Chapter 02
All was silent.
In the distance stretched an endless sea. The glittering waves gently and cautiously soaked into the gray curtain of the sky.
“Sure enough… it really is the sea.”
“Am I… on an island?!”
The cave was located at the top of a mountain. Wearing nothing more than a pair of tattered hemp shorts and a crude sleeveless animal-hide vest, Yoriichi Tsugikuni stood on the open ground outside the cave entrance, gazing into the distance.
The climate of this world was strange. Last night, the wind outside the cave had been freezing cold, yet as soon as morning arrived, the temperature immediately warmed up. Such an abnormal change in temperature left Yoriichi struggling to adapt.
“First… I should take a look at the surrounding environment.”
After taking several deep breaths of fresh air, Yoriichi returned to the cave. Not long afterward, he walked out carrying his long sword, looked around, and followed the only path leading down the mountain.
It was obvious that the previous owner had lived in this cave for quite some time. Around the entrance, there were clear signs that the area had been deliberately cleared and modified.
Before long, Yoriichi’s figure disappeared into the dense forest.
…
This was a primeval forest. Towering ancient trees stretched toward the heavens throughout the woods.
The branches intertwined with one another, and the lush foliage spread out like emerald clouds, completely blocking out the blue sky. The sea breeze passed through, causing the leaves to rustle, resembling the sigh of an enormous dragon.
Along the way, Yoriichi encountered many strange plants he had never seen before. He was often drawn to these bizarre vegetation and would occasionally stop to examine them.
It was not simply because they were novel. He merely wanted to see if any of these plants bore familiar fruits that could satisfy his hunger.
Yoriichi had not forgotten what he saw inside the cave yesterday. The only thing in the entire cave that could be considered food was that strange paste-like substance.
If he had a choice, he absolutely did not want to try eating that thing again.
Unfortunately, after walking this far, he still had not found any plants resembling fruit trees.
“ROAR!!!”
Suddenly, a thunderous roar exploded from within the forest.
The next second, a foul, bloody wind rushed directly toward Yoriichi.
Yoriichi instinctively drew his sword. With a light tap of his toes against the ground, his body instantly leapt several meters away.
The moment he left his original position, a gigantic claw crashed down.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the ground, leaving behind a web of cracks spreading across the earth.
“What is that thing?!”
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.
A massive tiger, nearly ten meters in length, appeared before him.
However, this tiger completely exceeded Yoriichi’s understanding of the creature.
Putting aside its enormous and exaggerated size, the two fangs extending from its mouth alone were nearly half a meter long, dazzling his eyes with their terrifying appearance.
Being stared down by such an abnormal beast, this body of Yoriichi’s reacted instinctively. His hair stood on end, and at some point, his long sword had already been drawn from its sheath.
With a solemn expression, he stared at the strange “tiger” before him.
“ROAR!!!”
Another roar erupted.
The giant tiger, having missed its first strike, suddenly lunged forward. In an instant, it arrived directly in front of Yoriichi.
Its two massive front claws swung toward him, attempting to crush him between them.
The thick stench of blood caused even Yoriichi’s breathing to momentarily stop.
One could only imagine how many creatures had died beneath those terrifying claws.
Yet at this critical moment, Yoriichi’s mind became completely clear.
His breathing rhythm quietly changed.
The movements of the giant tiger suddenly appeared slowed down in his eyes.
And the world before him underwent a complete transformation.
Transparent World!
By concentrating and shutting off unnecessary senses, a living creature’s body would appear almost transparent. One’s movement speed, prediction ability, and ability to evade attacks would all be greatly enhanced.
The flow of blood vessels inside an opponent’s lungs could be seen clearly, and the contraction of one’s own muscles could be understood instantly. Even one’s battle aura could be freely controlled and shut off according to need.
Because perception was accelerated, the enemy’s movements would appear much slower.
In this world, Yoriichi awakened this terrifying talent that should have been innate from birth.
From Yoriichi’s perspective, every organ inside the giant tiger became clearly visible.
Its enormous heart beat powerfully, expanding and contracting with terrifying vitality.
