After being secretly sent back to Taoshan, Rika hugged Ryosuke and started crying.
Shota still hid in the shadows of the door frame, peeking.
Click, click, click—
Ear-piercing teeth-grinding sounds were incessant.
The emitted resentment materialized, enough to sustain at least three Evil Sword Immortals!
Tsk, useless big brother~
Ryosuke ignored him, rubbing Rika's head.
"Why are you crying? I'm not dead."
"What if, what if something really happened!" Rika's eyes were tear-filled.
"It won't. Your brother here is blessed with great fortune and a long life; I won't die."
Hopefully... the last three words were stuck in Ryosuke's throat.
"Blessed with great fortune, my foot!"
Jigoro arrived, leaning on his cane, intending to hit Ryosuke's head, but seeing his injuries, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"You've already completed the mission, why did you actively put yourself in danger?"
"Grandpa, if I didn't kill that demon, someone else would have."
Ryosuke's words meant he was afraid of others stealing the kill.
In his eyes, those demons weren't demons at all!
They were adorable experience babies!
"You child!"
Jigoro sighed.
Clearly, he misunderstood Ryosuke's meaning.
He thought Ryosuke was thinking of others.
This kind of personality isn't bad, but it's also very easy to lose one's life... Breathing Technique has miraculous effects on healing injuries. Within half a month, Ryosuke's wounds had already healed.
During this time, Shota also went on his first mission.
There was no other way; too many people passed the final selection, and there were too few demons suitable for new slayers to practice on.
Ryosuke sat on the edge of the training ground, deliberately lengthening the rhythm of each inhale.
The airflow seemed to solidify, drawing out the stagnant turbid qi within his body, and a subtle stinging sensation followed him like a shadow.
Total Concentration Breathing Constant.
This was the main method Ryosuke had been studying during this period.
To put it simply, it was about making Total Concentration Breathing a habit.
Whether eating, sleeping, going to the toilet, playing poker... constantly maintaining Total Concentration Breathing at all times.
This is the foundation of the Breathing Technique, the key to unlocking the body's limits, and incredibly important.
Simply put, Total Concentration Breathing is like activating an invincible mode.
After learning Constant Concentration, one can activate an invincible mode continuously, ignoring skill cooldowns, turning active skills into passive ones.
"Breathing is not about force; it's about integration."
Jigoro instructed from the side: "Lightning does not only exist during its burst; it is constantly brewing deep within the clouds, accumulating without striking, making its power even more intense."
Ryosuke tried again, but still failed.
This aspect of cultivation cannot be rushed.
Besides technique, it's more about habit.
After all, even a strong protagonist like Tanjiro struggled immensely when learning Total Concentration Breathing Constant.
[Hehe~ host, just a small year of lifespan will allow you to instantly master Constant Concentration, you know~]
The system's tempting voice rang in his ears.
"One year, huh..."
Ryosuke raised an eyebrow.
[That's right! Isn't it a great deal~]
Listening to the system's cheeky voice, Ryosuke had reason to suspect it was taking a cut from him.
[Dear host~ Have you made up your mind?]
"It's quite convenient."
Ryosuke smiled, then said: "Daka kotowaru!" (I refuse to punch in!)
You refused?!
System: (゜д゜)
Bad!
How to trick... no, how can I not persuade him!
Ryosuke kneaded his shoulders. On one hand, he needed to save ten years to heal his liver.
On the other hand... let alone a year, Ryosuke could learn Constant Concentration by himself in half a year.
The number of demons he killed was currently limited, and missions weren't available every day, so the lifespan points he could obtain were extremely limited.
In his previous life as a hoarder and a gaming otaku, Ryosuke knew how important it was to be meticulous in the early stages and to develop cautiously.
If he spent recklessly and encountered a Lower Rank demon, and didn't have enough lifespan points to allocate, he might very well kick the bucket.
Moreover, combat experience, reaction speed, and physical fitness.
These crucial factors in combat cannot be obtained by system allocation.
One must be strong to forge iron.
A peerless sword held by a baby, unable to maximize its power, is a blatant waste.
For Ryosuke now, the system was his greatest reliance and trump card, so he had to conserve as much as possible.
When he became a Pillar and had his own jurisdiction, he could then switch to a 'mowing down' mode, harvesting lifespan points without feeling bad about allocating them.
For now, however, he still needed to proceed steadily.
At this moment, a familiar blue shadow swooped in, landing on Ryosuke's shoulder.
"Caw! Yasui Ryosuke! Mission!"
"Kanagawa Prefecture! Consecutive disappearances of young girls late at night! Investigate immediately!"
Before Ryosuke could fully process the information, Hummingbird spoke again.
"Also! After the Master's Grand Council, Yasui Ryosuke has been promoted to Kinoe-ranked Swordsman! Caw!"
What the heck?!
Kinoe-ranked?!
