Dense stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, the icy river water washing over the rock walls.
Splash!
A lithe figure leaped out of the river.
Aoki smoothed his hair, shook off the water droplets, and changed into clean clothes.
This was a cave he had stumbled upon while hunting with his master.
The damp, dark environment was terrible for humans, but for demons, it was the perfect hiding place.
Leaving Takina and his master's wife was a decision he had carefully considered.
His future life would certainly not be peaceful, and to avoid bringing them danger, the best way was to keep his distance from them.
Aoki lowered his head, looking at his reflection in the water.
His face was almost unchanged from before, except that his eyes had become golden vertical pupils, making him look slightly indifferent.
He opened his mouth, revealing four sharp canines, like a wild beast.
In addition, his nails had become harder and sharper, usable directly as weapons.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
Aoki was quite satisfied with this.
There were many monstrous demons among the demons, and half of the Upper Moon demons were monstrous.
Ugly and inconvenient.
He still hoped to maintain his human appearance as much as possible.
Aoki picked up the fish he had just caught.
His sharp fingernails sliced across it, scales falling off, then he gutted it, removing the internal organs.
After processing it, Aoki tried taking a bite.
Tasteless, utterly bland.
He sighed dejectedly.
After becoming a demon, he had lost his normal sense of taste.
For ordinary demons, human flesh and blood were still a delicacy, but because of the system, he had lost his craving for human flesh and blood, essentially meaning he was completely cut off from the pleasures of the palate.
Besides, there was Xingyu.
He had neither the desire nor the ability to reproduce.
Friction couldn't bring him any pleasure.
Demons were tragic creatures.
"System!"
Aoki suppressed his complex thoughts, and with a thought, a bright blue screen appeared in his vision.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 8]
[Constitution: 7]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Agility: 6]
[Occupation: Hunter, Otherworldly Demon]
" ...
A massive increase in attributes!"
Aoki couldn't help but gasp.
Strength and Constitution increased by 3 points, Intelligence and Agility by 2 points, a total increase of 10 points!
Converted to "Hunter," that's equivalent to a 20-level increase!
Terrifying!
Aoki's gaze fell on the job list, specifically the second option, "White Walker," where another screen popped up.
[White Walker]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv1 (0/100)
Skills: Demon Blood (not yet learned), Spatial Teleportation (not yet learned), Transparent World (not yet learned), Devouring Demons
Quest: None
"A two-star job?"
Aoki's gaze was first drawn to the quality section.
Job quality is related to the job's strength and potential; the most obvious difference is the attribute points and maximum level.
☆ represents half a star, and ★ is a full star.
"Hunter" is a half-star job, gaining 1 attribute point every 2 levels, with a maximum level of 5.
Therefore, after reaching level 5, "Hunter" has no experience requirement and cannot level up further.
A two-star profession means that each level up grants 2 free attribute points, with a maximum level of 20.
"Truly extraordinary power,"
Aoki nodded inwardly, his gaze shifting downwards to the skill bar.
Skills are the core of a profession.
After a preliminary study of the "Otherworldly" four skills and their effects, Aoki was deeply shaken.
Demon Blood, the bloodline of a demon, is the core skill of the profession, influencing many of the powers of a demon.
Spatial Teleportation, the renowned teleportation skill.
After further research, he discovered that this skill was actually his Blood Demon Art, a feeling that was both unexpected and perfectly logical.
Blood Demon Art is not randomly generated; it is generally related to certain emotions, perceptions, influences, or characteristics deeply ingrained in a demon's past life, such as profession or a certain obsession.
For Aoki, the most influential and profoundly felt was undoubtedly teleportation.
The Blood Demon Art "Spatial Teleportation" was almost a perfect match for him.
The Transparent World, one of the strongest cheat codes in the Demon Slayer world, has been explicitly stated to have been activated by only seven people throughout the entire story.
But is this truly a skill that demons should possess?
