After nearly an hour of nonstop sword practice, Ren realized the other kendo club members still wouldn't arrive for a while. Seeing the opportunity, he decided it was time to resume his journey into the sacred ritual known as—the lottery.
As a transmigrator, he genuinely believed he was blessed with extraordinary luck. If his luck weren't off the charts, then he never would've ended up in this world with a system in the first place.Last time's draw was nothing but a happy accident. This time, he was confident—he would prove that his "lucky bloodline" was very real.
After exterminating the rat-demon swarm and earning reputation points from Yamato Kuka and the others, Ren had once again built up 500 human reputation points and 300 yokai reputation points.
Items in the system shop could be purchased using either "human reputation" or "yokai reputation."
The system differentiated the two currencies not only so Ren could climb the social ladder of both species, but also because the system curated the rewards based on the type of reputation used.
Items drawn with human reputation were biased toward human-oriented abilities and tools.
Items drawn with yokai reputation were naturally more suited to yokai—like the "Yokai Aura Talisman" he drew last time. No yokai would ever use a talisman, so it made everyone—from Yuusaburō to Hinano—mistake him for some kind of onmyōji.
And the "Inferior Yokai Power Crystal?" That one had been drawn with yokai reputation and was obviously something only a yokai would ever consume.
Previously, Ren believed his strength was more than enough to protect himself in modern human society.
But after facing the Rat Demon King, he realized just how naïve that assumption had been.
As a half-yokai, he could feel the ambient yokai energy in the world gradually growing denser—but he had never paid attention to it until now.
The Rat Demon King incident made him painfully aware that his current power was nowhere near enough to survive the coming grand upheaval.
If a low-level rat demon could evolve to such a terrifying degree…then what about legendary yokai like the Tengu? Or the Fox Spirits?Wouldn't they be able to crush him with overwhelming ease?
In the world of yokai, the law of the jungle reigned supreme. If Ren lived alone, he could act recklessly.
But in this life, he wasn't alone.He had a younger sister—a natural-born monster of talent but still only a child—and a mother whose health was fragile.
With unnatural incidents rising across the country, the re-emergence of the yokai race seemed inevitable. It was only a matter of time before they swept across the world once again.
To protect his family, Ren felt he needed overwhelming strength before the great upheaval arrived.
His natural talent was nothing special—certainly not compared to his monstrous little sister—but he had one massive advantage:
The system.His ultimate cheat.
If it was for his family, Ren didn't mind being forced into becoming a powerful demon. Whatever it took.
At this moment, his reputation interface displayed:
Human Reputation: 500 pointsTitle: A Promising Ordinary Human
Yokai Reputation: 300 pointsTitle: An Unknown Little Monster
Although his previous reputation points had been spent, the titles seemed to reflect total accumulated reputation rather than the current balance.
Since Ren's total human reputation had surpassed one thousand points, his title had upgraded from "A Moderately Famous Ordinary Human" to "A Promising Ordinary Human."
As for his yokai reputation, he only had four hundred total so far—counting what he had already spent—so that title remained unchanged.
Ren still didn't know what the purpose of these titles was, but since the system bothered to display them, they had to be important.
After washing his hands several times like a ritualistic gambler prepping for divine luck, Ren opened the lottery interface, excitement buzzing through his veins.
You couldn't be unlucky forever, right?This perfect gambler's logic made his eyes turn bloodshot with anticipation as he stared at the glowing interface.
His first draw would be from the lowest tier—costing 100 yokai reputation points.
A whirlwind of ability icons and item images spun across the interface, Ren's heartbeat syncing with the rapid flickers of light.The final icon—chains—slid into place.
Ren immediately checked the system notification.
"Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: Intermediate Demon Power Concealment."
Intermediate Demon Power Concealment:Your mastery of demon power allows you to completely conceal the yokai energy within your body.Those below B-Rank cannot perceive your concealed demon aura.Against opponents above B-Rank, the effect gradually weakens.
PS: All your concealment tools are ready. Now go, storm the human stronghold and let them tremble before a mighty demon!
Ren stared at the skill description with an expression of calm neutrality—neither delighted nor disappointed.Intermediate Demon Power Concealment wasn't exactly impressive right now, but it was still a proper skill. And an intermediate one.Far better than a measly ten-point yokai energy crystal.
And honestly, he hadn't expected anything amazing from a 100-point draw anyway.
As for the system's daily comedic PS message… Ren ignored it completely.
Storm the human stronghold?With his current strength?Was the system trying to get him killed?
Previously, Ren believed humanity possessed only technology. But after meeting Yamato and Kuka, he learned humans also had combatants capable of facing demons.
Thinking about it, it made sense.Despite being physically weaker, humans had survived the demon-dominated eras of the past—even emerging as the dominant species.They must have had their own traditions, their own power.Perhaps much of it had been lost over time, but that didn't mean it had vanished entirely.
Ren closed the 100-point lottery. He wanted to save the remaining 200 yokai points for emergencies. The Rat Demon Rebellion had taught him that resources were absolutely critical at the right moment.
The main event was the 500-point human reputation lottery.If he could draw a skill again—like he did with the yokai reputation—No, even if it wasn't a skill… even if it wasn't consumable…Ren would still gladly accept it.
The 500-point pool offered far more powerful items, skills, and abilities than the 100-point pool ever could.
And Ren was ready.