The air on Mt. Sagiri was thin. For a normal modern human, the hypoxia alone would be enough to cause hallucinations after twenty minutes of exertion.
But Su Chen wasn't entirely normal anymore.
He stood knee-deep in a snowdrift, his breath forming thick white clouds. The magazine-armor on his arms crinkled with every movement, and the heavy iron frying pan hung at his waist like a ridiculous knight's shield.
[Current Status]
Strength: 7.1 (Adult Male Average: 10)
Agility: 8
Constitution: 6
Spirit: 15
Buffs: [Rigor (Minor Pain Resistance)], [Olfactory Sense (Enhanced)], [Charcoal Burner's Lungs].
"My stats are trash," Su Chen muttered, swiping the holographic panel away. "I'm physically weaker than an average Taisho-era farmer. If I didn't copy Tanjiro's lung capacity, I'd have passed out already."
He looked down the mountain path. It disappeared into a dense thicket of bamboo and pine. To the naked eye, it looked like a peaceful, snowy forest.
But to his nose...
Sniff.
Su Chen closed his eyes. The world reshaped itself in his mind, painted in scents.
A sharp, metallic tang of old iron came from three meters ahead—a tripwire connected to a blade.
The smell of disturbed earth and bamboo oil came from the right—a pitfall trap.
The scent of tension in the ropes hidden in the canopy.
"It smells like a minefield," Su Chen grinned. This was the power of a Protagonist's talent.
"But knowing a trap is there and dodging it are two different things."
He took a step forward.
Snap!
A rope hidden under the snow tightened.
"Right!"
Su Chen threw himself to the right. His brain reacted instantly, but his body lagged behind.
Whish!
A bamboo log studded with blunt wooden spikes swung down from the darkness.
Bang!
It clipped his shoulder.
"Gah!"
Su Chen tumbled into the snow, pain flaring through his left arm. The magazines taped to his arm were shredded, and a bruise was already forming underneath.
[Health: 88/100]
[Passive 'Rigor' activated. Pain suppressed by 20%.]
"Slow," Su Chen gritted his teeth, forcing himself up. "My Agility is only 8. My brain sees the opening, but my muscles are too sluggish to execute."
This was why he needed the Breathing Technique. He needed to oxygenate his cells, to force his body to evolve beyond the limits of a modern desk worker.
He continued his descent.
One hour passed.
Su Chen was battered. His magazine armor was in tatters. He had stepped into two pitfall traps and been smacked by three swinging logs. But he was learning. He was learning how to move his weight, how to trust the smell of the wind.
Suddenly, the scent changed.
It wasn't the smell of oil, wood, or iron.
It was a scent he had smelled once before, back in his apartment hallway.
Rot. Sulfur. Old Blood.
But this was sharper. More predatory.
Growl...
From the shadows of a large rock formation, a figure emerged.
It was humanoid, but its skin was a pale, sickly green. Veins bulged across its forehead, and two small horns protruded from its temples. Its mouth was stained with fresh blood—likely from a mountain deer.
A Demon.
"A stray?" Su Chen froze. "Urokodaki usually keeps this mountain clear. Did it wander in during the storm?"
The demon locked eyes with him.
"Human..." the demon hissed, its voice sounding like grinding stones. "A weak... human..."
[Alert: Hostile Entity Detected.]
[Target: Lesser Demon (Mutated)]
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 18]
[Agility: 15]
[Skills: Regeneration (Low), Claw Strike, Night Vision.]
Su Chen's pupils constricted.
Strength 18. That was nearly triple Su Chen's current strength. One hit would take his head off.
"I can't fight it head-on," Su Chen's mind raced. He gripped the handle of his frying pan. "And I don't have a Nichirin Sword to kill it."
The demon lunged.
It covered the ten meters between them in a heartbeat.
Fast!
Su Chen didn't try to dodge backward. The snow was too deep.
[Infinite Storage: Activate.]
Flash.
A massive object materialized instantly in the air between Su Chen and the Demon.
It was the Tier-1 Iron-Hide Wolf Carcass (from Chapter 1/2 timeline).
Su Chen had copied it back on Earth but never butchered the second copy. Now, a 400kg frozen monster wolf corpse appeared out of thin air.
CRASH!
The demon, mid-lunge, couldn't stop. It slammed face-first into the frozen block of meat.