If Yoriichi had to compare it with something, the vitality of this tiger’s heart was not much different from the Lower Moon demon he had once killed.
“I can see it! Just like before… I can see everything!”
“Sun Breathing—First Form—Dance!”
The familiar sight before his eyes instantly erased Yoriichi’s nervousness.
In the blink of an eye, Yoriichi swung his blade three times.
The giant claws rushing toward him seemed like wild horses that had broken free from their reins, flying past both sides of his body.
The next moment—
Blood sprayed through the air, splattering onto the ground.
The intense smell of blood filled his nose.
THUD!
The giant tiger that had swung its claws collapsed heavily.
Fresh blood immediately dyed the earth beneath it.
The tiger corpse lying on the ground had both front legs severed completely at the roots, leaving only perfectly smooth cuts.
Large amounts of blood poured from the wounds.
At the same time, a long gash appeared across the massive tiger’s head, with blood and brain matter flowing out.
With injuries like these, it was no wonder even this abnormal beast died instantly.
Just as Yoriichi was about to approach and examine the corpse after sheathing his sword, he suddenly felt something.
He stopped.
Then he raised his head and looked upward.
“Whoosh—”
A tremendous sound erupted above him.
A strange bird broke through the dense branches and leaves, diving downward.
The next moment, a black shadow flashed before Yoriichi.
The creature’s sharp claws grabbed onto the tiger corpse.
With a flap of its enormous wings, it instantly carried the tiger away and disappeared from Yoriichi’s sight.
“This… what kind of world is this…”
Yoriichi was stunned by what he had just witnessed.
If he had not seen incorrectly, the strange bird that had descended moments ago had a wingspan and body length approaching twenty meters.
Such a creature was something Yoriichi had never encountered before.
The vitality of its heart was even stronger than the giant tiger’s.
It had even reached the level of a Lower Rank demon.
Of course, this was only referring to the vitality of its heart.
It did not necessarily mean its combat strength was comparable.
Two consecutive encounters with bizarre creatures filled Yoriichi with curiosity toward the world he now inhabited.
What kind of world could give birth to such strange lifeforms?
Moreover, this body…
It could actually handle Total Concentration Breathing: Constant with ease.
There was no pressure whatsoever.
The smoothness of his sword movements was even greater than when he used to wield his blade.
That moment when he dodged the tiger’s attack earlier—
It had been nothing more than this body’s instinctive reaction.
Without a doubt, this body in this world was even stronger than his original body.
Combining all these signs together, Yoriichi began forming a guess about the world he was in.
Could it be…
Was this a world of cultivation?
With that thought in mind, Yoriichi slowly walked toward the two tiger legs he had sliced off earlier.
Although calling them tiger claws was inaccurate.
After all, he had cut them off completely from the roots.
Calling them tiger legs would be more appropriate.
Each tiger leg was three to four meters long.
Their weight was impossible to estimate.
“They should… be edible, right?”
“At least this counts as a harvest. I won’t have to try that flour-like paste anymore.”
“If this really is a cultivation world, then this should count as a spirit beast, right? After all, it’s so huge.”
“I wonder if spirit beast meat is really like the legends say… that eating it makes you stronger and lets you climb five floors without even getting out of breath.”
While muttering to himself, Yoriichi prepared to cut some meat from the tiger leg.
However, when he approached it, an absurd thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
He placed his sword back into its sheath.
Then, he grabbed the “claw” of the tiger leg with both hands.
He actually intended to lift the entire thing.
Originally, he only planned to test it.
But when Yoriichi exerted force—
The tiger leg completely left the ground.
And what surprised him even more was that…
He did not feel any strain at all.
“This… what kind of monstrous strength is this?!”
Yoriichi was completely confused by the terrifying power possessed by this body.
He had no idea where it came from.
However, he did not dwell on the matter.
After all, crossing worlds had already happened to him twice.
Having incredible strength as well was perfectly reasonable.
Yoriichi attributed all of this to the favor of the heavens.
Perhaps…
The one most loved by the heavens was not that little brat who liked drinking beast milk after all.
…………………………….
