Dude, Aren't You Afraid of Me?

Blood Fang silently watched the boy in the woods.

Young, alone, brimming with vitality.

A delicious piece of bread.

Somewhat excited, he struggled to suppress his hunger as he considered how to prepare his next meal.

Should I break his limbs and swallow him alive while he's still fresh?

Or let his fear ferment, then savor him with the rich aroma of despair?

Fresh, or full of flavor?

What a delightful choice...

Such a dilemma.

A chaotic look churned in Blood Fang's eyes, making him lick his fangs.

As for the katana beside the boy?

He paid it no mind at all.

Aside from sunlight and powerful members of the Demon Slayer Corps, ordinary humans' resistance gave him nothing to fear.

If anything, their fearless struggles made a delicious accompaniment to his meals.

Judging by the boy's shabby clothes, he clearly wasn't from the Demon Slayer Corps.

And night had only just fallen.

They were out in the wilderness.

No one would even bother answering a cry for help.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last had a proper meal. How many people will I have to eat before that lady notices me again and lets me behold her splendor?

Before Blood Fang could decide, he noticed the boy in the distance suddenly lift his head and look around.

Eventually, his gaze settled in Blood Fang's direction.

Sharp senses, hmm? Now I'm even more excited~

Blood Fang simply stopped hiding.

Instead, he straightened up and sauntered toward the boy, finally stepping into the firelight.

The firelight fell across his face. Blood Fang grinned, showing off his fangs and the gaping mouth that stretched all the way to his ears.

It's more fun to play a little before eating.

As expected, the boy immediately put his hand on his sword hilt upon seeing Blood Fang's inhumanly powerful body.

Next would come the familiar turn and flight.

Or perhaps he would scream to bolster his courage, then slash wildly at Blood Fang in terror.

Based on past experience, Blood Fang had already pictured it all.

But the boy behaved unlike anyone Blood Fang had encountered before.

He merely brushed himself off, rose with his sword in hand, and walked leisurely toward Blood Fang.

There was no fear or panic in his eyes.

Instead, he gave Blood Fang a look that made him uncomfortable.

An appraising, curious look.

Blood Fang's muscles gradually tensed, and the murderous intent and bloody aura he had been suppressing spread from his body.

Oh-ho?

Instead of running away, you're coming toward me?

Admirable courage.

It really makes me want to stuff that sexy, delicious body into my stomach right now!

"Boy, aren't you afraid?"

For once, Blood Fang asked his food a question.

Surely you're still afraid deep down?

Instead, the boy asked a related question.

"You're a demon?"

Xia Xi drew his sword.

The emerald blade glinted coldly in the firelight.

Xia Xi studied the humanoid creature before him, which stood roughly two meters tall.

His blue-gray face looked like iron, his fangs jutted outward, and his muscles knotted like the tangled roots of an ancient tree. His crimson eyes burned in the darkness.

"If you've got a name, you should count as an elite monster, right?"

Before the creature could answer, the sharp Nichirin Blade was already sweeping toward his neck.

As expected, the demon named [Blood Fang] immediately became active once Xia Xi attacked.

He struck second but landed first.

His right claw lashed out like a steel whip, forcibly knocking the Nichirin Blade aside.

Strong. His stats are higher than mine, after all.

I wonder if there's a hidden racial stat bonus, too.

Xia Xi didn't panic in the slightest.

Instead, amid the shower of sparks, he borrowed his opponent's force to twist into a spin.

His blade traced a chilling horizontal line, barely sweeping past the demon's throat.

That should have hit.

Yet through sheer physical prowess, the demon forced himself half a step backward with a movement that should have been impossible.

Xia Xi licked his lips in excitement.

A physique of 28 really is something. That's a full ten points higher than mine.

Even though he had used leverage, that blow had left the web of his hand numb and nearly knocked the Nichirin Blade from his grip.

More interestingly...

This AI can even react to my changing moves with a special dodge in a split second.

...This combat system.

