Just like that, two days passed.
During that time, Li Xuan made a conscious effort to familiarize himself with the room's functions while spending hours surfing the internet. It was through this that he discovered something vital.
This world, which mirrored reality, was clearly not the one he originally came from.
There were provinces like Zhongzhou's Xinmin Province mentioned online that had never existed in his memory. Moreover, the celebrities and historical events differed drastically from those in his previous world.
Li Xuan could roughly deduce that the new arrivals and experienced participants had all come from different versions of reality aligned with the Lord God's space. Meanwhile, his own arrival might have originated from a completely separate world altogether. Perhaps this explained the variation in how he entered this space.
That led him to wonder: after completing his first mission, which reality would he return to?
Was he a rare anomaly, or were there others like him who had crossed over from different worlds?
Aside from pondering such thoughts and surfing the net, Li Xuan hadn't done anything particularly proactive. He didn't bother training with firearms either, only spending a little time becoming familiar with the operation of his handgun.
As the skill [Handgun Proficiency] was something granted by the system through a check-in reward, it had been deeply imprinted into both his body and mind. Practicing for just two days wouldn't significantly improve it, so he chose to take it easy instead.
The other newcomers, in contrast, were quite diligent. They spent considerable effort learning to handle their handguns, and by the end of the second day, they had managed to hit one shot out of three at a ten-meter range and maintain basic accuracy within five meters.
As the room's clock neared midnight, Li Xuan had already finished preparing.
He wore a black short-sleeved shirt and loose-fitting white athletic pants. A small shoulder bag hung at his side, containing his handgun and some medical supplies. With this outfit, he looked more like someone going on a casual countryside trip than someone preparing for a life-threatening mission.
When he opened the door, the number of people outside had clearly increased compared to two days ago. Besides the few he already knew, there were four unfamiliar faces.
They must be the remaining experienced participants.
Three men and one woman.
One man had bulging muscles and carried an imposing, steady presence.
Another looked emaciated, as though he had just recovered from a long illness.
A young man bore refined features and the scholarly air of an academic.
The lone girl was petite, radiating the delicate charm of a refined lady.
Including the previously introduced Ye Miaoyi, that brought the total number of veterans in Zhongzhou Team Four to five. Each had a distinct and vivid persona.
While Li Xuan walked toward them, the muscular man gave him a quick once-over, as if evaluating a piece of equipment, before speaking in a cold tone.
"You are Li Xuan, right? I hope you perform well in this mission world. If your abilities prove sufficient, you might be allowed to act with us in the future."
"Act together in the future?" Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. "So this mission will be carried out separately?"
The petite girl suddenly jumped into the conversation, her tone lively and straightforward.
"Yes. Since this mission includes newcomers like you, the main storyline will be relatively simple. We won't be working together. The veterans will be triggering side missions on our own."
"That's correct," the muscular man added with a serious voice. "Your combat strength is too low. You would only slow us down."
"But Ye Miaoyi will accompany you," the sickly man added nonchalantly.
Ye Miaoyi chuckled, a cigarette clamped between her lips. She looked disinterested and gave off an air of defiance.
"Don't expect me to hold your hands. You rookies better look out for yourselves."
Li Xuan continued asking questions calmly.
"What if someone doesn't prove strong enough to be accepted into your team?"
The scholarly youth spoke without emotion.
"We don't take in trash. Even if you survive this mission, we won't acknowledge underperforming rookies. They'll be left to fend for themselves."
At those words, several newcomers' expressions shifted noticeably.
Among them was the overweight man who had just awakened. After receiving an explanation of their current predicament from Lin Danwei and the others, he had become unusually quiet and compliant.
The new veterans introduced themselves with a sense of detached politeness.
The muscle-bound man was Wu Qing, the captain of Zhongzhou Team Four.
The emaciated one was named Liu Li.
The bookish youth went by Wang Liuzhi.
The petite girl introduced herself as Luo Yaya.
Just like Ye Miaoyi, they only offered their names and nothing more. While each likely had specific roles within the team, only the captain's position was made explicit. Perhaps they figured revealing more would serve no purpose.