"Grah?!" The demon was confused. Where did this giant wolf come from?
Su Chen didn't waste the second of confusion.
He lunged forward—not to attack, but to touch.
His hand slapped against the Demon's exposed back.
[Absolute Copy Activated.]
[Target: Lesser Demon.]
[Copyable Attributes:]
Lesser Regeneration (Passive):Heals minor wounds rapidly. Reattaches limbs over time.
Night Vision:See in low light.
Demon Physiology (Strength):Grants +2 Strength permanent boost.
"Copy All!"
Buzz.
A searing heat rushed through Su Chen's body.
[System Notice: Genetic Structure adjusting.]
[Strength: 7.1 -> 9.1]
[Acquired Passive: Lesser Regeneration (Human Variant).]
[Acquired Skill: Night Vision.]
The pain in his bruised shoulder vanished instantly. His vision sharpened, the darkness of the forest turning into a clear, grayscale twilight.
"You..." The demon clawed its way around the wolf carcass, furious. "Trickster!"
It swiped its claws.
Su Chen raised the iron frying pan.
CLANG!
The impact was heavy. Su Chen skidded back three meters, his arm numb. The frying pan now had three deep gashes in the metal.
"Strength 18 is no joke," Su Chen gasped.
But he smiled.
Because he had stalled enough.
"Hey, ugly," Su Chen pointed behind the demon.
The demon snarled, preparing to pounce again. "Die!"
"You might want to check the time."
A faint, golden glow began to bleed through the canopy of the trees.
Sunrise.
The demon froze. It felt the UV radiation in the air before it saw the light.
"No... No!"
Panic overrode hunger. The demon turned to flee into the shadows of the rocks.
"Oh no, you don't," Su Chen grit his teeth. "You are my loot."
He pointed his hand at the fleeing demon.
[Infinite Storage: Release.]
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He released every heavy item he had stored from his apartment.
The sofa. The refrigerator. The broken bed frame. And finally, the massive Iron-Hide Wolf carcass again (which he had quickly stored back).
He wasn't aiming to kill. He was creating a barricade.
The objects piled up in front of the narrow rocky crevice the demon was trying to squeeze into.
"Move!" The demon shrieked, clawing at the frozen wolf carcass.
But it was too late.
The sun crested the horizon.
A single beam of pure, unfiltered sunlight pierced through the trees and struck the demon's leg.
Sizzle.
"ARGHHH!"
The demon fell, thrashing. It began to crumble into ash, starting from the leg and spreading upward.
"Curse you! Curse you, human!"
Su Chen watched from the safety of the shade, panting heavily. He watched as the creature disintegrated until nothing was left but a pile of ash and... a glowing orb.
[Target Neutralized: Lesser Demon (Level 3)]
[Experience Gained: 50]
[Level Up!]
[Current Level: 1 (0/100) -> Level 1 (50/100)](Note: Leveling slows down as difficulty increases).
Su Chen walked over to the ash pile. The sunlight felt warm on his skin, but fatal to his enemy.
He picked up the glowing orb and a small, jagged bone.
[Drop Acquired: Minor Vitality Orb]
Effect: Permanently increases Constitution by 1.
[Drop Acquired: Demon Bone Powder (Material)]
Effect: Crafting material. Can be used to forge weapons with 'Bleed' properties.
"A stat orb," Su Chen's eyes lit up. "This is the advantage of the System. Even if I don't train, killing gives me stats."
He crushed the orb immediately.
[Constitution: 6 -> 7]
He felt his body toughen slightly.
"I survived," Su Chen exhaled, slumping against a tree. "I copied regeneration. I got Night Vision. I increased my Strength and Constitution. And I leveled up."
He looked back up the mountain path.
"Time to go get my breakfast from Urokodaki. I have a Breathing Technique to copy."
Status Update (End of Chapter 4):
Name: Su Chen
Level: 1 (50/100 EXP)
Strength: 9.1
Agility: 8
Constitution: 7
Spirit: 15
Skills: [Absolute Copy], [Infinite Storage], [Dimensional Travel], [Olfactory Sense (Enhanced)], [Night Vision], [Lesser Regeneration].
Inventory: Gold Rings, 1x Iron-Hide Wolf Carcass (Damaged), Broken Frying Pan, Demon Bone Powder.