The Lord actually thinks so highly of the child, Natsunish?!
The first to be shaken was Shinjuro.
Perhaps others did not understand the weight of that jade plaque, but as a veteran of three generations within the Demon Slayer Corps, he understood it all too well.
It was a proof of the Head of the House that only those of the Ubuyashiki bloodline could possess. Currently, the only ones who held such a thing were Ubuyashiki Kagaya and his wife, Ubuyashiki Amane. Even his eldest son, still in swaddling clothes, and several branch members of the family did not possess one.
To see the plaque was to see the man himself. Holding this jade plaque meant one could exercise the majority of the Ubuyashiki family's authority. Shinjuro couldn't help but overthink it. In all these years, he had never heard of the Ubuyashiki family recruiting someone with a different surname into their lineage.
Meanwhile, Natsunish's eyes visibly lit up.
Special Quest Item GET!
And he had triggered a hidden mission!
[Side Mission: The Beginning of Reform! Part One!]
[Description: Clear the five Selection Grounds of demons whose strength far exceeds that of the examinees.]
[Reward: 1000 Breathing Style Experience (Adaptive) Proficiency.]
[Note: Subsequent missions will be affected by the completion status.]
Meeting the head of the Demon Slayer Corps at the Rengoku estate at a specific time, having coincidentally treated Lady Ruka, and perhaps having reached a certain threshold in his attributes or skills...
Did it require all these elements to align to trigger this mission? No, it likely required his specific dialogue choices as well. And it appeared to be a massive, chain-link faction mission.
Natsunish felt a surge of pleasant surprise. He noticed another detail: the mission content was even generated based on his own dialogue and suggestions.
Is it really this detailed?
Could it be that in the future, I can personally reshape the structure and development direction of the Demon Slayer Corps faction?
It's turning from an action game into a management sim or an SLG, isn't it?
Thinking back, if his "First Step" suggestion had been to go straight for an Upper Rank or the Demon King... would the mission have been soft-locked, or would it have failed to trigger at all? He was curious.
Moreover, for Natsunish, the mission rewards were quite generous. Despite being only the first link in a series, it directly offered a thousand experience points. That was equivalent to nearly half a year of bitter cultivation for a Breathing Style under normal circumstances.
More importantly, the process of the mission itself was a reward to him. Going to the Final Selection grounds to clear demons? How was that any different from sending him to a dense mob-spawn area to farm elite monsters?
Natsunish pondered privately. The hardest part of this mission wasn't killing demons. It was controlling himself so he wouldn't kill too many demons. Otherwise, if he got carried away and wiped them all out, the subsequent mission chain would likely break.
As for the later missions? If he could participate in institutional design, wouldn't he end up with a chain mission like "The Three-Year Plan and Five-Year Reform"?
While Natsunish was lost in thought, the three children in the courtyard were equally stunned. Though they had only heard fragments of the conversation, Natsunish had sat as an equal with the Lord, had received an apology from him, and had even accepted an obviously extraordinary token?
Shinobu Kochou was first shocked, then worried. Natsunish was not a Hashira. If the current situation reached the ears of those with ill intentions, it would inevitably attract jealousy, prejudice, or even secret hostility.
Kyojuro's thoughts were much simpler. Big Brother Natsunish is amazing! Not only did he treat Mother and help Father regain his spirit, but even the Lord regards him with such importance! I'm fired up! I must train even harder to catch up with Big Brother's footsteps!
As for Senjuro? He simply hid behind his brother, clutching his broom. The look in his eyes as he watched Natsunish was full of pure admiration and a hint of timid yearning.
Ubuyashiki departed. As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, it was not suitable for him to remain away from headquarters for long. Since Ruka's condition was under control and Shinjuro's state had significantly improved, he no longer needed to worry. There were many affairs regarding the Corps and the Ubuyashiki family waiting for him to handle upon his return.
He was in an excellent mood. It had far exceeded his expectations, and it all stemmed from that youth named Kuguruma Natsunishi.
Three days after Ubuyashiki's departure, Natsunish finally truly mastered the Fire—Flame Breathing.
