The path to Mount Fujikasane took several days, with the trail slowly climbing the slopes, winding between trees and moss-covered rocks. The air grew colder the further I went, and the mountain's silence was broken only by the wind.
It was the kind of place that felt untouched by time.
When I finally started getting close to my destination, the first wisteria flowers began appearing along the trail. At first there were only a few hanging quietly from branches, then more and more began to show up, until the entire path was surrounded by them.
It looked like a true sea of flowers. Wisteria covered trees, rocks, and entire stretches of the hillside, forming violet curtains that swayed slowly in the wind.
The entire base of the Final Selection was built around them.
That gave Mount Fujikasane a very distinct kind of beauty. The kind of beauty that sticks in your memory.
And because of that, it was strange to remember that this place was actually a prison for demons.
The gathering area was a wide clearing at the base of the mountain, surrounded by tall trees. Several lanterns were lit around the area, illuminating the candidates who had already arrived.
I looked over each of them, but none of them seemed familiar. I already knew this wasn't Tanjiro's generation because Kanao-chan wouldn't be participating, but it looked like I wasn't taking the exam alongside any other characters who appeared in the canon either.
And none of them were wearing a custom-made haori!
Actually, I had already figured out which point in the timeline I was in. Two years before Tanjiro became a demon slayer. In other words, it seemed like I had started right at the beginning of the canon timeline, when Muzan attacked Tanjiro's family and turned Nezuko-chan into a demon.
That meant it would still take a long time before the original events happened...
'I can't wait that long…' I thought, leaning against a tree and silently waiting while the rest of the candidates arrived.
I'm still an employee of Limbus Company, after all. I don't think I'm allowed to waste that much time...
And what if something like a performance evaluation exists?!
Maybe it's time to start considering a speedrun!
When the sun began disappearing behind the mountains, the conversations stopped as three people appeared along the wisteria-covered path. Two of them wore the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, and between them walked a lady with white hair and a pair of creepy eyes.
"Good evening everyone," she said as soon as she stepped onto the small wooden platform, drawing everyone's attention.
"My name is Ubuyashiki Amane. Welcome, participants."
Ubuyashiki Amane-san, the wife of the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps. She looked more like an elegant aristocrat than someone connected to the centuries-long war against demons.
The perfect wife who didn't tremble before Muzan… and also the terrible mother who sacrificed two young children.
'In a way, she was a very determined person…'
Even though I couldn't understand how a mother could act the way she did, regardless of the circumstances...
'I guess that's the difference between me, an outsider, and her, someone born in this world…'
After all, she and her family were the ones who truly lived through the terror of Kibutsuji Muzan.
"You who are gathered here today," Ubuyashiki Amane-san continued, "are those who wish to become members of the Demon Slayer Corps."
She paused briefly, probably studying something in our faces. Or maybe trying to guess which of us would survive.
"The flowers surrounding this mountain are wisteria. They bloom all year round in this place, and as you know, demons hate these flowers. Because of that, demons cannot leave the area surrounded by wisteria."
She gently extended her hand toward the sea of flowers around us.
"The method of passing is simple," she said, shifting her gaze toward each of us. "You must survive on this mountain for seven days."
"If you survive… you will be officially accepted into the Demon Slayer Corps."
Ubuyashiki Amane-san folded her hands in front of her body and bowed slightly.
"I wish all of you good luck."
She straightened up and took a step back.
"You may begin."
As soon as Ubuyashiki Amane-san finished speaking, most of the candidates immediately started running straight into the mountain.
I stood there for a second, watching that small stampede.
'…Why?'
It wasn't like getting there first would change anything. Surviving for seven days was still the only condition.
It didn't matter if you entered now or five minutes later, but even so, everyone was running.
Still… standing there while Ubuyashiki Amane-san watched us felt a little weird, so I started walking too!
Seriously… there was something really disturbing about those eyes…!!
I passed the line of wisteria along the eastern side of the trail. The moment I crossed the boundary, the whole atmosphere changed. Even the sweet scent of the flowers disappeared!
I kept moving deeper into the dark area. The trees were thick, their branches tangled together above the natural trail, letting only fragments of the night light slip through.
The first attacker appeared before I even got that far into the mountain. A branch snapped, and then something dropped from a tree beside the path.
"Food…" his voice came from the left.
His body was thin, almost skeletal. His skin had a grayish color, and his eyes were sunken, like he'd spent decades starving.
"Finally…" he muttered, drooling slightly. "Fresh meat…"
He lunged, claws coming straight for my face.
I stepped to the side and his claws sliced through empty air. Without stopping my movement, I drew the Nichirin Shinobu-san gave me. The blade moved in a simple arc.
His head fell before his body even realized what happened, still taking two steps before collapsing. The demon quickly began turning into ash while I watched.
'…Pretty weak,' was my honest assessment.
He seemed far below the demons I had encountered before. Even without the training with Kanao-chan and Shinobu-san, he wouldn't have been a problem.
