Because this task was a Hidden Optional Mission, there was no penalty for failure. It was purely a matter of completing it if he wanted to, or ignoring it if he didn't.
However, since Lu Li was already planning to hunt the Twelve Kizuki anyway, this Hidden Mission essentially provided bonus income. Naturally, he was going to complete it.
Because of this, his itinerary would need a slight adjustment. He would have to visit the great metropolis of Asakusa. If he was lucky, he might even bump into the big boss, Muzan Kibutsuji, while he was there.
"Lord Lu Li, do you truly not need to tend to your injuries?"
Hinatsuru asked with deep concern. In her eyes, after surviving such a brutal, bloody war, Lu Li must have suffered severe injuries. He was simply hiding them beneath his loose coat and putting on a brave face.
"Huh?"
Lu Li snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Hinatsuru. "Why are you all still here? I'm completely fine."
Although he had just slaughtered eight powerful demons in a single battle, he truly hadn't suffered a single scratch. His stamina was still relatively high, and his Soul Source was comfortably above 90%.
Achieving such a flawless, crushing victory was certainly due to his high attributes and combat mastery, but the absolute MVP was the Origin Spirit Seed. Being able to permanently maintain full-body Armament Haki without any energy drain... even Lu Li felt it was practically a cheat code.
"Lord Lu Li..."
Hinatsuru tried to speak again, but Lu Li immediately cut her off.
"Don't call me that. Didn't you hear my conversation with that guy earlier? I just joined the Demon Slayer Corps yesterday as a Mizunoto ranked swordsman. I'm not your superior."
Lu Li waved his hand dismissively. Strictly speaking, his first day in the Demon Slayer world was basically a "Special Forces Speedrun Tour."
He had annihilated Mt. Fujikasane last night, arrived in Yoshiwara this morning, and slaughtered Upper Rank Six along with a bunch of "New Moons" right as the sun came up.
Such god-like speed in his operations was completely beyond the enemy's calculations, which was exactly why their deployed combat power here had been insufficient to stop him.
"What?!"
Hinatsuru's mouth fell open in shock. "You only joined the Corps last night?!"
As Tengen Uzui's wife, she was intimately familiar with the internal workings of the Demon Slayer Corps. She knew that the annual Final Selection had indeed taken place last night. Lu Li's timeline matched perfectly.
But there are several massive problems here! Doesn't the Final Selection take seven days?! Mt. Fujikasane is hundreds of kilometers away from Yoshiwara; how did you get here in a single night?! And why is a rookie who just joined the Corps THIS strong?!
Hinatsuru had a million questions screaming in her head, but Lu Li didn't give her the chance to voice them. After picking up the final Treasure Chest, he stood up to leave. "I advise you to let the Kakushi handle the cleanup here. You three need to go find Tengen Uzui immediately."
"Find Lord Tengen?"
Hinatsuru furrowed her brow, watching Lu Li's retreating back with profound confusion. She felt this powerful man named Lu Li was incredibly strange.
All the demons here had been eradicated. There was no more danger. Why were they in a rush to find their husband?
But Lu Li didn't answer. He simply walked toward the bright daylight in the distance. As if reaching its absolute limit, the moment Lu Li crossed the boundary into the morning light, the artificial twilight covering the area shattered completely, revealing a clear, boundless blue sky.
He had warned the three women to find the Sound Hashira because he was worried they would stick around and eventually be captured by Muzan Faction Explorers to be used as hostages against Tengen Uzui.
The Sound Hashira was a solid combat asset for their faction, and Lu Li didn't want him crippled by blackmail. Furthermore, just as he had thought earlier, he genuinely disliked seeing others suffer tragedy. It brought him no joy.
Walking onto the main road, Lu Li hailed an oxcart. He handed the driver a small gold bean and instructed him to head out of the city. He then settled down onto the soft straw in the back of the cart to rest.
After trying to strike up a conversation a few times and realizing Lu Li wasn't talkative, the driver sensibly kept quiet and focused on guiding the ox.
Sitting in the back, Lu Li felt a surge of joy as he pulled out a Dead Man's Chest. He specifically remembered this one belonged to the female mage. Mages were notoriously wealthy in RPGs and survival games; he wanted to see what kind of loot he could score.
The Dead Man's Chest was heavy, forged from a dark-gold metal and covered in intricate, esoteric patterns. A stylized skull was engraved perfectly in the center of the lid.
