"A Yokai Taiji after eating? Are you kidding ?!"
He almost yelled but clenched his fists and raised his head to ensure no one was staring at him.
He lowered his gaze and sighed. ’At this rate, why not just kill ?’
’Making fight a Yokai at this stage...’
’Tch...’ he scoffed, then...
SNAP
The fork in his hand snapped in half and fell onto the table.
Unknowingly, he’d clenched his other hand out of frustration, and the poor cutlery had suffered for it.
Ryuen cast a nonchalant glance at the broken fork, picked up another one, and dived back into his food, ignoring the glances Kaori and Daiki sent his way.
---
Two hours later, despite the large portions and extra servings, Ryuen sohow managed to finish everything.
A cup of coffee rested in his hands, which he examined briefly before taking a sip.
"Ah."
He sighed in relief. Initially, he had thought the food would leave him feeling heavy.
But instead, he felt the sa—except for a wave of nausea whenever his gaze landed on more food.
He stepped away and stood in the living room, staring out the window with only one thought running through his mind.
"Such a pain in the ass," he mumbled coldly, devoid of any emotion except contempt—and it was directed at himself.
Raising the cup to his lips, he took another sip, letting the taste linger on his tongue before swallowing and exhaling softly.
Placing the cup on the cupboard by the window, he inford Kaori about it and strode back to his room.
---
The mont he stepped inside, the system screen popped up before him with a rather interesting notification.
[Diet Task Complete]
[ 5 Points Added to Mana Pool]
[The Host Has Been Rewarded a Permit...]
"Hm?" Ryuen tilted his head, a frown creasing his forehead.
[Host Can Now Access the Second Skill]
"Wait... second skill?"
His mind flashed back to the ti he’d first encountered the term during his initial dungeon raid. Images blurred by until stopping at the mont he tasted the blood of a beast.
His face twisted in disgust, already regretting that decision.
Why had he tasted the ichor in the first place?
Shaking off the mory, he locked the door and moved to the sofa at the corner of the room, right by the window.
Sinking into the soft foam, he felt a montary sense of ease, though it was the least of his concerns.
The screen transitioned, revealing the details of the second skill.
---
[Skill Na: Aether]
Type: Active/Offensive Utility
Description: Harness the trapped flow of mana. The user can infuse weapons or objects with mana from their pool or create blasts over short and long distances.
Effects:
Temporarily enhances weapon durability and damage
Enables ranged energy strikes or explosive shockwaves
Elental effects may manifest depending on mana type (e.g., lightning bursts or freezing waves)
Warning: Overuse may result in weapon burnout or mana depletion
Duration: 1 hour
Cooldown: 15 minutes
---
Ryuen smiled, a mix of amusent and excitent gleaming in his eyes.
Finally—a skill that could actually be useful in battle.
He knew because he’d seen sothing like it before.
Until now, all he’d had were healing abilities, which were practically worthless, and mapping, which only helped him navigate cities.
Now he had a skill perfect for combat. He could already imagine wielding a mana-infused sword.
He chuckled softly, throwing his legs over the armrest of the chair.
Resting his head on the opposite armrest, he crossed his arms against his chest and exhaled contentedly.
His mind recalled the pages of a book he’d read once.
Mana Imbuent.
The arcane art of channeling one’s mana or energy into physical objects—weapons to be precise—granted them enhanced or destructive capabilities.
It was mostly mages who used such a skill, but Ryuen had been granted the grace to possess it.
And for that, he would forever be grateful.
However, nothing would stop him from delivering a solid punch to whoever had brought him to this world.
Using such an ability required precision, control, and focus to ensure the smooth flow of mana.
Undercharging an object would be pointless.
Overcharging it, on the other hand, could cause destabilization and lead to an explosion.
Ryuen wasn’t ready to lose his weapons—not now, at least.
The screens vanished as abruptly as they had appeared, leaving Ryuen in silence to contemplate the task ahead.
He didn’t know if rejecting the task was even possible, as the system hadn’t provided that option.
Still, he had a strong feeling that the penalty for refusal would be far worse than the task itself.
"Ha..." he sighed loudly, closing his eyes. His body felt heavy, likely due to the food he’d eaten earlier.
However...
The mont Ryuen closed his eyes and surrendered to the comfortable darkness and silence in his mind, probably ready to drift into sleep—
He found himself instead in a thick forest shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
The only source of light ca from a cave, its torches casting a cozy glow despite the unsettling atmosphere.
Confused, Ryuen’s guard rose imdiately.
His fists clenched tightly inside his pockets as his instincts scread at him to keep his guard up and be careful .
A few feet away from him was what looked like an abandoned campsite.
Smoke rose lazily from what should have been a fire.
With plates rested on logs around it the fire.
Frowning, he scoffed and turned around.
"Bringing to a campsite is just low," he muttered, walking away while keeping a wary eye on the campsite and the cave behind him.
For so reason, his instincts warned him that he was heading in the wrong direction.
At the sa ti, a voice inside told him he was bound to encounter sothing terrible behind him.
One word echoed in his mind: fear.
Ryuen paused his steps, triggered by the thought.
Fear?
Nothing scared him—nothing except the thought of losing what he cared most about.
But even that didn’t amount to what most people would call true fear.
Fear was that lingering feeling of dread, while goosebumps was on your skin, chills moving down your spine, and your heart raced wildly.
The last ti Ryuen had felt anything remotely close to that was when he lost Kaori.
Since then, he’d steeled his heart and emotions, numbing himself enough to block out fear altogether.
Worry was inevitable—but fear? Out of the question.
Spinning on his heel, he headed toward the campsite without a second thought.
Without hesitation, he picked up the bag the owner must have abandoned.
He did a quick search, and luckily he found food, water, and an axe—though he couldn’t understand why it was there.
Nonetheless, he took it and made his way toward the cave.
Five steps away from the mouth of the dimly lit cave, the air had already changed.
It was colder, and the ground seed covered in snow.
The trees in the surrounding area were dead or barely clinging to life, with just a few scattered leaves.
Taking a deep breath, Ryuen tightened his grip on the axe and stepped into the cave—completely unaware of the floating red eyes watching him from behind.
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