[Deployment successful. Pioneer, please review the World Details and your Missions.]
As the sensation of weightlessness faded, the crisp, fresh scent of nature wafted into his nose. Lu Li opened his eyes, and his vision was immediately filled with a beautiful, idyllic peach orchard.
There was no one else around. The sun hung high in the clear sky, and a gentle breeze swept past.
After confirming his immediate surroundings were safe, Lu Li opened the system menu.
[Mission World: Demon Slayer]
[Mission World Type: Derivative]
[World Difficulty Level: Lv. 5 ~ 15]
[World Synopsis: The current era is Taisho-period Japan.
Legend has it that after the sun sets, malevolent demons roam the earth, devouring humans. And so, Demon Slayers hunt these demons to protect humanity.
When happiness is shattered, it is always accompanied by the scent of blood.
Those who have been caught in the rain hold up umbrellas for others. Even if their bodies are destroyed, the Demon Slayers will absolutely eradicate the demons!
As the gears of fate begin to turn... you have arrived.
Demon Slayer Corps: An ancient, unacknowledged organization boasting hundreds of members that has existed since antiquity. They are historically known as "Demon Hunters."
Nichirin Sword: The specialized weapon of the Demon Slayer Corps, forged from 'Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand' and 'Scarlet Crimson Ore'—minerals that have absorbed natural sunlight. Decapitating a standard demon with this blade will prevent its regeneration and kill it.
Total Concentration Breathing: A generic term for the martial techniques developed by the Demon Slayer Corps to allow ordinary humans to fight demons. Primarily used to drastically enhance cardiopulmonary function, allowing the blood to absorb massive amounts of oxygen. This instantaneously skyrockets the user's physical capabilities, temporarily granting them physical stats comparable to demons.
[Current World Exploration Rate: 0%]
[Current Location: Mt. Momo]
[Current Identity: Disciple of the former Roaring Hashira]
After briefly skimming the world lore, Lu Li navigated to his Main Mission tab.
[Main Mission (Phase 1): Path of the Demon Slayer]
Objective: Successfully pass the Demon Slayer Corps' 'Final Selection' taking place three days from now, officially graduate as a recognized member of the Corps, and ensure that your junior martial brother, Zenitsu Agatsuma, survives the selection.
Difficulty: Easy ~ Normal
Reward: 10,000 Terminus Coins
Failure Penalty: Eradication
[Side Mission: Demon Hunter]
Objective: Within this world, executing ordinary demons will yield varying amounts of Terminus Coins depending on the target's strength. Executing a member of the 'Twelve Kizuki' will guarantee a Treasure Chest drop. This side mission is infinitely repeatable.
Difficulty: Easy ~ Nightmare
Reward: Terminus Coins / Treasure Chests
Failure Penalty: None
[System Note 1: Executing Explorers from the opposing Faction in this Mission World grants a 200% (Double) probability of dropping a 'Dead Man's Chest'.]
[System Note 2: The Faction Reputation system has been activated for this world. Pioneer, please review the relevant tabs.]
Setting aside the actual missions for a moment, those two final system notes were highly intriguing.
Lu Li rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The system was blatantly encouraging cutthroat competition and mutual slaughter among the deployed Explorers. He knew that killing other Explorers inherently carried a chance to drop a Dead Man's Chest—a loot box containing items from their inventory.
There were specific powerhouse Explorers in the Terminus Space who specialized almost exclusively in player-killing. As the old saying went: Murder and arson yield belts of gold. Sometimes, the loot from a single high-tier Dead Man's Chest vastly outweighed the rewards of completing several consecutive Mission Worlds.
However, Lu Li hadn't actually killed many Explorers yet. He had executed a Violator recently, but that freak hadn't dropped a chest.
Thinking of that, his gaze drifted back to the Side Mission description: 'Executing a member of the Twelve Kizuki will guarantee a Treasure Chest drop.'
He couldn't help but wonder... was there always a random chance for Treasure Chests to drop when killing powerful native NPCs in a Mission World?
Probably not, right? I literally slaughtered Shen Wulong and his entire executive faction in the last world, and I didn't see a single chest drop...
Lu Li genuinely considered his innate luck to be pretty decent, so he firmly convinced himself that the system just didn't drop chests in the Kengan world. Yes. That had to be it.
"Senior Brother Luuu—"
Just as Lu Li was lost in thought, a pathetic, violently sobbing voice dragged out his name from behind.
Turning around, he saw a young teenager sprinting toward him. The boy wore a standard black uniform beneath a yellow haori patterned with white triangles. He had medium-length blonde hair and thick, round eyebrows. Tears were streaming down his face like twin waterfalls as he ran and wailed simultaneously.
"Senior Brother Luuu! Save me! I don't want to go to the Final Selection!"
Zenitsu threw himself forward, attempting to tackle Lu Li in a desperate hug.
Lu Li simply reached out and placed a firm hand on Zenitsu's shoulder. Because he was quite young, Zenitsu was rather short—only about 164 cm. Pinned by Lu Li's stiff arm, Zenitsu's flailing arms and legs comically grasped at empty air, completely unable to reach him.
"Zenitsu! Stop trying to act like a spoiled brat in front of your senior brother! You will attend the Final Selection in three days!"
A short distance behind Zenitsu, a diminutive, elderly man limped forward. He used a wooden cane, had a massive scar across his cheek, and walked on a wooden prosthetic right leg.
Lu Li instantly deduced this was his and Zenitsu's master: Jigoro Kuwajima.
