-First Person POV Inosuke Hashibira-
[Mount Fujikasane Entrance]
[Time: 11:23 PM]
I don't like most people. Too slow. Too soft. Too weak. But my minion? He's strong. He's still slow. He listens. He carries me.
"FASTER, MINION!" I yell, smacking the top of his head like a drum as he sprints up the mountain path, trees going past us. He doesn't complain. Doesn't trip. Doesn't even grunt.
"YES, LORD INOSUKE!" he shouts, like he means it. His breath is steady. His feet barely touch the ground. Good. My training is working. I grin. This is how warriors are made.
When I first took him in, I thought I'd break him after one moon mentally or physically. Probably both. He looked like a deer, standing too straight, thinking too much. But he didn't. He watched. He listened.
Now he's better. His footwork's tighter somehow he got better overnight. I'm such an amazing sensei. But. He's still not me but hey I'm king so it makes sense.
We reached the cliffside clearing near Mount Fizzoka. Where that weakling I beat up and took my sword from was going. He said strong demons were going to be here. Good.
I hop off his shoulders with a flip, landing on a rock like the amazing king I am. I beat my chest. "THIS IS IT!" I shout to the sky. "THE PLACE OF STRONG MAN EATING FREAKS IS AHEAD!"
Minion just looks beyond breathing calmly but I know he's excited like I am after all nothing better than tearing apart monsters to see if your guts are tougher than theirs.
"Alright!" I said, pointing toward the cursed mountain full of man-eating freaks. "If you die in there, I win! If you live… I still win! Either way, I win!"
I turned toward the trees and started walking but I noticed Minion was still. He didn't move right away. "Hey," he said without looking at me, "thanks for everything. I really enjoyed your company."
He looked at me smiling. 'Hm?' My chest felt tight for a second. I looked at him, blinked and started rushing towards him. He looked at me confused, "Lord Inosuke?"
CLONK
-First Person POV Mikey Martinez-
[Mount Fujikasane Entrance]
[Time: 11:09 PM]
I stood in front of the creepy twins, just like the others. Wisteria trees hung above, glowing purple. 'Wow, that's gorgeous.' The wind carried a weirdly sweet scent. I liked it.
There were lots of other people here. 'There's Zenitsu, Kanao, Genya, Tanjiro… where is Inosuke?' I checked my map and saw Inosuke's dot already inside the forest. I sighed.
'I still can't believe he headbutted me. What did I even do?' It didn't do much damage, but still. A normal goodbye would've been fine. A handshake? A nod? Anything besides CLONK. 'Why did it even sound like metal?'
I listened to the twins. One of them looked at me. Then the other. Creepy. "Hi? Need something?" I asked, trying to be friendly.
"Where's your Nichirin sword-" "-you require one to kill demons permanently." They didn't blink. And they finished each other's sentences. That's some Conjuring shit.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my Nichirin brass knuckles from my inventory.
"I have these as my weapons. They're made out of Nichirin."
They nodded and turned away without a word. 'It's starting' I can't help but feel a small sense of unease while looking up the stairs. I start walking up with the others.
It feels like the forest swallowed us whole. It was quiet. Not peaceful, the kind of quiet that is anxiety inducing. I moved away from the group immediately. I didn't want them stealing my kills.
SNAP
A twig? I didn't move. I waited for what was watching me to attack. I heard a breath. Then it lunged.
I immediately turned around and swung at it. A demon. Pale, bloated, with arms too long and fingers like meat hooks. Its eyes were sunken in, and it drooled as I punched it in the face.
When it got back up I could hear its stomach growl. It screeched and ran at me, claws flashing. I moved forward, ducked under its swing, and drove my elbow into its ribs. Bone shattered. The demon reeled, gasping.
I didn't stop. I stepped inside its guard and punched it in the throat. Its severed head hit the ground with a wet THUD.
[+100 EXP +120 Gold]
[It is 12 AM Quest Boar Life Complete.]
[Awards:
+Boar Head Mask: An exact replica of Inosuke's boar mask.
+200 Gold
+1,500 EXP
+Poison Resistance: This skill makes you highly resistant to poison, being able to negate direct/indirect attacks/effects from weaker poisons and negate 20% poison damage. [Level 1. EXP 0/100]
+Enhanced Touch: This skill gives you a sharp and incredibly sensitive sense of touch. Your skin can even feel the smallest vibrations in the air. Giving you Extreme Spatial Awareness. [Level 1. EXP 0/100]
+Extrasensory Perception: This skill gives you instincts and intuition are honed to an extreme that you possess a form of extrasensory perception that allows you to sense the presence of others, sense malicious intent, and sense incoming attacks. [Level 1. EXP 0/100]
+Beast Breathing: Beast Breathing is a Breathing Style that mimics beasts/wild animals, specifically their unpredictable, ferocious and wild nature, including movements, attacks and senses, and replicates it with the user's movements, techniques and abilities. Boosts senses, strength, and speed, by +50%. [Level 1. EXP 0/100]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Level: 6]
[EXP 200/700]
[40 Stat Points Available]
Ooo~ here we go 'Status.'
[Stats
-Vitality Points 3 → 8
-Strength Points 5 → 13
-Dexterity Points 1 → 3
-Agility Points 5 → 12
-Mind Points 1 → 7
-Coolness Points 1 → 4
-Luck Points 1 → 5
-Special Points 1 → 6
Health Increased from 300 to 900, and Health recovery increased from 3 HP Per Min to 9 HP Per Min.
Strength Increased from 11k Pounds/4.9 Metric Tons to 28,600 Pounds/12.9 Metric Tons.
Damage Reduction Increased from 0.001% to 0.003%.
