After observing the goblin camp, Kenji turned his attention to the rooftop. While on his way up, he had grabbed several books for classes, and since he was proficient with some minor survival skills, he was able to make a small fire.
As the flames flickered to life, he retrieved a piece of frozen meat from his inventory. It took a long time to cook, but it was finally ready after an hour. The rich aroma filled the air, and Kenji savoured every bite, eating to his heart's content. He felt at ease, having thoroughly surveyed his surroundings for potential threats, confident that he was safe.
Yet, he reminded himself that one could never be too sure of the dangers lurking around. Keeping a blade close by, he stayed alert; his senses heightened as he enjoyed his meal.
After enjoying his meal, Kenji reached for the water bottle he had discovered while exploring the hallway. With relief, he took a long drink, quenching his thirst. The cool water refreshed him, washing away the fatigue from the last day's events.
Feeling revitalized, he glanced around, ensuring everything remained quiet in the morning sun. With his blade at his side and the warmth of the crackling fire, Kenji settled in.
Kenji reopened the system interface, eager to check his status. To his satisfaction, everything seemed to be in good condition. He noticed his Adapt skill had evolved, now featuring a sub-skill: Poison Resistance, healing.
Curious about his newfound ability, Kenji retrieved a poisoned arrow from his inventory and carefully tested the tip against his skin. As the toxin made contact, he focused intently, but to his surprise, he felt nothing, no tingling, just an unsettling emptiness.
Player Info after
Name: Kenji Mochizuki
Level: 4
Class: Novice
Yin: Locked
Stats/Attributes:
Agility: 15/15
Strength: 16/20 +(1)
Stamina: 13/15 +(2)
Intelligence: 13/13
Unique Skills: Adapt, Heightened Senses
Accumulated points awaiting distribution: 2
He furrowed his brow, puzzled by the lack of reaction. Had the poison lost its potency, or was his resistance stronger than he realized? This was more than just an experiment; it was a crucial step in understanding his limits and enhancing his survival skills in this dangerous world. Kenji knew he would need to investigate further to fully comprehend the extent of his abilities.
Kenji looked at his inventory of goblin blades, realizing they wouldn't help against powerful monsters. He remembered the sickle-wielding goblin he had previously fought, how his blade's durability had gradually declined in battle.
He knew he needed better weapons. "I have to find a stronger weapon," he thought as he opened the system to find better equipment.
At level five, Kenji accessed the system to browse an impressive array of weapons, swords, axes, and more. The beautiful designs were enticing, but he focused on the detailed stats.
He scanned each weapon's attributes: attack power, durability, and some even had special effects. Kenji needed a blade that could handle stronger monsters. After comparing a few options, he zeroed in on a sturdy sword with high attack and attributes.
Sword Name: "Longreach Blade"
Sword Attributes (E Rank)
Attack Power: 70
Durability: 41
Range: Long (ideal for keeping enemies at bay)
Weight: Moderate (balanced for swift strikes)
Special Effect: Reach Enhancement: continuous successful attack increases attacks by 5 points.
Skill Requirement: novice (level 1)
"The Longreach Blade is worth 500 mana stones. I don't have enough to purchase this," Kenji thought
He noted a frustrating trend as he thought about gathering more mana stones: it now took two goblins to earn just two mana stones instead of the previous one-to-two ratio. This change made hunting feel less rewarding.
Kenji also recalled that he could get better distribution by taking on stronger foes, like the four goblins he had faced earlier, or maybe just hunting a lot. He needed to strategize.
Feeling stuck, Kenji shut down the spiral of thoughts. He drew in a long breath, let it leak out slowly, then turned his eyes back to the weapon categories.
He snorted.
"All these weapons… their durability is trash. A few have higher attack values, sure, but they're no different from the goblin blades I'm using."
The weapons he'd looted from the goblins looked like they were one swing away from snapping, yet their durability matched the items listed in the store. Pathetic.
Realizing that, Kenji immediately dismissed the idea of purchasing anything. No point wasting resources on junk.
