Once they moved out of the blade's attack range, Lute wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then his expression instantly turned fierce.
"Brothers, get your weapons!" he shouted.
The three people sitting by the table kicked it over, pulled out their weapons, and gathered around Lute.
"How dare you go against me, Blade Lute? You're quite bold! Fine, if I don't teach you two kids a lesson today, I'll reverse my name! Attack!" Lute lifted a large sword and swung it toward Kuina.
Kuina, feeling a bit excited, told Ron, "Don't interfere," before lifting her sword, Wado Ichimonji, to face the four men.
The other patrons in the tavern either fled in panic or stepped back, fearing they'd be caught in the fight. Some watched with malicious glee.
"Blade Lute is serious now. Those two kids are finished," one onlooker commented.
The tavern's attendant looked at the wrecked tables and chairs, his face full of despair.
"This is bad! Makino is going to kill me. If I knew, I wouldn't have let those two in."
Moments later, to everyone's surprise, the short blue-haired girl, facing four grown men much larger than her, showed no signs of struggle. In fact, she easily struck them down with the back of her sword.
Lute, who took a vertical strike head-on, was trembling, barely able to hold onto his weapon.
"Are you kidding me?" he muttered, drenched in sweat. "How can a little girl be this strong?"
"Ah!" screamed the third man as he collapsed beside Lute.
"You're the only one left," Kuina said calmly, her breathing steady, as she stared at Lute.
Lute, terrified, took several steps back. His eyes darted to his left, where he spotted the black-haired boy who had come in with Kuina, sitting at a table, calmly sipping juice and eating as if nothing was happening.
An idea flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, Lute dashed towards the boy.
"He's going after her companion!" one bystander cried.
"That girl might be strong, but once her companion is captured, she won't dare to act."
"Such a cowardly move!"
"This is Lute from the Higuma Bandit Group—he's always been a scoundrel!"
"They're in trouble now."
Amidst the murmurs, one person noticed Kuina sheathing her sword.
"Wait, why is she putting her sword away?"
"She must be giving up."
Hearing the commotion, Ron turned his head.
"Now you realize it, but it's too late! I've got you!" Lute stretched out his large hand to grab him.
In the next second, a small fist appeared before his eyes, rapidly enlarging until it filled his vision.
Lute's entire face was smashed in by the tiny fist, sending his large body flying across the tavern, crashing into the wall with a heavy thud. Whether he was alive or dead was unclear.
Everyone in the tavern stood frozen, their mouths agape and eyes wide in shock.
"He knocked Lute out with a single punch?!"
Ron casually withdrew his fist, his expression calm, as if nothing had happened.
In the tavern, everyone stared in stunned silence at the two kids at the table.
Just moments ago, the blue-haired girl, wielding a real sword, had taken on four armed men and easily defeated three of them.
And the black-haired boy, who looked no older than 9 or 10, had sent a man several times his size flying with a single punch!
The sheer visual impact of Ron's punch was even more shocking than Kuina's fight against four men.
"What terrifying kids. Where did they come from?" someone muttered, swallowing nervously as they looked at Lute and his companions, now sprawled across the floor.
The tavern attendant, staring at the cracked wall where Lute had landed, was close to tears.
"I'm done for. Makino is definitely going to fire me for this."
With trembling steps, he approached Ron's table, speaking humbly.
"Dear guests, how about I refund your money, and you find another tavern… please?"
"No," Ron replied without looking up.
"You're right… I guess."
The tavern attendant, tears in his eyes, retreated.
The rain outside gradually subsided.
One by one, the other patrons left the tavern.
With the dim lights of the tavern flickering, the silence of the night became even more apparent.
Kuina yawned, her eyelids growing heavy, and soon fell asleep on the table.
Ron took out a soft, warm fur blanket from his system backpack and gently covered her with it.
"System, show me my stats," he whispered.
Mastery of Sun Breathing Technique: 32%
Swordsmanship: Level - Proficient
Weapon: Great Grade Sword - Raikiri
Permanent Buff: Essence of Ten Thousand Tempering (Status: Bound...)]
Ron closed his eyes, focusing on activating the permanent buff. If he could activate it, he wanted to test its effects.
Training every day had become a habit.
Almost immediately, Ron fell into the rhythm of Sun Breathing, focusing on using his vitality to strengthen his body.
As he immersed himself in this state, his attribute list began to change.
[Permanent Buff - Essence of Ten Thousand Tempering (Status: Activated...)]
At that moment, Ron's understanding of the Sun Breathing Technique became clearer than ever before. Countless details, previously overlooked, surfaced in his mind.
"I need to speed up here."
"A pause here will help gather energy. I see now."
In no time, the night passed by.
At dawn, Ron slowly opened his eyes, his spirit brimming with energy and excitement.
In just one night of training, his mastery of the Sun Breathing Technique had increased from 32% to 33%.
The buff had clearly accelerated his progress by several times!
After experiencing it firsthand, Ron realized how powerful this permanent buff was—it was practically a cheat for training!
However, the exact extent of its power was still uncertain.
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