LIGHTNOVELONLINE [3] : A Test of Strength and Will
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"Then what should I do?
"Don't ask others about such things. Think for yourself!"
Looking at the confused Tanjiro, Urokodaki Sakonji, the mentor, showed a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Too gentle, even in the face of demons.
One who hesitates in a battle between humans and demons won't survive long.
Ever since Mika, Tanjiro and Nezuko had encountered the demon, Urokodaki Sakonji had been watching their every move from nearby.
He was very pleased with Mika's decisive actions.
But Tanjiro's hesitation disappointed him a bit.
With Urokodaki Sakonji's reminder, Tanjiro picked up a stone from the ground, intending to crush the demon's head with it.
But when he saw the demon's head struggling, he hesitated and couldn't bring himself to do it.
It was only when the sun rose and the captured demon turned to ash in the sunlight that Tanjiro relented and retreated in panic.
After witnessing the demon's end with his own eyes, he immediately thought of his sister.
"Nezuko!"
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of Nezuko."
Mika, who had already put Nezuko back into the box, came out of the temple and said softly.
Mika didn't interfere with Urokodaki Sakonji's test for Tanjiro, because these were obstacles that Tanjiro had to overcome on his own.
Whether Urokodaki Sakonji would take Tanjiro as a disciple was already clear in the original story, so Mika didn't have to worry about it.
"That's great!"
Clutching his chest, Tanjiro relaxed visibly.
Then he looked around, searching for the warrior in the Tengu mask who had suddenly appeared.
"Over here."
Unlike Tanjiro, who was engrossed in his difficult decision, Mika was quietly watching from the side.
Led by Mika, the two approached the side of the temple and saw the Tengu elder who had buried the dead.
"Hello?"
Tanjiro asked somewhat nervously in front of the praying Tengu elder.
"My name is Urokodaki Sakonji. You were introduced by Tomioka Giyu, right?"
"Yes, my name is Mika."
In response to Urokodaki Sakonji's question, Mika replied quickly.
"My name is Kamado Tanjiro, and the one in the temple is my sister, Kamado Nezuko."
Seeing this, Tanjiro quickly pointed to himself and the temple and introduced them.
"Tanjiro!"
Urokodaki Sakonji turned around and looked at the nervous Tanjiro.
"What will you do if your sister eats humans?"
"Ah!"
Obviously confronted with a question he had never considered before, Tanjiro was instantly shocked and overwhelmed.
But before he could get into a dilemma, Urokodaki Sakonji stepped forward and slapped him awake with the correct answer.
"You are too slow in making decisions. Why didn't you deal the final blow to the demon at sunrise? Why didn't you answer my question right away? It's because your determination is not strong enough."
"If your sister eats people, the only thing you can do is to kill her and then commit seppuku. This is the reality you must face with a sister who has turned into a demon."
"But remember, don't let that happen."
"Yes!"
Remembering the stories Mika had told him about demons, Tanjiro's resolve gradually hardened.
"Hmph, finally decisive for once. Compared to you, Mika seems to be much more mature."
Looking at Mika, who had remained silent, Urokodaki Sakonji nodded in agreement.
He knew that Mika had probably recognized him early on and that was why he hadn't interfered with his test for Tanjiro.
"Of course, Mika is much stronger than me."
Grateful for all the help Mika had given him, Tanjiro's words were full of gratitude.
Mika, who had been watching silently for a long time, shook his head.
His calmness was simply due to foresight.
In terms of basic qualities, he might not be as good as Tanjiro.
"Alright, next I want to test if you have the qualities to become a demon hunter."
"Grab your luggage and follow me."
...
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
On the forest path, Mika continued to run, carrying his luggage.
His breathing was very hard.
Half a day had passed since they left.
For half a day, he and Tanjiro had been following the footsteps of Urokodaki Sakonji without rest.
His body was already exhausted.
Now, he was running on willpower alone.
"This is killing me! Fortunately, I'm living in the countryside in this world. If I had grown up in the city like in my previous life, I wouldn't have been able to run for so long."
"Even though I was mentally prepared, this is too extreme! Can I really keep going?"
As his stamina waned, Mika's mind began to wander.
Various thoughts rushed through his mind, flooding his consciousness.
Then a thought suddenly surfaced and quickly took root in his mind.
