Bloodtooth silently watched the youth in the forest.
Young, traveling alone, and possessing abundant vitality—he was a delicious piece of bread.
The demon, growing excited, struggled to suppress its hunger as it pondered how to prepare its prey. Should it break his limbs and swallow him whole while he was still fresh? Or should it let his fear ferment, savoring the mellow aroma of despair? To eat fresh, or to eat with flavor... such a blissful choice. It truly was a difficult decision.
The murky glint in Bloodtooth's eyes swirled as it couldn't help but lick its sharp fangs. As for the katana by the boy's side? It didn't give it a second thought. Aside from sunlight and those formidable members of the Demon Slayer Corps, the resistance of an ordinary human wasn't enough to warrant concern. In fact, that kind of futile defiance often served as a tasty garnish for its meal.
Judging by the boy's shabby attire, he clearly didn't belong to the Demon Slayer Corps. It was just after nightfall in the middle of nowhere; no one would respond to a cry for help. It had been quite a while since the demon had tasted fresh meat, and it wondered how many people it would have to eat before catching the eye of that adult once more to behold her elegance.
Before Bloodtooth could make a decision, it noticed the boy in the distance suddenly tilt his head and scan his surroundings. Finally, the boy locked his gaze directly on its position.
"A keen sense of perception? That makes me even more expectant~"
Discarding its stealth, Bloodtooth rose and walked toward the boy with a frivolous stride, eventually stepping into the circle of firelight. As the light hit its face, Bloodtooth split its mouth wide, revealing a jagged grin of fangs that stretched back to its ears. It was always more fun to play with the food before eating.
As expected, upon seeing its inhumanly muscular physique, the boy's first reaction was to place his hand on the hilt of his sword. According to the demon's past experiences, the next step would be the familiar turning to flee, or perhaps a panicked, desperate swing accompanied by a roar to bolster his courage. It had already pre-visualized the encounter.
However, the boy's behavior was unlike anything Bloodtooth had seen before. He simply brushed himself off, stood up with his sword in hand, and walked toward the demon in a slow, methodical manner. There was no fear or panic in his eyes. Instead, he cast a look at Bloodtooth that made the demon feel uneasy.
It was a look of scrutiny and curiosity.
Muscles tensed as the previously suppressed killing intent and bloody aura began to emanate from the demon's body.
"Hoh? Instead of running, you're approaching me voluntarily? Admirable courage. I can't wait to stuff your sexy, delicious body into my stomach!"
"Young man, aren't you afraid?" For once, Bloodtooth posed a question to its food. Deep down, you must be terrified, right?
The boy, however, asked a relevant question of his own. "So, you're a demon?"
Kuguruma Natsunishi drew his sword. The emerald-green blade glinted under the firelight. He looked at the humanoid creature before him, which stood roughly two meters tall. Its face was blue like iron, its fangs protruded outward, and its muscles were knotted like the gnarled roots of an old tree. A pair of crimson pupils burned brightly in the dark night.
"If you have a name, I guess you count as an elite mob?"
Before the demon could respond, the sharp Nichirin Sword was already slashing toward its neck. Predictably, the moment the attack was launched, the demon known as "Bloodtooth" entered an active state.
Action followed reaction. Its right claw swung out like a steel whip, forcefully parrying the Nichirin Sword. The strength was immense—after all, its stats were higher than Kuguruma Natsunishi's. He wondered if there were hidden racial modifiers involved.
Kuguruma Natsunishi didn't panic. Amidst the spray of sparks, he used the opponent's force to spin his body. The blade traced a chilling horizontal line, narrowly grazing the demon's throat.
It should have landed. However, relying on its extraordinary physical constitution, the demon used an irrational exertion of force to jerk half a step backward.
Kuguruma Natsunishi licked his lips with excitement. A Constitution of 28 was no joke; it was ten points higher than his own. Even though he had used a clever technique, the impact of that last strike had numbed his palms, and the Nichirin Sword had almost flown out of his hand. Even more interesting was that this AI could actually make special evasive maneuvers in an instant based on his move transitions. This combat system...
"You're actually quite interesting," Kuguruma Natsunishi couldn't help but remark.
