A hush blanketed the world.
In the distance stretched a boundless ocean. Shimmering ripples glittered gently across its surface, cautiously soaking into a sky painted in weary gray.
"So... it really is the sea."
"Am I... on an island?!"
The cave sat atop a mountain peak. Standing at the edge of the cliffside clearing, Yoriichi wore nothing but a ragged pair of hemp shorts and a crude, sleeveless vest fashioned from beast hide. His gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
The climate in this world was strange. Just last night, the air outside the cave had been bone-chilling, the wind cutting like knives. But with morning came a sudden warmth, as if the world itself had shifted. The unsettling swing in temperature left Yoriichi momentarily at a loss.
"First… I should check out the surroundings."
Drawing in a few lungfuls of crisp morning air, Yoriichi turned back into the cave. A short while later, he reemerged, now carrying a long blade. After a brief survey of the area, he began descending the mountain along the only narrow trail leading down from the cave.
It was clear someone had lived here for some time. The ground around the entrance bore signs of deliberate clearing—rough, but unmistakable.
Before long, Yoriichi disappeared into the dense forest.
…
It was a primeval forest—ancient trees rose skyward, their crowns vanishing into mist. The branches intertwined above, and the lush green canopy spread like an ocean of jade, completely blotting out the sky. When the sea breeze swept through the leaves, it sounded like the low sigh of a slumbering dragon.
As he walked, Yoriichi came across many strange and unfamiliar plants. They drew his attention, not out of idle curiosity, but necessity. He stopped often, inspecting each with care, hoping to find something edible, some recognizable fruit to quell his growing hunger.
He hadn't forgotten the sorry state of provisions in the cave. The only "food" in there was that awful gray paste. If he had any choice in the matter, he'd rather starve than eat it.
Unfortunately, the forest yielded no fruit-bearing trees—not yet.
"ROAR!!!"
Suddenly, a piercing roar shattered the calm. In the next instant, a foul wind slammed into him.
Instinct kicked in—Yoriichi leapt back, his toes brushing the earth as he launched himself meters away in a flash. Just a heartbeat later, a colossal paw slammed into the ground where he had stood, the impact cracking the earth in a spiderweb of deep fissures.
"What the hell?!"
Narrowing his eyes, Yoriichi stared at the beast before him—a massive tiger, nearly ten meters long, its body covered in vivid, exotic stripes.
But this was no ordinary tiger. The sheer size was already unnatural, but what truly unsettled him were the two enormous fangs—half a meter long—jutting from its snarling jaws, glinting like ivory sabers.
Faced with this monstrous tiger, every hair on Yoriichi's body stood on end. He didn't even realize he'd drawn his blade—it was already in his hand, his body moving on its own, eyes locked onto the beast.
"ROAR!!!"
The tiger lunged again with terrifying speed. It was on him in a blink, its front claws slashing through the air. The foul wind of its strike nearly took his breath away.
God knows how many creatures had been torn apart by those claws.
But just as death closed in, Yoriichi's mind became startlingly clear. His breathing pattern shifted without conscious effort.
In that moment, time itself seemed to slow. The tiger's movements blurred, as though seen through water. The world around him transformed.
The Transparent World.
By focusing the mind and filtering out excess stimuli, the body enters a state of hyper-clarity. Enemies appear translucent, their movements laid bare—every heartbeat, every breath, every muscle twitch visible. Even the flow of blood through the lungs can be seen. In this heightened state, perception accelerates, and the enemy's speed seems to slow.
Here, in this unfamiliar world, Yoriichi awakened an ability he was born to wield. In his eyes, the monstrous tiger's every organ became crystal clear. Its massive heart pulsed with terrifying vitality—each contraction like a thunderclap.
If he had to compare… it was not unlike the heart of that Lower Moon Demon he once killed.
"I can see it all! Just like before—I can see everything!"
"Breath of the Sun—First Form: Dance!"
The familiar sensation swept through him like a wave. All tension vanished in an instant.
With a blur of motion, Yoriichi slashed thrice—so fast it seemed as though time stood still. The tiger's deadly claws, meant to tear him apart, whistled past his sides, missing by inches.
Then—an explosion of blood.
"Thud!"
The giant tiger collapsed in a heap. Blood gushed freely, soaking the earth in crimson.
Both of its forelegs had been severed cleanly at the root. The stumps were smooth, surgically precise. From its head, a deep gash ran across its skull—blood and brain matter oozed out in a grotesque stream.
No wonder the beast had died instantly.
Yoriichi had just begun to sheath his sword when something made him freeze. His instincts flared. He looked up.
FWOOOSH—!
Above him, a tremendous crash echoed.
A monstrous bird burst through the canopy in a blur of feathers and wind. In the blink of an eye, it swooped down, seized the tiger's corpse in its claws, and soared into the sky—disappearing into the clouds as swiftly as it had appeared.
"…What kind of world is this?"
Yoriichi stood frozen, stunned by what he had just seen. If he wasn't mistaken, that bird's wingspan had to be at least twenty meters. He had never encountered such a creature before. Its heart, too, had pulsed with staggering vitality—surpassing even that of the tiger.
Comparable to a mid-tier Lower Moon Demon.
Of course, vitality alone didn't equate to combat strength.
But now, after facing two such monstrous beings in quick succession, Yoriichi's curiosity about this strange new world grew ever deeper. What kind of realm could give birth to such bizarre and powerful creatures?
Even more astonishing—this body he now inhabited could maintain Total Concentration Breathing: Constant effortlessly, without strain. His movements flowed smoother than ever before. Dodging the tiger's attack earlier had been a reflex—pure instinct.
There was no doubt. This new body… was stronger than the one he had in his previous life.
All signs pointed to one possibility.
"Could it be… am I in a cultivation world?"
With that thought lingering in his mind, Yoriichi strolled over to where the severed tiger limbs had landed. To call them "paws" was a disservice—they had been cleaved at the joint. They were more like entire legs. Each one three to four meters long, weighing who-knows-how-many pounds.
"Should be… edible, right?"
"Well, at least I won't have to eat that disgusting paste again."
"If this is a cultivation world, then this beast must be a 'spirit beast' or something. I mean, look at the size of it."
"Wonder if spirit beast meat really does what the stories say… Eat a bite, gain power, run up five flights without breaking a sweat…"
Muttering to himself, Yoriichi approached one of the limbs, intending to slice off some meat. But as he got closer, an absurd idea struck him.
Instead of cutting it, he sheathed his blade, crouched down, and wrapped his arms around the "paw."
Then—he lifted.
What began as an experiment turned into shock. The tiger leg rose off the ground with ease. No strain. No resistance.
"…What the hell is this strength?"
He stared at his own hands, baffled by the raw power coursing through his body. He had no idea where it came from. But he didn't dwell on it. After all, if crossing into another world could happen twice to him, then gaining superhuman strength didn't seem too far-fetched.
Yoriichi chalked it up to divine favor.
Maybe, just maybe… Heaven's favorite child wasn't that whiny brat who drank beast milk after all.
(End of Chapter)