[Deployment successful. Pioneer, please review the world details and your missions]
As the sensation of weightlessness faded, fresh air filled Kurosaki Rei's lungs. He opened his eyes to a beautiful, idyllic landscape.
There was no one around. The blazing sun hung high in the sky; clouds were thin and the breeze gentle.
After confirming that the surroundings were safe, Kurosaki Rei began checking the menu.
[Mission World: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba]
[Mission World Type: Derivative]
[World Difficulty Level: lv.5–15]
World Overview:
The era is Taishō-period Japan.
Legend has it that after the sun sets, vicious demons emerge to devour humans. There are also demon hunters who slay demons and protect the people.
Whenever happiness is destroyed, the air is always filled with the stench of blood.
Those who have been drenched by rain raise umbrellas—Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, even if their bodies perish, will still cut down demons!
As the gears of fate begin to turn… you have arrived.
Demon Slayer Corps:
An ancient organization with several hundred members. Though not officially recognized by the government, it has existed for a very long time and has been known since ancient times as "demon hunters."
Nichirin Blade:
The exclusive weapon of the Demon Slayer Corps. Forged from Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore—metals that absorb sunlight. Severing a demon's neck with such a blade prevents regeneration.
Total Concentration Breathing:
A collective term for techniques developed by the Demon Slayer Corps to fight demons with human bodies. By strengthening cardiopulmonary function and allowing the blood to absorb massive amounts of oxygen, these techniques drastically enhance physical abilities in an instant, granting strength comparable to demons.
[Current World Exploration Progress: 0]
[Current Location: Mount Sagiri]
[Current Identity: Disciple of the Former Thunder Hashira]
After skimming the world information, Kurosaki Rei began reviewing his main quest.
[Main Quest (Phase One): The Path of Demon Slaying]
Objective:
Successfully pass the Demon Slayer Corps Final Selection three days from now, officially graduate as a Demon Slayer, and ensure that your junior disciple, Agatsuma Zenitsu, survives the selection.
Quest Difficulty: Easy ~ Normal
Quest Reward: 10,000 Terminus Coins
Failure Penalty: Erasure
[Side Quest: Demon Hunter]
Objective:
In this world, killing ordinary demons grants Terminus Coins based on the target's strength. Killing members of the Twelve Kizuki will always drop a treasure chest. This side quest may be completed repeatedly.
Quest Difficulty: Easy ~ Nightmare
Quest Reward: Terminus Coins / Treasure Chests
Failure Penalty: None
[Tip: Killing enemy-faction Explorers in this world has a double chance of dropping a Fallen One's Chest]
[Tip: The faction reputation system for this world has been activated. Please review it]
Putting the main and side quests aside for the moment, the final two tips from the Terminus Space were particularly thought-provoking.
Kurosaki Rei stroked his chin. This was clearly encouraging Explorers to slaughter and compete against one another. He knew that killing another Explorer in a mission world had a chance to drop a Fallen One's Chest.
Some powerhouses in the Terminus Space made a living hunting Explorers—after all, "murder and arson pave the road to riches." Sometimes, opening a single Fallen One's Chest was worth more than several missions combined.
Kurosaki Rei himself hadn't killed many Explorers yet. He had only eliminated one violator before, and that person hadn't dropped any chest.
Thinking of this, his gaze shifted to the phrase "will always drop a treasure chest" in the side quest description.
Could it be that killing powerful NPCs in a mission world also had a chance to drop treasure chests?
…Probably not, right? In his previous world, he had slaughtered Shen Wulong and all the forces under him, yet he hadn't seen a single chest.
Kurosaki Rei considered his luck fairly decent, so he decided that such a mechanic definitely didn't exist. Yes—certainly not.
"Rei~ Senior Brotheeer—!"
Just as Kurosaki Rei was deep in thought, a soft, drawn-out voice came from behind him.
He turned to see a round-browed teenage boy with short, golden hair running toward him while crying. The boy wore a black Demon Slayer uniform and a yellow haori patterned with triangles. Tears streamed down his face as he ran.
"Rei~ Senior Brother, save me! I don't want to take the Final Selection!"
Crying loudly, he lunged toward Kurosaki Rei—but Kurosaki Rei calmly extended a hand and pressed it against the boy's shoulder.
Perhaps because of his young age, Zenitsu was rather short, only about 164 cm tall. With Kurosaki Rei holding him back by the shoulder, Zenitsu couldn't advance an inch; his arms and legs flailed uselessly without even touching Kurosaki Rei, creating a rather comical scene.
"Zenitsu, stop trying to act cute in front of your senior brother. You must take the selection the day after tomorrow!"
Not far behind Zenitsu, a short elderly man slowly caught up. He leaned on a cane, had a large scar across his face, and his right leg was a prosthetic.
