Name: Yatsuka Nightstar. Age: 14. Height: 165 cm. Weight: 51 kg. Scroll skills: hunter's notes, Bushido Style. Equipment: Traveler's Clothes, Samurai Long Sword. Items: Kunai ×10. Physique: xeno'jiiva physique. Active skills: Elder Dragon's Pressure, Flame Burst, Hellfire Blast. Special skill: netherworld fire. Combat rating: C+. Exchange points: 62.
Apparently, the earlier baptism had made Lin Chen a centimeter taller and considerably heavier. Even his face seemed to have gained a little color, no longer as pale as before.
"Ah, now I'm really flat broke."
Lin Chen glanced at his exchange points, now down to double digits, then silently asked another question.
System, is there a way to earn exchange points quickly?
[Ding. Killing enemies will earn a certain number of exchange points. As the host now possesses a measure of strength, the mission system has been activated.]
Hmm? Lin Chen checked the mission system and found quite a few missions listed there.
Kill Muzan Kibutsuji and obtain the Demon King Hunter title: difficulty A, 4,000 exchange points. Kill three top-tier demons (Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki): difficulty B, 2,800 exchange points. Kill three High-Level Demons (Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki): difficulty C, 2,000 exchange points. Become a Pillar-level Demon Slayer Corps member: difficulty C, 1,500 exchange points. Kill five mid-tier demons (demons capable of using Blood Demon Arts or undergoing mutations): difficulty D, 1,000 exchange points. Join the Demon Slayer Corps: difficulty D, 800 exchange points. Kill twenty low-tier demons and obtain the Demon Slayer title: difficulty E, 600 exchange points.
After looking through the list, Lin Chen found that Muzan Kibutsuji's head occupied a tier all its own-the only A-rank mission. Sure enough, the progenitor of demons had quite a price on his head.
Still, he knew his limits. If he encountered Muzan Kibutsuji now, he would absolutely get crushed. Never mind Muzan Kibutsuji; if any one of the six Upper Ranks showed up, he would probably have to turn tail and run.
After all, although he had gained Xeno'jiiva's physique along with hunter's notes and an understanding of Bushido Style, having Xeno'jiiva's physique did not mean he possessed Xeno'jiiva's power. Its immense strength was partly due to its enormous size. Besides, he had only just gained these abilities and had yet to familiarize himself with them or explore their full potential. All he had was a physique stronger than an ordinary person's and a few special abilities.
"No, I need to kill some demons first, then keep my head down while I get stronger."
Lin Chen thought of how vicious Muzan Kibutsuji and the Twelve Kizuki were. Those monsters came and went without a trace, too. Who knew whether he might accidentally run into one someday?
"Right, my original name in this world was Yatsuka Nightstar, wasn't it? The system uses that name by default, too. I'll go by that from now on."
With that settled, he hung the Samurai Long Sword at his waist and walked out of the forest.
Before long, Lin Chen... no, Yatsuka Nightstar had spent three hours walking along the road, yet he still had not seen a single house. Apart from him, the deserted road held only glimpses of birds and the surrounding vegetation.
"Ah, it's already dark. Oh well, I'll eat something first."
Ye Chen took out a piece of Raw Meat, cooked it, and began eating slowly. This time, he did not wolf it down. There had been a reason for that earlier, after all. He was a well-mannered young man, and even being transported to another world could not change that.
"Come to think of it, demons come out at night..."
Without the need to replenish his energy this time, Ye Chen let out a satisfied burp before he had eaten even half and put the remaining roast meat into his storage space. It was two kilograms of meat, after all, and he was not naturally a big eater. There was no way he could finish it. Besides, he was running low on exchange points, so he had better be frugal.
"Right, system, redeem a few things for me. I'm about to start grinding like crazy."
Ye Chen wiped the corner of his mouth, his eyes curving into an eerie smile.
"Hahaha, that was great! Humans really do taste delicious!"
"Exactly. How about we attack that village we mentioned next time? I've got my eye on a girl. I bet she'll taste wonderful."
"Oh? Tell me more. I'm interested, too."
At a campsite, six or seven demons were chatting merrily.
Some looked almost human, while others were hideously ugly. They all shared one trait, though: their skin was utterly bloodless.
"Hmm? I smell a human."
One demon twitched his nose and looked around, but there was no one in sight-only the silent forest surrounding them.
"Hahaha! You're imagining things, aren't you? Who would come to a place like this in the middle of the night?"
"No, I sense a human, too. Could it be the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"Hmph, so what if the Demon Slayer Corps shows up?"
One demon showed no fear whatsoever. His nose twitched, and he followed the scent in search of the human.
Suddenly, his eyes widened. A purple dagger flew toward him and plunged straight between his brows.
"Aaargh!!!"
He screamed and collapsed. The other demons were startled to discover a young man standing opposite them.
Four of the demons exchanged glances, extended their long claws, and lunged at the young man together, as though they would tear him to pieces in the next instant.
Whoosh!!!
But two of the demons suddenly dropped into a large pit. Lightning kept crackling inside it, shocking them until their tongues hung out as they writhed in agony.
The young man was none other than Yatsuka Nightstar. He had set his sights on these demons long ago. To him, demons were precious exchange points, after all. They were no good anyway, so he had no qualms about killing them.
The other two demons froze, unsure when such a trap had appeared. In that moment of hesitation, Ye Chen swiftly closed in, gripping the hilt of his Samurai Long Sword. The next instant, the blade flashed out of its sheath.
"Aaargh!!!"
With a single slash from Ye Chen, one demon's head parted from his body. The other reacted a little faster, but still lost a hand.
[Killed one low-tier demon. Exchange points +16.]
As he cut down the demon, the system notification sounded.
Demons have tough necks. This is just an ordinary long sword, not a Nichirin Blade. I swung hard without coating the weapon in netherworld fire, yet I still cut clean through its neck. This strength is no joke. Xeno'jiiva's physique really is powerful. Ye Chen was stirred by the thought. He was quite pleased with his strength.
Normally, cutting off a demon's head with an ordinary sword would not kill it outright. However, this long sword had a special advantage against demons, and that evidently still worked.
The other demon retreated several steps and joined the three behind him, staring fixedly at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen ignored them for the moment. He raised his long sword and slashed down at the two demons inside the trap.
[Killed two low-tier demons. Exchange points +33.]
"Is he from the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"No, he doesn't look like it. That's not a Nichirin Blade in his hand, either, but he can cut through a demon's neck with sheer strength."
"And that dagger he threw earlier seems to be poisoned. Liehu is still lying there without moving."
The four demons glanced warily around, seemingly looking for a chance to escape. But the next instant, Ye Chen rushed straight toward them, raised his long sword, and unleashed a flurry of vicious slashes. Another demon soon fell to his blade.
[Killed one low-tier demon. Exchange points +15.]
These were only ordinary demons. Seeing how ferocious Ye Chen was, they panicked and scattered, fleeing in every direction.
Ye Chen's eyes flashed as he quickly surveyed their positions and directions. Then he pushed off and sprinted after one of them.
The demon broke into a cold sweat on the spot. Why had this monster singled him out? Before he could think any further, Ye Chen was already behind him, slashing out with his sword.