Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 2 — Money (Re-written)
After wandering through forests and dirt roads for hours, Ren finally spotted signs of civilization. Wooden houses appeared between the trees, and the quiet forest slowly turned into the lively sounds of a small village.
The smell of cooked food drifted through the air, making Ren's stomach growl loudly.
Grrr...
Ren rubbed his stomach and laughed softly. "Perfect timing."
He walked down the main road until he reached a small traditional restaurant with a wooden sign hanging above the door. Warm light spilled from inside, and the smell of ramen instantly made his mouth water.
Ren stepped inside confidently and waved at the owner behind the counter.
"Hey, old man, give me something to eat."
The owner, a middle-aged man with a thick mustache, looked up and examined the young boy carefully. Ren looked barely fifteen or sixteen, yet carried himself with unusual confidence.
The man crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Kid, did you run away from home or what?"
Ren shrugged casually as he sat down on a stool.
"Nope. I'm just an orphan. Traveling to see the world and find a few wives."
For a moment, the restaurant was silent... then the owner and everyone burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You got something, kid," the man said while wiping his eyes.
"Sit here and order the ramen you want. You got money, right?"
Ren froze.
'Well... damn. I completely forgot about that.'
He had just been reincarnated a few hours ago. How would he have money?
The owner stared at him speechlessly.
"Are you sure you didn't run away, kid?" he asked suspiciously, clearly doubting if Ren had run away.
Ren scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I'm just an orphan, man. How can I run away from a home?"
"Well, whatever. But I'm not feeding you for free. You need money for food," the owner said.
The people around went back to their conversations. Ren walked out.
"Hmm... so how should I earn some money?"
"Hey, boy! You want money, right?" a rough-looking man said, waving his hand.
Ren looked at him like he was some kind of God.
"Yep, man. I can do physical work. I may not look like it, but I'm quite strong."
The man laughed.
"Good, good. All you need to do is help us shift some stuff to my workshop."
"Sure, leave it to me," Ren said as he followed him.
"The name's Ken. What's yours, boy?" Ken asked friendly.
"Ren. You can call me Ren," Ren said. "Though you look tough, you're quite easy to talk to, man."
"Hahahaha! I hear that a lot," Ken laughed as they walked away from the town toward the forest.
'Man, and here I thought he really was looking for some workers. What a good way to ruin my mood,' Ren thought inwardly with a sigh.
"So, are we there yet, Ken-kun?" Ren asked with a half-smile and half-irritated expression.
"Just a little further, man—" Ken said, smiling normally.
Ren looked at him.
"You don't think I'm an idiot, do you? Well, considering I believed you, I kind of was."
Ken smiled.
"I'm kind of impressed. You're quite calm, kid."
He drew a knife from his pocket.
Shing...
"So, how about handing over everything you have, kid?"
Ren's mouth twitched.
"Seriously? You wanna rob me? Man, I don't even have money for food. What kind of idiot did I meet?"
'Wait... doesn't that make me a bigger idiot since I believed him?'
Ren shook his head.
'Nope. I just thought this guy was a good guy. I wasn't fooled. He tricked me.'
His eyes lit up.
'Yep, that's right. He tricked me. It's his fault.'
Just as Ren was self-justifying not being an idiot—
Rustle... Rustle...
Ten men walked out of the woods carrying crude swords and clubs, surrounding Ren.
"Hmm? Wow... you guys are scaring me," Ren muttered without any fear in his tone.
Ken dropped the smile.
"Boy, looks like we'll have to do it the hard way."
He raised his knife.
Ren sighed.
"Can you at least tell me why you all think I have money?"
He was genuinely curious. He really had no money, so why were they targeting him?
"Even if you don't have money, your luck is quite bad, kid. Blame God for making you good-looking and a fifteen-year-old kid," Ken muttered.
Ren blinked, question marks popping up in his mind.
"Fifteen-year-old? Good-looking?"
A vein popped on his forehead.
"You bastard! What do you take me for? You wanna sell me to some rich woman?"
Ken grinned deviously.
"Even worse, brat. We're offering you to a Demon. With that face and your age, he'll surely be pleased to eat you."
{DING! Mission Triggered.}
{Task - Defeat the human traffickers! 0/11}
{Reward - 10 Yen / Person}
{Mission Triggered.}
{Task - Find and kill the Demon.}
{Reward - Inventory Unlock.}
Ren looked at the missions.
'I can finally eat food! With 10 Yen per person—'
He froze.
"Wait... if I remember correctly, I'm in the late Tensho Era, which means—"
He shouted out loud.
Ken was startled by Ren's sudden shout.
"Is he really an idiot?" he muttered, looking strangely at Ren.
"Umm, boss... that Demon won't get angry if we bring him an idiot for food?" a thug asked.
The others also looked at Ken.
"Well... it shouldn't be a problem?"
Even Ken was feeling troubled.
But Ren was lost in his thoughts.
When he looked at Ken and the others, he didn't see thugs.
He saw money.
"Hehehehehe... money, come here."
Ken gritted his teeth.
"Fuck it! Let's first bring him to that Demon!"
Saying that, he attacked Ren.
