A/N: This is going to be the only chapter with less than 1200 words at least. I just couldn't fill the chapter and I didn't want to bombard you with explanation of what physical resistance is, what pain resistance is etc.
If I did that I could have easily gotten 2000-3000 words 😂. So for me being so considerate. Please comment on the chapter, review the novel and drop some powerstones.
Enjoy
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A boundless darkness stretched in every direction — a silence so deep it swallowed even thought itself.
Haru found himself floating there, weightless, as if untethered from time. And then, before his eyes, his entire life began to unfold like a film projected against the void.
From his first cry as a newborn… to the endless hours of sword training under the Minamoto banner… to that final stand beneath a blood-red sun.
He watched it all — his triumphs, his failures, the fleeting moments of laughter, and the long years of war.
He spoke softly, almost amused.
"So I really died, huh…"
The memory of that final battle replayed again — blades cutting through his armor, the burning ache that had long since vanished.
"I was cut so much I stopped feeling pain altogether," he murmured. "Some might think I was fighting on instinct alone, but… I really couldn't feel anything at all."
Then, a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the void:
> [Pain Resistance: Acquisition successful]
[Physical Attack Resistance: Acquisition successful]
Haru didn't hear it. His eyes were still on the scenes before him — on the boy who had once dreamed of peace in a world of endless war.
"Experiencing the gate between life and death is… weird," he continued. "It's not what I expected. First, I felt hot — very hot, like I was burning all over…"
> [Heat Resistance: Acquisition successful]
"…then, after a while, it started feeling cold. Really cold…"
> [Cold Resistance: Acquisition successful]
[Acquisition of Heat and Cold Resistance results in merging to new skill: Thermal Fluctuation Resistance]
He let out a small, self-deprecating laugh.
"I couldn't even ask Hima out… because I was terrible at speaking to girls. If only—if only I'd been better at that."
> [Acquisition of Extra Skill: "Slick Tongue" — Successful]
Haru sighed, watching as his life's final moments began to fade from the screen of memory.
"So my life's movie is coming to an end. What an uneventful life…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"At least I died as a legend — from my own eyes, at least."
> [Detecting dual souls in traveler]
[Due to dual souls. Traveler demonstrates advanced comprehension of soul structure]
[Attempting acquisition of Unique Skill: "Soul Scholar"]
[Acquisition successful]
"I really do hope the Minamoto won," he said quietly. "Otherwise, my last-ditch speech would've been an utter joke."
> [Acquisition of Intrinsic Skill: "Magic Resistance" — Successful]
[Acquisition of Intrinsic Skill: "Spirit Possession" — Successful]
> [Traveler has successfully been reborn as a Lesser Demon]
And then — silence.
The visions vanished. The darkness folded in on itself.
Everything went blank.
…
When Haru next opened his eyes, moonlit light spilled across his vision.
"Huh…" he muttered, his voice hoarse. "Where… am I?"
---
The cave was silent except for the faint dripping of water somewhere in the dark.
Haru sat against the cold stone wall, arms loosely resting on his knees, staring into the still air.
It had been a few minutes since he woke up — enough time to piece together at least something.
"I still have no idea where I am," he muttered to himself. "But if this isn't a dream… then it's most definitely reincarnation."
His voice echoed softly through the cavern.
"And if it's the latter, then the world I've reincarnated into is a very weird one."
For the past few minutes, he had been trying to understand one thing in particular — why he could see his own soul.
Yes. He could literally see it.
It wasn't like looking into a mirror or feeling something within. It was direct — visible, tangible, a swirling brilliance of energy floating just before him.
After a while of studying it, he realized why.
He could do this because of something called a Unique Skill — Soul Scholar.
It allowed him to see, damage, and interact with his own soul and even the souls of other beings.
"Incredibly broken would be the correct term," he thought to himself. "What kind of stupidly powerful ability is this?"
Still, he decided to move through what he had discovered so far.
The other skills he possessed were something called Resistances. Anything that had "Resistance" in its name — Pain Resistance, Physical Attack Resistance, Thermal Fluctuation Resistance — gave him a high tolerance to those effects. They could still hurt him, but only after considerable effort from whoever tried.
Then there were Intrinsic Skills — abilities tied to his race.
He still had no idea what he had reincarnated as but it was very disgusting.
His was lean and shadow-gray, with curved horns and faint goatlike features. Golden pupils with a maroon sectre glowed beneath tousled black hair, and he had cloven hooves.
When he first saw his appearance he couldn't believe it, he looked like an Oni. He prayed that was not a certain reality.
But whatever his race was, it was definitely powerful, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was. So for now he believed his was an Oni.
Next was an Extra Skill — Slick Tongue.
Apparently, it let him articulate himself better in speech.
He sighed. "I could've used this when I was still alive… maybe I would've actually managed to ask Hima out."
Thinking about the past didn't help, though, so he brushed it aside.
There was also another section labeled Ultimate Skill — but that one had a huge lock symbol over it. He couldn't even interact with it.
"My guess is… I don't have it yet," he thought.
What he could tell, however, was that his soul was massive. Thanks to Soul Scholar, he could measure it — and compared to what he now understood as a "normal" soul, his was far from it.
Whatever he had become, it wasn't ordinary.
Either way, this was his reality now. He had to gather information somehow.
When he stepped out of the cave earlier, he had seen the moon hanging above — meaning it was night. So, for now, he decided to wait until morning to understand where he had landed.
"I feel uncomfortable without my sword," he admitted quietly. "But with all these abilities… I guess I'll be fine."
A small smile crossed his face.
"I'm sure I'm the most powerful being in this world. I mean… it can't be normal for one person to have five, six, seven skills, right?"
The thought made his smile widen ever so slightly — the faintest flicker of confidence in the dim glow of the cave.
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