Chapter 105: The Qualification to Train in the Dodon Ray
Kaito Shirogane had now realized another advantage that Reincarnators possessed over plot characters. The [Energy] attribute, it seemed, did not differentiate between the various types of energy a Reincarnator could master. It was simply a measure of the total amount of energy they could control.
Most of the time, this distinction wouldn't matter. But for someone like Kaito, who, due to his unique experiences and constitution, had obtained an energy threshold far beyond what could be achieved through normal training, a small "bug" in the system appeared.
In truth, the amount of "ki" that Kaito could currently control—the energy flowing through his body in the Dragon Ball sense—was still at its original, low level. But because his spiritual power was so immense, his [Energy] attribute had become an unquantifiable, high-value [?]. Therefore, the [Dodon Ray] scroll no longer saw his Energy stat as a limitation.
He could absolutely achieve this before his next mission.
A [Mortal]-tier Reincarnator who has mastered the Dodon Ray... heh.
Kaito formed his fingers into a crane's beak and thrust forward. A sharp, focused force exploded from his fingertips. Thwack! He pierced straight through the wooden training dummy. A focused, undissipated force had penetrated the dummy and shot out the back.
This was a Lv4 Martial Arts Aptitude, and his "hidden force" was already quite powerful. He just couldn't do it at will yet. When he attacked with a fist or a palm, he couldn't get the force to be this condensed.
This phenomenon also existed in the Dragon Ball world. Techniques like the Dodon Ray and the Special Beam Cannon, which were fired from the fingertips, were often far more condensed and had superior piercing power. Against a powerful, single target, their ability to break a defense was often superior to that of a similarly-leveled Kamehameha. Of course, with enough ki to back it up, the Kamehameha's sheer scale was on a whole other level of destructive power.
Thwack!
Kaito continued the boring, repetitive movements, letting his Dimensional Points drain away. He wasn't in a hurry. He knew that even if he couldn't raise his proficiency level through his own training, he could always go to the Stall District and find a [Martial Arts Aptitude] scroll. That method would just be far more expensive. [Martial Arts Aptitude] was a special proficiency, much rarer than simple brawling.
"I'll exchange for one C-grade martial arts sparring partner."
[Spending 1 C-rank Singularity. Searching for a qualified martial arts sparring partner...]
[Search complete. Please select from the following candidates.]
Wanting to seriously improve, Kaito had invested the C-rank Singularity. A panel appeared before him with several profiles.
[Candidate A: Suiryu, Champion Martial Artist]
It was a young man with a black ponytail and a powerful stance. Kaito was certain this was the young, talented martial artist from the One-Punch Man world, a man capable of defeating Demon-level monsters.
[Candidate B: Kaku Kaioh, Aged Grandmaster of Martial Arts]
This was an old man whose face was so wrinkled it looked like cracked porcelain. His hair was white and his body was stooped, but he was known as a master who had achieved the pinnacle of technique.
[Candidate C: Kiryu Setsuna, the Cruel Martial Arts Prodigy]
A bare-chested youth with black hair flowing down to his waist. His muscles looked as if they were carved from stone, and the smile on his face held no warmth, only cruelty.
Kaito looked at the three candidates. In terms of pure power, Suiryu from One-Punch Man was by far the strongest. The martial artists from that world, much like those from Dragon Ball, possessed absurd, superhuman explosive power.
But the sparring partner wouldn't teach him. The [Training Hall] was just summoning a puppet of the character for him to fight. From that perspective, Suiryu was the worst choice. His strength, like Dragon Ball's, was just a stat-check. Kaito wouldn't learn any real technique. His power was based on his own overwhelming strength and speed—he could split an arena with a knife-hand and kick Saitama hundreds of meters. In Kaito's eyes, that was just a "stat-roll." It was the same as him fighting an ordinary person.
Kaito already understood his own abnormal learning ability. Compared to Suiryu, the other two were far better choices. Kiryu Setsuna, the "Beautiful Beast," was a master of both the [Niko Style] and the [Koei Style]. Sparring with him would likely allow Kaito to learn more of those techniques.
But… "I choose B."
[Selection complete. While sparring with Kaku Kaioh, Dimensional Point consumption will be doubled. (100 DP/minute). You may cancel at any time.]
As Kaito made his choice, the old man, dressed in a traditional Tang suit and sunglasses, appeared in the white training space. Compared to Kiryu's abilities, Kaito needed Kaku Kaioh's technique.
The Kaku Kaioh puppet, lacking any personality or soul, simply began to walk toward Kaito, his movements perfectly natural, without any tells. In Kaito's [Transparent World], he could see that as Kaku walked, only the bare, essential muscles were engaged. The rest of his body was in a state of perfect relaxation.
