Setting aside whether Ian had the money to draw cards, even if he did, actually pulling the right one was another matter entirely.
The system had explicitly stated that all card draws prioritized matching the host’s existing skills!
In other words, based on the swordsmanship skills Ian had currently learned, he had a much higher chance of drawing sword-wielding character cards, and only a small chance of drawing other types.
Ian sighed.
It seemed he truly had no other options right now.
Whether Kuina could wake up would depend entirely on her.
Snapping back to reality, Ian looked over at Zoro, who was still staring blankly at Kuina, lost in thought.
Master Koushirou had already left to get some rest.
“Let’s go!” Ian patted Zoro’s shoulder.
“Keeping watch like this won’t solve anything.
We’ll see how she does after Master Sasuke returns and administers her medicine.”
Zoro looked up.
“Big brother Ian, you’ll still practice with me tomorrow, right?”
“Of course!” Ian nodded.
“Why do you ask?”
Zoro stood up, clenching his fists.
“Master Koushirou is right.
Even if Kuina can’t wake up right now, our promise still stands.
I don’t want her to see that I’ve slacked off when she finally opens her eyes.
I’m going to work harder than ever before and become the world’s strongest swordsman!”
Ian was about to say something in response, but to his surprise, he caught a sudden movement from the bedridden Kuina out of the corner of his eye!
He immediately turned his head and saw Kuina’s eyelids twitch twice!
Overjoyed, Ian quickly leaned in and called out softly, “Kuina?
Kuina!”
He called her name twice, but she didn’t wake up.
Ian felt a bit puzzled.
He had heard that people’s eyelids could flutter when they were dreaming.
Was Kuina just having a dream?
But why hadn’t she moved at all before this?
Ian looked up at Zoro.
Could it be…
that this idiot’s words just now had triggered a reaction from Kuina?
“What’s wrong, big brother Ian?” Zoro, oblivious to what had just happened, asked curiously.
“Why are you suddenly calling Kuina?
She can’t hear you!”
“Zoro, repeat what you just said!” Ian ignored his question and gave a direct order.
“Why?”
“Just say it!” Ian snapped in annoyance.
Why did this idiot have to ask so many questions at a time like this?
Left with no choice, Zoro repeated his declaration.
This time, Ian stared intently at Kuina’s eyes.
At first, Zoro’s words didn’t seem to stimulate her.
However, right at the end, when Zoro uttered the phrase “become the world’s strongest swordsman,” Ian clearly saw Kuina’s eyelids twitch twice again!
That was the phrase!
Ian slapped his thigh in excitement.
Ivankov was right; external stimulation really could affect Kuina!
As for why it was that specific phrase from Zoro, Ian didn’t find it hard to understand.
It seemed that becoming the world’s strongest swordsman had become Kuina’s deepest obsession.
Even while lying in a coma, her subconscious still clung to that ambition!
Obviously, Zoro had also noticed Kuina’s reaction this time.
Though slight, it was undeniable.
Instantly, Zoro’s face lit up with joy.
“It works!
Big brother Ian, it really works!” Zoro grabbed Ian’s sleeve, practically vibrating with excitement.
“It looks like Kuina really might wake up!”
Ian threw an arm around his neck and gave his moss-green hair a rough noogie.
“Who would’ve thought?
You’re actually somewhat useful, you idiot!”
Zoro just chuckled, not even minding Ian’s teasing in the slightest.
“Remember, come talk to Kuina every single day from now on!” Ian instructed him.
“And make sure you mention that exact phrase.
No matter how long it takes, keep doing it until the day she wakes up!”
“Yeah!” Zoro nodded solemnly.
In the days that followed, the two resumed their routine training.
Perhaps influenced by Kuina’s sheer willpower, both Ian and Zoro pushed themselves harder than ever before.
Under Master Koushirou’s recommendation, they had switched to practicing with real swords.
Ian currently wielded a standard katana forged by the village blacksmith.
The craftsmanship and materials were nothing special, but its weight and balance were sufficient for training purposes.
Shoving the rock suspended from the tree branch with all his might to make it swing back faster, Ian gripped his sword and locked his eyes on the returning projectile.
The moment the rock was about to smash into him, Ian moved.
He swiftly raised his longsword in front of him to block!
With a sharp clang, the rock struck the flat of the blade, causing Ian’s body to shudder slightly from the impact.
In the very next second, Ian sprang into action!
