After climbing the mountain during the day, everyone except Han Zhiqi and his companion gathered halfway up the mountain, whether it was Kimura's group or the other scattered teams.
Although Kimura was unwilling, he could not act too domineering in public and drive away the members of the other teams. That would leave his own teammates with the impression that he was narrow-minded, which would not help his leadership.
Night fell quickly, and everyone became exceptionally tense. Some had seen demons, while others had not, but without exception, they all sensed something unusual in the air.
The woods gradually darkened. Judging that the time was about right, Kimura and Eimi exchanged a glance, then rose from the stone platform one after another and walked to the center of the crowd.
Seeing them stand, the surrounding teammates also rose to their feet. Clearly, everyone had regarded Kimura as the leader.
Among the other teams of only two or three people, some sat on the ground with their heads lowered, hesitating dejectedly. Others stood as well, trying to blend into Kimura's group while they had the chance. After all, it was everyone's first day meeting one another, and no one knew each other's faces. Even if they slipped in, they would most likely not be recognized.
Kimura looked around at everyone. Though young, he carried himself with the air of an official, and his sharp gaze truly had a touch of imposing authority.
The crowd was silent, all waiting for Kimura's instructions.
"Everyone, night is about to fall, and the demons have likely already begun hunting in the woods. I'll repeat this one last time: the Demon Slayer Corps assessment is not child's play. It is a true struggle between life and death. If anyone wishes to leave, take your backpack and hide in the wisteria grove below."
After speaking, Kimura quietly waited for anyone who wished to withdraw.
Sure enough, four or five people, unable to bear the torment of the eerie atmosphere in the mountains, took their packs and walked into the wisteria grove below.
After the last person left and no one else stepped forward after a brief wait, Kimura continued, "All right. Since no one else is withdrawing, we'll enter the woods together and find a place that is easy to defend and hard to attack. With so many of us helping one another, I believe we can endure seven days and pass the assessment."
The moment they heard they were going into the woods in the dark, many people began to have doubts. Wasn't it better to stay here? If they encountered a demon, they could fight if they could win, and flee into the wisteria grove below to forfeit if they could not. Going into the woods? Wouldn't that be suicide if they were outmatched?
Some also felt that Kimura was simply not fit to be a leader. It made no damn sense. If they were going into the woods, why not go during the day? Why insist on choosing the night, when demons ran rampant?
Kimura had expected this to happen. After all, seeking benefit and avoiding harm was human nature.
"If anyone has questions, please speak freely. I'll answer them one by one. If I cannot answer them, we can discuss countermeasures together. We are one team, and we must trust one another. If you harbor doubts without voicing them, they will be like cracks. Once an unexpected situation arises, the whole team could very well fall apart."
Three male participants in the crowd huddled together and quietly discussed something. After a moment, a tall participant spoke up as their representative.
"Isn't it fine for us to stay here? Why do we have to enter the woods?"
Kimura swept his gaze over the crowd. Clearly, aside from those three, quite a few others shared the same thoughts; they were merely letting someone else speak for them.
Kimura said to the tall participant, "I know what you are thinking. Since you decided to take part in the assessment, do not cling to the wishful notion that you can get by through opportunism. Doing so will harm those who genuinely want to pass the assessment."
With their little scheme exposed, the tall participant and the people beside him lowered their heads awkwardly.
Kimura raised his head again to face everyone. "We came to take the Demon Slayer Corps assessment with the resolve to die if necessary, because we want to join the Demon Slayer Corps. If anyone is merely here to try their luck, then sorry, my team does not welcome you. Please stay here and give it a try."
Kimura's words stirred up some of the more aggressive members of the group, and strange cries immediately rang out. They were both echoing Kimura's sentiments and taking the chance to mock those opportunists.
"Besides, there is another reason not to choose this place. The terrain here is flat and open, without any cover to use. Once we encounter a demon, there will be nowhere to run. Of course, for those who merely want to try their luck, perhaps they can flee into the wisteria grove below."
"Ha ha..."
Another burst of laughter rose from the crowd.
"You're this cowardly, yet you came to join the Demon Slayer Corps? Do you think the Demon Slayer Corps is a shelter for cowards?"
"Exactly. If you don't have the guts for this line of work, you might as well go home and farm."
"..."
Everyone chimed in with sarcastic remarks, leaving the few opportunists in the crowd so ashamed they wished they could disappear into the ground.
Kimura's reasoned response had exposed the little schemes of certain opportunists while also winning him a group of loyal supporters. They felt that although Kimura looked like a pretty boy, at least he had a brain.
Having tasted success, Kimura continued, "Of course, some of you may question why we are entering the woods at night rather than during the day. Fine, I will answer the question in your hearts now. We did not enter during the day because we do not know the situation in the woods. If we rashly charged in and happened to encounter a demon, there would certainly be a fight to the death. After such a battle, who among you would still be in the mood to rest? If you cannot rest properly, how will you face the coming night? But now, at least we rested for the entire day and have ample energy and stamina."
At that, Kimura paused, seemingly deliberately giving everyone time to think.
It had to be said that Kimura's way of thinking was correct. After hearing his explanation, many who had originally harbored doubts found it very reasonable. As they became convinced, they also gained greater confidence in relying on Kimura as their leader.
"Does anyone else have questions? If you do, bring them up. We can discuss them together."
He waited several minutes, but no one answered.
"Good. Since there are no questions, we will depart. As for those opportunists, do as you please!"
"Whoo! Whoo..."
Led by Kimura, the group formed an arrowhead-like formation and entered the pitch-black woods.
This formation could deal with attacks from every direction, combining offense, defense, and rescue into one comprehensive arrangement.
Before coming to Mount Fujikasane, Kimura had specifically studied it for nearly a month.
After the group left, only the three tall participants who had asked the question remained behind. They said the nail that stuck out got hammered down, and the three could not help regretting speaking up earlier. They discussed what to do next.
Should they follow their original plan, stay where they were, and continue trying their luck?
Or should they carry their packs straight into the wisteria grove below?
As the three gathered together to discuss it, none of them noticed a hideous monster slowly approaching.
It was called a monster rather than a demon because this demon had completely departed from human form.
It had six legs and two arms. Its body resembled a spider as it crawled along in a crouch, with a bald head atop it. It moved incredibly fast. For now, let us call it the Spider Demon.
Before you continue