Chapter Twenty-Nine: Side Quest

“That man... he really is the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps.” Inosuke Hashibira was shocked as he watched as Mr. Hanyu took the butterfly hairpin from Miss Shinobu Kocho and left before anyone could even react.

Zenitsu Agatsuma, too, was dumbfounded—Mr. Hanyu managed to take the hairpin from a Hashira like Miss Shinobu before she could even respond.

“With such a powerful Hashira among us, do we even need to keep training?”

“Probably not, right?”

“If we ever face a demon even he can’t defeat, wouldn’t it be pointless for us to try?”

Such overwhelming strength was beyond Zenitsu’s comprehension. He couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment.

Tanjiro Kamado, however, did not feel discouraged when Mr. Hanyu said he wouldn't teach him Total Concentration Breathing: Constant because he hadn't mastered the basics. Instead, he was concerned.

“Miss Shinobu, is there poison in your body?” Tanjiro looked at her worriedly after hearing Mr. Hanyu’s words.

He hadn’t smelled any trace of poison on her, and Shinobu always appeared exceptionally healthy and as agile as ever. Yet Mr. Hanyu said she consumed poison every day, and judging by the scent of astonishment rising from her, it seemed he had hit upon the truth.

“There’s no need to worry. All of you, prepare yourselves. Starting tomorrow, I will personally instruct you in your training,” Shinobu replied, giving no further explanation before returning to her room to redo her hair.

“Yes! I’ll be ready!” Tanjiro quickly collected himself and responded loudly, with respect.

Hearing Tanjiro’s voice, Chu Fan’s eyes flickered with thought.

In this world of Demon Slayer, the lack of advanced technology and the isolation of information made it a paradise for demons but a hellscape for humans. At any moment, a demon could come knocking and wipe out an entire family.

In the final battle, among the nine Hashira, only Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira, survived past the age of twenty-five, and only because he was wounded and retired. The others either perished in battle against the demons or succumbed to the fatal fate of the Demon Slayer Mark, never living beyond twenty-five.

Thus, Demon Slayer could just as well be called “Blade of Hashira’s Demise,” for it was with the price of their blood that Muzan Kibutsuji was prevented from conquering the sun.

Humanity ultimately claimed victory, creating a demonless world for generations to come.

Chu Fan had not intended to involve himself too deeply with the people of this world. However, Tanjiro’s recovery had progressed much more quickly than expected. Once this Child of the World mastered the Sun Breathing, his strength would be enough to threaten Muzan Kibutsuji directly.

If he worked alongside the other Hashira and Chu Fan himself, they might indeed be able to bring about a resolution.

So perhaps, Chu Fan thought, he should do something—such as reducing unnecessary casualties before the final battle.

It was this thought that led him to make a promise to Shinobu: he would help her kill the demon she hated most.

The Chosen System promptly issued him a side quest.

Side Quest: “Shinobu’s Fate”

Task: Kill Doma, Upper Moon Two of the Twelve Kizuki, before Shinobu’s death.

Difficulty: Level 10

Reward: To be settled upon return

This was an unexpected blessing.

From now on, he needed only to stand guard at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters and ensure that the Child of the World, Tanjiro Kamado, survived.

Chu Fan recalled that from the time the World’s Chosen became a Demon Slayer to the story’s end, less than a year passed. With the accelerated pace brought by the Fated Ones, he figured he had only a few months to prepare.

What he regretted most was not knowing how many of the Fated Ones had died. The Chosen Paradise would not inform him; he could only estimate with the information he had. If he knew exactly how many remained, things would be much easier. But the Chosen Paradise was never that kind.

His position as the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps was not only due to his Fusion Origin, which gave him base stats above 20, but also to the Destiny System’s Fire Fruit, which allowed him to elementalize—granting immunity to many physical attacks.

Otherwise, breaking through the world of Demon Slayer would not be so easy. After all, his physique was not yet strong enough to be completely invulnerable to blades.

As Chu Fan pondered these things, he continued practicing his swordsmanship.

[Sword Mastery increased to Lv.2]

At that moment, a notification sounded from the Chosen Paradise.

Chu Fan checked his Sword Mastery skill:

Sword Mastery Lv.2 (Passive)

Skill Effect: Increases proficiency with swords; slashing attacks deal 5% more damage.

He knew that for Dagger Mastery Lv.2, the increase was 5% in penetration power. Penetration was simple enough—it let the dagger pierce through harder substances more easily.

However, slashing power was still a bit of a mystery to him, perhaps because he hadn’t yet wielded his most lethal weapon—the Cursed Kitchen Knife.

According to its description, the Cursed Kitchen Knife had 10-30 attack power. With just over 10 attack, it could easily chop through wood; at full force, with 30 attack, it could cut through iron.

To use this as an example: when the weapon’s attack power peaks at 30, it can cut iron, but that’s not the same as slicing through iron as if it were mud. If his Sword Mastery grew high enough, perhaps the Cursed Kitchen Knife could achieve that level.

The Nine Hashira, while not possessing especially high attributes, all had swordsmanship levels greater than Chu Fan’s.

Once demons reach the level of Lower Moon, their necks become as hard as iron.

Chu Fan mused over this.

As for his Nichirin Blade, its attack power was not very high—at best, it could reach 20. Its main advantage lay in the [Radiant Sun] skill, which was particularly deadly to demons who feared sunlight.

Furthermore, the Nichirin Blade could not be taken out of the Demon Slayer world; it was a unique local product.

For Chu Fan, its primary use was for daily training and, occasionally, chopping off a demon’s head.

He considered trying something out and, after looking around, went up to the rooftop.

Chu Fan drew the Cursed Kitchen Knife. Spotting a giant boulder fifty meters away in the forest, he focused; cursed energy gathered around the blade. With a full-force swing, a violent blade wind swept out, striking the boulder with a resounding boom—the boulder split cleanly in two.

The thunderous crash startled the birds in the forest, who flapped their wings in panic, chirping noisily.

This was not even the realm of sword aura, but simply the result of Chu Fan’s overwhelming strength and the sharpness of his weapon.

“As expected of an excellent blue-grade weapon—this blade truly is formidable,” Chu Fan muttered, seeing that the weapon’s durability hadn’t decreased after such a strike.

“Lord Hanyu, what happened?” Little Chrysanthemum, who had been making lunch, rushed out in a panic after hearing the explosion, not knowing what had occurred.

“Don’t be alarmed. I was simply testing the power of a full-force sword swing,” Chu Fan replied calmly.