[Instance: Chiba Academy · 3rd Floor Girls' Restroom]
When Leo came to his senses again, he found himself sitting on the toilet.
"You know the rules. If you want it, you'll have to take it yourself!"
Accompanying the tachi that had appeared in his hand, a powerful tune rang out in his mind.
Although he was still in the last stall, there was no sewage left. The written insults had vanished as if they never existed.
Even the entire restroom was clean, devoid of any gloom or stench. Like the classrooms outside, it was completely empty and clean as new, as if no one had ever used it.
Leo's gaze moved to the tachi in his hand, and he couldn't help but be amazed by the long sword's beauty.
Its prototype appeared to be the Domain of Sanction, yet it possessed the uninhibited wildness of the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
The entirety was purple. The blade adopted the ancient, rustic style of the Domain of Sanction, but near the hilt, it featured the thunderous twin horns of the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
But perhaps because this long sword hadn't been upgraded yet, the whole thing looked somewhat... plain?
Leo couldn't say specifically why—after all, he wasn't an expert in this field—but he understood that the long sword before him was not yet in its prime state.
But even so, the aura currently radiating from this long sword was fascinating.
If not for the Blade Soul within being at his service, he would have suspected this was a cursed sword... It was simply too delightful!
Holding the long sword, he examined it repeatedly with joy, making Raiden Mei inside blush from the scrutiny.
Even though Raiden Mei knew Leo was just looking at the sword, she felt as if she were being inspected by him from the inside out.
Especially as the hand gripping the hilt tightened constantly, giving her an indescribable, strange sensation.
If they were in the middle of a battle, she wouldn't mind. But right now... as a spirit body, she could only bite her lip and clamp her legs, praying that her abnormalities wouldn't be noticed by Leo.
Walking out of the stall, Leo held the long sword, striving to enter the state of "No Thought, No Mind".
To be honest, if not for that battle with the Homu Sword Sage, it would have been difficult for him to reach this level so quickly.
But now—
"Hah!"
The long sword originally hanging at his waist moved with his heart and body, slashing forward at an incredibly inconceivable speed.
The next moment, a small bolt of purple thunder attached itself to the long sword, but it was not projected outwards.
—The current him was still too far away from being able to release sword qi!
But even so, Leo felt he could stand as an equal against Lord Guard Zombie.
The only regret was that while this was almost an ultimate move for him, for Lord Guard Zombie, it was merely a basic attack... Was it still not enough?
Thinking this, he opened his attribute panel—
[Player: Leo]
[Strength: 6+2]
[Constitution: 6+2]
[Energy: 9+4]
[Agility: 7+2]
[Honkai energy: 5]
[Honkai Resistance: 50%]
[MEI · Bond: 50%]
[Ability: Hokushin Ittō-ryū (Beginner: 1/100)]
[—What are you looking at? You're a Stinky Medium Cup too!]
Overall, only his [Energy] surpassed human limits. However, in a clash of real steel, the role his [Energy] could play was limited, given that he lacked magic-side attack methods.
"Anyway... let's try it first!"
After running through the Hokushin Ittō-ryū in his mind again, he carried the sword and walked out of the girls' restroom.
To be honest, he really hadn't expected that this place, which he had been guarding against and thinking monsters would pop out of, would actually become the key to him obtaining a weapon.
—Even Sekiro isn't as ridiculous as you!
Next—
"Is this... a Teleport Point?"
At the place of his resurrection after death, a Teleport Anchor had actually popped up.
The style was somewhat similar to the Space Anchor he saw when playing Honkai: Star Rail, but the difference lay in—
"Is this setting up a safe zone for me?"
Feeling somewhat speechless at the glimmer emitted by the Teleport Anchor, he immediately understood its function.
Of course, thinking about it carefully, if this safe zone had existed from the start, he wouldn't have been chased by Lord Guard Zombie into a scrambling crawl, finally staking everything on a gamble in the restroom.
So he made peace with the fact that a safe zone only appeared now.
Next, he studied the other functions of this Teleport Anchor, and discovered—
[Teleport Anchor]
[Level: 1]
[Current Uses: 3/3]
[Function: Resets the instance whenever the player dies. The player can also actively reset the instance. Uses refresh at 00:00 daily.]
[Hint: Bond with the maiden will be the key to leveling up.]
[Note: Special monsters appear only once and cannot be reset.]
[—Explore, Understand, Establish, Connect — Save!]
"Isn't this just sitting at a bonfire?"
Leo, understanding the implication, nodded slightly, then looked at the available uses... He hadn't died once tonight yet!
It wasn't that his neck was itchy and he wanted to relive the feeling of losing his head.
But since he had resurrection as a trump card, there was no reason for him to stop and rest.
It must be known that he only had three months, perhaps even less.
Within this time, he had to become strong enough to resolve this dungeon. This was by no means an easy task.
Only by using these desperate measures could he hope to achieve it!
So—
"The time for the final battle has arrived!"
He cast his gaze toward the distant corner. Lord Guard Zombie appeared there once again.
Just like the first meeting, consistent as ever!
Next, the Guard Zombie locked onto Leo and sprinted toward him at a speed exceeding human cognition, as if she would appear in front of Leo in the very next second.
To be honest, Leo never thought in his life that fighting a mere Guard Zombie would be so "burning" (exhilarating).
But this time, as he concentrated all his [Energy]—
"Finally, I can see clearly!"
A sharp light burst from his eyes. He took a step forward from the area protected by the Teleport Anchor, and once again fell into the state of "No Thought, No Mind".
At this moment, various knowledge of Hokushin Ittō-ryū surged in his mind. But this time, without the influence of thought assimilation, he could finally properly enjoy the charm of this Far East Ancient Martial Art.
Immediately—
"Shnk!"
The long sword, wrapped in purple thunder, slashed at the charging Guard Zombie with flying speed. This time he had no defense, only an indomitable offense.
After all, Hokushin Ittō-ryū was a kendo style focused on head-on clashes. Although it involved dodging, dodging right from the start would lose the soul of the school.
More critically, this slash gathered the unwillingness and resentment from his three previous deaths.
He was going to take revenge on Lord Guard Zombie!
________________________________________
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