Chapter 34 34: You Call That a Push-up?
What should he do?
The situation had become far too strange.
In the depths of the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji sat in silence, his face hidden beneath a shadow.
Should he continue sending demons to test that boy?
Or should he leave him alone and avoid the risk altogether?
For a brief moment, Muzan truly considered the latter.
He did not care how many ordinary demons died. He would not even care much if one of the Upper Ranks perished, so long as the result was worth the price.
But that boy…
That boy made him uneasy.
A Demon Slayer wearing hanafuda earrings had already been enough to scrape against the deepest wound in Muzan's memory. Now, that same boy had displayed a power Muzan could not understand—an impossible recovery, a terrifying surge in strength, and that strange manifestation beside him.
It was too abnormal.
Too dangerous.
Muzan's crimson eyes narrowed.
He had a feeling.
That little brat might become the pebble that disturbed a thousand years of stagnant water.
If left alive, he might change the situation that had remained unchanged for centuries.
If possible, he had to die.
Once his decision settled, Muzan no longer hesitated.
His command spread through the blood.
Aside from the deceased Kamanue, every member of the Twelve Kizuki received the order.
A Demon Slayer wearing hanafuda earrings was to be hunted down at any cost.
This time, even the Upper Ranks became interested.
After all, very few things in this world could make Muzan issue such a direct command.
And even fewer could make him sound afraid.
…
Back at the wisteria mansion, the old woman arrived in the courtyard after hearing the commotion.
The moment she stepped outside, she froze.
The courtyard was in ruins.
Broken wood littered the ground. The walls were cracked. Blood stained the floorboards and soil, dark and sticky beneath the moonlight.
Tanjiro had already finished healing Zenitsu. Seeing the old woman arrive, he immediately hurried over and bowed deeply.
"I'm truly sorry," he said, his voice full of guilt. "This happened because of us. I'll definitely compensate you for the damage."
The old woman looked at him, then at Zenitsu and Inosuke.
Their clothes were torn and soaked with blood. Their faces were smeared with dust and grime. The courtyard looked as though a monster had torn through it.
She was old, not foolish.
From the state of the place, she could piece together enough.
Demons had attacked.
And these boys had fought them off.
A gentle smile appeared on her wrinkled face.
"It is all right," she said softly. "As long as you are safe, that is what matters. I will call a doctor later to examine your injuries."
Tanjiro quickly raised his head. "Please don't trouble yourself. Our injuries aren't serious. There's no need to spend money on a doctor."
The old woman still looked worried, but when she met Tanjiro's sincere gaze, she finally relented.
"Very well. But if anything feels wrong, you must tell me immediately."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
"You should change rooms for tonight," she continued. "Please follow me."
"Sorry for troubling you."
Tanjiro bowed again before following after her.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Zenitsu and Inosuke were crouched together, though their expressions could not have been more different.
Inosuke, still wearing his boar mask, pointed at Zenitsu.
"What happened while I was knocked out?"
Zenitsu's mouth curled into a strange grin.
"Hehe…"
Inosuke leaned back slightly. "Your laugh is disgusting."
Zenitsu straightened his back as though he had just been insulted on a matter of honor.
"What do you know? I found true love."
"Hah?"
"You wanted to know what happened, right? Fine, I'll tell you."
Zenitsu immediately began recounting the battle.
Rather, he began recounting one very specific part of the battle.
The figure who had appeared beside Tanjiro.
The beautiful, mysterious, otherworldly girl who had emerged from black mist.
His description was so detailed, so excessive, and so shamelessly enthusiastic that Inosuke grew quieter the longer he listened.
Finally, he turned his head toward the sword at Tanjiro's waist.
"That sword is really that amazing?"
He looked down at his own two chipped Nichirin swords and snorted through the boar mask.
Nezuko had already returned to the wooden box, hiding herself inside.
Only after Tanjiro came back and led everyone to the new room did the chaos of the night finally settle.
No more demons came.
The rest of the night passed peacefully.
Early the next morning, Tanjiro rose at dawn.
The moment the first faint light brushed across the courtyard, he had already begun training.
Thanks to Asuramaru's guidance, his training had become much more efficient.
His ability to maintain Total Concentration Breathing was growing steadier by the day. His lungs had strengthened so much that every breath carried a deep, clear rhythm, almost audible in the morning air.
Tanjiro could feel the progress himself.
It made him happy.
Today, however, was different from usual.
Normally, he trained alone.
But this morning, Zenitsu and Inosuke had also joined him.
Inosuke's reason was simple.
He wanted to become stronger.
