Demon Slayer: Great Swordmaster System at the Start, My Teacher Tsugikuni

Aside from the beautiful scenery of green hills and clear waters, its most famous feature was the hot springs.

The town of Yōsuito also had a nickname: the City of Hot Springs.

Upon entering Yōsuito, the Scribe discovered that the small town seemed unaffected by demons.

Tourists were everywhere, with dazzling lights, singing, and dancing.

Everyone had a smile on their face, showing no sign of panic.

The air seemed to be filled with a special fragrance, intoxicating and enchanting.

The Scribe even wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

He decided to rest for the night.

Choosing a cheap inn, Yoriichi booked a room for himself.

Yes, he didn't book a room for the Scribe.

The meaning was quite clear.

Though his master didn't say it explicitly, he understood him.

Leaping from the window, the Scribe headed towards the largest hot spring inn in town.

Since he had come to a hot spring town, how could he not take a bath?

Standing at the entrance, the Scribe was choosing the type of hot spring.

Rose hot spring, jasmine hot spring, cherry blossom hot spring.

All sorts of varieties, if you could think of it, the shop had it.

Finally, the Scribe's gaze settled on a name at the very bottom.

Scarlet Hot Spring.

"I'm sorry, this hot spring is charged separately," the innkeeper, a pale man who resembled a toad, replied.

"If you're okay with that, I'll prepare it for you right away."

"Charged separately?"

Curious, the Scribe continued to ask.

"If that's the case, then this Scarlet Hot Spring must have something special about it."

"The Scarlet Hot Spring is our signature hot spring. As the name suggests, the water is scarlet."

As he introduced it to the Scribe, the toad-like man said mysteriously.

"Of course, you'll have to experience its specific benefits for yourself."

"Then I'll choose this one!"

Making up his mind instantly, the Scribe paid and entered the area where the Scarlet Hot Spring was located.

Just as the innkeeper had said, the water of the Scarlet Hot Spring was indeed scarlet.

Not only that, but the air also seemed to be filled with a sweet, cloying scent.

Although the hot spring was large, there were quite a few people who had come specifically for it.

After searching for a while, the Scribe finally found a suitable spot.

As his body was fully submerged in the hot spring, a warm sensation spread throughout him.

A tingling sensation arose from within, and the Scribe involuntarily let out a groan.

"This hot spring is truly unusual."

As time passed, the Scribe felt his head becoming dizzy.

Had I been soaking for too long?

He felt a bit groggy, his mind not quite clear.

Never mind, I'll soak a little longer and then get out.

Slowly closing his eyes, the Scribe decided to leave soon.

The scarlet hot spring continued to emit heat, yet no one in the water seemed to want to leave.

Unknowingly, a man who was soaking with his eyes closed suddenly sank.

The tiny splash of water was almost negligible in the hot spring, and one person was even less than a drop in the ocean for those soaking.

After a while, a woman also suddenly sank.

Three, four, five...

As more and more people sank, the color of the hot spring seemed to become even more scarlet.

The scent in the air grew more potent.

In his daze, the Scribe felt that the hot spring beneath him had become somewhat different.

It felt as though ink had been poured into pure water.

The two different liquids mixed together, and the sticky sensation made him feel very uncomfortable.

His eyelids twitched, and the Scribe wanted to open his eyes.

But every time he inhaled a bit of the fragrance in the air, the desire to open his eyes would diminish by a fraction.

Finally, only the Scribe remained floating on the surface.

Beneath the red spring water, a tentacle about two fingers wide emerged from below.

Following the flow of the water, the tentacle slowly approached the Scribe.

Two meters, one meter, half a meter...

The next second, the tentacle touched the Scribe's skin.

The tentacle, which had seemed lifeless, suddenly thrashed, like a python preying on its victim, intending to constrict the Scribe to death.

Sensing the strange feeling from the outside, the Scribe's body detected the killing intent and reacted instantly.

His tightly shut eyes snapped open, and the Scribe grabbed the tentacle wrapped around him.

What is this thing?!

With no time to think, the Scribe slammed his elbow directly into the hot spring wall behind him.

A tremendous force erupted, creating a large hole in it.

The red spring water flowed out through the large opening, quickly draining away.

The scene at the bottom of the hot spring was then revealed before the Scribe's eyes.

Where there should have been solid ground, a large hole appeared, and seven or eight tentacles stretched out from it, extending over ten meters long.

Some of the tentacles were wrapped around several humans.

Judging by their pale skin and bulging eyeballs, these individuals were already dead.

As if sensing the Scribe's actions, all the tentacles rapidly retracted.

There was a demon beneath the hot spring!

Realizing this, the Scribe directly grabbed the tentacle binding him.

A snapping sound echoed, and the demon beneath the hot spring severed its limb to save itself, abandoning that part of its body.

Watching the demon retract all its tentacles, the Scribe knew he had been tricked.

Although he knew there were demons in this town, he hadn't expected them to openly prey on humans like this.

Besides me, everyone else is dead.

Glancing around, the Scribe found that he was the only one left in the once vast area.

The outflowing spring water was mixed with a large amount of blood; it was likely the demon had drained all the blood to reduce the size of the corpses.

Just as the Scribe was contemplating what to do next, another group of people pushed open the doors and walked towards them.

Not good!

Suddenly realizing something, the Scribe's heart began to pound wildly.

The next second, a man walking at the forefront discovered the abnormality of the Scarlet Hot Spring.

Someone was murdered!

In an instant, the Scribe was surrounded by these people who had come to soak in the hot spring.

Chapter 31: Turning the Tables, A Demon Gallivanting Under the Moon

Observing the expressions of the people around him, the Scribe knew they mistakenly believed he was the murderer.

Their brows were furrowed, their gazes fixed on him, watching his every move.

Their throats twitched occasionally, and their fingers were clenched into fists, as if wary of him.

A man wearing glasses, with a stiff expression, like a high-ranking executive, spoke.

Behave yourself, murderer.

Following that, he directed everyone to surround the Scribe and called for the hotel manager.

After a brief explanation, the man with glasses attributed all the disappearances to the Scribe.

Pointing at the Scribe, the man with glasses shouted at the toad-like man.

I understand, I'll handle it.

Somewhat surprised, the toad-like man's face showed little sign of panic.

He brought out ropes to tie up the Scribe, stating that he would find professionals to deal with the matter.

Nodding, the dozen or so people led by the man with glasses felt slightly relieved.

In their eyes, once the toad-like man dealt with the Scribe, their own safety would also be guaranteed.

But as the toad-like man pushed the Scribe forward, the Scribe suddenly noticed his movements were somewhat strange.

His right side felt a bit weak, making his steps unsteady.

It felt as if a nerve in his right side had snapped.

A faint, almost imperceptible sweet scent filled the air.

Could this smell be...?

His mind raced, and a possibility began to form in the Scribe's thoughts.

I left something inside.

He suddenly stopped, pointing to the changing room beside him.

"Something? You mean the murder weapon?"

The man with glasses' eyes darted around, believing he'd found an item that could incriminate the Scribe.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get it. It might be evidence."

He jogged into the changing room and took out the Nichirin Blade.

"A blade! You really are the murderer!"

Upon seeing that the item he retrieved was a sword, the man with glasses' voice immediately became shrill.