded to my own stats. You can't just 'Learn' it," Natsuya
explained to Sabito.
"However... a high-tier variant of Water Breathing? I can work with that. I've
actually been brainstorming a few 'Patch Notes' for your build."
Sabito's personality was direct, and his combat style favored frontal
aggression. He was already deviating from the standard "Inclusive and Soft"
Water Breathing meta.
I can't give him a UR style, Natsuya mused. But I can definitely mod him an SR+
tier derivative.
Sabito's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Uzui immediately pointed at himself. "What about me?! I want a flashy mod too!"
Natsuya looked at the meddling ninja. "You?"
"You'd be better off just maxing out your Sound Breathing first. You can't 'Add
Points' like I can. Instead of wasting six months trying to learn a secondary
element, you should push Sound to LV.5."
"Tengen, for you, I can help re-tune your 'Sound' compatibility and lower your
stamina drain. We'll get you to the Constant realm as fast as possible."
As Natsuya was mentally drafting the "Boot Camp" schedule for his two new
"High-Level Sparring Dummies," a sound of wings came from above.
It was a Kasugai Crow.
The coal-black bird landed on a rock by the river, puffing out its chest and
shrieking at Natsuya.
"CAW! ORDERS ARRIVED! PROMOTION DECREE! SLAYER KOKONOE NATSUYA, FOR THE
SUBJUGATION OF LOWER MOON TWO, YOUR MERIT IS ACKNOWLEDGED!"
"EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, YOUR RANK IS ELEVATED TO: KINOE!"
The crow then mentioned the part Natsuya actually cared about.
"THE ASSOCIATED BOUNTY AND REWARDS HAVE BEEN CALCULATED BY THE KAKUSHI AND
DEPOSITED DIRECTLY INTO YOUR DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT!"
"CONTINUE YOUR DILIGENCE! DO NOT SLACK OFF! CAW!"
Natsuya finally broke into a wide grin. The Master's messenger talks way nicer
than my Little Black does.
The bounty for Lower Moon Two had to be significantly higher than the payout for
Rank Five. The numbers in his Central Bank passbook were about to take a very
satisfying leap.
"Kinoe?!"
Uzui stared at him, then slapped Natsuya's shoulder with a roar of laughter.
"HAHAHA! Look at you! Catching up and hitting Rank 1 already! That's some
flashy-ass progression speed!"
Sabito couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Back at Mt. Sagiri, they were just apprentices. Now, he was still a low-rank
Mizunoe, while Natsuya had hit the level cap for regular Slayers.
He jumped ten ranks in six months, Sabito calculated. Is he really going to hit
Hashira before the year is over?
As the crow finished its announcement, a crisp "Ding" echoed in Natsuya's brain.
[Main Quest Updated] [Chapter 2: Become a Kinoe-Rank Slayer] \rightarrow
[Chapter 3: Become one of the Nine Hashira]
[System Feature Unlocked: 'Character Notes/Trivia']
What the hell is that?
Natsuya thought for a second, then shifted his gaze toward the "Flashy Lord"
next to him. Sure enough, behind the green "Friendly NPC" tag above Uzui's head,
a tiny "Notebook" icon had appeared.
He focused his mind and clicked it.
A few lines of floating text appeared, looking like "Developer Fun Facts"
scrawled in the margins of a character sheet.
[Uzui Tengen] Tags: [Harem King], [Rhythm Game Enthusiast], [Muscle-Mouse
Master].
Wait, what?
The devs' sense of humor is actually toxic.
He understood the first two, but "Muscle-Mouse Master"? When did this guy's main
job switch from Shinobi to Pest Control?
"By the way," Natsuya asked, looking at Uzui with suspicion. "Tengen... can you
actually train mice?"
Uzui, who was still praising Natsuya's promotion speed, froze. He blinked, then
stroked his chin with a smug look. "Eh? How did you know?"
"The Uzui clan does have a secret technique for training 'Ninja-Beasts.' I'm
actually quite gifted at training 'High-Grit' mice for scouting and intel
delivery..."
So he really IS a mouse master, Natsuya thought, stifling a laugh. He then
turned his gaze toward Sabito.
The "Notes" above the fox-boy's head were... significantly more serious. And
unsettling.
[Kaji Sabito] Tags: [The True Water Hashira], [The Dead Kind-hearted Senior], [I
was Careless].
Natsuya's heart sank.
Aside from the first tag, none of those looked like "Fun Facts." They looked
like a script for a tragedy.
☆☆☆
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