Chapter 11: Choose Your Weapon
"Everyone, you have worked hard."
"You are more exceptional than I imagined. It has been a long time since so many swordsmen passed the Final Selection at once."
"You should feel proud of your tenacity and strength."
Morning light pierced through the night mist, and the scent of wisteria drifted through the lingering smell of blood and smoke. The priest, Himorogi, stood before the nine surviving swordsmen, his silver-gray eyes scanning the group.
"From this moment on, you are official members of our organization."
"The ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps are divided into ten levels."
"Aside from the Hashira, the ranks are: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto."
"Currently, all of you are at the lowest rank: Mizunoto. You are the newest recruits of the Corps..."
Natsuya glanced around. Less than half of the initial candidates had survived. Honestly, if he hadn't stepped in during that massive brawl two nights ago and wiped out those high-level demons, the survivor count would likely be even lower.
According to the lore, this was supposed to be the "fresh blood" for the organization. Yet, the Proctor spoke as if nine survivors was a cause for celebration.
What's the usual count then? Five? Two?
The casualty rate was insane. How many recruits could they possibly gather in a year? If this were a special elite trial for high-ranking Kinoe swordsmen, the "high stakes, high death" setting would make sense. But this was a trial for rookies.
Is the dev team bad at balancing, or is this a plot twist? Natsuya wondered. Like, is the Demon Slayer Corps actually a trap?
He scanned the status bars above the other candidates. Over the last seven days, their stats and Breathing levels had actually ticked upward quite a bit.
However, Natsuya was far more interested in the "Hashira" the Proctor mentioned.
"Seiko," Natsuya whispered, nudging the girl next to him. "Are those 'Hashira' guys really that strong? How do they compare to those 'Twelve Kizuki' the demon mentioned?"
Seiko thought for a moment. "I don't know anything about the Twelve Kizuki, but my Master mentioned the Hashira. They are the 'Pillars' of the Corps. The strongest swordsmen in existence."
Oh? Our faction's top-tier units, then. Natsuya mused. I wonder how they stack up against the enemy's endgame Bosses.
The Proctor ignored their whispering and continued. "We will begin by taking your measurements for your uniforms. Once finished, your rank will be engraved onto your hand."
"Furthermore, these are your assigned Kasugai Crows. From now on, they will be your partners for relaying information and missions."
A flurry of wings filled the air as several coal-black crows descended from the sky, landing on the shoulders of the recruits.
"A word of advice: these little guys have minds of their own. Do not tease them."
As if on cue, one recruit tried to pet his crow's head. The crow immediately pecked him violently on the forehead.
"NO MANNERS! NO MANNERS!" the crow shrieked.
Natsuya looked at the crow perched on his own shoulder.
"MY NAME IS SHIRO! MY NAME IS SHIRO! CAW! PLEASED TO MEET YOU!"
[Shiro (Power Level: 1)]
Natsuya: "..."
It's literally black. Why is its name 'White'?
Still, he treated it as a "Leveling Pet" and gave a polite nod. "Sure."
Once everyone had their crows, Himorogi moved to the final step.
"The final matter: today, you will choose the ore for your blades. In ten to fifteen days, your personal Nichirin Swords will be forged and delivered."
Several masked Kakushi carried forward a large wooden chest. Inside were over a dozen chunks of metallic ore of various sizes, emitting a faint, warm aura like the morning sun.
"The steel that slays demons and protects your soul. Choose for yourselves."
To the Proctor's surprise, none of the swordsmen moved. Instead, every single one of them turned their gaze toward Natsuya at the back of the group. One candidate even stepped aside to clear a path to the chest.
This boy? Himorogi thought. The one who rushed in first? It seems he's earned quite the reputation among his peers.
Natsuya didn't hesitate. He walked up to the chest with Shiro the crow still on his shoulder.
The 'Ore Gambling' segment, huh? He was a veteran gacha gamer; he knew how this worked.
He turned to one of the Kakushi. "Nara, right? Is there a difference in the quality of these rocks? Like, were some mined from better nodes?"
The Kakushi blinked, confused as to how the boy knew his name. "Every piece of Tamahagane has its own soul. You must sense the 'personality' of the steel... the resonance..."
"But the material stats?" Natsuya pressed.
The Kakushi looked unsure. "They... they should be roughly the same? They're all from the same batch of refined ore..."
Got it. It's just flavor text for immersion.
Natsuya reached in and grabbed the largest, most solid-looking chunk of ore. "This one."
The other candidates followed suit, picking their own pieces.
"Very well," Himorogi said. "In a few days, a messenger will bring your uniforms and—"
"Hey, Proctor? Quick question," Natsuya interrupted. "Can I make a custom request for the weapon forging?"
Several candidates winced. In Taisho-era Japan, interrupting a senior was incredibly rude, especially without using formal honorifics. Seiko let out a helpless sigh. Classic Natsuya.
Himorogi looked at him, considering. "Are you dissatisfied with the standard Nichirin Swords from the village? If you have a specific weapon preference, I can pass the request to the Master."
It wasn't unheard of for Slayers to use weapons other than katanas, but those were usually high-ranking veterans with the skill to master exotic gear. A rookie asking for a custom build on day one? That was a first.
"Do you require a longer blade? A spear? A polearm?" Himorogi asked. "Be warned, custom orders take much longer to forge."
Natsuya raised the chipped Nichirin Sword he'd scavenged from a fallen teammate. "Nah, main weapons drop everywhere in this game. I want to request a Secondary Weapon."
The Proctor sighed, finally understanding the looks the other kids were giving Natsuya. This boy is completely 'air-headed'—he has zero sense of social atmosphere.
"If you truly need it, speak your mind."
Natsuya didn't even have to think. "Katanas are cool and all, but their durability is trash. The edge chips too fast and they break under pressure."
"I need a secondary weapon. Something for close-quarters. Like Katars or Gauntlets."
"Something that lets me punch and slash at the same time, and maybe protects my forearms. You get me? If that's too hard, just give me a pair of reinforced combat gloves. I'll do the heavy lifting with my fists and finish them off with the sword."
Afraid the Proctor wouldn't understand, Natsuya started gesturing in the air.
"Make them heavy. I don't care about the weight; I can handle it. Or... if your smiths can make a Switch Axe, a Charge Blade, or even a Gatling Gun, I'd be down for that too. I've played plenty of shooters and hunting games."
I'm picking my class gear, Natsuya thought. Obviously, I'm going with my main build.
Faced with Natsuya's hyper-enthusiastic eyes, Himorogi Mamoru rubbed his temples. He hadn't heard of half those things.
"I will... pass your request to the Master. Let the masters in the Swordsmith Village deal with this headache."
Next time a rookie makes a difficult request, I'm just saying no, the Proctor thought.
But as he looked at the boy's expectant face, he added silently to himself: Just this once. Only once.