Word count: 1534
<—>
Fujino strolled along the mountain path, a gentle breeze tousling his clothes, but he was too absorbed in his thoughts to care.
He was contemplating the Final Selection, particularly two key points. First, he learned that any quests marked with a star were actually main quests, significant to the overall story. Since he hadn't watched the anime, he didn't know what lays ahead.
Second, he pondered the purpose of the Final Selection itself, aside from its connection to demons. Perhaps it was a trial set by the "Demon Slayers" he had heard about, or at least that was his main theory. This led him to an important question.
Should he really join them?
On one side, he would be part of a group with like-minded individuals who had the resources and knowledge to hunt demons. On the flip side, he had the Demonic Assimilation to consider.
He was conflicted. Sure, it had saved his life and made him stronger than most, but the nature of it and how it activated troubled him.
To trigger it, he had to consume demons, which the thought itself made him feel disgusted. As for becoming a demon himself, he didn't harbor hatred towards them. Fear? Absolutely. But not hatred.
His hatred he felt towards them stemmed from that fear. Even now, he was haunted by nightmares of his first fight. The mere thought of being devoured alive sent chills down his spine.
He absolutely didn't want to die.
Then there was the Demon Slayer Corps. What if they discovered his Demonic Assimilation? Would they shun him? kill him? Or worse, use him for experiments?
Not to mention, he had a strong hatred to authority. The idea of being under someone else's command didn't sit well with him at all.
His musings were interrupted when he spotted wisteria trees lining the path, their bright purple hues complementing the surrounding greenery and the starry sky. Fujino felt appreciation wash over him; they were like a breath of fresh air, pulling him back to the present.
He may have "borrowed" a branch or two from them.
After that, he climbed a set of stairs illuminated by lanterns on either side until he reached an open field. There were pillars with talismans hanging between them, and about twenty people milling about, who he guessed were demon slayers based on the swords at their sides.
To be honest, most of them seemed pretty average, except for two. One was a young girl in a pink kimono adorned with a butterfly ornament, and the other was a kid in a yellow kimono with matching yellow hair. Fujino would bet his balls that these two were significant characters in the anime.
'Observe'
[ —> Flower Breathing Swordswoman
Name: Kanao Tsuyuri
Level: 27
Health: 400/400
Stamina: 600/600]
[ —> Thunder breathing Swordsman
Name: Zenitsu Agatsuma
Level: 15
Health: 250/250
Stamina: 360/360
A timid, weak-willed, and anxious individual. Zenitsu never received proper guidance as a child and often found himself in trouble. Adopted by a former Hashira demon slayer, he was pushed to train and hone his skills to become a demon slayer.
He's terrified and nervous about the final selection but wants to prove himself to his adoptive grandfather. He's also wondering if there are any cute girls he could flirt with.]
'What the fuck is this "breathing" thing?' This wasn't what Fujino had expected at all. He knew these people were tough enough to face demons, but he had never heard of this "breathing" stuff before.
Now that he thought about it, that demon slayer he met earlier had a rhythmic breathing pattern too.
'Is that how they fight demons? They just breathe funny? If that's the case, how do I learn it?' Fujino decided he would make it his mission to learn these breathing techniques by the time the final selection rolled around.
With nothing better to do, he leaned back against a pillar, closed his eyes, and waited for the trail to start. But of course, fate had other ideas.
"What are you doing here?" a voice barked. Fujino opened his eyes to find himself staring down one of the generic-looking wannabe demon slayer.
"None of you're business, piss off."
"It absolutely is! Do you even know where you are? This is the demon slayer corps' final selection, not a place for a civilian like you." the wannabe slayer shot back.
"I know, genius. That's exactly why I'm here," Fujino replied, already annoyed and contemplating how many teeth to knock out. He was so done with this guy that he didn't even bother using Observe on him.
The slayer took a good look at him and laughed. "Oh really? And just how do you plan on fighting demons without a sword?"
He leaned in closer. "Let me guess, You're just here to leech off us, right? You're weak yet you want to join so badly just so you get paid without doing any real work like the rest of us! You're just a pathetic loser—"
Fujino grabbed the kid by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "One more word," he said calmly, but his voice dripped with venom. "Give me one. More. Fucking. Word." With each word, he tightened his grip, choking the kid who could only flail helplessly.
