Because this was a hidden optional quest, there was no failure penalty—it was purely a matter of doing it if you felt like it.
Naturally, Kurosaki Rei already planned to hunt down the Twelve Kizuki anyway, so this hidden quest was nothing but extra income. There was no reason not to do it.
That meant his future itinerary might need a slight adjustment. He'd have to make a trip to that metropolis. If luck was on his side, he might even run into Boss Muzan himself.
"Lord Kurosaki Rei, do you really not need to tend to your injuries?"
Hinatsuru asked gently. In her eyes, after such a bloody battle, Kurosaki Rei must have suffered serious wounds—hidden beneath his loose clothing, forcing himself to appear calm.
"Huh?"
Kurosaki Rei snapped back to his senses and looked at Hinatsuru. "Why are you all still here? I'm fine."
Despite killing eight powerful demons in one fight, he hadn't taken a single injury. His stamina was still plentiful, and his soul energy remained above 90%.
Being able to win so decisively wasn't just due to his solid stats and specialization levels—it also owed a great deal to the power of the Origin Spirit Seed. After all, maintaining full-body Armament Haki with zero consumption… even Kurosaki Rei felt that was borderline cheating.
"Lord Kurosaki Rei…"
Hinatsuru started to speak again, but Kurosaki Rei cut her off.
"Don't call me that. Didn't you hear what I said to that guy earlier? I only joined the Demon Slayer Corps yesterday. I'm a Kinoe-ranked swordsman, not your superior."
Kurosaki Rei waved his hand dismissively. Strictly speaking, his single day in the Demon Slayer world could only be described as special-forces-style speedrunning.
He had cleared Fujikasane Mountain last night, arrived in Yoshiwara this morning, and as soon as the sun came up, he slaughtered Upper Rank Six along with a bunch of newly minted Twelve Kizuki.
This absurd pace of action was probably far beyond what the opposing side had anticipated, which was why the forces deployed here were insufficient.
"What?!"
Hinatsuru's mouth fell open. "You… you only joined the Demon Slayer Corps last night?!"
As Uzui Tengen's wife, she was well aware of the Corps' internal affairs. She knew that last night was the annual Final Selection. The timing Kurosaki Rei mentioned matched perfectly.
But that raised several enormous questions.
Final Selection was supposed to last seven days, wasn't it? Fujikasane Mountain was hundreds of kilometers away from Yoshiwara—how did you get here overnight? And why was a brand-new recruit this strong?!
Hinatsuru had countless complaints screaming inside her head—but Kurosaki Rei didn't give her the chance.
After picking up the last chest, he stood up and left. "Tell the Kakushi to handle the aftermath. You should hurry and go find Uzui Tengen."
"Find Lord Tengen?"
Hinatsuru frowned slightly, staring at Kurosaki Rei's retreating back, her mind full of confusion. This powerful man named Kurosaki Rei was simply too strange.
All the demons here were already dead. There was no danger left—why would they be in a hurry to find their husband?
Kurosaki Rei didn't answer.
He walked toward the light in the distance. It seemed that whatever item had been sustaining the false night sky had reached its limit—just as Kurosaki Rei stepped onto the boundary with dawn, the artificial night shattered, revealing a clear blue sky.
He had told the three women to find the Sound Hashira because he didn't want them lingering here, fooling around, and eventually getting captured by explorers from Muzan's faction to be used as leverage against Uzui Tengen.
The Sound Hashira was solid combat power. Kurosaki Rei didn't want him constrained like that. Besides, as he had thought before, he didn't enjoy watching the misfortune of others—it brought him no happiness.
Reaching the boardwalk, Kurosaki Rei hailed an ox cart. He gave the driver a gold bean and told him to head out toward the distance, then lay down on the pile of straw to rest.
The driver tried chatting a few times, but seeing that Kurosaki Rei wasn't talkative, wisely fell silent and focused on driving.