Speed Increased from 135MPH to 351MPH, Stamina Recovery Increased from 5 Points Per Min to 13 Points Per Min, and Max Stamina Increased from 500 to 1,300.
Max Mana Increased from 100 to 800, Mana strength Increased from 2 Metric Tons to 16 Metric Tons, Mana recovery Increased from 1 Mana Per Min to 8 Mana Per Min, and IQ Increased from 130 to 1040.
Crit Multiplier Increased from 1.5 to 6.
Crit Chance Increased from 2% to 10% and Item drop Multiplier Increased from 1.5 to 7.5.
Cool down Reduction Increased from 0.5% to 3%, and Skill Boost Increased from 100% to 600%.]
I feel a smile on my face. 'Time to go hunting.'
-Time Skip-
[Mount Fujikasane]
[Time: 12:20 AM]
I take a deep breath, my breath steamed in the cold air as I look around with Extrasensory Perception. 'Where Is that bastard'
[You're really passionate about this huh?]
'Of course I am, that thing has killed over fifty people.'
[Really that's it?]
'Yea…'
-6 Minutes Ago-
[Quest Received]
[Killing the hand that feeds you: Hunt down and kill the hand demon.]
[Awards: 500 EXP, 500 Gold, and Rare Item.]
[Accept or Deny]
'YES'
-Present-
'Don't questi-'
I suddenly feel a malicious presence nearby. I resume looking, eyes scanning every branch. That's when I see huge handprints. Smeared into the trunks like a giant crushed them with its palms.
Crunch
I turn around. Oh The Hand Demon. 'There he is.'
Bigger than I thought. Hulking. Arms like tree trunks, dozens of them, all of them jointed wrong. His body is squat and bloated, and his neck covered with arms.
"...Another one?" he growls, his drool slapping the ground. "You're early. Too early. You're not even wearing the right robes."
"Holy shit you're ugly." He screeches. Five hands slam the ground, sending rocks and dust flying as he launches a swarm of hands towards me. 'Oh shit' I ran out of the way to flank him.
~~~~
I hear an eerie chime ring in my head. 'Huh?' Arms suddenly sprout around me as if to cage me, I immediately jumped reaching for a tree to use as a platform.
~~~~
I twist mid air and see a massive hand swinging at me horizontally. I put up my arms to block as it slammed into me. The hit connects a small shockwave.
[-290 Health]
I slam into the ground at the base of a tree.
[-20 Health]
He just laughs. "Who's the ugly one now."
"Wow, I'm not gonna lie" I say, breathing steady as I beat through the pain and get up. "That really hurt. But it's still you!" I point to him.
He roars and throws three arms at once, each thicker than my torso. I drop low, roll under one, and kick off a tree trunk, rocketing toward him again.
More arms sprout around me, 'You're not doing that shit to me twice.' I pull my brass knuckles out and plow through the arms in my way. They grab, they lash like snakes, but I keep swinging, clearing a bloody path.
As I tear the last hand splinters under my fist I keep making my way towards him. I see him stand firm, gathering every arm on the left side of his body, cocking his arm back to swing, "COME AT ME YOU FILTHY FOREIGNER!"
'oh I'm coming right now.' I cock my fist back and I launch forward like a bullet and I apply Mana to my fist as my knuckles hit his grotesque mass of arms.
KZZZSH-BLAM
Everything around us cracks, the air distorts, my vision bends and I see him stumble back as his head pops clean off, his arms twitch and he starts disintegrating slowly.
"NO! NO! NO! I ATE OVER FIFTY OF YOU WANNA BE DEMON SLAYER RATS!" His headless form flails, grabbing a tree, his grip tearing into its bark as if trying to anchor himself to life. "HOW?! HOW!?"
I watch his grip loosen. His severed head twitches on the forest floor, eyes wide, mouth quivering. He then starts wordlessly sobbing, 'Is he having his sad flashback right now?.'
[Looks like it.]
I step forward, slow and steady, and pick his head up. His eyes snap to mine. "Just wanted to say, before you go…" I hold his gaze. "You're a piece of actual shit."
His mouth opens slightly. "You don't deserve sympathy. You don't deserve heaven. Yeah, you killed your brother by accident. I get that."
I lean in slightly, voice low but firm. "But you could've stopped. You could've atoned. You chose to keep killing. You liked it."
I hold him there for a second longer, then toss the head into the dirt. "So go fuck yourself."
[+150 Gold +200EXP]
[QUEST COMPLETE: Killing the Hand That Feeds You]
[Awards:
+500 EXP
+500 Gold
+Demon Core Shard: A condensed, corrupted fragment of a demon's soul. Combine with Nichirin Alloy or other objects to create Demonbane Weapons (Permanently poisons target on hit.), or Cursed Armor (Temporarily weakens attacker on hit by -10%). Unique Demon Skill Granted to a weapon or a piece of armor when combined. (0.5% chance).]
[Beast Breathing EXP +50]
[Black Flash EXP +50]
[Extrasensory Perception EXP +20]
[LEVEL UP!]
[Level: 7 EXP: 0/800]
[10 Stat Points Available]
'That demon was not how I remembered it.'
On the show, that thing was pathetic. Just a bitter crybaby with too many arms and a grudge. Tanjiro took him down early. Easy. Emotional, yeah, but it didn't feel like it was that intense.
That thing hit like a truck. He planned ahead, used his abilities differently, and tried to cage me. I was caught off guard by its strategy that I barely blocked in time and it took a good chunk of health.
And didn't just charge in screaming like other demons. This world doesn't seem to care about canon. And If I mess up again with a stronger demon. I die. I can't afford to mess up again…
.
.
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Please tell me what you think.