Chapter 10
The sun slowly rose beyond the mountains.
Golden sunlight spread across the land and fell upon the young scholar sitting beside the pine tree showing his new temperament.
Or rather—
the body of the young scholar.
The difference was obvious.
Yesterday's An Jin looked like a dying beggar who had escaped starvation by pure luck. His face had been hollow, his skin pale and rough, and heavy black circles rested beneath his eyes like permanent shadows.
But after eating properly, refining chakra, and reversing part of the body's condition using Temporal Domain—
the changes became visible.
The hollow sunken face had recovered slightly.
The bruises and exhaustion were mostly gone.
Even the weak scholar's timid temperament had completely disappeared.
Instead—
there was a calm and dangerous aura around him.
Like a blade hidden beneath silk.
Because the person inside it was no longer An Jin.
It was Uchiha Ryo.
Ryo slowly opened his eyes.
The morning sunlight reflected faintly against his Rinnegan before the ripple pattern faded away.
He stretched his arms slightly.
"This body still feels weak…"
He clenched his fist.
"…but at least it no longer looks like it'll die from walking."
The system immediately replied:
"Congratulations, Host."
"You have officially taken a stape towards becoming a slightly handsome scholar."
Ryo ignored the comment.
"System."
"Yes, Host."
"Tell me more about this world."
Ryo stood up and dusted his clothes casually.
"This dynasty. The Imperial Examination. And Marquis Dong's family. Everythnig you know."
The system answered quickly, sounding unusually energetic.
Probably because it finally got the chance to show off information.
"Host, this is also my first time entering this world."
"But from the moment we arrived, I began scanning and researching the surrounding hundred-mile area."
Ryo nodded slightly.
"Continue."
"According to my findings, human civilization in this world has existed for nearly seventy thousand years."
Ryo raised an eyebrow.
"That long?"
"Yes."
"However, the current structure of dynasties, regions, religions, and social classes was only established around four thousand two hundred years ago."
The system continued:
"Constant wars over fertile land greatly slowed technological and cultural advancement."
"There are no supernatural systems here."
"No Qi."
"No Aura."
"No mana."
"No cultivation."
Ryo nodded slightly.
"A completely mortal world."
"Correct."
"However…"
The system's tone changed slightly.
"The blacksmith profession here is extremely advanced."
"I strongly recommend that Host collect blacksmithing knowledge before leaving."
Ryo became mildly interested.
"Oh?"
"The forging techniques are quite refined despite lacking supernatural energy."
"Some weapon crafting methods are worth studying."
Ryo nodded calmly.
"I'll see later."
The system continued.
"As for the current Emperor…"
"He is not considered a bad ruler by the common people."
"However, the newly crowned Emperor lacks actual authority."
Ryo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Meaning?"
"The military and court power are controlled by others."
"Who?"
"Marquis Dong."
"Marquis Dugu."
"And Prime Minister Yan Pei."
Ryo smiled faintly.
"So the Emperor is basically decoration."
"…That is a very accurate summary."
The system paused briefly before speaking again.
"Though, Host should investigate further if you plan on becoming Emperor yourself."
Ryo looked at the system panel.
"…Why did you sound excited while saying that?"
"Because it sounds fun 😜."
"…You're becoming strangely human."
"I learned from observing the people of jin dynasty."
"That explains the mental damage."
The system decided to ignore that attack and continued its report.
"The Imperial Examination is held once every three years."
"To qualify for it, scholars must pass three stages first."
"District exam."
"County exam."
"Province exam."
Ryo nodded slightly.
"And An Jin passed all three."
"Yes."
Ryo clicked his tongue softly.
"…Not bad."
Even he had to admit—
for a poor scholar without resources, passing three levels of examinations was impressive.
The system then shifted topics.
"As for the Dong family…"
"The current Marquis Dong has three sons."
"They dislike each other intensely."
Ryo smirked slightly.
"But pretend to be united."
"Correct."
"Though honestly, they aren't very good at hiding it."
"That's normal."
"Greedy people rarely act well."
The system continued.
"The three brothers together have seven sons, three daughters, and eighteen grandchildren."
Ryo's eye twitched slightly.
"…That family breeds faster than rabbits."
"…Host, that is technically impressive from a biological perspective."
"I was insulting them."
"Oh."
The system awkwardly continued.
"The person An Jin offended was one of the grandchildren."
"Dong Ji."
"He himself isn't particularly important."
"Then why target An Jin so aggressively?"
"Because Dong Ji's older brother recently became a rising military general."
Ryo instantly understood.
"A dog borrowing a tiger's power."
"Exactly."
Ryo walked calmly down the mountain path while organizing the information in his head.
After a while, he suddenly asked—
"System."
"Yes?"
"Once I complete An Jin's wishes…"
"Do I immediately return to the ninja world?"
"Not immediately."
"You will receive one extra day in this world."
Ryo nodded slightly.
"And after that?"
"The world's will shall gradually awaken the original soul of this body."
"If Host remains too long, your control over the body will weaken every hour."
The system paused.
Then curiously asked—
"Host… why do you want to stay longer?"
"Is it for blacksmithing knowledge?"
Ryo shook his head lightly.
"No."
His voice became calmer.
Colder.
"I'll simply make sure An Jin won't be harmed shortly after I leave."
The system became quiet for a moment.
It genuinely didn't understand him sometimes.
This Host could casually discuss destroying concepts like karma and luck…
yet also spend effort protecting a random scholar's future.
"…Host is strange."
Ryo smirked faintly.
"I know."
Then the system suddenly remembered something.
"Ah!"
"What?"
"You still haven't opened your Beginner Gift Pack."
Ryo blinked once.
"…Right."
"I forgot."
"System."
"Open it."
A glowing panel immediately appeared before him.
Beginner Gift Pack Opened
1. Face Skin Mask
A dark ash-colored ancient mask made from an unknown flesh-like material.
Its surface moves like breathing skin.
Effects:
Increases concentration by 20%
Hides emotions, killing intent, and soul fluctuations
Minor resistance against illusions and mental attacks
Slightly alters facial aura and presence while worn
Background:
A cursed mask created by a mad king.
He believed beauty and perfection could be stolen from others.
Over decades, he peeled the faces from one thousand people—
Enemies.
Ministers.
Wives.
Children.
Even members of his own family.
Before dying, the king skinned his own face and added it to the mask, completing the "Thousand Faces."
Ryo stared at the description silently.
Then—
"…Gross."
The system immediately replied:
"Host says this while possessing an eye ability literally called Plunder."
"…Fair point."
The next item appeared.
2. Minor Vitality Pill
A low-grade recovery pill.
Effects:
Heals broken bones and moderate injuries
Restores stamina and energy
Removes weakness caused by fatigue or starvation
Side Effect:
Causes extreme hunger after recovery.
Ryo nodded slightly.
"…Not bad."
"Especially the pill."
He stored it away immediately.
"I don't need it now."
"But researching it later could be useful."
As the item entered storage space, Ryo noticed something.
The storage linked to his original world still existed.
However—
everything inside remained sealed and unreachable.
He didn't react much.
The system had already warned him about that limitation.
Ryo looked toward Imperial city in the distance.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Well then…"
"System."
"Yes, Host?"
"Let's go meet Dong Ji."
His smile became colder.
"We'll deal with the others later."
For some reason—
the system suddenly felt bad for the Dong family.
Very bad.
Chapter End