Ignoring the stares from onlookers, he clenched his fist, ready to smash this brat's face into the ground—
"Stop!" A hand caught his, and Fujino locked eyes with a boy dressed in a sky-blue kimono adorned with cloud patterns, wearing a kitsune mask and sporting an ugly red scar on his forehead.
"We shouldn't be fighting each other, especially not here!" the newcomer exclaimed. "We're here to fight demons and helping others, not turning on one another."
Usually, Fujino would have brushed off the kid or given him a smack, but this time he didn't. Why? Because he recognized the boy. How could he not? He was looking at the protagonist, after all—the one at the center of the story.
'Observe'
[ —> The Protagonist
Name: Tanjiro Kamado
Level: 20
Health: 305/305
Stamina: 244/400
A kind-hearted and compassionate individual, Tanjiro is the eldest of five siblings and was thrust into the role of family provider. After witnessing his family's murder and his sister's transformation into a demon, he vowed to avenge them and find a way to save her.
Wants to prevent a fight from occurring, even if it means stepping in physically.]
Fujino was about to retort when the soft voices of two children caught his attention.
"Everyone... We thank you for coming here tonight."
"Everyone... We thank you for coming here tonight."
He turned to the front, where two children stood with identical bob cuts and matching purple kimonos featuring flowing patterns. They looked exactly alike, right down to their eyes. The only difference was that one had black hair and the other had white.
"To the demon slayer corps Final selection"
"To the demon slayer corps Final selection"
'Creepy ass kids' He unceremoniously let go of the swordsman he was holding and focused on them. 'Is it just me, or is one of them a boy? Oh well, only one way to find out.'
'Observe'
[ —> Ubayashiki family heir
Name: Kiriya Ubuyashiki
Level: 1
Health: 30/30 (Cursed)
Stamina: 30/30
The middle child among his quintuplet siblings, he is the only male in the Ubayashiki family and the sole heir. Due to his family's background, he has to dress and behave like a girl for his own safety.
Eager to explain the Final selection and prays for the participants' safety.]
[ —> Kagaya Ubuyashiki's daughter
Name: Kanata Ubuyashiki
Level: 1
Health: 40/40
Stamina: 40/40
The youngest of her quintuplet siblings, she is one of the many females in the Ubayashiki family.
Eager to explain the Final selection and prays for the participants' safety.]
Fujino squinted at the (Cursed) debuff, puzzled by how the boy could be cursed when he appeared completely healthy. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to set it aside and concentrate on the two children.
"There are demons trapped here on Mt. Fujikasane," Kanata began. "They were captured alive by the demon slayer swordsmen and can't escape."
"This is because wisteria, which demons hate, blooms all year round from the base of the mountain to halfway up," Kiriya added, causing Fujino to freak out since their voices were so similar.
"However, there's no wisteria beyond this point, which means demons are plentiful," Fujino observed that neither of the children showed any change in expression, almost like they were robots.
"You'll need to survive here for seven days to pass the Final Selection."
"And now, be on your way"
"And now, be on your way"
Both children bowed to the participants.
'Well... That was... Interesting.' He couldn't find any other way to describe it. But at least he now had a clear understanding of what the Final Selection entailed.
[Objective Updated!
—>★Final Selection
The final Selection is a test where the Demon Slayer Corps sends its recruits on a suicide mission to survive for seven days on a mountain swarming with demons. being the tough man you are, you are ready for the challenge.
Main Objective: Complete the Final Selection
Bonus Objective: Kill 15 demons (0/15)
Bonus Objective: Rescue 5 Participants (0/5)
Main Reward: 50,000 XP
Bonus Reward: 10,000XP - 5 STR - 5 DUR - 5 AGI - 5 END
Bonus Reward: 10 CHR]
"Hey Tanjiro, Let's do our best." he exclaimed before sprinting away, leaving Tanjiro bewildered, wondering how this stranger even knew his name.
<—>
Taisho-era secrets!
Fujikasane Mountain isn't a real one in his original world, which left Fujino surprised and wondering how different the geography here is compared to his own.