"It's Grandfather Zigg's memory."
Roy held his cane sword in his left hand and opened his right, "conjuring" the short-hilt... Specks of light gathered....
Demon Slayer World.
Noticing that the sword hanging on the south wall had abruptly disappeared again.
Giyu Tomioka, having packed his bags, looked back at the sleeping young man. He exchanged a glance with Urokodaki Sakonji. They were used to it.
He reached out, pushed open the door, and set off on his journey back.
"I will report everything that has happened these past few days to the Master."
Giyu Tomioka said.
He didn't know, nor did he much care... what a sensation his "defeat" as a "Hashira" at the hands of "Eiichiro" would cause for the Master and the Demon Slayer Corps!
Returning this time, armed with the "Crimson Sword" method, he had only one thought... convince Ubuyashiki Kagaya to provide all intelligence on the demons.
Urokodaki Sakonji silently saw him off. Beside him were Sabito, Makomo, and the other disciples. No one said anything. This was Giyu Tomioka's duty. They just hadn't expected the young man to come and go so quickly, unwilling to stay even one more night.
They didn't know when they would meet again, or if... there would even be a next time....
'Is Senior Brother Giyu really not going to say goodbye to Eiichiro?'
'Leaving without a word... that guy will definitely be angry when he wakes up, right....'
"He won't." Sabito glanced teasingly at Makomo. "Giyu is busy, but Eiichiro is even busier. Didn't you see?"
"That guy even summoned his short-hilt in his dream. He must be fighting someone... Only we... are the idle ones..."
Makomo tilted her chin and stared at Sabito for a while. "You seem very happy, Senior Brother?"
'Senior Brother Giyu has left... Eiichiro is about to leave the mountain... We don't know when we'll be gone... What is this?
Making light of a bad situation?'
Sabito smiled and didn't explain.
Setting aside the fact that they were already souls, Giyu mastering the "Crimson Sword" meant the Demon Slayer Corps had mastered the "Crimson Sword." And with Eiichiro about to make his debut... the fox-masked boy... could faintly see the demons' doom approaching!
'At that time, people will work at sunrise and rest at sunset, no longer having to worry about being eaten when they go out at night. They can walk the night roads in peace, run night markets. One can visibly foresee... what a beautiful and harmonious world that will be.'
"Senior Brother." At this moment, Giyu Tomioka's call pulled Sabito back from his thoughts.
Giyu Tomioka, wearing his haori of red, yellow, and white, bowed to everyone. When he straightened up, he said: "I'm leaving."
"Whoosh." A cold wind swirled around him, as if in response.
Under the silent gazes of Urokodaki Sakonji, Sabito, Makomo, and all his other disciples....
He turned, gripped his sword, and took one last, deep look behind him. Then, he turned back, strode forward, and disappeared into the mountain forest, swallowed by the thick fog....
The moon was high, breaking through a wisp of fog, casting down a sliver of moonlight.
Makomo looked sorrowful. She suddenly asked Sabito: "Senior Brother, if we are destined to disappear, is there anything you still long for?"
Sabito was silent.
After a moment, he turned away from the direction Giyu Tomioka had left and walked towards the wooden hut.
"Rather than 'longing,' it's more 'curiosity'..."
A faint smile played on the fox-masked boy's lips. He looked gently at the sleeping Roy. "I'm very curious what that world in Eiichiro's dreams looks like."
"And who is he fighting right now."
[Tip: "C"-Class creature, "Pig-headed Man," has been recorded in the world of cognition]
[Monster Encyclopedia activated]
[Note: Host can record magical beasts in the Monster Encyclopedia by making contact]
[Through the Monster Encyclopedia, "Appraise" them]
Hunter World.
Test site, in the illusion.
With a thought, Roy conjured his short-hilt. With a sword in each hand, "Clang," he blocked a ferocious axe chop from the Pig-headed Man. He felt the immense power rushing from its tall body, his shoulders sinking. He nonchalantly glanced at the panel.