Bloodtooth frowned. "Are you from the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Kuguruma Natsunishi replied, "Not yet."
"Oh?" The murky fluid in Bloodtooth's eyes churned violently. "So you're a samurai then? Coincidentally, it's been years since I've tasted the flesh of a samurai."
"Oh, so there's a trash-talk phase too," Kuguruma Natsunishi thought.
He settled into a sword stance and took a deep breath. A scorching current of air escaped from between his teeth. His solid chest thrummed like a war drum.
Let's continue. Let me see the mechanical strategy of this game—whether it focuses on "Footsies and Whiff Punishing" or "Stamina Resource Management."
[Wind Breathing]
Here it comes. The power surging through his limbs due to the breathing technique was channeled into a single point by the youth. The power slammed into the ground from the soles of his feet, kicking up a circle of dust—
Bang!
Transforming into an afterimage, the Nichirin Sword dragged a violent storm in its wake, lunging straight for the demon.
[First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter]
The demon showed no fear. Grinning hideously, it transformed its claws into two spears, thrusting them directly into the center of the storm.
The campfire was extinguished instantly. But the darkness provided no nighttime advantage to Bloodtooth—because the one being "blown out" along with the fire was the demon itself.
The man-eating demon, Bloodtooth.
The sneer froze on its blue-gray face. The malice in its pupils was instantly replaced by vacancy. Its head detached from its neck... falling to the ground with a thud.
"I've... been decapitated? How could this brat be so strong?!"
Its body continued to struggle, limbs flailing like a decapitated cockroach—the final, frantic screams of peripheral nerves. In reality, it was beyond saving.
Following the brief shock and anger, a subtle feeling flooded its mind—a sensation of a haze lifting. No wonder the boy's initial gaze had made it feel uncomfortable. The look the boy had used to size it up from the start was no different from the curious gaze of a child seeing a piglet for the first time.
Looking at a piglet? Something like that had happened before... right, it was my younger brother...
The head on the ground began to crack. Like yellow joss paper set ablaze during the Qingming Festival, it began to drift away into the air. At last, Bloodtooth remembered its own name and the memories it had forgotten. Turned into a monster by a monster, it had committed and indulged in these cannibalistic atrocities.
However, at this moment, he was in no hurry to communicate with the departed souls in the depths of his memory. He looked at the youth before him—the one who had set him free.
"Brat... what is your name?"
"Kuguruma Natsunishi."
"To have met such an extraordinary brat..."
Whether it was an illusion or not, Bloodtooth felt as though the boy seemed a bit distracted.
Of course he was distracted! Kuguruma Natsunishi was currently somewhat bewildered.
"Come on, man. Weren't we just testing each other with basic attacks, getting ready for a skill-based brawl? I used a Breathing Technique and a Sword Form. Why were you still using basic attacks?!"
"And for heaven's sake, couldn't you at least try to dodge? No matter how long your reach is, could it be longer than my arm holding a meter-long katana?"
"The result was a one-hit kill?"
The biggest takeaway Kuguruma Natsunishi had from this fight was that fighting these monsters without lights was annoying due to poor visibility. Anything else? Nothing. It wasn't even as satisfying as testing skill combos on wooden stakes in the training hall.
"That's it? Where's the balance designer? How do you fill in the stats for a level like this?"
Watching the demon's status panel turn from a red [Bloodtooth ???] to a green [Bloodtooth (Ino Shin)], he saw the opponent seemed to have something more to say. Vague images began to flicker in his field of vision.
"This unsatisfying first battle ends, and I still have to watch a cutscene?"
Having casually given his name, Kuguruma Natsunishi decisively selected [Skip Cutscene].
When the world—which had turned somewhat glitched due to the acceleration—stabilized again, only a small, inconspicuous pile of ash remained before him.
"What was he trying to say again?" Kuguruma Natsunishi scratched his head and glanced at the system panel.
"Sigh, I knew it. Killing mobs really does increase experience."
[Wind Breathing LV.2]
[A Basic Understanding]
[Progress: 221/1000 (+48)]
"Actually, brother, you weren't entirely useless. I've received your final 'sentiment.'"