[Deployment successful. Pioneer, please review the world details and your missions.]
As the sensation of weightlessness faded, fresh air filled Luke’s nostrils. He opened his eyes to find a beautiful pastoral haven before him.
There was no one around. The sun hung high overhead, while light clouds drifted across a gentle sky.
After confirming that it was safe, Luke opened the menu.
[Mission World: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba]
[Mission World Type: Derivative]
[World Difficulty Level: Lv. 5–15]
World Overview: It is the Taisho era.
Legend says that after the sun sets, evil Demons emerge to devour people. There are also Demon Slayers who kill Demons and protect humanity.
Whenever happiness is shattered, the scent of blood fills the air.
Those who have stood in the rain raise their umbrellas for others. Even if Demon Slayer Corps members are utterly destroyed, they will still slay every Demon!
Just as the gears of fate begin to turn... you arrive.
Demon Slayer Corps: An ancient organization with hundreds of members. Though it has never been recognized by the government, it has existed for a very long time and has been known since ancient times as the Demon Slayers.
Nichirin Blade: The specialized sword of the Demon Slayer Corps. It is forged from Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore, materials that absorb sunlight. Severing an ordinary Demon’s neck with one prevents it from regenerating.
Total Concentration Breathing: The collective term for techniques developed by the Demon Slayer Corps to fight Demons with human bodies. Primarily used to strengthen the heart and lungs, allowing the blood to absorb massive amounts of oxygen and greatly boost the body’s capabilities in an instant, granting physical abilities comparable to those of a Demon.
[Current World Exploration: 0]
[Current Location: Mount Peach Blossom]
[Current Identity: Disciple of the Former Thunder Hashira]
After skimming through the world information, Luke checked his main mission.
[Main Mission, Phase One: The Path of Demon Slaying]
Mission Details: Successfully pass the Demon Slayer Corps’ selection three days from now, complete your apprenticeship and become an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps. Ensure that your junior disciple, Zenitsu Agatsuma, survives the selection.
Mission Difficulty: Easy–Normal
Mission Reward: 10,000 Endspace Coins
Failure Penalty: Erasure
[Side Mission: Demon Slayer]
Mission Details: In this world, killing ordinary Demons grants varying Endspace Coin rewards based on the target’s strength. Killing a member of the Twelve Kizuki is guaranteed to drop a treasure chest. This side mission may be completed repeatedly.
Mission Difficulty: Easy–Nightmare
Mission Reward: Endspace Coins / Treasure Chests
Failure Penalty: None
[Hint: Killing Explorers from hostile factions in this world doubles the chance of a Dead Man’s Chest dropping.]
[Hint: This world’s faction reputation system has been activated. Pioneer, please review it.]
The main and side missions could wait. It was Endspace’s last two hints that were worth pondering.
Luke rubbed his chin. Was this encouraging Explorers to slaughter one another and compete? He knew that killing Explorers in mission worlds came with a chance of dropping a Dead Man’s Chest.
Some of Endspace’s powerhouses regularly hunted Explorers. Murder and plunder made fortunes; sometimes, the profit from opening a single Dead Man’s Chest surpassed the rewards from several missions.
Luke himself had not killed many Explorers yet. He had killed one Rulebreaker, but that guy had not dropped a chest.
Thinking of that, Luke looked again at the side mission’s phrase, “guaranteed to drop a treasure chest.” Could killing powerful NPCs in a mission world also have a chance to drop chests?
Probably not, right? In the last world, I steamrolled Shen Wulong and every force under him, but I didn’t see a single chest...
Luke considered himself fairly lucky, so he figured there probably was no such mechanic. Yes, that had to be it.
"Luuuke—Senior Brother!"
Just as Luke was thinking, a soft, drawn-out cry came from behind him.
A boy in a black uniform came running toward him. He wore a yellow haori patterned with triangles and had short-to-medium blond hair and rounded brows. Tears filled his eyes as he ran and cried.
"Luuuke—Senior Brother, save me! I don’t want to take the selection!"
Crying out, he threw himself at Luke. Luke simply reached out and held him in place by the shoulder. Perhaps because he was still young, Zenitsu was rather short, around 164 centimeters. With Luke’s hand on his shoulder, he could not advance another inch. His arms and legs could not even reach Luke, making the scene look rather comical.
"Zenitsu, stop trying to act cute with your senior brother. You have to take the selection the day after tomorrow!"