"You're pretty interesting," Xia Xi couldn't help saying.

Blood Fang frowned.

"Are you with the Demon Slayer Corps?"

Xia Xi said, "Not yet."

"Oh?" The murky fluid in Blood Fang's eyes churned violently. "A samurai, then? Perfect. It's been years since I've eaten a samurai's flesh and blood."

Oh, there's even a trash-talk segment.

Xia Xi assumed a sword stance and drew a deep breath.

Scorching air escaped between his teeth.

His solid chest pounded like a war drum.

Let's keep going.

Let me see whether this game's mechanics focus on [neutral and footsies] or [stamina bar management].

[Wind Breathing]

Here it comes.

The boy gathered the power coursing through his entire body from his Breathing Style into a single force.

Power blasted into the earth through the soles of his feet, kicking up a ring of dust-

Bang!

He became a blur, his Nichirin Blade trailing a savage storm as he charged straight at the demon.

[First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter]

The demon showed no fear.

Grinning viciously, he thrust both claws like spears straight into the heart of the storm.

The campfire went out.

But the darkness gave Blood Fang no advantage in a nighttime battle-

Because he, too, had been snuffed out.

Blood Fang, the man-eating demon.

His smile froze on his blue-gray face.

The malice in his pupils instantly gave way to bewilderment.

His head slid from his neck... and landed on the ground with a thud.

I've been beheaded?

How is this brat so strong?!

His body still flailed like a decapitated cockroach, its peripheral nerves screaming their final, chaotic protests.

In truth, there was no saving him now.

And then-

After a brief burst of shock and rage, a strange sensation quickly rose in his mind, as though a haze were lifting.

It was as if a fog that had lingered in Blood Fang's mind for years were slowly dissipating.

No wonder.

No wonder his initial look made me uncomfortable.

The way he studied me from the beginning was no different from a child's curious gaze upon seeing a piglet for the first time.

Seeing a piglet?

Something like that happened before... Right, my little brother...

The head lying on the ground began to crack.

Like yellow joss paper set alight during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival.

It slowly scattered into the air.

And Blood Fang finally remembered his own name, along with those forgotten memories.

Turned into a monster by a monster, he had committed and reveled in those vile acts of cannibalism.

But at this moment...

He didn't rush to speak to the departed people buried deep in those memories. Instead, he looked at the boy before him.

The one who had set him free.

"Brat, what's your name?"

"Xia Xi. Kurumazuka Natsumi."

"I really ran into an extraordinary brat..."

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Blood Fang felt that the boy seemed a little distracted.

Of course he was distracted!

Right now, Xia Xi was utterly baffled.

Come on, dude.

Didn't we just test each other with basic attacks before moving on to trading skills?

I've already used my Breathing Style and sword form.

Why are you still using basic attacks?!

And don't you fucking know how to dodge? However long your reach is, can it beat my arm holding a katana over a meter long?

And then you just get one-shot?

His biggest takeaway from this fight was that fighting these monsters without any lights really did make it hard to see, which was a little annoying.

Anything else? Nope.

It hadn't even been as satisfying as testing skill combos on wooden dummies with a wooden sword in the training yard.

That's it?

Where's the balance designer?

This is how you set the stats for this stage?

He watched the demon's panel gradually change from the red [Blood Fang???] to the green [Blood Fang (Ino Nobu)].

The demon seemed to have more to say.

Faint images also began to flicker at the edges of his vision.

After that underwhelming first fight, I have to sit through a cutscene, too?!

He casually gave his name.

Xia Xi decisively selected [Skip story].

When the world, rendered rather absurd by the fast-forward effect, settled back down, all that remained before him was a tiny, unremarkable pile of ashes.

What was he about to say again?

Xia Xi scratched his head and glanced at the system panel.

"Ah, I knew it."

"Killing monsters really does give experience."

[Wind Breathing Lv. 2]

[Basic proficiency]

[Progress: 221/1000 (+48)]

Actually, dude, you weren't completely useless.

I've received your final gift.