Three weeks had passed.
Drake emerged from the haunted house, now wearing a farmer's hat and simple clothes, a wide smile on his face. Finally, the Skill Fruits were ripe. He had spent all his time tending to them and training. His Water Breathing had reached level 85, rivaling Urokodaki himself, if not surpassing him. Many of his thief skills had maxed out, and his physical stats had capped at 99—no matter how much he pushed, he couldn't go higher.
Living in the haunted house had been… entertaining. Every night brought new pranks from the ghost: one night, he woke up teetering on the edge of the bed; another, a bucket of water hovered above him, ready to spill.
Thanks to Heightened Senses, now level 80 from constant ghostly antics, he survived every time.
Thirty Skill Fruits waited for him. He had promised the agriculture shop twenty-five and reserved five for himself. That was the deal. Drake had no intention of breaking it— five fruits were more than enough for now.
He harvested them carefully, placing them in a wooden box. Then he picked up the first fruit, hesitating. Even immune to fruit poisons thanks to Fruit Master, the thought of danger still lingered.
"What if something goes wrong?" he muttered.
"Ah, screw it! I'm not a virgin anymore, so if I die, I'll die happily!"
He bit down.
Heat surged through his body as a new power settled in.
[You've acquired the passive skill: Tool Adept!]
Drake blinked. Tool… Adept?
[Tool Adept]
[Lv.1 (0/100 EXP)]
[Any object you wield functions as if it were a proper tool or weapon. A stick cuts better. A pan hits harder. A shovel blocks blades.
+10% efficiency to used tool (additional +20% if it is a sword — Sword Genius bonus)]
Drake's eyes lit up.
"My katana will cut 30% better?" he asked the system.
[Yes, host.]
Excitement coursed through him.
"I'm really becoming OP. Next time I return to the Demon Slayer world, I'll beat Urokodaki!"
Then he remembered a certain promise.
"No! I'll go back to the Grimgar world and… beat Barbara…"
A perverted grin spread across his face.
A slap suddenly landed on his cheek.
"Thanks, ghost," Drake muttered, completely used to his invisible roommate.
He picked up the next fruit without hesitation. Crunch.
Heat pulsed through him again. Anticipation surged.
[You've acquired the passive skill: Cat Charmer!]
Drake's jaw dropped.
[As a result of obtaining this skill, your Charm is raised by 10!]
[Cat Charmer]
[Lv.1 (0/100 EXP)]
[Cats are naturally drawn to you.]
He blinked. Light had this in the anime too…
Next fruit. Crunch.
[You've acquired the passive skill: Still Hands!]
Drake chuckled, partly in disbelief.
"The hell is this? My hands are already perfectly steady thanks to Sword Talent…"
Fourth fruit. He bit down.
[You've acquired the active skill: Cut!]
His eyes widened.
This could actually be useful…
[Cut]
[Lv.1 (0/100 EXP)]
[Your ability to cut with the sword is tremendous.
+30% cut power (Base 10% + 20% from Sword Genius bonus)]
He gulped.
"If I combine this with Tool Adept and Sword Mastery… my cutting power triples! 210%!"
The last fruit. Crunch.
Heat concentrated in his eyes.
[You've acquired the passive skill: Supernatural Eyes!]
Drake blinked. Streams of radiant energy appeared in the sky, flowing like molten rivers of color, twisting and turning in arcs and spirals. It wasn't just light—it was pure, visible mana, cascading in hues of violet, blue, gold, and crimson. Each stream pulsed with life, rippling with power.
This… this is incredible… Drake thought, awestruck.
[Supernatural Eyes is resonating with Heightened Senses…]
[Fusing…]
Drake gasped.
They're fusing?
[You've acquired the passive skill: Supernatural Senses!]
[Supernatural Senses]
[Lv.1 (0/50000 EXP)]
[Your senses can perceive what normal beings cannot.]
Suddenly, Drake could feel everything—the faintest shifts in wind, the vibration of the earth beneath him.
And then he heard it—a melody, soft yet immense. It was as if the mana itself were singing, a lullaby carried by the wind but layered with harmonic overtones that resonated deep within his chest. It wasn't music from an instrument. The tune rose and fell like cosmic waves, both calming and overwhelmingly magnificent, vibrating in rhythm with the energy streams.
He was no longer merely human.
Drake exhaled slowly, taking it all in. The sky burned with colors and song, a beauty that made him feel both small and limitless at once.
He smiled. This was only the beginning to his journey.
To be continued...
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