Chapter 20: The Dormitory Meeting
That night, by the hearth of Urokodaki's hut.
Perhaps the afternoon sparring session had deepened their bond. Or perhaps Natsuya's overwhelming strength had won their respect.
With full bellies after dinner, the three boys sat comfortably, chatting away.
"Senior Kokonoe," Sabito asked curiously, "you've killed demons before, right? What does it feel like?"
Compared to Natsuya, the two apprentices were still unfamiliar with actual demon slaying. Although Urokodaki occasionally shared stories of his past battles, they were much more interested in hearing the perspective of someone their own age.
Even Giyu perked up his ears, listening intently.
"What does it feel like?"
Natsuya mimed gripping a sword with both hands and slashed at the fire in the hearth, as if holding an invisible Nichirin Sword. The flames flickered and danced in the draft.
"It's a bit harder than cutting a wooden target."
"When the blade first breaks the skin, there isn't much resistance. It actually feels a little soft."
"When you hit the spine, it feels kind of like snapping a dry biscuit. But if your edge alignment is off, you might chip the blade..."
"Overall... I guess it feels like cutting through Crispy Fried Pork and Tofu?"
Sabito: "..."
Senior just said something incredibly disturbing.
Giyu immediately chimed in: "I don't think I want to eat fried pork anymore."
Natsuya shifted his posture and continued.
"But aside from the texture, there are things you need to watch out for. Hmm... you guys should keep this in mind."
"It's not like cutting a wooden dummy or a rock in training."
"Although the neck is their weak point, it's not a stationary target. In combat, they move, they dodge, and they guard their necks."
"So, the window of opportunity is fleeting. You cannot hesitate."
Sabito imagined himself fighting a humanoid monster and decapitating it.
He couldn't help but ask, "Senior Kokonoe, did you feel any hesitation or discomfort the first time you killed a demon?"
He was worried that he, or the more sensitive Giyu, might hesitate at a critical moment during their first kill.
"Of course not."
Natsuya answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. After all, he had killed countless humanoid monsters and players in other action games.
Besides...
What did the first demon feel like?
Sorry, I forgot.
I killed him so fast I didn't have time to feel anything.
"They are demons. Man-eating monsters."
"It's not like I'm asking you to kill people."
"And if you really feel bad about it, wouldn't it be better to send them to the afterlife quickly and cleanly?"
"Besides, demons don't feel pain. Just chop them up."
The two children looked at each other, stunned.
Is... is that how it is?
Since Senior Natsuya said so, it must be true.
They recalled the bits and pieces Urokodaki had told them about Natsuya's past. A person like him naturally wouldn't have any mercy for demons. Asking such a question made them feel indecisive in comparison.
"I understand."
Sabito touched his fox mask, seriously committing Natsuya's words to memory.
"Oh, right. There are also different types of demons you need to watch out for."
Sabito: "Types?"
"Yeah. I came up with these categories myself," Natsuya nodded. "I classify them into two groups: [Stat-Check Mobs] and [Gimmick Mobs]."
Here it goes again. Senior's unique foreign vocabulary.
Although they didn't fully understand, the two boys focused, memorizing the strange Katakana terms.
Natsuya began to share his summary of the "Red-Name Monsters" he had observed:
Stat-Check Mobs: This referred to the vast majority of demons whose core strength lay in pure physical ability. They didn't have fancy, superpower-like Blood Demon Arts. They relied on overwhelming physical stats like Strength, Speed, Regeneration, and Durability.
So far, most of the demons Natsuya had encountered—and most of those reported by other Slayers—fell into this category. In RPG terms, they were the [Warrior] class.
But that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.
When "simplicity" is pushed to the extreme, it becomes terrifying. Abnormal physique stacked with martial arts mastery, or specific bodily mutations like hardened bone armor, bladed limbs, or hyper-regeneration... any of these could qualitatively change a demon's power level.
Although Natsuya hadn't met one yet, he could imagine it: A "Warrior Demon" with maxed-out combat skills, a broken skill tree, stats far higher than the player, and near-immortality. That would be an absolute "BS Boss" (Bullshit Design).
"You slash at its neck, and instead of decapitating it, your Nichirin Sword snaps in half."
The second type was what he called Gimmick Mobs.
These demons might not have top-tier physical stats, but they possessed extremely unique, even "unfair," Blood Demon Arts.
Not just simple elemental blasts, but abilities like the ones he had encountered or heard about from Master Kazami.