The appearance of a "new species" seemed to have triggered his Nen ability, the "Gate of Cognition," adding a "patch."
This "patch," named "Monster Encyclopedia," could "sort through" the "things" he saw with his naked eye, "process" them in his brain, and finally "summarize" them into a "catalog" or "system" dedicated to "containing and identifying" various "magical beasts."
In essence, it hadn't deviated from the established process of "what I see, what I hear, is what I know," thereby increasing his "cognitive knowledge."
'Well then, question.'
'Why wasn't the "Sandworm" from Grandfather Zigg's memory recorded in the "Monster Encyclopedia"?'
[Answer: Host did not see the full picture.]
'It's like it read my mind...' Roy instantly understood. Bracing against the Pig-headed Man's axe, he did a front kick, sending it stumbling back.
Creating distance, a string of information appeared before his eyes....
[Pig-headed Man Warrior]
[Class: "Barbarian"]
[Manifested Aura: C (120/100000)]
[Potential Aura: C (120/100000)]
'The "Manifested Aura" and "Potential Aura" are exactly the same...' Roy was quite surprised. He stared intently at the four-meter-tall monster before him. It raised its axe again, chopping at his head. He instantly realized this was an existence that had fully, completely developed its own "Nen"!
"Hand Axe · Heavy Strike!"
The striking power of an "Enhancer" was unquestionable!
The hand axe, wreathed in blood-red "Nen," tore through the air, creating a wind pressure that bore down fiercely....
Roy's left hand, holding the cane sword, suddenly swung up... [Magnetism · Repel], fixing the "hand axe" in place.
His right hand followed, leveling the "short-hilt" for a sudden "thrust"!
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Droplet Ripple Thrust"... straight for the Pig-headed Man's heart!
But... "Ding... Clang..." Two crisp sounds.
The hand axe clashed with the long sword. One was intercepted by Roy's cane sword, the other was blocked by the Pig-headed Man's counter-swinging left axe... For a moment, they were deadlocked. Then Roy felt his body sink, pressed down by the opponent's brute force!
The gap in constitution between a C-rank and his D-rank was exposed on the spot... This had nothing to do with skill, nothing to do with "mechanics."
It was purely about "stats"!
What's more, the opponent was a natural "Enhancer"!
"Gordian, assist me!" At this, the Pig-headed Man roared!
From the towering trees of the jungle, a broadsword came whistling out. It seized the opportunity when Roy was suppressed and unable to move...
...and flew straight at his waist!
The goal was direct and brutal: to cut him... in two!
'Fast... too fast... To be able to throw a broadsword like that...' Roy's eyes coated with [Gyo]. He turned his head for a glance. The earth trembled with "Dong... dong... dong..." muffled sounds.
Another Pig-headed Man Warrior, chasing the broadsword, came charging out. It looked even taller than the one suppressing him. The panel showed... [C(240/100000)]. 'As expected, another fully developed one!'
"Whoosh" The broadsword tore through the wind, arriving in an instant!
'If I don't find a way to break this "suppression," all that's left is death....'
'[Scorching True Intent], burn!'
'A pity Xiao Jin isn't here. No idea why it wasn't "charmed"....'
The young man's black hair moved without wind. His milky-white Nen instantly turned red, spreading along his katana, to the hand axe, and via the hand axe, to the Pig-headed Man... A sudden, miserable howl!
The Pig-headed Man, who was relying on brute force to suppress Roy, felt a sharp pain in its palm. It dropped its axe. It looked down... its fleshy palms, which were enhanced with [Ten], were actually burned with a string of blisters. It couldn't help but take two steps back, which just gave Roy a chance to breathe.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Waltz!"
With two swords in hand, he rubbed them against the air, starting a fire... The short-hilt and cane sword, already imbued with [Scorching], spun in a circle, forming two "rings of fire." One knocked away the incoming broadsword. The other, aiming for the gap as the Pig-headed Man looked down at its hand, slashed at its unarmored neck!
"Sshla—"
Flesh was cut open!
