Demon Slayer: I Level Up Alone

Chapter 27

The sun rose.

The rays of sunlight at the horizon lit up the entire land.

Akito stood on Kuro's back, gazing into the distance.

"Maybe I can visit some other place in this world after everything settles down..."

Akito's mind was filled with thoughts, and his gaze dimmed considerably.

Although he usually acted indifferent, deep down he always wanted to return to the land that was most familiar to him, the one that nurtured him.

"Perhaps the other countries are still closed off right now..."

Akito calculated the current time in his mind.

"Kuro, how far is it to the nearby town?"

Akito asked.

"Cow... Akito Dono, it's just ahead," Kuro said, flapping his wings, slightly fatigued.

At this moment, Kuro sighed, having never felt this tired since he was born...

But he dared not say it out loud.

"Alright, Kuro, let's get down at that mountain path."

To avoid causing unnecessary panic, Akito felt it was best to walk the next stretch on his own.

Upon hearing this, Kuro happily called out twice and quickly flew down.

Once Akito landed, Kuro's originally bull-sized body visibly shrank to the normal size of a crow.

"Okay, you've worked hard, Kuro. This is your reward."

Akito took out seven Cleansing Pills from the system space and handed them to Kuro.

Watching Kuro devour the Cleansing Pills, Akito guessed that after finishing these, they would likely have no effect anymore.

Kuro's aptitude was not better than Ritoruho's, and the effect of the Essence Cleansing Pills was not that significant; being able to consume ten or so was already quite good.

Sure enough, when Kuro reached the fifth pill, it felt its body nearing saturation, and its instincts made it lose the desire to eat more.

Kuro found itself in a dilemma: wanting to finish the Essence Cleansing Pills, but its body instinctively wouldn't allow it to continue eating.

Seeing Kuro's struggle, Akito stepped forward and said, "If you can't eat anymore, then don't. I'll keep them safe for you. Next time when you're hungry, perhaps you can share them with your crow friends."

Akito picked up the two remaining Cleansing Pills.

Kuro tilted its head as if contemplating, but since Akito had already taken the pills, there was nothing it could do.

It could only flap its wings and fly onto Akito's shoulder, closing its eyes to rest.

"It seems that after a night of flying, Kuro still can't handle it well; it needs to train more..."

Akito thought that in the future, he must let Kuro carry him on long trips, not only for convenience but also to help Kuro build stamina.

At this moment, Kuro was dreaming sweetly, completely unaware that the upcoming life would be several times more exhausting than now.

Akito placed the wooden box from his back on the ground, and Ritoruho poked its head out, looking as if it had just woken up. In comparison to Kuro, it was truly like heaven and earth.

Ritoruho jumped out of the wooden box, and Akito gently picked up Kuro and placed it inside the box to let it rest.

After finishing all this, Akito took out some food to fill his stomach and that of Ritoruho before preparing to go down the mountain to the town to understand the situation.

Akito's pace was slow; he enjoyed the state he was in at that moment. He had already mastered the basics of Total Concentration Breathing a few days ago, and now walking slowly with steady breath was very helpful for his practice.

Ritoruho was also having a great time, bouncing around and releasing the energy that had been pent up in the wooden box for the past two days.

One moment it jumped into the grass, and the next it burrowed into a cave.

Akito wasn't worried about it; after all, with Ritoruho's current strength, the fierce beasts in the forest probably wouldn't be its match.

Moreover, some hunters' traps wouldn't be able to catch it.

Its pure white fur remained spotless; as soon as it got a bit dirty, Ritoruho would gently shake it off, almost like an automatic cleaning ability.

Akito sighed.

In less than a year, the Ritoruho fox that once trembled in the snow and sought his help had now gained special abilities.

And he, too, had come a long way in just over a year, from an ordinary person to this point.

It wasn't just the system's help; it was also his relentless effort.

"It will get better and better... Ritoruho... and Kuro..."

For these two pets of his, Akito didn't worry about them betraying him due to their contractual relationship, but others were different.

There is no eternal foundation of trust. Although in his past life, he saw how people behaved in anime, anime is anime, and reality is reality. Now he was in reality.

One must always be cautious of others, but never harbour malicious intent!

As they treat him, he would treat them in return.

Akito asked himself if he had a clear conscience.

For Ritoruho and Kuro, Akito didn't treat them like subordinates but as friends and partners.

"If the day really comes when I have to kill Muzan Kibutsuji, will I leave behind everything in this world...?"

Akito looked at the cheerful Ritoruho, questioning his own heart.

But only Akito understood the answer.

With one person and one fox walking together, when Ritoruho got tired of playing, it jumped into Akito's kimono, poking out a little head and closing its eyes to rest. If some people who loved cute things saw this scene, it would surely warm many hearts.

"Hey, young man, did you come down from the mountain?"

A middle-aged man carrying firewood called out to Akito.

"Yes, uncle, I just want to go down to the town to take a look."

Akito smiled.

"You... you... you really came out of the forest?"

The uncle's face showed a Demonly expression as he looked at Akito.

Akito frowned, not understanding the woodcutter's expression.

"Uncle, is there something strange in the forest?"

Akito asked in confusion.

"Young man, it's like this. You might be from out of town. This whole forest is inhabited by monsters. Anyone who goes up from here enters the monsters' territory, and those who pass by will be eaten by the monsters. Several of our woodcutters have been eaten..."

The man said in terror.

Seeing Akito's expression unchanged, he continued, "I don't know when it started, but this forest has become a nightmare for the residents of our town. Originally, we woodcutters relied on the forest for our livelihood, but one day, people started disappearing one after another. At first, we thought they were lost, but then someone saw terrifying monsters in the forest. Whenever the monsters appeared, it was accompanied by thick fog..."

"The fog often carried the sounds of people's screams and the terrifying sound of chewing..."

"More and more people have gone missing in this forest... now even we woodcutters only dare to chop wood nearby..."

"Young man, I don't know why you weren't caught by the monsters, but I advise you not to come to this mountain again. It's for your own good..."

As he spoke, the woodcutter quickly shouldered the bundled firewood and hurried down the mountain as if he had oiled his feet.

"This..."

Akito was stunned by the woodcutter's swift actions...

It's like someone inexplicably says they want to tell you a secret, but then they leave without finishing, and they leave in a hurry, without a trace behind.

"So... are there Demons on this mountain?"

Akito asked in confusion.

But there was no one left in this place to respond to his voice.

Feeling helpless, Akito could only go down the mountain to the town to learn more about the situation.

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Tl/N: If you want to read more while supporting me ☺️, you can join me on patreon.com/SoulDream;Thanks.

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Note : Guys, some power stones will be really helpful.