Chapter 33: Hunter [33]: The Struggling Demons
"How is this possible..."
The demon with a horn on its head saw its body moving away from itself and realized it had been decapitated! But it had only just faced the demon slayer!
[You have killed a common demon, Fuku.]
[Fuku is a common demon. You have gained 0.1% of the World Source. You now have a total of 0.1% of the World Source.]
[Your talent Soul Condensation has activated, permanently increasing your soul power. Current soul power does not meet the display threshold.]
[Gained 10 Demon Slayer Corps contribution points.]
Nothing dropped, which wasn't surprising. The power gap between a common demon and Lin Jiu was too large, and the amount of World Source gained showed that common demons had little impact on the storyline.
"In that case, I need to make a trip to Asakusa!"
Lin Jiu sheathed his sword. The demons Tanjiro encountered were weak to him, yet they provided more World Source. It would be a waste not to kill them.
If only he could take Nezuko... cough cough, one shouldn't be too much like Su Xiao, such things shouldn't be emulated!
Thanks to Kibutsuji Muzan, who arranged his demons in certain areas. The locations of these demons were mostly known to the Demon Slayer Corps, so Lin Jiu just needed to be in the right place at night.
Regarding the hunting mission, Lin Jiu had met all four people who joined the Demon Slayer Corps; none of them were violators, otherwise, the hunt mode would have started upon meeting.
So, unless the violator was special, the [13521] Violator he needed to hunt also belonged to the demon faction. Based on Lin Jiu's understanding of the mission, the last main quest step was a confrontational task.
"Before heading to Asakusa, let's complete the second phase of the main mission!"
Lin Jiu sent his Kasugai Crow to gather information about all known active demon areas, especially marking those on the way to Asakusa in Tokyo Prefecture.
Compared to the Demon Slayer Corps' main task of hunting demons, the demon faction's task of killing demon slayers was easier. A slightly stronger common demon could take down several ordinary Demon Slayer Corps members unless they encountered a Hashira or the protagonist group.
Before dawn, the Kasugai Crow brought information to Lin Jiu. As the little demon was dealt with quickly, time was mainly spent waiting for information.
"Lower Moon One... new demon..."
Lin Jiu reviewed the headquarters' information. The closest demon was one of the Twelve Kizuki, a Lower Moon demon. To Lin Jiu, Lower Moon demons were no different from common demons with special ability; only Upper Moon demons would require more effort.
Another piece of information was about a newly active demon in a previously cleared area, suggesting he investigated its authenticity.
Lin Jiu calculated; the route from this Lower Moon demon to the suspected new demon, then to Tokyo Prefecture, forming a straight line. It seemed the headquarters had planned it well!
"Let's go!"
Lin Jiu, with the Kasugai Crow on his shoulder, headed towards Tokyo Prefecture.
...
"Monkey is dead!"
The moment these words were spoken, the group's atmosphere became heavy and silent.
There were twenty people present, one group of five temporary adventurers, and another group originally seven but now five, who had been transported with Lin Jiu. The other group hadn't arrived together. The faces of the present contractors were somewhat pale, and some had strange organs.
"Given the current situation, the third phase of the main quest is likely a confrontational task. Let's first complete the second main task and surround that guy!"
The speaker, a bald man with a vertical eye on his forehead, was the two-meter-tall contractor from before.
The shameless thirty-something man suggested, "Gaceful Light and Enterprise, you two have been assigned to areas with demons. Defeat the Lower Moon demon, take its place, and use the Blue Spider Lily to lure Kibutsuji Muzan to that guy!"
The man called Gaceful Light was a young male contractor using firearms, and Enterprise was a female contractor who usually followed the group's decisions.
Hearing this suggestion, Gaceful Light looked tempted but was interrupted by an older contractor, Old Wood: "Old King, you're as shameless as ever! If these two go to Muzan and mention the Blue Spider Lily, they'll have their memories read. If the memories are blocked by the Reincarnation Paradise, they'll be suspected.
With Muzan's nature, they'll likely die! If there's no restriction, then congrats, you've revealed the Reincarnation Paradise's existence and you're dead!"
After Old Wood's explanation, the usually quiet Enterprise shrank back, while Graceful Light glared at the man called the Old King.
