Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!

I smiled before holding my sword in a defensive position, my stance relaxed but ready. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Kojiro's entire demeanour shifted as he prepared for his ultimate technique. His eyes focused with laser-like intensity, and his breathing slowed to a calm, measured rhythm. The air around him seemed to thicken as his aura flared rapidly, waves of Elite-rank power radiating outward like heat from a forge.

The very atmosphere in the training room vibrated with the build-up of his concentrated energy. His sword began to emit a low, resonant hum as he channelled his full power into the blade.

I stood calmly ten meters away, watching as Kojiro's preparation reached its crescendo. His muscles coiled like springs ready to unleash devastating force.

WHOOOOSH!

Suddenly, Kojiro exploded forward with blinding speed. He launched himself across the distance separating us in a mere second. His sword trailed streaks of concentrated aura as it cut through the air.

SHRIIIIING!

The blade sang with lethal intent as it descended toward me in a perfect arc, every ounce of his skill, experience, and power focused into a single, devastating strike. The sound was like lightning splitting the sky.

'Null Strike!' I thought to myself, activating the secret technique at the precise moment of impact.

WOOOOM!

An invisible force erupted from my position, creating a sphere of absolute negation around me.

CLANG-SILENCE

Kojiro's sword met the invisible barrier and simply... stopped. Not deflected, not blocked, but it was completely negated. The devastating attack that should have cleaved through steel and stone simply ceased to exist the moment it entered the technique's radius.

THUD!

Kojiro's momentum carried him forward, but his attack had been so thoroughly nullified that he stumbled past me, his sword hanging uselessly in his grasp. The silence that followed was deafening after the explosive build-up.

His eyes widened in absolute shock as he spun around to face me, his breathing ragged not from exertion but from sheer disbelief.

"How?" he gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "What kind of technique is this? I've never seen such a thing... it's impossible!"

The awe in his voice was unmistakable. Here was a warrior who had likely witnessed countless techniques and abilities throughout his existence, yet my Null Strike had left him completely speechless.

Clatter

His sword trembled slightly in his grip as he stared at me with newfound reverence. The attack that represented the pinnacle of his abilities had been dismissed as if it never existed.

"That wasn't deflection or evasion," he continued, his mind struggling to comprehend what had occurred. "You didn't counter my technique...you simply... erased it. How is such a technique even possible?"

The training room fell into stunned silence as Kojiro processed the implications of what he'd just witnessed.

"This is the stance of a secret art... a powerful one," I responded, keeping my expression carefully neutral.

Kojiro nodded his head in shock, still processing what he'd witnessed. "Where did you find it? Where can I get such a secret art?"

I looked at him with a wry smile. "I got it from... a friend. As for getting such an art, you can't just find it anywhere. Everyone keeps these things to themselves, but if I find one, I will gift it to you. Don't worry."

"Thank you," Kojiro looked at me with a genuinely grateful expression, bowing his head respectfully.

"You are welcome."

My thoughts drifted to Carmilla and the Overlord-rank secret art she had given me. I wondered how she could have known that I would eventually return to save her when I gained sufficient power. What if I simply forgot about her entirely? What if I decided she wasn't worth the risk?

"ARGH!!!"

A terrible, agonizing pain suddenly erupted in my chest, radiating outward from my heart like molten metal coursing through my veins. The pain was so intense it felt like my heart was being crushed in an iron vice while simultaneously being set ablaze.

Thud!

I clutched desperately at my chest, my sword clattering to the floor as my legs gave out beneath me. The world spun violently as waves of unbearable agony washed over me.

"Hey... Are you okay" Kojiro's voice reached me, but it sounded muffled and distant, as if he were shouting from the bottom of a well. I could feel his strong hands trying to support me, but my body had become completely unresponsive.

Crash!

I hit the training room floor hard, my vision blurring as tears of pain streamed down my face. Every heartbeat sent fresh spikes of torment through my entire body. It felt like I was dying, like something was literally tearing my soul apart from the inside.

Kojiro's worried face appeared above me, his mouth moving frantically, but his words were completely drowned out by the roaring in my ears. The pain was beyond anything I'd ever experienced, beyond what I thought was humanly possible to endure.

Darkness slowly engulfed my vision like thick smoke, creeping in from the edges until everything went black. My last coherent thought was terror at losing consciousness in such a vulnerable state.

"Hahh!"

I woke up gasping for air, my entire body drenched in cold sweat and my heart hammering against my ribs like a caged animal. Panic immediately seized me as the memory of that excruciating pain flooded back.

I looked around frantically, searching for Kojiro with urgency. If the academy had discovered his existence while I was unconscious... if I'd been out for hours and someone had found us...

Relief washed over me as I spotted him kneeling beside me, his dark eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately, his eyes scanning my body for any problems.

I nodded shakily. "How long have I been knocked out for?"

"...About a minute."

"Oh... I see, thank god." I sighed in profound relief, my racing heart finally beginning to slow.

"Just what happened there..." I thought to myself, still shaken by the inexplicable attack.