Demon Slayer: Starting with the Great Swordmaster System, My Master is Tsugikuni

You must have felt it too, the closer we get to Sunlight Mountain, the higher the temperature becomes.

Mote wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a drink.

And the closer we get to the summit, the faster the temperature increases.

Legend has it that the peak of Sunlight Mountain reaches temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius!

Although no one in the village has ever reached the summit, we are not without purpose.

With that, Mote raised his hand and pointed.

At the foot of Sunlight Mountain, not far away, there were three forks in the road.

Each fork was marked with several rocks, and the paths extending beyond them bore countless traces of manual excavation.

Each fork wound around the surface of Sunlight Mountain like an earthworm, snaking its way towards the peak.

These three paths were the result of the efforts of the villagers from the smelting village throughout the generations, and they were also the safest routes.

Last time, when Kō and I went, we took path number three. This time, let's take path number one.

Uncle Mote, you're familiar with this place, so you lead the way.

After a short rest, Mote led Scribe up Sunlight Mountain along one of the paths.

Hoo hoo hoo~

The higher they climbed, the hotter Mote felt.

If you get tired, we can rest for a bit—

Just as he was about to remind Scribe to rest, Mote choked on his words.

Scribe was acting as if nothing was wrong, completely unaffected by the heat.

What's more, Mote didn't even see a single bead of sweat on his forehead.

You... you don't feel hot?!

Swallowing, Mote's speech became a little stammered.

"Hm? It's alright, just a little."

Hearing Scribe say that, Mote didn't feel right about stopping to rest.

He could only grumble inwardly, "Comparing oneself to others can be infuriating."

"That ore up ahead should contain Tamahagane!"

After walking for a while longer, Scribe suddenly pointed at a piece of ore and said.

"Really?"

Don't let Sunlight Mountain fool you with its size; only a small portion of the ore found here contains Tamahagane.

Mote was a little disbelieving and walked forward to examine it.

"Alright, you were right. This ore does indeed have Tamahagane inside."

The moment Mote confirmed Scribe's judgment was correct, a system notification sounded in Scribe's mind once again.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the skill: Novice Appraisal Technique (0/1000).]

[Appraisal Technique: Can appraise the quality, structure, internal materials, and all other information of an item.]

[To advance to the next level, 1000 points are required.]

[Successfully used Novice Appraisal Technique to appraise an ore (containing Tamahagane), gaining 50 points.]

[Novice Appraisal Technique: 50/1000, 950 points required to advance to the next level.]

[Detected that the host has unlocked Appraisal Technique through their own efforts, gaining 500 points.]

[Novice Appraisal Technique: 550/1000, 450 points required to advance to the next level.]

Scribe rejoiced inwardly, not expecting to unlock a new skill at this moment.

Just then, Mote suddenly spoke.

"However, kid, I remember you telling me you could appraise the quality of Tamahagane, not just identify which ore contains it, right?"

Identifying the presence of Tamahagane was something experienced old masters in the smelting village could do with a certain success rate.

As for Mote himself, his success rate was as high as seventy to eighty percent.

But appraising the quality of the Tamahagane within the ore—that skill was beyond their comprehension.

"This Tamahagane is probably worth about two points."

"Two points?"

Seeing Scribe directly state the answer, Mote was a little puzzled.

He put down his backpack and took out a pile of parts, intending to build a simple furnace to test if Scribe was right or wrong.

"No need for such trouble."

Scribe drew the sword at his waist and walked directly to the ore.

Sun Breathing, First Form: Round Dance!

An arc of slashes wreathed in flame shot out, directly smashing the ore.

"Kid, what are you doing? You'll destroy the Tamahagane inside!"

Mote shouted urgently, trying to stop the Scribe.

"Don't worry, the Tamahagane won't be damaged."

As he spoke, the Scribe walked into the dust.

A piece of ore the size of a fist flew out, landing directly in Mote's hand.

"Uncle Mote, see if this is a two-point Tamahagane."

Looking at the Tamahagane in his hand, Mote was stunned.

"Th-this is indeed a two-point one."

He blinked a couple of times, calming his agitated emotions.

Mote, holding the Tamahagane, shook the Scribe's shoulder excitedly.

"How did you do it? Such fast, precise judgment and extraction!"

"Stop shaking me, it's because of my personal constitution."

The Scribe wasn't lying to Mote. From the moment he saw the Tamahagane, he could sense a faint energy within.

Based on the location and strength of the sensed energy, he could naturally judge the Tamahagane's position and quality.

As for using Sun Breathing, it was because the Scribe was completely confident he wouldn't damage the Tamahagane.

After hearing the Scribe's explanation, Mote's mouth hung open, as if it could fit a pineapple.

"Without further ado, let's continue."

With that, the Scribe walked directly to another piece of ore.

"This one, three points."

Explosions continued on Sunlight Mountain as piece after piece of Tamahagane was mined by the Scribe.

In just one hour, the Scribe found and extracted over twenty pieces of Tamahagane.

And he achieved a 100% success rate!

Chapter 18: Sun Breathing Resonance, Reaching Sunlight Mountain Peak

With another explosion, the Scribe returned holding a piece of Tamahagane the size of a soccer ball.

"This one is six points."

Casually tossing the Tamahagane in his hand, the Scribe turned to find the next one.

"That's enough, stop looking!"

With a stride, Mote rushed forward, stopping him.

In less than half a day, the Tamahagane the Scribe had mined was already nearly as tall as a person.

Among them were many high-quality pieces of Tamahagane.

Two were seven-point, eleven were six-point, and there were countless five-point and below.

However, the Scribe showed no intention of stopping.

Completely crazed!

"Is this enough?"

Looking back at Mote, the Scribe still looked somewhat dissatisfied.

"I still feel the quality of the Tamahagane is a bit lacking."

"Still lacking."

A simple sentence that was enough to anger Mote to the point of fainting.

With this mining speed and accuracy, even gathering all the master craftsmen from the entire smelting village might only match it.

What's more, the Tamahagane the Scribe extracted required no cooling and could be used immediately.

If the Scribe were to stay in the smelting village for a while, Mote felt the village's efficiency would increase at least threefold.

"Enough, it's more than enough."

Calming the urge to hit someone, Mote suddenly realized something.

"There are seven-point Tamahagane among these, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Don't look at it like you have two now; in normal times, our village only mines that much in half a year."

Shaking his head slightly, the Scribe's face showed no satisfaction.

"If I'm going to do something, I'll do it to the best of my ability. That's a principle I live by."

"Since I've come to Sunlight Mountain, I will definitely take away the highest quality Tamahagane!"

Looking at the Scribe's incredibly determined gaze, Mote knew that any further persuasion would be useless.

A Tamahagane of the highest quality… such a thing probably wasn't even recorded in the village.

The highest quality currently available was likely a piece of nine-tenths Tamahagane produced a few years ago.

I remember a Swordsman came to Sunlight Mountain around that time too, I think his name was Yoriichi?

After a moment of thought, Mote shared the information he knew.

Yoriichi? Was his name Tsugikuni Yoriichi?

Yes, yes, that's the name.

He fist-pumped his left hand with his right, his expression filled with excitement.

Ah, he's my master.

Oh, he's your master.

Mote nodded, answering reflexively.

The next second, he reacted.

W-w-w-what? You said he's your master?!

That's right.

Mote's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out, his reaction one of pure shock.

You and I aren't— he—