Three Wishes : Endless Worlds

I had been practicing the new breathing style and basic swordsmanship. I had already lifted the ban on the system. I learned that I might be a swordsmanship genius when I saw my swordsmanship jump an entire stage so soon.

I was already close to the boundary of the third stage, and then, suddenly, I understood it. I swung my sword with surprising accuracy and lethality, creating a normal gust of wind from his blade—an impressive feat, although not uncommon.

[Swordsmanship has upgraded from Initiate → Apprentice]

System Panel

Name: Nick

Age: 18

Health: 510/510

Stamina: 758/758

Strength: 201

Intelligence: 143

Vitality: 102

Agility: 389

Soul Power: Unknown

Technique: Total Concentration Breathing

Skills: Swordsmanship (Apprentice)

Tasks: Join the Demon Slayer Corps / Become a Demon

How are the stats calculated and how do they work?

[Strength reflects your physical force and raw force. Intelligence is your true IQ and rarely improves. Vitality is your endurance and how strong your body is. Agility encompasses your reflexes and movement and attack speed.]

He knew his agility improved rapidly because of how much he ran for his training. I smirked at how effective master's training had proved to be.

I was amazed at my power and progress—even shocked. But constant reminders made it clear: my level of genius wasn't rare. I had learned that the hard way, when I arrogantly challenged Haruhiko.

It was a cold, solemn day. Auspicious.

My swordsmanship had just barely broken into the Initiate stage from Novice. I felt like I had the strength to overwhelm ordinary demons. However, my thoughts were pompous. I set my eyes on the blue-haired, light-blue-eyed boy, about six feet tall. He looked strangely expectant—like he'd seen this challenge coming.

Out of nowhere, Takashi appeared.

"I will officiate this match. And afterward, you and I will have an in-depth conversation about your overconfidence, Noboatsu," he said, genuinely concerned.

I took the first move.

I slashed preemptively, but he parried my attack with effortless precision. Then, he counterattacked, aiming for my wrist—probably to disarm me. I saw through it and stepped back. But it was a feint. He stretched out his hand and stabbed straight through, piercing my chest.

This was my first real, fatal injury.

It shocked me.

My brain short-circuited. I had always thought of myself as lucky—as the protagonist. Now I was getting thrashed by someone not even mentioned in the novel.

I struck recklessly but with stealth, aiming to kill, targeting his vital organs. And then came the utter humiliation.

He kicked my leg, twisted my arm behind my back, and slammed me to the ground.

As I recounted the recent events, I saw the hazy figures of Takashi and Haruhiko leaving. I finally understood—I had overestimated myself. I needed to work on my character before I became a true Demon Slayer.

Then, and only then, would I have my revenge by surpassing him.

But first... I had to survive.

I dragged myself across the uneven, rough ground. I noticed a sharp smell—blood, most likely mine. It was overwhelming. The scent was so putrid I vomited. But then I realized it wasn't just the ground. It was from the laceration Haruhiko had made.

I needed to reach the apothecary. I needed medicine. Bandages. Anything.

I wouldn't die here. Not yet. Not before I proved them all wrong.

I stumbled into the apothecary's house.

As soon as I laid eyes on the old apothecary, I ran like a wild beast—like a desperate dog. I screamed and begged for help.

Then, the man said resolutely, "Calm down! I will help you. Maomao! Stop your poison tests and come assist me!"

Maomao came rushing downstairs and as she laid her eyes on me I could sense a look of disgust and contempt. She was a popular figure in the village. Called the Poisonous Flower, she was incredibly cold and disliked everyone except her grandfather and the courtesans which his master frequently visited.

They worked quickly. Gentle pressure with a wet cloth, then cleansing the wound with water, followed by ointment and tight bandages. I wouldn't remember much of it—I had already been given something to numb the pain.

I awoke in a room filled with strange potions and concoctions. I lay on a thin duvet on the hardwood floor, a hot towel on my head. A young girl's voice echoed softly nearby.

"Master, why would you help someone like this? He clearly has no way to pay us. If he came here alone, that warrior must have abandoned him. She didn't hide the way her nose scrunched din disgust as she said 'abandoned' That's why only Master Haruhiko remains."

The apothecary—Luomen—scolded her sternly.

"You must not look at situations with such a limited worldview. You still need to grow up."

She raised an eyebrow at him, weighing in his words, but her facial expression betrayed her as she still had a bias of Noboatsu in her view.

Lying there, listening to them, I reflected on my past actions.

"I always thought I was the protagonist, and everything would go my way. But my first mistake was overestimating myself. I was just a normal guy with a high IQ. Why did I choose mythical difficulty? Even elite special ops soldiers wouldn't survive it. I thought I was the supreme reincarnator—but I'm not the only one. Others exist too."

[Hahaha! You thought you were the main character? Yeah, the same way those corpses in Infinity Castle did too. However, I'm glad you are out of your chuunibyou phase, Master.]

"Me too," he said. "Me too. I want more strength. I will learn medicine to prevent such an incident, and it will help me with demons too."

I tried to stand up, but I could feel the pain in his gut. I called for the apothecary kindly. I entered the room exuding an aura of wisdom honed from years of study. I entered with a young lady with green hair and ruby red eyes. She evoked an aura of untouchability and inapproachability.

I felt like I was interrupting their peace as I said in a nervous tone, "I'm really sorry for disturbing you, but I don't have money to repay you. I will work for you in order to repay you, and I hope you will find it in your heart to teach me."

"That will take some thought," Luomen said as Maomao eyed me.

[Host is such an ass-kisser.]