Chapter Eighteen: Ki Technique, Proficient Level!

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Pressing down on the doll that was stumbling toward the door, Satoshi Uesugi shook his head at it.
“I’ll do it.”
He mouthed the words silently, took a deep breath, then placed the doll in the corner of the wooden table, next to the untouched pile of homework.
“Dad? Are you knocking at this hour to ask me to make a midnight snack?”
Muttering with mild annoyance, Satoshi nonchalantly reached out and opened the door.
Outside stood a middle-aged man with no face.
He simply faced Satoshi silently, expressionless.
A silent pressure swept over Satoshi’s entire body; just as his face began to twitch instinctively, he immediately calmed himself to a state of serene composure.
“What’s this? Only you get to watch the game, but I’m not allowed to stay up late to watch it?” Satoshi pulled out his phone, flashing the glowing game screen proudly. “E-sports is still a competition!”
With that, Satoshi calmly walked past the man, heading to the bathroom. While running water, he said,
“If you want a snack, just say so. I’ll warm up the bento in the fridge. Otherwise, I’ll eat it all myself.”
Shaking off the tension, he washed his hands under the man’s gaze, then retrieved the bento from the fridge. He heated it up and ate while scrolling on his phone, occasionally chuckling softly.
Not once did he reveal the slightest hint of abnormality.
Finally, just as Satoshi was about to lick the last remnants of the oversized curry beef bento from the plastic container, the faceless man, who had been pressing his face close to Satoshi’s cheek in scrutiny, slowly stepped away.
He returned to the sofa in front of the TV that perpetually replayed the same game, and sat down.
Satoshi appeared completely unaware, still focused on his meal.
Only when he finished the bento did he toss the container into the trash bag with a victorious flourish.
Before returning to his room, Satoshi even said to the faceless man on the sofa,
“Dad, I’m going to sleep. You should get some rest, too.”
Thud.
The moment the door closed behind him, Satoshi collapsed.
Like a drowning man pulled from the water, he gasped silently and deeply, his once dry back instantly soaked through with sweat.
Thank you, Ririko!
Leaning on the edge of the table, breathing heavily, Satoshi had never been more grateful to anyone than at this moment.
If not for maintaining the calm, still mind technique Ririko had taught him, he would have definitely broken out in sweat, trembled, or shown some flaw he hadn’t even noticed himself.
Otherwise, he would have been swallowed whole by the three-star-rated “Demon” dad!
Satoshi glanced at the doll that had come running to his side and thought maybe it wouldn’t be instantly destroyed—but it would definitely confront the three-star faceless dad head-on.
That would mean not only losing the doll, which Nanjo had given him as a deterrent against his father, but also losing a three-star safe haven!
Exactly, the reason Satoshi had dared to open the door earlier was to let the suspicious “dad” observe him and then be reassured.
Ruffling the doll’s small head, Satoshi hugged it and lay back on his bed, exhaling in relief.
—The plan worked!

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Satoshi’s reasoning was simple.
Dad wanted to make a move against him for reasons unknown but feared the doll, so he blurred his memories and waited for the right moment.
And since Dad “raised” him, he naturally wouldn’t let other demons run rampant.
In this way, Satoshi was essentially freeloading a bodyguard with three-star combat power!
“Thanks, then.”
He poked the doll’s drooping little face and put it back on the bedside, covering it with the blanket again.
“Three stars…”
He sighed, glancing at the progress bar on his phone’s game, which was barely halfway done.
A heavy road lay ahead.
With that thought, Satoshi unconsciously kept his breathing rhythm from the still mind technique as he drifted off to sleep.
[After practicing in your sleep, your proficiency in the Fragmented Still Mind Technique has increased by 7!]
……
The next day.
Walking to school, Satoshi wore a look of wonder.
He hadn’t expected his proficiency in the Still Mind Technique to improve even while sleeping.
Even if not as much as from regular practice, it was still a major discovery!
Moreover…
Staring at the label before him — Fragmented Still Mind Technique (87/100) — he resolved to max out the remaining proficiency during morning classes and break through before lunch!
With the help of the still mind, the teacher’s lecture and the noisy chatter of classmates drifted past his ears like a gentle breeze.
When Satoshi reconnected with the world, he found the classroom empty.
“Did everyone go to gym class already?”
He smiled knowingly, unconcerned.
Because after nearly a morning of focused effort, the Still Mind Technique had successfully broken through.
[Your proficiency in Fragmented Still Mind Technique has increased by 13!]
[Your Fragmented Still Mind Technique has advanced to Proficient level!]
[Fragmented Still Mind Technique (Proficient 0/300)]
[Effect: Gathers the body’s qi into one point, with obvious effects.]
[Your physique +2!]
At the moment of breakthrough, Satoshi felt a comforting warmth wash over his entire body, as if soaked in hot water.
After the sensation faded, he could feel his body was far stronger than before, and the “qi” within him had thickened more than twofold.
“I’m evolving. Getting stronger.”
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Satoshi whispered softly, clearly sensing the transformation from frail weakness to this powerful form.
The sensation was simply exquisite.
Opening his status panel again, the numbers had changed to—
[Satoshi Uesugi]
[Physique: 6]
[Willpower: 8]
[Charm: 9]
[Spirit Arts: 1]
Aside from the Spirit Arts attribute still pitifully at “1,” both physique and willpower had significantly improved.
As for charm…
Satoshi didn’t see the use of that—could it really make demons willingly reveal their soul ashes?
Taking a deep breath, he summoned his inner qi and immediately saw his physique attribute rise by one more point.
“Not bad.”
Satoshi smiled like an old farmer.
One upgrade of the Still Mind Technique had granted him a full three points of physique increase under normal circumstances.
Though part of that was from a previous 0.5 physique reserve, it was still a very generous gain.
With half an hour left before class ended, Satoshi didn’t do anything unusual but quietly slipped onto the playground and blended into the crowd watching the basketball players.
With his low presence, no one noticed an extra person in the spectators.
Sunlight bathed the basketball court.
“Ando and the others play so cool!”
Hearing a girl’s cheer beside him, Satoshi nodded in agreement, “Yeah, they’re really good.”
Then he found a dark, secluded corner and resumed quietly practicing the Still Mind Technique.
Basketball? Cool?
What’s that? Can you eat it to increase physique? Or when demons come to attack, can you say, “Hey buddy, stop, I want to settle this with a one-on-one basketball match”?
Satoshi thought not.
So, while blending into the cheer squad, he continued his silent training.
“This afternoon, I’ll skip class with Ririko and train together.”
He thought to himself.