Chapter 38: Chapter 38
Under the numb stares of the gathered adventurers, Kiriya and Ais’s battle finally came to an end after a full hour.
Looking at the savage sword scars left across the area, the same fanatics who had been shouting about teaching Kiriya a lesson all fell silent.
Deep in their hearts, they quietly added Kiriya to the list of people they absolutely could not afford to provoke.
Someone like this was never going to stay small.
Rather than making an enemy of him, it was better to build a connection early.
"Hey, kid, I’ve got some top-grade wine here. Want to come over and try some?"
"The food at my place is good too..."
"My inn is great as well! The rooms are big, and the beds are really comfortable, the girls tits are absurdly huges too!"
The adventurers tried every possible way to cozy up to Kiriya, but he turned them all down one by one.
Everyone in Orario knew the merchants here were all black-hearted to the bone.
Something that cost one valis on the surface could be sold for a hundred valis down here.
He would have to be out of his mind to willingly walk over and let himself get ripped off.
Rather than staying in one of those shabby wooden inns, he might as well make something comfortable himself.
But after only a few steps, he stopped and turned back to look at the three girls.
"What? It’s almost dark. Aren’t you going back?"
"It’s already getting dark. It’s way too dangerous for a few girls like us to walk at night, so we’ll rest here first," Tiona said with perfect confidence.
"Yeah, yeah. Walking at night is scary," Tione agreed, nodding rapidly.
"..."
Kiriya was speechless.
Three Level 5 first-tier adventurers traveling together—what in the Dungeon’s middle and upper floors could possibly stop them?
What, was a Juggernaut going to come running up here?
A massive retort lodged itself in his throat, begging to be spat out, but in the end, Kiriya gave up.
"Do whatever you want."
Three pretty girls were easy on the eyes anyway, so it was not like he was losing out.
"Wood Release: Three Bedrooms and a Living Room Jutsu."
Since there were outsiders around, Kiriya made a proper-looking hand sign and shout out the jutsu name, then summoned trees that twisted and assembled themselves into a two-story wooden house.
With its overhanging eaves and bracketed corners, it was surprisingly elegant.
"Waaah—!" x2
This time, it was not only Tiona.
Even the usually steadier Tione let out a cry of surprise.
"That’s amazing! You actually made a house out of thin air." Tiona’s eyes practically sparkled as she looked at Kiriya.
"Now I really want to tie you up and drag you back with us. That way, we wouldn’t have to bring tents whenever we go out. It would save so much effort."
"Yeah, yeah." Tione nodded like a pecking chick.
"Don’t say something that terrifying so casually." Kiriya sounded lazy as he spoke. "I’ll take the middle room upstairs. Pick whichever rooms you want. I’m going in."
With that, he opened the front door first and walked inside.
He went up to the second floor, opened the door to his room, then turned around expressionlessly to look at the blond girl standing behind him.
"I say, Sword Princess, I’m going to rest now. If you don’t have anything else, please go back."
"That breathing method..." Ais raised her crystal-clear eyes and looked at him seriously. "Can you teach it to me?"
"Oh, you noticed?" Kiriya was not surprised. His expression remained calm.
"Mm. When you fight, your breathing rhythm is unusual, and your stamina becomes extremely strong. I think that must be the effect of your breathing."
Among Ais’s basic abilities, her Dexterity and Agility had both reached A-rank, and her Magic had even broken into S-rank.
Only her Strength and Endurance still lingered at D-rank.
Poor stamina meant less time for sustained training, which in turn meant slower growth in ability values.
That had become one of the Sword Princess’s lingering frustrations.
But now, she saw a new possibility.
Breathing techniques.
With her sharp instincts, she sensed the opportunity hidden within them.
"Your observation is very sharp." Kiriya nodded.
The breathing styles from the world of Demon Slayer were not some mysterious art, but they did have their own unique effects: strengthening burst power and endurance.
