Kenzo stared at the system panel, frowning. Arm wrestling wasn't enough. Repeatedly beating the same person didn't work either. He needed fresh targets to unlock new entries. The system was clear about one thing—entries only came from real battles against opponents with strength or significance.
"Time to visit a kendo dojo."
He left the academy and tracked down a local kendo hall. It didn't take long before he was standing inside, facing off against its students. With a casual flick of his card, he activated his money ability, dropping two million yen for access to sparring.
And then he wrecked them.
Every student who stepped into the ring fell before his blade. Precision, force, footwork—he pushed each challenger into the ground. It wasn't long before even the instructors joined in, only to meet the same fate. Eventually, the dojo master himself stepped forward, brows furrowed in disbelief.
Kenzo knocked him flat in two moves.
[You have obtained the White Entry: Don't Bully the Poor Middle-Aged.]
[Don't Bully the Poor Middle-Aged (White): Increases sword training efficiency by 10%.]
Kenzo exhaled and flexed his fingers. "So it's like that… Only plot-relevant characters or powerful fighters trigger powerful entries."
He was beginning to understand the rules.
By the time he left the dojo, the sky had shifted into deep dusk. With the last traces of daylight fading behind the buildings, Kenzo turned toward home. No detours. Just him and his steady stride.
But as he passed a quiet intersection, a middle-aged man offered him a flyer.
"Make your wish come true!" was printed in bold across the paper, centered around an ornate summoning circle.
Kenzo stared at it for a moment, then folded it neatly and slipped it into his bag.
At home, he got to work.
First came the physical conditioning. A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, then a ten-kilometer run. That was one round. After a ten-minute break, he started again.
By the fifth set, his body was screaming. Every muscle quivered with fatigue. His shirt clung to him, soaked through, and sweat pooled beneath him like rain.
But Kenzo didn't stop.
Pain was just a checkpoint. With the Healing Bracelet artifact, he could recover in seconds. He lay flat, gasping, until he had the strength to sit up again.
Then he took his sword.
Steel hummed in the air as he transitioned to sword drills. The blade cut clean lines through the space around him, each motion faster, sharper, more refined.
...
Elsewhere, within the old building of Kuoh Academy, Yuto Kiba stepped into the Occult Research Club room.
"I'm back."
A calm, refined voice echoed into a room filled with magical sigils and antique books. Rias Gremory sat in her high-backed chair, sipping tea, her crimson hair draped over one shoulder.
"You're later than expected."
"Nothing unexpected," Kiba replied, setting his sword by the wall. "I arranged a duel with a classmate at the kendo dojo…"
Rias's gaze sharpened.
She had received a request from Natsuki Minamiya that morning—to keep an eye on Kanzaki Kenzo.
As one of the area's ruling figures, Rias had known about the cursed spirit attack. She had even taken responsibility by providing Kenzo fifty million yen through magical insurance. Ever since, she'd been monitoring his progress from the shadows.
And what she saw was relentless intensity.
Kenzo had purchased mountains of training equipment, spent every spare second training or studying combat. After today's dojo incident, she realized Minamiya had been right—he wasn't just recovering.
He was changing.
"He's chasing strength like a man possessed," Rias muttered. "If this continues, it could backfire."
Akeno Himejima entered with her usual serene smile.
"So what now? Planning to confess everything to him?"
"I am," Rias nodded. "Honesty might be the only way to reach him."
Before another word could be said, a summoning circle on the floor began to glow. Runes lit up in sequence, casting shifting shadows along the walls.
"It's time."
In the corner, a silver-haired girl—Koneko Toujou—put down her controller and stepped forward.
"Summoning request received."
Though young and petite, Koneko was a seasoned devil. Like all devils, she handled summoning contracts: appear, grant a wish, receive payment. It was her job.
"Another client today?"
She placed her hand on the magic circle, injecting it with demonic energy. The scenery around her warped in an instant, and in the next heartbeat, she appeared in the middle of a room lined with training equipment.
"Greetings. I am the devil you've summoned. What is your—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Standing across from her was a familiar figure. A boy drenched in sweat, eyes alert, stance ready.
"…Are you Kanzaki-senpai?"
"I am," Kenzo said, holding out a tray of snacks. "Want one?"
"Thanks for the treat."
Koneko placed the empty plate on a table, her expression unusually content. "Where did you get this dessert?"
"Two blocks from the academy. Akane Kubo's shop. The manager's a Totsuki alum. I can grab another next time."
"That's kind of you, but unnecessary," she said softly. "As a devil, I can't accept gifts unrelated to contracts."
Kenzo raised a brow. "I'm not giving it to a devil. I'm giving it to a kouhai. That doesn't break any rules, right?"
Koneko blinked.
He wasn't what she'd expected. Rumors said he'd gone cold, obsessed with strength after the curse attack. Violent. Distant.
But now…
"You're different from what the president described," she admitted.
"How so?"
"…Nicer."
Kenzo shrugged. "I don't think I've changed."
He used to be a model student. Polite, quiet, disciplined. No fights, no drama. Member of the Homecoming Club, even.
But the rumors said otherwise. Why?
"I didn't mean it in a bad way, senpai. Please don't misunderstand."
Koneko hesitated, then added, "I heard it from the president. She said you've been training obsessively since the attack. Like you've gone extreme."
"I have," Kenzo said plainly.
"…What?"
He lifted the summoning flyer and waved it.
"Guess why I summoned you?"
"To fight?"
"Bingo."
He stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Let's spar. I need someone to push me."
Koneko nodded without hesitation. Despite her size, she was more than strong enough to spar with someone like him. A devil's strength could shatter walls.
She moved a table aside, clearing a space in the room.
"I'm ready."
"If you're sure, then let's begin."
Kenzo closed the gap in a flash, appearing in front of her before she even registered the movement.
"So fast!"
She instinctively raised her arms and blocked his strike. The blow rattled her frame, and a follow-up barrage followed like a storm. Fist after fist clashed against her guard.
Her plan to guide him… faltered.
There was nothing to correct.
His form was perfect. A blend of judo, muay thai, taekwondo, and street brawling—all merged with custom efficiency.
She didn't need to teach him. She could learn from him.
"Spacing out in battle isn't wise."
Kenzo's voice pulled her back.
Then the doubled strength kicked in.
His punch slammed into her palms with twice the force. She staggered, struggling to recover.
"Not good."
She tried to leap back and regain distance.
Too late.
Kenzo's foot shattered the floor beneath him as he launched forward. His hand shot out, grabbed her by the collar, and slammed her into the wall.
Boom.
The impact shook the room.
Air rushed from her lungs as she gasped for breath. Reacting on instinct, she raised her fists and counterattacked.
##
Lol, I genuinely forgot I'm translating other fanfics too😂 but at last, here I am— with another new chapter!
Also, support & Read Advance Chapters On patreon.com/Zexxxxy