A few days later.
Kuguruma Natsunishi returned once again to the deep mountains where the Cultivator, Kazami Saruyoshi, resided.
"Mr. Kazami, I'm back!"
Seeing the small hut in the distance and the elderly man watering the fields, the boy called out a greeting from afar.
During the past few days, he had been practicing his Breathing Style and sword forms during the gaps in his journey. However, he was still quite far from Level 4...
If only he could run into a few more of those "high-quality dungeons." He could focus entirely on grinding mobs and leveling his skills.
He had managed to hoard 1 Achievement Point, but he needed at least six more to reach Level 4. If he dumped all his points in at once, he wouldn't be maximizing his efficiency, which felt like a bit of a loss...
As he was lost in thought, he saw the old man in the distance set down his yoke and water buckets. The elder then began rushing toward him.
At first, it was just a quick pace, but he grew faster and faster, his robes billowing and snapping in the wind. In Kuguruma Natsunishi's "special effects" vision, the figure dashing toward him didn't look like an old man running at all. It looked like an ancient beast howling forward, riding atop an invisible storm.
That speed, those effects. His "cheap master's" Wind Breathing had to be at least Level 5 or higher.
"It's been a while, Master—"
Thump!
Kazami Saruyoshi pulled Kuguruma Natsunishi into a deep embrace, his grip so strong it was almost painful.
"It's good you're back, you brat."
Huh?!
What kind of special plot development was this?
Kuguruma Natsunishi was genuinely surprised. Did he skip some kind of affinity event? Before he left, this cheap master was always scolding him with a stern face, telling him his "breathing was sloppy" or his "sword strikes were soft." Why was he suddenly so... out of character?
After a moment of dazing, Kuguruma Natsunishi chose not to skip the dialogue. Come to think of it, this game was far too realistic. The exhaustion from days of travel, the thrill of the blade drinking blood, the lingering fear of a brush with death, and now... the heavy warmth coming from the old man's embrace. None of it could be summarized by the short status characters on the system panel.
In a trance, Kuguruma Natsunishi suddenly remembered a Lunar New Year many years ago. He had returned home from another city carrying his luggage; when he pushed open the door, he saw his father standing in the glow of the lights. At that time, his father had also given him a silent embrace. When Kuguruma Natsunishi felt a bit overwhelmed, his father had laughed and patted his back.
It was the same warmth.
"Mas—Mr. Kazami," Kuguruma Natsunishi gently patted the old man's slightly hunched back, his voice softer than he realized. "The selection is over. I've returned."
Why did his nose feel itchy? Damn it, you "dog developers," making me get emotional over something like this!
That night.
For once, he didn't train or strategize, choosing instead to get a good night's sleep. By the time he yawned and made his way to the training hall the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
This sleep was incredibly refreshing; all his fatigue and negative debuffs had vanished. Kuguruma Natsunishi sat down across from Kazami Saruyoshi and began eating the oden the elder had prepared.
Again, he didn't skip the story. He ate while excitedly recounting his experiences on the road, telling stories that made the old man—who hadn't traveled far in a long time—fume and huff.
"What do you mean 'high stats'? 'Special skills'? 'Unbalanced end-game'? Oh, you mean those demons have better physical bodies than us? Indeed, you can't face them head-on..."
"What? You actually encountered a demon with a Blood Demon Art?! No wonder your sword was replaced. You've worked hard, Natsunishi..."
"You've even mastered Total Concentration? To progress so quickly..."
"You're saying the Master might be a conspirator? Impossible, absolutely impossible. Whether it was the predecessor or the current Master, they are all gentle and brave people..."
"You even saved other swordsmen? Huh? And there was a young girl? Quick, tell me the details..."
"You could even suggest custom weapons? This is the first I've heard of it..."
...
"I truly didn't expect it. Even though you've only trained for a year, Natsunishi, you are already a mature swordsman." Kazami Saruyoshi sat upright and addressed Kuguruma Natsunishi. "It's truly impressive! Naturally, I should no longer treat you like a child. There are certain things I ought to tell you."
"There are many types of demons. Aside from the common ones and those who have gained more power by eating humans—"
Kuguruma Natsunishi nodded. During this trip, those were essentially the types he had slain. No technique, no skills; aside from a few individuals with excessively high attributes, they were basically trash mobs. Not just for him—any swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps could handle them as long as they were careful.
"But the truly dangerous ones are those who have mastered special abilities known as 'Blood Demon Arts.' Just like the one you encountered in the Final Selection. They possess unique, specialized abilities, and their individual strength is considered top-tier among demons. Coupled with their unknown abilities, they are exceptionally dangerous."
Having said this, Kazami listed several demons that had left a deep impression on him in the past. There was a demon that could teleport by stomping on the ground. A demon that could emit inextinguishable flames through its gaze. A demon that could trap people in hallucinations through hypnosis.
"If you don't know their abilities, no matter how strong your swordsmanship is, you might fall into their trap."
Understood, they're gimmick bosses, Kuguruma Natsunishi thought. Like that demon with the "Rust" ability; a single touch meant "Weapon Destroyed." Without a Nichirin Sword, a regular swordsman had no way of dealing with it.