For the Sword Princess, who excelled in speed and technique but lacked stamina and raw strength, that was exactly what she needed most.
Then Kiriya asked in return, "But why should I teach you? What’s in it for me?"
Kiriya did not mind helping others when it was within his ability, but he did not want that help to seem cheap.
Things given too cheaply were rarely cherished, and even more rarely treated with care.
Even the Buddha asked for gold when guiding people to salvation.
"I... I can pay you," Ais said after a brief hesitation.
"...You hesitated just now, didn’t you?" Kiriya’s expression turned strange.
Was the Sword Princess actually short on money?
Perhaps his odd look touched a nerve, because Ais added, "I don’t have money right now, but I’ll work hard to earn it. I’ll gather the tuition fee soon."
Kiriya: "..."
This girl was way too honest!
Kiriya did not dislike straightforward people like her, so he said, "Forget the tuition. How about this? Do one thing for me, and we’ll call it payment."
"Okay—"
Before Ais could finish, Tiona and Tione suddenly popped out.
"We can’t just pretend we didn’t hear that, kid," Tione said first. "If you do anything weird to Ais, Loki, Riveria, and everyone in the Familia will lose their minds."
"Exactly, exactly." Tiona nodded hard. "If you need payment, then let me do it! If I’m not enough, my sister can help too."
As she spoke, she once again posed with an enticing S-shaped curve.
Faced with her younger sister casually selling her off, Tione showed no reaction at all.
Instead, she bent slightly toward Kiriya, freely displaying her own impressive weapons!
Smack! Smack!
Kiriya flicked both girls hard on the forehead with an expressionless face.
"Do I look that much like a pervert to you? The thing I’m asking for won’t harm you or your Familia, and it won’t go against your morals either. Good enough?"
"Hehehe... Then we’re fine too," Tione and Tiona said with silly grins, trying to bluff their way through.
They both got flicked again.
"Since you’ve already prepared the payment, you can listen too."
Kiriya sat cross-legged with a serious expression.
"But let me say this first. I’ll teach you, but whether you can actually learn it depends on yourselves."
"Don’t worry!" x2
"Mm."
...
And just like that, Kiriya once again began his busy daily routine.
He trained in the Dungeon, sharpening his ability values.
From time to time, he also took breaks to guide Ais and the other two girls in their breathing style training.
All three of them had extraordinary talent, so they learned quickly.
In only a couple of days, they had already grasped the essence of breathing techniques and could freely apply them in combat.
Their combat endurance and explosive power improved dramatically.
The Amazon sisters were delighted and gave Kiriya plenty of "benefits."
Ais naturally was not as bold as the two Amazons, but her attitude toward Kiriya became much closer as well.
Sometimes, she even offered him a lap pillow on her own, allowing Kiriya to enjoy a bit of comfort between battles.
While Kiriya spent his days fighting and training in the Dungeon with the three girls, rumors about him began spreading through Orario.
"What? Sylvan actually fought the Sword Princess evenly?"
"What? That Level 2 boy has strength comparable to a Level 4?"
"What? That damn brat defeated Goliath all by himself?"
One unbelievable incident after another, each story sounding more absurd than the last, spread through the city.
Those who heard the rumors wanted to deny them, but the people spreading them brought out all kinds of evidence and described everything in such vivid detail that the listeners had no choice but to believe.
For a time, discussion about Kiriya surged again, even showing signs of turning into a full-blown storm.
Hestia felt it more clearly than anyone.
Every day, a huge crowd of bored gods blocked her door, opening their mouths only to demand that she hand Kiriya over.
Hestia was so furious that she drove them all away with fists and kicks!
But later, too many gods kept coming, and Hestia grew so annoyed that she simply shut the door on all visitors and returned to her old profession of being a shut-in.
She refused to see anyone.
Fortunately, Kiriya had bought plenty of supplies before heading out.
Otherwise, the goddess would have had to worry about filling her stomach!
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