[Initiating Teleportation...]
Accompanied by the mechanical prompt of the Terminus Space, Lu Li felt himself once again engulfed by the hazy, white-light tunnel. Everything around him blurred into formless streaks; only the system's voice remained crystal clear in his mind.
[Acquiring World Coordinates...]
[Coordinates Locked. Target Derivative World: Demon Slayer]
[Total Explorers Deployed to this Mission World: 36]
[Detected that the Pioneer has already mastered the localized Universal Language. Language proficiency module will not be repeated.]
[This Mission World features Active Faction Warfare. Pioneer, please select your Initial Faction and Identity.]
A holographic menu materialized in front of Lu Li's eyes. At the very top were two massive, opposing faction banners: the [Demon Slayer Corps Faction] and the [Muzan Kibutsuji Faction].
Beneath each Faction banner was a scrollable list of available starting identities.
[Note: The available identities are generated based on a systemic calculation of the Pioneer's specific attributes and combat style. Different Explorers will be presented with different identity options to ensure maximum compatibility.]
Lu Li understood the implication of the note perfectly. Simply put, the Terminus Space analyzed an Explorer's strength, personality, and established combat methods to assign them a plausible background, preventing them from acting completely out of character (OOC) and immediately breaking the world's internal logic.
"A Faction choice..." Lu Li mused thoughtfully.
If you were to ask a normal, morally adjusted person living in an ordinary society which side of this specific anime universe they preferred, the answer would be practically unanimous. Almost no one would genuinely root for a cowardly, mass-murdering narcissist like Muzan Kibutsuji; everyone would overwhelmingly support the heroic Demon Slayer Corps.
But unfortunately, the Terminus Space was absolutely devoid of "normal" people. And an Explorer's moral compass had absolutely no bearing on their tactical decision-making. The absolute First Law of the Terminus Space was survival. Therefore, Explorers would instinctively flock to whichever Faction offered the highest probability of staying alive.
So, which Faction offered the best odds of survival? The answer was glaringly obvious. Naturally, it was the Muzan Faction.
Although Muzan Kibutsuji was an extraordinarily incompetent, paranoid, and idiotic "Boss", Explorers possessed significant baseline strength. Coupled with their massive advantage of omniscient meta-knowledge regarding the plot, an Explorer could thrive spectacularly within the Demon ranks.
Furthermore, joining the Muzan Faction practically guaranteed the immediate acquisition of the [Demon Bloodline]. While this specific bloodline carried the catastrophic weakness of spontaneous combustion upon exposure to sunlight, the massive, instantaneous boost it provided to core physical attributes, combined with the absurdly powerful High-Speed Regeneration, made it an incredibly formidable power-up. Among low-tier Explorers, the Demon Bloodline was universally considered a top-tier, highly coveted prize.
Moreover, the fatal weakness to sunlight wasn't necessarily permanent. In the canon storyline, both the protagonist, Tanjiro, and his sister, Nezuko, eventually conquered the sun after demonization. Tanjiro even briefly mutated into the "Ultimate Lifeform." Therefore, Explorers correctly deduced that this biological flaw could easily be purged or suppressed once they returned to the Terminus Space and utilized system functions.
Once the sunlight weakness was cured, the Demon Bloodline transformed into a flawless, premium package: massive stat multipliers and near-immortal regeneration. It was obviously the absolute favorite choice for any low-tier Explorer looking to survive.
During his walks through the Hub, Lu Li had overheard several Explorers discussing the Demon Slayer universe. They all desperately wished to be deployed there, universally considering it a massive "welfare" world.
As long as you were willing to swallow your pride, kneel before Muzan, and beg for his blood, you were guaranteed a premium bloodline. Where else could you find a deal that sweet?
As for the danger? What danger? The Demon Slayer Corps?
Explorers already possessed attributes far exceeding ordinary humans. Once demonized, their stats would become completely broken relative to the native population. As long as they used their meta-knowledge to avoid the main cast and played it safe, surviving until extraction would be a walk in the park.
Even if they somehow failed their Main Mission objectives, as long as the penalty wasn't Eradication, willingly taking a minor stat deduction was an entirely acceptable trade-off. Successfully returning to the Hub with a purified Demon Bloodline was still a massive, long-term net profit.
But it wasn't just the weak, cowardly Explorers who favored the Demons. If an absolute powerhouse Explorer were to choose, they would also likely select the Muzan Faction. Not just for the bloodline, but because the Muzan Faction genuinely held the absolute, overwhelming tactical advantage.
Yes, in the original canon, Muzan was ultimately defeated. But it was an agonizing, apocalyptic Pyrrhic victory for the Demon Slayers. The sole reason the Demon Faction lost was entirely due to Muzan's cowardly incompetence and sheer stupidity. Furthermore, the Demons suffered heavily from a lack of intelligence-sharing, constantly getting lured into isolated traps where they were severely weakened by poisons before being jumped by the Pillars.
But if an Explorer successfully infiltrated Muzan's inner circle and began providing tactical guidance? Muzan wouldn't blindly walk into Tamayo's trap. He wouldn't get severely nerfed by aging drugs. Even more terrifyingly, the Upper Rank Moons—who canonically fought entirely alone and were systematically jumped and killed by groups of Pillars—might actually learn how to coordinate and fight as a team.
