The Rat-Hunting Scroll
An Account of Rats
* Ninjas of Senpo Temple
* Soldiers wearing conical hats
* More than one rat is lurking
* Near the Great Door, and other places, are all unusual.
"These are the appearances and nests of rats. Go and slay them!" The mysterious old man had now become a semi-quest NPC. "When you do, I'll give you something useful in battle."
"Okay, okay~~"
"War rages, corpses pile high, and resentments spread." After Wolf departed, the old man stared at Wolf's disappearing back from the doorway, his eyes filled with contemplation. "Where will all these resentments... accumulate?"
Could this be a foreshadowing?
Wolf had already left. This scene was viewed by the player from a God's-eye perspective. Clearly, the last few sentences were the focus.
Chun Hei felt that all the threads were slowly forming a large net, connecting the entire game's background. He had some images in his mind, but they weren't comprehensive enough; more evidence was needed.
Thus, he accelerated his progress.
Exterminating rats was a side quest and did not conflict with his objective of entering the city to find the Prince. Besides, he would deal with any soldiers or guards he encountered.
After ransacking the surrounding rooms, Chun Hei felt more like a rat himself, brazenly taking what he pleased.
Exiting the room, Chun Hei, looking down from above, indeed spotted several 'rats'.
These people were hidden in the grass, wearing conical hats that had been modified for concealment.
Without a word, he dealt with this group of weaklings.
Chasing them into the main city, Chun Hei didn't know how many rats and soldiers of Ashina Castle he had killed. He didn't deliberately distinguish between friend and foe. From Wolf's perspective, besides the Prince, the Sculptor, and Miss Emma, everyone else was an enemy.
RUMBLE!!!
Chun Hei didn't know which strange location within the main city he had intruded upon, but suddenly the ground shook violently, as if heaven and earth were being shaken.
Immediately after,
A ball of 'flame' surged forward, crashing directly into Chun Hei, who was still dazed.
[NOOB]
Huh?!!
*WHOOSH*
'What was that that just rushed past?'
'Lamborghini?'
'Monster Hunter players are suddenly excited seeing this!!!'
'Gammoth!'
'Holy crap, this cool BGM combined with such a passionate scene, I'm hyped!'
......
After pink petals fluttered, Chun Hei stood up, clutching his chest. The impact felt like being hit by a train, his bile must have split, and now he felt utterly miserable.
RUMBLE!!!
Shortly after he got to his feet, the earth-shattering feeling returned.
This time, Chun Hei finally saw the culprit behind the 'dragon' that had rammed him—a wild bull with flames on its head!
A fiery bull!
This fiery bull charged wildly at anyone it saw, leaving the entire courtyard in disarray. It had clearly become a bullfighting arena, and the only one still standing in the ring was Wolf.
"Can I still escape?"
Chun Hei spread his hands in bitter helplessness. This thing was too wild; its thundering power, even with his many learned skills, still forced him to retreat.
As the saying goes, brute force conquers all!
Even with his superior martial arts, there was a high probability of being gored to death on the spot by this frenzied wild bull.
Because this thing attacked without any discernible pattern, yet it was massive, fast, and extremely troublesome!
In the game, players were only given one defensive move: parrying with their sword. However, this move was completely useless against the raging fiery bull before him.
The only usable skill was the Phantom Kunai, for dodging left and right.
After being killed several times in a row, Chun Hei got angry!
"Dodging this carpet-style attack is completely useless. It looks like I have to go head-on!"
Resurrecting at the Divine Figment once again, Chun Hei directly raised his sword to face the menacing fiery bull.
*SPLAT*!!
*THUD*!!
"Moooo~~~!!"
The pained old bull roared. Chun Hei also sustained injuries, but fortunately, his healing gourd's recovery amount had increased significantly. After a few gulps, his condition was back to full.
"It works!"
"But not much..." Looking at the fiery bull's health bar, Chun Hei felt a surge of pressure.
At this moment, a comment caught Chun Hei's attention: 'Why not try the firecrackers you just bought? When I was little, I scared a cow with firecrackers and got beaten by my old man.'
"Firecrackers?"
Chun Hei then remembered that he had bought several strings of firecrackers from the merchant with black skin before coming. He hadn't thought much of it then, intending to use them for entertainment.
He took out the firecrackers, lit them with a flint, and threw them near the fiery bull.
*CRACKLE*!!
*CRACKLE*!!
"Mooo~~ Moooo~~!!!"
The fiery bull instantly froze in place, its legs trembling uncontrollably, and fear clearly evident in its eyes.
"Holy crap, it actually works!"
Chun Hei was a streamer who excelled at seizing opportunities. Before his words had even finished, he had already flashed behind the fiery bull.
Ichimonji Double!
Whirlwind!
One-word Slash!
Cross Slash!
Like reciting a recipe, he unleashed all his learned martial skills upon the fiery bull. Soon, its posture gauge was filled. When its weakness appeared, Chun Hei decisively executed the critical hit special move.
"Salted Fish Stab!"
Chun Hei roared, leaping forward, and thrust his sword into the fiery bull's head!
*THUMP*!
The behemoth fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
After defeating the fiery bull, Chun Hei once again approached Tengu, the mysterious old man.
"Oh! It seems you've hunted a rat." Tengu turned and looked at Wolf.
"Yes."
"You truly have a talent for slaying. Excellent! This is your reward, accept it."
Tengu handed Wolf a book, and a prompt appeared:
[Acquired: Ashina Style Secret Arts Scroll
This scroll contains the secret arts of Ashina Style, allowing you to learn Ashina Style skills.
Ashina Style is the result of Sword Saint Isshin Ashina's bloody battle insights. The young Isshin repeatedly engaged in life-or-death combat, honing his swordsmanship by facing the brink of death.
Later, Isshin dedicated himself to studying and perfecting his sword techniques, naming them 'Ashina Style'.]
[Acquired: Clear Sword Heart: Far-reaching sword intent, seeing one's nature clearly. Wolf's years of dedicated sword cultivation culminate in a sudden enlightenment, further elevating his sword intent.]
"This... this..." The successive rewards left Chun Hei speechless.
"It's Ashina Style!" The old man continued to guide Wolf. "Even though it's called a style, there are no rigid rules. It's merely a swordsmanship that regards victory as paramount."
"When hunting rats... it's more important to utilize it well when facing challenges yourself."
Chun Hei believed this wholeheartedly.
The identity of Tengu was practically confirmed, as was that of Isshin Ashina.
Chun Hei understood that Ashina Style advocated using any means necessary to achieve victory.
After all, in a real battle, survival is the only goal. Only by surviving can one talk about ideals and ambitions.
Therefore, it seemed reasonable that the young Isshin Ashina would pierce his own toes during combat in his youth.
Furthermore, Chun Hei wouldn't be surprised if, later on, when fighting Isshin Ashina, he pulled out something else; this was the core tenet of Ashina Style.
Isshin Ashina's swordsmanship emphasized a "from the heart" approach.
After bidding farewell to Isshin Ashina, Chun Hei returned to the dilapidated temple. Having just obtained two important items, he needed to digest them properly.
......