That made sense, since their contact with humans was limited. They couldn't feed properly, and they had no access to more of Muzan's blood...
'Come to think of it… the real problem here was that Hand Demon…'
That giant bastard who hunted candidates, especially targeting Urokodaki-san's students.
'Maybe I should try to find him…'
Tanjiro probably wouldn't mind if I stole that kill!
Some time later, after I had already gone pretty deep into the mountain, three more eager attackers appeared between the trees.
One of them crawled along the ground with his body pressed against the damp earth, his long fingers digging into the mud as he dragged himself forward like some grotesque spider. Another was tall and thin like a dried branch, with long arms and an absurdly long neck that swayed from side to side, cracking every now and then.
The third looked like some disgusting mix between a human and a rat. The elongated snout, yellowed teeth, and small restless eyes made the whole thing… unpleasant.
I could try to describe it better… but I refuse! Seriously, just looking at it is enough to give you chills!
'…There really are all kinds of demons.'
But first things first… they had surrounded me!
"Well well…" said the long-necked one, tilting his head at a strange angle.
"A candidate…" muttered the crawling one, his tongue sliding across his sharp teeth.
"Kehehehe…" the rat-demon cackled, his shoulders shaking while he also dragged his tongue across his teeth.
They started circling around me, closing off every possible escape route I had. These ones didn't show the same hunger as the demon I encountered earlier, so they also seemed a lot more rational!
The tall demon leaned forward. His neck cracked again, stretching a few more centimeters.
"How many days did you think you'd last, brat? Tell me!"
The rat-demon answered before I even could. "One day at most! This guy's scrawny!"
"..." I know I'm not muscular type, but I'm more confident in my Physique than in my Skills, you know?!!
Also, I take back what I said about them being rational!
"Maybe a few hours," the crawling one made a wet sound. "I want his legs…"
I tried to keep up with what they were saying, but these guys sounded like animals playing with their food, so it was a waste of time.
"Can't you idiots just attack instead of running your mouths? What is this, a tea ceremony or something?!" I complained, totally not irritated that they were looking down on me because my body wasn't bulky!
The three of them stopped and looked at each other. Maybe they weren't used to their food complaining.
But I was far from caring about their feelings!
The rat-demon tilted his head. "…Huh?"
"Food… impatient…" the crawling demon attacked first. He shot forward, his entire body sliding across the dirt like some giant insect. His arms stretched out, trying to grab my legs.
I took a short step to the side and drew the Nichirin from its sheath in a quick motion.
The blade passed through his neck, and his head rolled across the dirt before his fingers could reach my ankle.
"Bastard…!!" the tall demon reacted, his neck violently snapping forward like a released spring.
His mouth opened grotesquely, his teeth coming straight for my throat.
"MEAT—"
The Nichirin met his stretched neck mid-motion. The hungry expression was still on his face when his head hit the ground.
The rat-demon stopped, staring at the two bodies already starting to turn to ash with wide eyes.
"…Ke—" he took half a step back. "Ke—"
His head fell before the word finished.
"Thanks for cooperating," I said, sheathing the sword again.
Next time, I'll remember it's not a good idea to listen to demons that aren't very rational! Who knows what kind of stupid shit they might end up saying!!
…
The first night passed quickly. After the first demons, I kept walking through the mountain without any specific destination. There was no map, no objective point to reach.
So I just kept hunting.
With Total Concentration Breathing already almost mastered, my body worked like a well-tuned machine. My breathing flowed naturally through my chest, oxygen moved through my body, and my muscles responded exactly how I needed without any trouble.
At this level… the demons in the selection simply weren't a threat!
When the sun started rising behind the mountains, I found a reasonably safe place to rest. I lay down right there and slept for a few hours, even though my back definitely missed the soft bed at the Butterfly Mansion.
When I woke up, the sun was already high.
I spent the rest of the day resting and restarting the breathing process.
Total Concentration Breathing was already close to its Constant state. At first it still required attention, but now it felt almost like breathing normally. The final step to mastering it would be maintaining that breathing pattern even while I slept.
When the sun set and night returned, I went back to hunting.
The following days followed a similar pattern. I slept a few hours during the day and spent the rest of the night walking around the mountain.
Either searching for demons or letting them find me.
If I hadn't killed every demon I encountered, my reputation probably would've started spreading among them...
At times I also ran into other candidates along the way.
Some were fighting. Others were running.
Once, I found a boy being dragged by a huge demon, his arm broken and his face covered in blood.
I ended up cutting that demon's neck.
Another time, I found two candidates fighting together against a particularly fast demon. They were about to get crushed when I cut off the demon's legs.
I wasn't trying to follow Sabito's path, since I'm not a good person like him. But if I found someone about to die right in front of me, I still helped.
Because that's how my mom taught me!
Maybe it was a pointless effort, since if they were weak and became demon slayers, they would probably die later anyway...
After all, the Demon Slayer Corps was basically an employee meat grinder.
But that wasn't my problem!
Giving them the chance to keep living, even if it was just for a few more days… that's always the right answer!!!