ALL NOVEL Chapter 14: Important Lesson
With his right arm having mostly recovered, a feat that would have left Doctors in his old world completely stunned, Nobu waited until Yui had been gone for around an hour before making his way to the entrance of the cave. The last couple of days had reinforced his decision to venture out on his own, so, before she returned from her daily scavenging, he intended to make his way back to the city.
While it might not be the smartest decision, returning to a place where people might be searching for him, Nobu felt it would be exponentially more troublesome if he allowed himself to be dragged back to the Oda Clan, Owari-Shuto.
At this point, Nobu was absolutely certain that the washboard samurai had something to do with his family. People didn't simply give up their virginity to save the life of a complete stranger, and, based on her previous statements, he could assume she had been sent, specifically, to retrieve him. This implied that someone had arbitrarily decided, without his consent, that he would be useful for some scheme or ploy they had cooked up. Sure, it was equally just as likely that his father had sent someone to search for him, but, even if that were the case, Nobu wanted to avoid getting mixed up in the politics of a so-called Nobles.
Fortunately, while it was dangerous to venture beyond the fortress-like walls encircling most cities in Nian, the majority of Aura Beasts lived far away from fixed settlements. Nian was also a relatively small country with a long history, so, while there were some monstrously powerful creatures located to the far north, most of the mainland had been purged of serious threats long ago.
Nobu's plan was to use a part of his Grandfather's treasure to secure safe passage to the nation's capital, Kyoto. This was where the current Emperor, Go-Koji, had enshrined himself while the rest of the country slowly tore itself apart due to infighting and pressure from external forces.
As anyone even remotely familiar with Japanese culture would have realized, the world Nobu had found himself in was uncannily similar to the Sengoku Period of Japan. The names of the cities were the same, and, though he had yet to see a map, he assumed that the Nian Archipelago was, quite literally, this world's version of Feudal Japan. This made a lot of sense, as, prior to his reincarnation, the golden-haired Goddess had said this life would reflect his previous one.
Though neither of his parents had been Japanese, the fact he was named Nobunaga Oda seemed to have put him in a situation where he was expected to follow a similar path as his namesake. This meant leading a rebellion, and, depending on the decisions he made along the way, he might even be able to unify the entirety of Nian under the banner of the Oda Clan.
While back assward NEETs and Otaku's might have been thrilled by this premise, Nobu's situation had forced him to be a realist. He also grew up in an age where it was possible to see examples of corruption on a daily basis, yet, no matter how much people bitched and moaned, politicians and one-percenters were practically immune to consequence. Thus, now that he had found himself in a world without electricity, the internet, or any other modern conveniences, Nobu just wanted to find a way to make his life easier.
"Let's just hope fate doesn't literally fuck me a second time..."
---
With her senses briefly linking with the Scouting Owl she left outside the cave, a frown marred Yui's face as she muttered, "Where is this fool off to...?"
Placing the satsuma oranges she had just plucked in a bag, a pale aura covered Yui's body as she bolted in the direction of Nobu's departure. Her mission was to bring him back to the Yoshitsune Clan, so, even if he hated her for it, she would drag him the entire way if necessary. The forest near the base of the mountain was also extremely dangerous in winter since people tended to remain in their homes. This allowed Aura Beasts to roam freely, and, while his cultivation had been increasing at an unnatural rate, Nobu was unprepared to fight them with a weapon, much less without one...
"This idiot is going to get himself killed..."
---
As if decreed by providence, Nobu hadn't even traveled half a mile down the slope of the mountain before the sound of crunching snow caused him to freeze in place. Turning his head, he saw a black shadow moving slowly behind a foreground of trees. Moments later, the massive shadow revealed itself to be giant boar, but, unlike its equivalent back on Earth, the version made a grizzly bear look like a puppy dog.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me...what is this, Monster Hunter?"
Though some might have pointed out how foolish it was for him to speak in such a situation, the simple fact of the matter was that the massive boar was already looking directly at Nobu. The only reason it hadn't charged was because it could sense that Nobu wasn't a threat. Thus, with an almost casual gait, it approached him with its head down, eyes fully focused as if it were waiting for him to run just so it could enjoy a chase.
"This Bulldrome-looking motherfucker..."
Squaring up his feet so that he could dodge in either direction, Nobu gripped the stone tablet with his right hand before throwing it full-force at the approaching creature. It wouldn't be of much use if he was going to die, so, hoping it had some kind of hidden attack function, he did his best to aim for the boar's softball-sized eye.
Demonstrating why Nobu had never been a part of any sports teams, the stone tablet landed more than a few feet to the creature's left. This was enough to get it to turn its head, but, seeing nothing in the spot where the snow had been disturbed, it returned its gaze towards Nobu before releasing a large plume of steamy condensation from its nose.
"Did this bitch just laugh at me...?"
Raising his right hand, Nobu was intending to throw the magically recovered stone tablet a second time when the pattern on the boar's body, vaguely resembling tiger stripes, began to emit a radiant blue glow. The same phenomenon was happening to the mane extending from its head to the back of its ribcage, but, rather than focusing on that, Nobu was staring stupefied at the arcs of electricity flashing between its massive, glowing, tusks.