Li Xuan was quite curious about what kinds of bloodline abilities or skills these veterans had exchanged for. Each one radiated a sense of overwhelming strength, something his senses picked up clearly.
Still, if they didn't want to speak about it, there was no point in prying.
"Listen up," Wu Qing said seriously. "According to my authority as captain, I've confirmed that our mission world this time is called Demon Slayer."
Demon Slayer?
Li Xuan repeated the name silently.
So this time, they were heading into an anime world.
Li Xuan was intimately familiar with Demon Slayer. Although he was not an avid anime fan, his system-gifted skill [Anime Knowledge Mastery] had granted him perfect memory of most major anime series.
"Based on the intelligence we acquired..."
So they actually had to purchase intel? Li Xuan was puzzled but quickly recalled that their version of reality differed drastically from his own. That explained why these veterans had never heard of Demon Slayer.
"In this world, there exists a unique race of beings known as demons. These creatures devour humans and possess incredible regenerative powers. They can only be killed using weapons called Nichirin Blades or by exposing them to sunlight. To fight back against the demons, a civilian organization known as the Demon Slayer Corps was formed. Most likely, the plotline will revolve around this group..."
Everything being explained was information Li Xuan already knew.
The other rookies carried large backpacks packed with gold bars, food, lighters, and other supplies they had exchanged for in preparation.
The veterans carried nothing on them, but everyone knew that they likely had spatial storage equipment.
That made Li Xuan, who only had a small shoulder bag, appear somewhat out of place. It was obvious that such a small bag couldn't hold many supplies.
Still, under everyone's scrutinizing gazes, his expression remained calm and unreadable.
"Time to move out," Wu Qing commanded.
"Lord God, initiate teleportation."
Ten beams of white light descended from above, enveloping the ten reincarnators entirely.
"What a strange sensation."
Li Xuan felt his form begin to blur. A euphoric sense of ascension surged within him, as if his very soul were being purified.
Had the light remained any longer, he might have genuinely felt himself becoming immortal.
The feeling did not last. In the next moment, the scene around them shifted drastically.
Beneath their feet lay a dirt road. Cicadas chirped in the summer heat. Small houses were arranged in neat rows. People dressed in traditional farming attire and kimonos moved casually along the road.
The ten of them had appeared in the middle of this scene.
Strangely, the locals acted as though they hadn't noticed anything unusual. It was as if they were invisible.
"What's going on?" one of the rookies asked aloud.
Luo Yaya, the cheerful and lively veteran, responded with a smile.
"This is the Lord God's way of merging us into this world."
Suddenly, all ten participants received a message directly in their minds.
Main Quest:
Eliminate one demon and join the Demon Slayer Corps.
Reward: 1,000 Reincarnation Points
Return permitted upon completion
Time Limit: 5 years
Side Quests:
Demon Hunt: Eliminate as many demons as possible. Final rewards based on contribution.
(Locked)...
Upon reading the tasks, the veterans relaxed while the newcomers cheered.
From the veterans' perspective, demons might be tough, but they could still be dragged into the sunlight and killed, even without a Nichirin Blade.
From the rookies' view, it was even simpler. How strong could a demon be against firearms? Surely a bullet to the head would cripple it long enough to let the sun do the rest.
Only Li Xuan remained cautious.
He knew the rules were not exaggerated. A demon's severed head could still curse and scream. Their strength and speed far surpassed those of normal humans. Even the protagonist, Tanjiro, would have died in his first encounter without his sister's help.
And then there were the Twelve Kizuki.
These elite demons were divided into Upper and Lower Moons, all serving Muzan Kibutsuji directly. The gap between the two ranks was massive.
Veterans might hold their own against a Lower Moon, but encountering an Upper Moon would spell disaster.
The power difference was not just significant. It was insurmountable.
Fortunately, given how rare the Twelve Kizuki were, as long as one didn't deliberately seek them out, the main quest could be completed without ever crossing paths with them.
After all, even Tanjiro and his sister, despite their sudden power surges and training, failed to kill a single Lower Moon. It had taken the arrival of one of the Hashira to finish the job.
The strength of the Twelve Kizuki was evident.