Compared with the special properties of the Nichirin Blades, the Demon Slayer Corps uniform looked much more plain.
The upper half was a somewhat modern stand-collar jacket, with a conspicuous character for "destroy" printed on the back, while the lower half consisted of loose hakama-style trousers.
Although it was simpler and more practical than most clothing of this era, it still had a distinctly Far Eastern style.
Xia Xi tugged curiously at his sleeve.
The Kakushi member said the uniform was woven from special materials. It was breathable, moisture-resistant, and difficult to ignite, and could even withstand cuts and thrusts from ordinary sharp weapons.
Apparently, an ordinary person wielding a sharp weapon would be unable to cut through it.
Though Xia Xi felt little difference after putting it on.
The system hadn't popped up a [Defense +10], after all.
After the Kakushi member took his leave, Xia Xi finished getting ready and prepared to set out on his first mission.
Unexpectedly, before he left, Urokodaki and the two little ones gave him a few small gifts.
"Xia Xi, may fortune favor you in battle."
Sabito and Giyu offered him a handwoven green cord knot, its color identical to the green pattern on Sabito's haori.
"Please wear it. That way, it'll be as if we're always fighting beside you."
Giyu added, "I'll catch up... I'll keep pace with you, and even become strong enough to protect you and Sabito."
It wasn't just the two children.
The old man in the Tengu Mask silently handed him something too.
It was a fox mask so rustic that it looked a little goofy.
"This is a Disaster-Repelling Fox Mask. When misfortune strikes, it may be able to ward it off for you once."
"My boy, although you've passed the Final Selection, you must still be extremely careful on your first mission."
"Never let your guard down."
A wood-carved mask and a handwoven knot.
Those were just the sorts of things they would make.
Xia Xi stuffed the last dried persimmon Persimmon had given him into his mouth, then tied the mask and cord knot to his uniform's belt.
He waved goodbye to everyone.
"I'll be off, then! I'll bring you some souvenirs next time I visit!"
After his sparring practice with Urokodaki, he had also made a special effort to invest another achievement point, raising Water Breathing to LV.2.
Whether it was his attributes or his swordsmanship,
both had made considerable progress through all that hard training.
Compared with when he first left the mountain, Xia Xi's attributes had now improved tremendously.
Kurumazuka Natsumi [Wands] [Chariot] [Star] [Energy level: 70] ┣ Body: 31 ┣ Skill: 23 ┗ Mind: 16 Combat skills- [Wind Breathing] LV.3 (489/2000) [Water Breathing] LV.2 (37/1000) Life skills- LV2 [Physical Training] [Cooking] [Running] LV1 [Suburi] [Camping] [Fishing] [Woodcutting] [Sewing] [Cleaning] [Medicine] [Poison-Making] LV0 [Foraging] [Farming] [Teaching] [Dissection] [Pharmaceutical Crafting] [Carpentry] Remaining achievement points: 11
After glancing at the system panel, Xia Xi added mentally,
Plus [Urokodaki's Disaster-Repelling Fox Mask], [Uchiha and Uzumaki Friendship Knot], [Demon Slayer Corps Standard Uniform], and [Several Nichirin Blades].
I'm terrifyingly strong now.
My panel attributes alone already add up to almost half a Kazami Kōgi.
I wonder whether the demon on this mission can take everything I throw at it.
Rain Village wasn't particularly far from Mount Sagiri.
With the Kasugai Crow Little White guiding him, Xia Xi crossed several mountains and arrived by evening.
It was only a village of a few dozen people.
This little settlement had just a few dozen households, with neither ninja nor samurai stationed there.
A handful of farmers sat smoking pipes at the village entrance.
Aside from them, there was hardly anyone in sight.
"Hey, kid, it's nearly dark. Wandering around outside alone could get you into trouble."
One of them offered Xia Xi a friendly warning.
His companions, however, tugged at his clothes and gave him meaningful looks.
That distinctive uniform, that conspicuous sword at his waist.
To these simple farmers, he looked like trouble incarnate.
The middle-aged man who had spoken first smacked his lips and told his companions, "He's just a half-grown kid. Look how scared you are."
"Hey, kid, judging by your clothes, you're from the city. Hurry on home."
"There's nothing worth seeing in these mountains."
!CPN drama is
Xia Xi's eyes lit up. Rather than getting annoyed, he hurried over.
"Sir, has anyone in the village... gone missing recently? Or has any livestock been dragged off by wild beasts?"
"Shoo, shoo. Go play somewhere else."
The men had little interest in chatting with Xia Xi.
He tried asking several more times, phrasing his questions differently.
All he achieved was getting them to stop acknowledging him altogether.
Could it be that I hadn't triggered some prerequisite quest, or had missed some crucial information, so the mission couldn't advance?
Surely there couldn't be anything wrong with my communication skills?
Unwilling to give up, Xia Xi began asking around the village.
"Ma'am, has anything strange happened in your village?"
"Hey, buddy, has anyone died around here?"
He had nearly questioned everyone, yet still hadn't obtained any useful information.
At last, Xia Xi managed to catch an old farmer strolling leisurely along.
"Sir, has anything unusual happened in the village lately?"
The old farmer puffed on his pipe. His cloudy eyes glanced at the three Nichirin Blades at Xia Xi's waist before he shook his head and mumbled, "Nothing of the sort. Everything's peaceful."
His tone carried the instinctive distance and wariness country folk felt toward unfamiliar samurai.
Even though the sword ban had been in force for decades, to many elderly people, [samurai] still represented authority, oppression, and danger.
None of them wanted much to do with a strange samurai whose background they knew nothing about.
Left with no other choice, Xia Xi picked a direction at random and headed deep into the mountains.
If he couldn't get answers in the village, he might as well try his luck in the mountains.
Unsurprisingly, even by noon the next day, Xia Xi still hadn't encountered the demon from his mission.
Xia Xi grumbled to himself, Finding clues in this game is more of a pain than killing
monsters.
He poked the Kasugai Crow on his shoulder, which did nothing but eat and sleep.
"Hey, Little Black, don't you have any specific information about the demon?"
The Kasugai Crow angrily turned its head away.
"I'm White! You bastard, Rokuguruma! Not Black, caw!"
"All right, all right, Lord White, fairest and loveliest of all, do you have any information about the demon on this mission?"
"No." The Kasugai Crow calmed down a little. "The Kakushi found human remains that had been gnawed on, caw! There was a demon's scent!"
"Where, exactly?"
"Don't know, caw!"
The ingratiating smile vanished from his face.
Xia Xi said, "Useless."
The Kasugai Crow said, "Caw???"
The black bird flew up onto a treetop in a huff and ignored Xia Xi.
Xia Xi checked through the system again.
There were no quest hints, no automatic navigation, and no minimap.
"Hey, system? Hello, Mr. System?"
Xia Xi tried activating it by voice, but even after a long wait, there was no response.
Clearly, this game didn't include an intelligent assistant.
Xia Xi felt his blood pressure beginning to rise.
As expected, what he hated most was being forcibly stuck in a JRPG because there weren't enough clues, along with navigating mazes.
(JRPG: Japanese role-playing game.)
Where were the hints?
Where were the clues?
Where was the prerequisite information?
"Um... sir, would you like something to eat?"
Just as he was sulking, a worried-looking middle-aged woman timidly offered him a clean rice ball wrapped in cloth.
Xia Xi instinctively started to refuse.
But upon seeing the name above her head, he suddenly realized something.
I saw this woman yesterday.
She looked torn, as though she wanted to say something but couldn't. Clearly, she was hiding something!
In a flash, a circuit in Xia Xi's brain suddenly connected.
He gently pushed away the rice ball she offered, his expression turning solemn and businesslike.
"Thank you for your kindness, ma'am, but we cannot accept food while carrying out a mission."
The woman froze.
Ma'am? Carrying out a mission? Could this person be...
Xia Xi recalled the spy movies he had watched before.
He adopted a grim, cold expression that was a fairly convincing imitation.
"As you've probably noticed, I'm not from around here."
Making a show of casually surveying the village, Xia Xi continued, "I've come to your village on a mission."
Hope suddenly lit up the woman's eyes.
She asked tentatively, "Then, sir, are... are you from the neighborhood association or the police outpost...?"
What was she talking about? I'd never heard of any of that.
"Ahem."
Xia Xi said solemnly, "I'm a senior operative of Tokyo's Special Affairs Division Nine, Demon Slayer Mobile Unit. Understand?"
"I'm here to investigate a missing-persons case."
Of course, the woman couldn't make sense of Xia Xi's fabrications.
She couldn't even pronounce his tongue-twisting job title properly.
She nodded, impressed despite not understanding, then asked hesitantly, "But you're so young..."
Without changing his expression, Xia Xi quickly flashed Mr. Kazami's recommendation letter before her eyes.
He then said, "That's because I'm a genius. I received full transmission certification from Kagoshima's Nameless Divine Wind Style Dojo at fourteen."
"That's why the Police Department Special Affairs Division Nine made an exception to recruit me."
The woman was utterly taken in.
Her gaze instinctively fell on Xia Xi's clothes.
"This is the new uniform from Tokyo. Only Division Nine personnel who handle special cases wear it."
"Shh-keep it to yourself."
By now, the woman was mostly convinced.
But frightened and helpless as she was, she asked quietly, "Mr. Secret Police Officer, where's your gun? Why... are you only carrying three samurai swords?"
Xia Xi feigned impatience. "I told you I'm a genius. Three-sword style! Do you understand three-sword style?"
The woman covered her mouth, thoroughly convinced.
"Mr. Secret Police Officer, could you help me?"
Xia Xi smiled.
Now the plot trigger had finally clicked into place.
Before you continue