Whoosh!
Ken swung his knife horizontally.
Ren was lost in his money-making dream. He moved without any panic as the knife missed him.
Ren spun and swung his leg as his knee slammed into Ken's stomach.
THUD!
The impact forced all the wind out of Ken's lungs.
"Pffffft! Cough! Cough!"
He spat out a mouthful of saliva and started coughing violently.
Another thug attacked Ren.
Ren ducked as his club missed him.
Whoosh!
Ren shook his head.
"Violence... violence... violence."
He looked at Ken, who was glaring at him, and continued,
"I don't like it, but—"
He ducked again as a thug swung his fist at Ren's side.
Ren grabbed his arm and twisted it.
CRACK!
"AGHHHHHHH!"
The thug cried in pain as Ren completed his sentence.
"...violence likes me. I can't avoid it."
As he finished saying that, KGF BGM started playing in the background with the Author's almighty power.
"Y-you—"
Ken gritted his teeth.
"Everyone, attack him!"
He shouted as all ten of them attacked him.
Ren looked down at the thug who was crouching in front of him as he twisted his hand, screaming in pain.
Ren released his hand and punched him in the face.
BAM!
The poor guy didn't even have time to be happy that his arm was released as the fist connected, sending teeth, saliva, and blood flying out of his mouth.
{1/11}
"Damn you!"
A thug swung his wooden stick as Ren dodged effortlessly.
He grabbed the staff and pulled it back.
The sudden pull made the thug lose his balance as Ren's fist came directly at his face.
SMASH!
The moment his fist connected, the thug's nose dented inward as teeth and blood spilled from his mouth.
{2/11}
"Tsk. You dirtied my hand."
Ren complained.
Ken looked at Ren with bloodshot eyes.
"Why, you! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Damn it! You will pay for what you did to Thug Fist and Thug Stick!" one thug shouted in anger.
Ren just smiled.
"You ignorant fool... are you courting death?"
"Say something like this, man. Act like some cannon fodder from a cultivation novel. Without that, there is no fun," Ren said with a sigh.
Ken and the others ignored him as they attacked together.
Ren sidestepped as one thug failed to catch him.
Just then, he spun like he was dancing, missing the clutches of another thug.
One swung his sword, which Ren dodged as the sword accidentally hit one thug who was trying to catch Ren from behind.
SLASH!
"AGHHHHHH!"
He shouted as a cut appeared on his face and chest. Blood started pouring out.
"N-noooo!"
The thug who swung his sword froze in terror.
{3/11}
"I-I wasn't... I wasn't attacking you... I-I didn't mean to attack you—"
Before he could finish—
THUD!
Ren's kick landed in the middle of his legs.
CRACK!
The sound of two eggs breaking echoed through the forest.
The thug froze as the sword slipped out of his hand.
His face changed color multiple times as his eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious.
{4/11}
The remaining seven thugs froze.
Their faces went pale as they subconsciously clutched their legs, feeling phantom pain just from looking at the now eggless thug.
"Well, the word count should be enough by now. Let's stop the game now."
Ren said, grinning as he moved.
He grabbed one's neck and punched him in the face, then in the stomach.
With an uppercut, the thug went unconscious.
{5/11}
Ren looked at the remaining six, who were trembling in fear.
His eyes were cold.
One thug gritted his teeth and rushed at Ren screaming,
"AGHHHHHH!"
Ren looked at him, sidestepped, and with three punches, the man was down.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
{6/11}
The remaining five trembled.
Ren moved as he kicked one thug in the face, grabbed him in a leg lock, and punched him in the face, knocking him out.
{7/11}
The remaining four took a few steps back.
Their legs trembled in fear.
"H-Hey! He... he must be tired! Attack him together! We... we still have numbers!" Ken shouted from the back.
The three thugs thought it was logical, and they attacked him shouting,
"AGHHHHHHH!"
Ren ducked one fist, sidestepped another's vertical staff swing—
Whoosh!
—and punched the third one in the guts, another in the jaw, then another.
The man fell down bleeding from his mouth.
{8/11}
He picked up a staff from the ground and blocked a staff attack from a thug.
CLANG!
With a side shift, he broke the thug's balance and swung the staff.
WHACK!
The staff struck his face.
"WAAAAA!"
The thug clutched his face, and Ren's staff descended with multiple strikes.
WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! THUD!
The man fell down groaning, and Ren kicked him in the stomach.
THUMP!
"Two remaining," Ren muttered as he walked in slow motion with the staff on his shoulders.
Ken and the last thug fell on their butts in terror.
"P-Please... please let us go!"
Ken begged.
"I-I was wrong... I... I am sorry. Please forgive me."
Ren crouched down, looking into Ken's eyes.
"Not all mistakes deserve a second chance. Lesson of today—life is hard. Don't trust strangers immediately."
In no time, Ken and the last man were beaten unconscious by Ren.
BAM! THUD!
{11/11}
{Ding! Mission Complete!}
{Reward = 110 Yen}
"Well, now I have enough money to eat and sleep."
Ren bounced back toward the town.
It was still afternoon, and he had plenty of time to deal with the Demon.
But—
"Food first."