Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 2 — The Ramen Challenge
After wandering through forests and dirt roads for hours, Ren finally spotted signs of civilization. Wooden houses appeared between the trees, and the quiet forest slowly turned into the lively sounds of a small village.
The smell of cooked food drifted through the air, making Ren's stomach growl loudly.
Ren rubbed his stomach and laughed softly. "Perfect timing."
He walked down the main road until he reached a small traditional restaurant with a wooden sign hanging above the door. Warm light spilled from inside, and the smell of ramen instantly made his mouth water.
Ren stepped inside confidently and waved at the owner behind the counter.
"Hay old man give me something to eat."
The owner, a middle-aged man with a thick mustache, looked up and examined the young boy carefully. Ren looked barely fifteen or sixteen, yet carried himself with unusual confidence.
The man crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Kid did you ran from home or what?"
Ren shrugged casually as he sat down on a stool.
"Nope I'm just a orphan. Traveling to see the world and find a wife."
For a moment the restaurant was silent… then the owner burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You got something kid," the man said while wiping his eyes.
"Sit here. And order the ramen you want. You got money right?"
Ren grinned proudly and nodded.
"Ofc i do. So what's Spacial in here."
The owner pointed toward a wooden board hanging on the wall.
"Go and see if you want something from there."
Ren stood up and walked over to the board, pretending to think about the menu seriously.
As for the money… well, Ren had solved that problem earlier.
Some rough looking men had tried to gang up on him while he was walking toward the village. After laying them to sleep, Ren had politely "borrowed" some money from their pockets.
"Hmm hay oldman what's this?" Ren asked, pointing at a note on the board.
The owner leaned on the counter with a small smirk.
"That's a challenge from the restraint," he explained.
"If you can eat all 10 Extra large bowl you meal will be free. But if you fail you gotta pay 3×."
Ren's eyes instantly lit up like a kid discovering treasure.
"That i accept the challenge bring me meat Raman."
The owner and the regular customers raised their eyebrows in disbelief.
"You serious kid?" one of the men asked.
"Yah 10 extr large meat Ramen you might explod," another joked loudly.
Ren simply leaned back and grinned confidently.
"Hay how can I accept defeat? When i haven't even tried," he said calmly.
"Life is short we gotta enjoy it."
The entire restaurant burst into laughter.
"Haha! I like you kid!"
"Kid got guts!"
"Go for it kid!"
The owner shook his head with a chuckle before heading toward the kitchen.
"Fine," he said. "Let's see how long that confidence lasts."
A few minutes later the first massive bowl of meat ramen was placed in front of Ren.
The delicious aroma filled the entire room, making several people swallow unconsciously.
Soon everyone gathered around him, forming a small circle like spectators at a festival.
Some people cheered loudly while others began placing bets.
Ren raised an eyebrow and smirked mischievously.
"Hay my bet i win."
He placed money on the table, betting on himself.
Then he clapped his hands together politely.
"Itadakimasu!"
With that, Ren began eating.
The room instantly erupted with cheering as Ren devoured the ramen at unbelievable speed.
Bowl after bowl disappeared as Ren enjoyed every bite like a man starving for days.
Inside his body, the food was being rapidly converted into energy, fueling the growth of his body as the power of Yoriichi's template slowly synchronized.
A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
{DING! Template synchronisation 10%}
Ren noticed it but simply smiled and ignored it while continuing to eat.
Minutes passed as the mountain of bowls beside him grew larger.
"Six bowls already!"
"This kid is insane!"
"He might actually finish it!"
Soon the final bowl was empty.
Ren leaned back with a satisfied sigh and gently placed the chopsticks down.
"That was delicious. Thanks for the food."
For a moment the room was silent.
Then the restaurant exploded with cheers and laughter.
"Hahaha he did it!"
"Kid actually finished it!"
The owner stared at the empty bowls with disbelief before shaking his head and laughing.
"You win kid," he said while handing him the bet money.
"That was the best entertainment we had all month."
Ren happily collected his winnings and stretched lazily.
"Hay everyone any inn neare were I can stay?"
A few villagers immediately gave directions.
"There's a small inn down the street."
"Yeah turn left at the shrine and you'll see it."
Ren waved goodbye with a smile.
"Thanks everyone."
After washing up and resting briefly at the inn, Ren decided to train near the forest outside the village.
The night air was cool and quiet, perfect for practice.
Ren stood beneath the moonlight and spoke calmly.
"System show my synchronisation rate."
The blue screen appeared instantly.
{DING! synchronisation 40% }
"Good," Ren said with a satisfied nod.
He began doing basic physical training, warming up his body with push-ups, stretches, and breathing exercises.
Soon after, he drew his sword Akatsuki and began practicing sword swings.
Horizontal slash.
Vertical slash.
Upper cut.
Stab.
Downward slash.
Each movement was smooth and precise as if his body had trained for years.
Ren smiled slightly.
"This is perfect."
Then he closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath.
When he opened them again, his aura felt completely different.
Ren began practicing the Twelve Forms of Sun Breathing.
First Form — Dance
Second Form — Clear Blue Sky
Third Form — Raging Sun
Fourth Form — Burning Bones, Summer Sun
Fifth Form — Setting Sun Transformation
Sixth Form — Solar Heat Haze
Seventh Form — Beneficent Radiance
Eighth Form — Sunflower Thrust
Ninth Form — Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance
Tenth Form — Fire Wheel
Eleventh Form — Fake Rainbow
Twelfth Form — Flame Dance
Thirteenth Form — Hinokami Kagura
Flashes of golden sword light moved through the forest as Ren repeated the forms again and again.
After several repetitions, Ren finally stopped and stretched his arms.
"That felt great," he muttered with a grin.
Soon he returned to the inn, ate a light meal, and quickly fell asleep.
However, deep into the night—
his senses suddenly screamed in warning.
Ren's eyes snapped open instantly.
Without hesitation he reached into his system inventory and retrieved Akatsuki.
The door suddenly burst open as a demon jumped inside the room.
Ren moved faster than the demon could react.
A single flash of steel cut through the darkness.
The demon's head fell before it even understood what happened.
The creature collapsed to the floor, its body slowly turning to ash.
"The Demon don't even realised as he was killed," Ren muttered calmly.
He crouched beside the fading remains and examined it briefly.
"A new Demon who hasn't eaten many humans," he said quietly.
"But why attack me?"
Ren quietly walked out of the room without making any noise.
As he moved down the hallway, he heard voices coming from another room.
The voice of the inn owner trembled with guilt.
"what have we done. It's 3rd customer we sacrificed to that demon."
Another voice answered weakly.
"But if we won't it will kill are kids."
A woman's voice began crying softly.
"But it's wrong to sacrifice someone else."
Ren stood silently in the hallway, listening.
After a moment he sighed quietly.
The demon was already dead.
There was no point confronting them now.
Ren simply turned around and walked outside the inn without making a sound.
The moon hung high above the silent village as he began walking toward the dark road again.
"Hope I find Demon Slayers soon," Ren said calmly.
With that thought, he continued walking into the night.