Mount Fujikasane.
It was a place of haunting beauty. Wisteria flowers bloomed out of season, creating a glowing purple canopy that repelled demons. Under this canopy, dozens of aspiring swordsmen gathered, their faces a mix of determination and terror.
Su Chen stood among them, adjusting the new fox mask Urokodaki had carved for him. It was white with red markings, but unlike Tanjiro's sun symbol, Su Chen's mask bore the mark of a "Void" spiral on the forehead.
"There are so many people," Tanjiro whispered, clutching his Nichirin Sword. "I hope everyone survives."
Su Chen scanned the crowd. He saw familiar faces. Zenitsu, shivering and crying in a corner. Kanao, staring blankly at a butterfly. Genya, looking furious.
"They won't," Su Chen said indifferently. "This is a filter. The weak die. The strong eat. That is the law of every world."
Tanjiro looked at Su Chen, troubled. "Su Chen-san, you sound... different than when we were training."
"The training is over, Tanjiro." Su Chen's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "We are in the field now."
He closed his eyes and checked his [Infinite Storage].
Inside the gray void, next to the piles of gold and supplies, floated the original Tier-1 Iron-Hide Wolf carcass.
Su Chen remembered that moment vividly. It was three hours after he killed the zombie Mr. Zhang back on Earth. He had looked out the stairwell window and seen the massive wolf get crushed by a falling piece of rubble from a collapsing skyscraper.
He hadn't fought it. He had scurried out like a rat, touched the warm fur, whispered "Copy," and sprinted back inside before the other monsters noticed.
That was his core philosophy: Why fight fair when you can steal the rewards?
"Everyone," the two creepy Ubuyashiki twins announced from the stage. "Welcome to the Final Selection. You must survive for seven days on this mountain."
"Go," Su Chen whispered.
He didn't wait for the signal. He vanished into the dark forest before the twins even finished speaking.
Night 1: The Forest.
The Wisteria prison was teeming with demons who had been trapped here for years. They were starving.
Rustle.
Two demons dropped from the trees, drool dripping from their jaws.
"Fresh meat! A brat with a fox mask!"
They lunged.
Su Chen didn't panic. He didn't even draw his breathing to its limit.
His Strength was now 14. His Agility was 13. In this low-level area, he was physically superior to the demons even without a sword.
Step.
Su Chen moved. He didn't use the graceful flowing movements of Water Breathing. He moved with the jagged, explosive speed of the [Zombie Rigor] and [Wolf Agility] he had integrated into his biology.
Schlick.
He drew his sword mid-stride.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide."
A fluid ribbon of water connected the two demons' necks in a single, seamless motion.
Thud. Thud.
Two heads hit the ground.
[Target Neutralized: Starving Demon (Level 2)]
[Target Neutralized: Starving Demon (Level 2)]
[EXP: +20]
[EXP: +20
Su Chen didn't sheath his sword. He knelt down beside the disintegrating bodies.
"System, Auto-Loot."
[Drops Acquired: Minor Demon Blood (Trash), Broken Fang.]
"Trash," Su Chen scowled. "These small fries have no Blood Demon Arts. Their stats are too low to improve mine."
He stood up. He needed bigger game.
He needed the one demon on this mountain that had actually grown strong by eating fifty children.
"Tanjiro went East," Su Chen sniffed the air. "The smell of rotting corpses is strongest in that direction."
The Clearing of the Hand Demon.
It was a nightmare made flesh.
A massive, hulking abomination of green flesh. It didn't look humanoid anymore; it was a mound of muscles wrapped in countless, thick arms.
The Hand Demon.
Tanjiro was there. He was frozen, staring at the monster that had killed Sabito and Makomo.
"Fox mask..." the Hand Demon gurgled, its voice vibrating through the ground. "Another fox mask! It's the year 1912... or is it 1913? I've eaten so many of Urokodaki's brats..."
Tanjiro was trembling with rage. "You... you ate them!"
The Hand Demon shot out a massive arm, stretching twenty meters like a rubber band.
BOOM!
Tanjiro rolled away, barely dodging. The arm smashed a tree into splinters.
"I'll eat you too!" The demon laughed.
Suddenly, a shadow dropped from the canopy above.
"Hey, ugly."
Su Chen landed on top of the Hand Demon's extended arm.
