Demon Slayer: I Level Up Alone

Chapter 13

"As expected, there's no wisteria fragrance above the halfway point of the mountain, which allows demons to have a place to survive."

Akito lightly walked deeper into the mountainside.

"With my current strength... the Hand Demon shouldn't have much of an impact on me..."

"I'll gather enough sword strikes this time, and then learn a martial art to enhance my combat awareness..."

Not knowing how long he had been walking, Akito had yet to encounter a single demon.

"What's going on? It's already this late, and I can't even see a single demon. Am I not attractive enough as food for demons, or is something unexpected happening..."

"Never mind... since you're not coming to find me, I'll lure you over..."

Saying this, he gently cut his arm with a knife, and the air was instantly filled with the smell of blood.

"This should do, after all, these demons haven't tasted blood and flesh for so long; my blood should be as enticing to them as opium..."

Ever since merging with the immortal-like physique, Akito felt that every cell and drop of blood in his body had changed.

He had also asked Sakonoji sensei whether he possessed rare blood, but Sakonoji shook his head, indicating it was different from rare blood.

Sure enough,

Sounds began to stir around Akito.

And it wasn't just one evil demon, but a group of them.

"Get away, I saw him first..."

"This is mine..."

"I want to eat him..."

"I feel that if I eat him, I can definitely escape from here..."

A group of evil spirits greedily surrounded Akito, their undisguised malice fixated on him.

Some of the demons were already drooling.

"One, two, three..."

"Currently a total of eleven? That's not bad..."

Akito spoke expressionlessly.

"Hahaha, human, just obediently enter my belly..."

The demon that spoke immediately attacked Akito, and the others shouted in response.

"Damned bastard, that's my prey, get lost!"

"You should get lost, that's mine!"

Akito watched as several demons charged at him while a few others were fighting amongst themselves.

Drawing his Nichirin Blade, he took a deep breath.

"Total Concentration, Water Breathing Third Form: Flowing dance"

Akito's figure moved like flowing water, weaving through the attacking demons.

"Killed Demon *1, gain Sword Strike Count *50,000"

"Killed Demon *1, gain Sword Strike Count *50,000"

"Killed Demon *1, gain Sword Strike Count *50,000"

...

A series of system notifications rang in his mind, and before the demons could react, their heads were severed, turning to ashes.

"Not bad, I actually gained 300,000 sword strike counts at once. Now it's just the rest of you..."

Akito then shifted his gaze to the remaining demons, his eyes filled with the thought of sword strike counts.

"Then let's take you all out in one go..."

"Total Concentration, Water Breathing Eighth Form: Waterfall"

Surging blue water patterns appeared from the tip of his blade, rushing towards the demons.

"Damn, this human is strong, let's work together against him!"

The demons began to roar and charge at Akito.

But how could they possibly be his match? In just one exchange, they all turned to ashes, bringing Akito another 250,000 sword strike counts.

Including the previous 100,000 sword strike counts he had accumulated, he now had over 650,000.

"As expected, hunting demons is the easiest way to gain sword strike counts..."

"Strengthening Techniques and Swordsmanship have both reached perfection and cannot be improved further, while Water Breathing has just reached small mastery; it seems I need 1,000,000 sword strike counts to reach full mastery..."

Character: Nakagawa Akito

Sword Strike Count: 657,955

Breathing Technique: Water Breathing (Small Mastery)

Martial Skills: Swordsmanship (Perfection), Strengthening Techniques (Perfection)

Physique: Immortal Physique

Pet: Ritoruho (White Fox: Unawakened)

Quest 1: Slay the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji

Description: The Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji is the origin of everything in this world; slaying him will end this source of evil.

Reward: Sword Strike Count *10,000,000, Designated World Travel *1, Mysterious Gift Pack *1

Status: Incomplete

Quest 2: Pass the Final Trial

Description: Coming from the humble beginnings, showcasing talent, only by passing the final trial can one be a qualified demon hunter.

Reward: New system feature, Sword Strike Count 1,000,000, Beast Breathing Technique

Status: Incomplete

Chain Quest: Slay Evil Demons

Introduction: After sunset, endless evil demons begin to hunt. You are human; go and slay all the evil demons.

Reward: Unknown (depends on completion percentage; the higher the completion, the greater the reward)

Status: In Progress

"The Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps may have already reached the peak mastery of their breathing techniques, and their physical attributes far exceed mine right now..."

"I'll strive to elevate my Water Breathing to the peak mastery level after this trial, or awaken my own unawakened Light Breathing through the number of sword strikes..."

After sheathing his sword, Akito moved to another area. After all, evil demons have a sense of territory, and the evil spirits in this area were probably just those he encountered earlier.

Moreover, Akito wanted to encounter a Hand Demon quickly and deal with it.

Three days passed like this, with Akito using the same techniques to attract and slay evil demons.

The number of sword strikes reached an astonishing 1.25 million.

Sure enough,

When the number of sword strikes reached 1 million, the words "Enhancement Available" appeared behind Water Breathing.

Akito clicked it without hesitation.

After the enhancement, Akito's understanding of Water Breathing deepened significantly.

His entire aura changed again; his presence became restrained yet sharp.

"With 250,000 sword strikes remaining, there's no use for them now except for the lottery, unless I gain more..."

Akito slowly shook off the blood of the evil spirits from his sword.

"I wonder where that Hand Demon is..."

After resting for a while to recover his stamina, he continued to move deeper.

The further he went, the more clothes and weapons of trial participants left behind by the evil demons he saw.

"What can I say to you? If you lack the strength, don't venture into the darker places..."

"Don't worry; I will avenge you."

Although Akito felt a slight regret for the death of these people, it also meant that more evil demons or Hand Demons were ahead...

Sure enough,

As Akito went deeper, he saw a person frantically fleeing, as if a great terror was behind him.

"Why is there such a monster here..."

"Someone help me, someone help me..."

"This is just a trial; why are there such terrifying monsters..."

Akito watched as the person ran desperately, but each time, they would easily trip and fall.

And indeed, Akito saw that person fall to the ground.

The fallen person stared wide-eyed, their face pale from fear, and now that he had fallen, he seemed to have lost all strength, sitting on the ground.

"I'm going to die... just like them... dying at the hands of that monster..."

Although Akito empathised with the person's current predicament, he couldn't help but smile.

"Finally found you..."

"Hand Demon..."