Twenty days had passed on Mount Sagiri — meaning only a single day had passed in Drake's world — yet for him, it felt like an eternity. The air was cold, crisp, and full of the scent of pine as he stood outside Urokodaki's hut, wooden katana in hand.
Swing. Step. Breathe.
Swing. Step. Breathe.
He repeated the motions endlessly, the rhythm of training ingrained in his muscles. His Sword Mastery skill had risen only ten levels during these twenty days. Progress had slowed; it was getting harder to level up, but he didn't care. The reward of growth was worth the effort.
Meanwhile, his new skill, Heightened Senses, had improved remarkably. His vision was sharper; he could hear the faintest rustle in the trees, smell the damp pine, and feel the subtle shifts in the wind. Even the pressure of the sword against his palm was clearer now, allowing him to gauge how much force he was exerting. Every sense helped refine his movements, improving his technique beyond what raw talent would have allowed.
Drake wasn't naturally gifted in swordsmanship — far from it. But thanks to his Swordsman (Common) trait and the synergy with Heightened Senses, he was finally able to understand complex maneuvers that would have taken him years to grasp otherwise.
Urokodaki had started teaching him advanced techniques, layering them onto the foundation he had built. When he had checked the basics he had assigned Drake to learn while he was away, the older man's expression showed the slightest flicker of surprise. Four days for Urokodaki… but Drake had trained for an entire month in his world. Thanks to his trait, he had absorbed the fundamentals far beyond what the old master expected.
Now, Urokodaki was beginning to teach him Water Breathing. The System hadn't issued a quest for this, but Drake didn't need it. The knowledge itself was invaluable, and every motion, every stance, brought him closer to becoming a true Demon Slayer.
Still, before he could even attempt the complex forms, his body had to catch up. His muscles were stronger than before, but he needed more endurance, more stamina, more raw power to execute the fluid, sweeping techniques without faltering.
So Drake trained his body relentlessly. Push-ups, squats, sprints through the snow, swings of the wooden katana until his arms threatened to drop off. Each day, each repetition, was a small step toward mastering both his body and the deadly art of the sword.
The mountain wind cut through his clothes, the scent of pine sharp in his nose, his ears catching the tiniest sound of a bird fluttering in the distance. Every sense honed, every muscle strained — he was not just training, he was evolving.
Drake wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breath fogging in the crisp mountain air. The sun had barely risen, streaks of gold piercing through the mist that clung to the trees. He was about to resume his next set of sword swings when —
[Ding!]
A bright blue interface blinked before his eyes.
[All of your essential stats have surpassed twenty in the F-Rank!]
[Your multiversal presence has evolved!]
Drake blinked. "My multiversal… what?"
The system chimed again.
[Your Luck has been raised as a consequence!]
[Luck +13!]
He tilted his head, gripping the wooden sword tighter. "Wait, wait — hold on, system. What the hell's happening right now?"
The mechanical voice responded in its usual calm, almost smug tone.
[Host, every being across the multiverse possesses its own 'presence' — a metaphysical weight that determines its significance in the cosmic hierarchy. Until now, your importance was comparable to that of an ant.]
Drake frowned. "Gee, thanks for the compliment."
[However, after surpassing the basic mortal threshold, your presence has evolved. You are now the equivalent of… a half-burned aluminum can.]
There was a long pause.
Drake stared blankly at the floating text. "…A half-burned can? That's my upgrade?"
[Affirmative.]
He rubbed his temple, sighing deeply. "Man… that's just sad."
But after a moment, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, compared to an ant, a half-burned can's still indestructible."
He shrugged it off. Honestly, being less than an ant next to beings like Goku or Saitama was still pretty realistic. Progress was progress.
Then another notification flashed.
[The time ratio between worlds has changed.]
[New ratio: 50:1.]
Drake's eyes widened. "Fifty to one? That's amazing!"
He grinned. "That means I won't have to worry about going to school every twenty days anymore…"
But before he could relax, another message appeared — one that made his blood run cold with excitement.
[You can now go into a second anime world.]
Drake froze. His sword slipped slightly from his grip as he stared at the glowing text.
"My… second world?" he muttered, heart pounding. "You mean… I can actually go to another anime world now?"
The possibilities flooded his mind — worlds of heroes, monsters, pirates, and power beyond imagination.
He gulped, a slow grin forming on his face. "Now this… this is getting interesting."
"What's the world?" he immediately asked.
The system didn't make him wait.
[Considering your low multiversal presence, your next destination will be rolled from low-power worlds.]
[Would you like to roll?]
Drake sighed dramatically. "And here I was, thinking I'd end up in One Piece..." He crossed his arms, shaking his head with mock disappointment. "Nami, you'll have to wait a little longer for your future husband."
He pointed at the glowing screen. "Roll."
[Rolling…]
The sound of an ethereal spinning wheel echoed in his mind, like dice tumbling through dimensions.
[Ding!]
[The world has been chosen!]
[World: Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions]
Drake blinked. "...Grimgar?" He tilted his head, trying to remember. "Man, I thought it was gonna be something cooler."
He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, whatever. I don't even remember that anime too well… Guess I should rewatch it before diving in blind."
He glanced at the horizon — dawn just barely painting the snow in pale gold. Urokodaki had told him to return in ten hours.
"Ten hours here means... around twenty days through the other worlds," he muttered, doing the math in his head. "Perfect."
A soft light began to gather around his body, shimmering faintly against the frost. The mist swirled as his surroundings started to fade away.
"Well then," Drake said, flashing one last grin. "Let's not waste any more time."
With a flash of light, he vanished — leaving only the whisper of his laughter echoing through Mount Sagiri.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I have changed Heightened Senses from being an ability to being a skill, found it more appropriate.