In front of a small hut at the foot of Mount Sagiri, a desperate voice echoed through the mountain air.
"Please, please!"
Drake Curtis was on his knees, hands pressed to the dirt, his eyes pleading toward the man standing in front of him. The man's hair was gray, his face hidden behind a red tengu mask.
Urokodaki Sakonji.
"Please, I beg you! Teach me!" Drake shouted.
"Stop bothering me!" Urokodaki barked, his voice muffled by the mask. With a swift motion, he delivered a sharp kick to Drake's chest, sending him tumbling backward onto the ground.
"You've been pestering me for four entire days already!" the old man growled.
With that, Urokodaki turned and started walking down the mountain, his blue robes rustling behind him.
Drake sat there in silence, watching him disappear among the trees. He sighed, dusting the dirt off his tattered clothes.
The Demon Slayer World.
Of all the places he could've ended up in, it had to be this one — one of the most brutal, unforgiving anime worlds ever created.
And worst of all?
He didn't even get a cheat.
Right after the System awakened back home, he was pulled into this world instantly — no newbie package, no free stats, nothing. Just a single quest window floating in front of him:
[Find a mentor to learn any Breathing Style!]
[Reward: Trait — Swordsman (Common)]
"Better than nothing," Drake muttered bitterly. "But seriously, how the hell am I supposed to make Urokodaki take me in?"
He had spawned right next to the man's house, which he thought was a blessing at first. It turned out to be hell instead.
Four days had passed since he arrived, and all he'd done was starve outside the old man's hut. He'd already lost sixteen pounds — though he wasn't sure if that counted as progress or punishment.
His meals consisted of berries, roasted rabbits, and occasionally whatever edible plant he could identify.
He had, at least, learned how to start a fire. Small victories.
Luckily, demons never came near Mount Sagiri — otherwise, he'd have been a late-night snack by now.
Every day, he practiced sword swings with a tree branch, copying movements he half-remembered from anime. Every night, he'd collapse from exhaustion, muttering,
"Urokodaki-sensei… I'll make you see my potential…"
Nothing worked. The man remained unmoved.
But Drake didn't plan to stop.
He hadn't survived school bullies, starvation, and interdimensional teleportation just to give up now.
He was going to become a Demon Slayer — or die trying.
...
Two more days passed.
Another ten pounds gone.
Urokodaki still refused to take him in, no matter how many times Drake begged or how much he trained with his makeshift branch-sword.
But Drake wasn't giving up.
If persistence didn't work, he'd try something else.
That morning, Urokodaki was just leaving his house when—
"Sir!"
Drake stumbled toward him, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"I don't have time for your pleading right now—" Urokodaki started to say, but stopped when he saw Drake kneel before him.
The boy raised his sharpened tree branch — the same one he'd used to practice sword swings for days — and pointed it directly at his own throat.
"If you don't take me as your apprentice," Drake said, his voice hoarse but firm, "I'm gonna kill myself!"
There was a long silence. Wind whistled through the pine trees.
Urokodaki tilted his head slightly.
"…Go on," he said flatly. "At least you won't bother me anymore."
Then he walked right past him.
Drake froze.
'Seriously?!' he thought, staring blankly ahead.
"Come on, please, sir!" he shouted, turning his head weakly. "Please!"
He tried to stand, but his body wouldn't move. His legs trembled, then gave out beneath him. Days without proper food had drained him completely.
"I'll do… whatever you want…" he mumbled, before collapsing.
But before his head hit the dirt, a firm hand caught him by the shoulder.
"Alright, brat," Urokodaki sighed, holding him upright. "You win."
Drake didn't hear him. He'd already fainted in the man's arms.
...
Drake slowly opened his eyes.
"Finally… a warm place…" he muttered, sinking deeper into the blankets.
Then realization struck.
"Wait?! Where am I?!"
He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the window. His jaw dropped.
"This… I am in Urokodaki's house?! Was I finally accepted?!"
His heart raced.
'Status window,' he muttered, bringing it up instinctively.
[Name: Drake Curtis]
[Age: 16]
[Gender: Male]
[Race: Human]
[Stats:
Strength: 14 (F)
Agility: 4 (F)
Vitality: 2 (F)
Intelligence: 6 (F)
Charm: 2 (F)
Luck: 7 (F)]
[Skills: N/A]
[Abilities: N/A]
[Traits: Swordsman (Common)]
Drake's eyes gleamed. He jumped up and tapped on the new trait.
[Swordsman (Common)]
[You are a swordsman. Your passion for the art of the blade pushed you to take it as your sole focus.
+15% EXP to sword-related skills or abilities
+10% Power to sword-related skills or abilities]
He wanted to scream in excitement — but paused. One shout, and a wandering demon might hear him…
Then his eyes fell on a small table nearby.
There was a meal laid out, steaming gently, and next to it, a folded piece of parchment.
Drake stared at the food as though it were a treasure hoard — like Gollum and the One Ring.
Without hesitation, he pounced and devoured it in seconds.
"Ah… I'm full now…" he muttered, patting his stomach. It was only half what it used to be.
He picked up the letter and unfolded it carefully.
"Boy… you were relentless. I couldn't stand you anymore, so I've decided to take you in — for better or worse.
I'll be away for a couple of days. There's food enough to last you while I'm gone.
By the time I return, I expect you to have learned the basics of swordsmanship. Books are on the shelves — don't waste your time staring at them. Try not to get yourself killed."
Drake blinked.
"Ah? He already left?" he muttered. "Wait… and he wants me to learn the basics by myself—"
Before he could panic, the System chimed in.
[A new quest has been generated!]
[Quest: Learn the basics of swordsmanship before Urokodaki returns.]
[Reward: Skill — Sword Mastery]
"Another quest?" Drake groaned.
His eyes fell on the empty plates.
"And wait! That food was supposed to last me for a few days?!"
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Also, I wanna add that Breathing Styles aren't just visual in my world, they actually create waves, flames and stuff.