Two months passed by,
"Swish!"
Ryou stood bare-chested with his hair fluttering in the breeze as he practiced his Nature breathing style. He swung his long sword made of heavy stone in a certain rhythm.
Unlike two months ago, his entire physique has undergone a remarkable transformation; his previous average form has transformed into a ripped physique.
Such transformation isn't humanly possible in two months but thanks to the breathing method, he was able to absorb some kind of energy present in the world to replenish his muscles.
In the first month, he just trained his body and familiarized himself with the breathing pattern and different sword styles. From the next month, he started practicing the breathing method and style.
After a month of practice, he can execute the nine forms of Nature breathing but to bring out its true potential he needs to incorporate them with the breathing pattern.
It was extremely difficult. Every time he fails to maintain his breathing method when his practice reaches the Ninth Form: Dance in the Void.
It's the same this time. Ryou's stone sword fell to the ground as he stood gasping for air, entirely exhausted. Failure didn't frustrate him.
In fact, if he practiced with a normal sword then he may have completed the last form but doing so would make his practice harder in later stages.
For a month, he persisted so that he could complete all the forms of his breathing style in one fell swoop. Now the time has come for him to switch to the ordinary sword.
Ryou took a short break to recover his fatigue before taking out the standard-sized katana that is dull gray in color. Holding the Katana, he had a feeling of nostalgia.
On earth, he's proficient in sword skills as his mother, who's a Kendo Grandmaster, trained him from a young age.
Though his sword skills are enough to fight the ordinary demons, they won't be of much help when he faces Demons that have special abilities. For that, he needs to master his Breathing method and style.
Unlike the heavy sword that he had been slashing for the past month, holding the metal sword felt extremely light as that of a feather.
After testing some simple sword moves, he got the hang of switching from heavy to metal sword. 'Swish' The Sound of something tearing the air came every time Ryou swung his sword.
"Alright, let's start!"
Relaxing his state of mind, Ryou breathed in a specific pattern as he slashed his sword horizontally. 'First Form: Wind Slash'
The slash looked simple and elegant but generated an air pressure that pushed the dirt and dry leaves around.
'Second Form: Current of the ocean'
Followed by the First form, Ryou took a step back while swinging his sword in a circular motion. Unlike the first form, this move lacked strength but it was similar to calm before the storm.
'Third Form: Setting Sun' Ryou did a full circle with his left foot while slashing his sword downwards diagonally in a straight line.
'Fourth Form: Mother Earth' With slight pressure on his feet, he leaped into the air before slashing his sword downward.
'Fifth Form: Lightning Storm' Kicking the air in mid-air, Ryou dashed forward at extreme speed while slashing his sword multiple times in diverse styles.
'Sixth Form: Shadow World' Ryou maneuvered in a certain pattern as if he were a shadow itself. This move didn't have any sword styles as it's supposed to be combined with the next form.
'Seventh Form: Gravity Rift' Coming out of the sixth form, Ryou performed a singular downward slash utilizing every ounce of his arm strength.
'Eighth Form: Time Zone' When Ryou reaches this step, his breathing pattern changes enhancing his senses and speed to another level.
The drastic rise in perception and speed gave him the feeling of being invincible, it was as if time itself stopped in his eyes.
It's also the reason why he wasn't able to perform the next move as this form drains his strength to zero.
There's no specific sword style in this form, so he can use any of the above forms to complete the step and move on to the next form. Performing a horizontal slash, Ryou hurriedly switched to his seventh form.
'Ninth Form: Dance of the Void:' This form is the combination of the above Eight forms but it ought to be performed in a reverse manner.
Exhaling his breathing in a specific pattern, Ryou performed a series of forms while using every ounce of his willpower to fight the exhaustion that was assaulting him so that he wouldn't either drop his blade or drop to the ground.
"Swish!" As soon as he completed his 'First form: Wind slash', Ryou dropped to the ground; gasping for air and completely exhausted.
But, a strand of mysterious energy seeped into his body from nowhere before bursting through every part of his being. The exhaustion disappeared, replaced by a feeling of revitalizing.
Ryou could feel his flesh and bones being strengthened. But, the magical feeling didn't last for even five seconds before it disappeared completely.
"Oh shit! I forgot to maintain my breathing method" Ryou cursed before opening his system panel to see if there was any change.
[~ Name: Ryou
Race: Ordinary Human
Skill: Nature Breathing - Unranked [1/5]
Demon Points: 0 ~]
As he expected, there was change. In the skill section, his Nature Breathing is up by '1' point. 'I did it!'
After two months of non-stop training and practice, he finally managed to raise his experience in the Nature breathing style. Though it's just one point, he could feel the difference.
Ryou laughed aloud, feeling happy. He had taken the first step on the path of becoming strong. He then remembered the magical feeling, 'Is it Natural energy?'
He then asked the system, "System, is this 'Natural energy' similar to one in Naruto world?"
"Yes. Natural Energy is present in every world where there's life. Your Nature Breathing is created with 'Natural energy' as the base."
"But why does it improve my body?" Ryou asked as it's unlike what's shown in the Naruto series.
"Nature Breathing style is the product of the System and its uses are superior to what the Host has learned from watching Naruto. To feel its wonders, practice it to the highest level!"
Ryou has the feeling of being mocked by the System. It was as if, 'Just because you don't know, doesn't mean it can't be accomplished!', the system was saying.