Am I Not a System User, but Just an Ordinary Person?

The sky was dim, the moon shrouded by dark clouds. Peach Mountain lay in total darkness, with only a faint light halfway up the mountain. Inside the crude wooden cabin, the dim oil lamp flickered unsteadily. Yu Luo and Jigoro Kuwajima sat facing each other, their shadows cast upon the wall.

"I heard from the Stone Pillar that you fought a demon. Then you've already seen a demon's strength, haven't you?" Jigoro Kuwajima sat upright. Despite his small stature, he possessed an inexplicable air of authority that made Yu Luo straighten up as well, not daring to joke around.

"That's right." Yu Luo's expression was grave. "It was only a low-level demon that couldn't even speak, but its strength was already beyond what ordinary people could reach."

"Yes. That is why, in order to fight those inhuman demons, the first generation of demon-slaying swordsmen developed Breathing Styles, allowing us to gain the strength to oppose demons."

"Breathing Styles?"

"The human body has mechanisms of self-protection. Under normal circumstances, only a small portion of the body's muscles is used. Breathing Styles use breathing to fill every muscle in the body with oxygen, thereby awakening all of them."

Jigoro Kuwajima explained it to Yu Luo, bringing him sudden understanding—and raising another question.

"But demons neither age nor die. Can Ripple... no, can Breathing Styles destroy demons?"

If so, then could there be Stand Users?

Of course, Yu Luo only thought that to himself. He absolutely did not dare say it aloud. The old man was terribly old-fashioned; Yu Luo had merely made a few cheeky remarks and gotten lectured for ages. He could only complain in his heart.

"Demon-slaying swordsmen have special swords called Nichirin Blades. Any demon whose neck is severed by a Nichirin Blade will die immediately." Jigoro Kuwajima said calmly, "Once you enter the Demon Slayer Corps, a swordsmith will forge a blade for you."

"Now, let me tell you about Breathing Styles. There are five fundamental Breathing Styles: Water Breathing, Flame Breathing, Wind Breathing, Thunder Breathing, and Stone Breathing."

"There are also Breathing Styles that branch off from the fundamental ones. The Sound Breathing I use branched off from Thunder Breathing."

"So, old man, you're planning to teach me Sound Breathing?"

"No, I'm teaching you Thunder Breathing." Jigoro Kuwajima fixed Yu Luo with a bright gaze, then told him every principle and method of Thunder Breathing.

It had to be said that although the old man always looked down on Yu Luo, even seeming to dislike him, when it came to teaching Breathing Styles, he explained every last detail of Thunder Breathing and took it extremely seriously. After each point, he would ask Yu Luo whether he understood, and he even demonstrated it himself. Yu Luo's impression of him improved greatly.

Looks like the old man was only tough with his words. He was actually quite warmhearted. What a tsundere! Yu Luo muttered inwardly, never daring to say it aloud.

Early the next morning, when the sky had only begun to brighten, a thin mist hung over Peach Mountain. Yu Luo was still asleep when a sudden icy sensation jolted him awake. All drowsiness vanished as he sprang out of bed and looked around, still unclear about what had happened.

Jigoro Kuwajima held a gourd ladle in one hand and leaned on his cane. Blowing his beard and glaring, he slammed the cane down and sternly ordered Yu Luo.

"First, air out the bedding. Then chop all the firewood behind the house, fill the water jar, and if you can't finish, you won't get lunch."

"How can any human being get up at six in the morning?!" Yu Luo cried in despair, only to receive a merciless strike of the cane on his backside.

"Stop talking nonsense!!!" With that, Jigoro Kuwajima glared at Yu Luo and strode out. Just like yesterday, Yu Luo had no idea where he went, leaving him staring despairingly at the water-soaked bed as he helplessly carried the wet bedding outside to dry.

"Eh, Host, did you wet the bed?!" the system suddenly asked in his mind, pretending to be surprised while clearly holding back laughter.

Yu Luo looked at the wet patch on the blanket, and his face immediately darkened. With a cold snort, he grabbed the axe gleaming with a cold light and headed behind the house. The firewood he had chopped yesterday had vanished, replaced by a fresh pile as tall as a person.

