Aoki appeared in the shadows of the alley and said, "Her senses are sharp. She really is the future Insect Pillar."
The girl looked a lot like the girl he had seen at Mount Natagumo. With her small size, it was definitely Shinobu.
He didn't expect her to be the guest Takina and Aunt Rie were waiting for.
"I remember Takina said in her letter that they met two Demon Slayers. Was Shinobu one of them? Kanae Kocho the other?"
Aoki touched his chin.
He couldn't think of any other reason why Takina and Aunt Rie would be connected to Shinobu.
"This is good. If Shinobu comes around often, there won't be any demons nearby."
Aoki glanced at the house where Takina and Aunt Rie lived, then left Shiroi without looking back.
He didn't plan to see them.
Muzan wasn't generous or reasonable.
The idea of "not harming family" would never occur to him.
Aoki thought Muzan valued him almost as much as the Ubuyashiki family, more than any Pillar.
For Takina and Aunt Rie's safety, the best thing was to stay away.
After seeing Takina and Aunt Rie, Aoki's luck suddenly improved. He found three strong demons in one month.
"Wait, don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" A demon with curved horns on its head shrank back in fear.
Aoki stopped. "Do you know the Upper Moons' location?"
"No, I don't."
As soon as the horned demon finished speaking, its head exploded.
"Then I'm sorry!"
Aoki politely pulled back his right foot and held out his hand.
"Devour!"
[Killed a demon, gained 80 experience.]
"Only 80 experience? Leveling up is getting harder!"
He sighed.
This horned demon was stronger than the Father Spider Demon from Mount Natagumo.
Did he need to fight Twelve Kizuki-level demons to get good experience?
But there were only a few Twelve Kizuki.
Could he ask Muzan to use more blood to create Lower Moon-level demons?
Aoki was thinking random things when the system notification appeared again.
[Skill Point +1.]
[Congratulations, you leveled up.]
"Oh? Double the luck!"
Aoki cheered up and forgot his random thoughts.
He had saved 2 Skill Points, and with this one, he could learn another skill.
Aoki opened the system.
He quickly added 2 free Attribute Points to Intelligence and Agility, then looked at the Skills section.
Which skill should he learn?
First, he ruled out Space Traverse.
Long-distance teleportation was tempting, but he needed combat power more.
Then, he ruled out Level 5 Demon Blood.
Demon Blood mainly helped him break his bloodline limit and become unkillable by decapitation.
It only gave "+1 to all stats" for combat.
4 stats were good, but not as good as the Transparent World.
Aoki didn't hesitate.
His 4 hard-earned Skill Points disappeared instantly.
Aoki felt the world become clear. Everything around him became transparent, and he felt absolute control.
"Is this the Transparent World?"
He murmured.
The Transparent World had two main effects.
First, it gave him special senses, like X-rays. He could see through things and directly see the human body. This sense was stronger than sight or hearing. He could see tiny muscle changes and blood vessel movement, predicting enemy actions and finding weaknesses.
This strong sense made it feel like enemies were moving slower.
Second, it helped him control himself. The strong sense worked on himself too. He could block his fighting spirit and control his emotions better.
This had an extra benefit.
"Others need to improve their breathing and swordsmanship to enter the Transparent World, but I'm doing it backwards."
Aoki said.
He used the system to unlock the Transparent World. Now he could use it to create, improve, and refine his techniques.
His fighting skills would improve quickly.
It was similar to Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Aoki exhaled, and the transparent world returned to normal.
He had skipped the breathing and swordsmanship training by using the system, but he hadn't reached Yoriichi's level.
It was hard for him to activate and maintain the Transparent World, and it used a lot of mental and physical energy.
Like Space Traverse, he couldn't use the Transparent World for long yet.
Aoki looked at the system panel. "The Transparent World can be upgraded. Level 2 should reach Yoriichi's level."
But he didn't have Skill Points for it yet.
With the current duration of the Transparent World, it was enough for one fight.
He didn't need to fight many battles in a row.
There were only two or three enemies stronger than him who needed the Transparent World.
If he excluded Muzan, there were even fewer.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 18]
[Constitution: 17]
[Intelligence: 18]
[Agility: 18]
[Class: Hunter, Aberrant Demon]
...
[Aberrant Demon]
[Quality: ★★]
[Level: lv13 (12/1300)]
[Skills: Demon Blood IV, Space Traverse, Transparent World, Devour Demon II]
[Mission: Upper Moon's End (1/3)]
Aoki looked satisfied.
He had finally unlocked all his skills.
He wasn't obsessive, but the "Not Learned" next to Transparent World bothered him.
His stats were almost all 18.
"I wonder how I compare to Kokushibo now?"
Aoki compared himself.
Kokushibo's swordsmanship was better, and he had Blood Demon Art. But Aoki's Blood Demon Art was good too. His fighting skills and awareness were worse, but he had Devour Demon, which made up for it.
They both had the Transparent World, and their stats were probably similar.
Aoki shook his head.
He needed to fight to know for sure.
But he couldn't find a target.
"It doesn't have to be Kokushibo. Akaza, Gyokko, Hantengu are fine. Any Upper Moon will do. I'm not picky."
Aoki smiled, closed the system, and disappeared into the night.
---
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