I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 13
Life suck sometimes, I know, no surprise.
1-13. Strength Confirmation
I stretched myself, feeling a pleasant breeze and the warm sunlight on my skin while doing some warm-up exercises.
This place was the First palace in the Oni castle, the central keep of the Oni castle. Uchikage-Ojichan and I stood in a spacious hall within the large building called Tenshukaku. The room had ample space, so even if demons went on a minor rampage, it wouldn’t cause any significant damage.
I followed Uchikage-Ojichan’s instructions and moved my body, but he was watching me intently. It seemed like he was trying to assess how far my body could stretch. After each movement, he nodded with satisfaction and then clapped his hands.
“Alright, let’s perform a little test.”
“A test?”
“We want to check just how tough you are, Yuuzen.”
Saying this, Uchikage-Ojichan extended his hand toward me. I tilted my head in confusion, but I took his hand, and he squeezed it firmly.
“How does that feel?”
“Huh? How does what feel?”
“…Alright then, how about this?”
“What do you mean?”
My hand was engulfed by Uchikage-Ojichan’s large hand, but I didn’t sense anything unusual. I only felt the warmth of his hand. I had no idea what he was doing.
Gradually, Uchikage-Ojichan increased the pressure of his grip. After each increase, he asked, “How’s that?” But I still felt nothing unusual. I couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to convey.
“Are you telling me there’s really no sensation?”
“Nope.”
In response to my answer, he furrowed his brow. His expression seemed to be a mix of surprise and curiosity, and it quickly transitioned to a curious look. It was as if he wanted to test how much I could endure.
Next, he slowly increased the pressure on my hand. We needed to determine how much pressure I could withstand without discomfort. If we could figure this out, it would open the door to more learning opportunities.
However, no matter how much force Uchikage-Ojichan applied, my expression remained unchanged. He was currently gripping my hand with all his might, and I could see the veins on his arm bulging, and his hand slightly trembling.
(Can he withstand my full strength…!)
I was genuinely surprised by this. Even as an Oni with extensive knowledge of their nature, Uchikage-Ojichan couldn’t surpass my level of toughness. He repeatedly squeezed my hand with all his might, but I remained unperturbed. Uchikage-Ojichan sincerely praised my incredible resilience.
Suddenly, he released my hand. Uchikage-Ojichan smiled briefly and crossed his arms.
“Did you really not feel anything?”
“No, I just felt the warmth of your hand, Uchikage-Ojichan.”
“Then, onto the next test.”
Uchikage-Ojichan tapped my shoulder lightly, and suddenly my foot sank into the ground.
“What the…?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
As I spoke, I pulled my foot out of the ground. There was a clear footprint left behind. Was that okay?
Uchikage-Ojichan didn’t seem too concerned.
“…That’s incredible.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just watch for a bit.”
Saying this, Uchikage-Ojichan picked up a nearby stone and showed it to me. Then, he gripped it tightly, making a crushing sound as the stone was reduced to sand, which quickly scattered and disappeared on the wind.
After brushing the sand off his hand, Uchikage-Ojichan showed it to me.
“I crushed that stone with less than half the strength I used to grip your hand earlier.”
“What?!?”
“Yuuzen, you may have higher defensive capabilities than you realize. You might already have developed some skills.”
While he had some vague memories, it had been four hundred years. He couldn’t recall all the details.
But then, an idea struck me.
“Can you check my status?”
“Hmm?”
“Or is that impossible?”
From his reaction, I could guess the answer. My status was already gone, but I thought maybe I could see it if I tried. However, it seemed that it wasn’t that simple. I really wished I could figure out what was happening.
It was time to get back to the main topic. This time, I had to learn to control my Explosive Fist. It was a challenging first step, but with my abilities, I should be able to manage it.
“So, Yuuzen, the Explosive Fist… do you know why it suddenly manifested?”
“Huh? Well…”
I thought back to the circumstances at the time. I remembered that a massive rush of river water was coming towards us, and I had swung my arm impulsively. And then…
“Oh, right, I remember now. Some water splashed onto my hand.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“Well, not really.”
“Alright, then, try to remember.”
Uchikage-Ojichan widened his stance, adopted a certain posture, and instructed me to imitate him. His toes pointed straight ahead, he placed his left fist on his hip, and extended his right hand, with the elbow slightly bent and fingers outstretched.
“This is the stance of the Oni Dance Barehanded. Try to copy it.”
“Like this?”
“That’s right. Lower your hips, and thrust out your left fist. Imagine the Explosive Fist.”
“On three… One, two, three!”
I made a quick motion as if I was punching, and everything in front of me turned completely white.