Activating his newly acquired [Reconnaissance] skill, Lu Li quickly scanned the old man. Despite his advanced age and missing limb, Jigoro possessed core attributes that vastly exceeded a normal human's. It was a clear testament to decades of rigorous Breathing Style training permanently altering his physical constitution.
As for the violently sobbing Zenitsu Agatsuma currently trying to cling to him, the boy's base comprehensive attributes hovered around 12 points. However, Lu Li estimated that if Zenitsu fully channeled Thunder Breathing: Total Concentration, his explosive burst stats would likely spike past 17 points.
Seeing their stats, Lu Li's interest in this world's Breathing Styles instantly skyrocketed.
He knew perfectly well that the current Zenitsu was still an incredibly raw, early-game version of himself. Extrapolating from Zenitsu's current stats, Lu Li hypothesized that the absolute strongest active Hashira—the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima—likely possessed base attributes well over 30 points. It wouldn't be surprising if Gyomei's maximum burst output exceeded 35 points.
After all, in the manga, Gyomei casually pushed massive, multi-ton boulders across a field for basic training. There was no way his numerical strength was low.
Gyomei possessed innate, freakish superhuman strength. Lu Li also possessed innate, freakish superhuman strength. If Lu Li successfully mastered a Breathing Style, just how impossibly high could his attributes scale?
"Senior Brother—you know this! I've only managed to learn the First Form of Thunder Breathing! And Gramps is actually trying to send me to the Final Selection! I'm going to die for sure!"
Zenitsu clung desperately to Lu Li's arm, his face a perfect mask of absolute cowardice.
Lu Li felt a twinge of helplessness. He knew Zenitsu was actually incredibly strong—certainly a top-tier combatant among the younger generation of this world. Passing the Final Selection wouldn't be an issue for him. The problem was simply that Zenitsu was terrifyingly cowardly and completely lacked self-confidence. He could only unleash his true, lethal potential when he was literally unconscious.
During his anime-binging sessions in the Hub, Lu Li had read the floating comments (danmaku) from other Explorers jokingly referring to Zenitsu as the "Sleep Hashira."
"Zenitsu, you need to believe in yourself. I have watched you grow up. You absolutely possess the strength required to pass the Selection," Jigoro said, looking equally exhausted by Zenitsu's relentless whining.
The old man then glanced at Lu Li.
"Furthermore, how can you complain about this so shamelessly in front of your senior brother?"
Hearing that, Zenitsu froze.
He slowly let go of Lu Li's arm and lowered his head, his tone suddenly filled with profound guilt.
"I... I'm sorry, Senior Brother Lu. I completely forgot... you haven't managed to learn Thunder Breathing yet..."
Lu Li was momentarily stunned. The Terminus Space had provided him with an Identity, but it hadn't actually implanted any detailed fabricated memories into his brain. He had to piece the background lore together on the fly.
However, he quickly grasped the situation. This was the Terminus Space giving him a perfectly justified, canonical excuse to learn a Breathing Style. It was the standard "welfare" package for this Mission World.
To maintain strict balance against the Muzan Faction—where Explorers could easily acquire the Demon Bloodline right at the start—the system naturally provided the Demon Slayer Explorers with immediate access to Breathing techniques.
"It's fine. Actually... I feel like I've had a profound epiphany recently. I think I might finally be able to grasp Thunder Breathing this time," Lu Li said, offering a confident, gentle smile. He mentally gave his acting skills a solid 6 out of 10. Passable.
Jigoro looked at Lu Li, his old eyes instantly filling with deep relief and burning anticipation.
"Oh? Is that so? Then I shall personally review the absolute core fundamentals of Thunder Breathing with both of you! Zenitsu, pay close attention! Even if you only know the First Form, that is perfectly fine! Grandpa firmly believes you will both become phenomenal Demon Slayers!"
Jigoro had found Lu Li wandering aimlessly several years ago. For some unknown reason, the boy suffered from severe amnesia. When Jigoro took him in, Lu Li could only remember his own name, leading Jigoro to deduce he was of foreign, Eastern descent.
But what utterly shocked Jigoro was Lu Li's innate, terrifying physical strength. Even without practicing a single Breathing technique, the boy possessed apocalyptic, superhuman power. Jigoro firmly believed that if Lu Li could just master a Breathing Style, he would instantly become a top-tier Demon Slayer—perhaps even a Hashira!
Lu Li possessed a terrifyingly high battle IQ, mastering highly complex sword katas and footwork practically instantly. Yet, bizarrely, he was completely incapable of grasping the internal, cardiopulmonary mechanics of Total Concentration Breathing. It was a profound, agonizing shame to the old Cultivator.
Despite Lu Li's repeated, persistent requests to formally join the Demon Slayer Corps, Jigoro had sternly rejected every single one. Firstly, without a Breathing Style, sending Lu Li to fight high-tier Demons was a death sentence. Secondly, Jigoro still desperately held out hope that he could eventually teach Lu Li the technique.
A slightly above-average swordsman wouldn't shift the tide of the war against Muzan. But a Hashira was a completely different story. Jigoro absolutely believed that if Lu Li mastered Breathing, he possessed Hashira-level combat potential!
With a renewed fire in his heart, Jigoro immediately began instructing Lu Li and Zenitsu, taking them through a rigorous review of the fundamentals.
He desperately hoped Lu Li would finally cross the threshold, and he hoped Zenitsu would continue to refine his single strike to absolute perfection.
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