He wanted to become strong enough that he would never again be the weakling who could only watch while Tanjiro fought.
He wanted to surpass the version of himself that had been beaten down last night.
"Tanjiro!" Inosuke shouted. "How do we train? I want to get stronger!"
Tanjiro did not hold anything back.
He seriously explained everything he had learned recently.
"You have to let the air spread throughout your body. Try to imagine it reaching the tips of your fingers. Your lungs must expand outward, and your breathing must stay stable without breaking…"
Inosuke listened.
Then froze.
Question marks practically hovered over his boar mask.
Zenitsu, on the other hand, had no interest in breathing at all.
His gaze had been glued to Asuramaru at Tanjiro's waist since morning.
"Tanjiro," he said, scooting closer, "can you call Asuramaru out again?"
"No."
Tanjiro refused before Alex even needed to say anything.
If Zenitsu wanted training guidance, Tanjiro could ask.
But this?
He did not need to think to know what Zenitsu was planning.
"Come on, Tanjiro," Zenitsu pleaded. "Can't you lend Asuramaru to me for a little while?"
"No means no."
Tanjiro's attitude was unusually firm.
The two trained while bickering, one serious and one shameless.
Even Inosuke was left staring at them in confusion.
Eventually, the training moved on to push-ups.
Inside the sword, Alex watched Zenitsu's form for two seconds and nearly lost his composure.
Good grief.
His upper body was barely moving.
His lower body was doing all the work.
Alex stared in silence.
That was not a push-up.
That was a public safety incident.
He had half a mind to file a report for indecent conduct.
The days passed like that.
Training, eating, resting, arguing, and training again.
Before they knew it, a month had gone by.
During that month, Alex had expected Muzan to lose patience and send stronger demons after Tanjiro.
But strangely, nothing happened.
No ambush.
No Lower Rank.
No Upper Rank.
Not even a pack of ordinary demons.
It was as if Muzan had decided to forget about them entirely.
But the quieter things became, the more wrong it felt.
Muzan was many things.
Arrogant. Cruel. Cowardly. Paranoid.
But stupid?
Absolutely not.
If he had stopped moving, then it could only mean one thing.
He was plotting something.
Alex considered the original course of events.
Soon, Tanjiro and the others would likely be sent to Mount Natagumo. In the original story, that was where Lower Five, Rui, had appeared.
Rui was powerful.
If several more members of the Twelve Kizuki were waiting there in ambush…
Even if the Upper Ranks did not appear, Tanjiro and the others could easily walk into the mountain vertically and leave horizontally.
Preferably, they should not go.
But Alex also understood Tanjiro's personality.
If the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters gave the order, and there were people in danger, Tanjiro would never disobey.
Avoiding the mission was nearly impossible.
Still, the Upper Ranks probably would not appear so easily.
The Demon Slayer Corps was not useless. If too many powerful demons moved toward the same area, headquarters would notice sooner or later.
And in the worst case, Alex could rely on Perception.
If he sensed an overwhelmingly powerful demon, they would flee immediately.
With Demonization, his externalized body as a shield, and Tanjiro running at full speed, even if an Upper Rank appeared, escaping should not be impossible.
Besides, if things truly escalated, the Corps would likely send a Hashira.
After weighing the risks, Alex decided that gambling once did not seem completely unreasonable.
But before that, they needed to strengthen themselves as much as possible.
With that thought, Alex opened the system interface.
"System, give me five Gold-grade draws."
[Ding! Consumed 5,000 Emotion Points. Beginning Gold-grade lottery draw.]
[Congratulations. You have obtained: Platinum-grade Ability Enhancement Card.]
[Effect: Enhances any ability below Platinum grade to Platinum grade.]
Alex's eyes lit up.
Now this was good.
Before he could celebrate too much, the system seemed to pour a basin of cold water over him.
[Thank you for your patronage.]
[Thank you for your patronage.]
[Thank you for your patronage.]
Three misses in a row.
Alex's smile vanished.
"It's like we stumbled into a nest of 'thank you for your patronage.'"
The words had barely left him when the last notification rang.
[Ding! Congratulations. You have obtained: AK-47, Demon Power Edition.]
[Created by a powerful entity. Adaptable to any energy system. Converts energy into special bullets and fires them while retaining the original characteristics of the supplied power.]
Alex fell silent.
Then stared.
"What the hell?"
He could understand drawing Chidori.
He could accept strange supernatural skills.
But what was this?
An AK-47?
And a Demon Power Edition?
For a moment, Alex could only think one thing.
Was this something a fantasy sword system should actually be able to draw?
.....
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