Anime: Passive Inheritance System

7.62mm caliber rounds sprayed out of the muzzle, drawing streaks of scorching orange-red in the air.

"Tiby, cover me!"

After emptying a magazine, Sedno ducked behind the wall. The green-haired girl beside her instantly turned around, twin submachine guns flashing fire as she took over the position.

Seeing Sedno retreat, Floria quickly handed her a reloaded magazine and took the empty one to reload efficiently.

"Cap—! Captain! Something's happening!"

As Sedno was changing mags, Cecily, who was scouting from atop the wall, suddenly let out a startled shout.

"Northwest! Someone's heading this way!"

"What?!" Sedno's face flashed with shock, but then a glint of surprise crossed her eyes. "Could it be backup from another CDI unit?"

"No… I don't think so."

Even before Cecily finished speaking, Floria had already opened the tactical map on her micro-computer. Now staring at the image, her expression turned strange.

"Just look for yourselves."

As she spoke, Floria activated the 3D projection. A semi-transparent hologram of the northwest side appeared in the air.

Between the narrow streets, a crisscross of bright red bullet trails formed a dense web, shredding everything in its path.

Yet, standing still amid this storm of bullets was a man in a black coat. He didn't dodge, didn't flinch, and hadn't been torn apart or knocked down. He just stood there, calm and smiling gently.

Around his body, sparks flashed constantly in the air, and a blue gale spun wildly around him… No—wait, it wasn't wind.

Staring at the projection, Sedno's eyebrows twitched.

"...A sword?"

---

Cling cling cling—

With hundreds of points in Agility, Kai's blue sword danced like a storm, moving gracefully through the air.

Each slash burst with dazzling sparks and sharp metallic clangs.

"A mon—monster!"

"He's a demon! A demon!"

"No way… how is this even possible?!"

Across the street, a dozen white-robed gunmen kept shooting, their faces filled with horror.

Some seasoned veterans could predict shots and dodge effectively—some elite soldiers could even counterattack while evading. But even they relied on dodging. No one in the world could stand and block rifle bullets head-on.

Take their AK-74s for instance—muzzle velocity: 900 meters per second. That's more than twice the speed of sound, nearly three times!

To put it simply—by the time you hear the gunshot, at least two bullets have already hit you.

Even high-speed cameras need to slow footage over a thousand times to catch a bullet in motion.

But this man... was blocking them all?

With a sword?!

Yes, they were certain—this guy wasn't using any advanced tech. He was just swinging a damn sword, again and again and again!

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!..."

Eyes bulging from the strain, the white-robed gunmen emptied their mags, the powerful recoil the only thing keeping them from being paralyzed with fear.

Who the hell was this man?!

Of course, the sword wielder was none other than Kai, who had been wandering aimlessly through town.

He had only been looking for a few terrorists to test his shooting skills when he ran into these gunmen. They didn't hesitate—opened fire immediately.

Could 700 Constitution tank bullets?

Honestly, he wasn't sure. So he didn't take chances—he drew his sword and deflected every single shot.

Even though he didn't get to test the guns, Kai was in a great mood.

It felt like taking high school entrance exams after finishing several college-level mock tests.

To someone who had just cleared 100 floors of a dungeon, these terrorists—even armed—barely registered as threats. Their rifles didn't even feel as threatening as a Level 5 monster.

So even while in combat, Kai was completely relaxed.

Suddenly, the gunfire stopped—their mags were empty.

Triggers clicked uselessly. Their faces turned pale.

Then, a sharp sword whistle echoed, and a pure white arc of light filled their vision.

Buzz—

The blade sliced the air with a clear hum. After a few quick steps, Kai sheathed his sword, the bloodied hem of his coat fluttering in the breeze.

He hadn't used sword intent or any techniques. Just pure swordsmanship. And that was enough.

The difference in power was like a herd of hyenas trying to bring down an elephant. No matter how many there were, they couldn't shake its weight. The elephant only had to shift its legs and they'd die.

If only the deep-dungeon monsters were this easy...

Feeling a bit bored, Kai was about to leave when he heard footsteps nearby.

A few survivors?

It sounded like a small group—this time he wouldn't use his sword. He'd test his gun skills instead.

