I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

I glimpsed so many beautiful past moments that hadn't yet happened and that could still be salvaged.

After a long silence and a fleeting moment of envy, the man's fingers tightened, bringing everything together as "one".

The endless possibilities and branches cease here, and the long and arduous journey of life and its torments become nourishment for the mind.

He sighed calmly.

"Don't become like me."

……

"Don't become like me."

A lonely sigh, like a dream, falls into the deep sea of ​​memory.

Uesugi Tetsu opened his bewildered eyes. The warm afternoon sunlight entered his pupils, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Uesugi-kun, you're awake?"

Yagyu Akira's voice came from the side.

Uesugi Tetsu looked over and saw Yagyu Akira, who was wearing a taekwondo uniform and had a smile on his face, as well as a plate of peeled and neatly cut apple flesh.

A toothpick with a rounded end is thoughtfully inserted on top.

With the return of consciousness, the mountain of life experiences, accumulated to millions, all slipped away like sand through one's fingers.

No matter what, you can't catch it.

Uesugi Tetsu felt dazed, as if he had forgotten many important things.

It's like waking up from a dream and not being able to remember anything at all.

"You slept for two whole days after you were taken in by the teacher's instructor." Yagyu Chi paused, then asked with some curiosity, "Uesugi-kun, what did he teach you?"

"Yaegaki."

Uesugi Tetsu still remembers this very clearly.

Yagyu Chi hummed in agreement and nodded, appearing completely calm.

"—You learned Yaegaki after only one lesson and in such a short time?"

In his heart, Yagyu Akira fell into serious self-doubt.

Having sensed the other's worries, Uesugi Tetsu didn't say much. Instead, he ate several pieces of apple before asking Yagyu Akira, who had seemingly composed himself.

"Should we start tackling the Mumu Lian Maze tomorrow?"

Yagyu Chi clenched his fist and nodded seriously: "It will begin tomorrow morning."

After exchanging a few more words with Uesugi Tetsuya and confirming that the former was alright, Yagyu Akira immediately stood up and spoke.

"Uesugi-kun, just let me know if you need anything."

After saying that, he strode out of the ordinary house, which was probably located in a corner of the dojo.

Uesugi Tetsu watched Yagyu Akira's retreating figure, then stuffed another piece of fresh apple into his mouth, still not quite understanding what was going on.

Did I just upset him?

That's it.

For someone like Yagyu-kun, no amount of stimulation will only further motivate him.

—But since we're going to conquer the Mumu Lian dungeon tomorrow, that means two days have already passed.

Forty-eight hours have passed.

The countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star gacha pool has ended and reached zero.

After activating his Spirit Control Technique and taking a deep breath of abundant spiritual energy to cleanse his mind, Uesugi Tetsuya felt refreshed.

—But before that, you must look at the prompts about your state of mind that pop up.

[Because you experienced countless branching futures in the Unique Salvage: Myriad Phenomena branch, your state of mind has been greatly enhanced!]

A branching future...?

Uesugi Tetsu stared at the line of text.

In a daze, several memorable fragments flashed through my mind.

The cherry blossom trees in the high school, the silhouette of a white-haired woman, a fan base reaching seven figures...

But when he finally mustered the energy to try and delve into those memories, he found that he couldn't remember anything else.

There are only these two or three fragmented segments.

"So, this special salvage that cost two thousand Soul Ashes was just a dream?"

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange tingling sensation in his nose. After pondering for a while without finding a solution, he could only look down.

[Your Willpower +10!]

[Your mental state has reached the mid-stage of the Hundred Refinements realm, but because you do not possess the "Embryo of the Heart," your mental state level cannot be further improved.]

Your state of mind remains unchanged.

[Middle Section: The Unity of Man and Sword (Like a mirror, refined a hundred times, returning to oneness).]

[Current Mindset Level: Intermediate - Mirror-like - Refined]

[Note: Before finding the "Embryo of the Heart," the mental state level cannot be officially upgraded to "Hundred Refinements."]

Sure enough.

Uesugi Tetsuya once again fully activated the Spirit Control Technique, feeling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathering at his fingertips like threads, then obediently moving according to his will.

It is almost precise down to the microscopic level.

Not only that, his control over his physical body and internal energy has also increased significantly, and he can even feel that the practice of breathing techniques has become easier.

The changes brought about by this special salvage operation are far more than just a mere ten points of willpower increase!

Uesugi Tetsu spread his five fingers and carefully manipulated the qi and spiritual power to slowly merge together.

A few minutes later, a protective aura, one or two orders of magnitude stronger than before, formed on his body surface.

Uesugi Tetsu's eyes shone.

No matter what important thing I've forgotten...

But without a doubt, the changes brought about by spending two thousand Soul Ash were absolutely worth it!

"So, it turns out that the teacher training college was actually the right thing to do."

After circulating the Spirit Control Technique several times, and with his perception further enhanced, Uesugi Tetsuya finally noticed the ripples and movements flowing in the Qi of Heaven and Earth.

Although subtle, Uesugi Tetsuya discovered its existence after repeated observations.

—The aftershocks of the wave are coming.

How did the teacher realize it?

The old man clearly showed no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations, yet he was able to sense it several days earlier than he could.

You have to understand that you can accomplish so much in just a few days.

Uesugi Tetsu put the last piece of fruit into his mouth, rolled out of bed, and went to the wide-open window.

In its current state, let us once again observe the pitch-black barrier that is clearly already in operation.

"This barrier is truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship."

In just a few minutes, Uesugi Tetsuya, who was wholeheartedly using his spirit control technique to sense the barrier, learned two moves from it—that would make the shield formed by spiritual energy even stronger.

The circulation of Qi was further enhanced.

Satisfied, Uesugi Tetsu turned his gaze away, basking in the warm sunlight, and opened the notification for the two-and-a-half-star gacha pool.

[Countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star special salvage event: 00:00:00]

The countdown to the opening of the salvage operation has ended!

[Special 2.5-star salvage event is now open!]

After a flash, a brand new gacha pool page appeared before Uesugi Tetsuya's eyes.

The new option is now listed below [Two-Star Limited Salvage: Edo Suburbs].

——【Special 2.5-Star Drop: The Demon King's Heaven on Earth!】

After reading the entire gacha pool name, three question marks popped up on Uesugi Tetsu's forehead.

What the hell?

Compared to previous names like "Secluded Bamboo Forest" and "Abandoned Shrine," this gacha banner name is full of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur).

Furthermore, what is the relationship between this gacha pool and its name?

Uesugi Tetsu lowered his gaze.

There were no moving creatures on the monotonous, semi-transparent page.

Only the leaden sky, the desolate land stretching endlessly like scorched earth, and the black clumps floating in mid-air like impurities and dust, their state of being indeterminate—whether gaseous or liquid—were visible.

Where is the "Demon King"?

What does this scene have to do with "heaven on earth"?

It should be called hell, shouldn't it?

Uesugi Tetsuya, who had originally hoped to find a gacha NPC similar to Hyakume, waited for a while and searched for a long time, but found no trace of this "Demon King".

The card pool was desolate and lifeless.

Only the buttons for "Single Salvage" and "Ten-Session Salvage" emit a dark, fluorescent glow.

Each salvage attempt will cost a fixed 500 Soul Ash.

During this special salvage operation, you will obtain an unknown item of unknown quality.

[Note: Each time you perform a 10-pull, you are guaranteed to receive at least one item related to the "Demon King".]

It costs 500 Soul Ashes to pull once, there's no discount for the first 10 pulls, and the minimum quality isn't guaranteed...

Uesugi Tetsuya's lips twitched as he tried to obtain a simplified panel by pressing and holding the black icon with his mind, but to no avail.

Do you really think his ashes came from the wind?

"Aside from the ten-pull that costs a whopping 5,000 Soul Ash, is it all just unknown...?"

Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes, his fingers itching to move.

Regardless, now that the new gacha pool is open, I should at least try it out a couple of times.

I don't have the ability to do a full ten-pull, but I can definitely do a single pull.

With a slight thought, the button for "Single Salvage" glowed faintly.

In an instant, an indescribable black mass burst open, splattering a large area of ​​black across the gacha pool page.

Under Uesugi Tetsu's gaze, the object shrouded in black was revealed.

Upon seeing it clearly, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

ha?

A gray bento box covered in panda stickers?

He reached out and let the lightly weighted lunchbox fall into his hand, then fell into deep thought.

I spent 500 points of Great Soul Ash and only got this thing?

But the next instant, a panel that popped up from above the lunchbox made him change his mind.

That’s right!

At the same time, he quickly abandoned the idea of ​​opening the bento box to find out what was inside.

【Demon King's Handmade Bento】

【Quality: Super Epic】

[Effect: Upon consumption, the user will suffer from panic, terror, spiritual energy dissipation, and other debuffs (78 in total). Exceptions apply to certain individuals. Certain individuals will receive an equivalent amount of buffs after consuming this bento.]

—An ordinary bento box, but believe me, you won't want to know what it tastes like.