Not far behind Zenitsu, a short old man slowly caught up while leaning on a cane. A large scar crossed his face, and his right foot was a prosthetic.
Luke guessed that this was his and Zenitsu’s master, Jigoro Kuwajima. He swept the man with his scouting skill. Even crippled, the old man possessed attributes far beyond those of an ordinary person. Years of Breathing Style training had improved his physique.
As for Zenitsu Agatsuma, who was trying to cling to Luke and sob, his normal overall attributes were around 12 points. If he used Total Concentration Thunder Breathing, the attributes he could unleash in an instant should exceed 17 points.
Seeing their attributes, Luke immediately became deeply interested in this world’s Breathing Styles.
He knew that the current Zenitsu was still a relatively weak version of himself. Judging from Zenitsu’s stats, the strongest among the current nine Hashira—the Stone Hashira—probably had attributes above 30 points. It would not be surprising if his full-power burst reached 35.
After all, Luke had seen in the manga how the Stone Hashira trained by pushing boulders weighing dozens of tons. His stats could not possibly be low.
The Stone Hashira possessed innate superhuman strength, and so did Luke. Once he trained in a Breathing Style, how far could his attributes rise?
"Senior Brother, you know, right? I only learned the First Form of Thunder Breathing! And Grandpa still wants me to take the selection—I’m definitely going to die!"
Zenitsu clung tightly to Luke’s arm, looking utterly pathetic.
Luke was a little helpless. He knew Zenitsu was actually quite strong—at least among the younger generation in this world. Passing the selection would not be a problem. The guy was simply too cowardly and lacked confidence in himself. Only after falling asleep could he unleash his true strength.
When Luke had caught up on the anime, he had even seen comments from other Explorers jokingly call Zenitsu the Sleeping Hashira.
"Zenitsu, believe in yourself. Your grandfather has watched you grow up. You already have the strength to pass the selection."
The old man was equally helpless in the face of Zenitsu’s whining and rolling about. Then he looked at Luke. "And how can you say such things in front of your senior brother?"
Zenitsu froze at that. He then released Luke’s hand, lowered his head, and spoke apologetically. "Sorry, Senior Brother Luke. I forgot... you still haven’t learned Thunder Breathing..."
Luke was also taken aback. Endspace had only given him an initial identity this time, not any memories, so he had no idea what was going on.
But he quickly understood the situation. This was Endspace’s opportunity for him to learn a Breathing Style—essentially this world’s opening benefit.
To remain relatively fair compared to Muzan’s faction, Endspace had to balance things out. That side could receive a Demon bloodline at the start, so this side naturally gave Explorers a Breathing Style.
"It’s fine. I feel like something has clicked for me lately. Maybe I’ll be able to learn Thunder Breathing this time."
Luke said it with a smile. He gave his acting a six out of ten. It should pass.
Jigoro looked at Luke with relief and expectation. "Oh? Then I’ll go over the key points of Thunder Breathing with both of you brothers once more. Zenitsu, listen carefully too. It doesn’t matter if you can only use the First Form right now. I believe that one day, you’ll become an outstanding Demon Slayer."
Luke was a child Jigoro had found several years ago. For some reason, the boy had lost his memories. When Jigoro found him, Luke remembered only his own name, so Jigoro could only infer from it that he came from the East.
But to Jigoro’s delight, Luke had been born with immense strength. Even without practicing any Breathing Style, he possessed superhuman power. Jigoro believed that once Luke learned a Breathing Style, he would become an outstanding Demon Slayer—perhaps even a Hashira!
It was just that Luke learned every sword technique remarkably quickly, yet he had never been able to grasp Breathing Styles. That had always been a great regret to Jigoro.
Although Luke had applied several times in the past to join the Demon Slayer Corps, Jigoro had rejected him every time. On one hand, Luke did not even know a Breathing Style, making it easy for him to die against a powerful Demon. On the other, Jigoro still hoped that he could teach Luke a Breathing Style.
A slightly stronger Demon Slayer might not make much difference to the overall situation, but a Hashira was another matter entirely. Jigoro believed that as long as Luke mastered a Breathing Style, he would possess Hashira-level combat power!
With that in mind, Jigoro began teaching—or rather, reviewing—the basics with Luke and Zenitsu.
He hoped Luke would master Thunder Breathing, and that Zenitsu would continue improving through this review.
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