Chapter 9: 09 Jin capabilities Part 02. 

After bidding farewell to his father and saying goodnight, Jin, now alone, sat back on the sofa while gazing at the Bokuto that he placed near him. The thin book in his hand filled his heart with gratitude and determination to prove that his choice was not a mistake.

“Let’s take a look for a bit”.

Jin flipped open the cover book and saw the title, ‘ The Way of Katana’. The book itself was thin and seemed old, judged by the paper quality and the ink. However, the content was still valuable, as it should be.

He flipped to another page and found the table of contents. He read it slowly, planting it in his brain to memorize it. As he kept flipping, Jin was impressed by the basic knowledge the book had to offer.

The content and the memories he had when learning Kenjutsu in his old world seemed to fairly overlap each other. Thanks to that, Jin wouldn’t have any trouble in tomorrow’s practice. He was absorbed in reading and almost forgot that it was time for him to go to bed.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow!”.

Jin, who now lies on top of a soft bed, sinks his tired body further before his consciousness blackens out.

*****

Morning came, and the sun was still hiding from the blanket of the night. Jin, whose body was shuddering because of the cold that stung his skin, had his eyes wide open thanks to that.

“Ukh, I must get used to this routine!”. While grumbling, Jin walked toward the washroom in his bedroom and began to wash his face.

The cold splash of water, coupled with the cold air that seeped into his face, kept his scattered thoughts intact, and he could start his day with full force.

Jin looked at the reflection of his images and saw his green eyes filled with nothing but determination. He nodded his head and uttered.

“I will do my best!”.

After wiping his face, Jin changed his sleepwear into casual clothes for ease of movement and walked outside his bedroom, not forgetting to take the Bokuto with him. Along the way, he met several servants who were already doing their activities.

As the son of their master, Jin had to greet them and receive their response from shock. Some of them wondered why he was awake at this hour, and some of them were happy to see him working so hard despite still being little.

Jin traced through the hallway that would lead him toward the backfield. Once he arrived, the whistling of the cold air, the smell of fresh dew, and the lovable sound of rustling grass cheerfully greeted him in the morning.

“Well, this was my first practice after a long time”.

Five years had passed since Jin had been reborn into this new life, and he had never taken the sword since. In his previous world, Jin had experience handling a Katana, for he had been practising it since he was late ten until fifteen. So, roughly, Jin had more than four years worth of experience.

He clenched the Bokuto in his hand, and feeling the nostalgic weight that settled on it gave him a boost of motivation to start.

“Let’s warm up first!”.

Jin put aside the Bokuto in hand before doing some dynamic movement. First, he did a walk lunge and started rotating all the ligaments and hips to increase his flexibility. He also added some running in place and some jumping jacks to warm up his body.

“I think that was enough!”.

It didn’t come to him that the sun was already peeking from the horizon. Jin also started jogging while holding Bokuto in his hand to get used to the weight. Slowly but firmly, Jin regulated his breathing to get everything under control and make sure not to go overboard because his body was still little.

“Woah, you already started without me!”.

A happy yet shocked voice echoed within the field, and Jin saw his father coming over and wearing a casual outfit to ease his movement.

Ryan saw his son circling around the field, became interested, and joined him. He watched his son’s form—it was almost unbelievable. His form was stable, and Jin’s breathing showed just how easily he handled this.

‘What a hard worker he is’. Feeling something well up in his chest, Ryan decided to increase his pace and was amazed that Jin wasn’t easily provoked. ‘Truly what a son I have!’.

The two continue their training regimen before stopping as the sun shows its entire face. Its golden light bathes the world in myriad colours, and the warmth it spreads gives living things a spirit to live the day.

“Okay, Jin, let me see what you grasp about the Katana”. Ryan walked and approached his son, who stood still facing the sun, basking his drenched body in its warmth.

“Yes, father!”.

With a new determination in mind, Jin cheerfully responds to his father’s instruction. Jin ceases his thoughts and begins to prepare his upper stance; he points his blade tips above and places it beside his right face.

Ryan was oblivious to what Jin was doing because he had never seen a stance like that, but his anticipation soon broke when he saw Jin, with fluid motion, begin to alternate his stance from the upper stance to the lower stance and then to the middle stance.

He did that flawlessly, making Ryan doubt that his son had already learned Katana. However, since Jin’s birth, he never saw the boy taking up a sword to do some practice outside. What he does is cooping in the study room and sometimes playing outside to get some sunlight.

His first impression of Jin was, ‘What an old-man routine the kid had’. Also, the way Jin carried himself and always composed in any situation proves that Jin was not typical compared to other kids. One thing that came to his mind after observing his third son.

‘A genius!’. That was only the conclusion Ryan and his wife could pull from it. And that assumption was indeed true, considering Jin’s current movement and the way he handled the wooden sword.

‘Last night, I gave him the book, and the next day, he could practice it in this state! What an enormous talent he had!’. Ryan nodded his heap while suppressing his urge to grin.

“Okay, good. Keep doing your training, Jin. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you many pointers, but seeing your performance, it is only about time you master it.”

Jin stopped his movement while exhaling to calm his raging heartbeat.

“Yes, and thank you very much for the book you gave me last night”.

“Keep going! I also want to move my body.” Ryan shook his head, dismissing his contribution from last night, as he turned his back, distancing himself from Jin to start his morning practice.

“Yes!”.

The two resumed their training until a servant informed them that the breakfast was almost ready. Reluctantly, both of them stopped their training and soaked themselves in a warm bath together, bonding as father and son.

From that day on, Jin’s everyday life was filled with training. In the morning, he would master the way of Katana, and after lunch, he would practice his magic with his mother. His life was busier than usual, but it was necessary for the unknown future Jin would face.

A week later, a messenger came, informing Ryan and Jin of the completion of the order made Katana by Joseph. Jin, who heard the news, dashed away toward the front gate of the mansion. Behind him, he was followed by his parents, who watched Jin’s childish side with a warm smile.

As he approached the gate, Jin saw the figure of Joseph carrying a long box on his back strapped by a leather belt. He waved his hand vigorously, alerting the guards and even Joseph himself.

“Grandpa Joseph!”.

At the same time the gate opened, the old man approached Jin with a broad smile on his face.

“Yo, brat? How have you been?”.

“Never feeling better!”.

“Bwahahaha, I see!”.

Joseph noticed the boy’s expectant gaze and couldn’t help but grin. He ruffled the boy’s hair, which strangely gave him a sense of familiarity.

“Uncle Joseph!”.

“Welcome, Uncle Joseph”.

Marina and Ryan soon greeted the old man, who finally let the boy go.

“Here is your order! I finish it!”.

Joseph took the box on his back and presented it to Ryan. However, a small hand tugged at the old man’s sleeves, prompting the other to give him the attention.

“Is that Katana’s father ordered for me, right?”.

The old man contemplated for a bit, but before seeing the kid’s gaze, he reeled in and crouched down, putting the box into the ground. Slowly, as he slid the wooden lid from the box, it revealed the weapon inside.

“Woah!”.

Jin crouched down, feeling a joy he couldn’t ever describe. The Katana’s colour is black from the sheath, and its hilt is adorned with a bit of gold to add a bit of aesthetic feel to the weapon. He saw Joseph take the weapon in hand, and with a click, he revealed the silver blade that gleamed dangerously in front of him.

“How do you like it?”.

“It was the best, Grandpa Joseph!”.

That is how a boy named Jin, who got excited, after received a weapon as a present from his parents. He spent his childhood earnestly training his swordplay and practising his magic until he was ready to face the world.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep