It had been two days since Tanjiro Kamado last saw Mr. Riku since he began practicing the Breathing Techniques.
Tanjiro had asked Master Urokodaki about it, and all Urokodaki told him was that Mr. Riku was training.
Honestly, Tanjiro sometimes felt a bit jealous of Mr. Riku—jealous of how fast he progressed in his training.
While Tanjiro was still stumbling through basic exercises, getting battered and bruised every day, Mr. Riku had already moved on to mastering Breathing Techniques. They started their training around the same time, but their progress couldn't be more different.
Of course, Tanjiro felt ashamed of these thoughts. Mr. Riku probably wasn't thrilled about his own situation. His rapid progress came at the cost of relentless, day-and-night training and the excruciating pain of consuming his own flesh. The suffering he endured was beyond what most could imagine.
If he had a choice, Mr. Riku probably wouldn't want this, right? Just like Nezuko. She must have fallen into a deep sleep because she couldn't accept the reality of being a demon, right?
Ever since arriving at Urokodaki Sakonji's place, Nezuko Kamado had been in a deep sleep, not waking even once.
Urokodaki had called in a doctor he often worked with. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with Nezuko's body. Even though it was his first time treating a demon, he was certain of that much.
Tanjiro was deeply worried. He feared Nezuko might never wake up, that he might lose the only family he had left.
So, he wanted to ask Mr. Riku, a demon himself, if he knew anything about what was happening to Nezuko.
After finishing his training for the day, Tanjiro descended the mountain. As he approached the wooden cabin, a smile spread across his face—he caught Mr. Riku's scent.
"Sword skills, sword techniques—it sounds complicated, but it's really just a combination of basic movements," Tanjiro heard Master Urokodaki's voice as he neared the cabin.
"I'm back!"
Tanjiro pushed the door open and, sure enough, saw Master Urokodaki and Mr. Riku inside.
"Welcome back, Tanjiro. Go eat first," Urokodaki said with a nod. The food was already prepared, still warm.
"Tanjiro, I checked on Nezuko's condition. I'm sorry, but I don't know what's going on," Mr. Riku said as Tanjiro entered. He genuinely couldn't help with this.
"I see. Thank you for trying," Tanjiro replied, disappointed but sincerely thanking him.
"Don't worry, Tanjiro. I think this might be a good thing. Think about it—Nezuko sleeping like this means she doesn't have to endure the pain of craving human flesh, right?" Riku offered, trying to comfort him. In his mind, he marveled at how special Nezuko was. Sleeping instead of eating humans? How do you even manage to sleep like that?!
"Thank you," Tanjiro said, feeling a bit better. Mr. Riku's words made sense, especially since he had the authority to speak on such matters.
For Nezuko, being awake might not be better than sleeping. Awake, she'd have to fight the torment of not eating humans.
As Tanjiro started eating, Riku and Urokodaki continued discussing Breathing Techniques.
After spending two days and nights by the waterfall, Riku had finally grasped the basics of Breathing Techniques and officially crossed the threshold.
That day, Urokodaki had taught him all ten forms of Water Breathing, marking the completion of his initial mastery.
Water Breathing Lv1: A training method used by the Demon Slayer Corps. When activated, it enhances physical abilities, granting +4 to strength, agility, and endurance.
The Water Breathing he'd learned had become a skill—an "active skill" that needed to be consciously used to take effect.
The stat boosts from Water Breathing weren't as strong as those from Demon Transformation, but they were still impressive. Even an ordinary human, once they mastered Breathing Techniques, could become superhuman.
Someone using Breathing Techniques could snap an ordinary person's bones with a casual twist.
Riku now understood that some weaker demons, freshly transformed, didn't necessarily surpass human limits in strength or agility. They relied on their immortality to hunt humans.
But a Demon Slayer who had just mastered Breathing Techniques already possessed this level of strength. No wonder Master Urokodaki said the Demon Slayer Corps only began hunting demons in large numbers after mastering Breathing Techniques.
These Breathing Techniques were really something. It seemed even the weakest Kinoe-ranked Demon Slayer was likely stronger than an average demon.
While demons could grow stronger by eating humans, Breathing Techniques also had room for growth—though it was undoubtedly harder than a demon's method.
According to Master Urokodaki, the highest state of Breathing Techniques was called Total Concentration: Constant.
This was a state where one could maintain perfect focus and control over their breathing, even while sleeping—a "passive skill," essentially.
Mastering Total Concentration: Constant was the minimum requirement to become a Hashira. Few could achieve it, as it required immense talent.
Most Demon Slayers progressed slowly due to talent limitations. Some peaked right after learning the basics, unable to improve their Breathing Techniques further.
Demons, meanwhile, could hit a ceiling if the concentration of Muzan's blood in them was too low. This created a strange balance between the two sides.
The Demon Slayer Corps had ranks—Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoto, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Kanoe, Kanoto, Shinoto, Shinoe, Hinoe, and Mizunoe—plus the Hashira. Demons had their own hierarchy: fodder demons, those with Blood Demon Arts, Lower Moons, and Upper Moons.
Low-ranking Demon Slayers took on fodder demons. Higher-ranking members handled demons with Blood Demon Arts. Hashira fought Lower Moons. As for Upper Moons? They killed Hashira.
The Hashira were the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest fighters, but they were replaced quickly, dying fast—because of the Upper Moons.
When a Hashira faced an Upper Moon, victory was rare. Even escaping was a long shot.
"Riku, we got a reply from headquarters," Urokodaki said inside the cabin. The Kasugai Crow had delivered the message that afternoon, later than he'd expected.
"Oh? What'd they say?" Riku paused, curious. His story was bizarre enough—what would the Demon Slayer Corps think?
"The Oyakata-sama wants to meet you," Urokodaki said after a moment, revealing the final decision. The reply had likely been delayed because of heated debates at headquarters.
Meeting a demon? Based solely on Urokodaki's word, the Hashira probably didn't believe it. Oyakata-sama's decision must have faced plenty of opposition.
"Where's the meeting?" Riku asked, not too surprised. It wouldn't be a one-on-one meeting, that much was certain.
But whether he should go was something he needed to think about carefully. Not everyone was as understanding as Urokodaki Sakonji or Tanjiro Kamado.
By the way, anyone playing Ronin: The Wandering Merchant? Are the bugs still bad?
(End of Chapter)