"...Boy, if I'm right, then what you've awakened is something truly magnificent!" Ryōkōjū grinned excitedly.
"Slow down for a second, Old man..." Tuziku raised his hands.
"I don't understand anything you're saying right now..."
Ryōkōjū folded his arms.
"It can't be helped."
"Tomorrow morning at 6 AM, meet me at the base of Mount Yakushi..."
He let out a joyful laugh.
"We'll begin your training, and I'll explain everything to you!"
Tuziku's expression hardened.
Finally...
It's finally going to happen!
He clenched his fist.
"But why can't you explain it to me now, Old man?" Tuziku tilted his head.
Ryōkōjū chuckled.
"Impatient as ever, I see..."
"I've got to find someone to do my job for me while I'm training you," he explained.
"Old man, you have a job?!" Tuziku shouted in disbelief.
"Even though you're so old..."
"Hey! I'll have you know I'm only seventy!" Ryōkōjū shouted defensively.
"That's older than I thought!" Tuziku shouted.
"You rude little brat!" Ryōkōjū glared at him.
"In any case..."
"I may not look it, but I'm in charge of protecting this village," Ryōkōjū explained.
"Huh?!" Tuziku's expression screamed shock.
"If you're in charge, then that means..."
"That's right..." Ryōkōjū grinned.
"I'm the Chief of this village and the leader of the Hakashi tribe."
Tuziku's eyelids widened, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the frail old man in utter shock.
"That is also the reason my people haven't attacked you, even though they clearly disapprove of you being here..." Ryōkōjū explained.
"Old man..."
"Wait, I mean Ryōkōjū, sir! Or my lord...!" Tuziku panicked.
Ryōkōjū chuckled.
"At ease, boy..."
"Now you understand why I have to go sort things out."
"Be patient!" He grinned.
"For now, go back to the house with the others and rest up for a bit."
Ryōkōjū began walking away, waving a hand toward Tuziku.
Suddenly, he stopped.
"Oh, and Tuziku!"
He turned toward him.
"Don't be late tomorrow!"
With that, he walked off.
"A-amazing..." Tuziku clenched his fist as he watched Ryōkōjū disappear.
From what I've seen so far, I could tell that he was strong, but...
To think this old man is the strongest person in this village!
"Looks like I've found the best possible teacher!"
Tuziku clenched his fist with a determined expression.
...
The next morning...
Tuziku yawned as he approached the base of Mount Yakushi.
I was so excited about today that I stayed up late thinking about it.
I almost overslept!
Tuziku arrived at the base of Mount Yakushi, where Ryōkōjū was already waiting for him.
"Good morning, Old man," Tuziku yawned.
"Oh, boy. I see you made it just in time..." Ryōkōjū replied.
"That's good!"
He folded his arms.
"I'm a man who believes in punctuality..."
"I dislike having my time wasted. I've already got very little left."
He grinned.
"You shouldn't say stuff like that, even though it's true, Old man!" Tuziku replied.
Ryōkōjū held his chest dramatically.
"Your words... They penetrate my poor old heart."
"Even so..." Tuziku stepped forward.
"I can tell that you've spent all those years perfecting your Hakashi Technique!"
Tuziku grinned boldly.
Ryōkōjū chuckled.
"Thanks, but the Hakashi Technique is far from perfection..."
"In fact, no one has ever completely mastered the Hakashi Technique," he explained.
"But we'll get into that later on."
"Amazing..." Tuziku's eyes lit up with excitement.
"More importantly..."
Ryōkōjū's expression suddenly hardened.
"Boy..."
"Let's try to understand your abilities together."
"Sure, but how do we do that?" Tuziku replied.
"For starters, what do you know about Abyssal Abilities?" Ryōkōjū asked.
"How much do I know...?"
Tuziku scratched his chin.
"Well... I can't say I know anything at all about them, other than the fact that I somehow have one."
He replied flatly.
Ryōkōjū folded his arms.
"I see..."
"So we have to start from the beginning."
...