He drew a Beretta 92 from his waist in a flash. Safety off, bullet chambered, sidestep, aim. All within half a second. His stance was textbook-perfect.

That was the power of system-granted skills. Once unlocked, the ability became part of your soul, like an innate instinct.

Under his aim, the figures froze immediately.

"Well, well, look what we have here..."

Kai had planned to shoot on sight, but when he saw their faces, he changed his mind.

A few teenage girls, clearly not suited for this battlefield.

"This place isn't a playground for kids. If you're playing house, you've picked the wrong neighborhood."

"We… we're not kids."

Recalling the terrifying scene from the hologram, and now facing Kai's gun barrel directly, Sedno swallowed hard and forced herself to speak:

"We're mercenaries from CDI Company, Wartime Task Force Unit 7. I'm the captain, Sedno Menchiard."

"Mercenaries?"

Kai wasn't familiar with CDI, but he knew what mercenaries were.

Still… these girls looked like high schoolers at most.

He lowered his gun slightly, his tone softening. "So, what do you want from me?"

Sensing the change in his attitude, Sedno relaxed a bit, color returning to her face. She gestured to the others.

"We were on a mission to snipe a terrorist leader. The operation went well, but it triggered retaliation from the remaining enemies. They had overwhelming numbers and firepower, so we ended up trapped in this town..."

"Hold on."

Kai tilted his head. "You're not about to ask me to help you escape, are you?"

"Th-that's right..." Sedno blushed.

"So... what can you offer me in return?"

Thinking about Kai's absurd strength, Sedno realized she had nothing of value to offer him. She lowered her head, embarrassed. "Nothing..."

Looking at the flushed blonde girl, Kai sighed, unloaded the gun, and holstered it.

Then his eyes landed on their uniforms—his gaze lit up.

"Alright. I'll help you. But only if you—no, you specifically—agree to one condition."

Sedno instinctively stepped back, crossing her arms. "W-what condition?"

"You said you're the team captain of Unit 7, right?"

"Yes…"

Still confused, she nodded.

With a gentle smile, Kai said, "My condition is: I want to join your squad."

"...Huh?"

Caught off guard, Sedno blinked.

Once the words sank in, she quickly shook her head. "That's not allowed. I don't have that kind of authority. If you want to join CDI, you can apply at the recruitment office. With your skills, there's no problem."

I don't even have an ID. How am I supposed to register?

Kai smirked. "Authority or not, if you can't do it, I'm out. You all can stay here."

He turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Panicking, Sedno called out. She struggled for a moment, then said, "Each task force unit has the right to recruit one auxiliary member... But our unit has always been all-female since the first generation. We're now the fifth—no one's ever broken that rule."

"Then be the first."

"But—!"

Kai glanced back at her with a smile, then turned and walked away. "Agree and follow. Refuse and stay behind."

"I… ugh!"

Sedno stomped, then ran after him, followed by the others.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Kai smiled.

Identity issue: solved.

And now, as a mercenary, he could kill legally—no more worrying about leveling up and breaking the law.

Perfect.

"Looking forward to working with you, Captain."

---

Inside the silver-walled living quarters, Kai hung upside down from a bed frame, supported only by his ankles hooked over the edge.

Whirr—

Maintaining a fully inverted posture, he spun a levitating magnetic ball using circular motion to generate centripetal force, making the ball rotate rapidly along an invisible magnetic track.

It was a new hobby he'd come up with out of boredom.

Two and a half months had passed since he semi-forcibly joined the Divine Eagle Military Professional Management Company as an auxiliary member of Unit 7. As the first male member in its history, his arrival drew attention. But over time, the interest faded. Now, he had fully integrated with the team.

As an auxiliary, Kai could occasionally take on tasks, but he also had the freedom to pick his own assignments.

In two and a half months, he had cleared a third of the missions listed on the internal task board. The money was nice, but what satisfied him most was his skill tree progress.

The first tier of the [Phantom Gunsmith] passive tree was now fully unlocked. His earliest skills, [Firearm Mastery] and [Focus], had even reached Level 2.

[Firearm Mastery] Lv.2: Enables proficient use of both light and heavy firearms. Significantly improves weapon handling.

[Focus] Lv.2: When aiming with a firearm, concentration and mental acuity increase, improving accuracy.

[Hawkeye] Lv.1: Slightly increases visual precision and field of view when aiming at long range with firearms.

