Dark Mist: A Samurai's Path || Muichiro! OC

十九

Kumoko pov

<Individual Ede Saine will evolve into Zana Horowa.>

My consciousness didn't fade like it normally would. What's up with that? Maybe it's because of Exhaustion Nullification?

Exhaustion Nullification is a skill I got along with my Ruler of Sloth title. Not only does it completely negate Sleep-attribute attacks, it also nullifies the repercussions of not sleeping. I can stay awake twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no drawbacks! Plus, I can still sleep normally whenever I want; all in all, it's a pretty handy skill. I'm guessing it's also the reason why I'm not passing out anymore when I evolve.

And speaking of my ruler title, I do find it strange how I have Sloth and Perseverance despite the skills already being possessed by two other people. Ruler skills are supposed to be unique to the person and each could only have one holder at a time.

That old samurai already has the Ruler of Perseverance title and the skill itself. I don't know when he had gotten the skill, but he looks to be in his late thirties at the very least. In the same vein, Rosemary had bought Sloth with skill points way before than I did.

Although... Both cases could be explained through their connection with the Yamato.

After I declassified and decoded his information using Wisdom, I discovered that the neo-samurai was the previous owner of the unstoppable katana. The Yamato was never a part of the System in the first place and its presence alone makes the system glitch and go awry.

The blade was created after the System was to act as a neutral force of sorts. A third power unaffiliated with any of the factions and a counterpart to the Sword of the Hero and the Sword of the Demon Lord. The Yamato holds the same amount of power as both swords, but it's more restrained- and in a way, more refined- with all the power concentrated and contained in the edge of the sword. But, the sword's ability to cut isn't just limited to the physical.

F had created the sword as an experiment to see what would happen if someone had complete agency over their fate. The katana's purpose was to sever its user's connection to the DESTINY system, which could also probably end up severing the user's connection to the System. But said benefits also come with a small catch, the user must train the next wielder of the Yamato after they give the sword up.

Although, severely maiming and nearly killing someone was kind of excessive for a "lesson". But... that did motivate Rosemary to train harder and sharpen and hone her skills in a way no previous battle was able to. Like my first encounter with Araba, Rosemary's encounter- and subsequent fight- with the old samurai had lit a fire in her. A fire that motivated her to become stronger so she wouldn't be reduced to that state ever again.

...

So...this is evolution, it feels pretty bizarre. It doesn't sting or itch, but the sensation of my body being remodeled from the inside out is just plain weird. And even more peculiar, the sensation wasn't bad or scary, though that could've been due to my Fear Resistance being so high level.

<Evolution completed.>

<Species changed to Zana Horowa.>

<All basic attributes have increased.>

<Skill proficiency evolutionary bonus acquired.>

Oh, a whole bunch of my skills level up.

Oh wow, I knew evolving would level up my skills and all, but hearing them listed off like this really drove home how many I have in my posession.

<Acquired skill [Immortality] as a result of evolution.>