Chapter Sixteen: But It’s Daytime Now

Chu Fan's entire body erupted in flames as he turned to face the ghost incarnated by the Fated One, his expression indifferent. With just a single sentence, Chu Fan knew the other was also from the Paradise of the Chosen. This ghost, a manifestation of the Fated One, had likewise recognized Chu Fan as a fellow denizen of the Paradise of the Chosen. Judging by his attire, he appeared to be a fragile mage, so the ghost attempted a sneak attack, aiming to sever Chu Fan's head in one swift motion, only for his assault to fail.

When he saw Chu Fan's gaze turn upon him, he sensed danger. Abandoning his dagger, he wrenched his hand free, snapping it, and endured the agony to retreat and put some distance between them. Yet the flaming hand pursued him relentlessly, seizing his head with the inevitability of shadow.

"This can't be! How could a powerful user of a Natural-type Devil Fruit appear in a world entered by first-tier Fated Ones?" cried the ghost, his voice filled with despair as he watched Chu Fan's body blaze with fire. He knew a foolish Fated One had chosen the human faction. Thus, when Chu Fan entered the manor, the ghost observed him, determined him to be a fragile mage, and waited for the perfect moment to strike. But only after attacking did he realize what sort of enemy he had encountered.

He had no idea how many Chosen Coins a Devil Fruit required for exchange, for the first-tier store offered none. Now, in the world of Demon Slayer, accessible only at this tier, he had encountered a monster beyond imagination.

"I can help you complete your mission. When the task is done, I can even hand over my rewards to you. So please, don't kill me," pleaded the ghost, enduring the searing pain.

Chu Fan, however, wasted no words. His flames ignited the ghost, but soon he discovered that fire alone could only injure, not kill. Chu Fan's left hand produced an ultraviolet flashlight, which he began to shine directly.

The ghost's body began to collapse, its burned head tumbling to the ground.

"Hahaha—flashlight plus Devil Fruit, so that's your confidence for choosing the human faction," the ghost laughed, taunting. "It's useless. As a first-tier Fated One, it's impossible to complete the human faction's mission in the Demon Slayer world. I'll wait for you in hell."

Knowing his end was near, he mocked Chu Fan, whose body burned fiercely. This ghost was ranked LV.6, a veteran who had survived several worlds. He was long familiar with the Demon Slayer world: for ghosts, it was paradise. Due to the era's isolation, choosing the ghost faction meant free attribute points and Chosen Coins.

The more the protagonist group and the nine Pillars were slain—or the more ordinary humans' blood was consumed—the higher the evaluation. If one could trick and kill the Child of the World and several Pillars, an S+ rating was possible. But choosing the human faction meant facing hellish difficulty from the start.

When Fated Ones joined the ghost faction, before the Child of the World could grow, even the Ghost King Muzan need not act himself. Humans would face a combined assault from the six Upper Moons, the Lower Moons, and many Fated Ones. The human faction had no chance of survival.

So, upon entering the derived world and discovering it was Demon Slayer, he had chosen to become a ghost without hesitation, hunting and unleashing his wild nature to quickly grow stronger. With some cunning, he could hope to trick and kill the protagonist and Pillars for a high evaluation.

But he never expected, within just three days, to encounter Chu Fan, this anomaly who had chosen the human faction. Still, he did not believe Chu Fan could help the humans win and survive to the end. He would merely die before Chu Fan, who would soon join him in hell.

Chu Fan did not respond to the taunts. He simply smashed the wooden wall with a punch and strode out. He released several half-meter fireballs, which exploded against the supporting pillars of the wooden house. The beams shattered, and the entire building collapsed. Flames devoured the structure, sending thick smoke soaring into the sky.

[Because you have successfully slain hostile Fated One No. 107851, you are rewarded with 1,000 Chosen Coins and three opportunities to unlock their relics, now transported to your backpack.]

[Because you have slain Fated One No. 107851, the Devourer talent activates: you gain one point of strength.]

Chu Fan felt even greater power surging within him and quickly departed.

Ordinarily, Chu Fan would not have burned down the house after defeating the ghost. But since many had died in the house, and the two female corpses remained, he decided to cremate the family. The billowing smoke and flames drew the attention of villagers below, who hurriedly brought buckets of water to fight the fire.

Yet the entire manor was ablaze, and their water was insufficient. When they saw there was no hope of containing the flames, the villagers could only stand with buckets, watching the surrounding forest to prevent stray embers from igniting the woods.

After the blaze subsided, the villagers gazed upon the ruins.

"Who could possibly commit such a wicked act?"

"It must have been that stranger—we all thought he seemed suspicious when he arrived."

"Murder and arson—he truly is a demon."

With the man's figure vanished, the villagers finally dared to speak loudly. There was no doubt he had started the fire, for only he had entered the manor. They had assumed he was some noble, but he turned out to be a cruel villain.

Chu Fan, watching from afar, saw that the flames had not spread to the forest, sparing greater disaster, and then took his leave.

In the Demon Slayer world, under the era's constraints, Chu Fan's flame ability placed him in an absolutely advantageous position. Though his fire could not directly kill ghosts, it could seriously wound them, leaving them incapacitated, which was enough.

Chu Fan's crow had only just arrived at the village, and seeing Chu Fan depart, it followed. From high in the air, the crow glanced back at the ruins, recording the situation to report later.

When Chu Fan returned to the Chrysanthemum House, it was not yet evening. Xiao Ju was folding clean clothes and bedding when she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Chu Fan had returned.

"Lord Phantom Feathers, please wait a moment," she said hurriedly. "I've prepared a lunchbox for you. This will give you enough energy for night operations." Fearing Chu Fan would rush off again, she spoke quickly.

"No need to go back—the ghost there has already been dealt with," Chu Fan replied, seeing Xiao Ju's anxious look.

"Dealt with? But it's still daytime," she said in disbelief.

"Finding ghosts during the day isn't uncommon. Well, I need to continue my training. You can carry on with your tasks," Chu Fan said casually, beginning his training.

With another point of strength devoured, his internal power had grown, but to wield it flexibly without overflow, he needed time to adapt. Opening the box could wait; once night fell and Xiao Ju was asleep, it would not be too late.