Chapter 63: New Occupation, Martial Artist
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Aoki Spent a pleasant day with his little apprentice.
Night falls.
Aoki sat in the yard, waiting silently. After Butterfly Kanae reported that he was willing to spar with the Hashira, it was said that all the Hashira showed considerable enthusiasm. Today, the first pillar is coming.
Boom, boom, boom.
Slightly heavy footsteps sounded, growing clearer and clearer from far to near. Soon, an extremely tall young monk walked in.
Aoki raised his eyes. "Oh? Is the first one the heaviest?"
"Long wait! Amitabha!" Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together.
The Rock Pillar, Gyomei Himejima, was undoubtedly the strongest member of the contemporary Demon Slayer Corps. He was a true genius, with no shortcomings in terms of physical fitness, mental will, and understanding. He was also one of the few people who could master the "Transparent World." If "Space Shuttle" hadn't exerted great restraint on him, Aoki wouldn't have won the previous battle so easily.
"Please enlighten me!" Aoki stood up and assumed the "Aoki Style" starting position without further ado.
Gyomei also took out his own weapons—a broad axe and a meteor hammer connected by a long chain.
Kanae, Shinobu, and Kanao appeared quietly and watched from a distance.
Boom!
They both moved at the same time. Gyomei swung his chain and slashed at Aoki with the whistling axe. Aoki kicked off, bent his body at an obtuse angle to dodge the axe, and continued to rush towards Gyomei.
He did not intend to use "Space Shuttle." The purpose of sparring with the Hashira was to gain combat experience. Using "Space Shuttle" to overpower opponents would be pointless. Despite his powerful strength and the "Transparent World," Aoki easily suppressed Gyomei. However, he deliberately controlled his power and did not end the fight quickly. Gyomei had practiced the Breath of stone to the extreme, perfecting his moves and demonstrating impeccable fighting awareness and skills. He was an excellent learning opponent.
Aoki gradually became immersed in the battle, his strength growing and his moves becoming fiercer. Gyomei struggled more as the fight progressed. His moves were quickly read by Aoki, and no matter how they changed, they couldn't escape Aoki's sight. His physical exertion was increasing.
Suddenly, Aoki's fist passed through Gyomei's defense.
Boom!
Gyomei was thrown back and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Today..." Aoki began to speak but was interrupted by a familiar voice in his mind.
[Ding dong!]
Aoki was stunned. What happened? There was no demon killing, no upgrade—where was the system prompt?
[Congratulations, you have obtained the profession "Martial Artist"!]
"Huh? A new career?"
Aoki was excited and quickly opened the system, revealing a brand-new page.
[Martial Artist]
Quality: ☆
Level: lv1 (0/100)
Skills: Martial Arts Heart (yet to learn), Combat Intuition (yet to learn), Body Control (yet to learn), Indomitable Will (yet to learn)
"Martial Artist!" Aoki muttered to himself.
Initially, when he only had the "Hunter" profession, he considered finding ways to acquire many professions to gain skills and attributes. However, after taking up the role of "White Walker," he abandoned this idea.
"Hunter" is a half-star profession. Other professions, such as doctors, teachers, soldiers, etc., if they exist, are most likely also half-star. It took him more than half a year to reach the full level of "Hunter," earning a total of 2 free attribute points. When a "White Walker" levels up, it grants 2 attribute points. With the attributes given by "Demon Blood," the improvement from one "White Walker" is equivalent to the sum of dozens of half-star professions.
Compared to "White Walker," the pay-to-reward ratio of a half-star career is dismal. The skill intensity of half-star professions is limited. Several "Hunter" skills were useful early on but became less effective as he grew stronger. For example, "Eagle Eye" provided a fixed value bonus to vision, which was no longer necessary for him.
However, this is not absolute. For instance, "Hunting Instinct" improved his ability to identify prey traces, which is still useful. But it wasn't worth spending a lot of time and energy seeking half-star professions for such minor improvements.
Thus, he did not deliberately collect half-star professions and focused entirely on "White Walker." Demons are not permanent. Following the original trajectory of this world, Demons would disappear in four years. Without Demons, he wouldn't be able to upgrade, and the 2-star profession of "White Walker" would become useless.
Acquiring multiple professions and gaining numerous skills and attributes is a valid strategy, but the goal should be extraordinary careers, not half-star ones—such as demons or breathing swordsmen.
Certainly, after "White Walker" reaches full level and Muzan Kibutsuji is defeated, bringing peace to the world, he could try to collect some half-star professions. Two attribute points are still an improvement.
He welcomed professions like "Martial Artist" that awaken automatically without extra effort. The name of this profession also intrigued him.
Aoki carefully examined the skills of "Martial Artist," and his surprise grew stronger. All four skills were passive:
- Martial Arts Heart: Increases talent for learning and creating martial arts moves.
- Combat Intuition: Enhances decision-making in battle, increasing combat talent.
- Body Control: Improves control of strength, coordination, flexibility, and other effects.
- Indomitable Will: Enhances mental resilience; the more you fight, the stronger you become.
Similar to "Hunter," the skills of "Martial Artist" do not directly increase martial arts levels but improve his talent and set a higher ceiling. Comparing "Hunter" and "White Walker," Aoki gained a clearer understanding.
"Half-star professions do not involve extraordinary power, and their skills focus on improving capabilities."
In this way, "Martial Artist" was the most suitable half-star profession for him. Despite having established his own combat system, he was still lacking in combat awareness and skills compared to Akaza, Gyomei, and other skilled masters. Akaza had practiced for hundreds of years, and the pillars built upon the achievements of their predecessors, enduring long and rigorous training. Catching up with them wasn't easy.
Now, there was finally a chance. The skills of the "Martial Artist," especially the first three, were designed to enhance combat skills. The bonus of the "Martial Artist" to his strength would far exceed that of the "Hunter."
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