The humid summer air of the Demonic Sect's outskirts carried with it an unusual tension. Raiden, who had been training relentlessly for the last six months under the daily directives of his mysterious "Great Swordsman System," had grown sharper, stronger, and far more confident in his sword. His synchronization with the Mihawk Template had already reached 25%, and with each increment, his movements grew more fluid, his senses more refined, and his aura more intimidating.
Yet that night, as he returned from training in the bamboo grove, the familiar chime of the system echoed in his head.
---
[New Mission Generated]
Objective: Eliminate the bandit group threatening the outer villages.
Reward: +3% Mihawk Template Synchronization.
Time Limit: 3 days.
---
Raiden's crimson eyes narrowed. Bandits? He had heard rumors of a group that preyed on travelers and villagers, but the sect had not taken them seriously enough to intervene. Still, the system had given its order.
He tightened the black sash at his waist, his long hair falling past his shoulders like a dark waterfall. His sword, plain yet deadly, gleamed faintly under the moonlight.
"Very well," Raiden muttered. "Let's see how far my blade can cut tonight."
---
By the next day, he had tracked the bandits to a forest clearing. Rough laughter and the clinking of stolen wine jars echoed through the trees. More than twenty of them lounged around a makeshift camp, their weapons stained with dried blood. At the center, bound and bruised, were several hostages—villagers taken for ransom.
But among them, Raiden's gaze locked on one figure in particular. A young woman in elegant traveling clothes, her long hair tied back though strands had come loose. Despite her injuries, she sat upright, her eyes sharp and unyielding. She was no ordinary captive.
Raiden's grip tightened on his sword. So the system wasn't only guiding me to fight—it wanted me to meet her.
---
One of the bandits, a scar-faced brute with a massive axe, noticed him first.
"Oi! Who's this brat? Think you can wander into the Black Fang's territory and live?"
The others rose with jeers and curses, weapons drawn.
Raiden stepped forward calmly, his aura pressing outward like the slow unsheathing of a blade.
"Release the captives," he said, his voice low but carrying. "Or none of you leave this place alive."
For a moment, there was silence. Then raucous laughter exploded from the camp.
"Kill him!" the scar-faced leader barked.
---
The first bandit lunged, swinging his sword crudely. But before the steel even reached Raiden, he sidestepped, his blade whispering through the air—
Shhhk!
The man collapsed, clutching his chest, eyes wide in disbelief before he fell.
The laughter stopped.
Raiden's aura flared, a pressure that seeped into their bones. His senses expanded as Observation Haki activated, every movement and intent of the bandits laid bare in his mind. He could see their fear, their hesitation, their killing intent—all painted clearly before him.
They charged anyway, desperation overcoming reason.
---
Steel clashed in a cacophony of sparks. Raiden moved like a shadow, each strike precise, controlled, merciless. His sword flowed in arcs reminiscent of a hawk's wings slicing through the sky—swift, beautiful, and deadly.
Two fell with their throats cut before they even realized he had moved.
Another staggered back, his weapon shattered, chest split by a single decisive slash.
The scar-faced leader roared, swinging his axe down with brute strength.
Raiden met the blow head-on.
CLANG!
The force rippled through the clearing, but Raiden's blade held firm. His eyes narrowed, and his arm twisted slightly. With a clean motion, he redirected the axe downward and spun—
SHHHHK!
The man's chest bloomed red as he collapsed to the dirt, lifeless.
The rest of the bandits froze. What they had thought was just a "boy" had cut through their comrades like wheat before the scythe.
---
Within minutes, silence returned to the clearing. The only sound was the faint dripping of blood from Raiden's blade. More than twenty corpses lay scattered like broken dolls.
The captives stared in stunned silence. And the young woman he had noticed earlier… she met his gaze unflinchingly.
Even bound and bruised, her presence was commanding. She tilted her head, her lips curving into the faintest smile.
"You fight as if you were born with the sword in hand," she said. Her voice, despite exhaustion, carried a noble elegance.
Raiden's system chimed.
---
[Mission Complete]
Bandits eliminated.
Reward: +3% Mihawk Template Synchronization
Current Progress: 28%
---
Raiden felt his blade resonate with newfound sharpness, his strength surging like a storm.
But what caught his attention wasn't the system—it was the girl who stood before him, wounded yet unyielding, her eyes fixed on him as if searching the depths of his soul.
She offered a faint smile.
"I will never forget this debt, mysterious swordsman of the forest."
Raiden narrowed his eyes, realizing this meeting was no coincidence. It was the spark of a destiny far greater than he had ever imagined.