Old King, unbothered by the glare, laughed, "Just a suggestion!"
"Stop sabotaging us!"
A female contractor with glasses said calmly, "The Demon Slayer Corps is known for their unity. If the opposing contractor speaks up, the Hashiras will act.
But our situation isn't that simple. You know the nature of Muzan. Compared to Kagaya Ubuyashiki, aside from strong combat power, he's a pig teammate. Plus, the Upper Moon demons are mentally twisted. Given our current situation..."
Don't be fooled by the seemingly easier completion of their main quest two; being forced into the demon faction has made every step difficult. In the world of Demon Slayer, the demons have always been stronger than humans, and contractors who descend into this world generally join the Demon Slayer Corps, unless they have a screw loose.
But this time, most of them have been forced into the demon faction, rendering many of the plans they had before entering the world useless.
Joining the demon faction is quite simple: no one's consent is needed. Just capture a demon and drink its blood.
In reality, only Muzan Kibutsuji can mass-produce demons through his blood. Ordinary demons generally can't do this, but the Reincarnation Paradise will extract the part of the demon blood belonging to Muzan for contractors joining the demon faction.
As long as they consume a small amount, they will become demons but won't be controlled by Muzan Kibutsuji. Most of them are like this; however, three individuals have fully transformed into demons: a three-eyed giant, Graceful Light, and Enterprise.
They have fully turned into demons, gaining an active area, allowing them to lure members of the Demon Slayer Corps to complete their mission. These three areas can help them quickly get through the second phase.
"What bad luck, running into this kind of situation!"
Old King, no longer laughing, cursed under his breath. Despite having stronger overall power on their side, their leader was a slacker!
They couldn't just rush up to Muzan Kibutsuji and have him gather all the demons to attack the Demon Slayer Corps! Additionally, their communication with the outside world was limited, and news traveled slowly in this era.
Their spy left in the Demon Slayer Corps had somehow died. To ensure he could successfully infiltrate the Demon Slayer Corps, they had gathered many tools. Yet, he still failed. What a waste!
"Soldiers come, we fight; water comes, we cover. At least when we unite, dealing with a few contractors shouldn't be a problem!"
Old Wood said steadily.
...
"How is this possible... How could a human be this strong!"
Enmu, Lower Moon One of the Twelve Kizuki, couldn't believe it as he watched his body gradually disintegrate, descending into hell in confusion... oh wait, he couldn't even go to hell.
At the moment Enmu was killed by Lin Jiu, his twisted soul was instantly crushed into pure soul energy, which was then absorbed by Lin Jiu.
[You have killed Lower Moon One, Enmu.]
[Enmu is a storyline character. You have gained 2% of the World Source. You now have a total of 2.9% of the World Source.]
[Your talent Soul Condensation has activated, permanently increasing your soul power. Current soul power does not meet the display threshold.]
[Gained 100 Demon Slayer Corps contribution points.]
After killing Enmu, a green treasure chest floated up from his body.
Lin Jiu picked up the treasure chest, breathing a sigh of relief. It seemed his luck was fine. Unlike Su Xiao, who was exceptionally bad luck, even a Lower Moon demon killed in one strike could drop a treasure chest. Not bad luck!
[Main Quest (2): Demon Slayer (Completed)]
Difficulty Level: LV.3.
Quest Description: As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, you should fulfill your duty by hunting down demons!
Quest Information: Kill a certain number of demons by any means (10/10)!
Quest Deadline: 22 days.
Quest Reward: 1 attribute point, 2000 Paradise Coins.
[Demon Slayer Corps Contribution Points: 190.]
Over the millennia, Muzan Kibutsuji has created a massive number of demons, and the Demon Slayer Corps has relentlessly hunted them. Even so, Muzan Kibutsuji can create a demon with ease, and the Demon Slayer Corps only manages to kill a fraction of them.
There are always many demons hiding in various places. Unless Muzan Kibutsuji dies or the era progresses, demons will never be fully eradicated. When technological advancements allow humans to fully harness solar energy, demons will have no place to survive.
This wasn't something Lin Jiu needed to consider. Over the past three days, while traveling, he had completed the mission bit by bit.
Weekly Power Status
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