Chapter 27: Hunting the Level 2 Ferocious Beast

Genshiro felt his grip on the broadsword faltering, as though it might fly loose at any moment. He glanced at the earnest young man before him. The sword heart he had cultivated for so many years was nearly ready to break free in a surge of emotion. Despite his mounting irritation, he forced himself to speak calmly.

“Heh… Young friend, you certainly are straightforward. You say whatever’s on your mind.” Genshiro maintained his gentle smile and mild tone, though inwardly he felt a touch of exasperation.

Kuina cast her father a strange look. Outwardly, he appeared the same as ever, but she sensed something was amiss. On the island, no one ever dared show her father disrespect—no one except her master, who had just spoken so bluntly. Would this anger her father? But surely he wasn’t so petty.

She had never seen her father lose his temper; his expressions ranged only from impassive to gentle, never betraying anger. Still, she couldn’t help but worry—her master was currently no match for her father.

Timidly, she ventured, “Father, actually, Master was only joking. You’re not angry, are you?”

Genshiro’s gentle smile stiffened, then slowly faded away. He looked at his daughter, speechless, feeling as though he’d taken an arrow to his left side. Was this how she saw him—so narrow-minded?

The atmosphere instantly dried up. After a long silence, Genshiro finally spoke. “Kuina, do you really think your father is so petty?”

Seeing her father’s smile disappear, Kuina’s unease deepened. He must be angry, she thought. Still, her upbringing forbade her from lying, especially to her father and in front of her master. She hesitated for a moment, then straightened her face and replied earnestly, “Yes.”

Genshiro felt as though another arrow had struck his right side. He nearly spat blood from the frustration; it was all he could do to maintain his composure. He suddenly regretted asking such a question—it wasn’t like him at all! And upon hearing her answer, he regretted it even more. So this was how he appeared in his daughter’s eyes—a wave of melancholy washed over him.

Just then, a suppressed laugh sounded nearby.

Genshiro turned, veins bulging in irritation. Of course, it was Tang Shen, grinning broadly, sunlight seeming to burst from his smile. But to Genshiro, it was a dazzling provocation.

Kuina seemed to regret her answer, and asked her master nervously, “Master, was what I said wrong?”

“Of course not. You’re a good child—you told the truth. You were right. In fact, when I first met the master of the dojo, I saw it immediately.” Tang Shen praised her at once; a teacher should never encourage a child to lie, after all.

“Oh, that’s good,” Kuina sighed with relief.

Genshiro felt as though an arrow had pierced his heart. Was this really his daughter? He must have failed as a father. And what was with that last remark—how could Tang Shen have known upon first meeting him? He himself hadn’t noticed!

Without another word, Genshiro turned to leave. He had no mood to continue this conversation; discussing things with Tang Shen could wait until another day. If he lingered any longer, he might aggravate his internal injuries out of sheer exasperation.

“Father, take care!” Kuina called after him.

“Master, mind the steps!” Tang Shen added politely.

Genshiro didn’t respond, not even looking back, leaving them only the sight of his retreating figure.

“Kuina, let’s go monster hunting!” Tang Shen said eagerly, turning to her at once.

“Yes, Master,” Kuina replied without hesitation.

Tang Shen led Kuina into the forest. In this world, danger lurked beneath the surface calm, and Tang Shen had developed a strong sense of urgency. He felt an urgent need to grow stronger—at the very least, to be able to protect himself should disaster strike in the real world.

That was the way of every world: without strength, you only realized your weakness when trouble arrived—and by then, it was already too late.

He was borrowing some of Kuina’s time for now, and though the girl never complained, he remembered it well and vowed to repay her. At the very least, he would do his utmost to teach her well. He still had plenty of practical knowledge to offer.

In his previous life, he had served as a field intelligence officer in a special organization, joining a bit later than most, but gaining access to information beyond the reach of ordinary members—far more than most could imagine.

No sooner had they entered the forest than they encountered a tusked hare.

With a flash of the blade, he cleanly executed a Draw Slash. The hare’s neck was severed in an instant, its head tumbling to the grass, blood soaking the ground.

[System prompt: Hunted Level 1 Beast. Gained 1 experience point.]

Hearing the system’s chime, Tang Shen brought up his information panel and saw his experience had increased.

Level: 1, 5%

One tusked hare gave 1 experience point; leveling up would require twenty of them—twice as many as the previous level, and likely more than twice the time.

Clearly, tusked hares were no longer suitable for leveling up; he needed stronger beasts.

He bent to cast a gathering spell and obtained a piece of prime hare meat.

“Let’s go deeper,” Tang Shen said, heading further into the forest.

Soon, he spotted a chicken with fiery red feathers and a tail held high, foraging in the grass.

Tang Shen immediately used his reconnaissance skill.

Beast: Fire Chicken
Level: 2
Energy: 2
Assessment: For now, this is a creature you can only look up to. Work hard, young man!

The feedback made Tang Shen’s heart leap—this was exactly the Level 2 beast he was searching for. But upon seeing the assessment, he nearly wanted to flip a table. Wasn’t this exactly the same as the assessment for the Level 1 tusked hare? Not even the punctuation had changed—this system was truly sly.

Hmph.

Tang Shen snorted, his gaze sharpening as his right hand gripped the sword hilt.

With a bang, he launched forward. Having learned the basic sword technique, his control over his body was much improved—still slow, but far more coordinated.

He dashed a few steps, catching the fire chicken before it could turn to flee.

“Draw Slash!”

The blade flashed from its scabbard—swift and precise. With a wet sound, it cut clean through the fire chicken’s neck; the head dropped cleanly to the ground.