"How do you feel? Does your wound still hurt? The Treasure Hoarder have become increasingly lawless these past few years; they'll do anything outrageous."
"Much better… Thank you."
Shiki thanked him. This handsome old man gave her a very familiar feeling, and she wondered if he had appeared in the story.
But then, several dark lines appeared on the handsome old man's body, emitting a dazzling red light from within, as if he would fall apart at any moment.
Next were the walls, the windows, the roof, and even her own… body!
Everything before her was a scene of ultimate destruction. No matter how hard an object was, it seemed so fragile to her, shattering with a touch.
Shiki quickly closed her eyes. Before, due to the special circumstances, she had subconsciously ignored it. Now, upon closer inspection, she realized she couldn't quite accept this apocalyptic sight.
Tejima saw the girl suddenly close her eyes and thought something was wrong, so he quickly asked, "Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine… just a little dizzy…"
Shiki recalled how the original version maintained normal Vision: by blurring her eyes' focus and viewing things from an aerial perspective.
Slowly opening her eyes, she deliberately blurred their focus. This time, the apocalyptic scenery did not appear.
"Dizziness is normal. It's been two days since you fainted, which means you haven't eaten or drunk anything for two days."
"But you've just woken up, so you can't eat too much. Just have some lavender melon soup to tide you over, and I'll make you something good tonight," Tejima said.
"Thank you…" Shiki didn't know what else to say besides these two words. He was a stranger, yet he was helping her to such an extent.
"It's nothing. By the way, what's your name?" Tejima asked.
"My name… just call me Shiki."
"Ryougi? That's a rare surname. I'm Tejima, pleased to meet you!"
Hearing that name, Shiki finally understood why she felt familiar with him.
Tejima was a pitiful man whose Vision was confiscated after the Vision Hunt Decree was enforced.
He had been waiting in Konda Village for someone who never returned, waiting for thirty years. However, the confiscation of his Vision made him forget who that person was.
Not only that, he even forgot the reason why he had waited there for thirty years.
'However, Tejima's Vision is still there, which means the Vision Hunt Decree hasn't been enforced yet. There's still some time before the story begins.'
Life at the moment could be said to be relatively peaceful. The civil war only broke out after the Vision Hunt Decree was issued. By then, life in Inazuma would be anything but peaceful.
And what she needed to do now was to become stronger. Although she didn't have a Vision, and the Vision Hunt Decree had nothing to do with her, besides the Vision Hunt Decree, there were still monsters.
Especially shielded Abyss Mages and Hilichurl Kings; which one of them wasn't a tricky opponent?
Fortunately, she had Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. As long as she practiced her swordsmanship well, what if she didn't have a Vision and couldn't control the elements?
As long as it's a living thing, even a god, I'll kill it for you to see!
...
At dinner, over the dining table, Shiki voiced her request:
"Um… I know this might be a bit much to ask, but I'd like to ask you to teach me swordsmanship."
Tejima glanced at the katana hanging on the wall, then asked, "You want to learn?"
Shiki nodded.
"I'll teach you!"
"Really?"
"Of course! I'm a licensed master of the Mushin Style. Teaching a novice like you is a piece of cake," Tejima said confidently.
"But let me tell you, practicing swordsmanship is very difficult. If you give up halfway, I won't teach you anymore."
"Naturally. Everything must have a beginning and an end. You don't need to tell me that; I already know," Shiki nodded and said.
"It seems your resolve is quite good. In that case, once your body recovers, we'll begin."
"During this time, you can read the style's secret manual. You're idle anyway, so consider it a preview."
Tejima said, taking out a book from a drawer. It looked very ordinary, without even a name, not at all like a secret manual of a martial art style.
However, the content inside was very detailed. Shiki flipped through it; rather than a secret manual, it was more like Tejima's diary of practicing the Mushin Style.
"Alright, save this for after dinner. The body is the foundation of everything. Practicing swordsmanship is to strengthen oneself, but letting oneself go hungry because of swordsmanship would be a losing proposition."
Shiki closed the manual upon hearing this. She understood. Tejima was a true glutton, though what he said was also correct.
After dinner, Shiki decided to take a stroll around the village to see if she could use that Waypoint.
There was a Waypoint in the center of Konda Village. Its highly recognizable appearance made Shiki immediately identify it.
It looked similar to how it did in the game, except it was covered in vines and moss, clearly indicating it hadn't been activated in a long time.
Shiki stood in front of the anchor and tapped it. In the game, you press F, but how do you do it in reality? There's no F key here.
She couldn't help but complain inwardly. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed the anchor move.
"Hmm?"
Shiki confirmed it wasn't her imagination, so this time she placed her entire palm on it.
The anchor slowly rose from the ground, and Shiki's consciousness entered a peculiar space.
It was a giant ancient tree, piercing through the entire world, its sprawling roots seemingly endless. Shiki couldn't feel where the giant tree ended.
However, she could see the flow of energy, the history of this land. This was information recorded by the Ley Lines, and the fact that she could see it was very strange.
But strange as it was, some ideas still needed to be verified.
Shiki slowly settled her thoughts and then imagined things related to swordsmanship in her mind.
She planned to treat the Ley Lines as a large computer. Since the Ley Lines could record what happened in the world, could she find what she wanted from them?
And the fact proved, she could!
Shiki saw a horned man swing his blade at a Tengu girl. The Tengu clan was very fast, but this Oni youth's speed was even faster than the Tengu's!
This was a sword move that pursued speed. To be precise, the Oni youth had already locked onto the Tengu girl. Oni were generally good at strength, not speed, yet he had surpassed the Tengu in speed.
Just as Shiki was about to observe closely, she was pulled out of the Ley Lines.
"Oh, this…"
Shiki felt a bit speechless. It was just getting to the exciting part, and she was thrown out?