Gyomei stood up and looked towards Aoki, a puzzled expression on his face.
What was happening?
He was the one who was injured. Why was Aoki frozen?
Kanae and Shinobu were also confused.
But they didn't interrupt Aoki. They even tried to move quietly, so they wouldn't disturb him.
Aoki's attention was on the new class, Martial Artist.
Martial Artist gained experience through fighting.
Interestingly, he just needed to fight. He didn't need to win or kill enemies.
The more intense the fight, the more experience he gained.
It was perfect for him.
The strongest people in the world, with the highest level of martial arts, were near him, waiting to spar.
Aoki thought, "But why did this class appear today? Was I not good enough before?"
Hunter had appeared after he learned some simple hunting skills.
Martial Artist, a half-star class, had much higher requirements than Hunter.
There must be more to it.
Aoki had another idea.
"Could it be 'mentors'?"
His master had introduced him to hunting. His master was one of the best hunters in the world.
His martial arts teacher was Keisuke Akiyama.
Keisuke's skill was decent, but he wasn't a master.
He had fought many battles and met many strong people, but he had never talked to them.
Until recently.
He had discussed things with Kanae, talked to the Pillars, and his spar with Gyomei was a different kind of exchange.
So, getting similar half-star classes required "a good mentor + a certain level of skill"?
If that was right...
"Keisuke, you misled me!"
Aoki sighed inwardly. He closed the system and noticed he was still in his punching stance. Kanae and the others were watching him.
"Cough, why didn't you remind me?"
Demons had strong healing. He wouldn't feel sore even if he held a weird pose for a long time.
He hadn't realized his posture was a problem until he came to his senses.
Gyomei put his hands together. "I thought it was Mr. Aomura's unique way of thinking. Amen!"
Aoki: "..."
You don't understand, but you respect it?
...
After getting Martial Artist, Aoki was even more eager to spar with the Pillars.
A week passed quickly.
"What a beautiful fight!" Tengen wiped blood from his mouth, looking seriously at his unharmed opponent.
It wasn't that his wounds had healed. He hadn't hurt Aoki at all.
The difference in their strength was shocking.
Aoki reacted slowly. "You're too kind!"
Shinobu walked over. "You should fight outside next time. It's too loud! The patients can't rest."
"Hahaha, tell Kanae I had something to do. I'm leaving!"
Tengen stood up quickly and was out the door in a flash.
He had made most of the noise.
Explosives were part of his fighting style. He couldn't not use them.
He had been holding back.
"Let's have a match while we have time!" Shinobu looked at Aoki, eager to fight.
"Wait a minute!"
Aoki waved and opened the system.
Ding-dong!
[Congratulations, you leveled up!]
That was the system notification he had heard earlier. That's why he had reacted slowly.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 18]
[Constitution: 17]
[Intelligence: 18]
[Agility: 18]
[Class: Hunter, Aberrant Demon, Martial Artist]
...
[Aberrant Demon]
[Quality: ★★]
[Level: lv13 (12/1300)]
[Skills: Demon Blood IV, Space Traverse, Transparent World, Devour Demon II]
[Mission: Upper Moon's End (1/3)]
...
[Martial Artist]
[Quality: ☆]
[Level: lv2 (9/200)]
[Skills: Martial Heart (Not Learned), Combat Instinct (Not Learned), Body Control (Not Learned), Unyielding Will (Not Learned)]
[Free Skill Points: 1]
He hadn't gained any stat points.
Half-star classes gave 1 stat point at level 2.
He had gained 1 skill point, but all 4 skills could be learned.
Compared to Aberrant Demon, which needed 4 or 5 points to learn a skill, it was a big difference.
The stat points from all classes were the same, but skill points couldn't be mixed.
Each class's skill points could only be used to learn its own skills.
Aoki looked at the four Martial Artist skills. "Which should I learn?"
All four were good.
After hesitating, he chose Martial Heart.
The talent to create and improve techniques was most important now.
Skills that helped him grow should be learned early.
He didn't feel anything after adding the point, but he knew from his Hunter experience that his talent had changed.
Caw caw caw.
A harsh cry sounded.
"West! Demons are hurting people in the west! Go there now!" A black crow circled in the sky.
Aoki realized. "A mission?"
It was his Kasugai Crow, sent by the Demon Slayer Corps.
It rarely appeared before him, whether out of fear or disgust.
"Looks like we can't fight today," Aoki said to Shinobu.
He probably wouldn't have many chances to spar with the Pillars in the future.
But he wasn't disappointed.
Leveling up Aberrant Demon was more important than Martial Artist.
He had learned the Transparent World, but he hadn't had a real fight since his brief encounter with Doma.
He wanted to test his training.
"I guess not," Shinobu looked even more disappointed.
"I'll go change."
Aoki said goodbye and went into his room.
Besides the Kasugai Crow, the Demon Slayer Corps had given him a uniform.
The Demon Slayer Corps uniform was made of special fibers. It was moisture-proof, cold-proof, breathable, and could resist heat and cold. It could also defend against weak demons. It was a small treasure.
These features didn't matter to him, but as a demon, wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform was interesting.
Aoki quickly changed and came out. Kanae and Kanao were there too.
They looked at Aoki in his Demon Slayer Corps uniform, their eyes lighting up.
Kanae smiled. "That uniform suits you, Mr. Aomura!"
Shinobu nodded. "It looks pretty cool."
"Wasn't I cool before?"
Aoki joked. He waved. "I'm leaving!"
"Teacher." Kanao's voice was soft.
Aoki looked at her.
"Please, please be careful," Kanao said, her beautiful eyes a little worried.
"I will," Aoki smiled, waved, and vanished from the yard.
Kanae took Kanao's hand, smiling. "Don't worry, Kanao. Anyone can be in danger on a mission, but Mr. Aomura is an exception!"
Shinobu said, "Only Muzan can threaten him. He has that teleportation ability. Even Muzan can't stop him."
They turned and left, talking.
---
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