Chapter 47

Born at Level 1. This is a rule that applies equally to all living beings in this world.

Initial values, growth rates, and various racial differences may vary, but the level itself is always 1 at birth.

If they are of the same race at birth, there is actually no difference in the total stats between players and NPCs.

However, there is an absolute difference between NPCs and players.

One is skills.

The other is growth potential.

Players are given the right to decide the direction of their growth through bonus stat points. They can also freely exchange certain skills to fight.

However, the stat distribution given to NPCs is largely influenced by randomness, unlike players.

While effort can determine a certain direction, there are times when completely meaningless stats are imposed. At most, only about 60% of the points one can earn in a lifetime can be chosen through one's own effort.

Skills, on the other hand, are blood crystals obtained through hard work, and unlike players, they cannot be replaced.

Because NPCs cannot have the freedom to grow, the way their stats are distributed is, in itself, their talent.

There are Oni who have their stats allocated to useless intelligence, and humans who wanted to become craftsmen but never saw their dexterity improve.

In an endless chain of sorrow, the word "fate" was, of course, the most straightforward way to console them.

Indeed, Kohaku was one of the NPCs who was toyed with by fate.

☆

"I, you see, Sukuna, was blessed more than anyone else."

After taking a sip of her favorite amber brandy, Kohaku began to speak leisurely.

We were in a back alley bar that Kohaku had brought me to. She was led to a private room, which seemed to be a regular spot for her.

I was nibbling on what appeared to be an expensive cheese, waiting for her to start talking.

"Can you take a look at this?"

She took out a ring made of Hihirokane from her pocket, with what seemed to be a lantern carved at its tip.

"The Powerholder. An accessory given by the creator god to the most physically powerful being in this world."

"What is it...?"

"Yes, in fact, I am the strongest in this world."

Kohaku said this with a playful tone, but there was no hint of pride. She herself had deemed it worthless.

"Of course, I am far from the Oni God. ...I, Sukuna, have gone through many level-ups, but all my talents, except for one opportunity, have been dedicated to physical strength. I was told from a young age that I had outstanding talent among the Oni."

"All." If expressed in game terms, it would be "maxed out," wouldn't it?

How much must one be favored by fate to be given such a skewed stat distribution?

Powerholder. The one with the highest physical strength in this world. Standing before me is Kohaku, an Oni who stands at the pinnacle of the Oni race, possessing the strength to destroy a city wall head-on.

From her, I can only tell that this is an astronomical number.

And the emphasized word "once" is the true emotion in her eyes.

"My clan is one of the most influential among the Oni. Combined with my education, I was infatuated with the Oni God as a child. I believed without a doubt that my stats' growth and my talent for battle were due to being chosen by the Oni God. I was convinced that I would receive the Oni God's blessing."

"A foolish child," Kohaku muttered, drinking her brandy as if mocking herself.

"Hmm... But when I was to receive my occupation, I did not receive the Oni God's blessing... the suitability for a Shounen. It was decades ago... I was in turmoil at the time. To be specific, I almost destroyed the village."

"Ah..."

I couldn't help but let out a sound at the violent past, which was hard to imagine from the current carefree Kohaku.

Aware of my reaction, Kohaku smiled and continued her story.

"Hehe, you might not understand this, but the Oni are a race that is greatly influenced by their emotions. I was the strongest in the village at the time. The damage was severe. It was fortunate that no one died."

"Kohaku, you really are strong."

"Surprised? ...But because of that incident, I was once exiled from the Oni village. In the closed-off Oni society, the reason I travel the outside world is due to that."

Kohaku's story made sense when connected, but I had one thing that bothered me.

"What about the relationship with the Kitsune? Even if you say the Oni and the Kitsune get along, it would be hard to maintain a connection if you were exiled, right?"

"No, the exile has been lifted."

"Oh, really... Sorry, I interrupted your story."

"It's fine. A little encouragement is just right for a melancholic story."

Good, at least the path to becoming a Fu Shu Tsushi wasn't cut off.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, perhaps from the alcohol. Kohaku, who had been enveloped in a dark atmosphere until now, began to exude a bright one.

"After being expelled from the village, I did a lot of research. As you know, to become a Shounen, an Oni must abandon all magical skills. And at the same time, I found out that Oni born in this world are almost always born with their talent allocated to intelligence."

"What's that...?"

"Is it the whims of fate, or the work of the creator god who wants to seal the Oni God... I don't know for sure. What is certain is that Oni born in the village cannot become a Shounen."

"Born with it." Is there such a hopeless story?

When we create characters, we can freely decide how to use the bonus points we get, but for NPCs, they are randomly distributed.

If only a small part of them is allocated to magical skills, it's a pretty messed up story.

Kohaku had lost the one thing she most wanted from the start.

No, it's not just Kohaku. All the Oni in this world are like that.