A spray of fresh blood erupted...
He had broken through the Pig-headed Man's protective "Nen" and cut deep into its neck!
With a "ROAR," the Pig-headed Man kicked out violently at Roy.
He saw that just one more blow would be enough to kill it. But beside him, the broadsword that had been knocked away flew back to the other Pig-headed Man Warrior's hand. It didn't hesitate, bringing another heavy slash down on Roy's head....
With no choice, Roy had to abandon his short-hilt, letting it stay embedded in the first Pig-headed Man's neck. He used his grandmaster "Dark Step" to float backward, narrowly avoiding the second Pig-headed Man's slash!
"KACHA!" The slash missed, hitting the ground... A fifty-meter-long gash was instantly formed...
The Pig-headed Man Warrior named "Gordian" snorted two dragons of air from its nostrils. It stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the heavily injured, axe-wielding Pig-headed Man. They flanked him, blocking Roy's escape.
"Swish... swish..." Two more Pig-headed Men appeared in the trees.
From deep in the jungle, a profound gaze suddenly shot over... Roy felt his body tighten, as if bound by a rope. He felt extremely uncomfortable. He frowned, raised a hand... and using [Magnetism · Attract], recalled his short-hilt....
'This time,' he thought, 'I've run into a tough one. I might have to "reset" a few times.'
Fifteen seconds... sixteen seconds... seventeen seconds... twenty seconds... Half a minute passed...
Outside the illusion, in the underground passage.
The young man stood out like a crane among chickens. He alone stood quietly with his eyes closed, "enjoying" the battle in the illusion....
He didn't know that the outside world, because of his endurance, had fallen into an eerie silence... The 400-plus people in the venue, plus one confused fat crow, all stared, speechless... Only the "tick... tock..." of the cuckoo clock could be heard...
Shock and dejection intertwined. Reflected in their "aura," the "gray" and "red" colors were dazzling....
Thirty-five seconds... forty seconds... fifty seconds... Nearly a minute passed... People started to get restless...—
One by one, people began to leave. The elevator opened and closed, "Klang klang" over and over. In an instant, more than half were gone—
Among them were many familiar faces, including Yusuke, the Snake charmer, and others.
"Pah! I can't believe it's this guy!" In a corner, Tonpa secretly glanced at Roy, burning with jealousy.
But he quietly suppressed it. He blended into the departing crowd, listening to everyone complain that this year was too hard, that it was a total waste of time...
He sneered inwardly, unfazed. 'Hard is good. If it's hard, you won't come back. The Hunter Association will see this, and next time it will be easy again. Maybe I'll get lucky...'
'Tense, then relaxed.' Tonpa had long figured out the pattern of the Hunter Exam. A pity his strength wasn't enough. Otherwise, among the ranks of "Pro Hunters," there should be a place for him, the "Great Tonpa"!
"Klang" The last elevator door closed.
All the examinees were gone. The only ones left were Kite, Kanzai, Illumi... and Gotoh and Kurajing, guarding Roy.
They didn't look at each other, just waited for one result.
"It's been two minutes." Geru, maintaining the "Phantom" character, glanced at Botobai.
The man, his face hidden by the Peking opera mask, said nothing.
His large hand rubbed his elbow. He was... faintly... excited!
"Three minutes!" In the barbecue restaurant at the entrance.
The two old men, full from their meal, sat at the bar, a cup of black tea in front of each. Behind them, the departing examinees, ignoring their indignant, resentful, or unwilling complaints, just stared with their old eyes at the young man on the screen, who was still immersed in the illusion with his eyes closed.
Neither spoke for a long time....
After a moment, Netero finally broke the silence, glancing over. "How long do you think he can last?"
Zeno rubbed his teacup, his head down, silent. He suddenly blurted out: "As long as he wants..."
Then he shook his head, almost laughing at the absurd thought that had just popped into his head...
'In the illusion, it's not just the Pig-headed Men. There's also... the [Pig-headed General]!'
'That guy is not easy to deal with!'