Want to Slay Demons, But Forgot Your Sword?

After bidding farewell to Shinobu Kocho, Han Zhiqi walked alone towards the mountain peak.

The small path underfoot seemed as though no one had traveled it for a long time, almost completely obscured by the weeds on both sides.

The forest was damp and stuffy. Han Zhiqi's body was already weak, and after walking for only a short while, he was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

The bandages soaked up his sweat, clinging tightly to his body. The sweat seeped through the bandages into his wounds, and the salt within stung and itched the injuries.

With no other choice, Han Zhiqi had to take off his haori, revealing his bandaged upper body, and attempt to use his breathing technique to cool himself down.

He didn't know how long he walked, but he finally broke free from the narrow path and arrived at a spacious clearing.

This place resembled a temporary resting point, with a stone table and stone benches. Further up was a proper mountain path paved with bluestone slabs.

Han Zhiqi sat down in front of the stone table, gazing at the orderly mountain path directly below. He realized that Shinobu Kocho had directed him onto a detour. Whether it was intentional or not, he couldn't possibly know.

What a foolish woman!

Han Zhiqi cursed under his breath, leaned against the stone table, and looked up at the treetops that blotted out the sky. Recalling Shinobu Kocho's face, which had been so close to his, his heart couldn't help but race.

She's a Hashira, yet she pays no attention to her own conduct.

From books, Han Zhiqi had already learned that the Hashira were the figures standing at the pinnacle of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Currently, there were nine Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, and Shinobu Kocho was one of them, known as the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.

Among the Nine Pillars, her strength was the lowest. Unlike the other Hashira, who killed demons with sheer power, she lacked the arm strength to sever a demon's neck. Thus, she had to find another way, researching how to kill demons with Wisteria poison, though this was only effective against weaker demons.

Shinobu Kocho's position as the Insect Hashira was attributed to her elder sister, the former Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho, making her title somewhat undeserved.

Han Zhiqi stopped thinking about Shinobu Kocho and decided to rest briefly before continuing on his way.

After all, it was already afternoon. If he couldn't reach the mountain peak before dark and find the Trainer, he might have to spend the night in the wilderness.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes. Han Zhiqi straightened up and turned his head towards the bushes, only to see a gray rabbit leap past him.

Han Zhiqi's tense heart relaxed slightly. But in that very instant, an inexplicable chill rose from the depths of his heart. He clearly sensed that something had intruded into his surroundings.

Recalling the rabbit from just now, he suspected it wasn't simply moving, but rather evading something terrifying.

Could there be a ferocious beast in these woods?

Han Zhiqi dared not make any rash moves. The feeling of being watched from behind made him realize he had been targeted by that thing.

Han Zhiqi took a deep breath, adjusting his physical state to its optimal condition.

"Cold Tide."

He was the first to release his cold air using his breathing technique to enhance his perception.

The forest was already thick with water vapor. When it encountered the emanating cold air, it instantly formed a mass of fine, snow-white ice shards, suspended around Han Zhiqi. As his breathing deepened, the cold air gradually began to spread outwards.

The entity seemed to realize it had been discovered and finally stopped hiding. It leaped down from a large tree nearby, lunging directly at Han Zhiqi.

The moment he made contact with the cold air, Han Zhiqi had already determined its attack trajectory. He leaped twice upwards in the direction of the mountain, increasing the distance between them.

It wasn't that Han Zhiqi didn't want to counterattack; of course, he had nothing to counter with. More importantly, he wanted to see what kind of thing was attacking him.

After the brief contact, he felt it wasn't like an animal because its body temperature was significantly lower than that of normal humans and warm-blooded animals. It was more like a cold-blooded creature.

The entity missed its target and was now crouched on the stone table, its entire body covered in snow-white ice shards, resembling a white, furry monkey.

The ice shards seemed to make it very uncomfortable. It made strange "hng hah" noises and kept scratching its arms with its paws.

Han Zhiqi stood on the stone steps, looking at the stone table in the dim light.

It was indeed not an animal. It had arms and legs, and was even wearing a tattered piece of clothing.

Could it be a beggar?

Before Han Zhiqi could fully comprehend, the thing on the stone table suddenly turned its head, opened its mouth, and let out a threatening "Haa!" at Han Zhiqi.

Seeing its face, Han Zhiqi's legs went weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

Its face was green and fanged, its pupils identical in color to those of a beast, and its mouth was stained with gray fur and still-wet blood.

This was no wild animal; it was clearly a demon!

A living, breathing demon!

Why would a demon be on the Trainer's territory?

What the hell is going on?

That foolish woman said she could only send you this far, what did she mean? Did she know there was a demon on the mountain?

How could she know there was a demon on the mountain? Or perhaps, this demon is a test for climbing the mountain?

This is the only explanation. Otherwise, how could a demon appear on the Trainer's grounds? It simply doesn't make sense.

Han Zhiqi vaguely pieced together a line of thought. If this demon was truly a test, perhaps the Trainer was watching him from somewhere.

The Trainer likely wanted to assess the contestant's real-time response ability, survival skills, and combat proficiency through this.

Because there was no method that could understand a newcomer faster and more comprehensively than actual combat.

What should I do?

Han Zhiqi forced himself to calm down, trying to understand the Trainer's intentions and analyze the situation. The current predicament offered only two options: fight or flee.

If this was a test, fleeing meant heading up the mountain; escaping down the mountain would likely result in elimination.

The major drawback of fleeing uphill was the immense physical exertion it would require.

While escaping seemed like a good idea at first glance, upon closer consideration, it was actually a dead end.

If he didn't consider the possibility of the Trainer's intervention, his current physical condition, after the recent rest, had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. He should have enough strength to fight the demon before him.

However, if he chose to flee and was overtaken by the demon while exhausted, he would be completely defenseless and at its mercy. Moreover, his body hadn't fully recovered yet, and even if he tried to escape, he wouldn't get very far.

Therefore, the most sensible choice was to fight. Since this was a test, the Trainer shouldn't allow someone who was about to become their student to die miserably.

After analyzing the situation, Han Zhiqi solidified his resolve. He took a deep breath and assumed a posture to draw his sword and attack. But as his hands reached his waist, he realized he had overlooked something crucial.

He had no sword!

To slay a demon without a sword was like trying to chop wood without an axe.

That stingy, foolish woman! She should have at least given me a sword to protect myself!

Was this a test, or was she deliberately sending him to be demon fodder?