[Instinct] Lv.1: Slightly improves hit rate during blind fire; activates trajectory correction when quickly aiming, slightly adjusting bullet accuracy.

While playing with the balancing sphere, Kai's gaze passed over the opposite silver-white metal wall.

Hanging on the wall was a pale-blue one-handed straight sword. Beside it, a coat rack held a black long-coat full of Western fantasy style.

Ever since unlocking all the first-tier skills of the [Phantom Gunsmith] tree, Kai had set aside the sword that had rarely left his side. That coat, once drenched in the blood of countless monsters, had also been replaced by a snug, insulated combat suit and a CDI military uniform.

"Beep beep—"

Just as Kai was reflecting on his changes over the past two months, the doorbell chimed.

"Coming."

He responded, put away the balancing ball, flipped off the bed, walked over, and pressed the fingerprint scanner.

The scan passed, the metal door slid open into the wall, and a petite girl appeared outside.

"So it's you, Floria. Need something?"

Smiling down at the pink-haired girl, Kai stepped aside. "Wanna come in and have uncle give you a physical checkup?"

"Mr. Kai, please don't joke like that out of nowhere. It's distressing."

Floria's cheeks, still carrying the fading freckles of puberty, flushed pink. She took a small step back. "This time, it's a special task assigned by the company. They said a sword specialist should handle it, so the captain directly submitted your name. She's waiting in the conference room now."

"Got it."

Kai dropped the teasing and walked straight toward the conference room.

Moments later, he pushed open the door and immediately saw Sedno sitting at the head of the round meeting table.

"Yo, captain!"

Waving at the blond-haired girl, Kai casually pulled out a chair and sat down. "What kind of task requires a sword master specifically?"

"It's a bit complicated. But I've summarized everything into the mission file. Read it over first, then ask if anything's unclear."

Sedno pushed a file toward him.

"Geez, making it sound like a classified op…"

Kai chuckled and opened the folder. But as soon as his eyes landed on the first page, his smile froze.

At the top was a profile—no, a dossier—of a young girl.

Brown hair and eyes, a bright and cute face that radiated youthful energy.

Name: Yuuna Shigemura.

"…"

Staring at the document, Kai felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

Memories surfaced—Shigemura Yuuna, Shigemura Tetsuhiro, Kayaba Akihiko, Kirigaya Kazuto...

Sword Art Online.

He'd actually ended up in that world.

The last world's inheritance had been Kirito's [Black Swordsman] class. Now, he had arrived in SAO itself.

"Mr. Kai?"

Sedno noticed he hadn't turned the page for a long time. "Is there a problem?"

"No… no problem. I just remembered something and spaced out. Sorry."

Suppressing his inner excitement, Kai smiled and continued reading.

The dossier had three pages.

The first detailed Yuuna Shigemura's personal profile—from height, weight, and measurements to hobbies and daily habits. Extremely thorough.

The second page introduced SAO and the concept of full-dive VR, as well as the chaos that ensued when the game was revealed to be a death game.

Only on the final page was the mission itself explained. In summary: enter SAO, locate Yuuna's virtual avatar, and protect her until the game ends.

No wonder sword masters were given priority for this mission…

Kai finished reading and looked up. "I understand the mission, but I have a few questions."

"Go ahead."

"First, the game is sealed, right? How am I supposed to enter?"

"We have a technical team handling that. Also, the device used isn't a standard nerve gear, so there's no risk of brain damage. You can log out anytime."

"Alright. Second question: it's been over a year since launch. Won't I be under-leveled?"

"Our technicians will set your character's starting level equal to the current top-tier average. The rest is up to you."

"I see…"

Kai nodded, but inside he was stunned.

Where did they get these genius engineers? They hacked Kayaba's code?

Still, that wasn't his concern now. The thought of meeting the actual [Black Swordsman] thrilled him.

"If there are no further issues, please rest well tonight. I'll take you to the tech department tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Kai left the room.

As he walked back to his dorm, the slightly dazzling corridor lights made a thought rise in his mind.

Who had commissioned the mission to protect Shigemura Yuuna?

Her father, Shigemura Tetsuhiro?

Possible. But he had a gut feeling that it wasn't that simple.

He'd take it one step at a time…