This was the secret to his flawless defense. He was in a constant state of "counter-readiness." He was like a man in a game of rock-paper-scissors, his hand raised but not yet formed, waiting for you to throw, and only then choosing his own move to counter.
This was the philosophy that all masters of physical combat pursued. Whether it was Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do or Kaito's own [Devil Lance] master, Kuroki Gensai, they were all masters of this domain. They would either seize the "pre-initiative" and strike the enemy before they could even move, or they would instantly see through the enemy's attack and strike "after the before."
Kaito's eyelids lowered. He also began to walk toward Kaku Kaioh. His muscles twitched, then settled, as he used his [Transparent World] to mimic the old man's posture and stance. They came within a single step of each other.
Kaito still didn't attack. The [Training Hall] not only paused his Nexus Dwell Time, but it also locked his life-state. Even if he practiced self-destructive techniques here, he wouldn't be in any real danger, though it might cost extra resources.
Kaku Kaioh raised a hand, his fist lightly clenched, and slowly extended it.
A sharp prickle of danger. Kaku's movement was slow, but it contained a terrifying power.
Kaito also raised his hand, his own muscles completely relaxed, and aimed for Kaku's chest. Their hands reached each other at almost the same time.
In the next instant, Kaito's pupils contracted. He saw Kaku's heart give a single, slow beat. And in that one beat, every muscle in the old man's body tensed and released at once.
BAM!
Kaito's chest caved in. A terrifying force exploded on his sternum, which instantly shattered. He sprayed a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying. In mid-air, his body's condition began to rapidly reverse, like time rewinding. He landed, his feet sliding back a dozen meters.
Kaku Kaioh's physical body was far past its peak, many of his muscles atrophied. But the power he had just unleashed was so great that even Kaito's enhanced constitution couldn't withstand it.
This was the power of technique. This was what "martial arts" meant: to use technique to allow a human to unleash power several times greater than their own.
Kaito wiped the blood from his mouth and nose, and began walking toward Kaku Kaioh again. He had already gotten a glimpse of how that power flowed.
Tap. Tap.
They walked toward each other. Again, they both raised their hands, aiming for the other's chest. Kaito, thanks to his longer reach, touched Kaku first. With a single thud of his own heart, Kaito's muscles tensed.
One-Inch Punch!
In that tiny, fractional space, his entire body's power was unleashed.
POW!
A sound like an explosion cracked the air, and Kaku Kaioh's body was sent flying. But the old man, in mid-air, tucked into a ball and began to spin. Kaito could see it clearly: the bones in his chest were actually dislocating and shifting, but in the spin, the force was dissipated. By the time he landed, his bones had already popped back into place.
Shaorii!
Haaa... Kaito let out a long breath, a white plume like a sword. He was becoming genuinely interested in these techniques from the Baki world. He was no longer just grinding to learn the Dodon Ray. Mastering Lv5 Martial Arts Aptitude was, in itself, an extremely powerful goal.
Sato sat in a high-class sedan he wasn't used to, his earpiece in, carefully scanning the surroundings. He spoke in a low voice to his apprentice.
"How is Miss Lee's inspection tour going? Is it proceeding smoothly?"
As the "chosen-one" of the workforce, Sato normally wouldn't have been assigned to this security detail. But the Sanyue Group had been unsatisfied with the local translators, so at the last minute, the main bureau had assigned Mizuki as their liaison. Sato, by extension, had been assigned to the rear, in charge of security for the whole operation.
Umikaze City was taking this inspection very seriously. If the Sanyue Group built a production line here, it would be a massive boost to the nation's microchip and smart-device industries.
Mizuki, walking at the back of the delegation, looked at the tall, aloof woman at the front of the group and whispered back. "Inspector… I feel like… Miss Lee isn't very interested."
Sato raised an eyebrow. He wasn't particularly invested in this either. After becoming a Reincarnator, it was hard to get worked up about something like a factory.
Mizuki thought for a moment, then added, "She was very interested yesterday. She wasn't just inspecting the sites; she kept asking me about Binhai City's university, its snack foods, tourist spots, things like that. But today… she suddenly seems… disappointed. Like she's lost all interest."
Sato frowned. He was extremely sensitive about Binhai University. It was, after all, near the location where the [Card] had last appeared, the event that had drawn so many Reincarnators to Japan in the first place.
"Ah, Miss Lee is ending the inspection for today. She said she needs to... 're-evaluate'…" Mizuki reported. She walked away from the delegation and got back into her mentor's car, leaving her own red sports car behind.
"Inspector… that Miss Lee… I have a weird feeling about her."
Sato's expression had already turned grave. "If Miss Lee asks you anything else about Binhai University, I want you to pay close attention and report it to me."
"No. Report everything she says, word for word. This is important, Mizuki. And it could be very dangerous. Do you understand?!"
~~~
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