"According to legend, the revival of the Oni God requires a Shounen. The blessing, in other words, is the 'bond.' For the Oni God, who was sealed by the creator god, to interfere in this world, the existence of a Shounen is indispensable. However, sadly... Oni born in this world cannot become a Shounen."

The content of Kohaku's story, to put it meta, is a setting to trigger an extra quest for Oni players.

The existence of the Shounen, a job with a significant handicap, to prevent Oni from reviving the Oni God in this world.

Even if you become a Shounen, I would have to tilt my head if asked if you could meet the Oni God, Shuten Dōji.

I've never met another Shounen player, and I don't even know why I was called to that place.

"Even if I accepted not receiving the blessing, the next thing I faced was the fact that the path to the Oni God was gone. Since the Oni God was sealed, no Shounen has been born in the Oni village. After my sister passed away, even the shadow of one is gone."

After a deep breath, Kohaku sighed and drained her glass.

"Just once. I want to meet our god, just once. ...It's a strange thing. The moment I realized I couldn't get it, I wanted it more than ever."

Listening to Kohaku's story, I tried to piece together the information in my head.

Although I only heard a part of the history of the Oni in WLO through Kohaku's life, connecting the dots was quite difficult.

Key information 1: Kohaku is the strongest in this world and the one who came closest to becoming a Shounen but couldn't.

Key information 2: Oni born in this world are almost certainly unable to become a Shounen.

Key information 3: The Oni God can only interfere through the bond of a Shounen.

Key information 4: No Shounen has been born in the Oni village since the Oni God was sealed.

And Kohaku's wish is to meet Shuten Dōji.

After organizing this, a question came to mind.

Since Kohaku's story seemed to have reached a pause, I decided to ask.

"Hey, Kohaku. Was the Oni God's job a Shounen?"

"No, it is said that the Oni God did not have a job. The job of Shounen was born from the name given to the Oni God when he became a god."

I see, what Kohaku said was roughly in line with my imagination.

Indeed, the origin of the Shounen is Shuten.

"Sister?"

"The Oni God's sister. She is said to be the only one the free-spirited Oni God could not disobey. She was under an unchanging curse and remained very youthful until her death..."

"Wait, you've met her?"

"Yes, she passed away about half a century ago."

"Wow... So Kohaku is at least over 50?"

"I am still young among the Oni. However, in the Oni society, what matters is strength and achievements, not age."

Kohaku looks like she's in her early 20s, a beauty on par with Rin.

It's surprising that she's over 50, but even more surprising is the average lifespan of the Oni, which allows her to be considered young.

Still, Shuten's sister is dead.

If she were to be revived, how would Shuten feel? Would he feel lonely?

I somehow wanted to meet her once.

"Although my story was long, I have no lingering attachment to the blessing, and I don't intend to force anything on Sukuna. However, I must apologize for one lie."

"I can kind of guess. Kohaku, you've probably been following me since before I arrived in Dueris, right?"

Interrupting Kohaku, who was about to confess with a slightly serious expression, I pointed out.

"Once you leave the starting city, you will almost certainly choose a job in Dueris. Hearing that many Oni were born in the starting city, Kohaku has been marking Oni for the past three weeks, right? Maybe one of them could reach the Shounen."

I tried to convey my thoughts to Kohaku without using the word "player," as I didn't know how NPCs perceive players.

Kohaku said she followed me from the teahouse, but that's a weak reason to follow "me."

Firstly, there are not a few Oni players besides me. To pinpoint and follow me among all of them is quite something.

Even if she had seen through that I was a Shounen, it would be too late to use a valuable item to help me.

If she just wanted to talk to me, she could have done so earlier. The fact that she was trying to gauge my strength clearly indicated some purpose.

Besides, it's odd that someone with Kohaku's level of skill would be in Dueris.

"How many Shounen have you met before me...? Did you approach all of them?"

"...8. Sukuna, I met 8 before you."

Only 8. Even if I was among the first in the second wave, 8 out of 5,000 is a small number.

"Let's skip the roundabout talk. Sukuna, I don't want to miss this chance. I don't know how many more Shounen will be born in the future. I don't know how long I will live. So..."

"You want me to help revive the Oni God. Sure, I'll do it."

I preemptively accepted Kohaku's proposal, which was about to become roundabout. Well, you know, Kohaku has a tendency to talk a lot...

I feel bad for her serious expression, but in this case, I'm the one who should be asking for help.

Kohaku's face lit up, but then she froze completely at my next words.

"Actually, yeah. Sorry, I didn't say anything... I've met the Oni God."

"Huh?"

She stopped moving completely, like a statue, her face frozen in a perfect stillness.

Kohaku's bonus points were allocated to 1 intelligence and the rest to strength, currently exceeding four digits...

The method to view stats has been available since the beginning, but all Oni were born with at least 1 point allocated to intelligence, which was considered the initial value.

The exception was Shuten. Kohaku realized the creator god's mischief when she discovered Shuten's initial stats in some literature. Absolutely.