Dawn was gradually breaking; the pale blue sky was set with a few lingering stars, and the earth was hazy, as if shrouded in a light, silvery-grey veil.
The air was filled with the unique damp chill of early morning, this faint coolness making the already desolate time feel even more bleak.
“Creak...”
A slight, grating sound broke the silence.
This was a narrow alley, cluttered with miscellaneous items, the ground showing faint traces of sewage flow.
At the end of the alley, a dilapidated door quietly opened, and a hand, slightly calloused, reached out from within to grasp the edge of the wooden door.
“Whew...”
Lin Yu looked at the hazy street, taking a deep breath of the damp, cool air; his lingering sleepiness was immediately shaken off.
He closed the wooden door carefully and quickly walked out of the alley.
This was already the tenth year since Lin Yu inexplicably transmigrated to this world.
For unknown reasons, when he first arrived in this world, Lin Yu was only a four-year-old child.
No matter where, it was difficult for a child of that age, without support, to live a stable life, but when Lin Yu truly understood what kind of world this was...
Despair truly set in.
Koutetsujou of the Kabane.
This was a terrifying world filled with non-human, undead creatures.
Originating from the British Revolution period, the monsters known as Kabane, resurrected dead, had spread across the entire world at an extremely fast pace.
City after city fell, countless people struggling and dying amidst their wails.
All of this reality was a nightmare for Lin Yu, who had transmigrated from under the red flag, having been just an ordinary university student in his previous life.
If arriving in this world at the age of four was already a difficult start, then knowing that the city he was in was called Sugu Station made it a complete hellish beginning.
Lin Yu, who had watched this anime more than once, knew very well what kind of situation he was currently in.
In this country called Hinomoto, Sugu Station was the first stronghold to be destroyed at the beginning of the plot, the stronghold before the Sifangchuan family's Xianjin Station.
Facing the overwhelming Kabane, let alone a child who was only a teenager and could do nothing, even a well-trained samurai had slim chances of survival.
Fortunately, things did not develop according to Murphy's Law, not taking the worst turn.
Just as Lin Yu was looking around, lost and helpless, a kind-hearted couple took him in.
Besides Lin Yu, this couple also had their own children, a son named Ikoma and a daughter named Chu Ying.
Lin Yu, who was originally feeling anxious about his situation, felt his heart settle down when he saw Ikoma, who was even younger than him, because there was still buffering time before the plot began.
“Hiss... Hah!”
Deep, low shouts constantly echoed, adding a bit of vitality to the quiet morning.
Lin Yu tightly gripped a wooden nichirin blade in his hand, continuously swinging it in the air.
His posture for every movement was extremely standard; although he was still young, the muscles on his exposed arms were well-defined and powerful.
Drops of sweat ran down his forehead, and in a short while, in this slightly cool temperature, Lin Yu's body was already emitting wisps of heat.
He ripped off his clothes, revealing his slender physique and well-defined muscles, all brimming with explosive power; it was hard to imagine that a child who was only a teenager could possess such a strong physique.
To achieve what he had today, truthfully, it all stemmed from the pressures of life, the yearning for power, and the system's ability.
Character Template System
Host: Lin Yu
World: Koutetsujou of the Kabane
Unlocked Character: Yoriichi Tsugikuni
Unlock Progress: 7.11%
When character template unlock progress reaches 100%, the next new character template will be unlocked.
Daily Mission: Swing sword 1000 times, reward 0.01% character template progress (764 / 2000)
This Character Template System, activated when Lin Yu was twelve, was his golden finger, a must-have for a transmigrator.
The Character Template System, as its name suggests, allows one to gain more and more character power through a series of unlock progressions.
When the unlock progress reaches a certain level, one can even perfectly acquire all of the strength.
Take Yoriichi Tsugikuni, for example: even though Lin Yu had been cultivating for nearly two years and had only unlocked 7.11% of his progress, the strength he gained was enough to give him combat power not at all inferior to that of an adult samurai.
Who was Yoriichi Tsugikuni?
He was an unparalleled genius in the world of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, who, with his supreme human talent, suppressed the Demon King Muzan; calling him a darling of heaven would not be an exaggeration.
Not to mention the sharp and brilliant Sun Breathing technique, nor the Mark and Transparent World, even Yoriichi Tsugikuni's swordsmanship had reached a transcendent level.
A young boy who had never touched a sword could easily defeat a samurai who had been immersed in the art for decades with a sword; this talent was simply unbelievable.
And now, having 7.11% of the strength of Yoriichi Tsugikuni in his prime.
He could already be considered to have entered the inner sanctum of the way of the sword!
Even the arrogant samurai of the Fujiwara Family, who managed Sugu Station and had cultivated for many years, Lin Yu could easily deal with them, and even fighting multiple opponents was a simple matter.