Compared to the uniqueness of the Nichirin Swords, the Demon Slayer Corps uniform appeared much more unassuming.
The upper body featured a modern-style standing collar jacket with a striking "Destroy" character printed on the back, while the lower body consisted of loose, hakama-style trousers. Although it was simpler and more streamlined than the attire of most people in this era, it still exuded a distinct Far Eastern style.
Natsunishi tugged at his sleeves curiously.
The members of the Kakushi had explained that the garment was woven from a special material that was breathable, moisture-proof, and fire-resistant. It could even withstand slashes from ordinary sharp weapons—roughly to the extent that a commoner wielding a blade would be unable to cut through it.
However, Natsunishi felt that there wasn't much of a change after putting it on. The system didn't pop up with a "Defense +10" notification.
After the Kakushi members took their leave, Natsunishi finished equipping himself and prepared to set out for his first mission. To his surprise, before he left, Urokodaki and the two youngsters presented him with some small gifts.
"Senior Natsunishi, I wish you fortune in battle."
What Sabito and Giyu handed him was a hand-woven green cord knot; the color was identical to the green patterns on Sabito's haori.
"Please wear it. It will be as if we are always fighting alongside you."
Giyu added, "I will catch up... (to Senior's pace, and even gain the strength to protect both Senior and Sabito.)"
It wasn't just the two children. The old man wearing the Tengu mask also silently handed over an object—a fox mask with a look so simple it bordered on dim-witted.
"This is a Warding Mask. It may be able to protect you from misfortune once when it arrives."
"My boy, although you have passed the Final Selection, you must still be extremely careful on your first mission."
"You must not be careless."
A wooden carved mask and a hand-woven knot. These were exactly the kinds of things they would make.
Natsunishi stuffed the last dried persimmon sent by Kaki-chan into his mouth and tied the mask and the knot to the belt of his uniform. He waved goodbye to the group.
"I'll take my leave then. I'll visit you again another day with souvenirs!"
After his practical training with Urokodaki, Natsunishi had specifically invested another point of "Achievement Effort," raising his Water Breathing to LV.2. Whether it was his attributes or his swordsmanship, both had made significant progress under this diligent tempering.
At this moment, compared to when he first left the mountain, Natsunishi's attributes had improved immensely.
Kuguruma Natsunishi [Scepter] [Chariot] [Star]
[Energy Level: 70]
┣ Body: 31
┣ Skill: 23
┗ Spirit: 16
Combat Skills—
┣ [Wind Breathing] LV.3 (489/2000)
┗ [Water Breathing] LV.2 (37/1000)
Life Skills—
┣ LV.2: [Physical Training], [Cooking], [Running]
┣ LV.1: [Suburi], [Camping], [Fishing], [Logging], [Sewing], [Cleaning], [Medicine], [Poison Making]
┗ LV.0: [Foraging], [Farming], [Teaching], [Anatomy], [Pharmacy], [Carpentry]
Remaining Achievement Points: 11
After glancing at the system panel, Natsunishi added in his Spirit: Plus Urokodaki's Warding Fox Mask, the friendship knot of Uchiha and Uzumaki, the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, and several Nichirin Swords.
At this moment, he felt terrifyingly strong. Just based on the attributes on his panel, he was already worth nearly half a Kazami Sarayoshi. He wondered if the demons in this mission would be enough for him to "waste."
Ame Village was not too far from Mount Sagiri. Guided by the Kasugai Crow, Shiro, Natsunishi crossed several mountains and arrived at dusk.
It was just a village of several dozen people. There were no ninjas or samurai stationed there. At the entrance of the village, a few farmers sat scattered about, smoking tobacco. Other than that, there was almost no one in sight.
"Hey, kid, it's almost dark. Wandering around alone outside—be careful you don't run into danger." One of them offered a kind reminder to Natsunishi.
Meanwhile, the companions around him tugged at his sleeve and shot him a warning look. That unique uniform and the conspicuous katanas at his waist were, in the eyes of simple farmers, a collection of trouble.
The man who had first spoken clicked his tongue and said to his companions, "He's just a half-grown kid, look how panicked you guys are." He then turned to Natsunishi. "Hey, kid, looking at your outfit, you must be from the city. Hurry up and go home. There's nothing worth seeing in these mountains."
It's a story NPC!
Natsunishi's eyes lit up. He didn't get angry; instead, he stepped forward quickly. "Uncle, has anyone gone missing in the village lately? Or have any livestock been dragged away by wild beasts?"
"Go on, go play somewhere else." The men had little interest in chatting with Natsunishi.
Natsunishi tried asking several more times using different methods. Aside from successfully making the men stop acknowledging him altogether, he gained nothing.
Could it be that I haven't triggered some prerequisite quest, or I've missed some key information, causing the mission to stall? It couldn't possibly be that my communication style is the problem, right?
Refusing to believe he was stuck, Natsunishi began asking around the village.
"Big sister, has anything strange happened in your village?"
