In the courtyard of a wooden house on the slopes of Mount Momoyama.
"Luochuan, I'm back..." Zenitsu muttered, his head hanging low and his voice slurred.
The young man sitting in the center of the yard heard Zenitsu's voice, closed his book, and turned around. Seeing Zenitsu's bruised and swollen face, he seemed to have expected it.
"Caught again?"
The youth was handsome, and his expression as he looked at Zenitsu was one of helpless resignation. His name was Luochuan, and in his past life, he had been a corporate drone on Earth. He had collapsed from exhaustion while working overtime and, upon opening his eyes again, found himself in the world of Demon Slayer.
The body Luochuan now inhabited belonged to a boy named Tomoya, who was also an orphan. He had met Zenitsu while wandering the streets. The two had relied on each other for survival until the day the former Thunder Hashira appeared. That day, Zenitsu had been tricked by a girl he loved and saddled with a massive debt. When the debt collectors came knocking, Luochuan was trying to figure out how to help Zenitsu escape.
Suddenly, a white-haired old man appeared. It was Jigoro Kuwajima, the former Thunder Hashira. He took them both back to Mount Momoyama, intending to train them into members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
However, contrary to expectations, Luochuan possessed absolutely no talent for cultivation; he couldn't learn any Breathing Style at all. Zenitsu, on the other hand, had the talent, but having grown up amidst mockery and rejection, his instinct was always to flee from training. Even with Luochuan's conscious efforts to encourage him, it didn't do much good.
In the year they had spent training on the mountain, Zenitsu had tried to run away over a hundred times. Without exception, he was caught every time by the old man and beaten black and blue before being dragged back.
"Gramps was actually waiting on the mountain path ahead of time, otherwise this time I would have... Hiss! Luochuan, be gentle!" Zenitsu grimaced in pain, clearly still harboring thoughts of escaping.
Feeling helpless, Luochuan applied ointment to the red and swollen areas on Zenitsu's face. After a year on the mountain, he hadn't learned a lick of Thunder Breathing, but he had become an expert at treating injuries.
"Don't be in such a hurry. If my calculations are right, the time is almost here."
Luochuan mentally calculated how long they had been on the mountain. In the original story, Zenitsu only trained with the Thunder Hashira for a year before attending the Final Selection. If he remembered correctly, it should be in the next few days.
Thinking of this, Luochuan felt a surge of anxiety. When Zenitsu went down the mountain, he could rely on the "Thunder Breathing, First Form" which he had mastered to perfection. Not only would he survive, but he'd also create many legendary moments.
Luochuan was different. He was a complete weakling with no power at all. In a world infested with various demons, let alone staying by Zenitsu's side, simply surviving would be a matter of luck.
Ding!
[Detected host's desire to "lay flat" and give up. Buddy System is beginning to bind...]
[Binding Successful!]
The unfamiliar voice startled Luochuan. He glanced at the confused Zenitsu in front of him to confirm that only he could hear it. Luochuan's eyes lit up.
Was this his "Gold Finger"? It finally arrived! With a system, Luochuan finally had the capital to survive in this world. Suppressing his excitement, he waited for the Buddy System's next response.
[Buddy System Function: As long as you establish a friendship with another person, you can randomly obtain a reward from them.]
[Rewards include: Comprehension, Aptitude, Talent, Abilities, etc.]
[No species restrictions.]
[The closer the friendship, the richer the rewards.]
[Attached Ability: Inspection.]
"I can get a reward just by making friends?" Luochuan's hand applying the ointment gradually slowed down.
First, he used [Inspection] on himself.
> [Host: Luochuan]
> [Race: Human]
> [Rank: None]
> [Comprehension: Inferior]
> [Aptitude: Inferior]
> [Talent: None]
> [Skills: Bandaging (Proficient)]
> [...]
>
Luochuan's face twitched as he saw his own attributes. No wonder he couldn't learn Thunder Breathing; his comprehension and aptitude didn't even reach the "Low" level. According to the system's prompts, Aptitude and Comprehension were divided into five levels: Inferior, Low, Mid, High, and Super.
Luochuan was at the absolute bottom. There was no hope for this body to get stronger through traditional training; he could only "rely on friends."
Putting away the ointment, Luochuan looked at Zenitsu.
> [Name: Agatsuma Zenitsu]
> [Race: Human]
> [Rank: Mizunoto]
> [Comprehension: High]
> [Aptitude: High]
> [Talent: Resonant Ears (Absolute pitch; can read emotions through sound and distinguish between humans and demons)]
> [Skills: Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Proficient)]
>
Seeing Zenitsu's luxurious status panel, Luochuan nodded with satisfaction. Not only were his aptitude and comprehension both High, but even the First Form of Thunder Breathing, which he had practiced for less than a year, was at the Proficient level.
Skill proficiency was divided into four levels: Entry, Mastery, Proficient, and Perfect. For Zenitsu to reach the Proficient level in just one year was no small feat.
"How is a friendship determined?" Luochuan asked the system.
[Verbal acknowledgement is sufficient. Once a friendship is established, rewards are given based on intimacy.]
Hearing the system's answer, the way Luochuan looked at Zenitsu changed. Seeing Luochuan's gaze, Zenitsu swallowed hard. His confusion vanished, and his face turned slightly red. Why am I feeling embarrassed?
"Zenitsu, we're friends, right?"
Zenitsu froze for a moment, then nodded heavily. "Of course we are!"
Zenitsu had met Luochuan five years ago. Back then, only Luochuan treated him well, never looking at him with strange eyes or mocking him. Without Luochuan, Zenitsu didn't know if he could have endured those years.
Ding!
[Successfully added Agatsuma Zenitsu as a friend.]
[Detected that the intimacy level between Agatsuma Zenitsu and the host is "Best Buds." Four rewards can be obtained:]
* [Comprehension: High]
* [Aptitude: High]
* [Talent: Resonant Ears]
* [Skill: Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash (Proficient)]
[Would you like to fuse them now?]
"No."
Luochuan wasn't sure what would happen during the fusion, so he didn't rush it. But the delay didn't stop him from being in a great mood. As long as he made friends, he could gain their attributes. This system was simply overpowered.
With four rewards, Luochuan had gone from an ordinary person to a swordsman on par with Zenitsu. Although he was still lacking in rank, rank was the fastest thing to level up in the Demon Slayer world. In the original series, the ranks went from Hashira down to Mizunoto. Zenitsu and the others went from trainees to Hashira-level strength in less than two years. One could imagine how fast the progression could be.
"Luochuan, are you okay?" Zenitsu waved his hand in front of Luochuan's face.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. The ointment is on. Go get some rest, you have training tomorrow." Luochuan waved him off, wanting nothing more than to return to his room and fuse the rewards.
At the mention of training, Zenitsu's face instantly slumped. Right, training tomorrow...
With heavy steps, Zenitsu walked back to his room, looking like he'd lost his soul. Luochuan, however, had a light spring in his step. He had finally reached the day he could make something of himself.