The Absolute Speed of a Certain Comic'

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Through the care of his master and Senior Sister, Ryoji managed to survive his fragile childhood and finally live like a normal person.

Not only that, but he was fortunate enough to awaken the ability of "Absolute Divine Speed". Although his magic power was at the lowest F rank, he still had the potential to become a powerful Blazer.

Luck and misfortune seemed to be the two extremes that defined Ryoji's early life.

Sometimes, he found it confusing. According to his memory, the character template he had created only had ''1 point in Luck'', which theoretically meant that he should have been plagued by misfortune all his life.

Yet, for some reason, he seemed to be inexplicably favored by the ''Goddess of Luck.'' From miraculously surviving his fragile childhood to awakening such a rare Blazer ability, he seemed to be far luckier than the average person. 

Most people with a body as fragile as his wouldn't have even survived, let alone awakened a special ability.

This extreme combination of bad luck and good fortune sometimes made Ryoji wonder if he was really inhabiting the character template he had created.

No, he probably did.

The proof lay in another feature of the template: ''Innate Skills.'' These could be loosely described as natural talents, though they were more akin to the ''profession systems'' found in online games.

Unlike the basic attributes, each of which required at least "1 point" to sustain life, the talents under Innate Skills could be freely distributed.

Thanks to the random animation quality of the game's design, the entire system was extremely crude. It took Ryoji over ten minutes to understand even a fraction of it.

Out of sheer frustration, he spent all of his ''254 talent points'' on the first icon - a sword. It was one of the few symbols he actually understood.

He didn't know if the number "254" was meant as some kind of mockery, but he doubted it was directed at him. Regardless, the distribution deeply shaped his reincarnated life.

Qualities essential to becoming the ultimate swordsman- ''a calm mind like a clear mirror, exceptional body control, keen insight, sharp intuition, rapid learning, and unparalleled reasoning ability'' -all manifested in him after his reincarnation.

For example, during his match with Shinguuji Kurono, a deep breath was enough to calm his nerves. His precise control of his attack area made even the ''former third-ranked Blazer in the world'' hesitate to approach him, likening him to an impregnable hedgehog. 

His acute instincts allowed him to perfectly time his ''Lightning Flint'' strike.

His extraordinary physical control even allowed him to regulate his breathing and lower his heart rate, reducing unnecessary energy expenditure and extending his stamina.

''Was it strong?

Absolutely.

But it came at the expense of every other innate ability he might have had.

Ryoji speculated that the total of ''254 points'' represented the numerical sum of all his natural talents that had been given to him to use as he pleased.

So if he didn't believe that the crude web game was the culprit behind his transition, he would be lying to himself.

This so-called system of ''Innate Skills'' was essentially a form of ''profession planning,'' binding him to the path of a swordsman. The only drawback was that it limited him to that field, making it impossible for him to branch out into other disciplines. Fortunately, this didn't affect his daily life.

For example, he didn't become unable to walk because he didn't put any points on the "foot" icon, nor did he lose his ability to speak because he ignored the "mouth" icon.

All in all, it wasn't a bad thing. His natural talents had been unremarkable in his previous life. Instead, the extreme specialization brought about by this assignment had given him an extraordinary aptitude in a specific field.

As for why he excelled at wielding a ''katana'' when all his points were invested in ''sword'', he could only attribute it to the Japanese tendency to blur the distinction between swords and blades. Or maybe what he had mastered was the very ''concept of swordsmanship''.

Oh, speaking of coincidences...

Ryoji was his name in his previous life. However, after his rebirth, his master inexplicably gave him the same name. No matter how he tried to make sense of it, there was no plausible explanation.

In the end, he stopped thinking about it. Since there was no way to return to the past, he decided to concentrate on enjoying his present life.

While the first half of his life had been filled with difficulties, the second half was just beginning.

---

The next morning...

"Junior Brother, come in," A familiar voice called out.

In Front of Room 505, Seventh Student Dormitory

Toudou Touka rolled her suitcase into the room and gestured to Ryoji who followed behind her.

After finishing breakfast in the cafeteria, she had brought him to the dormitory.

Ryoji stepped inside with a subtle expression and was immediately greeted by a faint, delicate scent that lingered in the air.

Although the Hagun Academy covered an area of nearly fifty hectares, the total number of students in all three grades, along with the teaching staff, was less than a thousand. This allowed each student to enjoy ample space and freedom in their living quarters.

Of course, the dormitories were also spacious. Beyond the entrance hall was a small kitchenette that led to a large living room with a sofa and television in the middle. In the corner of the room were a pair of bunk beds, and at the far end were a bathroom and shower. 

Altogether, the space exceeded 70 square meters, with exceptional efficiency in its layout.

Perhaps because it had once been a girls' dormitory, the room still retained a mixture of subtle, pleasant scents.

"This used to be my dorm room, shared with another roommate," Touka explained as she opened Ryoji's suitcase and began unpacking his clothes, hanging them neatly in the closet. "After I explained the situation to the Director, she agreed right away."

To be honest, Touka was deeply concerned about her junior brother's health. Considering his frail constitution, she couldn't allow him to neglect his well-being, so she had asked the director for a change of room.

Apparently moved by Ryoji's performance, ''Shinguuji Kurono'' had uncharacteristically granted the request without much fuss.

And so Ryoji finally moved into Touka's dorm room.

"What happened to your original roommate, Senior Sister?"

"Kanata is very understanding. After I explained the situation, she willingly moved to another room."

"Kanata, huh. 

Ryoji vaguely remembered that the original story mentioned someone named Kanata in the student council. She was supposed to be Touka's close friend. Other than that, his memory was blank.

"Junior brother, why do you have so little luggage?"

Touka gave his suitcase a few shakes and was surprised to find that it contained nothing but a few items of clothing. Her expression was filled with question marks.

"Oh, I got kicked out by my master. I didn't have time to pack much and he didn't even give me a single yen."

Ryoji chuckled, although the curve of his lips contained no humor.

"Ahaha... well, you know how Master is. Just bear with it," Touka said awkwardly and forced a dry laugh.

Both of them were disciples of the ''God of War'', and they were all too familiar with the old man's eccentric personality. To put it mildly, he was carefree. To put it bluntly, he was completely unpredictable.

"Wait a minute," Touka said suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "If you had no money, how did you get on the plane?"

"Huh? Uh... Someone kind-heartedly helped me out," Ryoji stammered before quickly pulling himself together. "Yeah, that's it."

"Really?" Touka looked at him suspiciously, her skepticism was obvious.

"Of course it's true. Anyway, Senior Sister," Ryoji began, eager to change the subject. "Do you happen to have any money with you?"

"Well, I have some pocket money. The school provides regular stipends, and aside from donating to the orphanage, I've managed to save up a fair amount."

Touka turned around and took a pink handbag out of the closet. From it, she pulled out a thick bundle of cash and handed it to Ryoji.

"Here."

"This much?" Ryoji's eyes widened as he counted the bills. It was at least 100,000 yen.

"Consider it a loan."

"Don't worry about it," Touka said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'm not buying much anyway. Just use it. You don't have to pay me back."

She smiled warmly, her expression filled with kindness.

'Ah... This woman is a goddess - no, a rich benefactor! Please take care of me!' 

Ryoji was deeply moved.

What Touka didn't know was that Ryoji, whose talent for earning money was ''nonexistent'', had the habit of always spending and never saving. During the time when he was bedridden, he had tried to return to writing novels, but his work flopped so hard it became unrecognizable even to himself. As a result, he had lived his life constantly short of money.

Oh, wait. He didn't have parents to worry about disappointing. Never mind.

'(End of Chapter)'