In just seven short days, Okane Kichiro had already raised his Water Breathing technique to Level 6.
He didn't know how quickly others advanced their skills—but he was fairly certain that few, if any, could match his speed.
At its current stage, Water Breathing granted him a 3.5-point increase to all attributes whenever activated—a total gain of over ten points across the board. His strength had multiplied several times compared to when he first began.
And when the skill had reached Level 4, a new effect had manifested.
Effect Three: Total Concentration Breathing
Doubles the duration of all breathing techniques and temporarily increases Intelligence by 2 points.
That wasn't the only improvement. Through these days of relentless training, Okane Kichiro's physical strength itself had also grown slightly—proof that not only leveling up could enhance one's base attributes.
Name: Okane Kichiro (Player ID: 7274)
Level: 1
HP: 100%
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 6
Luck: 5
Note: Average adult male base attributes = 5 points. Average Luck = 1 point.
Talent: Transparent World (Gold)
Skill: Water Breathing Lv6 (Purple)
Paradise Credits: 350
Based on Okane Kichiro's calculations, when his skill reached Level 7, it might unlock yet another effect.
At this rate, completing his main quest shouldn't be a problem. What he needed to consider now was how to maximize his gains.
Even if he viewed all of this as just a "game," the early stages were critical. A strong start meant exponential growth—and he intended to turn his early advantage into lasting dominance.
After all, Okane Kichiro didn't believe for a second that the "Paradise System" would let him go free after a single mission.
If he were to measure his current strength in "Shinobus," then under normal conditions, he was roughly 1.2 Shinobus strong.
If he activated Transparent World, that number would soar to at least 4 Shinobus.
This innate talent granted Okane Kichiro tremendous power in the early phase—but it also came at a steep price.
Once activated, battles had to end within minutes, or his own life force would start burning away. Through repeated use, he had learned this much—the hard way.
By this point, his overall strength was quite formidable. But that was largely because this particular Hashira—the Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kōchō—was the least combat-oriented among them. Still, his progress was undeniably outrageous.
Then again, he reminded himself—the Mist Pillar had risen from an ordinary swordsman to a Hashira in just two months.
So for Okane Kichiro, who had already mastered Transparent World, reaching this point wasn't entirely implausible.
However, once Water Breathing reached Level 6, ordinary sparring barely brought improvement anymore. In his mind, Level 7 marked the true threshold of a Hashira's power. Shinobu's own Insect Breathing had stagnated around that stage as well.
What truly irritated Okane Kichiro was how Shinobu stopped sparring with him the moment she realized she could no longer keep up.
She didn't even give him a chance to reclaim his pride.
"You're not… trying to take revenge on a weak woman like me, are you?" she had said, smiling sweetly.
He had really wanted to say "Yes."
But remembering her other occupation—doctor—he wisely swallowed his words.
Aside from swordsmanship, Okane Kichiro had grown increasingly curious about Shinobu's medical skills.
With only a few days left before the Final Selection, and since his breathing technique could barely improve further, he decided to learn some medicine instead.
Who knew? It might come in handy one day. After all—no skill was ever wasted.
"Learning medicine? What a wonderful idea," Shinobu said with a gentle smile. "The Butterfly Estate just happens to be short on staff… Ah, did I say that out loud?"
Her expression was that of a capitalist who'd just discovered free labor.
"Is it too late to regret this?" Okane Kichiro muttered, dark lines forKichiro on his forehead.
Pretending not to hear him, Shinobu turned to Aoi Kanzaki.
"Aoi, I'll leave the next few days to your arrangement. I could use a bit of rest."
"Understood, Lady Shinobu," Aoi said reluctantly.
Despite several days of hard work, Okane Kichiro failed to trigger any Medical or Healing skill notifications.
It was disheartening. Maybe I really have no talent for this, he thought.
"Ow! Ow ow ow! That hurts—stop, I'm dying!!"
The patient beneath his hands screamed in agony, as if his bones were about to snap.
"Stop squirming, or your bones will heal crooked," Okane Kichiro said calmly.
Crack. Crack.
With two crisp sounds, the man's dislocated bone was perfectly set back into place.
His movements were quick, precise—almost instinctual. It seemed that with his Transparent World ability, he possessed a natural knack for orthopedics.
"Lord Kichiro, you're amazing!"
Three young girls nearby watched in awe, eyes sparkling with admiration, before helping him bandage and secure the injury.
"Kichiro! What are you still doing here? The Final Selection starts today!"
Aoi burst into the room, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out. After spending several days together, the two had grown quite familiar with each other.
"Relax—it's just the entrance exam. Do you really think I'd fail?"
"Hmph! Don't get too cocky. Plenty of recruits fail every year. Don't end up falling flat on your face!"
Despite her words, Aoi actually had great faith in him.
She had witnessed his inhuman rate of growth firsthand.
"Here—this is your Nichirin Blade."
[Detected a plot weapon. Spend 500 Paradise Credits to authenticate?]
[Note: Only authenticated weapons can be taken out of derivative worlds.]
"Authentication, huh? Somehow I'm not even surprised."
It was just a standard Nichirin Blade—a transitional weapon at best. Once he passed the Final Selection, the Corps would forge a personalized blade for him anyway.
And with only 350 Paradise Credits left, he couldn't afford authentication even if he wanted to.
"What are you mumbling about? Hurry up!"
Aoi stood by the door, shouting impatiently. Okane Kichiro sighed, gripping his sword with his left hand as he followed her out.
"By the way, there's another Butterfly Estate member taking the test today. Make sure to look after her."
"The Tsuguko, right?"
"That's right," Aoi whispered, pulling him aside.
"This is Kichiro. And this… is Kanao Tsuyuri."
The girl standing before him was delicate and graceful. Okane Kichiro extended his hand.
Kanao glanced at him, then pulled a small coin from her sleeve and flipped it into the air.
After a brief pause, she looked down, caught it—and took his hand.
"Please take care of me," she said softly.
"...Of course."
"Kanao doesn't talk much," Aoi explained. "You'll get used to it after a while."
Okane Kichiro already knew her story. It didn't bother him in the least.
Besides, for a girl this cute, a little patience was only natural.