Since weapons were not worth looking into, Kenji kept navigating through the system, flipping from the weapon section to the potion tab. Curiosity tugged at him. Potions weren't something he had tried or known about, but now… he needed to understand every tool this new world offered.
The display shifted, revealing rows of glass containers. This row of glass containers had various uses: healing, poison, detoxification potions, among other things, thin horizontal bottles sealed with a brown, foamy stopper. They looked like something a scientist would use in an alchemical lab. The highest-grade one available to him was a D-rank potion. Cheap materials. Weak energy signature. But still worth testing.
Five mana stones.
It stung to spend that much on curiosity alone… but after the recent battle, his body hadn't fully recovered. His adaptive skill gave him a healing factor, but it was annoyingly slow. The poison resistance had fully matured, but the cuts still lingered, deep lines cut of red tracing over his skin.
He bought the potion anyway, and it was added to his inventory.
A notification opened, showing the instructions.Simple: pour the liquid directly onto the wound.
Kenji brought the low-level healing potion and, uncorking the bottle, poured half of the red fluid onto the cut along his arm. Immediately, blue holographic particles floated above the wound, an effect generated by the system, not the potion itself. He watched closely. The skin twitched, tightened, and began knitting itself together. Not instant, but fast.
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes and, the wound completely vanished.
Kenji blinked, surprised… then quietly smiled.
Without hesitation, he bought ten more.
Fifty mana stones gone. No regret.
Next, he examined the two special bottles he'd skipped earlier, one purple, large, and reusable. One held poison, the other paralysis. He didn't have a plan for them yet, but instinct told him they would be crucial.
The level 5 goblins had almost killed him with poison. If not for his adaptive skill, he would've died like a dog on the floor.So he would return the favor by using their own tactic against them. Kenji wasn't fond of poison, but for survival, he would use it.Poison them. Slow them. Break them.
This would be one of his trump cards for stronger enemies.
He kept scrolling.
Then he saw it, an Era Selection tab for weapons, featuring various eras. Kenji clicked the Japanese Era.
When it opened, the interface changed entirely: samurai blades, kunai variants, chain-sickles, old ninja weaponry. Most were visually different but statistically similar to the basic weapons.
The weapons' durability was no different from the one he had seen previously, and with no expectation of purchase, he kept strolling.
Until he saw that weapon.
A belt-like strap. Inside it, a coiled steel wire, thin, durable, transparent under light. At the end was a hybrid blade: half-hook, half-dagger. One end is designed to latch into flesh or armor and never let go. The other sharpened for close combat.
Kenji's breath stilled.
His eyes warmed, not with softness but with memory.
His grandfather.
....
Snow-covered ground, White robe, White katana. Twenty steps apart, Kenji stood holding a katana blade in reverse and a dagger. Then steel meeting steel, Kenji gripping the same kind of hooked-blade weapon in a reverse grip.
The memory hit him like a ghost brushing past his spine.
He checked the price.
1,200 mana stones.
Durability 1,120. Far superior to the pathetic 32, 50, or 80 durability weapons he'd seen or used so far.
He wanted it.Deeply.
But with what was left in his balance… it was impossible.
And then
A sudden system message blinked onto the screen.
New Notification Received
New Notification Received
New Notification Received
He opened Kaga's message, his expression remaining impassive.
"Hey, are you there?"
Kenji took a look at this message, then clicked the long rectangular button below, and a holographic keyboard appeared.
Kenji started typing his reply
"What's up?"
A new notification appeared
"I knew you were alive! How is the outside world like? Any information you can share?" Kaga exclaimed, visibly happy to see Kenji alert. Kenji focused on the system's communication interface, which allowed him to send messages directly.
As Kenji prepared to send his message, another one from Kaga praised his fearless attitude. Kenji read the compliments, but his expression remained calm and cold, unaffected by the praise.
He appreciated Kaga's sentiment, but that wasn't why he had accepted the request. Kenji needed information to know what was happening in the sanctum. With that goal in mind, he focused on crafting a response to steer the conversation toward the details he sought.
"What's going on in the sanctum?" Kenji typed.