章節 34: Hunter [34]: Asaori Toko
Lin Jiu did not choose to immediately complete his mission; there were still about twenty days left to freely explore this world. Besides, there was still one hunt mission that remained unfinished!
"Big brother, thank you!"
A small figure stepped out from the corner and approached Lin Jiu. It was a little girl about ten years old, her big eyes filled with tears that she stubbornly held back.
Seeing the adorable little girl, Lin Jiu's lips curved slightly. It wasn't hard to guess that her family had already fallen to the nightmares. He patted her head gently.
"You need to live well from now on!"
"Big brother, I want to be like you, to protect everyone kindly and eliminate these monsters!"
The little girl looked at Lin Jiu with determination, making him suspect that she might possess the innate talent of perseverance.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Jiu patted her head and said, "Following me might be dangerous. Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"What's your name?"
Lin Jiu asked. He decided to let the little girl follow him, not because she was the first to call him Big Brother, but for another purpose. When the number of demons he killed increased, those demons would avoid appearing in front of him, making his hunting more difficult.
At that time, he would need an innocent-looking, seemingly delicious lure to draw them out.
"My name is Asaori Toko. What about you, big brother?"
Tōko asked, tugging at the edge of Lin Jiu's cloak draped over his Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
Lin Jiu temporarily set his destination to Tokyo Prefecture, no longer needing to track Doma, and naturally switched to the uniform that offered better defense and faster stamina recovery.
"My name is Red."
From her name, it was evident her family was involved in textile work. Lin Jiu took Toko with him to the next location while teaching her the Water Breathing technique along the way.
Lin Jiu himself didn't use Water Breathing, but he understood the theoretical knowledge and had heard Giyu explain its essentials. Unlike alchemy, simply knowing the theory for combat wouldn't form a complete skill in one's personal information; it required practical use in combat.
Toko's talent was quite good, not a genius like Muichiro, but still of excellent aptitude. Talent sometimes showed in the child's lively eyes and early intelligence.
Over the next three days, with Toko by his side, Lin Jiu quickly drew out demons and dispatched them with a single strike. By the time they reached the marked location requiring investigation, Lin Jiu had earned over one percent more of the world's source.
In addition to teaching Toko breathing techniques, Lin Jiu himself was learning a new skill. The Reincarnation Disk unexpectedly transmitted knowledge to him for learning.
At first, Lin Jiu was touched by the knowledge appearing in his mind. Then, after some study, he realized it was just teaching him some simple tricks to use the Reincarnation Paradise contract.
Was this something an upright young man like him should learn? Learning these tricks would make him no different from those who liked to deceive others. Reincarnation Paradise's contractors were so adept at these tricks that even devils didn't trust their contractual spirit!
But it was quite a simple trick, nothing like the complex. The knowledge was titled Mastering Two-Tier Contracts: From Beginner to Expert!
When Lin Jiu and Toko arrived at their destination, it was almost dark. They had traveled relatively quickly, and there was no fear of night road dangers with demon attacks around.
"Take my sword and wear this cloak."
Lin Jiu dressed Toko a bit, making her look like a novice Demon Slayer Corps member. As long as she didn't engage in combat, the loose clothes wouldn't be a problem.
"Brother Red, is this demon a special one?"
Toko smartly noticed that today's method of luring demons was different from before.
"Yes."
Lin Jiu nodded, hiding near Toko. He suspected that the new demon here might be a contractor from the demon faction, stationed here to complete their mission.
Several ordinary members had already fallen here before him; otherwise, headquarters wouldn't have marked it for him to check out.
As dawn approached, Lin Jiu gave Toko the Willow Shallow sword while he held the Dawn katana, hiding in the dark. Dealing with contractor-turned-demons was significantly tougher than regular demons. If they had Blood Demon Arts, they would be even more troublesome, so a sneak attack was the best approach!
In the dead of night, a lone figure remained on the village street, a sword at their waist, seemingly searching for something.
What they sought appeared: two demons. A three-eyed demon hulk blocked the figure from the front, accompanied by a blue-skinned male demon from behind.
"Brother Ocean, look at this Demon Slayer Corps kid, so lame!"
The blue-skinned demon laughed at the girl gripping her sword, barely holding herself together in front of them.
"You need just this one to complete your task, right?"