By the time he finally finished chopping the wood, the sun was already high in the sky. Yu Luo's thin kimono was drenched through with sweat and clung tightly to his body. He looked up at the sky, gave himself no time to rest, and lifted the empty buckets with his aching hands before heading down the mountain with one in each hand.

There was no water source on the mountain, so he had to fetch water from the stream at its foot. Yu Luo had been a shut-in in the first place, with stamina even slightly worse than an ordinary person's—perhaps even less than the farm women of this world. When had he ever done such hard labor? As he walked down the mountain path, he looked as though he might collapse at any moment. Many times, he wanted to rest or even simply run away and give up joining the Demon Slayer Corps.

Yet whenever such thoughts surfaced, the mangled corpses and the Butterfly sisters' faces would appear in his mind. Yu Luo would grit his teeth and endure the soreness and discomfort throughout his body, pressing onward.

"Splash..." Yu Luo accidentally stepped on a loose stone. Losing his balance, he crashed heavily to the ground. The two heavy water buckets flew from his shoulders and rolled far down the mountain path, while his kimono became covered in dirt.

On a treetop not far away, Jigoro Kuwajima stood silently, watching Yu Luo slowly climb to his feet below. Yu Luo retrieved the two buckets, limped as he turned down the mountain, and went back to the stream to fetch water.

"His mouth may be a little too sharp, but he has some perseverance. I'll count you as qualified." Jigoro Kuwajima quietly gave Yu Luo his assessment, then vanished from the branch in the blink of an eye.

By the time Yu Luo finished chopping the wood and filled the water jar, it was already past two in the afternoon. Numbly pouring the last bucket of water into the jar, he was interrupted by Jigoro Kuwajima before he could pick up the buckets again.

"Alright, go rest for a while. There's more to do later."

Hearing Jigoro Kuwajima's words, Yu Luo stiffly turned to look at him. Then, as though the support had been pulled from his body, he collapsed to the ground. His filthy clothes pressed intimately against the earth as his unfocused eyes stared at the blue sky dotted with white clouds, his mind completely blank.

After a long while, Yu Luo slowly came back to himself. The aches throughout his body immediately flooded his mind, like ants biting him all over, making him grimace in pain.

Forcing himself to endure the discomfort in his muscles, Yu Luo bent over and shuffled step by step into the crude wooden cabin. Jigoro Kuwajima was nowhere to be seen, but Yu Luo was not looking for him. He headed straight for the kitchen, only to find it spotless, with the bowls and chopsticks sitting quietly in the cupboard. It seemed Jigoro Kuwajima had not been joking when he said there would be no meal.

Unwilling to give up, Yu Luo searched around, then lifted the lid of the covered pot. Inside were two small bowls: one bowl of rice and one bowl of miso soup, both still giving off faint steam.

"Just as I thought!" Yu Luo joyfully took out the food and began wolfing it down. He had eaten nothing since waking up that morning, and his stomach had long been empty. As he ate, he thought to himself.

The old man really is all bark and no bite.

He had said there would be no food, yet he had still saved Yu Luo a portion and even warmed it for him. It was completely different from the stern appearance he showed on the surface.

"Finished eating?" Jigoro Kuwajima appeared before Yu Luo again and asked the Yu Luo who was currently devouring his meal.

Looking at the elusive Jigoro Kuwajima, Yu Luo saw that his face still bore that stern expression, but Yu Luo felt much more relaxed. Smiling, he replied, "Almost, almost."

"Here!" The old man directly tossed the object in his right hand to Yu Luo. Yu Luo put down his bowl and chopsticks and caught it. It turned out to be a katana.

"This?" Yu Luo asked in confusion.

"This is a sword I used in the past. It isn't a Nichirin Blade, but it's enough for you to use for now." Faced with Yu Luo's confusion, Jigoro Kuwajima explained calmly, "After resting, go practice your swings. Three thousand times!"

"Um, I..."

"If you don't finish, don't even think about sleeping!!" Thinking Yu Luo wanted to bargain, Jigoro Kuwajima directly cut him off and spoke sternly.

Yu Luo looked innocently at Jigoro Kuwajima's retreating back and muttered softly, "But I already have a sword."