Chapter 48: Secondary Weapon GET
Sen-no-Sen (The Initiative of the Initiative).
It was a unique skill that Igarashi Uzen had spent five years of grueling practice to master. It was based on reading muscle trajectories, shifts in center of gravity, environmental cues, the focus of an opponent's gaze, and minute details in the surroundings to simulate the future in a micro-window of time.
Against an ordinary human, he could predict about 80% of their likely movements for the next three seconds.
Against common demons, the effect was similar.
However, against more powerful demons with insane physical stats, the skill's effectiveness dropped significantly. If the opponent had faster reflexes or a similar "pre-reading" technique, the duration of Sen-no-Sen would shrink to about one second.
But as Igarashi understood his opponent better, the effect would naturally improve.
Of course, the skill was useless against the unpredictable nature of Blood Demon Arts. You couldn't predict a supernatural ability just by looking at a demon's posture. At most, you could only sense the exact "frame" the ability was about to trigger.
Igarashi set down his cup, his tone as calm as a still pond. "However, one second is enough to do many things."
One second was enough for Sabito to shatter every target thrown by Urokodaki.
One second was enough for Kanae to close a twenty-meter gap with a thrust.
One second was enough for Uzui to throw a dozen bombs and ignite them with a blade.
And for the Storm Hashira, Igarashi Uzen, one second was enough to decapitate most demons and reduce their remaining remains to mincemeat with a whirlwind of slashes.
Natsuya: I get it!
This is the ultimate 'Input Reading' and 'Game Sense' skill!
Then, a thought occurred to him. I can already see the names and icons of Blood Demon Arts in my UI. If I learn this skill, won't my 'Pre-cog' be even more broken than my Senior's?
"You're absolutely right, Senior," Natsuya said seriously. "Please teach me Sen-no-Sen."
Igarashi nodded. "Of course."
"But for today, finish your coffee and walk with me through Yokohama."
He had learned a lot from Master Kazami's letter. For example, that his Junior Brother was incredibly stubborn. Every day was spent either thinking about killing demons or training to the point of collapse for the sake of revenge.
Humans weren't machines; they needed rest. Since Natsuya had come from a small mountain village, Igarashi felt it was his duty as a Senior to show him the hospitality of the city.
"Senior, don't waste time. I can start the training this afternoon," Natsuya argued.
Igarashi adjusted his glasses. "No. This is part of the training."
Train well, study well, slay well, eat well, and rest well. This was the training code he lived by.
Thus, after lunch, Natsuya was dragged along the Bashamichi (Horse Carriage Road) of Yokohama.
He joined Igarashi and a few of his civilian friends for a trip to the theater and the department store. They strolled down the first street in Japan to be lit by gas lamps and ate the most authentic "Ice-Kurin" (Ice Cream) in the country.
He saw the fashionable "Modern Girls" and Western merchants, the vintage red brick walls of the port, and listened to elegant musical performances in the opera house. Natsuya even got to drink a familiar beverage, Calpis, in the rooftop garden of the Mitsukoshi Department Store.
It was a city soaked in romance and vitality. The Western influence was everywhere. Natsuya spotted shadows of modern life in more than one place.
I'm actually hitting up the supermarket and mall-walking in a Taisho-era JRPG?
It was a surreal experience.
But... it didn't feel bad.
The next day, Igarashi began his instruction as promised.
The daytime "classroom" was the streets of Yokohama. He made Natsuya observe the stevedores. He had him watch the sailors at work. He led him to a busy intersection and made him watch every movement of the crowd.
Watch their muscle exertion. Watch the curve of their spines. Watch the hand gestures and facial expressions...
Natsuya's mission was to [Watch] and then [Record] everything.
The nighttime "classroom" involved taking Natsuya on missions. He had Natsuya observe his own combat style and his methods for analyzing a demon's movements.
By the second week, he had Natsuya try to simulate. He would close his eyes and name the next three actions the person he was observing would take. It wasn't random guessing; it was a prediction based on observation, understanding, and summary.
At night, Natsuya gradually began to participate in Igarashi's missions. He was tasked with understanding the "Logic" of a demon's attack patterns.
The progress was slow, but Natsuya felt like he was finally getting the hang of what Igarashi meant by Sen-no-Sen.
Of course, it wasn't just observation. Igarashi still provided sword instruction. He helped Natsuya familiarize himself with the four Breathing Styles and their different "kinetic chains," accelerating his mastery. They also sparred in the courtyard using the Sen-no-Sen technique.
On some nights, Igarashi would even make Natsuya fight demons blindfolded while he stood by to provide coaching.
When Igarashi had to travel far for a mission, he arranged for Natsuya to visit various Kendo dojos and martial arts halls in Yokohama. He made Natsuya spar with the swordsmen there without using any Breathing Styles.
The goal wasn't victory. It was to understand the "Logic" and techniques of different martial styles.
Naturally, the weekly rest days were never skipped. The Storm Hashira would take him out to enjoy the luxury of Yokohama.
Two months passed.
Although he hadn't fully mastered Sen-no-Sen, Natsuya's gains were substantial.
Thunder Breathing broke through to LV.4.
Wind Breathing proficiency was past the halfway mark.
His Life Skills had also leveled up.
He hadn't just unlocked five new skills—[Dojo-Storming], [Insight], [Baking], [Drinking], and [Luxury Appraisal]—but his long-neglected [Suburi] had finally hit LV.3.
His Achievement Points were back up to 8.
[Kokonoe Natsuya] [Power Level: 189]
I'm terrifyingly strong now, aren't I?
But what made him happiest was that his custom secondary weapon had finally arrived.
In a quiet tatami room arranged by Igarashi, a visitor sat kneeling silently. He was stocky and wore traditional clothing. The most striking detail was the comical, "ugly" Hyottoko mask on his face.
Natsuya didn't care. He had seen weirder weapon merchants in other games—bald old men with blindfolds, green-skinned goblins with massive packs, or giant white cats with canes. Compared to them, a guy in a funny mask was perfectly normal.
I respect people's hobbies, Natsuya thought. Even if he has an 'Ugly Fetish'.
"Where's the loot?"
"Sir Kokonoe. I am Hokoto Tamamaru of the Swordsmith Village."
A muffled, respectful voice came from behind the mask. He placed a purple silk bundle on the floor.
"As per your request, the prototype 'Fist-Blades' are complete."
"Because the Village Chief, Lord Tecchin, is of advanced age and finds long-distance travel difficult, I have been sent to deliver them."
He carefully unwrapped the silk, revealing the weapons inside.
They were about the length of a forearm—a pair of metallic, lethal-looking weapons. They weren't traditional Nichirin Swords; they were a hybrid of a blade and a gauntlet. They featured a horizontal grip, with a curved, Scarlet Crimson Iron blade extending forward from the knuckles.
They were designed for both thrusting and slashing.
Natsuya picked them up. As expected of a Nichirin forged weapon, the blades underwent a chaotic color-change cycle again. Last time it had confused the Kakushi; this time, it was the smith's turn to panic.
Fortunately, they settled into a brilliant Silver-White. Natsuya suspected the masked man was seconds away from a Dogeza apology if they had stayed "Gasoline Rainbow" colored.
Looking at the new gear, then at the three swords at his waist, Natsuya felt the urge to name them.
Since his primary swords were Master Kang, Jinmai, and Uni-Maru... the new ones needed a fitting name.
Natsuya made his decision.
"I'll call them... Wind-Breaker!"
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