Purely in terms of raw, head-on combat power, the Demon Slayer Corps was absolutely no match for a coordinated Upper Moon assault.
And if one considered the absolute ceiling for future growth, the choice was even more obvious. As a famous manga quote goes: Demons inherently possess higher raw numbers. Their biological growth ceiling was naturally, astronomically higher than any human in the Demon Slayer universe.
The absurd, unparalleled strength of Yoriichi Tsugikuni was an extreme, singular historical anomaly. In reality, even if an Explorer became a Demon, they could still continue to refine their martial techniques and even master Breathing Styles—as evidenced by the Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
Therefore, from every conceivable tactical and pragmatic angle, joining the Muzan Faction was the smartest, most logical choice.
But Lu Li was absolutely not a "logical" man. He lived by a singular, overriding philosophy: act with a clear conscience, and ensure his thoughts remained unburdened.
More importantly, he felt that transforming into a Demon carried a highly probable risk of becoming exceptionally ugly. Therefore, he firmly selected the [Demon Slayer Corps Faction].
To be fair, the Muzan Faction didn't always hold the absolute advantage. During the Sengoku era, Muzan had been so relentlessly, violently hunted by Yoriichi and the original generation of Demon Slayers that he was literally too terrified to show his face in public for decades. If the system had dropped them into that specific historical period, joining the Demons would have been a catastrophic mistake.
But Lu Li was already absolutely certain they were deploying into the main, modern storyline era. The available Identity options confirmed it.
[Identity Option 1: Legacy of Water]
Details: You are a direct disciple of the former Water Hashira, the current Cultivator, Sakonji Urokodaki. Selecting this identity grants you the opportunity to learn the Water Breathing Style.
Identity Difficulty: A+
Minimum Comprehensive Rating Requirement: S-
He carefully read the notes regarding the Difficulty and Rating Requirements. The Difficulty indicated the baseline level of lethal risk he would encounter while operating under this identity. The Minimum Rating was the absolute baseline evaluation he had to achieve by the end of the Mission World; failing to secure an S- rank would trigger a severe systemic penalty.
Just by glancing at the first option, Lu Li had already locked down the approximate timeline. The subsequent options allowed him to narrow the window even further.
[Identity Option 2: Legacy of Flowers]
Details: You are a direct disciple of the current Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho. Selecting this identity grants you the opportunity to learn the Insect Breathing Style or the Flower Breathing Style.
Identity Difficulty: B
Minimum Comprehensive Rating Requirement: A-
Lu Li immediately passed on this option. He felt the Flower Breathing Style was fundamentally incompatible with his violent, aggressive combat style. Furthermore, the relatively low difficulty suggested this identity would likely spend the majority of the deployment stuck in the Butterfly Mansion performing logistical and medical support.
But what truly confused him was the implication of the identity itself. Wait. Isn't the Butterfly Mansion exclusively staffed by girls? Terminus, what exactly are you implying?! Why the hell am I even qualified to select this identity?!
Skipping past it, he scrolled through the remaining list. He quickly realized that the variety of Breathing Styles in this world was far more extensive than he had initially thought. The original manga only showcased a handful, but there were countless niche, highly specialized derivative styles that had branched off from the originals over the centuries.
The ordinary swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps practiced all sorts of bizarre, highly localized Breathing Styles. Not everyone had the sheer, miraculous luck to be personally trained by a former Hashira.
A brilliant master produces a brilliant disciple. While personal innate talent and grueling effort were crucial, having a phenomenal instructor to guide the foundation allowed a martial artist's growth to progress exponentially faster.
After scanning through every single available identity, Lu Li made his final decision.
[Identity Option 7: Legacy of Thunder]
Details: You are a direct disciple of the former Roaring Hashira, the current Cultivator, Jigoro Kuwajima. Selecting this identity grants you the opportunity to learn the Thunder Breathing Style.
Identity Difficulty: A+
Minimum Comprehensive Rating Requirement: S-
The difficulty level was identical to the Water Legacy. Lu Li deduced this was because both of these specific lineages would inevitably force him into high-frequency, direct contact with the main protagonist group, which practically guaranteed he would frequently encounter the absolute strongest Demons in the world.
Lu Li was actually quite interested in the mechanics of Breathing Styles. After all, mastering a Breathing Style didn't just enhance base physical attributes; it allowed the user to execute explosive, highly devastating martial techniques. It would definitely serve to further enrich his lethal repertoire.
If given the absolute free choice, he would have obviously preferred to learn the Sun Breathing Style. But unfortunately, in the current Demon Slayer era, a formal, orthodox lineage for Sun Breathing simply didn't exist. There were no recognized Cultivators. And the Terminus Space obviously wasn't going to magically retcon his existence into being Tanjiro's biological family member.
Besides, even Tanjiro himself didn't fully comprehend the mechanics of Sun Breathing until the absolute final battle against Muzan. Expecting him to systematically teach it to someone else was highly unrealistic.
Synthesizing all these factors, Lu Li felt that the Thunder Breathing Style—with its absolute focus on extreme, explosive hypersonic speed and highly violent, straightforward destructive power—was perfectly aligned with his personal tastes. He locked in his choice.
Upon confirming the selection, the system prompt echoed in his mind.
[Initiating Deployment...]
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