Chapter 33: I Am So F*cking Strong! POWER!
Natsuya had made his decision.
He planned to raise every Breathing Style to the same proficiency as his Wind Breathing.
At the very least, they needed to reach the level where he could stably use [Total Concentration].
That meant Level 3 or higher.
As for his core Breathing Style, it should ideally be higher—Level 4. Or even Level 5 or 6, matching the realm of Cultivators like Kazami and Nikaido.
With his mind made up, Natsuya stopped hesitating.
After mastering the highly compatible Thunder Breathing, he decided to stop being a hoarder.
He opened the Skill Panel, ready to dump his points.
"Sorry, Cheap Master. Your disciple is doing this for the future of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Let's start with Thunder.
Current Achievement Points: 15
SYSTEM! ADD POINTS!
[ consumed 5 Points ]
[Thunder Breathing] LV.0 (9/250) → LV.3 (359/2000)
Your Total Concentration effect has slightly increased.
[ consumed 4 Points ]
[Stone Breathing] LV.1 (170/500) → LV.3 (10/2000)
Your Total Concentration effect has moderately increased.
[ consumed 3 Points ]
[Water Breathing] LV.2 (256/1000) → LV.3 (111/2000)
Your Total Concentration effect has reached the Maximum Value.
Remaining Achievement Points: 3
In a single breath, he leveled three Breathing Styles multiple times.
Now, all his combat skills were at [LV.3 Proficient].
Along with the skill levels came a massive surge in base stats.
Thunder Bonus: Power +5, +9, +16
Stone Bonus: Power +13, +17
Water Bonus: Power +15
[Kokonoe Natsuya]
[Power Level: 157 (Body: 69, Tech: 42, Mind: 46)]
[Wind, Water, Stone, Thunder Breathing: LV.3]
Fullness. The flow of power!
The fruits of countless hours of hammering, sparring, and grinding materialized in an instant, flooding Natsuya's body and mind with joy.
STRONG! POWERFUL! DOMINANT!
It was a completely different dimension of strength compared to before...
Feeling the intense heat churning within him, the source of power surging through his muscles and bones, Natsuya slowly exhaled a long breath.
Faint traces of wind and lightning seemed to flicker in his eyes. His aura, once calm as mountains and water, was renewed.
He couldn't help but grin brilliantly.
[Total Concentration!]
Natsuya clenched his left fist in empty air. A crisp crack exploded in the dojo.
It was the sound of air being crushed by sheer physical grip strength and control.
"Old Man Kazami... my strength is far above yours now..." Natsuya muttered meaninglessly.
In reality, a case like Natsuya had almost never appeared in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Dual-specing Breathing Styles was already rare.
Mastering four styles to the point of unlocking [Total Concentration] in each was unprecedented.
Normal swordsmen didn't have Natsuya's ability to have a "sudden epiphany" and break through multiple realms instantly (via System Points).
And stacking four Total Concentrations simultaneously? That was beyond the comprehension of most Slayers.
A normal Slayer learned Total Concentration after reaching a certain proficiency. As they refined their skills and stats further, they would eventually grasp a technique called [Total Concentration: Constant].
Simply put:
Breathing: Boosts performance during the duration.
Total Concentration: Explodes performance to a higher tier instantly at the cost of high stamina load.
Constant: Maintains the boost 24/7 by minimizing the load, turning the user into a superhuman permanently.
In the Corps, Constant was the hallmark of a top-tier Slayer. It meant their body, technique, and mastery had reached an inconceivable level.
Although Natsuya hadn't reached Constant yet, unlocking Total Concentration four times created a terrifying stacking effect.
If a normal Slayer's Total Concentration boosted their stats to 200%...
Natsuya's current Total Concentration pushed him to 300% or 400%.
This led to a tragic outcome for Nikaido Mei.
The Cultivator, who had been eagerly sparring with him, was beaten into an existential crisis.
The day before, he was barely holding his own against her. He had only managed to catch her off guard once when he first learned Thunder Breathing.
But overnight, he fought like a different person.
His Thunder Breathing didn't look like something he just learned; it looked like he had polished it for years. His speed and power were leagues ahead.
It felt like she wasn't facing a rookie, but a battle-hardened Kinoe veteran.
If she hadn't watched him learn from scratch, she would have suspected he was smurfing the whole time.
Finally, after two bolts of lightning crossed paths...
Nikaido's Nichirin Sword snapped.
Not because her technique was weaker, but because the hot-headed woman chose to clash with Natsuya head-on.
Natsuya's force was heavier. And his sword was newer.
Staring at her broken blade, Nikaido's expression was complex.
Surpassed by a junior so easily...
She took a deep breath and straightened up. "Listen well, brat. I have nothing left to teach you about Thunder Breathing."
"If you can break my sword, you can sever the necks of demons."
"Go to your next stop."
"Take that talent and resolve, and slaughter as many of those bastards as you can."
She gave a thumbs-up and pointed forcefully at her eyepatch.
"If you ever meet a Lower Moon named Mukago, kill her for me. Avenge my eye."
"And tell Tengen... dampen his arrogance for me. I don't ask for his basics to be perfect, but he can't rely on Ninja tricks forever. Demons aren't humans; ninjutsu has limits."
The aggressive aura Nikaido usually projected vanished like the tide.
All that was left was nagging and advice. Like a mother watching her child leave home.
Before he left, she even gave him a gourd of wine and a scroll of her personal notes on Breathing.
After walking a long distance from the dojo, Natsuya looked back.
Nikaido Mei was still standing at the gate. Seeing him turn, she waved casually and walked back inside.
I owe her one...
Mukago, was it? I hope she has enough eyes.
If she only has two, poking them out in two strikes would be too boring.
He hadn't gone much further when his Kasugai Crow, Shiro, flew in from the distance.
"KOKONOE NATSUYA! EMERGENCY ORDER! EMERGENCY ORDER!"
It dive-bombed onto the boy's head. Its loud cawing made Natsuya's ears ring.
"CAW! EASTERN LOGGING CAMP! KOCHO KANAE ENCOUNTERED A POWERFUL DEMON! IN DANGER! ONE MEMBER KILLED! REQUESTING IMMEDIATE BACKUP! GO! GO! CAW!"
Oh?
An urgent rescue mission?
If it can trap another Slayer in a hard fight, the XP from killing it must be massive.
Natsuya stopped, turned, and accelerated toward the direction the crow indicated.
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