Relaxed and in a good mood, Kurosaki Rei took out a Fallen One's Chest. He remembered this one belonged to the female mage. Mages were famously rich—he was curious to see what he'd get.
The Fallen One's Chest was heavy, black-and-gold in color, covered in intricate patterns, with a skull engraved at its center.
It was about the size of an everyday storage box, but the interior space was equivalent to the original owner's storage space.
According to the Endpoint Space's rules, when an explorer dies, all their equipment is collected into their storage space. The clothing left on the corpse was just an illusion—mere appearance, with none of the original equipment's functions.
If a Fallen One's Chest dropped, everything inside the storage space would be transferred into the chest as spoils for the victor.
Each Fallen One's Chest allowed three draws, and the method was rather interesting. Unlike normal chests, the opener could reach inside with their hand and grope around.
During the search, you couldn't feel the full shape of any item—at most, half of it—and everything felt vague and indistinct.
For example, if you felt something curved and metallic at the front, you might guess it was a one-handed shield. But when you pulled it out, it could turn out to be a shovel.
If, during the search, you found something that felt like what you wanted, you could try pulling it out.
However, this wasn't guaranteed. According to the probability disclosure from Endpoint Space, there was only a 50% chance of pulling out the specific item you touched.
There was also a 40% chance of instead drawing a random amount of Endcoin.
And a final 10% chance of pulling out some other random item from the storage space.
In short, the Fallen One's Chest was both selective and random.
Yeah… kind of like the "limited banner" from that damn company's game in his previous life.
Filled with anticipation, Kurosaki Rei reached into the chest and focused, carefully feeling the shapes of the items inside.
Hmm. This one felt soft, delicate, and silky to the touch. What could it be? Equipment? Clothing?
Kurosaki Rei pondered for a moment. Even if it was gear, it was probably just clothing—not as valuable as a main weapon. He kept searching.
After a while, his eyes lit up.
He had felt a stick.
He carefully grasped it. The texture was nice, the thickness just right, comfortable to hold.
This is it, Kurosaki Rei thought. It has to be the mage's staff!
He pulled hard. The probability check succeeded, and the item came out smoothly—
—but before the smile on Kurosaki Rei's face could bloom, it withered under the Space's notification.
[You have obtained: Fairy Wand (Adult Toy) ×1]
"F*ck!"
Kurosaki Rei cursed aloud for once, instantly flinging the pink wand away. A chill ran through his entire body—it felt worse than taking a hit from Gyutaro's Blood Demon Art.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Why is that in there?!"
He cursed inwardly, but being who he was, he quickly calmed down.
Thinking back, this really had been his mistake. The mage's staff had looked glossy on the outside. He'd clearly felt a granular texture earlier and still pulled it out—definitely his fault.
Failure wasn't scary. Failing without learning from it was.
Having learned his lesson, Kurosaki Rei resolved to be much more cautious next time—to avoid touching anything weird again.
Suppressing the visceral discomfort, like sticking his hand into a trash can, he pinched his nose and reached back into the Fallen One's Chest.
After a bit of searching, his eyes lit up again.
Another stick.
This time, he applied the lesson learned. He carefully examined the texture—smooth surface, appropriate thickness, matching his memory of the mage's staff.
It's you. Come on—best-in-slot main weapon!
Full of confidence, Kurosaki Rei pulled it out. Thankfully, the draw check succeeded again—no Endcoin, no random junk.
He raised the stick high, about to celebrate his victory—
—and then realized something was wrong.
[You have obtained: Thick Red Wax Candle ×1]
Kurosaki Rei immediately hurled the candle away.
Are you kidding me!? How wild was this woman!? Is there nothing normal in her storage space?!
Fuming, Kurosaki Rei closed his eyes and went for a blind pull.
[You have obtained: Endpoint Brand Shampoo (37% remaining)]
Kurosaki Rei: "…"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
Claim early access on Patreon: patreon.com/c/VoidInk08
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:
💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter
🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.