CHAPTER 8.
No one was behind him, leaving Gojin confused. He began to wonder if another member of the clan might possess his technique, but that seemed impossible. Suddenly, the system chimed in:
[Host has no sensitivity yet]
[Checking possibility of acquiring in two years]
[Result: Invalid]
"Uhhn? What is this screen rambling about?" Gojin paused, a realization hitting him.
It was the system that had visualized the strange tap; it was some kind of test for his awareness—like knowing when someone was sneaking up on him.
He continued to scan through the technique book, ignoring the other notifications from the system.
Without it, he was already the strongest from birth; the system was merely a guide for him to tame his power.
"What does this world have to offer? I can't wait to leave this clan, but there's one question: where am I being taken?" Gojin muttered, getting lost in his thought.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, contemplating how strong he could become, as he didn't feel all that powerful yet.
"Also, when am I going to meet the weakling?" he referred to Kenji.
"I should have read this novel more, but my work didn't allow me."
"Whatever. I need to forget about the real world and focus on this one. Only then can I become the most honored, second only to the Almighty," Gojin thought.
Suddenly, his green eyes glowed brighter, reflecting through the blindfold. The table began to shake as a crack slowly stretched across its surface.
He calmed himself, and everything stopped as his eyes returned to normal. Gojin decided to tighten the blindfold further.
***
Two years later, Gojin had grown taller than most kids his age, even surpassing Ryu and Yuki when they were six.
The two had left for the academy a year ago, and surprisingly, he learned that the academy had a hostel—something no one had bothered to tell him.
Today was the day he would finally leave the clan, as was decided at his birth. He felt a rush of happiness as he prepared, a smile lighting up his face.
A knock came on his door, and he rushed to answer it, finding Satoshi and Taro standing there. Taro wore a wide grin, as if he had just heard some exciting news.
Gojin's grin widened. "It's time! This is a dream come true. I'm finally leaving this prison—though to who knows where. Like I care, as long as I escape this place!" he thought.
"Exciting news: the clan head has decided for you to stay since you'll be safer with us, and also—"
Taro's voice began to fade away from Gojin's ear, everything went silent. Gojin's grin vanished, replaced by a sad expression.
"What's this? I don't need protection! I'm strong enough to take down a whole city at this rate. I've learned two new techniques in two years—slow, but it's an improvement. Ugh, who am I kidding? This is hell," he thought bitterly.
Taro laughed at the sadness in Gojin's eyes.
"Don't worry! You'll be training with me for the next two years until you start at the academy."
Satoshi added, "So you better focus on improving your martial arts skills and learning new techniques. Only then will you be able to escape this so-called prison."
Gojin's spirits lifted at Satoshi's words.
"Consider that done, old man," he replied, shutting the door and heading to gather his training gear. He was eager to start right away.
"Did that brat just call me old? Am I really getting old, Taro?" Satoshi asked as they walked away from the door.
Taro chuckled, replying, "No," though it was an obvious lie; Satoshi was already well past middle age, with wrinkles across his face.
______
Gojin tightened his fists, opening the system tab to check his techniques.
[Techniques: (Ki Tapping) (Barrier) (Backfire - Uke no Hōkai)]
"At least these two new techniques are powerful. The Barrier protects me from attacks, making me practically unkillable, while Uke no Hōkai bounces the attack back to the opponent. Not much different from the formal technique, though," he mused.
Grabbing a wooden sword from his bedside, he headed outside toward the training hall, expecting Taro to already be there.
He approached the hall, instantly badging in. He saw Taro standing on one side of the hall, who turned to look at Gojin and smiled.
"Shall we commence the training? First, once you defeat all the dolls, I will be setting them at level 4 since I'm sure you can handle them."
Gojin nodded with a mischievous grin while Taro went to activate three training dolls. Well, the dolls were still taller than him.
Taro then proceeded to take a seat as he switched on a timer to track the time Gojin would spend before defeating the dolls. He was confident that Gojin would take them down.
He had also changed Gojin's blindfold to a white one, so it would be more stylish on him.
**
Unmentioned: Each time they wanted to change his blindfold, they took him to an underground cell. Supposedly, it could absorb the effects of his gaze, keeping it only within the room but causing a lot of destruction inside.
Although he was the only one who could change his blindfold, no one else could get close to him once it was off his eyes.
Apart from the gaze meeting a person, it could also cause mass destruction if not covered back instantly. The destruction could take down the whole palace and even spread wider.
**
The three dolls dashed toward him, moving at the speed of a wild boar. He stood calmly with a menacing grin, and Taro was quite surprised by his calmness.
"How strong can he grow?" he wondered, he could see Gojin's aura was far more powerful than a senior exorcist if not more powerful than him.
Gojin crossed his fingers the moment they got closer, and as they were about to hit him, their fists halted four meters away, landing on an invisible barrier that seemed to slow down their attacks.
Gojin grinned and flicked his fingers again, not even bothering to use the wooden sword anymore. The expected attack bounced back to the dolls, causing a dent in them.
Taro's eyes widened in shock. "I've never seen such a technique."
Gojin walked closer to the three dolls as they staggered backward, a force began pushing them backward while he continued grinning and walking forward.
They ended up getting pushed to the wall, and slowly, their metallic bodies began to crack open, tearing them apart until they eventually exploded.
Surprisingly, the little flames and metal parts didn't touch him; the barrier also halted it. He turned to Taro with a grin.
"How was that for a start?"
Taro could hardly contain his excitement.
"Incredible! You've mastered the technique far beyond what I expected. If you keep this up, you'll be ready for the academy in no time!"
"Now, let's see how quickly you can take down the next set of dolls," Taro said, resetting the timer and activating three more dolls, this time at level 5.