"Oi~ Mr. Urokodaki, are you home?"
On Mount Sagiri.
Following his master's directions, Xia Xi had indeed found a small wooden cabin.
But no one seemed to be home.
There were, however, faint sounds coming from deep in the mountains nearby.
No wonder it was called Mount Sagiri.
The air was so damp it felt sticky, gathering into thick, unyielding fog that shrouded vast stretches of forest.
Here and there, he could just make out patches of rain clouds spilling their contents.
He wondered whether an old man living here would suffer from rheumatism.
Just as Xia Xi was about to head into the mountains for a look.
The sounds in the fog stopped.
All that remained was the white noise of rustling leaves and the moist seasonal wind.
Almost at the same instant, Xia Xi rested his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
Could there be an XP piñata here?
No, if there really were a man-eating demon nearby, Master Urokodaki would probably have dealt with it long ago.
An exceedingly faint rustle of clothing suddenly came from behind him.
His blade slid out of its sheath.
Only for a hand to press it firmly back down.
"Very alert, and the altitude hasn't given you any trouble either? Good physical condition."
"You have a Nichirin Blade, but aren't wearing the uniform."
"Child, are you one of the cultivators' disciples?"
A very aged voice sounded behind Xia Xi.
So fast!
Xia Xi went on guard.
Then he noticed that the game interface hadn't entered combat mode.
Oh.
No hostility. He's friendly.
Xia Xi relaxed.
"My name is Kurumazuka Natsumi. I trained under Kazami..."
He turned around.
A red monster's face with an enormous nose appeared before him, its head wrapped in cloth.
Xia Xi: Huh? Σ(°Д°;)
"A monster?"
Sakonji Urokodaki tapped his mask in amusement. "A tengu."
Xia Xi looked above him.
[Sakonji Urokodaki] [Power level: 274 (Body: 105, Technique: 129, Mind: 40)] [Water Breathing LV.6]
His stats were nearly a hundred points higher than those of Xia Xi's bargain-bin master.
He's way stronger...
Could this old man have been the Water Hashira once?
Urokodaki looked at the boy before him and frowned slightly.
Was he... spacing out?
"Child."
He patted the boy's shoulder, finally bringing him back to his senses.
He accepted the letter of recommendation the boy handed him.
After reading it carefully with some puzzlement, Urokodaki finally understood.
"So you're a swordsman trained by Kōgi."
"And he actually agreed to this willful request of yours. He must think very highly of you."
"Come inside first, child."
He patted Xia Xi's shoulder, then waved toward the distant woods.
"Take a break from today's training."
"We have a guest."
At his words, a rustling sounded.
Two children emerged from the fog-shrouded forest.
One had pink hair and walked with rigid precision, his face hidden behind a fox mask.
The other was a solemn, black-haired boy whose face practically screamed, "Stay away."
They looked a few years younger than Xia Xi.
Where did this Uzumaki and Uchiha come from?
"These two are children I adopted. They're also swordsmen in training."
"Sabito, Giyu. Come here. This is the disciple of an old friend of mine, Kurumaji..."
Xia Xi supplied, "Kurumazuka Natsumi."
He swept an expressionless gaze over the two children.
Only to notice the black-haired child shrink back half a step in apprehension.
[Giyu Tomioka (Power level: 27)] Water Breathing LV.2 [Giyu Tomioka (Power level: 13)] Water Breathing LV.1
The fox looks stronger than the Uchiha.
But to the boy named Tomioka standing opposite him, Xia Xi's presence was downright terrifying.
He stood ramrod straight, and every muscle in his body held a sense of silent violence.
His eyes, too, revealed a precise, lucid sort of madness.
And yet... and yet, from him...
I can feel something like what's in me and Sabito.
That flame of vengeance in someone whose destiny has been shattered by demons.
But somehow, he also seems terrifyingly cold, as though he doesn't care about anything...
Strong, yet contradictory.
Xia Xi glanced at Giyu Tomioka again.
