---
[Gluttony]
[Race: Demon]
[Realm: Sin]
[Comprehension: Moderate]
[Qualification: Low]
[Talent: None]
[Skill: Blood Demon Art – Gluttony (Mastery)...]
---
With heavy, earth-shaking steps, the gluttonous demon lumbered toward Lucas. Each footfall made the wooden floor tremble slightly beneath its weight.
Drool dripped freely from the corners of the demon's mouth as it locked eyes on Lucas. Although the scent of Lucas' blood wasn't as intoxicating as rare blood types, it was still a prime-quality meal in the demon's eyes.
As he drew closer, the glutton's vision adjusted, allowing him to see Lucas' face more clearly.
The moment the glutton got a proper look, his legs stiffened.
Is that… Lord Muzan?!
No… not quite. He merely resembled Muzan-sama—same calm aura, similar expression—but the demon quickly realized it wasn't really him.
Even so, a flicker of fear lingered in the glutton's eyes.
That man's terrifying presence was carved deep into every demon's soul. Just sensing a similar aura was enough to make his instincts scream caution.
Yet after the fear passed, an overwhelming desire overtook him.
If I devour someone who has such an aura... will my power grow even closer to his?
The glutton's imagination ran wild, and more saliva gushed from his mouth. Just thinking of the potential power boost was almost intoxicating.
Then Lucas spoke, his tone casual, but his gaze sharp.
"Would you like to be my friend?"
The glutton blinked, startled. He wiped his mouth and smiled in a grotesque attempt at friendliness.
"Of course. I'd be honored to be your friend."
Heh. For the glutton, this was no big deal. Pretending to be friendly to trick food into letting their guard down? A classic tactic.
He was already imagining how Lucas' tender, delicious flesh would taste once it was torn apart between his jaws.
---
[Friend Request Sent]
[Gluttony added as a friend successfully]
[Detected intimacy level: Acquaintance]
[Reward: Random Qualification Obtained]
[Qualification: Low]
[Would you like to merge this Qualification now?]
---
"You've gotta be kidding me..." Lucas muttered, his expression darkening.
Low qualification? Just because he smiled a bit and played along?
"This guy's got too much attitude for what he's worth," he grumbled.
The glutton tilted his head in confusion.
What happened? Wasn't this human just smiling and trying to be friendly?
Why the sudden change in mood?
Did I mess up the friendship part somehow?
Before he could ponder further, the crisp, deadly zing of a blade being drawn rang through the room.
A deep, primal fear shot up the glutton's spine.
Something was terribly wrong!
In that instant, the figure before him blurred.
Lucas vanished from sight—and reappeared behind him in the blink of an eye.
A calm, almost lazy voice echoed from behind:
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
The glutton tried to move, to turn, to dodge—but his body refused to respond.
Then—thud.
His own head hit the floor, rolling a few inches before his disbelieving eyes locked onto Lucas, who now stood calmly where he had been seconds before.
I didn't even see him draw his blade...
Only now did the demon understand.
Lucas hadn't been afraid. He hadn't moved because he never considered the glutton a threat in the first place.
The gap in strength was so vast, it was insulting.
Lucas gazed down at the severed body with a puzzled expression.
How did a weakling like Gluttony manage to injure Xiang Kai? he wondered.
After all, Xiang Kai used to be one of the Lower Six Moons. Could he really have been hurt by such a weak demon?
Then again, among the Lower Moons, there was a huge difference in strength. Even within the ranks, Xiang Kai was considered weaker than Rui, the Fifth Lower Moon.
Perhaps after Muzan stripped him of his number, Xiang Kai's strength had sharply declined.
Lucas sniffed the air, trying to locate Xiang Kai's scent again.
That was when a strange, wild aroma wafted into his nostrils.
It wasn't the foul odor of demons—but a raw, unfiltered scent of the mountains and beasts.
"Inosuke?" Lucas muttered.
Bang!
Before he could process the thought, a door to his left exploded open.
A figure charged out, wearing a wild boar mask—Inosuke Hashibira.
---
[Inosuke Hashibira]
[Race: Human]
[Realm: Ren]
[Comprehension: Superior]
[Qualification: Superior]
[Talent: None]
[Skills: Breath of the Beast Forms One to Ten – All Mastered]
[Additional Skills: Danger Sense (Mastered), Extreme Flexibility (Mastered)...]
---
Inosuke halted for a moment, eyeing the glutton's headless corpse.
He then glanced at Lucas.
"Damn it! You stole my prey!" he barked in frustration before dashing deeper into the room, clearly on the hunt for more demons.
Lucas watched him go with a calm expression.
As expected from someone raised by boars in the mountains.
He'd not only created his own breathing technique—Breath of the Beast—but had also mastered all ten forms. His understanding was on par with Tanjiro and Zenitsu, although their styles and personalities were vastly different.
Lucas knew that forming a bond with Inosuke would yield much higher rewards than the one he got from the glutton.
But this wasn't the right time to make friends with Inosuke. He needed the perfect moment—one where he could impress Inosuke with his strength.
He straightened his clothing and resumed following the lingering traces of Xiang Kai's scent.
---
Boom!
The familiar sound of a drum echoed through the corridor. Lucas reacted instinctively, twisting his body mid-air.
Boom! Boom!
The drumming intensified. The intervals between beats were now much shorter than before.
Tanjiro must have found Qing.
This complicated things.
Qing had taken his sister and was hiding in a room somewhere. Every time someone approached the door, Qing would strike a drum and teleport them away.
Even if Lucas was strong enough to force Xiang Kai into becoming his friend, it wouldn't matter if he couldn't actually reach him.
The scenery around Lucas constantly shifted—walls twisting, doors vanishing, rooms morphing.
It was maddening.
Then, without warning, everything stopped.
The room stabilized. The drums still sounded in the distance, but the space before Lucas remained unchanged.
And there he was.
A towering figure, nearly scraping the ceiling, stood at the end of the passage, facing Lucas.
He struck the drum embedded in his body with slow, deliberate rhythm.
---
[Demon of the Six Drums – Xiang Kai]
[Former Rank: Lower Six Moon]
[Race: Demon]
[Realm: Geng (Residual)]
[Comprehension: Moderate]
[Qualification: Moderate]
[Talent: None]
[Skills: Drum Technique (Mastered), Blood Demon Art: Speedy Drumming (Mastered)...]
---
A grin tugged at the corner of Lucas' mouth.
He had nearly given up. But the wild randomness of the drums had brought Xiang Kai straight to him.
Xiang Kai, sensing movement, slowly turned to face Lucas.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment—Lucas knew.
It was time.
---
To be continued...
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