Aomura Kazuhiko was in his forties, with a two-millimeter stubble on his face. Handsome. He didn't care much about his appearance, but it gave him a wild charm. A handsome man, even in middle age.
But not now. Now, his handsome face was twisted with veins, blue and bulging. His eyes were snake-like, slits of cold, evil, and a deep, hungry greed.
His mouth was full of teeth, jagged and sharp. Flesh clung to them, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, thick and red.
In his hand, he held a human leg. Bite marks covered it.
Aoki felt his skin crawl. "What is that?"
The man in the doorway was not Aomura Kazuhiko.
No!
This wasn't human.
Eating people?
Zombie? Monster?
"Found you! Rie, Takina, Aoki... Aren't you happy to see me?"
Kazuhiko licked his lips, a strange excitement in his voice. He stepped towards Aomura Rie.
Thwack!
An arrow flew like a shooting star, piercing his head. It pinned him to the wall.
Aoki held his bow, face hard.
"Be careful! That's not Master!"
Rie stumbled back, her voice shaking. Pain and despair filled it. "It's a demon! He's a demon! A man-eating demon!"
"Demon?"
Aoki frowned.
He thought of ghosts, spirits turned bad.
But this "demon" wasn't like that. Not at all.
Crack!
Kazuhiko reached up, grabbed the arrow, and ripped it from his head.
"Man-eating demons... Can't kill them with a headshot... Ugly... Meiji era Japan..."
A bolt of lightning struck Aoki's mind.
Is this... Demon Slayer?
He didn't have time to think. A black shape lunged. Aoki barely got his bow up in front of him.
Boom!
The force of the blow sent him crashing into the wall.
Aoki's insides twisted. His back felt broken. A taste of blood filled his mouth. Fear shot through him.
So fast! So strong!
He guessed that 5 was the limit for humans. For Strength, Speed, everything.
His own talent wasn't great. He was at 4.
His Intelligence was 5, because he'd put a free point there when he leveled up Hunter. He'd wanted to know if Intelligence meant smarts. It didn't.
Kazuhiko had at least 6 Strength!
He was crushing Aoki, who only had 4.
"I'll kill you first."
Kazuhiko's face was cruel. His hands pushed harder.
Creak, creak.
The bow pressed against Aoki's chest, bending inwards.
Aoki could hear his ribs groan, about to break.
No!
I can't hold him!
He was too strong!
His body was going to break!
Then...
Bang!
A stick slammed down. Kazuhiko's head jerked. His body tilted, his grip loosened.
He turned, furious.
Takina stood there, breathing hard. Fear was on her face, but she didn't back down. Her eyes were wide, her teeth gritted. She swung the stick again.
"Let Aoki go!"
Thump!
Kazuhiko caught the stick in his right hand, easy. His face twisted, full of hate.
"You want to die? I'll make it..."
Wham!
He flew backwards, crashing into tables and chairs. He hit the ground hard.
Aoki lowered his foot, gasping. He spoke fast, "Takina, Master's wife, get out of here! I'll handle this!"
"Aoki..."
Rie's face was white. She looked lost.
But Takina didn't hesitate. She dropped the stick, grabbed Rie's hand, and ran for the back door.
"Don't you run!"
Kazuhiko was desperate. He scrambled to his feet.
Aoki notched an arrow. This close, he didn't need to aim.
Thwack!
The arrow, its tip glowing blue, pierced Kazuhiko's head. He fell again.
Kazuhiko tried to get up, but his face changed. He shook his head.
"Poison?"
Aoki didn't answer. He felt a little relief.
It worked.
He'd made a few poison arrows, just in case. He hadn't thought he'd use them like this.
He shot another poison arrow, then turned and ran for the front door.
"Damn it!"
Kazuhiko slammed his fist on the ground, rage burning in him.
Three meals, and he couldn't even catch one.
"You can't escape!" he roared. He ripped the arrows from his body and charged towards the front door.
He wanted Aoki dead more than the women.
He stepped out of the house. A sharp crack, like the air tearing, exploded in his ear. He stopped, without thinking.
Whoosh!
An arrow flew past his face, inches away. It flew into the chicken coop.
The three hens huddled together, shaking.
Thwack.
An arrow fell from the sky, pinning them together.
"Cluck cluck cluck!"
The hens screamed, struggling wildly. The more they fought, the bigger the wounds.
"Not so good at aiming now, huh? Changed from killing demons to killing chickens?"
Kazuhiko sneered. He charged at Aoki.
Aoki didn't look back. He ran.
They ran, one chasing, one fleeing. The distance closed fast.
[Killed 1 Chicken, Gained 1 Experience.]
[Killed 1 Chicken, Gained 1 Experience.]
[Killed 1 Chicken, Gained 1 Experience.]
[Congratulations! Leveled Up!]
The System's voice made a fire burn in Aoki's eyes.
It worked!
Three chickens. Three points.
A blue screen floated in front of him.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 4]
[Constitution: 4]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Agility: 4]
[Profession: Hunter]
[Free Attribute Point: 1]
...
[Hunter]
Quality: ☆
Level: lv5
Skills: Hunting Instinct, Dexterity, Eagle Eye, Blood Boiling (Available)
Free Skill Point: 1
Hunters get one skill point each level. One attribute point every two levels.
This level up was perfect. One skill point, one attribute point.
So important!
Aoki didn't hesitate. He put the attribute point into Strength.
Heat flooded his body. His muscles swelled, just a little.
But it wasn't enough.
The Hunter had four skills.
Hunting Instinct made it easier to find prey. Dexterity helped with traps and crafting. Eagle Eye made his sight sharper, helped his archery.
Blood Boiling was different. It was a burst skill. He had to turn it on. It would make him stronger, faster, for a short time. But after, he'd be weak.
He used to hunt from far away, with his bow. Or with traps. He didn't need to fight up close.
But now... facing a demon... Blood Boiling was perfect.
Learn Blood Boiling!
Activate skill!
Aoki took a deep breath. His blood felt like fire, burning in his veins.
Boom!
A power he'd never felt before surged through him.