"However..." Kazami continued, "even those demons with Blood Demon Arts are not the most dangerous. Because no matter how terrifying the ability, the demon using it is still made of flesh and blood. They can be decapitated by a Nichirin Sword. And if they are decapitated, they die. Natsunishi, once you start executing missions on your own, you must pay attention to a demon's eyes. Especially those with numbers in their eyes: the Twelve Demon Moons."
Kazami took a deep breath and warned him with total seriousness. "If you see them, you must immediately have your Kasugai Crow call for backup. Request a higher-ranked swordsman, or even a Hashira, for support. Do not think about defeating them alone, because they are not opponents you can overcome right now. Calling for help, stalling for time, or even dragging it out until sunrise to force them to retreat—all of those count as a victory for you. If all else fails, abandoning the mission to escape is also acceptable."
Kuguruma Natsunishi was surprised. This wasn't the kind of thing he expected his old-fashioned master to say. And the Twelve Demon Moons?
Kuguruma Natsunishi asked, "So these demons aren't Four Heavenly Kings, they're twelve? Are we doing the Zodiac here?"
"They are the Twelve Demon Moons," Kazami corrected. "There are six Upper Ranks and six Lower Ranks. Each of them has physical stats far exceeding common demons, and they've all mastered unique Blood Demon Arts. You could say they are the elite guard of the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji."
Kuguruma Natsunishi asked curiously, "What about this Demon King? How strong is he? Can he solo his own twelve guards?"
As a fan of power-scaling, how could he not be curious about this?
Seeing Kuguruma Natsunishi's emotions visibly spike at the mention of the demon, Kazami reminded him, "I don't know how strong he is, but he is certainly stronger than his guards... the Demon Moons. Because all demons were created through his blood. As the creator of all demons, one assumes he wouldn't be weak. I'm telling you, don't think about seeking revenge against him now; that's just suicide. He is not an opponent you or I can defeat currently. Furthermore... there has been no definite information on him for over a hundred years. No one knows where he is."
Oh, a mysterious final hidden boss. Kuguruma Natsunishi figured the developers probably hadn't finished the character yet and he was just a background figure for now. He didn't feel any fear; instead, he felt a bit of anticipation. After all, isn't conquering the challenges and difficulties set by the designers through strategy and skill what players live for? Conquering those hurdles one by one for that sense of satisfaction and the in-game rewards was what players like Kuguruma Natsunishi valued most.
He continued to ask, "Putting the Demon King aside, Mr. Kazami, let's talk about the Twelve Demon Moons. If you encountered one, what would be your chances of winning?"
After all, Kazami was the highest-statted ally NPC he had met so far. Using him as a reference, he could roughly estimate the strength of the Twelve Demon Moons.
Kazami fell silent, ultimately deciding to tell the boy the truth. "The Lower Ranks... though they are replaced from time to time... they are not invincible. If I were in my prime, I might be able to defeat Lower Rank Three or Four if I put my life on the line."
Kuguruma Natsunishi asked, "Master, have you seen a Lower Rank?"
Kazami replied with a hint of annoyance, "I haven't, but I've seen swordsmen who killed Lower Rank Three or Four. I pride myself on being no worse than them."
Tsk, what a proud old man, Kuguruma Natsunishi thought. But these Demon Moons really were formidable. Master Kazami's current stats were around 187, plus a Level 5+ Breathing Style. Based on the demons Kuguruma Natsunishi had fought, even if a common demon reached 200 or 300 in stats, they likely wouldn't be able to defeat Kazami. No, wait—it would be different if you accounted for Blood Demon Arts. That Rust Demon had stats below 50, but it was more of a threat than ones with 70 or 80. If those Twelve Demon Moons had high stats and powerful Blood Demon Arts, they really weren't something an ordinary swordsman could mess with.
In that case...
"What about the Upper Ranks? How strong are the Upper Ranks of the Twelve Demon Moons?"
He was met with Kazami's silence. It was a long time before the old man spoke. "I don't know."
Don't know? Does my cheap master think the gap is so large he wouldn't last a few moves?
"Because," Kazami said, "for the past hundred years, no one has lived to tell the tale after seeing an Upper Rank."
"They're all dead?"
"Yes. All dead."
Every Demon Slayer team that encountered an Upper Rank had been wiped out. Since they died, no intelligence was ever brought back. No one knew what those six Upper Rank demons looked like, where they were hiding among the millions of people in this land, or what their abilities were.
Kuguruma Natsunishi frowned. "What about the Hashira? Aren't there nine Hashira? Surely they must know something."
As the highest combat power of the Demon Slayer Corps, they should have strength comparable to the Upper Ranks. Standard game settings usually dictated that the "God of Death Organization" was weaker than the villains initially but could later trade blows with the "Masked Devils."
However, Kazami merely glanced at him and shook his head again.
"I was talking about the Hashira."
"The Nine Hashira are almost never at full capacity. Part of the reason is the scarcity of talent within the corps. But the most significant reason is that the Upper Rank demons have slaughtered a vast number of Hashira. Even for the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, surviving an encounter with an Upper Rank is nearly impossible."
Kuguruma Natsunishi was stunned. "They're that powerful?"