Upon bringing up Qin Ming's actions, Shiranui Mai's entire body trembled with frustration.
Never before had she encountered someone so ruthless and bloodthirsty. Even against enemies who had already lost the will to fight, he mercilessly delivered killing blows. Right now, Mary was chasing after him, hurling insults—clearly, even she had reached her limit with his brutality.
Hearing Mai's angry words, Shiranui Hanzou chuckled, showing no hint of displeasure. In fact, he seemed increasingly satisfied.
"It's good he killed them. Leaving them alive would only invite more trouble."
"Grandfather, you…"
"Enough. We'll end it here. Losing disciples is unfortunate, but if we fail to eliminate the Tsukimi clan, you know they'll only retaliate. Need I remind you, your parents were killed at their hands!"
His brows furrowed with a trace of regret. "Too bad that Tsukimi Soukaku managed to escape, even if he's down an arm. He's still a formidable opponent and must be eradicated soon. Only when he's dead will our grudge truly be laid to rest. Mai, I want you to stay vigilant for the time being. I'll go and deal with him myself."
"You're still planning to hunt him down? You…! Fine, do what you want!" She stamped her foot, seething with anger, and stormed away, leaving Hanzou to watch her go with a deep, serious expression.
She was his only family left, and he knew he had to clear all threats to protect her before his time ran out. Even if their reputation was ruined, he was determined to wipe out the Tsukimi clan entirely. After all, disciples could always be recruited anew, but if Soukaku wasn't eliminated and he passed away, Mai would be left vulnerable.
Mai's reaction was understandable. The chaos within the dojo had reached unprecedented levels. With death looming over their every interaction, nearly all the students, initially drawn by the allure of Shiranui-style techniques and the famed beauty of its senior disciple, had begun to back out.
In truth, many were already packing their bags, planning to leave immediately—some without even requesting their tuition fees back. The formerly bustling Shiranui Dojo had turned eerily quiet in a matter of hours, leaving Mai in shock as she stood in the training yard.
The effort she'd put into building the dojo had been immense. She had poured everything into it, from promoting it to making countless personal sacrifices. Even donning the clan's somewhat revealing traditional kunoichi attire—something she found deeply embarrassing—was part of her efforts to draw more students.
Now, all of that work had crumbled to pieces.
Mai sighed heavily, slapping her cheeks to regain her focus. She was irritated with her grandfather, but there was no way she could ignore him completely. He was, after all, her only remaining family. If she truly left him alone, he'd likely starve within days; he knew nothing beyond training and fighting.
With a resigned shake of her head, Mai decided to tidy up the dojo as best as she could.
Meanwhile, in a secluded room, Qin Ming had finally managed to escape Mary's relentless scolding. With a series of deadly attacks and finishing blows, he had amassed a small treasure trove of keys, several of which were of respectable quality.
Some Tsukimi disciples, being mini-bosses, had dropped valuable loot, even with the penalty imposed by his non-solo kills. Qin Ming had ultimately obtained three green chests, as well as a silver chest from his earlier solo victory.
Combining two green keys into a blue one, he eagerly opened all the chests in his possession, securing a solid haul.
Item: Tsukimi Provisions Pill (Fatal Fury World)
Type: Consumable (Green Quality)
Effect: Restores 20% of physical state upon use.
Description: Specially crafted by the Tsukimi clan. Superior to Shiranui provisions.
Item: Tsukimi Staff (Fatal Fury World)
Type: Weapon (Dull Silver Quality)
Requirement: 15 Spirit
Effect:
+5 Strength
+5 Spirit
Skill: Tsukimi Style - Vortex Inferno (Transforms wielder into a fireball, dealing Spirit x1.5 fire damage).
Description: A parting gift bestowed on Tsukimi disciples upon graduation, symbolizing status and skill.
Skill: Evil Staff Dance
Grade: C-Rank
Effect: Consumes 3 Spirit to summon a ghostly projection that assists in battle, capable of four standard attacks.
Description: A signature Tsukimi technique that allows the user to deliver strikes at a distance.
The rewards included a consumable, a weapon, and a skill book. The consumable was set aside for future use, and the weapon, while not useful to him, could be sold or repurposed. As for the skill book…
Ding! Skill fusion is successful! Shiranui Bloodline Skill upgraded to B-Rank!
Qin Ming felt a surge of energy coursing through him as his inherited power intensified, his body brimming with the unique Shiranui flame. His eyes sparkled as he thrust his fist forward, igniting his arm in searing flames that lingered in the air.
The Shiranui flames, now enhanced to B-Rank, burned several times hotter than before, nearly rivaling the fierce fire summoned by Shiranui Hanzou himself. With the upgrade, Qin Ming estimated that both his unarmed attacks and skills had gained at least a 30% power boost.
With a satisfied nod, Qin Ming quickly shifted focus to the Tsukimi Staff, mulling over his options.
Selling it would surely bring in a good number of points, but he decided instead to fuse it immediately. The Fatal Fury world was full of dangers, and bolstering his strength now was the only safe choice. Besides, there would be ample time to gain more currency later on. Increasing his power in the moment was worth more than any future gains.
But which item should he upgrade? He only had two Dull Silver-quality pieces on hand—the Dinosaur Glasses and his Blood-Stained Butcher's Vest.
In terms of utility, the vest was an obvious choice, as it provided the most direct attribute boost. However, the glasses were far more valuable in the long run; they'd likely never need replacement, unlike the vest, which was more situational.
After some consideration, Qin Ming opted to enhance the glasses, knowing that he'd reached the strength threshold for the time being and could focus on other skills for now.
With a flash of light, the staff was consumed, and the glasses upgraded to Normal Silver quality.
Name: Dinosaur Glasses (Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Act 1)
Type: Facial (Normal Silver Quality)
Requirement: None
Effect:
View attributes of storyline characters (excluding adventurers).
+2 Charisma
Reduces target defense by 5 points when locked on.
Description: "My combat strength is only 8,000! But the opponent's is over 10,000! I'm outta here!"
The upgraded glasses now granted an additional point of Charisma and a new feature that reduced the opponent's defense, making Qin Ming grin with satisfaction as he adjusted the newly powered-up glasses on his face.