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 20

2-5. Blindfold Training Part 2

Yesterday, Uchikage-Ojichan really didn’t take off the blindfold all day.

Thanks to that, everything from meals to getting to bed was incredibly difficult… or rather, I only have memories of how challenging it was.

By the way, Mom laughed at me a lot.

Grrr.

So, I find myself thrown into a place farther from yesterday.

Uchikage-Ojichan already went home, he’s fast.

But today is from the morning, so there’s quite a bit of time.

Morning…?

“Ahh!! What about lunch?!”

I overlooked it!

Could it be that I have to somehow manage locally…?

Isn’t that a bit too harsh!?

Ugh, I’m already tired of this training!

Or rather, since I was brought here by Uchikage-Ojichan today, I already have no idea which direction Oni Castle is.

Although the current location is a little farther from yesterday’s place, it should be a place I’ve been to before.

It would be nice if there were some clues…

“Good morning!”

“Whooa! Ah, Amariaz, you really came.”

“Well, of course! The training starts today, you know!”

Walking towards me with a cheerful voice.

I’m anxious about whether he’s really doing a good training method, but having someone around is more reassuring than being alone all day.

I have to be grateful for that, at least.

Oh, but first, I should ask about something that bothered me yesterday.

“Hey, Amariaz, how come Uchikage-Ojichan didn’t notice you?”

“Hmm? Oh, that. I have a technique called ‘Wood Mimicry.’ It allows me to blend into the trees and completely cut off my presence. There’s a downside that I can’t move from that spot, though.”

I- I see…

Even so, I think it’s pretty amazing that Uchikage-Ojichan didn’t notice him…

I’ve never approached Uchikage-Ojichan without him noticing.

Well, let’s forget about that.

Then, let me ask one more thing.

“Which way is Oni Castle?”

“No, I can’t tell you that. It wouldn’t make sense if you don’t find your own way back.”

R-right… I guess that makes sense…

He really didn’t tell me this much, huh…

Then, I probably won’t be able to finish this training until I can do that…

It seems like it’s going to take a while.

Alright, let’s get the training started!

I haven’t asked what we’re going to do yet, though.

“So, what kind of training are we doing?”

“Well, first…”

At that moment, goosebumps covered my whole body.

I felt an intense chill from one direction and instinctively took the stance of the Oni Dance, Barehand. In the five and a half years of training, I had mostly mastered the Oni Dance, Barehand, directly taught by Uchikage-Ojichan.

There are still many things lacking in power and accuracy, but I remember the general techniques and movements.

But I can’t see in front of me.

Even if I try to feel the presence, I don’t know what that presence is, so I’m just standing there.

When I frowned at the helpless situation, I realized something.

“…Huh? The presence… is this?”

“This is not it. This is killing intent. It’s the strong presence intentionally emitted by the opponent. Oh, is this also a presence? Well, it’s something similar.”

“Is this what you call a presence?”

“That’s right. Everything is an experience. But it’s surprising. You can already sense killing intent!”

Amariaz clapped his hands.

Although the strong killing intent has now disappeared, I can faintly sense that Amariaz is there.

My body is scared.

My brain is telling me that there is a dangerous presence in this place.

Perhaps, this is the real presence.

Finally, I feel like I’ve taken a step forward, and it’s a bit exciting.

Alright… the day when I can remove this blindfold might come soon!

“I, I kind of get it!”

“Good, good! Now that you somewhat understand the presence, I’ll move. I’ll change from a faint killing intent to a strong one from a different direction, so try to sense it. Once you know the location, point your finger! If you can sense the faint killing intent, the training here is done! Now, let’s do it!”

Amariaz’s presence disappeared from that spot.

Is this what it means for the presence to disappear?

There are many things to notice, and this kind of training is starting to feel fun.

Now, where will it come from next? While thinking about it, I immediately sensed a presence from right behind me.

I turned around and pointed my finger.

Then, the sound of applause reached my ears.

“Nice! You accurately assigned the location! But that was a pretty strong killing intent, so you’re still slow! Find it five seconds earlier next time!”

“Got it!”

Amariaz’s voice and presence disappeared again.

…Well, how does he move that fast at that distance?

Is he really younger than me…?

Then, I sensed a presence.

I quickly pointed my finger, and I heard applause again.

It seems like I got the location right, but I’m still slow at noticing.

I need to be more vigilant if I want to get better at this…

Alright, focus!