Chapter 30 - Chapter 29 - Request

Honestly, when Lux obtained several powerful Templates, he was a little surprised.

But what surprised him even more was that the system had unlocked two new features...

[𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿-𝗨𝗽: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 "𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀" 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲'𝘀 𝘂𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲]

[𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱" 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲'𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹. 𝗜𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗱]

At a glance, one might think both features were tremendously advantageous.

But Lux immediately noticed the drawbacks of both from the system's explanation.

Both Character Template Power-Up and History Template Creation carried a very real potential for failure, with the consequence of losing a terrifying amount of points.

If Lux recklessly spent hundreds of millions of points on an upgrade and then failed... there was no doubt it would be a loss that would shake even him, who was now considered quite "rich."

Although Lux currently had an abundance of Achievement Points, he was not the type to waste his resources carelessly.

Especially when he knew that maximizing his ✯✯✯✯✯ Templates required a no small amount of points.

Even so, these two new features were too good to ignore. Both could be useful in every respect...

Surprisingly, Lux did not need a system update to unlock these features.

The mere presence of a Son of Destiny was enough to trigger the new features—further proof that a Son of Destiny was not to be underestimated.

At least, as long as they still had their "golden finger," or cheat, Lux had no intention of letting them die in vain.

'Now, Character Template Power-Up. This is a very helpful feature for some of my weaker Templates, including the Inaba Tsukuyo Template...' Lux thought as he recalled his experience on Cthulhu Island.

Back then, he had spent tens of millions of points to temporarily upgrade the Inaba Tsukuyo Template (✯✯) to Inaba Tsukuyo (✯✯✯✯).

Her power had instantly skyrocketed to Rank S+ and she had even dared to fight a Rank SS one-on-one.

Unfortunately, the upgrade was not permanent and vanished after the one-hour time limit.

With this new feature, Lux could make Inaba Tsukuyo's strength permanent.

But of course, there were troublesome conditions...

'I knew it wouldn't be that easy.'

Lux narrowed his eyes as he read the details of the requirements.

As the system explained, for a permanent character upgrade, he didn't just need a crazy consumption of points, but also several specific "rare" items.

To make matters worse, those items were not available in the System Mall.

In other words, he had to search for all the materials himself...

It sounded troublesome, but still within his capabilities.

After all… with the number of Templates he currently had, hunting for rare items shouldn't be a big problem.

That was why he was now in one of the border regions between the human continent and the demon continent—a location famous for the appearance of the rare items he needed.

'But a Son of Destiny in a place like this? Truly astonishing.'

Lux looked at the six-year-old golden-haired girl sleeping soundly in his arms.

Her innocent face contrasted with the danger surrounding them.

Currently, they were in the territory of a famous kingdom, the Heavenly Sky Kingdom… A kingdom in the north that had received the direct blessing of two Transcendent beings: the God of War and the God of Heaven.

As the northernmost territory, of course, this kingdom had a cruel and merciless winter, but that only applied in the territory of the famous northern duke family... the Frozen Sky Family.

When this knowledge surfaced in his mind... for some reason Lux felt a strange familiarity... as if he had heard a story like this in a previous life from some of his female friends?

Shaking his head to dispel the feeling, Lux then focused on the last system feature he had just obtained.

'History Template Creation.'

History manipulation... a power that sounded almost godlike.

Even Lux himself acknowledged its extraordinary potential. But its weaknesses couldn't simply be ignored either.

A high chance of failure, a fantastic consumption of points, and strict limitations... all of that made the feature feel useless.

Calmly, Lux tried using it for the first time, attempting to create a new history, but as expected...

[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳「𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗻」𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱]

"..." Lux fell silent, his eyes narrowing.

In an instant, the hundreds of millions of Achievement Points he had painstakingly accumulated vanished just like that.

An amount that could have bought countless high-class Talents had now evaporated with no result…

Lux had tried to create a history about the Archons in this world, considering he already had the Electro Archon and Geo Archon Templates.

