Dense stalactites hung from the cave ceiling. Cold river water rushed against the rock walls.
Splash!
A lithe figure leaped from the water.
Aoki ran his hands through his hair, shaking off the water. He changed into dry clothes.
This cave was a place he and Master had found while hunting.
The damp, dark environment was bad for humans, but perfect for a demon to hide.
Leaving Takina and Master's wife was a hard choice.
His life would be dangerous now. To keep them safe, the best thing was to stay away.
Aoki looked down, at his reflection in the water.
His face was almost the same. His eyes were golden slits now, a little cold.
He opened his mouth. His four canine teeth were sharp, like a beast's.
His nails were harder, sharper, too. He could use them as weapons.
That was all.
Aoki was okay with that.
Many demons were deformed. Half the Upper Moons were monsters.
Ugly and awkward.
He wanted to stay human-looking, as much as he could.
Aoki picked up the fish he'd caught.
His sharp nails sliced through the scales, scattering them. He gutted the fish, pulling out the insides.
He took a bite.
It tasted like nothing. Bland.
He sighed, disappointed.
As a demon, he had no normal taste.
Regular demons had the pleasure of human flesh. But because of the System, he didn't crave it. He'd lost the joy of eating.
And there was sex.
He had no desire, no ability.
Friction didn't give him any pleasure.
Demons were sad creatures.
"System!"
Aoki pushed the thoughts away. He focused, and the blue screen appeared in his vision.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 8]
[Constitution: 7]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Agility: 6]
[Profession: Hunter, Aberrant Demon]
[...]
"The stats jumped!"
Aoki whistled.
Strength and Constitution were up by 3. Intelligence and Agility by 2. Ten points in total!
That was like leveling up Hunter twenty times!
Incredible!
Aoki looked at the Profession section, at the second entry: "Aberrant Demon." Another screen popped up.
[Aberrant Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv1 (0/100)
Skills: Demon Blood (Available), Space Warp (Available), Transparent World (Available), Demon Devour
Tasks: None
"Two-star profession?"
Aoki's eyes went to the Quality section first.
Profession quality decided how strong it was, how much potential it had. The biggest difference was in stat points and the level cap.
☆ meant half a star. ★ was a full star.
Hunter was a half-star profession. He got 1 stat point every 2 levels. The level cap was 5.
So, after level 5, Hunter stopped giving experience. He couldn't level up anymore.
A two-star profession meant 2 stat points every level. He could level up to 20.
"This is real power," Aoki thought.
He nodded, impressed. He looked down, at the Skills.
Skills were the heart of a profession.
He studied the four Aberrant Demon skills and their effects. He was amazed.
Demon Blood, the demon bloodline. The core skill. It affected all his demon powers.
Space Warp, the famous teleportation skill.
He realized this was his Blood Demon Art. It made sense, somehow.
Blood Demon Arts weren't random. They came from strong emotions, memories, thoughts, traits... things that were important in a demon's life.
Like a profession. A strong desire.
For Aoki, the biggest thing, the strongest feeling, was his transmigration.
Space Warp fit him perfectly.
Transparent World, one of the strongest cheats in Demon Slayer. Only seven people in the whole story were shown to have it.
Was this really a demon skill?
Demon Devour. Eat demons. Replenish strength. Get stronger. That was what made Aberrant Demon "aberrant."
And it didn't need to be learned. It was active from the start.
All four Aberrant Demon skills were powerful.
But that wasn't all.
Aberrant Demon was still a demon. He had all the powers of a demon.
Like strong regeneration, stamina, night vision, body control, long life...
When Aoki grew stronger, he'd be much stronger than a normal demon.
The System's professions were better than normal ones.
Aberrant Demon was like that. Hunter was, too.
But more than the skills, the powers... the System's biggest gift was keeping him himself. Not letting him become a monster.
Ding!
A System message popped into Aoki's mind.
[New Task: Aberrant Demon's Path.]
[Aberrant Demon's Path]
You understand the power of the Aberrant Demon. Now, go on your first hunt!
Task: Devour a demon.
Reward: 70 Experience, Sun-Blocking Hat.
"A task? Aberrant Demon's Path?"
Aoki's spirits lifted.
Tasks were a shortcut to leveling up fast.
Seventy experience was a big reward. If he was unlucky, he might not get that much in a month.
Sun-Blocking Hat... It sounded plain, but this was the first time he'd seen an item in the System. He couldn't miss it.
Aoki fought down his excitement.
Before killing a demon, he needed to control his powers.
Power wasn't the same as fighting ability.
Power was important.
But knowing how to use it was just as important.
His stats had jumped. He had new skills, new powers. He needed to get used to them.
Also...
He hadn't forgotten. When he first got a profession, he could get experience from training.
A week later...
Aoki walked out of the cave.
The moon hung bright in the sky. The stars seemed dim. A breeze rustled the leaves.
The open view made him feel a little better.
[Aberrant Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv1 (18/100)
Skills: Demon Blood (Available), Space Warp (Available), Transparent World (Available), Demon Devour
Tasks: Aberrant Demon's Path (0/1)
Aoki looked at his profession panel.
He'd gotten 18 experience from training this week.
Not much, but it was safe.
He'd stopped for two reasons. The experience was slowing down. And he was hungry.
Turning into a demon used a lot of energy.
He'd only eaten a few fish this week. It wasn't enough.
Aoki checked his direction, ran off.
Night vision made the dark like day. With Eagle Eye, he could see everything.
His stamina meant he wouldn't get tired.
Demons were stronger than humans, there was no denying it.
The scenery grew familiar.
He crested a hill. The wooden house came into view.
Aoki slowed.
The yard was empty. Dust covered the ground. Leaves blew in from outside.
The furniture inside was neat, but many things were missing.
A letter lay on the table in the living room.
Aoki opened it. Takina's familiar handwriting.
The letter was long.
She talked about that day, asked how he was. They were moving.
"The Demon Slayer Corps?"
Aoki's eyes flickered.
Takina said they'd met two swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps. They'd helped them.
After beating the demon Master had become, he'd thought about finding the Demon Slayer Corps, learning a Breathing Style.
But...
Fate was strange.
Aoki found Master's grave, bowed. He left again.
He'd come back to check on Takina and Master's wife. He knew they were safe. That was enough.
---
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