Did I scare him?
Giyu: A little scared (°△°||)
The fox-masked boy seemed to notice Tomioka's unease. He stepped forward slightly, blocking Xia Xi's gaze.
"Sabito, he means no harm." Urokodaki sighed, then beckoned to Xia Xi. "Come inside first."
Pushing open the wooden door, Urokodaki felt around and lit an oil lamp.
The room was small and plain. It could easily have passed for an ordinary farmer's home.
Does the Demon Slayer Corps pay that badly?
Xia Xi couldn't help looking around.
"Neither the organization nor Oyakata-sama is stingy." As though he had guessed Xia Xi's thoughts, Urokodaki explained, "My former master left this house to me. I couldn't bear to part with it."
"And I happen to enjoy some peace and quiet on my own."
Once the room was a little brighter, the old man sat beside the sunken hearth.
Holding the recommendation letter, he carefully read through it again, line by line.
Meanwhile, the fox and Uchiha boys stood a short distance away, studying their unexpected guest, Xia Xi, with curiosity.
Little sparks rose from the hearth with soft crackles.
The chill in the room gradually faded.
"Young Kurumaji, I was initially rather opposed to your master's request."
"As a rule, a swordsman who has only just passed the selection should focus on securing his foundations and mastering one Breathing Style. To already be thinking of drawing on the strengths of multiple styles, or even creating his own... to me, that borders on nonsense."
Sakonji Urokodaki's voice came through his Tengu Mask, calm as a deep mountain pool.
"Progress in a Breathing Style comes from focused refinement, day after day."
"Mind, body, technique-you cannot neglect any of them."
"Dividing your attention before your foundations are secure is reaching beyond your grasp. You will never achieve greatness that way."
But then Urokodaki changed tack.
"I know Kazami's temperament."
"In his letter, your teacher vouched strongly for you and asked me to teach you the essentials of Water Breathing. I do not agree with the path you have chosen, but neither do I wish to let his care for you go to waste..."
Xia Xi: Huh?
What did my bargain-bin master write in that letter?
Did he go and owe this masked old man a huge favor?
"I do not endorse this path of 'drawing on everyone's strengths,' but I do respect Kazami's judgment and sense of responsibility as a cultivator."
"Since he has staked his reputation on you and asserted that you may be an 'exception'..."
"I am willing to give you a chance to prove his judgment correct."
"You may stay here for one month."
Urokodaki's gaze swept toward Sabito and Giyu. "You will practice Water Breathing alongside these two children."
"One month. If, by then, you have not mastered even the forms of Water Breathing and their most basic underlying intent, that will prove you are no exception, merely another ordinary boy reaching beyond his grasp."
Finally, he looked at Xia Xi, his tone brooking no argument.
"When that time comes, please leave."
"Devoting yourself to bringing Wind Breathing to its utmost limits is what you ought to do."
It was both an answer to his old friend and a final warning to the boy before him.
"A genius's time and energy are especially precious. I do not wish to betray Kazami's friendship, but still less do I wish to watch promising talent dull its own edge by taking the wrong path."
"Whether this is proof of your talent or merely a boy's arrogance-you have this month to show me yourself."
Xia Xi wasn't intimidated by his stern tone at all. Instead, he glanced at the system panel.
After he became an official member at Lake Ashi, the main quest had updated from [Chapter One: Complete the Final Selection to Join the Corps] to [Chapter Two: Become a [Kinoe]-Rank Swordsman].
At the same time, a new feature had been unlocked.
The side quest system.
[Side quest: First Encounter! A New Breathing Style!] [Description: Master a new Breathing Style within one month.] [Reward: 500 Breathing Style proficiency XP (adaptive).]
Ever since he had unlocked this feature, its panel had remained completely empty.
He had been wondering how to trigger these so-called side quests.
He hadn't expected one to pop up on its own after just a few words.
"Then I'll be imposing on you for a while, Mr. Urokodaki."
So Xia Xi said.
Before you continue