Beforehand, he had looked deeper into the meaning and history of the "Archon."

According to the system's explanation, the concept of the Archon was quite simple. They were the victors of the war of the gods and represented the element they mastered—practically "Gods" leading their respective nations.

There were seven Archons representing different elements: Anemo Archon, Geo Archon, Electro Archon, Dendro Archon, Hydro Archon, Pyro Archon, and Cryo Archon.

Raiden Ei represented the Electro Archon, while Lux's newest Template—Morax—represented the Geo Archon.

With the basic knowledge from the system, he had tried to create the history of the Archons in this world—not only to give his Templates an official identity, but also to create a background that would ease his future plans.

But it ended in failure.

Of course, that wasn't truly surprising. Both Morax and Raiden Ei had a history of terrible wars against powerful beings, having slaughtered "Gods" in great numbers…

Integrating such a history into this world, which had countless powerful beings, was naturally not easy.

What's more, altering the memories of the Transcendents in this world required an absurd amount of points.

Fortunately, although the Seven Archon attempt failed, there was another history he had succeeded in creating...

***

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘇𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆.

That was the history created by Lux that had successfully been implanted into the world.

In the original story, the Yozakura Family was a family of assassins, but in this world… Lux had altered it slightly for his own purposes.

Instead of being known as a family of professional assassins, the Yozakura Family was now known as one of the founders of Master Swordsman City, the center of honor and strength for swordsmen.

Lux had not applied the Yozakura Family's history without calculation.

There were several reasons, one of them directly related to the Son of Destiny, Chen Ye, while the others served as the foundation of Lux's power in this world.

Since losing the Shadow Order Guild, which had collapsed, it had been very difficult for him to operate without an information network and connections.

The Yozakura Family was the perfect solution to that void—a powerful network with a history respected enough to go unquestioned.

The Templates related to the Yozakura Family's history in this world were very numerous.

Lux had deliberately placed most of his Templates into this family.

Yozakura Tsubomi, who literally became the respected founder of the Yozakura Family.

Aoi Sui, who came from the same world as Yozakura Tsubomi.

In the original work he was a government agent, but in this world he was a loyal member of the Yozakura Family and Yozakura Tsubomi's personal guard.

Then there were Inaba Tsukuyo, Tomioka Giyū, and several other Template characters who joined the Yozakura Family...

Lux had prepared many high-class Templates that would not only surprise the Son of Destiny, but also make even the World Organization think twice before meddling in his affairs.

'Now don't disappoint me, Son of Destiny...'

Lux closed his eyes, his consciousness shifting into all of his Templates' bodies...

***

Never once in his life had Chen Ye imagined he would come face to face with one of the founders of Master Swordsman City.

What was even more surprising, that founder turned out to be a young girl!

Although he knew there were some special individuals who could live hundreds or even thousands of years, he had never expected to meet one of them so soon...

"You must be surprised."

The figure before him smiled warmly.

She had an unusual beauty. Soft snow-white hair with strands of sea-blue framed her perfect face.

What drew the most attention were the small cherry tree branches growing from the right side of her body... rather than making her look strange, they gave her an enchanting, mysterious charm.

"Barging in suddenly and being greeted with something unpleasant, you must be displeased," said the girl, who had introduced herself as the leader of the Yozakura Family.

Her gentle smile never faded from her face. "Please forgive the inconvenience."

"N-no, I don't really mind that."

Chen Ye laughed awkwardly while rubbing his wrist, which still ached from the earlier "welcome."

"Besides, I'm curious. Is the Yozakura Family's entrance test really this brutal?" he asked hesitantly.

"Idiot, even after all that, you still think this was an entrance test?"

"W-what did you say?!" Chen Ye shouted, a mix of annoyed and furious.

The young man who had just insulted Chen Ye had short blue-green hair and an expressionless face.

Although the earlier fight had been intense enough to leave his clothes in disarray, strangely he still looked fresh and calm as though nothing had happened.

