Even according to the system's own breakdown, the worst reward in the 500-reputation gacha pool should have been worth at least one hundred reputation points.
And yet—Ren Kuroda, self-proclaimed "Emperor of Luck"—had managed to pull the so-called "guaranteed minimum" reward, the hundred-point Demon Aura Talisman, on his very first pull.
Now came his second 500-reputation draw.
With the expression of a man walking toward his own execution, Ren tapped Confirm. His hard-earned 500 points of Human Reputation vanished instantly before his grieving eyes.
As the points were consumed, the slot-machine-like runes in front of him began to spin and flicker in a cascade of brilliant light.
The lights slowed… slowed… then finally stopped on an icon shaped like a sword.
The moment Ren saw that symbol, he felt a jolt of certainty.
Anything marked with that icon had to be a sword-related reward—either a weapon or a skill. Consumables would never use such a dramatic image.
It was a square icon: a long sword planted vertically in its center, dividing the image into four quadrants.
The upper-left quadrant held a swift, cutting wind.The upper-right displayed a vast, whispering forest.The lower-left blazed with a scorching flame.And the last quadrant showed a towering, immovable mountain.
Just from the icon alone, the technique practically radiated overwhelming presence.
And when Ren opened the detailed description, his entire face lit up. His guess had been right—he had drawn a swordsmanship skill.
And not just any skill. The icon's power wasn't exaggerating: this one was monstrously strong.
"Congratulations! You have obtained the Swordsmanship Skill: Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain Flow."
Skill: Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain FlowMoves as swift as a gale of wind.Forms as orderly and silent as a deep forest.Strikes as ferocious and unstoppable as a burning fire.Defends as steadfast and unshakable as a towering mountain.
A complete style embodying all four, forming a superior sword art balanced in both offense and defense.
P.S.: Swift as the wind. Silent as the forest. Fierce as fire. Immovable as a mountain!
Ren's heart thumped with genuine excitement. This was exactly the type of ability he lacked the most.
In terms of raw demonic power, Ren—though only a "half-demon"—was a high-level oni. Compared to most ordinary yokai, his innate power was already impressive.
What he didn't have were high-level combat techniques to harness that strength.
The Oni clan certainly possessed many powerful martial arts… but he had no access to them.
His self-trained swordsmanship had reached the level of Intermediate Swordsmanship, but at the end of the day, it was still just basic swordplay given fancier footwork. Against a strong opponent, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
But Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain Flow—this filled that gap completely.
The moment the skill integrated into him, his previously stalled Intermediate Swordsmanship broke through to become Advanced Swordsmanship.
And even more surprising: Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain Flow wasn't just a sword technique. It contained movement arts, sword forms, defensive stances—the whole package. "Swift as the wind" alone suggested that both his mobility and attack speed would skyrocket.
The system rated this skill at a full A-Rank.
For Ren, who had only ever seen one B-Rank item before—his stingy father's hand-me-down "Demon Blade: Onigumo"—this was on another level entirely.
With Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain Flow combined with Demon Slayer and his newly improved Advanced Swordsmanship, his power had increased dramatically.
To put it bluntly: if he had faced the Rat Demon King from last night now, Ren wouldn't even need to activate his Half-Demon Transformation to cut the creature down with ease.
Two gacha pulls, two huge wins—and he had even made a ton of money earlier that morning. Ren Kuroda was in a fantastic mood.
So when the kendo club gathered after school for practice, Ren did something so shocking the senior members froze in disbelief:
He… actually started giving advice to the new recruits.
The veterans stared like they'd just seen a ghost. Ren Kuroda—lazy Ren, who avoided work at all costs—was instructing beginners?
Meanwhile, back at the Metropolitan Police Department…
Hinano was summoned immediately by Inspector Yuzaburō Gōda.
Ever since Hinano had left that morning, Gōda had been anxiously awaiting her return. If Ren refused their request this time, they would have no choice but to act on their own—risking Ren's displeasure.
Before the Rat Demon incident, Gōda and his unit believed solving cases was simply their job. Ren only needed to assist them now and then.
But after experiencing a yokai firsthand, they finally understood.
Humans—no matter how brave—were powerless against such creatures.
Even Gōda felt regret twisting in his stomach. If he had reported the supernatural truth earlier, the higher-ups would never have left the case to their unit. Ren might never have been dragged into this mess.
But it was far too late now. Reporting it only now would make Ren mistrust them for hiding the truth, and the higher-ups would punish them for mishandling the case.
Fortunately, a glimmer of hope arrived.
Hinano brought back good news: Ren Kuroda was willing to help them again.But this time, the Metropolitan Police Department had to officially reward him as a "model citizen."
Gōda agreed on the spot. If they could wrap up another supernatural case smoothly, he might even get promoted. A little commendation was nothing. Even if he had to pay out-of-pocket, he wouldn't hesitate.
Ren, freshly enriched and riding the high of his power-ups, walked out of school with the swagger of a man floating on air.
Not only was he stronger than ever, but he also had 100,000 yen in his pocket—practically a millionaire by his standards.
As he walked down the shopping street, he remembered his promise to his little sister, Ryuhime. So Ren bought her the newest plush toy she'd been begging for—the largest size, of course.
Sure, she hadn't exactly kept her promise to guard his secret…But what could he do? She was his one and only little sister.
Maybe a little sneaky, yes. But still family.
After purchasing the gigantic plush, Ren's eyes drifted to a pretty dress displayed nearby.
His mother, Masami Kuroda, hadn't bought herself new clothes in years…
And just like that, Ren stepped toward the shop window, wallet in hand.