After passing the selection, Gusion's main quest updated, and it felt like a huge leap.
[Main Quest (Final Stage): Demon Extermination]
Task: Within three natural months, kill the leader of the demon camp, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Difficulty: Hard ~ Certain Death
Rewards: Return ticket, World Core
Failure Penalty: All attributes -1
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The task was simple and brutal—not an instant-death mission, and the penalty wasn't so bad for someone whose stats rose quickly. But Gusion felt the lighter the penalty, the harder the task.
Besides, he had no choice—even if he didn't want to kill Muzan, Muzan's explorers wouldn't let him go. If he failed, he probably wouldn't even live to see the penalty.
Given the world's difficulty, it was likely that second-tier explorers had entered the world. With Muzan's camp already strengthened, Gusion's advantage only counted among first-tier explorers; against second-tier, who knew?
If the opposing explorers had base stats over 30, plus demon blood and regeneration, they might be stronger than some Upper Moons from the original.
He couldn't complain—he'd chosen this difficulty. He liked the challenge.
Defeating explorers could drop death chest, so he hoped for a good haul.
The real trouble was the time limit. If Muzan kept hiding in the Infinity Castle, Gusion might not even be able to find him.
So he needed to plan the world a little—he couldn't let Muzan be so scared he just hid forever.
"Gusion-senpai, what did you just say!?" Zenitsu squeaked when he heard Gusion was going after the Twelve Kizuki.
"What are the Twelve Kizuki?" Tanjiro asked, innocent as ever.
Gusion realized Tanjiro didn't know this yet—his predecessor had never explained much.
"They're the twelve strongest demons!" Zenitsu replied, then worriedly turned to Gusion, "Gusion-senpai, you just passed the selection, you can't go after those monsters right away! They're so dangerous, only Hashira can fight them."
He'd heard from his grandpa that the Twelve Kizuki were terrifying, having eaten countless people. The Lower Moons were manageable, but the Upper Moons hadn't changed in centuries—even the Hashira died if they fought alone.
He believed Gusion was strong, but he didn't know how Gusion compared to the Hashira. He considered both his grandpa and Gusion like family—he didn't want either to die fighting monsters.
"The twelve strongest demons…" Tanjiro murmured, wondering if they knew how to turn demons back into humans—his sister Nezuko had become a demon, and he fought to save her.
"Brother Gusion, can I come with you?" Tanjiro asked.
"No," Gusion refused flatly. "You're all too weak."
With that, he walked down the mountain alone. "Zenitsu, remember what I said—build your strength first."
He didn't want Zenitsu to die, but he couldn't always act as his bodyguard.
The best way to protect allies was to kill all the enemies.
"Gusion-senpai…" Zenitsu watched him go, thinking of the blunt refusal, knowing it wasn't just for Tanjiro, but for himself, too.
He'd been scammed by a woman and saved by his grandpa, which led him to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Most were there because demons had destroyed their families.
He'd known Guson a long time but never knew what he'd suffered to make him so determined to join.
Now, seeing Gusion's resolve to face the Twelve Kizuki, Zenitsu believed he must have a painful past, deeply hurt by demons.
"I'll work hard until I can help," Zenitsu whispered, making up his mind.
…
After leaving the mountain, Gusion didn't bother to report to the Demon Slayer Corps.
He took his chosen ore, ignoring the confused looks from the two little girls—he didn't need a Nichirin Blade, his own weapon was enough.
Joining the Corps was just a matter of choosing sides; he wasn't bound by their rules and could act as he wished.
Time was of the essence now. Muzan's explorers, having stabilized their strength, were sure to be on the move.
He could easily guess their strategy—those less powerful would hunt the main character team, while the strong would target the Hashira.
It was a 3v33 camp battle. The enemy explorers weren't focused on killing other explorers—they were hard to find and risky.
The Hashira, on the other hand, were known threats. Compared to rookies like Tanjiro, the Hashira were already at their peak. Killing them would seriously weaken the Demon Slayer Corps.
Judging by his own side quests, the enemy explorers' side quests probably involved killing Hashira for rewards—they'd be taking action.
They'd want to preserve their own Upper Moon strength, so some might be moved or given intelligence about dangerous Hashira.
In the original, most Upper Moon locations were unknown, except for one: Upper Six, Gyutaro and Daki, whose territory was known to be Yoshiwara.
Gusion had no good way to find enemy explorers, so he decided to hurry to Yoshiwara and see if he could catch them.
He doubted he'd miss—if Gyutaro and Daki had moved, he'd likely encounter enemy explorers anyway, since they all knew Yoshiwara was the only confirmed Upper Moon hideout. They'd expect Demon Slayer explorers to come, and might set traps.
…
As Gusion made his way there, news of his record-breaking selection swept through the Demon Slayer Corps.
A super-powerful newcomer joining the Demon Slayer Corps amazed ordinary members and excited the Hashira.
Jigoro smiled in satisfaction when he heard. "That boy's gone overboard. The current Hashira will have a headache—catching demons is a pain."
He'd never doubted Gusion could pass, but clearing the mountain was still a surprise.
He was happy with Gusion's strength—soon, there might be ten Hashira instead of nine.
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