"Stop, Sui. He is our guest," Yozakura Tsubomi said gently.

"...Understood." Aoi Sui nodded slightly and stepped back respectfully.

Yozakura Tsubomi smiled warmly at Chen Ye again, her petal-shaped pupils shimmering softly.

"He has always been like that, please bear with him."

"Y-yes, I know."

Even as he said that, Chen Ye still felt irritated and couldn't help glaring at Aoi Sui, who casually ignored his angry stare.

Yozakura Tsubomi chuckled softly at their interaction…

"Honestly, I was very surprised that someone of your caliber came here. Moreover..."

Yozakura Tsubomi's gaze moved slowly and stopped at the faint figure floating near Chen Ye—a figure that should not have been visible to ordinary people.

"...to meet the disciple of the Sword King himself."

"..."

'...'

Not only Chen Ye was stunned, even the Sword King himself—a sword spirit who had been certain only his disciple could see him—looked astonished.

"W-wait, you can see Master?!"

Chen Ye couldn't hide his shock.

"Rather than seeing him, it would be more accurate to say I only 'sense' him." Yozakura Tsubomi answered with a gentle smile.

"H-how is that possible?!" Chen Ye grew even more curious.

Yozakura Tsubomi was not angry at the question, which felt rather impolite.

"It's hard to explain. I am simply very sensitive to life energy... even that which left the physical world long ago."

"I-I see..." Chen Ye lost his words.

He had to admit the girl before him was far from normal—perhaps even beyond the limits of humanity as he understood it.

"Hah, that little girl earlier already made me suspicious, but this time I truly didn't expect one of the founders of Master Swordsman City to notice this old man's presence. The world has truly changed a lot since my glory days."

The Sword King's authoritative voice finally showed itself.

His half-body soul-like figure floated with long white robes and a dangling white beard.

"It is a great honor to meet the legendary Sword King."

Yozakura Tsubomi gave a slight bow, her voice soft yet full of respect.

Aoi Sui, standing beside her, also paid his respects in a formal manner.

The Sword King nodded with a satisfied face.

At last someone recognized his greatness! Unlike the foolish disciple beside him, who hadn't even known who he was when they first met!

Even so, he was still curious…

"You said you can't see me directly, but how did you know I'm the Sword King, this boy's master?"

Yozakura Tsubomi smiled mysteriously.

"Just a guess. Among all the strongest swordsmen humanity has ever known, only you vanished without word for centuries..."

"O-oh, I see." The Sword King was slightly embarrassed and coughed a few times before his expression turned serious.

"I know this may sound impolite, but... this old spirit would be very grateful if the Yozakura Family would be willing to train my foolish disciple. Not halfway, but wholeheartedly, with all your strength."

"W-what?!"

Chen Ye protested in irritation at being called foolish in front of such honored people!

But at the same time, he was also shocked by his master's bold request.

From any angle, the Sword King's request sounded extremely presumptuous and shameless.

Wasn't this the same as asking the Yozakura Family to teach their secret techniques and swordsmanship to an outsider they had just met?

"If the Yozakura Family is willing to do that, this old man swears to you, after I regain my body, I will help the Yozakura Family in any situation, even if I must risk my life."

"M-Master... I didn't expect you to trust me so much."

Chen Ye was moved.

At first, he had thought the Sword King was merely an arrogant and unreliable teacher, but it turned out that behind his rough attitude...

"..."

The Sword King's lips twitched at Chen Ye's words, but he chose to ignore them and stayed focused on the figure of Yozakura Tsubomi before him.

The offer might sound unreasonable, but the Sword King was fully confident in this.

The Sword King in soul form couldn't do much right now, but the situation would be very different if he could get his new body back.

As one of the few humans who had ever reached the Transcendent Tier, help from a being of his caliber was not something just any family could obtain...

What's more...

"This old man is sure you must have noticed my disciple's special destiny, haven't you? He has luck beyond the bounds of reason and the Yozakura Family will certainly gain a share of that luck if you help him."