"There is an old tale regarding the unknown power..."
Ryōkōjū sat down beside the base of the mountain.
Tuziku gulped as he eagerly waited in anticipation.
"A long time ago, Demons appeared on Earth..."
"For some reason, these creatures could not dwell within our world for long without inhabiting a human vessel."
"However, in doing so, they would forfeit their power and free will..."
"Faced with this as their only option for survival, they inhabited human hosts and forfeited their powers to them..."
"Leading to what we know today as Abyssal Abilities..." Ryōkōjū explained.
He glanced toward Tuziku.
"Well, what do you think of the story, boy?"
Tuziku was lost in thought.
Demons...!
"Boy..."
Then does that mean I also have one inside me?
The thought made Tuziku gag.
"Boy..." Ryōkōjū called out.
Come to think of it...
Something weird did suddenly fly into my mouth that night!
"Boy!" Ryōkōjū snapped.
"Huh—oh, my apologies, Old man!"
"It's just that... that was a bit unexpected and a lot to process," Tuziku admitted.
Ryōkōjū sighed.
"Well, that's only to be expected."
"Since Demons are the source of Abyssal Abilities, the powers their users possess can be very diverse..." Ryōkōjū explained.
"And since you know basically nothing about your ability, we can assume that your sudden recovery is thanks to your Abyssal Ability."
Tuziku scratched his chin.
"That would make perfect sense, except..."
"I haven't used my powers since Sailou..."
Tuziku suddenly wore a sad expression.
"It's alright, boy..." Ryōkōjū consoled him.
"...It could also be a reflexive ability. For example, you might automatically heal faster whenever you take damage."
"Or something like that," he shrugged.
That makes sense...
Tuziku thought for a moment.
"I haven't thought about it that way..."
"Well, let's leave that for now!" Ryōkōjū said.
"Now, regarding the other unexplained power..."
"Well, about that..." Tuziku mumbled.
"I honestly don't think that it was actually me who stopped that Centaur that time."
"I mean, I didn't even actually do anything!"
"Hmm, hmm..." Ryōkōjū nodded, still sitting on the ground.
"Then tell me... what were you thinking at the moment the Centaur launched its attack?"
Tuziku tilted his head.
"What was I thinking...?"
He folded his arms as he tried to remember what had transpired.
"I was thinking..."
"I was thinking that I wasn't going to die yet!"
Tuziku replied confidently.
"Just as I thought!"
Ryōkōjū suddenly stood up.
"Are you familiar with Hei, boy?"
"The life force of all human beings, right?"
"Kutcher taught it to me when I was learning to use the sword..." Tuziku explained.
"So you're familiar with it. That saves us some time!"
Ryōkōjū stretched his arms.
"When a person faces death, their first instinct is to run..."
"But there are some who constantly face death and refuse to despair. They refuse to yield!"
He glanced toward Tuziku.
"Those people who have the resolve to constantly risk their lives and never even think about giving up, even when death is certain..."
"They can awaken a defensive ability known as an INNATE TECHNIQUE."
Tuziku's eyes widened slightly.
"An Innate Technique...?"
Ryōkōjū nodded.
"This ability is awakened when a person's Hei is directly triggered by their emotions."
"And since Hei exists within all human beings, anyone can potentially awaken one."
"Then why haven't I heard about them before?" Tuziku asked.
Ryōkōjū smiled.
"Because very few people ever awaken one."
"Due to the nearly impossible requirement of constantly laughing in the face of death, the Innate Technique is truly rare."
"Only a handful of people have ever awakened one!"
Tuziku stared at him.
"So... it's basically something that only happens to people who refuse to give up?"
"Precisely."
Ryōkōjū placed his hands behind his back.
"They also say that those who awaken an Innate Technique are destined for power."
He glanced over at Tuziku, who still looked confused.
"This might've been a lot for you to take in at once..."
Ryōkōjū folded his arms and burst into laughter.
"But basically..."
"It's as though you were born to seek power!"
CHAPTER 42 END