[Low-level demon killed. Exchange points ×12.] [Low-level demon killed. Exchange points ×23.] [Low-level demon killed. Exchange points ×11.]
Harvesting wisteria nearby, Ye Chen smiled and nodded as he watched the numbers on the system interface keep ticking upward. Sending three clones out with Heavy Bowguns to kill demons was working quite well. Still, he knew this was only the beginning. There were plenty of demons in the Wisteria Flower Sea. If he could actually kill them all, he would not only complete a hidden quest but also earn a huge number of exchange points.
"Come to think of it, I've got over two hundred exchange points now. Might as well use this week's draw, since it's available." As the thought crossed his mind, Ye Chen opened the weekly draw.
[Ding! 200 exchange points consumed. Obtained one Mystic Water.]
"...Mystic Water? What's that?"
Curious about the result, Ye Chen opened the description for the Mystic Water-and nearly choked again. He fought back the urge to hack the system to pieces.
Mystic Water: From the Pokémon plane. Carrying it increases the power of Water-type moves by 20%.
Fine, I don't care what plane it came from, but what the hell am I supposed to do with something that boosts Water-type moves?!
Ye Chen eyed the garbage system resentfully. Calling it reliable felt wrong, since the things he drew were completely useless to him. Calling it unreliable felt wrong too, since those things were actually worth quite a bit.
"Forget it. Guess I just have rotten luck." Ye Chen sighed, put the matter out of his mind, and went back to harvesting.
"Heh... hehehe, a human..."
Not far behind Ye Chen, a demon spotted him harvesting wisteria with his head down. He had no idea why Ye Chen was cutting the flowers, but the sight of a lone human was too tempting to resist. He crept up behind Ye Chen, intending to launch a sneak attack.
Bang!!
Just then, a gunshot rang out, punching a bloody hole straight through the demon's head. At the same time, a lethal toxin spread wildly through his body, killing him on the spot.
"Honestly, these demons never take a good look at the situation. Don't they know the guy quietly cutting grass is usually a powerhouse?"
Ye Chen blew the smoke off his Heavy Bowgun, glanced at the dozen or so wisteria trees he had already stripped bare, then shifted his gaze and headed toward the next area.
"I'd better leave the flowers around the outer perimeter alone. Who knows whether bare trees can still keep the demons trapped? I'll harvest the inner area first." Ye Chen pursed his lips. He hadn't wanted to damage the environment either, but there was no helping it. His future plans required wisteria poison, so for the sake of exchange points, the trees would have to suffer a little. Besides, I'm not cutting them down, just stripping them bare. They'll grow back next year... probably.
Ten people sat at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters. The man in the center had a mark on his face that looked less like a scar and more like a birthmark or some strange disease. The other nine all exuded a powerful presence, strongest of all from a blind monk holding prayer beads.
Indeed, those gathered were the highest-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps: their Oyakata-sama, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and the nine Pillar-level Members. The blind monk with the most imposing presence was the Corps' strongest fighter, the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
"Everyone, I have gathered you here to announce some important news," Kagaya Ubuyashiki began slowly. "It concerns Muzan Kibutsuji."
At that name, all nine Pillar-level Members felt a jolt. The reason was simple: the bearer of that name was the Demon Progenitor, the ruler of all demons. Killing him was the Demon Slayer Corps' ultimate goal.
"What is it, Oyakata-sama? Has Muzan Kibutsuji committed another atrocity?" asked a white-haired man whose face was covered in scars. His expression was fierce, and hatred for Muzan Kibutsuji seeped into his voice.
He was none other than the Demon Slayer Corps' Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa. Though hot-tempered, his strength ranked near the top even among the Pillar-level Members.
"Ah, have more innocent lives been lost? May heaven have mercy..." Two streams of tears involuntarily rolled down the Stone Hashira's cheeks as he continued turning the prayer beads in his hands.
"Hmm... If you want us to head out, Oyakata-sama, I'm fine with that." A young man with a somewhat vacant expression gazed at the sky as he spoke in a seemingly casual tone.
He looked only thirteen or fourteen, yet he had already become one of the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillar-level Members. He was Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira, who had joined the Corps only recently. Having reached Pillar-level strength less than three months after first taking up a sword, he possessed extraordinary talent, and his abilities were certainly not to be underestimated.
"Hmph, Muzan. As long as that bastard lives, this world will never know peace..." a young man with a venomous snake coiled around his neck said slowly. He was the Demon Slayer Corps' Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro.
Ah... Iguro is so handsome! But the fiery Shinazugawa seems pretty nice too. A woman with curly pink hair looked at the Serpent Hashira, then at the Wind Hashira, her mind brimming with thoughts. She was the Demon Slayer Corps' Love Hashira, Mitsuri Kanroji.
"Muzan, huh? I'd love to cut his head off." A man with two swords on his back and a strange tattoo around his left eye grinned. He was the Demon Slayer Corps' Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
"Muzan Kibutsuji... If I find him, I can find the one who killed my sister..." A black-haired woman with purple eyes wore a complicated expression. She was the Demon Slayer Corps' Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.
"Rest assured, Oyakata-sama! Even if Muzan comes, I'll protect you with my Nichirin Blade!!" the golden-haired Flame Hashira declared heartily, his eyes filled with respect for their leader.
"..." The young man beside them remained silent, but everyone knew him as the Demon Slayer Corps' Water Hashira, Giyu Tomioka.
"Rest assured. Muzan Kibutsuji hasn't done anything to warrant such alarm. Rather, I've heard that he recently suffered a major setback." Kagaya Ubuyashiki gave a calm chuckle as he revealed this astonishing fact.
"What?" Several of the Pillar-level Members were shocked, finding it hard to believe.
"Who did it? Is there anyone outside our Demon Slayer Corps capable of such a thing?" the Serpent Hashira asked quietly, curious.
"I don't know. I haven't been able to find out who did it, either. But the news that Muzan Kibutsuji suffered a setback should be accurate."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki shook his head with a wry smile. Naturally, Tamayo had told him about this. As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the only demon who opposed Muzan, the two of them were naturally in contact. He had been shocked when he learned of it as well. But Tamayo had been rather unkind about it: when he asked who had done it, she simply refused to tell him.
What he didn't know was that Tamayo had very much wanted to tell him. But Ye Chen had already instructed her not to reveal any information about him to anyone, so she had no choice.
"Whoever did it, one thing is certain: the possibility of killing Muzan is not zero. And now, with new developments in our research, we finally have hope." As Kagaya Ubuyashiki thought of the drug Tamayo was developing to combat Muzan Kibutsuji, hope welled up within him.
"Muzan Kibutsuji, you are a disgrace to our family. I swear I'll make you..."
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