"Yeah, thanks for the help, Brother Ocean!"
The three-eyed demon hulk stared at the girl, frowning.
"Something's off. This Demon Slayer Corps uniform seems wrong... And doesn't that sword look... uh!"
Gathering his energy, Lin Jiu delivered a throat-slashing strike!
Seeing these two demons, Lin Jiu confirmed they were indeed transformed contractors. The three-eyed demon hulk, likely possessing Blood Demon Arts, was prioritized for elimination.
"It's... it's you!"
The green-skinned demon contractor widened his eyes in shock as he saw the burly man's body turn to ash with a single strike, leaving behind only a red card. Lin Jiu's figure appeared before him.
This contractor was very decisive. Seeing the burly man fall and realizing he couldn't escape, he immediately lunged at Toko.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Holding the Willow Shadow sword, Toko instantly seemed to transform into a stream of water, dodging the green-skinned demon contractor's grasp.
Afterward, she lost her strength and collapsed to the side. This was enough for Lin Jiu to subdue the green-skinned contractor.
Lin Jiu hadn't expected Toko to perform the sword technique. If she hadn't managed to execute it, Lin Jiu was already in a state of extreme concentration, with the Dawn katana aimed at the green-skinned demon contractor, ready to strike at any moment.
Toko's movements were still relatively clumsy. Three days were just enough to barely grasp the basics of this sword technique. The third form of Water Breathing, which combined offense and defense, was the first technique Lin Jiu had her learn.
Though she had barely grasped the breathing technique, the sword technique was still awkward for her. Toko mentioned that facing the pressure of demons could help her adapt more quickly. Lin Jiu did not refuse her suggestion.
After using the third form of Water Breathing, Toko lost her strength and leaned against a nearby wall. Lin Jiu restrained the green-skinned demon, questioning him about the contractors in the demon faction.
The green-skinned demon laughed bitterly, "Even if I tell you, I'll still die! So why should I tell you?"
"That's a good point."
Lin Jiu looked at the green-skinned demon, pondering that this was a perfect opportunity to test out the new techniques he had learned.
"What are you going to do?"
Lin Jiu blindfolded the green-skinned demon. He was still a bit inexperienced with the contract techniques and feared making mistakes under the opponent's watchful eyes. Blocking his sight seemed the best first step.
He then applied to the Reincarnation Paradise for two pieces of contract parchment and began drafting the contract step by step. These were two different contracts. The one he intended to show the opponent covered the one underneath, leaving only the signature line visible on the lower contract.
"The thickness and feel are still lacking, not perfect, but it should be enough to fool this guy!"
Lin Jiu pinched the contract parchment, evaluating it. It wasn't quite good enough to deceive veteran contractors, but it was sufficient for these first-tier contractors.
"Exchange your information and all your belongings for your life. Agree, and sign the contract!"
Lin Jiu said calmly to the green-skinned demon. If he didn't agree, he would die.
The green-skinned demon, hearing about signing a contract and realizing he could survive, nodded quickly.
"You can't tell them I provided the information!"
Having lost all his belongings, the green-skinned demon would need to rely on others to survive in the Reincarnation Paradise. Naturally, he couldn't let them know he had betrayed them.
"Okay."
The green-skinned demon agreed. Lin Jiu removed the blindfold and added this clause to the contract in front of him.
Seeing that it was notarized by the Reincarnation Paradise, the green-skinned demon found no apparent issues and signed it, then transferred his belongings to Lin Jiu.
2000 Paradise coins, two green items, and some white recovery items... that was all. He was that poor.
Lin Jiu looked at the meager offerings, silent. Sensing the tension, the green-skinned demon quickly spilled all the information about the contractors in the demon faction.
"Can I leave now?" the green-skinned demon asked obsequiously, his demon-transformed face looking particularly ugly.
Lin Jiu nodded.
The green-skinned demon got up and fled. After just two steps, he felt light-headed and looked down to see his head in the air before turning to ash.
The green-skinned demon's eyes were filled with confusion before he died, wondering why Lin Jiu would bear such a significant penalty for breach of contract just to kill him. But he didn't see Lin Jiu silently tearing off the top layer, leaving the penalty-free contract underneath.
[Your talent Soul Condensation has activated, permanently increasing a portion of your soul power. Current soul power does not meet the display threshold.]
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