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Dragon scales.

A height of 2 meters and 50 centimeters.

With those two characteristics, Jinseong realized that Kazuo, the warrior she mentioned, was a martial artist who had undergone a transformation.

The phenomenon of transformation that occurs when a warrior sheds their human form and takes a step further inevitably comes with physical changes.

And that physical transformation is realized in a way that compensates for weaknesses and emphasizes strengths.

In other words, it’s a radical evolution, a change in body to suit the martial arts being practiced.

The skeleton changes.

The skin sheds.

The genes mutate.

As the meaning of transformation implies changing bones and form, the body literally undergoes a change.

“Then the Shiheng Style is a lethal martial art as well.”

Jinseong could guess the martial arts used by the warrior just by observing Kazuo’s appearance.

Transformation and martial arts were certainly related.

In the case of warriors who use powerful martial arts, transformation is carried out in a way that lightens the body and allows for quick movement, while for those using illusion arts, their arms might elongate or cause optical illusions.

And if his height is 2 meters and 50 centimeters…

“Those who practice powerful and majestic martial arts tend to grow to a gigantic size. But even considering that, 2 meters and 50 centimeters is truly extraordinary height. At this point, one could argue that it’s not just a powerful strike contained within the martial art, but rather, the powerful strike itself is the very shape of the martial art.”

The size of the body has a significant impact on martial arts.

It’s something that might be obvious.

Since there are many types of martial arts.

Martial arts focused on evasion.

Martial arts that deceive the human eye.

Martial arts that sneak in for surprise attacks.

Martial arts that wield gigantic weapons to crush opponents.

Martial arts that steadfastly bear giant shields larger than the body.

Martial arts that throw pebbles while running away, and so on.

The kinds of martial arts are staggeringly numerous, and naturally, the physical conditions suited for each are diverse.

Just like how the Viet Cong who fought against the American military thrived with smaller bodies, while knights who fought on the battlefield needed larger and more muscular builds.

“And dragon scales, too.”

In that sense, the result of transformation, with a height of 2 meters and 50 centimeters and dragon scales, was profoundly significant.

An intimidatingly huge body that seems to unleash a powerful attack that cannot be resisted, and the dragon scales that suggest all one has to do is endure until a single strike lands.

“Is there any video?”

“Yes.”

Rise skillfully operated her smartphone to search the internet in response to Jinseong’s question.

She found a few videos and handed them to Jinseong.

“Hmm.”

Jinseong clicked on a video labeled ‘Japanese Martial Arts Tournament,’ and after a bit of buffering, it began to play.

『 Kyaaaaaaaaaa! 』

The first thing heard was a scream resembling that of a pig being slaughtered.

Jinseong frowned slightly at the overwhelming volume and hurriedly lowered the sound.

『 Kya! Kyaap Kyaa! Kyaaaaaaa! 』

With the sound reduced, it became somewhat bearable.

However, the horrifying noise produced by the warrior in the video showed no signs of stopping.

Every time the warrior swung his sword, he rolled his eyes back while emitting grotesque screams.

『 Kyaah! 』

The warrior swung his wooden sword down from overhead as if caught in a rampage magic, eyes rolled back in frenzy, charging forward, seemingly without a thought of defense and just continually banging the opposing wooden sword being offered to block.

“It is indeed a martial arts tournament…?”

Jinseong tilted his head as he observed the warrior.

“From what I see, it doesn’t seem to be influenced by any rampage magic or mind-altering spells…”

He cocked his head while observing the warrior swinging the wooden sword as if intending to split a person in two. He then glanced at Rise.

“Can one use drugs in Japan’s martial arts tournaments nowadays?”

“Pfft.”

Rise burst out laughing as if she found Jinseong’s question amusing.

“Ahaha. It’s not like that.”

She slyly covered her mouth with her sleeve while laughing, explaining to Jinseong.

“That’s the essence and conclusion of Shiheng Style.”

“Hmm.”

Jinseong tilted his head again and switched off the video to look for another one.

This time, what he played was a promotional video filmed and uploaded by Shiheng Style.

