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Chapter 32 — The Next Door Opens
The room was quiet, the air thick with the scent of drying herbs.
Moonlight spilled through the window, silvering the floorboards.
I sat cross-legged, breathing steady, letting the last remnants of the day's adrenaline drain away.
And then, the familiar crystalline voice echoed in my mind.
> [System Alert: Mid-Tier Simulation Available.]
[World Difficulty: Intermediate.]
[Rewards: Rare Passive Skills / Unique Items / Bloodline Fragments.]
[Warning: Lethality Risk Increased.]
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The Offer
A panel unfolded in my mind's eye, four glowing options hovering in the dark.
Demon Slayer: Early Demon Hunt Arc — High risk, potential for enhanced regeneration or breathing techniques.
One Piece: East Blue Era — Medium risk, potential to acquire a Devil Fruit or advanced combat instinct.
Fate/Stay Night: Fuyuki Conflict — Very high risk, chance to gain conceptual combat experience or magical affinity.
Attack on Titan: Pre-Trost Period — Medium-high risk, with body conditioning and movement skills as rewards.
I felt my pulse quicken.
This wasn't like the Naruto training ground.
This was a step up — one that could kill me in-sim if I wasn't careful.
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The Decision
I weighed my options.
Demon Slayer was tempting — the breathing techniques could synergize perfectly with my cultivation, and enhanced regeneration would be priceless.
One Piece offered Devil Fruits… unpredictable, but potentially game-changing.
Fate? No. Not yet. That world was a meat grinder.
Attack on Titan was safer — safer in relative terms, anyway — but offered less raw growth.
I exhaled slowly.
"Demon Slayer," I said at last. "Lock it in."
> [Selection Confirmed: Demon Slayer — Early Demon Hunt Arc.]
[Simulation Begins in: 10 seconds.]
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The Drop
Darkness swallowed me whole.
Then—
I was standing in a quiet, mist-shrouded forest, the chill of night sharp against my skin.
A simple katana rested in my hand, its edge faintly reflecting the moonlight.
> [Simulation Objective: Survive one full night hunt.]
[Bonus Objectives: Slay at least one Demon.]
[Time Limit: 12 Hours.]
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First Blood
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then I heard it — the ragged breath of something not quite human.
I turned just as a blur of claws ripped through the air where my chest had been a moment earlier.
Reflexes honed in the Naruto simulation took over.
I rolled, came up on my feet, blade raised.
The demon lunged again, pale skin glistening under the moonlight, its mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth.
I moved on instinct, dodging low, the katana flashing.
The blade bit deep into its neck, not clean enough for a kill, but enough to make it shriek in pain.
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System Support
> [Breathing Alignment Detected.]
[Activating Adaptive Flow.]
My lungs expanded, air sharp and clean, every muscle in my body moving with eerie precision.
The second strike was cleaner.
Final.
The demon's head hit the ground, its body collapsing into ash.
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Dawn
By the time the sun rose, I'd survived three more ambushes and walked out of the forest with every muscle screaming and my blade nicked from overuse.
The world dissolved again, white swallowing everything.
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Back to Reality
I woke in my room, heart pounding, sweat clinging to my skin like a second layer.
> [Simulation Complete.]
[Rewards Granted:]
[Breathing Technique — Adaptive Flow Lv.1 (Permanent Passive)]
[Physical Regeneration +5% (Passive Bonus)]
I exhaled, a grin breaking across my face.
The next storm in this world was coming.
And now, I was ready to face it head-on.
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