Borrowing the momentum from his successful parry, he swung his blade in a fierce upward arc!
*Swish!* The rapidly accelerating edge sliced through the air with a faint hum, leaving a black streak across his line of sight!
Under that lightning-fast slash, the swinging rock was cleaved cleanly down the middle, splitting into two halves that crashed onto the ground behind him.
*Phew!* Ian finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
Turning to look at the incredibly smooth cut on the stone’s surface, he knew he had finally succeeded in executing his Deflect Issen.
After more than a year of relentless daily practice, Ian’s swordsmanship proficiency had finally reached one million, successfully advancing him to Intermediate Swordsmanship.
With this breakthrough, Ian unlocked the ability to use another skill from the Akechi Samanosuke card: Deflect Issen!
Compared to his previous True Issen, triggering Deflect Issen was relatively simpler.
It required launching a counterattack in the exact instant after parrying an opponent’s strike.
At the same time, Ian discovered that after advancing to Intermediate Swordsmanship, he could freely execute Deflect Issen from any stance.
Just like earlier—without moving his body, he focused all his Nen Energy into the blade, and the resulting slash was actually powerful enough to cut through solid rock!
Of course, the rock wasn’t made of particularly hard material.
If it had been granite or something similar, Ian probably wouldn’t have been able to slice through it just yet.
However…
looking at the sword in his hand, Ian noticed hairline fractures along the edge after that single strike.
A blade like this would likely shatter if he practiced the move a few more times.
“You…
you actually cut the rock in half!?” Zoro stared at Ian in utter disbelief.
“Is wearing a hat really that powerful!?”
“What do you think?” Ian replied with a grin.
“But it still looks so stupid…” Zoro muttered.
Ian couldn’t even be bothered to smack him.
This brat really had no filter.
“Wait right here!” Zoro seemed to realize something and turned, sprinting down the mountain.
It wasn’t long before he returned, panting heavily, clutching a black bandana in his hand.
Before Ian could say a word, Zoro tied the bandana around his head, knotting it at the back to cover his moss-green hair.
“How about that!
This is my hat!” Zoro declared, puffing out his chest with his hands on his hips.
“Now I’ll be able to comprehend new sword techniques too, right?”
With that, the kid swung his sword a couple of times, the blade whistling through the air.
“Ah, it really is different!
There’s this strange feeling, like everything around me has gone dark!
Could this be a higher realm of swordsmanship?”
Ian nearly choked on his own spit.
What higher realm of swordsmanship?
That was just the bandana slipping down and covering his eyes!
The placebo effect was getting ridiculously out of hand.
Still, what annoyed Ian the most was that this idiot would rather tie a random piece of cloth around his head than wear an actual hat.
Had his bear-ear hat really traumatized the boy that much?
*’Damn it!
The bear-ear hat is adorable!’*
Watching Zoro embark on his journey to comprehend sword techniques while feeling incredibly pleased with himself, Ian rolled his eyes.
He crouched down, looking at Zoro.
“So, do you feel a lot stronger now that you’re wearing a hat?”
“Yeah!” Zoro nodded in satisfaction.
Ian wagged his index finger.
“Actually, you might not know this, but wearing a hat to become awesome isn’t even the strongest method!”
“Oh!?” Zoro’s eyes widened.
“Then what method is even stronger?”
“Going bald!” Ian said with absolute seriousness.
“If you go bald, it’s game over for everyone else.
You instantly become invincible!”
“Are you serious?” Zoro looked at him skeptically.
“As real as it gets!” Ian insisted.
“Invincible!
No matter the enemy, you can finish them off with a single punch!”
Zoro stood there foolishly pondering this for a moment before suddenly flying into a rage out of embarrassment.
“D-Damn it!
Do you think I’m that easy to fool just because I’m a kid!?
There’s no way someone like that exists!”
Ian burst into laughter, finding Zoro’s flustered expression incredibly satisfying.
*’He actually almost believed it for a second…’*
His face burning from Ian’s laughter, Zoro couldn’t take it anymore.
He charged at Ian with his sword raised.
“Damn you!
Let’s settle this right now!”
Ian easily blocked Zoro’s downward slash, grinning.
“Alright, until Kuina wakes up, I’ll be your opponent!
But you’d better be careful—my hits hurt a lot more than Kuina’s!”
Soon after, the sounds of clashing blades echoed across the back mountain of Shimotsuki Village as two figures engaged in a fierce spar…