At dusk, in the Rengoku family dojo.
Though it was late winter, the air seemed to carry a faint flow of summer heat and the scent of slightly charred wood. Natsunish was not swinging his sword violently. Instead, he stood still in the center of the dojo with his eyes slightly closed. The aura around him was like a bed of charcoal constantly spitting sparks. An incredible heat surged beneath the calm.
He looked at the system panel. A new icon had appeared in the skill panel—a cluster of burning crimson-orange flames, looking exceptionally dazzling among the other Breathing Styles.
[Flame Breathing]
[Level 0: Unpolished Jade] Progress: 2/250
[Sword Forms Mastered 4/9: First Form: Unknowing Fire, Third Form: Blazing Universe, Seventh Form...]
From the initial [Wind], to the later [Water] and [Stone]... then to the highest compatibility [Thunder] and the recently learned [Storm]... (Well, the derivative Storm wasn't in the main combat skill list; it was just a bonus.)
And now, [Flame], obtained through his own bitter cultivation.
The five main Breathing Styles were now gathered. This was the first time in the nearly thousand-year history of the Demon Slayer Corps that someone had mastered all five main Breathing Styles simultaneously. It was unprecedented. And likely, there would be no one else after him.
"Now, I am no longer lacking anything."
There was no extreme excitement; in Natsunish's eyes, there was only a bottomless calm and clarity.
As expected, for a powerhouse like me whose talent surpasses the past and present, the system only serves to bind my hands and feet. If there were no system, I probably would have already merged the five Breathing Styles and returned to the primordial state by now.
With a slight shift of his intent, Natsunish's breathing rhythm flowed accordingly. His posture suddenly sank, becoming as heavy and immovable as a mountain. Then, a circular, soft energy, like a stream winding over a rocky base, rose and surrounded his body, the force constantly flowing and stacking.
Immediately after, a violent explosive force erupted, like lightning tearing through flowing water. Blue-white electric snakes darted through the water vapor, crackling loudly. Then, a still-young heart of combustion thoroughly ignited the previous three. The water steamed into mist, the solid rock served as fuel, and the lightning coiled into a dragon.
Finally, the freedom and wildness of the Wind descended, drawing all the forces into a spin, a mesh, and a resonance.
Just like the multicolored, magnificent icons on his skill panel currently glowing, Natsunish clicked the plus sign next to [Flame Breathing] to preview the conversion ratio.
[Compatibility: 71%]
One achievement point would convert into roughly 355 Breathing Style proficiency. The Owl family's Flame Breathing was indeed much better than old man Kazami's stuff. Though it was still a bit inferior to the skills of that crazy woman Nikaidou, it didn't matter anymore.
The faint flowing light on the skill icons told him that gathering the five main Breathing Styles was exactly as his "World-Shattering Wisdom" had deduced. It would trigger a hidden event.
At this moment, whether it was Natsunish's instinct or his experience as a player, everything was pushing him, telling him: Hurry, take the final step.
System, I've raised you for so long just for this moment.
Level up!
[Skill Points Consumed: 5]
[Flame Breathing] LV.0 (17/250) → [Flame Breathing] LV.3 (42/2000)
[Your Total Concentration effect has reached the maximum value]
[Total Concentration Effect Upgraded: True · Total Concentration]
[Flame Breathing]: Power Level +6, +10, +15
[Detected that the levels of the five main Breathing Styles meet the requirements—]
[Unlocking Special CG]
For the first time, the system popped up so many prompts upon reaching the "Skilled" stage of a Breathing Style. But Natsunish felt everything was within his expectations. The pure physical strength alone gave him the illusion that he was already invincible under heaven.
At this moment:
Kuguruma Natsunishi [Wands] [Chariot [Star]
[Power Level: 240]
Body: 104
Skill: 69
Heart: 67
LV.4: Thunder Breathing (+)
LV.3: Four Breathing Styles (+)
LV.0: Storm
"Hehe... Hahaha... Wahahaha! Right now, I'm feeling absolutely high!!"
Natsunish finally couldn't hold it back and burst into laughter.
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