"This little girl…"
Vincent Fox chuckled softly and locked his phone screen.
Of course he was not going to forget Autumn Summer's reminder.
"Miss Tamayo… I wonder if, in this instance of the Forbidden Ground, she has already formed an alliance with Lord Kagaya Ubuyashiki."
"If they are already working together, things will be much easier. If they are not…"
Tamayo's gentle face slowly surfaced in his mind.
And behind her, that loyal little subordinate who was secretly in love with her.
"That might be a little tricky."
Vincent shook his head with a smile, but he did not look worried.
If things were difficult…
Then there was always nonviolent noncooperation.
That was one of his specialties.
Night deepened, and Vincent drifted off to sleep in his bed.
The next day, he slept straight through to noon.
After waking up, he quickly washed up, grabbed his student ID and other documents, and headed for Forbidden Ground No. 7.
Before long, Vincent arrived at the entrance.
Unlike No. 6, the gate to Forbidden Ground No. 7 was heavily guarded. The number of soldiers here was several times that of Forbidden Ground No. 6.
"Why are there so many people?"
He glanced around.
There was a long line of candidates waiting outside as well.
Maybe after witnessing how terrifying Forbidden Ground No. 6 was, most students had decided that No. 7 was the relatively safer option.
Vincent joined the end of the line, the dossier for Forbidden Ground No. 7 appearing in his hand once more.
He flipped through the all too familiar information.
On one hand, it helped kill time.
On the other, it gave him a chance to patch any gaps in his memory so he would not get blindsided after going in.
Time passed quickly.
While Vincent was still engrossed in the materials, the clock on the wall quietly ticked over to two in the afternoon.
The opening time.
The snaking line slowly began to move.
The soldiers at the checkpoint carefully cross checked each person's documents.
At the same time, they entered everyone's details into the system.
"Why are they recording all this? They did not do this for the previous Forbidden Grounds. Did something happen?"
Not far from Vincent, a boy being checked at the moment looked curiously at the two guards.
The soldiers frowned slightly.
In the last couple of days, they had already answered this question more times than they could count.
It was honestly getting a little irritating.
But remembering their superior's orders, they forced down their impatience and patiently explained once more.
Soon, it was Vincent's turn to have his documents checked.
"This is my student ID."
He pulled the card from his pocket and handed it over.
Both guards nodded, took it, and began reviewing his file in the system.
"Multiple top grade evaluations during his time in school?"
One of the soldiers stared at the screen, his mouth slightly open.
He quickly collected himself and exchanged a look with his partner.
The other guard immediately understood, respectfully returning the student ID with both hands.
Then he picked up the registry and made a bold mark next to Vincent's name.
"Thank you."
Vincent put his documents away. The eye contact, the small gestures between the two soldiers, he noticed all of it.
He smiled without comment.
Then he stepped forward into the shimmering, intangible entrance to the Forbidden Ground.
In the blink of an eye, Vincent disappeared from where he had been standing.
"Got him written down?"
The guard in charge of checking information leaned over and whispered.
"Yeah, all done. Should we report it to the higher ups?"
The other soldier hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Meanwhile, Vincent's vision blurred, and he found himself back in that familiar white dimensional space.
"Please choose your mission…"
A cold notification rang out, and a string of text appeared in front of his eyes.
"Mission 1: Complete the rehabilitation training at the Butterfly Mansion.
Mission difficulty: Easy.
Time limit: 30 days.
Note: The less time you take to complete your training, the higher your evaluation will be."
"Mission 2: Head to the Mugen Train and eliminate the demon responsible for the chaos.
Mission difficulty: Hard.
Time limit: 30 days.
Note: After resolving the crisis on the Mugen Train, a far stronger enemy will appear. Whether you defeat them will depend on your situation."
"Mission 3: Resolve the crisis of the Demon Slayer world and eradicate the source of all calamity.
Mission difficulty: Ultimate.
Time limit: 30 days.
Note: The fewer casualties your side suffers, the higher your completion rate and evaluation will be.
Completing the Ultimate Mission will grant you an Ultimate Reward.
Warning: If you fail to complete the Ultimate Mission within 30 days, you will be trapped in the Demon Slayer world forever."
After reading the three missions, Vincent really wanted to complain.
The first two had already been covered in yesterday's lecture.
They had even done simple analysis of the demons' weaknesses and abilities.
But as for the Ultimate Mission…
Professor Joe had not mentioned it.
Autumn Summer had not mentioned it.
No one had said a word.
Maybe none of them had ever seriously considered that Vincent would aim straight for the ultimate evaluation.
After all, every Forbidden Ground at this stage was extremely dangerous. Take one wrong step, and you could die inside.
And with the Ultimate Mission, you could not choose to withdraw halfway.
Being trapped in that world was, for all practical purposes, the same as being dead.
It was meaningless.
"…I choose Mission Three."
Vincent spoke in a low voice.
The mechanical chime sounded again.
"Selection confirmed…"
A beam of white light spilled down, wrapping around his entire body.
For a moment, the world spun wildly.
It felt like someone had tossed him into a washing machine on max spin.
When his vision finally cleared, Vincent was standing in a completely new environment.
In front of him were classical Japanese style buildings.
A gentle breeze blew past, stirring the air. Petals drifted down from cherry trees, filling the courtyard with a light floral fragrance.
Sakura blanketed the ground like a pink carpet. Stepping on it felt soft, almost bouncy.
"Huh? Is someone there?"
His ears twitched. A faint rustling sound reached him.
"Sounds like it came from over there…"
Vincent turned his gaze toward one of the houses. The sound seemed to be coming from inside.
"Ah, sir, why did you come outside?"
A soft, milky voice called out from behind him.
He turned around and saw a petite girl hurrying over in tiny, quick steps.
The moment he saw her signature round, bean like eyes, Vincent knew who she was.
Naho.
"The weather is nice. I thought I would take a walk."
Vincent smiled calmly, pretending everything was normal.
"If you wanted to go outside, you could have told me, sir. I can accompany you, you know. With your leg and all…"
Following her gaze, Vincent looked down and instantly understood.
His right leg was wrapped in a thick cast, the kind that said he had suffered a serious fracture not long ago.
This was clearly the Forbidden Ground's doing.
It made it easier for him to blend into the Butterfly Mansion.
After all, this was exactly where Demon Slayer Corps members came to recover. Being injured made his presence reasonable.
"It is fine now. See?"
Vincent said, taking a few steps in front of Naho.
His steps were steady and sure, not showing any sign of a limp.
"Really! That is amazing, sir!"
The little girl's face lit up with genuine joy for him.
"But you should still go for a check up, just in case. It is a bone injury, after all. If something is left untreated, it could cause problems later."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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