The Hand Demon blinked many eyes.
"Another one?"
Su Chen didn't waste words. He ran up the arm.
[Skill Activated: Total Concentration Breathing (Constant)]
[Stat Boost: Strength 14 -> 20]
He moved like a blur. The Hand Demon panicked and tried to retract its arm, sending spikes of flesh shooting out to impale the runner.
"Too slow."
Su Chen's eyes glowed with [Spirit Sight].
He could see the threads of energy moving inside the demon's flesh before the spikes even formed.
Dodge. Sidestep. Jump.
He reached the main body.
But he didn't swing his sword.
He placed his left hand flat against the Hand Demon's forehead.
"Touch."
[Target: The Hand Demon (Mutated/Evolved)]
[Level: 8 (Boss of Mt. Fujikasane)]
[Copyable Attributes:]
Flesh Manipulation (Blood Demon Art):Can grow extra limbs, harden skin, and alter body shape.
High-Speed Regeneration (Mid-Tier):Heals decapitation if neck is not severed by Nichirin.
Hardened Neck:Requires Strength 15+ to cut.
"Jackpot."
Su Chen grinned. This was what he came for. Flesh Manipulation.
On Earth, this ability was invaluable. It could turn his arm into a shield, a whip, or a spear.
It offered versatility that simple swordsmanship couldn't match.
"Copy: Flesh Manipulation."
BUZZ!!!
A massive headache split Su Chen's skull. Copying a Blood Demon Art was taxing on his human spirit.
"Graaaah! Get off me!"
The Hand Demon roared, sprouting a dozen arms from its chest to crush the parasite on its head.
Su Chen leaped back, flipping in the air. He landed next to Tanjiro.
"Su Chen-san!" Tanjiro gasped. "It's too hard! Its neck is wrapped in hands!"
"I know," Su Chen shook his head, the headache fading. He gripped his katana with both hands. "Tanjiro. Watch closely."
"Eh?"
"This is how you use a breathing technique properly."
Su Chen took a deep breath.
But this time, he mixed it.
He triggered the newly acquired [Flesh Manipulation] on a microscopic level. He shifted the muscle fibers in his arms, condensing them, twisting them like braided steel cables to maximize explosive power.
His arms bulged visibly, tearing the sleeves of his kimono.
[Combo: Water Breathing + Biological Overdrive]
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel... Modified."
Su Chen launched himself.
But he didn't just spin. He turned himself into a buzzsaw.
"Iron Turbine!"
The blue water trail turned dark, heavy with kinetic force.
SCHWING!
The sound was deafening. Su Chen cut through the protective hands. He cut through the hardened neck. He cut through the torso. He cut through the rock behind the demon.
The Hand Demon didn't even realize it was dead.
Its vision just started spinning.
Thud.
The massive head fell to the ground.
"What..." The Hand Demon's eye spun around. "My neck... was... hardest..."
Su Chen landed, exhaling a plume of white steam. His arms slowly returned to normal size, though his muscles ached.
[Target Neutralized: Hand Demon (Boss)]
[Experience Gained: 500]
[Level Up!]
[Level 2 -> Level 3 (50/400 EXP)]
"He... he did it..." Tanjiro stared, wide-eyed.
Su Chen walked over to the disintegrating head.
A faint, sad scent wafted from the demon. The smell of a scared child who just wanted to hold his brother's hand.
Tanjiro walked over, placing his hand on the demon's head, praying for its soul.
Su Chen, however, crouched down and picked up the loot that dropped.
[Drop: Mutated Demon Essence (Rare)]
Effect: Can be consumed to unlock 'Shape-shifting' properties in living weapons or biological armors.
[Drop: Vitality Crystal (Medium)]
Effect: Constitution +3.
Su Chen pocketed them instantly.
"Let's go, Tanjiro," Su Chen said, turning away from the ashes. "The sun is coming up. We have six more days to kill."
"To survive, you mean?" Tanjiro asked.
"For you, survival," Su Chen looked at the endless forest, his eyes cold. "For me... it's grocery shopping."
End of Chapter Status:
Name: Su Chen
Level: 3
New Ability: [Flesh Manipulation (Basic)] - Allows minor body alteration/hardening.
Stats: Strength and Constitution rising rapidly due to Drops.
Storage: Wolf Carcass, Demon Drops, Gold.