『 Kyaaaaaaaa! 』

Just like before, the moment the video played, an odd battle cry resonated, revealing a warrior striking a pose with a real sword.

In front of the warrior stood a massive hunk of iron, not just a regular hunk of iron, but a giant steel sphere used when connecting to a crane for demolition.

And it was a giant steel sphere that significantly exceeded a person’s height.

『 Kya—aaah—! 』

The warrior unleashed a high-pitched scream as if tearing his throat, channeling qi into his katana, and dashed forward, bringing all his might down upon the iron sphere. The strike was so fast that even with enhanced vision, Jinseong found it hard to follow.

Crunch!

The katana embedded itself a third of the way into the steel sphere.

『 Kyaaaa! Kya! Kyaahhh! 』

The warrior, unsatisfied with cutting just a third, swiftly withdrew his katana and continued to strike the same spot. With precision, he slashed through the iron sphere again, and soon, that massive sphere that was larger than a person was split cleanly in two.

And from there, the following video began.

Countless trainees swung wooden swords while shouting at the training dummy made with logs and ropes, someone splitting wood effortlessly from a seated position with a single wooden sword, and a grand master dressed in armor that looked as if it belonged to the Warring States era splitting a dummy perfectly in two with a katana.

And finally, at the end of the video appeared the person Jinseong had been curious about.

Kazuo.

Kazuo of the “Dragon Slayer” title.

“Hmm. Definitely a transformed warrior,”

Jinseong said as his eyes sparkled while watching Kazuo in the video.

Kazuo had a gigantic height reminiscent of a basketball player, and his excessive muscle mass made him seem pudgy at first glance.

To enhance the visual appeal of the video, his upper body was bare, yet instead of skin, his torso bore a thick covering of fish scales.

The fish scales shimmered in the light of the video, making it look as if he donned armors made of dragon scales.

He stood by what appeared to be a dock, in front of him was a dilapidated warship.

『 Hrrrrraah! 』

In the video, Kazuo screamed a battle cry. Instantly, his already bulging muscles began to swell more, with tendons visibly thickening throughout.

He hoisted a sword embedded into the ground with those bulging muscles.

Kazuo lifted a sword that was likely twice his height, and like the warriors before him, he roared as he swung the sword from above to below.

『 Kyaaa—! 』

As Kazuo’s sword moved with lethal intent, a brief flash of light lingered in the air before vanishing.

Like the trail a meteor creates when it falls.

And then…

Boom!

The warship in front of Kazuo split in half just like that.

“Hmm.”

That was the end of the video.

Jinseong nodded while muttering.

“Quite a powerful warrior.”

He stated calmly even after witnessing Kazuo’s display of strength, without a hint of surprise.

In fact, Rise seemed puzzled and asked.

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

Jinseong stroked his chin as he spoke.

“The strike itself is indeed quite powerful, but given that it stems from an extreme form of martial arts, it’s only natural it would have that level of power.”

He responded while scrolling down to check some info.

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“Let’s see. This Kazuo is classified among Japan’s top three warriors and has been active since the Sa tsuma Domain… the heir of Shiheng Style… age…49 this year. Hmm.”

Jinseong continued to scroll.

Considering the fondness of Japanese people for rankings, it was apparent they had made a ranking for warriors as well.

And whether by chance or fate, he managed to confirm the ranking.

“Let’s see. This Kazuo is… in second place.”

The ranking appeared to originate from a Japanese TV program, where Kazuo was listed as the second.

The reasons were detailed neatly on a handmade panel.

“Defense is overlooked.”

“Valiant, yet excessively extreme.”

“Due to handling extreme martial arts, vulnerable against highly flexible forms.”

“While it’s clear he possesses the spirit of a samurai, he still falls short of being the greatest warrior in Japan.”

“Additionally, he has yet to reach the realm of Sotarou, the ultimate warrior of Japan.”

A rather harsh evaluation.

Jinseong examined it thoroughly before handing the smartphone back to Rise.

Then, after pondering something, he asked Rise.

“Do you know when the exchange meeting is scheduled?”

 

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