"Should I go back to the Danmachi world, rest a bit, and then continue running? After all, they wouldn't find out."
Although Mika hadn't returned there recently, he had explored the starry sky in his mind during the nights of rest and had gained some basic information.
One of them was that Mika could adjust the flow of time between the two worlds, allowing him to spend as much time as he wanted in one while only a moment passed in the other.
With this ability, he could easily return to the Danmachi world to rest, then come back and continue running.
And Urokodaki Sakonji would never know.
Everything seemed perfect, a seamless plan.
But Mika couldn't make up his mind.
Because in front of him, Tanjiro was still running, carrying the box with Nezuko, and Mika knew that Tanjiro could reach the destination.
Compared to Mika's luggage, the box with Nezuko was much heavier.
Even if Tanjiro was a year older, that didn't mean much.
"I said that Tanjiro's determination wasn't strong enough, but the truth is that I am the one who isn't strong enough.
In his previous life, he was an ordinary student, and in this life, he was an ordinary country boy.
Mika had never experienced anything that could change him.
His heart had never been truly firm.
Even though he once wished to go to Orario and become an adventurer, it was only a wish.
"I've only done so well before because of premonition, but there's no such thing as premonition in this world."
"There's more unknown than known in this world!
"What would I do if I faced the unknown I couldn't handle with an unfirm heart?"
Watching the boy running ahead of him, Mika's heart burned with determination.
"Tanjiro, are you tired?"
"Of course I'm tired!"
"Can you keep going?"
"I can, don't worry Mika, I won't be left behind, I'll make it!"
Kamado Tanjiro's voice echoed with a roar.
Obviously, in Tanjiro's mind, Mika must have an easy time of it.
"Slap!"
Mika slapped his face hard, his eyes becoming determined.
"No, Tanjiro, the one who won't be left behind is me!"
His inner flame ignited.
Mika's eyes shone brightly.
At that moment, Mika made up his mind; he would continue.
He would not run away!
-----------------------------------
"I...i can't go on, I'm going to die!"
Mika lay on the ground, completely exhausted, unable to muster any more strength.
After a day of traveling, Mika and Tanjiro finally followed Sakonji Urokodaki to his home at dusk.
As soon as they arrived, Mika collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
Next to him, Tanjiro knelt in exhaustion, but with a satisfied smile on his face.
"That means Mika and I passed, right?"
Tanjiro asked naively when he saw Sakonji Urokodaki opening the door.
The former Water Hashira replied indifferently, "This is just the beginning.
"Ah!!!"
Unlike the shocked Tanjiro, Mika knew that there would be more tests to come.
But for now, he just wanted to get some sleep.
He was completely exhausted.
"Damn it, in terms of stamina, the gap between Tanjiro and me, who's been helping his family sell charcoal since childhood, is too big."
The previous journey had made Mika aware of the disparity in endurance between him and Tanjiro Kamado.
Although he had trained his body and honed his hunting skills, he had no significant advantage in stamina.
On the other hand, Tanjiro, who had inherited the family charcoal-selling business and had to take care of his mother and siblings, carried a full basket of charcoal down the mountain to sell every day.
After many years of training, even adults couldn't match his stamina.
Without such stamina, he wouldn't be able to carry his sister around.
Lying quietly on the ground, lost in thought, Mika, who knew what would happen next, used all his free time to regain his stamina.
Next to him, Tanjiro went to bring Mika's luggage into the house.
After arranging his sister inside the house, he followed Sakonji Urokodaki out and came to Mika's side.
"Stamina is a weakness?"
Sakonji Urokodaki nodded slightly.
Unlike the hesitant Tanjiro, Sakonji Urokodaki had already acknowledged the more determined Mika.
In his eyes, endurance wasn't an issue because it could be trained.
In his mind, Mika was already qualified, but he didn't announce it right away; he wanted to see how far Mika could go.
"Let's go. Now comes your real test."
Upon hearing Sakonji Urokodaki's words, Mika immediately stood up.
Compared to his previous exhausted appearance, Mika now stood as if he wasn't tired at all.
"Are you okay, Mika?"
Tanjiro asked worriedly when he saw Mika's pale face.
"It's okay. I won't collapse before I pass the test of the Demon Slayer Corps."
