Among the mountains near Hakone.
A clear volcanic lake was surrounded by forests of green pines and emerald cedars. Under the moonlight, the reflection of Mount Fuji in the distance flickered faintly on the water's surface.
Lake Ashi.
This was also one of the territories belonging to the Ubuyashiki Zaibatsu. However, compared to ordinary scenic spots, this place served an additional purpose.
It was a Final Selection ground for the Demon Slayer Corps. Along with places like Mount Fujikasane and the Kurobe Gorge, it shouldered the responsibility of recruiting members for the Corps by serving as the site for their ultimate test.
"There are quite a few more people coming for the test this year than in the past."
"Isn't that a good thing? The more people we have, the easier it is to deal with those damn demons."
"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't upset Lord Himorogi."
In front of the torii gate by the lakeside, several young men with their faces covered by cloth were whispering among themselves. They were the Kakushi—the logistical support brigade of the Demon Slayer Corps. They were responsible for cleaning up battlefields, providing post-battle support, relaying information, and all other auxiliary tasks. This included the maintenance of the Final Selection examination site.
Standing before them was a young man with a cold, detached aura. His hair was loosely tied back with a simple ebony hairpin, a few strands of white hair falling over his shoulders. He wore a pure white jo-e and sashinuki hakama, with a dark purple haori draped over the outside.
Himorogi Imori.
He was the Shinto priest of the Hakone Shrine and a member of the Himorogi family, who had been on friendly terms with the Ubuyashiki clan for generations. He was also the cousin of Himorogi Amane, now Lady Ubuyashiki. Today, however, his identity was that of the presiding official for this Final Selection.
Since ancient times, the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps had usually been presided over by members of the Ubuyashiki family or their direct kin. But as the Ubuyashiki bloodline became increasingly sparse, this ritualistic selection had to be performed on their behalf by other friendly priestly families.
Himorogi Imori did not particularly like the Ubuyashiki family. However, out of family obligation and his own loathing for demons, he still accepted this burden. He stood here to watch groups of swordsmen—some children, some young men—head into the mountains to risk their lives.
He completely ignored the whispering Kakushi behind him. Instead, he watched the several wooden boats gradually approaching through the night mist.
"It seems this is the last batch."
Seeing several swordsmen of varying heights disembark from the boats, he focused for a moment and strode toward them.
"Is this the Final Selection site the cheap master mentioned?"
As soon as he stepped off the boat, Natsunishi curiously surveyed his surroundings.
A torii gate, wisteria flowers, some weirdos with covered faces, and a priest... As for the other examinees:
[Shotaro Godo (Power Level: 27)] Flame Breathing LV.2
[Saburo Onitetsu (Power Level: 31)] Water Breathing LV.1
[Reiko Akizuki (Power Level: 22)] Water Breathing LV.1
[Zan Amano (Power Level: 19)] Thunder Breathing LV.1
...
Regardless of how much deep-seated hatred or dramatic backstories they seemed to have, looking like masters of their craft, the reality was that out of twenty-some examinees, those with a power level over 30 could be counted on one hand. As for those whose Breathing Style had reached "LV.2: Proficient," there was only one person.
Compared to Natsunishi's own attribute panel, which was approaching the 40 mark, and his LV.2 Breathing Style, the other examinees could quite literally be called small fry.
He hadn't been very confident before, but looking at his peers now, wasn't this in the bag?
In his view, if an organization that fought monsters planned to recruit new members, the selection's passing rate must be roughly equal to its casualty rate. Only if the number of new recruits matched the death rate would the organization avoid rapid decline under high-casualty operations.
Natsunishi figured the passing rate was likely above 60%. With a Demon Slayer Corps of several hundred people and a mortality rate over half—even excluding most logistical personnel—they probably needed nearly a hundred new swordsmen every year. With five selection sites and exams held every six months... they would need about ten people to pass each time just to maintain a "break-even" point.
In other words, nearly half of the examinees here would be eliminated.
Natsunishi pondered further. Based on the level of the demon he had encountered a few days ago, if these examinees teamed up in groups of two or three, they should be able to win. If there were multiple demons, there would certainly be casualties.
He turned his gaze toward the officials in front.
