The jars themselves might've looked plain—but with over two hundred of them and all that they represented, the sight was overwhelming.
Sasuke's breathing grew heavier.
Yet he didn't open one right away.
He kept staring at Takuya.
"What about the Level-2 jars? You said everything in a Level-1 jar also appears in Level-2 jars—but stronger and more abundant, right?" Sasuke's voice was a little rushed.
"That's right."
Takuya smiled at the eager look on his face and gave another casual wave.
This time—three hundred eighty larger Level-2 jars appeared before them.
Sasuke couldn't hold back anymore.
He reached out to open one, but just before touching it, his hand slowed. His heart was thudding like crazy.
What would come out?
He'd already gotten a taste of the jars' wonder with the food ones earlier, but after those visions Takuya had shown him—he realized just how little he really understood. He had no idea what might come out of these swordsmanship jars.
Tension and anticipation mixed in his chest.
Finally, he opened the first one.
Inside—was a glowing orb.
"Looks like your luck's pretty good." Takuya's voice came at just the right moment.
And he meant it. He'd stuffed a lot of things into these jars, and Sasuke hit a solid item on the first try.
"Is it an experience aura?"
Sasuke recalled the food series' training orbs and got a bit excited.
Just using them was like going through months of training.
Real power boosts, for sure.
If you got enough of those—even someone average could become strong fast.
"Nope, not an experience aura." Takuya chuckled and shook his head. "This one's a transmission aura—it contains a refined sword technique. Once you absorb it, you'll learn the moves automatically. But to actually use them well, or master them—you'll still need practice."
Not bad at all.
Sasuke didn't hesitate. He already knew how to use it.
The instant he touched it—
The glow surged into his body, and in his mind, he saw a long-bearded man in strange clothes dancing atop a mountain peak with a twin-edged sword.
Each movement—strong like a pine tree, swift like the wind.
The elegant forms hid lethal precision.
Its name: The First Four Forms of the Pine-Wind Sword Art.
A specialty of the Qingcheng Sect.
Yep, straight out of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It wasn't a high-powered world, and the sect wasn't that famous, but the technique itself was intricately designed. Just these four out of twelve forms were worth 6,700 transaction points.
Sasuke's expression said it all.
A mix of awe and obsession.
"I never imagined sword techniques could be so profound..." he muttered, clenching his fists like someone who just discovered a new world.
Sure, the ninja world had sword users—swords were common ninja tools.
But here?
Swordsmanship focused more on fast, efficient killing.
Most powerful sword users learned through experience—not through generations of refined instruction passed down and improved.
This was new.
And it worked.
Sasuke looked at his hands, thrilled. Just one jar in, and he already felt himself getting stronger.
"There's another bonus to these kinds of techniques," Takuya added, seeing Sasuke's excitement. "If you get a repeat, it's not wasted. Going through the same transmission again deepens your understanding and helps raise your mastery."
He said this for a reason.
Because—yes, there were duplicates.
Two copies of the first four forms, three of the middle four, and yes, he'd even thrown in the last four to complete the set. Plus, the jackpot item.
That one? Takuya placed it as the big prize.
"Keep going."
Sasuke, now fired up, immediately opened a second jar.
…It had 100,000 ryo in cash.
Sasuke's expression froze. He looked at Takuya, clearly hoping for an explanation that made this stack of bills seem more interesting.
"Haha." Takuya couldn't help but laugh. "You'll always get a few of these. But don't worry—this is about as bad as it gets."
Truth.
He only tossed in a few low-value duds for realism. Didn't expect one to show up so fast.
Sasuke: (′д｀)…彡…彡
Still, he didn't toss the cash. Carefully set it aside.
After all… you could still buy more jars with it.
Third jar. Fourth. Fifth...
One after another.
Each one revealed something different and fantastic.
Takuya had packed the sword series jars with everything sword-related: training auras, technique auras, physical enhancement abilities, rare forging materials, fine swords, training guides, and battle footage of swordmasters.
Sasuke's excitement kept growing.
Even the usual gloom he wore seemed to fade.
This rapid progression—this thrill of getting stronger—
It was addictive!
He was riding a high the entire time, growing more and more obsessed.
Especially when—on the 122nd jar—
He pulled out battle footage of Ximen Chuixue.
And not the watered-down version either—the high-powered one.
Even if he didn't fully grasp the swordplay, the cold, sword-obsessed, lightning-fast killer aura—
Had him trembling with excitement and admiration.
"The Emotionless Sword God… Ximen Chuixue."
Sasuke whispered the name to himself, then mimicked his sword stance.
"No one sees my sword—because the ones who do… are already dead." he said coldly, perfectly playing the part.
Takuya watched him.
Barely held in a laugh.
He almost forgot—Sasuke was at peak chunibyo age. Falling for a brooding sword god like Ximen Chuixue? Totally expected.
Honestly, Takuya used to love that guy too.
"Ximen Chuixue, huh…"
He let out a nostalgic sigh.
"You… you know him?" Sasuke's eyes went wide. He looked up at Takuya with awe, unconsciously even using an honorific.
Totally like a fangirl hearing gossip about her idol.
"Sort of," Takuya smiled. "He looks cold and aloof, but he's got friends, a wife, a kid. Surprisingly tsundere—uh, I mean, a good guy."
"No way—!" Sasuke practically shouted.
He clearly didn't want to believe it. To him, this was someone who poured everything into the sword. A man chasing strength and nothing else.