Chapter Twelve: The Desire to Grow Stronger

“The Destiny System has given me a beginner’s gift pack,” Chu Fan mused. “So if I want anything else in the future, does that mean I’ll need to complete certain tasks?”

Now that Chu Fan was certain the Destiny System truly existed, he finally voiced his question. The moment when the Destiny System saved his life was etched into his memory with striking clarity, despite his initial daze. The beginner’s gift was clearly a reward for the first binding; it implied that other items would require some form of payment or effort to acquire.

“Normally, if the host wishes to gain opportunities to draw more abilities or items, you simply need to survive through world after world,” came the Destiny System’s immediate reply, without a pause. “Each time you pass through a world, you’ll earn a chance to draw a prize. Only on rare occasions will non-mandatory Destiny Missions be triggered. Upon completing one, you’ll receive an additional draw opportunity.”

“Rarely triggered, you say—then what determines the trigger?” Chu Fan found this answer rather puzzling. It wasn’t that he objected to the idea of surviving a derived world and then earning a draw for good items—far from it. Rather, compared to the Chosen Paradise, the Destiny System’s rewards seemed almost unbelievably generous for so little effort.

“The mechanism for Destiny Missions is tied to the world’s danger level,” the Destiny System explained again, without mentioning insufficient host authority this time. “This world’s danger level has been assessed as too low, so no Destiny Mission will be triggered here.”

With this, Chu Fan understood: Destiny Missions weren’t compulsory, and not every world would necessarily trigger one. Considering that the beginner’s gift from the Destiny System was an enhanced, side effect-free Flame-Flame Fruit, he could reasonably expect that lottery prizes wouldn’t be anything less. This meant that whenever the Destiny System presented a mission, he would need to seriously consider whether to prioritize its completion. If he managed it, he’d earn a draw right there in the derived world, gaining powers outside the realm of what the Chosen Paradise could provide.

Of course, Chu Fan held no resentment or disdain for the Chosen Paradise. On the contrary, he felt some gratitude for the second chance at life it had given him. Even if the Chosen Trial missions were notoriously lethal, the rewards—be it the Key of Inheritance upon completion or the attribute points from high evaluation after clearing main quests—were undeniably valuable.

Not to mention the considerable spending power of the Chosen Coins, all of which had their uses. Chu Fan recalled the eight towering stone statues in the Land of Inheritance, the overwhelming might and grandeur they radiated making his heart pound. Those eight statues must have been forged from countless ordeals, representing those who had reached the pinnacle of strength. When one witnesses true greatness and sees the path to power stretching before them, it’s only natural to yearn for that strength.

Chu Fan intended to turn both the Chosen Paradise and the Destiny System into his stepping stones on the path to true mastery. Yet, such ambitions were premature for now; his immediate concern was surviving and escaping from this world of Demon Slayer.

If he simply hid away and did nothing, Chu Fan was confident he could eke out four months of survival, then use the Destiny System’s lottery to become stronger. In a far more perilous world, faced with dire circumstances, he might well choose to lie low. But with Demon Slayer’s world rated at a low danger level of only 2, Chu Fan refused to merely survive and wait out his time. Here, he would strive to seize whatever he desired.

If Kibutsuji Muzan turned out to be far stronger than he anticipated, only then would Chu Fan consider a more conservative, evasive strategy. For now, guided by Kojū through the starlit night, Chu Fan pressed on.

As they passed through a woodland path, Chu Fan detected a sound distinct from the wind’s rustling, coming from about a hundred meters away.

In a flash, Chu Fan vanished from his spot, his agile form darting through the trees like a nimble monkey. In just two seconds, he crossed the hundred-meter gap and seized the head of a grotesque, pallid figure. Flames erupted in Chu Fan’s palm, instantly engulfing the demon’s head and then its entire body. The creature’s tortured wails echoed through the night forest.

Chu Fan’s left hand produced a UV flashlight; as its beam struck the demon, the body began to crack and crumble amid its shrieks. Seeing that the UV flashlight was effective, Chu Fan’s eyes flickered with satisfaction.

“Lord Illusory Feather!”

Kojū, who had arrived swiftly after Chu Fan’s sudden disappearance, was struck dumb by the sight before her: the acrid scent of burning flesh, a body turning to ash. Though she had been instructed to respectfully escort the new Pillar to the designated site atop the mountain for the final trial, she hadn’t expected this new Pillar to be so terrifyingly strong. To slay a demon without a Nichirin Blade or sunlight—such a feat was unheard of.

[You have slain the low-level demon Fumatsu Ichiro. Reward: 100 Chosen Coins.]
[Because you have slain the low-level demon Fumatsu Ichiro, the Devourer talent has been activated. Gained one point of Constitution.]

Hearing the system’s prompt, Chu Fan realized that such small fry still netted a hundred coins—a decent reward, though certainly not enough for a white treasure chest.

“Let’s keep moving,” he said casually in response to Kojū. Now that he knew the UV flashlight worked, his preparations hadn’t been in vain. With this confirmed, Chu Fan intended to activate his Devourer talent up to the maximum of ten before encountering any Upper Moons or powerful demons, so as to bolster his strength as much as possible.

After all, the Chosen Task was now underway. If he could fully conquer the Demon Slayer world, he’d earn an S+ rating. Combined with the evaluations for the two main quests, even if the gains didn’t match those from the Inheritance, the Chosen Paradise’s rewards would still greatly enhance his power.

“Yes, sir!” Kojū now gazed at Chu Fan with a measure of reverence. The presence of any one of the nine Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps was enough to inspire a sense of security in those nearby. Now Kojū felt that same reassuring aura emanating from Lord Illusory Feather. With him here, no matter what kind of demon appeared, she was certain he would handle it.

After traveling through the night, Chu Fan and Kojū arrived at a secluded village just as the sun was rising. The village consisted of sprawling, luxurious Japanese-style mansions—imposing estates by the standards of this era.

As Chu Fan walked past one mansion’s gate, led by Kojū, he encountered a figure: a woman with jet-black hair dressed in the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, her hair styled in nocturnal curls with violet-tipped ends, eyes as radiant as amethysts, a butterfly hair ornament atop her head, and a haori embroidered with butterflies draped over her shoulders.

“Hello, I am Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Pillar—one of the Nine Pillars,” she said, a faint smile gracing her face as she looked upon the tall, imposing figure of Chu Fan, his features veiled beneath a splendid white robe.