Chapter 57: Gradual Change

He found a coffee shop near the station. He was quite familiar with this place and had a good relationship with the shop owner. Moreover, this corner was relatively secluded, so he didn’t have to worry about being noticed.

“Speak… What brings you to this city this time?”

He casually ordered two cups of coffee. After getting the coffee, he added a lot of sugar cubes before drinking.

Talking in circles with this woman was pointless, so he just asked straightforwardly.

“…Of course, it’s because of ‘them’.”

Amasue Suetora didn’t touch the coffee on the table. Her cold voice came through.

It was the worst news he had heard this year. He sighed. Thinking carefully, there had indeed been such rumors recently.

He thought that after “that” incident ended two years ago, no more abnormal events would happen.

“Don’t tell me you specifically sneaked into the school because those guys might be hiding there…”

“Mm!”

She responded clearly, confirming his worst fears.

He should have realized earlier that if Amasue Suetora came to his school, it couldn’t possibly be to greet an “old friend.” Moreover, he felt nothing but disgust for this woman and the organization behind her.

He never wanted to have any connection with those people again, including this woman.

“…I seem to remember you had ways to sense ‘their’ presence.”

Amasue Suetora shook her head. Only her fingertips, covered by her sleeves, were visible as she placed a metal bell on the table.

There was a crisp clink.

It was an extremely beautiful, hollow round bell. The material seemed to be heavy metal, and the oddly shaped bell was strung on a braided red cord.

“Unlike the past, they might be mutated offspring, or their presence might be very weak, allowing them to disguise themselves as humans. So, even with the ‘Ba Bell,’ it’s impossible to track their presence…”

The so-called “Ba Bell”—it probably referred to the tool used by Amasue Suetora and her kind to investigate and track those monsters.

He didn’t need to think too hard. Karasawa Meisuke felt he wasn’t too stupid. By connecting the dots, he could guess why they had come to him.

“Let me also make it clear: I won’t use that method again. You have no idea how much of a burden it is for me.”

“But, Karasawa, they are hiding very well… Even a top-tier ‘Fang Hunter’ would struggle to accurately distinguish the scent of ‘dogs’ from humans unless they were exceptionally lucky to get close to the target.”

Amasue Suetora stared at his face without blinking. Her gaze was unwavering—this woman hadn’t changed at all in two years. Karasawa drank his coffee while thinking to himself… Just like the first time they met, she gave the impression of a frozen block of ice.

“Especially in a densely populated school area, where scents mix together, it’s even harder to distinguish… Without your ability, finding the ‘dogs’ would be extremely difficult.”

Amasue Suetora gave this explanation. She seemed like the type who wouldn’t lie about such matters, and there was no need for her to lie.

Karasawa Meisuke held a spoon, stirring his coffee silently.

Fine! Even if what she said was true, he really didn’t want to get involved in this matter. But if it were somewhere unrelated to him, he could ignore it. However, since those monsters were hiding in his school, he couldn’t pretend not to care…

The lives of others had nothing to do with him, and he couldn’t be bothered whether there were hidden monsters in the city.

There was no need for him to worry about such things, and he couldn’t do anything about them anyway. As an ordinary person of flesh and blood, not some immortal protagonist from a game or anime, he had no intention of stepping into this mess.

But… if his friends or family encountered those “creatures,” could he still choose to stand by and do nothing?

————————

“Ha!”

Drawing energy from his dantian, Fang Jing moved swiftly. His feet suddenly exerted force, the energy flowing from his waist up to his spine.

The muscles on his back trembled violently, and the large muscles near his shoulder blades flapped like wings. The power in his palms and fingers didn’t burst out all at once but tightened gradually, like a bowstring being slowly drawn. On the other hand, his attacks were like a storm, shifting between fists, palms, pushes, and collisions. His moves grew heavier, resembling relentless waves crashing layer upon layer against the sandbag tied to the tree trunk.

“Stacking Waves!”

A series of heavy thuds followed, and the sandbag was torn open. A large amount of sand and sawdust spilled out, and the bulging leather bag instantly deflated.

Fang Jing didn’t stop. He felt the accumulated power erupt like a flash flood, making his moves as fast as lightning.

With a strange whooshing sound, Fang Jing’s terrifyingly heavy fists and palms, accompanied by his relentless attacks, swept across the tree trunk. The sandbag was shredded, and a large piece of bark was torn off, revealing the pale wood beneath.

“Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!”…

The more freely he moved, the more comfortable he felt, as if a fire burning inside him had been unleashed, scorching and erupting, while his mind remained ice-cold.

Most of the tree trunk was left pockmarked, and the bark was torn to shreds.

Fortunately, there was no one around at this time.

Fang Jing packed up his things from the ground and turned to walk toward his apartment building.

“In terms of physical strength and power, I can now firmly surpass Teacher Sakaki Tetsuhei. Last time we fought, I was at a disadvantage and couldn’t counter much. But if we were to fight again, unless the teacher has some hidden tricks, it’s hard to say who would win…”

Of course, that was under sparring conditions. In a real fight, experience would also play a role.

But experience largely depends on a martial artist’s personal background and their ability to adapt in critical moments, so it’s hard to fully incorporate into combat power. Fang Jing’s greatest confidence lay in his extraordinary physical strength.

He believed that physical strength played a decisive role in a real fight. Even if he lagged behind Sakaki Tetsuhei in other areas, he firmly surpassed him in physical power.

“In terms of mastery of the ‘Torrent Skill,’ the teacher and I are now almost equally skilled. However, he probably doesn’t know, like I do, that this water-based skill can be elevated further.”

The Torrent Skill actually consisted of three forms: “Water Coil,” “Tidal Strike,” and “Stacking Waves.” He had now practiced them to an exceptionally high level. He just didn’t know what would happen next if he used ‘skill deduction’…

Skill deduction was a strong hint, proving that the Torrent Skill could continue to evolve.

After mastering Water Coil, Tidal Strike, and Stacking Waves, the Torrent Skill, with its ability to accumulate and recover energy through continuous attacks, could make one unbeatable in actual combat.

This was the conclusion he drew from practicing this move on a sandbag tied to a tree trunk. In real combat, it might not be so certain, as enemies wouldn’t just stand there motionless.