Kurosaki Rei guessed this was his and Zenitsu's master—Kuwajima Jigoro.
He casually scanned the old man with his appraisal skill. Even with his disabilities, Kuwajima's attributes far surpassed those of ordinary people—proof of how years of Breathing training had improved his physique.
As for Agatsuma Zenitsu, who was trying to cling to him, his normal overall attributes were around 12 points. If he activated Total Concentration Thunder Breathing, his explosive output would probably exceed 17.
Seeing their stats, Kurosaki Rei's interest in the Breathing Styles of this world skyrocketed.
Because he knew Zenitsu was still in his relatively weak phase. Based on Zenitsu's attributes, the strongest of the current Hashira—the Stone Hashira—likely had attributes exceeding 30 points, and reaching 35 points at full burst wouldn't be surprising at all.
After all, in the manga, the Stone Hashira trained by pushing massive boulders weighing dozens of tons. His numbers couldn't possibly be low.
The Stone Hashira was naturally strong. Kurosaki Rei was also naturally strong.
So if he trained with Breathing Styles, just how far could his attributes rise?
"Senior Brother~ you know, right? I've only learned Thunder Breathing First Form! And Grandpa actually wants me to go to the selection—I'll definitely die!"
Zenitsu clung tightly to Kurosaki Rei's arm, his face full of cowardly panic.
Kurosaki Rei felt somewhat helpless. He knew Zenitsu was actually quite strong—at least among the younger generation in this world, he was already a powerhouse. Passing the Final Selection wouldn't be a problem.
The issue was that this guy was far too timid. He lacked confidence when awake and only unleashed his true strength after falling asleep.
Back when Kurosaki Rei had binge-read the series, he'd even seen comments from other Explorers jokingly calling Zenitsu the "Sleep Hashira."
"Zenitsu, you have to believe in yourself," Kurosaki Rei said. "Grandpa watched you grow up. You already have the strength to pass the selection."
Faced with Zenitsu's crying and rolling around, the old man was equally helpless. He then glanced at Kurosaki Rei.
"And you too—how can you say things like that in front of your senior brother?"
Zenitsu froze for a moment. He then released Kurosaki Rei's arm, lowered his head, and spoke apologetically.
"Sorry, Senior Brother Rei… I forgot. You still haven't learned Thunder Breathing yet…"
Kurosaki Rei was momentarily stunned.
The Space had only given him an initial identity—it hadn't provided him with any memories this time, so he wasn't entirely sure what was going on.
But he quickly understood the situation.
This was the opportunity to learn Breathing Styles granted by the Terminus Space—a form of early-world welfare.
Compared to Muzan's faction, the Space had to maintain a degree of fairness. If that side could obtain the demon bloodline at the start, then this side naturally had to be given access to Breathing Styles.
"It's fine," Kurosaki Rei said with a smile. "I feel like I've had some kind of breakthrough lately. Maybe this time I'll be able to learn Thunder Breathing."
He gave his own acting a score of six out of ten—probably passable.
Kuwajima Jigoro looked at Kurosaki Rei with a mix of relief and anticipation.
"Oh? Then I'll take you two brothers through the key points of Thunder Breathing once more. Zenitsu, listen carefully too. Even if you only know First Form for now, that's fine. Grandpa believes you'll become an outstanding Demon Slayer one day."
Kurosaki Rei had been a child Kuwajima picked up years ago. For unknown reasons, he had lost his memory—when Kuwajima found him, Kurosaki Rei only remembered his own name. Based on that name alone, Kuwajima guessed he was of Eastern origin.
What delighted the old man was that Kurosaki Rei possessed incredible innate strength. Even without training in any Breathing Style, he already had power far beyond ordinary humans.
Kuwajima believed that once Kurosaki Rei mastered a Breathing Style, he would become an excellent Demon Slayer—perhaps even a Hashira.
However, despite how quickly Kurosaki Rei learned sword techniques, he just couldn't grasp Breathing Styles, which had always been a great regret for the old man.
Even though Kurosaki Rei had applied multiple times in the past to join the Demon Slayer Corps, Kuwajima had rejected him every time. On one hand, Kurosaki Rei didn't know any Breathing Styles and would be in grave danger against powerful demons. On the other, Kuwajima still hoped he could teach Kurosaki Rei Thunder Breathing.
An ordinary Demon Slayer might not change the overall situation much—but a Hashira was different.
Kuwajima firmly believed that if Kurosaki Rei learned a Breathing Style, he would possess Hashira-level combat power.
With that thought in mind, Kuwajima began teaching—or rather, reviewing—with Kurosaki Rei and Zenitsu.
He hoped Kurosaki Rei would finally grasp Thunder Breathing.
And he hoped Zenitsu would continue to improve through repetition.
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