"Huh? What do you mean, Master?" Chen Ye grew even more confused about the direction of the conversation.

Unlike his insensitive disciple, the Sword King, as a Transcendent, had sharp intuition to sense that something was abnormal about Chen Ye's luck… Something capable of influencing those who helped him, like a hidden blessing.

This was the trump card the Sword King held to convince the Yozakura Family to train his still-foolish disciple seriously.

The Sword King was not completely sure, but his intuition told him that Yozakura Tsubomi must know something about Chen Ye's special fate...

And just as he had hoped...

"Truly, you have presented some very interesting offers, Sword King. Even I cannot simply refuse them." Yozakura Tsubomi smiled knowingly.

"Then—" The Sword King's expression brightened with hope.

"But—" Yozakura Tsubomi gently interrupted. "Which member of the Yozakura will train him depends on the boy's own abilities and potential. I'm sure you understand this."

"..."

The Sword King fell silent for a moment.

Not because he didn't understand, but because he understood very well what was implied in Yozakura Tsubomi's words.

Although Yozakura Tsubomi was the leader of this legendary family, in reality she did not have absolute authority to force other members to share their secret arts with outsiders.

Each member of the Yozakura family had the autonomy to choose their own disciples… That was what she meant.

The Sword King sighed deeply and nodded in understanding.

"Very well, that is more than enough."

Yozakura Tsubomi smiled.

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. And now..."

She glanced at Chen Ye, who still looked confused by all this talk. "Welcome to the Yozakura Family... Chen Ye."

***

"Master, why did you do all this?" Chen Ye asked hesitantly once they were finally alone.

"Although I admit I'm very interested in this family's techniques, was it necessary to go this far? We could have found another place that was more... accessible."

"My disciple, you really are foolish," the Sword King said bluntly, making the corner of Chen Ye's lip twitch in annoyance at being called foolish for the umpteenth time that day.

"You may have already felt it... This family is no ordinary family. That girl, though not a great Hunter at first glance, was strangely able to sense my presence, while even Rank SS Hunters struggle to do the same."

"Yes, but..."

"Besides, your own Talent said this place is the best for you, didn't it? So stop asking so many questions and just accept your luck."

"...Fine."

Chen Ye finally gave in.

Actually, he still had many questions, especially about the mysterious conversation about his "destiny" that he had heard earlier...

But perhaps it wasn't yet time to ask too much. He could still ask another time...

"We're here. This will be your room from now on."

Chen Ye's thoughts were interrupted by Aoi Sui's flat, emotionless voice.

His attention turned to the traditional room before him—a luxurious guest room with a classic design that hinted at a long history and high status.

This would be Chen Ye's residence during his training period.

Before obtaining the approval of the other family members, it would be better for him to rest first and begin everything tomorrow morning with a fresh mind.

Seeing Aoi Sui's still cold and emotionless expression, Chen Ye again felt irritated and, for some reason, a strong urge arose to punch that flat face. But he wisely restrained himself.

After all, he knew this annoying young man before him might become one of his teachers later—better not to make a bad impression too early.

"Tomorrow, someone will come to be your guide. Do you have any questions?" Aoi Sui asked monotonously.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of while staying here?"

Aoi Sui stared at him sharply for a moment before answering coldly, "Don't wander around at night."

"...That's all?"

"Yes. Otherwise, you might die."

"..." Chen Ye fell silent, his lips twitching in irritation before finally saying, "Fine, then step aside. I want to go in and rest!"

Aoi Sui stepped aside with efficient movement, letting Chen Ye in before the door closed with a loud thud.

The blue-haired young man glanced at the door briefly and then slowly moved away from Chen Ye's room, his steps barely audible in the old wooden corridor.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye lay on his new bed with mixed feelings.

Die? Seriously, how scary could this place be? Were there demons or man-eating monsters roaming around?

What Chen Ye did not know... as he closed his eyes that night, fate had prepared something far more terrifying than any demon to confront him tomorrow morning...