CHAPTER 224: KENZO

"I find myself... fascinated by the opportunity to observe different fighting styles up close. There’s something so revealing about how a person moves when under pressure."

His dark eyes seemed to gleam.

"The way someone’s technique adapts when facing true adversity," Kenzo continued, his voice taking on an almost hypnotic tone. "How their form changes when they realise their usual methods are... insufficient. It’s quite mesmerising, heh."

Noah noticed how Kenzo’s gaze lingered on both him and Ichigo with the intensity of someone cataloguing specimens rather than conversing with fellow martial artists.

"I’ve always believed that fighting revealed the true nature of participants," Kenzo added with a philosophical tone. "Strip away all pretences, all social niceties, and what remains is... pure."

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically, apparently interpreting the comments as deep martial arts philosophy.

"That’s so true! My sensei always says competition shows you who you really are," Ichigo agreed with eagerness.

"Precisely, and I find myself particularly curious about practitioners who... how should I put this...forget it, you will find out soon." Kenzo smiled.

His gaze lingered on the surrounding steam, as if it contained his thoughts.

"This makes tomorrow’s revelations so much more... delicious," Kenzo concluded with a soft laugh that carried undertones Noah definitely didn’t like.

The pale man’s fingers moved through the water in patterns that seemed almost ritualistic, creating small currents that disturbed the otherwise peaceful surface of the hot spring.

"Have you competed in many tournaments?" Ichigo asked, apparently determined to maintain friendly conversation despite any atmospheric oddness.

"Oh, several," Kenzo replied with that persistent smile. "I find each one teaches me something new about human nature. About the beautiful ways people can change."

The conversation continued with Ichigo’s cheerful questions meeting Kenzo’s philosophical responses, while Noah focused on enjoying the therapeutic mineral water and mentally preparing for whatever tomorrow’s competition might reveal about their fellow participants.

The hot spring’s natural healing properties worked on his muscles.

Eventually, Kenzo announced with regret, "Well. I should prepare for tomorrow’s... festivities. It was such a pleasure meeting you both. I look forward to our future... interactions."

...

Nearly two hours had passed since Noah had activated the idle room, which meant that the four hours of training in Esta’s time had been completed. Just as he was relaxing in the hot spring, Noah received the notification he’d been anticipating.

[Your swordsmanship skill has reached level 11!]

Noah understood the implications behind the notification almost immediately, his mind processing the advancement with clarity that went beyond simple satisfaction over the level up.

It had taken nearly four hours in Esta’s time for the idle room to advance his skill by a single level. This represented a significant increase in training time compared to his previous advancement experiences.

Based on his progression from novice to apprentice rank, each level within a given tier typically required similar time investments. For example, advancing from level 5 to level 10 had taken approximately two hours per level in Esta’s time when using the idle room’s enhanced training.

Now, however, each level required four hours of idle room training—double the previous investment. This meant that reaching level 15 from his current level 11 would require sixteen additional hours of expensive training time.

Using only the idle room for advancement, it would take at least four more days to reach what he suspected might be the next major milestone in swordsmanship development.

The system is scaling difficulty appropriately. Higher levels require double the effort...for now, at least. It might increase later on.

Noah didn’t complain about the increased requirements. The progression felt natural—true mastery should demand greater dedication than basic competency. With swordsmanship now being his focus for idle room investment, he decided to spend his personal training time developing other crucial skills like mana control and wind manipulation.

Inside his room, confident that no sudden announcements would interrupt his other-world activities, Noah stepped through the portal back to his shop.

Lola was still behind the counter serving customers despite his repeated instructions about taking proper breaks. The dedicated succubus continued working relentlessly, and Noah felt genuinely guilty about her excessive commitment to the business.

She’s working harder than me, and I own the shop.

Before departing for the tournament, Noah had instructed Lola to sell the newly introduced mystical herbal tea and instant coffee at the same price as other premium items—150 golden coins each. The pricing strategy would make the incredible enhancements accessible to Esta’s elite practitioners while generating substantial revenue.

Noah wasn’t looking for the short-term benefit of gold; he was looking to increase the strength of Esta’s practitioners.

"How did the sales go?" Noah asked as he approached the counter.

Lola’s ruby eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she recounted the evening’s remarkable success. "Everyone was absolutely shocked when they learned about the new products’ effects. The instant coffee’s mental enhancement and the herbal tea’s spiritual sight ability... they couldn’t believe such items existed."

Her expression softened with emotion as she continued. "They thanked you so deeply, Noah. Many said they would remember this generosity for generations to come. You’ve given them capabilities they never dreamed of possessing."

The permanent enhancements are life-changing for people without access to magical advancement.

Noah accessed his updated status to assess the full scope of the evening’s commercial success.

—

Host: Noah Carter

Age: 28

Shop Level: 2

Daily Revenue: $565,000 (or equivalent)

Current Assets: $1,589,340

Shop Points: 19,600

Attributes: Strength: 60, Vitality: 60, Intelligence: 60, Agility: 60

Skills: Swordsmanship(Level 11), Mana Control (Level 10), Aura (Level 10), Wind Manipulation (Level 10), Body Tempering (Level 10), Surviving on Ramen (Level 3), Cooking (Level 3), Finance (Level 3), Gaming (Level 3), Programming (Level 2),

—

His assets had increased dramatically, nearly reaching the $1.6 million threshold. The shop points had climbed to almost 20,000.

Incredible growth in just one evening of sales.

"Break down the numbers for me," Noah requested, wanting to understand without having to look deeply into the numbers.