Devouring Demons, replenishing their energy, and enhancing themselves—this is the "unusual" aspect of the Others.
Moreover, this skill doesn't require learning; it's naturally activated.
All four of the "White Walkers'" skills were incredibly powerful.
Moreover, these weren't all the White Walkers' abilities.
White Walkers were still ghosts, and they possessed all the powers of ghosts.
For example, powerful regeneration and recovery abilities, formidable stamina, dark vision, body control, and long lifespans.
Once Aoki grew up, he would undoubtedly be far stronger than an ordinary ghost.
The class template provided by the system was inherently much stronger than ordinary classes.
This was true for "White Walkers," and it was also true for "Hunters."
However, compared to these skills and powers, the system's greatest help was that it allowed him to maintain his individuality and not become a man-eating monster.
[Ding!]
A system notification suddenly sounded in Aoki's mind.
[Quest received: Path of the White Walkers.]
[Path of the White Walkers]
You now understand the abilities of the "White Walkers," so go and conduct your first hunt!
Quest Requirements: Devour a ghost.
Quest Rewards: 70 experience points, Sun Hat.
"A quest? Path of the White Walkers?"
Aoki's spirits lifted.
Quests were a shortcut to quickly leveling up.
A reward of 70 experience points was definitely generous; with a bit of bad luck, he might not even earn that much in a month of hard work.
A Sun Hat… it sounded ordinary, but this was the first time he'd seen a real one in the system, and he couldn't let it slip by.
Aoki suppressed his impulse.
Before slaying demons, he needed to master the power of the Otherworldly beings.
Strength ≠ combat power.
Strength was important,
but the skill in using it was no less important.
His four-dimensional attributes had skyrocketed, and he'd gained a lot of new skills and abilities, all of which he needed to familiarize himself with.
Furthermore,
he hadn't forgotten that when he first obtained his class template, he could gain some experience through training.
A week later.
Aoki slowly emerged from the cave.
A bright moon hung in the sky, making the surrounding stars appear somewhat dim. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
The expansive view lifted his spirits considerably.
[Otherworldly Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv1 (18/100)
Skills: Demon Blood (not yet learned), Spatial Teleportation (not yet learned), Transparent World (not yet learned), Devouring Demons
Quest: Path of the White Walkers (0/1)
Aoki glanced at his job panel.
This week, he had gained 18 experience points through training.
Although not much, it was safe and stable.
The reason he stopped was twofold: firstly, the speed of gaining experience was getting slower and slower, and secondly, he was too hungry.
The process of transforming into a demon consumes a lot of energy.
And this week, he had only eaten a few fish, far from enough to meet his body's needs.
Aoki confirmed his direction and sped off.
Under the dark vision, the night was as bright as day, and with his eagle eyes, everything he could see was clearly visible.
His strong stamina meant he didn't have to worry about getting tired.
He had to admit that, in terms of hardware, demons were indeed far superior to humans.
As he continued to move forward, the scenery became more and more familiar.
After crossing a mountain, a familiar wooden house appeared in his field of vision.
Aoki slowly approached.
The courtyard was empty, the ground covered in dust and fallen leaves blown in from outside.
The furniture in the room had been put back in place, but many household items were missing.
A letter lay on the table in the middle of the living room.
Aoki opened it, and Takina's familiar handwriting came into view.
The letter was full of information.
It recounted the events of that day, inquired about his situation, and mentioned where they were planning to move to.
"The Demon Slayer Corps?"
Aoki's eyes flickered slightly.
Takina had also mentioned in the letter that they had encountered two swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps and received their help.
After defeating his master, who had become a demon, he had even considered finding the Demon Slayer Corps to learn Breathing Techniqus.
Unfortunately,
fate had played a cruel trick.
Aoki found his master's cenotaph, paid his respects, and left again.
This time, he had only returned to check on Takina and his master's wife; knowing they were safe was enough.
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(End of Chapter)