As the last faint tremors left Tanjiro's body, his eyes gradually lost their light, the spark fading until nothing remained. His life force dissipated in an instant.
Lucien pulled the bedsheet slightly upward, covering Tanjiro's face with a calm, almost detached motion. His amethyst eyes shifted toward Zenitsu, who slept sprawled on his futon with a snot bubble wobbling at the tip of his nose, mumbling incoherently.
Lucien acted swiftly. One hand sealed Zenitsu's mouth and nose, while the other pressed the kukri's blade against his exposed neck. Zenitsu jolted awake, terror flashing in his eyes as blood flooded from his mouth, nose, and throat. His gaze mirrored Tanjiro's final expression, filled with disbelief and helpless fear.
Lucien's movements were light, almost gentle, yet clean and precise. When Zenitsu's life faded completely, he pulled the covers over him and walked toward Inosuke.
With the same decisive efficiency, he silenced him as well.
Once the three were dealt with, Lucien stepped into the shadowed corner of the room and narrowed his amethyst eyes at Nezuko, who slept peacefully on the bed.
In the end, he chose not to kill her.
He held onto a faint hope that Tanjiro's death might shock her into awakening a new power. Perhaps she would someday adapt to sunlight. Countless stories from movies, anime, and novels followed this pattern; whenever a loved one died, a deep surge of new strength followed. People would break through their limits, tear through the heavens, slay Buddha or gods, and become unstoppable.
Maybe Nezuko would follow the same path.
Maybe she would even rise to the level of a Demon King.
So Lucien spared her, at least for now.
Without a sound, he vanished from the treatment room. His next targets were the Hashira and the Twelve Kizuki. They were either powerful supporting characters or villains, and hunting them would yield more Dice rolls. There was no longer any reason for him to remain here.
To his surprise, his hunt progressed even smoother than expected. It became clear that integrating himself into the group of Children of Destiny in the future, only to strike when they least expected it, would dramatically reduce the risk of unforeseen variables.
Lucien had learned from his past encounters.
Still, this tactic required the Child of Destiny to be severely injured or caught off guard. Someone like Luffy in his younger, weaker days would be a perfect target—no wasted effort.
Less than an hour later, Lucien reached a nearby city, walking with confidence through the bustling streets. He entered a random hotel and checked into the first available room.
As soon as he sat cross-legged on the bed, the system window appeared before him.
"Successfully hunted the Child of Destiny of the Demon Slayer world, Kamado Tanjiro. Rewarding four Dice rolls, VIP Luck +1.
Successfully hunted the important supporting character Agatsuma Zenitsu. Reward based on contribution. You have received three Dice rolls, Luck +1.
Successfully hunted the important supporting character Hashibira Inosuke. Reward based on contribution. You have received three Dice rolls, Luck +1."
Lucien's lips curved upward. To ensure everything went smoothly, he had severed all three of their necks. Now he had a total of ten Dice rolls, plus one VIP Luck bonus and two regular Luck bonuses.
Even if seven of the rewards turned out useless, the remaining three guaranteed something extraordinary.
"Begin."
A fist-sized Dice materialized before him, spinning rapidly. The model airplane moved across four squares.
"Would you like to use Luck or VIP Luck?"
Lucien narrowed his eyes and chose to use regular Luck.
A blinding light flared. When the room returned to normal, Lucien's expression brightened.
"Finger Pistol."
"Description: Finger Pistol is one of the Six Styles in One Piece. It gathers all the body's strength into the fingertips and releases a lightning-fast strike. The hardened fingertips possess the power of bullets, easily piercing human bodies and even steel. The technique can also be performed using the toes."
Lucien absorbed the knowledge instantly. A faint tremor ran through him, but his excitement dimmed slightly.
Like Soru and Geppo, Finger Pistol required practice and training. It wasn't an instant-mastery ability.
"Continue."
He rolled again.
This time, the airplane crossed six squares.
Lucien used Luck once more.
"Great Might Heavenly Dragon."
"Description: Chant the incantation, Bold demon, such petty tricks dare to show off before an expert. Great Might Heavenly Dragon, World-Honored Ksitigarbha, Great Luo Dharma Incantation, Prajna Buddhas, Prajna Paramita Om. A Heavenly Dragon condenses in the palm, its strength determined by the user's power."
Lucien raised a brow.
This felt… overly dramatic. Not a martial arts ability, but something closer to a divine power from a Xianxia world. It reminded him of legendary Buddhist techniques, especially the Rulai Divine Palm—an attack so vast it could blot out the sky.
Still, Great Might Heavenly Dragon scaled with the user's strength. If Lucien grew powerful enough, he could someday unleash a Heavenly Dragon stretching thousands of meters long.
His heartbeat quickened. His Golden Finger truly contained everything, from simple techniques to world-shaking abilities.
And he still hadn't used VIP Luck.
He absorbed the technique, shivered again, then rolled the Dice for the third time.
This time, he immediately chose VIP Luck.
The Dice spun, the airplane jumped three squares, and brilliant light illuminated the room before fading.
Lucien stared at the screen. His breath hitched, his pulse rising. His face flushed with stunned exhilaration.
"Ki."
"Description: The Ki cultivation system from Dragon Ball. Ki is the fundamental life energy within living beings. Through cultivation, one can freely manipulate this energy. Ki is equivalent to Chakra, Reishi, Haki, inner strength, true qi, or spiritual energy. Ki can activate the power systems or techniques of any world, provided the user learns the corresponding methods. Ki is the foundation of all energy."
Lucien inhaled sharply.
Ki—the energy that powered gods, planet-destroyers, and beings capable of tearing universes apart.
Compared to Demon Slayer, One Piece, Attack on Titan, and every low-tier world, the Dragon Ball universe existed on a far grander scale. And now, he possessed its core cultivation system.
This meant he could cultivate internally and externally.
"As expected of VIP Luck."
Once he absorbed the method, the screen displayed Finger Pistol, Great Might Heavenly Dragon, and Ki in a perfect row. Lucien felt almost overwhelmed by how valuable his Luck bonuses had become.
"There are still seven rolls left. Probably nothing too amazing after this."
Still, mentally prepared, he continued rolling, ready for whatever came next.
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