[Yamanaka (Power Level: 11)] Stone Breathing LV.0
[Akimichi (Power Level: 18)] Wind Breathing LV.1
[Nara (Power Level: 9)] Water Breathing LV.0
[Himorogi Imori (Power Level: 6)]
They were even weaker than the examinees... The head official was a total ordinary person. So, they just wouldn't bother managing the safety or order of the exam site at all?
While Natsunishi was muttering to himself, the "ordinary person" Himorogi cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Young swordsmen, thank you for gathering here tonight."
"You now stand at the crossroads of destiny. Ahead lies Lake Ashi—your final trial ground."
"I shall now inform you of the rules. This area is surrounded by a barrier of wisteria flowers that bloom year-round, within which many demons captured alive by Demon Slayers are imprisoned. However, please rest assured; they can never escape these mountains."
"Your mission is to survive within these mountains for seven days. After seven days, if you can step out of this place, you will have passed the selection."
Himorogi Imori's gaze swept across the faces of the swordsmen. They were all young. The youngest was barely over ten years old. Yet regardless of their age, none of them showed the slightest hint of backing down.
"The wisteria is both a shield and a cage—the demons cannot flee, and you must struggle against them here. If you feel you cannot persevere, you may forfeit the selection at any time and return to this torii gate. But whatever choice you make, please remember: grip your blade tight, and guard your heart."
With that, he stepped aside, revealing the small path behind the torii gate that gradually vanished into the darkness.
"Finally, I wish you all good fortune in battle!"
The scene fell silent. Every one of them had undergone at least six months of grueling training under a cultivator, and almost every one of them harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the man-eating demons. But the unknown and the dark represented danger—an instinct carved into human genes. Especially after the official's words had essentially equated these wisteria-enclosed mountains with the land of death.
While no one was backing out, they all felt they needed to take a few deep breaths and prepare themselves mentally before daring to step in. Or so the swordsmen thought.
Except...
"Are you guys not going? Then I'm heading in first."
Natsunishi drew his Nichirin Sword, gave a simple greeting to the crowd, and crossed the torii gate without looking back.
This was a PVE survival match, not a PVP fight against these swordsmen. For Natsunishi, he couldn't even work up a sense of tension. Instead, he felt a massive urge to rush in and farm mobs.
A bunch of demons trapped by wisteria? This was basically a high-experience limited-time event dungeon. If he didn't hurry, was he supposed to wait for other examinees to go in and steal his kills and experience points?
However, after walking a few steps, Natsunishi slammed on the brakes and turned back to look at Himorogi in his priest robes.
"By the way, official, if I kill all the demons in these mountains... you won't ask me for compensation, will you?"
In his mind, killing all the demons was the same as breaking the exam equipment.
Himorogi froze for a moment. Official? Was that some kind of local slang?
"If you are capable of doing so, then naturally, there is no problem," he replied with a slight nod, despite not fully understanding Natsunishi's terminology. "These man-eating demons have no sense of pain. It doesn't matter if you kill them all. Other Demon Slayers will capture more demons to restock the mountains periodically."
Hearing this, Natsunishi finally felt at ease. Now he could farm mobs without any reservations.
Continuing along the path, his figure was completely swallowed by the darkness.
Perhaps because Natsunishi's behavior was too eccentric for this era, or perhaps because his stride into the trial grounds was so firm, the remaining swordsmen looked at each other, and much of their tension suddenly dissipated. Subsequently, one after another, they stepped through the torii gate.
Once all the swordsmen had entered, the priest tilted his head and asked one of the Kakushi, "Yamanaka, who was that boy at the beginning?"
The Kakushi flipped through the roster in his hands, recalling the handsome youth's appearance.
After a moment, he said, "Blue-black hair tips, a hanging ornament at his waist, and that Nichirin Sword... he should be a swordsman trained by Mr. Kazami Sarayoshi. Kuguruma Natsunishi, Wind Breathing."
"His parents both died at the hands of mountain bandits. Later, when his younger sister, whom he relied on for survival, was killed in a demon attack, he happened to be saved by Mr. Kazami who was passing by. He has been training with Mr. Kazami for about a year."
The priest nodded, his tone carrying a hint of gentleness. "Another poor child left alone in the world because of demons?"
Because his last relative was killed by a demon, he moved forward without hesitation even though he knew hell lay ahead. He even claimed he would wipe out every demon on the mountain. Strong and confident indeed.
"A-choo!"
Natsunishi, who had just entered the mountain, couldn't help but sneeze.