Ryan Carter slowly woke up in a dark corner by the street.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for activating the 'Grow Stronger by Eating' System. Would you like to view the Newbie Guide?"
As soon as he opened his eyes, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind, and a translucent dialogue box appeared before him.
"I… I've activated a golden finger?"
He rubbed his eyes, muttering dazedly to himself.
"'Grow Stronger by Eating' System? What a crappy name. This dream isn't good; I need to change it."
So, he decisively rolled over and closed his eyes again. He wanted to get a bolder cheat in his dream and really enjoy himself.
The next moment, a cold wind crept down his neck.
"No! Wasn't I in my own bed? Where is this…?"
Ryan sat up and finally sobered up. But before he could finish his sentence, a complex surge of memories suddenly flooded his brain. He instinctively clutched his forehead and spent a long time sorting through them. Then, he understood.
He realized he had truly transmigrated, his soul entering the body of a twelve-year-old boy in the Taisho era.
The memories just now came from the original owner of this body.
The original owner was born into a wealthy family in Sakura Country, received a good education from a young age, possessed both good looks and knowledge, and had a bright future ahead of him.
Unfortunately, everything changed starting last year. The original owner's father suddenly became addicted to gambling, not only losing all their family assets but also accumulating a mountain of debt from relatives. In the end, he simply abandoned his wife and son and ran away.
And the original owner's mother, unable to bear the shock, passed away from illness a week ago.
Having lost his parents, with their family assets seized by the gambling house, and no relatives willing to take him in, the original owner transformed from a pampered young master living in luxury to a homeless orphan.
Without a place to live or a source of income, he had no choice but to wander and beg, eventually stumbling into the Yoshiwara Pleasure District.
Which was where Ryan was now.
At the end of the memories, which was this morning, the original owner saw a dirty child being bullied by a few ruffians. His remaining kindness kicked in, and the child, gathering his courage, dragged his body, which had been starving for two days, to intervene.
The outcome was self-evident.
The unlucky child took a blow to the head and collapsed instantly. It was at this moment that Ryan took over the body.
This was the whole story of his soul transmigration.
After a moment, he reluctantly accepted this terrible reality. Actually, it wasn't too bad, after all, he had more than ten years of experience than the original owner, and he also had a system to rely on.
At this moment, he no longer found the system's name to be low-brow.
Taking a deep breath, Ryan chose to view the Newbie Guide in his mind. Whether he could defy fate depended on this golden finger!
The next second, a new system panel appeared before his eyes.
Host: Ryan Carter
Current World: Demon Slayer
Age: 12 years old
Skill Point Progress: 0%
Abilities: None
Newbie Guide:
This system allows the Host to gain varying percentages of energy by eating. Once energy reaches 100%, it directly converts into one Skill Point. These points can be used to upgrade various skills.
Skill Upgrading: 0 to 1 consumes one point, 1 to 2 consumes two points, and so on. Level 3 skills are the limit for ordinary people, while levels 5-7 are the limit for geniuses.
To inquire about the energy percentage obtainable from various foods, please expand the "Diet Guide."
He decisively clicked to expand it. After expanding, a long list appeared. After a quick scan, Ryan generally understood.
To put it simply, meat and fish are stronger than vegetarian food, medicinal cuisine is stronger than meat and fish, and among medicinal cuisines, the older the year, the more energy percentage gained.
After reading it, Ryan was both surprised and delighted.
He was happy that the system was simple, crude, and very practical. He was surprised that he had arrived in the Demon Slayer world, and specifically in Sakura Country.
According to the original work's setting, this country harbored a large group of man-eating demons. Even the lowest-level demons possessed terrifying regenerative abilities, making them almost immortal. More powerful ones could even use various superpowers, commonly known as Blood Demon Art.
Aside from fearing the sun's power, these demons had virtually no weaknesses against ordinary humans.
And having read the original work, he knew that the Yoshiwara Pleasure District, where he was currently located, harbored Upper Moon Six, which was the sixth-ranked demon in terms of strength.
Thinking of this, Ryan's fear outweighed his joy.
Although the system was good, it was clearly a late-game golden finger. If he were truly chosen by Upper Moon Six, he would still only be able to be eaten obediently. To ensure his safety, he had to find another way. What should he do?
The most direct way was to escape from here, but where to escape to?
For a young beggar, nowhere in Taisho-era Sakura Country was safe. Continuing to wander might lead to an even quicker death.
If he didn't escape, then what should he do? Could it be…
As he pondered, a wave of dizziness and a surge of hunger struck him simultaneously. His sitting posture gave way, and he lay down weakly.
At this moment, he understood again: he didn't need to worry about Upper Moon Six at all.
"Compared to demons, what I really need to worry about is how to fill my stomach."
A self-deprecating smile touched his lips, and Ryan closed his eyes, falling unconscious again.
He didn't know how long it had been when Ryan was shaken awake.
"Where am I…? Hmm?"
He sat up, still disoriented, when he caught the scent of food. Then, a black and yellow rice ball was held to his mouth.
Can this thing be eaten?
He thought so in his heart, but his mouth instinctively bit into it.
So delicious!
Without bothering to chew slowly, Ryan took another bite, then another, and in no time at all, he had eaten it all, leaving nothing behind.
"Ding! Host consumed one low-quality rice ball. Skill Point energy progress +0.001%"
Where did that prompt come from?
Before he could recall properly, a broken bowl was extended before him, filled with clear water.
"Gulp, gulp!"
Ryan took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, then licked his lips.
That's right, I remember now! He still had a system.
His reason was finally no longer dominated by hunger. At this moment, he truly came alive. He looked gratefully to the side.
"Thank you for saving my life. I will definitely… Oh, it's you!"
Appearing before Ryan was a dirty, scrawny child, so thin that it was hard to tell their gender. They looked only eight or nine years old but seemed like an experienced beggar.
The child's only distinct feature was probably those pale purple eyes.
Through these eyes, Ryan recognized the child at once, because the original owner of this body was beaten precisely for trying to save the person in front of him.
Perhaps Ryan's tone was a bit excited, as the child shrank their neck.
"You don't seem to be very injured. It seems my intervention against those ruffians wasn't entirely useless after all."
The child nodded blankly, as if expressing gratitude.
"But I still need to repay you. I saved you once before, and now you've saved me once. We have a life-and-death bond now. How about we get to know each other? My name is Ryan Carter, what's yours?"
He had just arrived in this world and was unfamiliar with the people and places. This child was his best window to understand the situation, so it was necessary to build a good relationship.
"I… I don't have a name."
"Ah, this…"
The child's first sentence interrupted Ryan's train of thought.