"Well, isn't this just fucking fan-"
Before he could even finish his retort, an explosion of ice and snow erupted at the starting location of the boar as it charged forward with the momentum of a freight car. It managed to cover most of the distance between itself and Nobu in an instant, but, before it could run through him like A-Train liquefying an innocent bystander, an arrow made from pure gold slammed into the side of its face, piercing its right eye and causing it to promptly stumble.
With the boar crashing into the snow and sending a miniature avalanche his way, Nobu sent back several meters before being completely buried beneath the surface. As for the boar, it attempted to gain its bearings, but, despite its rather fierce-looking aura, it was only an Intermediate Rank 2 Aura Beast. This was the equivalent of a cultivator halfway between the ranks of Silver Adept and Golden Warrior so its base was only around 50,000 units of Aura. Since very few Aura Beasts could cultivate using the Metal Infusion technique, the most common method of cultivation in Nian, it also relied a lot more on its natural durability than the defense provided by its aura. Thus, in the face of a skilled Golden Warrior, it was little more than prey waiting to be slaughtered.
Demonstrating the vast disparity between them, Yui appeared next to the giant boar with a massive spiked hammer formed from pale gold. Boar-like creatures typically had hard heads and ridiculously strong spines, but, so long as you impacted the area between their eyes, specifically the connecting point between their foreheads and snout, you could completely disable them with a single decisive blow or a well-placed arrow. Yui had chosen the former, and, as a result, the monster boar dropped like a marionette the moment her hammer pierced its weak point.
Exhaling a slightly exhausted sigh, Yui retracted the massive hammer into her aura before turning towards the mound of snow that had buried Nobu. She felt an overwhelming urge to massage her temples, but, fearing the fool would suffocate or freeze to death, she quickly rushed over to begin digging him out. Fortunately, his recent increase in aura made it a lot easier to sense his location so it didn't take long for her to both find and free him from the snow...
---
Though the proper thing to do would have been to thank the raven-haired woman for saying him, Nobu remained absolutely silent even as she chided and escorted him back to the cave like a small child. His encounter with the Aura Beast had taught him an important lesson about the world. Even the act of walking around was dangerous without the necessary strength to protect yourself.
While this was unbelievably important, some might say life-changing, the most important thing Nobu had learned that day was that fate and karma were bitches. He also realized that the raven-haired woman had been spying on him, but, rather than blame her for invading his privacy, he just accepted it. Had she arrived a moment later, he would have been meat paste within the snow, so, at least for the time being, he decided to remain patient and focus on increasing his strength.
With this in mind, Nobu waited until the following day before stopping the raven-haired woman and asking, "Can you teach me how to cultivate...?" before she could venture out to gather more food and supplies.
Not expecting such a question, especially with all of Nobu's peculiarities, Yui didn't immediately answer. Instead, she considered the pros and cons of the situation before saying, "Those who pass on the knowledge of the Ancestors are personally responsible for the people they teach. Because of this, there is a saying, 'A Teacher for a day is a Master for life'. If you are willing to lower your head and accept me as your Master, I am willing to guide you down the path of a cultivator and warrior. However, from that moment onward, you will follow my orders without question. If you disobey, I will be forced to punish you in accordance with your disobedience. If you betray my trust and pass on my teachings without permission, I will have no choice but to kill you."
Though he nodded his head a few times as if to imply he understood, Nobu surprised Yui quite a bit when he answered, "Yeah, you can fuck right off with all that tradition and bullshit. If you're not going to teach me, I'll just have to figure it out on my own. I mean, seriously, who the hell came up with that? You teach someone a few tricks and they suddenly have to obey you for the rest of their life? Ridiculous."
Taken aback by Nobu's words, Yui stared at him as if he were a complete fool before adopting a severe tone as she said, "These traditions are necessary for keeping the peace. If someone went around teaching secret and forbidden arts without holding people accountable, unbridled chaos would ensue. Just as it is the responsibility of a parent to discipline their children, it is the duty of a Master to prevent their Disciples from misusing their power and affecting the lives of normal men and women. It is for this reason that Cultivators found using their abilities against the citizenry are put to death. A world without law, order, and accountability would lead humanity to ruin."
Surprised by the raven-haired woman's fervor, Nobu gave her a quick once-over, brows raised as he said, "You really are just as serious as you look..."
Snorting through her nose, Yui turned her back with the intention to depart the cave and gather resources. Before that, however, she looked over her shoulder and said, "With great power comes great responsibility. If you attempt to gain power without accepting the responsibilities associated with it, the world will reject you. Those at the top will do everything in their power to suppress you while those at the bottom will attempt you pull you down to their level. Do not pursue power if you want to live a normal life..."
Finished with her warning, Yui promptly departed the cave without waiting for Nobu's response. As a result, she was unable to hear him when he mumbled, "Whatever you say, Uncle Ben..."