The work of the Go master

[Spiritual Object: The Crimson Star]

[Let the chess pieces be imbued with flame effects, launching a fiery offensive, swift and decisive, and unleashing a brutal attack.]

[Spiritual Object: Earth Throne]

[Steady as a rock, reducing the probability of errors]

[Spiritual Object: Zashiki-warashi]

Disrupt the opponent's judgment

And so on.

Oh, so this is an equipment store!

Sure enough, the location indicated by the golden finger was definitely not unrelated to the way of Go.

Ke Zhiguang believed he had discovered another secret of the world.

The world is becoming increasingly magical.

"Did you make all these clothes, Mr. Shangxi?"

"Yes, they were all made by me."

Oh, so this person is someone who crafts equipment.

The kind of blacksmith shop run by a dwarf old man.

Suddenly, Ke Zhiguang stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on a tailor's table in the corner of the room, on which lay a suit that had already been sewn.

It was a black suit made of a special fabric that reflected a black and gold sheen like scales. It was embroidered with patterns that looked like those of ghosts and gods; people would believe it if they thought it was a tattoo of a gang leader.

It stood there abruptly, like a cross in the wilderness, inspiring a sense of awe in people for no reason.

"Hey, what's the story behind that outfit?" Ke Zhiguang pointed somewhere, his gaze immediately tightening.

It's an incredible feeling.

It was clearly just a piece of clothing, but it gave him the feeling of a fully armed mortal enemy.

Shang Xixing's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Ke Zhiguang to be able to spot the unusual thing about the suit at a glance, and his opinion of him continued to rise.

“That garment has quite a history; it was specially made for me by Zhu Daotuo,” Shang Xixing explained.

"Bamboo Sword Forger?" Ke Zhiguang remembered this name. The first game of Go he watched in this world was played by Bamboo Sword Forger, whose opponent was Straight-Ban Kuranosuke.

"Yes, after defeating Naoka Kuranosuke and winning the NHK rapid chess tournament, Taketo Toru rose from 4-dan to 8-dan. He is a very promising player. This suit can be said to have been customized to celebrate his championship win."

"The name of this dress is—"

[Spiritual Objects: The Path of Asura]

[Transforming into an Asura, stepping into purgatory, solely for the day to slay gods and Buddhas.]

Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Man with the Seaweed Hairstyle

The Path of Asura.

Slaughtering gods and Buddhas.

Words that send chills down your spine just by looking at them.

Ke Zhiguang recalled the young man on TV who held a million yen in his hand and looked down on the world. Such a talented person would have been able to compete with Sanada Nobunaga in the Warring States period.

The bamboo sword forged truly lives up to the spirit of an Asura.

His overly long bangs need a trim; they're really an eyesore.

The only thing that comes to mind when thinking of the word "gods and Buddhas" is the monk from Yugenji Temple who had his back to Kejikō from beginning to end.

Asuras and gods/Buddhas...

A scene of an ancient battlefield from the primordial world appeared in my mind. Asura embarked on the path of purgatory, and at the end of the road were the enormous backs of gods and Buddhas.

This is the view you can see from a high vantage point on the chessboard.

"How much does this dress cost?" Ke Zhiguang pointed to the dress.

"A terrifying number, 80 yuan. The biggest deal I've ever done." Shang Xixing looked at the Path of Asura as if it were a work of art.

This is probably what you call "rich people's gear," something you have to buy with real money.

The effects of the other chess player costumes were described in detail, but the Asura Path costume was only described in a fantastical sentence, leaving the question of which was stronger or weaker unspoken.

"I'd also like to get a chess player's uniform. Do you have any recommendations?" Ke Zhiguang asked.

"Oh, is Guang-kun a man who aspires to become a professional Go player?" Shang Xixingren asked with surprise, even though he had long seen that Ke Zhiguang had this potential.

"No, I aspire to become a professional Go player."

this......

Shang Xixing was choked up.

Can word games be played like this?!

"But my immediate goal is to win the national high school league championship. Is it possible to finish it before then?"

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. It would take at least a week to make it, which happens to be April 4.27th, the night before the main match. You can wear this to the match the next day,” Shang Xixingren said, already acknowledging that he had the ability to reach the finals. “The price is a problem. The cheapest chess uniform starts at 10 yuan, and your card can only offset 8 yuan.”

Shang Xixing immediately changed the subject: "But! Is the price really the problem? Based on our friendship built on our shared experience of fighting side by side, I'll cover the 2 for you!"

"Third place, well done." Ke Zhiguang patted the other person on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

"After you achieve success, remember to collaborate with us more often!"

The two hit it off.

The final outfit chosen was a simple, classic black ensemble called "Maintainer," which meant "to dress appropriately and comb one's hair like an adult."

From the perspective of online games, it's probably just... a blank slate, with no effect whatsoever.

But these are all minor issues; as long as the presentation is impressive, that's enough.

The original owner's physical foundation was good, with a well-proportioned figure and a height of 175 cm. Although the requirements for male protagonists are very strict these days, being 1.8 meters tall is generally considered a level three disability, but it is sufficient for the current timeline in Japan, where the average height of a 17-year-old Japanese male is 170.8 cm.

If I remember correctly, I was about 182 cm tall in my past life...

Oh well, there's still a year to grow. Maybe I can make up for it by drinking a few bottles of height-increasing milk.

After taking care of everything, I stepped out of the building into the refreshing night air.

"Hikaru-kun must look so handsome in a suit, maybe even like a secret agent," Mizuki Yuuki said excitedly. For girls, shopping in a suit store is just as exciting as shopping in a wedding dress store for boys.

“I think the effect of wearing it might resemble that of the Mafia,” Ke Zhiguang replied casually.

"Huh? Is it really that scary?" Mizuki Yuuki asked in surprise.

Are the Mafia really that scary?

"Of course! Why would you think the Mafia isn't scary?"

That's true. In this day and age, both domestic gangsters and overseas mafia are standard terms for villains. It was only after the bursting of the bubble economy and the emergence of a large number of anime featuring delinquent youths that gangsters gradually became associated with being cool.

"Then buy a lot of Jump magazines. About twenty years from now, you'll see how cool a group of Italian mafia members who are also local high school students in suits and ties are."

As always, Ke Zhiguang uttered lines that were cryptic, but Shuicheng Xiyue didn't pay any attention and just laughed it off.

With the suit matter temporarily settled, Ke Zhiguang returned to contemplating how to purify the [Corpse Falcon].

As for the [Queen Bee Doll], we can just wait for the Kansai girl to deliver it to us. The problem still lies with the [Swamp Lord].

Could it be that this bamboo sword was forged?

That's unlikely.

This person has the word "Asura" written on his back, exuding extreme masculinity. He shouldn't be the swamp lord, a character that sounds eerie and slimy.

Ke Zhiguang began to let his abstract thinking wander, using the first impression that the term "Lord of the Swamp" gave to describe the appearance of its master.

Swamp, it sounds wet and humid, so maybe the owner has a wet, slick seaweed hairstyle, like Shinji.

His eyes held a malicious, unpredictable glint.

It likes to let out a strange, grating laugh.

His walking posture is flamboyant, swaying from side to side, and strange.

This.....

Holy crap! It's the Second Master himself!

After some mental contemplation, Ke Zhiguang could only project Shinji Matou from "Fate" onto the "Lord of the Swamp," and began glancing around the streets to see if there was anyone with a similar, smug face.

The mainstream aesthetic in Japan right now is still the orthodox, masculine handsome man. People with this weird, effeminate face should be easy to spot at a glance.

Neon lights danced all around, men and women chatted and laughed on the street, and old-fashioned songs played in the shops. Everything seemed normal.

However, at that moment, a damp, cold wind swept towards the back of Ke Zhiguang's neck.

[Trigger Event: The Lord of the Swamp is nearby]

Ke Zhiguang suddenly turned around in the bustling crowd, his gaze sweeping around, but he couldn't find the guy with the annoying face at first glance.

There were too many people, and it was nighttime, so relying on sight to find someone was simply unrealistic.

Since that's the case, we have no choice but to shout—

"Swamp-kun, please wait!" Ke Zhiguang shouted righteously, startling Mizuki Yuuki.

Unfortunately, at the same time, the nearby loudspeaker announced that it was 8 p.m., which drowned out Ke Zhiguang's voice, and the surrounding crowd heard nothing.

"Hikari, what are you doing!" Mizuki Yuuki blushed and turned to look around. Luckily, no one was paying attention, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing.

"I suddenly spotted an acquaintance and wanted to call out to him," Ke Zhiguang said.

"Is that person called Swamp?" Mizuki Yuzuki asked in confusion.

"Yes, it's a very strange surname."

Ke Zhiguang looked around and, after confirming that there was nothing unusual, continued to ask Shuicheng Xiyue: "Have you seen a man with a seaweed-like hairstyle around here?"

"What is a seaweed hairstyle?" Mizuki Yuuki asked, further puzzled.

Indeed, the term "seaweed hairstyle" is a bit outdated, and Ke Zhiguang doesn't know what the formal name for that hairstyle is.