"Young man, has anyone died here?"
He had asked almost everyone, yet he hadn't obtained any useful information. Finally, Natsunishi managed to catch an old farmer strolling slowly along.
"Old gentleman, has anything unusual happened in the village recently?"
The old farmer puffed on his pipe, his cloudy eyes glancing at the three Nichirin Swords at Natsunishi's waist. He shook his head vaguely. "Nothing at all. It's quite peaceful."
His tone carried the instinctive detachment and wariness that villagers felt toward strange samurai. Even though the Sword Abolishment Act had been in effect for decades, in the hearts of many elderly people, "Samurai" remained figures symbolizing power, oppression, and danger. They were unwilling to have too much interaction with an unknown, strange warrior.
Left with no choice, Natsunishi picked a random direction and headed into the deep mountains. If he couldn't get answers in the village, he would try his luck in the mountains.
Unsurprisingly, by noon the next day, Natsunishi still hadn't encountered the demon from the mission.
Natsunishi muttered to himself, "This part of the game where you look for clues is way more troublesome than slaying monsters." He poked the Kasugai Crow on his shoulder, which did nothing but eat and sleep. "Hey, Kuro, don't you have any specific intel on the demon?"
The crow turned its head away indignantly. "I am Shiro! You bastard Kuguruma! I'm not Kuro, caw!"
"Fine, fine. Most beautiful and radiant Lord Shiro, do you have any intelligence regarding the demon in this mission?"
"None," the crow replied, its anger subsiding slightly. "The Kakushi discovered human remains that had been gnawed on, caw! There was the scent of a demon!"
"Where exactly?"
"I don't know, caw!"
The fawning smile vanished from Natsunishi's face. "Useless."
"Caw???" The black bird flew up to a tree branch in a huff and ignored Natsunishi.
Natsunishi scrolled through the system again. There were no quest markers, no auto-pathing, and no mini-map.
"Hey, System? Hello, classmate System?" Natsunishi tried a voice activation, but after a long moment, there was still no response. Clearly, this game did not include an intelligent assistant.
Natsunishi felt his blood pressure starting to rise. As expected, what he hated most in JRPGs were the forced roadblocks due to lack of clues and navigating mazes.
Where were the hints? Where were the clues? Where was the prerequisite info?
"Um... sir, would you like something to eat?"
Just as he was fuming, a middle-aged woman with a distressed expression timidly offered him a clean rice ball wrapped in cloth.
Natsunishi instinctively wanted to refuse. But upon seeing the name above the woman's head, he suddenly realized something. He had seen this woman yesterday. She had looked like she wanted to say something but was hesitating—she clearly had something on her mind!
In a flash of inspiration, a circuit clicked in Natsunishi's brain. He gently pushed away the rice ball she offered, his expression shifting into a stern, business-like demeanor.
"I appreciate your kindness, but we are not permitted to accept food or drink while on a mission."
The woman froze. Your Excellency? On a mission? Could this person be...
Natsunishi recalled the spy movies he had watched in the past. He adopted a somber and cold look that was about eighty to ninety percent convincing.
"I imagine you've noticed I'm not a local." Natsunishi made a show of scanning the village nonchalantly before continuing, "My visit to your village is for the purpose of executing a mission."
Hope suddenly flared in the woman's eyes. She asked tentatively, "Then, sir... are you from the Neighborhood Association or the local police station?"
What are those? Never heard of them.
"Ahem," Natsunishi said solemnly. "I am a senior agent of the Tokyo Special Tasks Section Nine, Demon Slaying Mobile Unit. Do you understand?"
"I have come here to investigate a case of missing persons."
Faced with Natsunishi's nonsense, the woman naturally didn't understand. Even the tongue-twisting pronunciation of Natsunishi's fabricated title was beyond her. Nodding in a state of being "impressed without understanding," she asked hesitantly, "But you are so young..."
Natsunishi didn't bat an eye. He quickly flashed Mr. Kazami's recommendation letter before her eyes.
He followed up immediately: "That is because I am a genius. At the age of fourteen, I obtained the Menkyo Kaiden at the Nameless Kamikaze Style Dojo in Kagoshima. Thus, I was recruited as an exception by the Metropolitan Police Department's Special Tasks Section Nine."
The woman was completely hoodwinked. Her gaze instinctively fell upon Natsunishi's clothes.
"This is the new uniform from Tokyo. Only those in Section Nine who handle special cases are allowed to wear it. Shh—do not speak of this to others."
At this point, the woman believed him about seventy to eighty percent. However, feeling flustered and helpless, she whispered, "Mr. Secret Police, where is your service pistol? Why... are you only wearing three katanas?"
Natsunishi acted impatient. "I told you, I'm a genius. Three-Sword Style. Do you understand Three-Sword Style?"
The woman covered her mouth, now fully convinced. "Mr. Secret Police, can you help me?"
Natsunishi smiled. The plot point had finally connected.
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