Kiyono Fugin softly hummed a song of unknown melody.
His gaze remained fixed on the tranquil sea, where small fish darted between the azure waters. Suddenly, a shadow emerged, moving faster and faster.
The shadow grew larger and larger, accompanied by splashing waves, and a gaping maw pressed forth.
Dense rows of teeth, accompanied by a nauseating fishy stench. That mouth alone was the size of a small boat.
[Sea Beast]
[Level: 30]
This was a monster roaming the ocean.
The fishy smell had already assaulted Kiyono's face, but he still made no extra movements. His violet eyes didn't blink as he pressed his hand on the Kamigiri's sheath.
With the sound of the wind shattering, he slashed in one smooth motion. A bloody wound appeared on the left side of the sea beast's cheek, the skin continuing to split open from the wind pressure.
Kiyono flipped Kamigiri and inserted it deep into the sea beast's throat before releasing his grip.
Crossing his left hand over his right, he said: "Wind Whisper."
The first thing to explode was the sea beast's brain matter.
Viscous and hair-raising sounds rang out in succession, like popping beans. The sea beast's body rapidly expanded, its bones and muscles crushed in turn. Swelling to the extreme, it exploded like a balloon.
[Mission Complete]
[Kiyono Fugin]
[Level: 24]
[Current Mission: Go to Mondstadt, join the Knights of Favonius]
[Skill: Wind Whisper, manipulate the surrounding wind pressure to form powerful wind blades that cut enemies. A basic application of wind (Proficient)]
[Favonius Bladework: A swordsmanship passed down for five hundred years, the culmination of Mondstadt sword techniques. Legend has it the founder could cut down falling raindrops one by one (Progress: 2%)]
"..."
Kiyono wiped the blood from his cheek, revealing a look of disgust; "Wow wow, splattered on the face again."
[Your control over Anemo is still insufficient]
"Is that so," the boy said helplessly.
The system said this.
What it didn't tell Kiyono was that this body had the fastest growth rate out of the past few lives.
This boy was rapidly absorbing everything at an astonishing speed.
Like a greedy sponge.
Even in Kiyono Raimei's youth, his growth rate wasn't this terrifying.
The body of a mortal has limits, or 'limiters'.
But in the last 0.3 seconds of his life, Kiyono Raimei fused with the Heart of the Great Serpent, breaking through this limiter and surpassing human limits.
The old body dies, and a new body begins to gestate. The system calls this 'molting'.
A brief 0.3 seconds, yet it brought more possibilities for the next life.
The first thunder of the Awakening of Insects. After the thunder dies, spring arrives... Now it seems there's some truth to this saying.
Kiyono had been drifting at sea for a week now. The ocean was vast and endless, with countless monsters beneath the waves. Over these seven days, Kiyono had slain innumerable sea beasts. His martial skill grew continuously through the carnage.
Drifting all the way, killing all the way.
[Do you want to continue learning Favonius Bladework?]
The system asked.
To say he was learning Favonius Bladework was more like 'reclaiming' it. Kiyono reclaimed this martial art by reviewing past memories.
This method could only be done once every three days. The damage to the body was great, because past memories themselves were a form of erosion.
"Bring it on," Kiyono said.
He had barely finished speaking when the memories surged like a tide.
Kiyono dreamed of that dandelion field again.
The dandelions of Mondstadt floated lightly, scattered in the air like clumps of little snow, small and cottony. The warm sunlight wrapped around the dandelion puffs. Kiyono held a one-handed sword, his golden hair hanging to his waist. The boy's pale eyes were like a young wolf's.
His appearance had changed.
[You are learning Favonius Bladework]
The slender blade skimmed past the dandelion puffs, barely grazing them. Yet after the sword passed, those puffs didn't scatter, still maintaining their previous form as they floated upward—Kiyono observed the trajectory of that sword.
Within Fudoshin, his mind was perfectly clear, and everything else in the world fell away.
As the sun gradually rose, sweat trickled down his cheeks. He panted heavily, the circulation of his swordsmanship becoming increasingly nimble and proficient.
[Progress: 4%, 5%...]
Today's condition was not bad.
Kiyono felt he could persist a while longer.
Wonderful, truly too wonderful.
To think there existed such a nimble and beautiful swordsmanship in this world... Kiyono slowly immersed himself.
Immersed in this memory.
Completely immersed.
Persisting a bit longer.
Watching a bit longer.
Time slowly passed. The sky began to darken, layers of sunset glow unfurling. The sun hung low, and the pedestrians in Mondstadt plaza also thinned out. Everyone was preparing to return home.
All around was quiet.
By the time Kiyono lowered his sword, it was already dusk.
He had never stayed this long before.
His body was already very tired.
It was about time to go home.
At this moment, a maiden's nimble singing voice suddenly drifted over from Mondstadt plaza.
The voice was very light and quick, light as the wind. Just humming, no accompaniment. The light at dusk outlined the singing, giving it shape. They were as transparent as shining shattered glass.
This was a very famous ballad called Rainy Night at Cider Lake.
Kiyono followed the voice to find two slender, fair legs dangling from the tall divine pillar in the corner of the plaza. Snow-white feet in summer sandals, swaying up and down.
"You sing very well," the boy said, head raised. "Is it Rainy Night at Cider Lake?"
Upon hearing the voice, those legs froze, no longer swaying.
A while passed.
The legs retracted, and a head poked out from atop the divine pillar.
Wearing a hood similar to a shrine maiden's, covering most of her delicate face. Silky smooth long hair slanted downward.
The girl tilted her head. Her slender index finger scratched the tip of her nose as she said, not very politely:
"Eh ah, where did you pop out from... I thought... there was no one here."
"I've been listening in the back for a long time," he said earnestly. "I've been training in the plaza these past few days. I can hear it every time."
The girl's tone gradually turned to questioning life.
"So you've been listening for many days?"
"Haa... how embarrassing."
The girl pulled her hood down, covering her face like an ostrich, only revealing her clear, transparent eyes. She said:
"So embarrassing... I always thought there was no one. I was just humming to vent some stress."
"But I think it sounds very good."
The boy said seriously. He looked at the girl with sincere and honest eyes. "What sounds good should be heard by others. There's nothing embarrassing about that."
"..." The girl still tugged at her hood, showing a look of surrender. "Okay then."
"However, assuming no one's around and shouting things like 'waah waah astrology is so hard I don't wanna study anymore waah', that is indeed very embarrassing."
The boy said meticulously.
Silence.
The girl buried her entire face in her hood. The black hood covered her delicate profile, with only her reddening earlobe exposed. In a voice as faint as an insect's chirp, she mumbled:
"You heard that too..."
"Yes. By the way, covering your face while talking to someone is impolite."
She removed her hood in a fit of pique. Her silky white hair was a tangled mess, like a puffed up little hedgehog, giving an impression of being all spines and claws. She pouted angrily:
"I said I was venting stress!"
"What I mean is," the boy raised his head, his eyes very clear, as if they had melted a cluster of sunlight:
"If you have any troubles, you can confide in me. Alleviating a lady's worries is a knight's duty."
"You're a knight? But you're not even older than me."
"A knight-in-training is also a knight."
"What's your name?"
"Rostam. And you, my lady?"
"Not telling you."