Despite his fatigue, Mika and Tanjiro followed Sakonji Urokodaki's footsteps up the mountain.
Unlike before, their pace wasn't very fast this time.
Sakonji Urokodaki gave them plenty of time to rest, knowing that what they would face next would be even more challenging.
Even so, Mika and Tanjiro found the climb extremely painful.
Both had already exhausted their stamina from the long run and were now relying on sheer willpower to keep from collapsing.
"So tired, my legs feel so heavy, my head is getting dizzy, the air here seems thin!"
Feeling the state of his body, Mika's understanding of his surroundings grew more complete.
Unlike Tanjiro, who lived on a mountain and was accustomed to the thin air, Mika's home was on the plain.
Therefore, he felt much worse in this harsh environment.
"Here we are."
A sudden voice interrupted Mika's thoughts. Sakonji Urokodaki looked at them and said calmly: "Return to the hut from here, but I won't wait until dawn.
With that, he disappeared into the mist.
"Follow me, Mika!"
Tanjiro, who seemed to have found the way, looked pleased.
"I think Mr. Urokodaki wants to test our ability to navigate through the fog. This is easy for me; with my keen sense of smell, I can clearly detect Mr. Urokodaki's scent."
Surveying the surroundings, Tanjiro explained happily.
For Tanjiro, who was eager to join the Demon Slayer Corps and gain the ability to fight demons, passing the test with ease was worth celebrating.
"I'll leave it up to you."
Unlike Tanjiro, Mika couldn't navigate through the fog, so he had to rely on Tanjiro.
But he wouldn't rely on Tanjiro alone to pass the test.
"Aside from the fog, there are traps to be aware of. As a candidate test for the Demon Slayer Corps, it won't be that easy."
"I understand, I'll be careful."
Nodding earnestly, Tanjiro turned in the direction of Sakonji Urokodaki's lingering scent and began to run, Mika closely following.
Soon, the true nature of the test became clear.
Various traps began to attack Mika and Tanjiro from all directions.
"Tanjiro, watch out!"
"Yes!"
Knowing that there would be traps, Mika easily dodged the first wave of attacks, avoiding the flying stones and wood.
Then, he deftly avoided the traps on the ground.
Truth be told, these traps weren't difficult for Mika.
Having been trained as a hunter, he excelled at setting traps, and as he learned to set them, his ability to detect them quickly improved.
When he couldn't spot his own traps, Mika's trapping skills were considered adequate.
But perhaps because it was training, Sakonji Urokodaki didn't set those traps too perfectly.
But he didn't have to.
Since Mika was running, he couldn't pay much attention to his surroundings.
To make it back to the hut before sunrise, Mika had to run continuously.
In this situation, the most important thing was to watch his step.
Running down the mountain at high speed, he had to be careful not to trip and lose momentum.
At this point, Mika was extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Even if he could recognize traps, he might not be able to avoid them safely.
"Sorry, Mika, I might not be able to take care of you."
Like Mika, Tanjiro, who was leading the way, was also exhausted and suddenly spoke with a tone full of apology and self-reproach.
Maybe he had been thinking about how to help Mika all the time.
But now, he could hardly take care of himself.
Hearing Tanjiro's apologetic voice, Mika was furious.
Why apologize? This isn't your responsibility.
The one who should apologize is me.
In the face of Tanjiro's apology, Mika shouted, "Then don't worry about me! This isn't just your test, it's mine too!"
"Charge ahead without looking back. I'll be right behind you."
"Don't underestimate me, I'm determined to join the Demon Slayer Corps!"
After shouting at Tanjiro, Mika gathered all his strength, accelerated and closed the gap between them.
He didn't want to be left behind.
Even if it made it harder to predict the location of the traps.
But that didn't matter anymore.
Can't avoid the traps? Then don't avoid them.
Mika concentrated on the ground to avoid stumbling and losing speed.
At the same time, he raised his hands a little closer to his head, even though it was painful to run like that.
But Mika didn't care.
He would use his hands to protect his head from being hit and knocked out, which would affect the test.
And the rest of his body?
It didn't matter!
Even if he was seriously injured, as long as he wasn't killed, Mika would keep running until he returned to the cabin.
Looking at the fog-covered path ahead of him and the Tanjiro who was constantly evading him, Mika's determination grew stronger.
I will pass the test.