It was roughly the size of a standard household storage box, but its internal volume was identical to the deceased Explorer's spatial inventory capacity.
The rules of the Terminus Space dictated that when an Explorer died, all equipped gear was automatically retracted into their spatial inventory. The clothes remaining on their corpse were merely cosmetic illusions generated by the Space and possessed no magical properties or stats.
If their death triggered a Dead Man's Chest drop, everything in their spatial inventory was transferred into the chest, becoming the victor's spoils of war.
Every Dead Man's Chest granted the victor three extraction attempts. The method of extraction was quite unique. Unlike standard Treasure Chests, the user actually reached their hand inside the chest to grope around.
During this "blind draw," the user couldn't feel the complete shape of an item—at most, they could only feel half of it, and the sensation was often vague and muffled.
For example, you might feel a curved piece of steel and assume you're grabbing a one-handed buckler shield, only to pull it out and discover it's actually just a large iron shovel.
If you felt something that seemed like the item you wanted, you could choose to pull it out.
However, pulling the item didn't guarantee you would get exactly what your hand was holding. According to the probability charts provided by the Terminus Space:
50% Chance: You successfully extract the exact item you were holding.
40% Chance: You extract a random amount of the deceased Explorer's remaining Terminus Coins.
10% Chance: You accidentally extract a completely random, different item from the inventory.
In short, a Dead Man's Chest was a loot box that combined player choice with brutal RNG.
Yeah, this feels exactly like the "Limited Gacha Banners" from those scummy mobile games developed by the megacorps in my past life, Lu Li thought.
Heart brimming with anticipation, Lu Li plunged his hand into the chest. He focused his mind, trying to visualize the shapes of the items he was touching.
Hmm... this thing feels incredibly soft. The texture is delicate and silky... What could it be? Is it a piece of equipment?
Lu Li pondered for a moment. Even if it was equipment, it was probably a robe or a piece of cloth armor. Its value wouldn't compare to a main weapon. He let go and kept digging deeper.
A moment later, his eyes lit up. He had grasped a solid rod.
He carefully felt the shaft. The texture was solid, the thickness was perfect, and it fit comfortably in his grip. Lu Li was certain: This is it! This has to be the mage's magical staff!
He yanked his hand out forcefully. He passed the 50% probability check, successfully pulling the rod out of the chest. However, before the smile could fully bloom on his face, it withered instantly upon reading the system prompt.
[You have obtained: Erotic Fairy Wand (Vibrator) x1]
"FUCK!"
Lu Li rarely swore, but he violently hurled the bright pink wand out of the oxcart. A shiver of absolute disgust ran down his spine. This felt worse than taking Gyutaro's Blood Demon Art head-on.
Are you fucking sick in the head?! Who keeps shit like this in their main inventory?!
Lu Li cursed internally, but he wasn't an ordinary person. He quickly re-centered his mental state.
He reflected on his mistake. This was indeed his fault. The staff the female Explorer used during the battle had looked incredibly smooth and polished. When he grabbed the rod just now, he had distinctly felt a ribbed, textured surface, yet he still pulled it out. He shouldn't have been so careless.
Failure isn't scary. What's scary is failing to learn from the experience. Lu Li noted this down: next time, he would be much more careful to avoid pulling out weird garbage.
Suppressing his physical discomfort—feeling as if he were reaching into a biohazard bin—he pinched his nose and plunged his hand back into the Dead Man's Chest.
After groping around for a bit, Lu Li's eyes lit up again. He had found another rod! Applying the painful lesson he just learned, he carefully analyzed the texture. It was perfectly smooth, and the thickness matched his memory of the mage's staff.
This is the one! Come to me, expensive Main Weapon Staff!
Lu Li yanked his hand out with absolute confidence. To his immense relief, he passed the probability check again, avoiding Terminus Coins or a random item.
He raised the rod high, ready to celebrate his gacha victory... and then he realized something was terribly wrong.
[You have obtained: Thick Red Wax Candle x1]
Lu Li violently hurled the candle out of the cart.
Are you fucking kidding me?! How degenerate are you?! Do you not have a single normal item in your entire inventory?!
Furious, Lu Li simply closed his eyes and grabbed the first thing his hand brushed against, yanking it out blind.
[You have obtained: Terminus Brand Shampoo (37% Remaining)]
Lu Li: ...
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