"Weapon Destruction on contact."
"Gravity manipulation within a domain."
"Sensory disruption that inverts up and down, left and right."
They're basically Stand Users.
Even Natsuya got a headache thinking about them. Let alone these two apprentices.
As for the future Twelve Kizuki or the final Boss Kibutsuji Muzan? Natsuya would bet his entire gaming career that they were Ultimate BS Bosses with both maxed-out stats and game-breaking gimmicks.
If the trash mobs were this complex, the raid bosses had to be nightmares.
Hearing about the "Rust Fruit" demon from the Final Selection—the one with a "Disarm" ability—Sabito and Giyu were stunned.
They had never imagined such a frustrating scenario. Wasn't demon slaying just about fighting hard and cutting off the head? How could there be such unreasonable abilities?
"Then... how did you deal with it, Senior?"
Putting themselves in his shoes... if their Nichirin Sword broke at a critical moment, they would probably be resigned to fate.
Giyu was thinking the same thing. Even Sabito found it tricky. A weaker swordsman like himself would surely die. But since Senior Natsuya was sitting here unharmed, he must have found a solution.
"There is."
"The standard method is to kite them, stall until sunrise, or wait for backup."
Oh, I see.
Senior must have kited the demon until dawn and let the sun destroy it.
Given Natsuya's amazing stamina and deep hatred for demons, Sabito could easily picture him beating a demon senseless all night long.
"It was the sunlight, right?" Giyu asked.
"No," Natsuya denied flatly. "I didn't want to waste an entire night on a trash mob."
Giyu: (´･ω･`)?
Sabito: "Then how did you kill it?"
Natsuya replied matter-of-factly, "Obviously, I used a slash faster than its Blood Demon Art could activate and cut its head off."
You can do that?!
Both boys froze.
"But Senior said your sword broke, didn't you?"
"Even if it broke, there was still half a blade left, right?" Natsuya said with a straight face.
Sabito and Giyu were speechless.
Noticing their blank expressions, Natsuya added, "It's fine. It doesn't matter if you can't do that yet."
"Just carry a few extra Nichirin Swords. More room for error. Maybe you'll find other solutions too."
Sabito smiled bitterly. "But swordsmen are usually only issued one Nichirin Sword. If it breaks, it's really hard to kill a demon."
Natsuya didn't think so. He started counting on his fingers.
"Think about it."
"If you encounter a demon strong enough to break your sword—whether through a Blood Demon Art or brute force—that means the demon is tough, right?"
The two nodded.
"That means there's a high probability that other swordsmen fought it before you and died."
They nodded again.
Sabito vaguely guessed where Natsuya was going with this.
"Senior, you don't mean..."
Natsuya nodded and smiled.
"Loot them. Your teammates dropped their gear. It's a waste not to pick it up and use it."
Huh?
You can do that?
"But those are the relics of the deceased... wouldn't using them be..." Sabito hesitated.
Natsuya ruthlessly shut him down.
"Why not use them? If you lose to a demon because of some stupid Bushido spirit, do you think those dead swordsmen would be happy? If they could speak, they'd stand up and call you an idiot for being so stubborn."
Hiss—
Thinking about it... Senior makes a lot of sense.
Carrying their swords, extending their will... that's the best way to honor them.
It's actually quite acceptable.
Natsuya jerked his chin toward the corner of the room, where three Nichirin Swords sat quietly in the firelight.
"See those three?"
"I looted all of them at the Final Selection."
The owners are dead. Obviously, I can't let good gear go to waste.
Instead of letting these widowed blades rust in the dirt, isn't it better to let me use them to their full potential?
It's definitely not because Seiko and the others nagged me into taking them.
"Ah? Those swords..."
Sabito sat up straight and bowed solemnly to the three blades.
"Thank you... for your hard work in fighting the demons."
He was traditional at heart and believed that swords had souls.
Giyu whispered, "So Senior... isn't a weirdo after all."
No wonder the three Nichirin Swords are different colors.
Normally, a Nichirin Sword changes color based on the user's Breathing Style and personality. Giyu had thought Natsuya painted them different colors himself just to be cool.
Afraid Natsuya would misunderstand, Sabito explained for his junior. "Giyu means... he thought you were a user of the Three-Sword Style..."
Natsuya rolled his eyes.
"Even if I wanted to be flashy, I'd use Dual Wielding."
"Where am I supposed to get a third hand?"