Not just Ryosuke, but even Jigoro was stunned for a moment.
Rika, standing nearby, blinked her eyes, looking at Ryosuke with an expression of pure adoration.
"Wow! Big Brother Ryosuke is amazing! He's already Kinoe-ranked so quickly!"
Ryosuke's lips twitched.
The Demon Slayer Corps has a strict hierarchy, and high-ranked swordsmen have the authority to deploy lower-ranked swordsmen.
Each promotion requires completing missions and accumulating achievements.
He had only killed a few small fry and one troublesome Rokurokubi, and he had gone from Mizunoto directly to Kinoe... skipping four ranks!
This speed was simply outrageous!
Similarly, the higher the rank, the more dangerous the missions, and the stronger the demons.
This meant that Ryosuke had to face greater pressure and danger with this broken body!
Damn it!
That brat Ubuyashiki Kagaya!
Ryosuke roared in his heart.
At the same time, he was glad Shota had gone on a mission and hadn't returned yet.
If he knew Ryosuke was Kinoe-ranked... that sensitive, competitive heart of the young boy would probably explode on the spot.
Just imagining Shota's twisted expression of "How dare you be faster than me?" made Ryosuke's head ache.
"Got it."
Ryosuke suppressed the complaints in his heart and immediately began to pack his things and set off.
Along the way, he pondered the location of this mission.
Kanagawa... that wasn't too far from Asakusa.
Thinking of this, Ryosuke's heart stirred.
Asakusa was a very significant place!
A beautiful married woman lived there!
In the original story, Tanjiro met Tamayo and Yushiro in Asakusa.
At that point in time, Tamayo had been lurking in Asakusa for a long time.
This mission location was relatively close, so he could try his luck after completing it.
After all, to kill Scum Boss Muzan, Tamayo's medicine was essential.
Forming an alliance earlier would push the progress forward sooner.
Thinking of this, Ryosuke quickened his pace.
Several days later, Ryosuke disguised himself, putting on simple traveler's clothes, and blended into Kanagawa Prefecture.
He gathered information in places like teahouses, docks, and markets.
"Sigh, another one gone... Miss Akiku from the tofu shop on West Street, such a good child. The night before last, she said she was going to take a bowl of hot soup to her sick grandmother, and she never came back..."
"Yes, this is the sixth one! No one seen alive, no body found, just like they were swallowed by the night!"
"The Government investigated and investigated, but it was useless! They didn't even find a footprint!"
"It's very eerie! Someone said they heard strange singing in the middle of the night..."
"Uh-huh! I heard it too! It was so creepy!"
...A few days later,
An old fish vendor lowered his voice.
"Someone said that before those girls disappeared, they all seemed to have received seashells."
"Seashells?"
Ryosuke was puzzled.
"Yes, just those small seashells commonly found by the sea, nothing valuable."
The old man leaned closer, his voice still tinged with fear: "I heard they mysteriously appeared on their windowsills. At first, no one paid attention, and then..."
Ryosuke nodded, buying a few salted fish from the old man's stall.
The difficulty of this mission was indeed unusually high.
Clearly, this demon was completely different from the ones Ryosuke had previously slain.
He possessed a relatively clear mind and selectively chose his prey.
The seashells and the singing might even be related to his Blood Demon Art.
He would have to investigate again at night.
As night fell, Kanagawa was shrouded in a deathly fear, with every household's doors and windows tightly shut.
Only two figures appeared on the street, out of place.
The girl clutched the young man's sleeve tightly, her delicate body trembling, unable to stop glancing left and right.
"A-Ken, let's go back. So many girls have gone missing recently; it's too scary..."
The young man puffed out his chest, smiling.
"What's there to be afraid of! It's all just baseless rumors. The Government said it's just wandering kidnappers. With me here, no one would dare touch you, don't scare yourself!"
He gently patted the girl's cold hand, his tone softening.
"Besides, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight, it would be a shame not to come out and see it."
No sooner had he finished speaking than an extremely faint humming sound, like a spider's silk, drifted into their ears without warning.
The melody was strange and ethereal, neither male nor female, carrying a viscous allure that drilled deep into their skulls, swirling in their brain matter.
"A song... a song?"
The girl exclaimed.
A-Ken suddenly turned his head, trying to find the source of the sound, but his vision quickly blurred.
He tried to call out to the girl beside him, but no sound would come from his throat, and his body collapsed heavily, losing consciousness.
Meanwhile, the girl, who had originally been terrified, gradually calmed down amidst the singing, becoming hollow and numb.
She looked towards the depths of the street and began to walk, moving in an almost somnambulistic manner.
💎 Power Stone Bonus: Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter
🌟 5-Star Review Bonus: Every 5 (5-Star) Reviews = +2 Extra Chapters
💬 Comment Speed-Up: If any chapter reaches +10 Comments = The Next Chapter Will Be Released Faster!