Contrary to Reisen Riou's image of a burly thunder god, Inazuma's Narukami was a gentle, refined woman—a true Yamato Nadeshiko.
"She's not thunder god material," Reisen Riou blurted out, nerves getting the better of him. In his mind, thunder gods—Norse, Greek, even Chinese—were hulking brutes.
This was his first time seeing a beautiful thunder goddess, her aura completely at odds with lightning.
"Sorry!" He caught his mistake and apologized.
A cold snort echoed from the void. A surge of wild Electro power jolted him.
"Enough, don't scare the little one," the Narukami said from her elevated seat.
"You're a visitor from another world," she stated abruptly.
Reisen Riou nodded. No point hiding it. "In my past life, I was indeed from another world. But the Ley Lines' rebirth severed those ties."
"I hear you're quite learned, skilled in farming and husbandry. Let's test that," the Narukami said.
Reisen Riou was puzzled but answered her questions.
Standard agricultural queries. He didn't flinch. His Inazuma Common Knowledge came mostly from farmers, and his old-world agricultural studies gave him a solid LV4 in planting theory.
"Well answered," the Narukami said. "Ritou lacks a guardian. You hail from there. Would you serve as its protector?"
"Uh…" Reisen Riou faltered, unsure of her intent.
Yae Miko cut in. "You're overwhelming the little guy. Let me explain."
"Under Her Excellency Narukami, youkai guard various regions," she said. "The Forest of Guardians is the tanuki's domain, Hakushin Fields is my clan's, and Mount Yougou behind the Grand Narukami Shrine houses tengu and oni."
"But places with weaker Ley Lines, like Ritou, birth fewer youkai. Combat-ready guardians are rarer still. Some areas have none."
"Human settlements? Protected by Vision bearers. But the wilds—mountains, forests—spawn monsters."
"Youkai guardians handle those."
"Don't worry about danger. Specialists manage the heavy lifting."
"As a Ley Line-born youkai, you're attuned to your birthplace's flow. As a guardian with little combat strength, just warn of stagnation points."
"Is that so?" Reisen Riou's doubts eased.
"Exactly," Yae Miko said.
"Then I accept. I'll be Ritou's guardian," Reisen Riou declared.
The Raiden Shogun granted him a seal, spoke words of encouragement, and urged him to complete his training swiftly to take up his post.
As he turned to leave, the Narukami spoke. "Oh, take this. It's yours."
"A Vision… Electro," Reisen Riou said.
"Indeed," the Narukami replied. "Legend says when one's ambition burns strong, the gods cast their gaze, and a Vision appears in the hands of those craving miracles."
Reisen Riou nodded, took the Vision, and left.
The moment he grasped it, he sensed Electro elements in the air, flowing under his control.
His body transformed. His constitution strengthened, his level surged, and two new abilities emerged.
Level: LV5 → LV20
Health: 600/600 → 1600/1600
Stamina: 60 → 90
Elemental Manipulation (Electro) LV3 (0.0/100), Elemental Manipulation (Geo) LV2 (99.9/100)
Abilities (Special):
Electro Vision (0.0/0.0): Non-upgradable, grants Elemental Sight.
Constellation—Ring Seat (Zero Stars): Activates one star at LV40, LV50, LV60, LV70, LV80, LV90.
The Vision, an external elemental organ, was a game-changer. If only it didn't come with hidden risks.
With the Vision, his aptitude spiked.
Swordsmanship practice, once yielding +0.1 proficiency every three days at LV1, now hit +0.1 in under two.
Spearmanship followed suit.
Archery? His talent soared most there.
In months, his archery theory and practice blew past LV5's halfway mark.
Time flew. Three years later, his swordsmanship and spearmanship hit LV3. The instructors—sword and spear mikos—called him the dullest youkai they'd ever seen, worse than most humans.
Humans could wield a blade combat-ready in a year and a half.
Archery was another story. Recently, his archery reached LV7, making him a grandmaster.
No one at the Grand Narukami Shrine outshot him. His skill ranked among Inazuma's best.
Archery Theory LV7 (12.1/100)
Research Directions: Precision, Rapid-Fire, Armor-Piercing, Long-Range, Anti-Magic, Enchantment, Elemental Arrows, Gigantification, Over-Horizon, Tracking, Sure-Hit, Explosion, Mark
Reisen Archery LV7 (0.1/100)
Traits: Precision, Rapid-Fire, Armor-Piercing, Long-Range, Anti-Magic, Enchantment, Elemental Arrows, Gigantification, Over-Horizon
His archery even pushed his Mathematics LV3 (99.9/100).
Per naming rules, his self-taught archery became Reisen Archery upon reaching grandmaster.
But progress slowed. That last 0.1 took half a month, and he sensed future gains would crawl, even with theory guiding him.
With his tactics, strategy, and spells all at LV3, his training was complete. He graduated from the miko academy, ready to guard Ritou.
His shrine on Ritou, built a year ago, was already half-operational.
His abysmal sword and spear talents had delayed him until now.
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage