So, just like Gamer Of The Multiverse, I'm going to do a section where I respond to reviews/comments! But, before that, I want to clear something up real quick. As I said in the first chapter, this story is connected to Gamer Of The Multiverse. If any of you have read Mirlir's stories, then you might already know where I am going with this. If you don't, then I'll let you figure this out for yourself.
Also, I'm sorry for taking so long to update this! Like, seriously, almost three months is just insulting. But! I have a reason. And it's because I was busy with the other stories that I've been writing for longer. Also, keep in mind that this is going to have irregular updates until I get into the flow of things.
That being said, I also want to address the elephant in the room. The first-person POV. This will only be for Jessica's sections, as this is a self-insert character. Every other character will be written Third Person POV. Now, with that out of the way, let's get into my response to reviews/comments!
[My Response to Reviews/Comments]
(Qoutev) Kalniczanka: Thank you!
AstolfoBrHue: Para constar, estou usando um tradutor online, então peço desculpas se isso for um pouco confuso. Obrigado pelo comentário, eu aprecio! Originalmente, eu teria Jessica como espadachim. Mas mudei de ideia porque isso seria muito básico, especialmente porque isso está sendo ambientado em Demon Slayer.
(Guest) Fire Turtle: I'd have to rewatch Ben 10 to get the specifics for that, but considering that show was always something I never really liked, I don't think so. Space Magic and Mind Magic aren't going to be a thing. Jessica is already going to, predictably, be far stronger than anything in the world of Demon Slayer, she doesn't need to be bending space and time, or fucking with people's minds with a snap of the fingers.
(Guest) Guest 1: Here it is!
Aecw123: Thank you! I chose that because this is a self-insert, and it would be disingenuous not to! As for your idea, it could make up for a quick and easy excuse as to why the MC is in Japan. Obviously, it isn't true, but thank you for the idea!
Ofbefb34: Thank you!
Shadowpanther93: This fic will continue to update, but the updates will be spaced out due to the other stories I write!
(Guest) Guest 2: Your wish is my command!
(Guest) Guest 3:Thank you!
(Guest) Guest 4: This is, indeed, a Gamer Isekai! Thank you for reading!
(Guest) Guest 5: Here is the next chapter!)
Theeedlerman5: I'm sorry you have Cancer. I hope you recover well! Thank you for reading/listening. More chapters are on the way soon!
(Guest) Guest 6: Here's an update!
Kolt999: I wasn't expecting to see you here, then again I probably should have… ah well, it's a nice surprise anyway! Demon Slayer's story is very basic and very simple, and I'm pretty sure that was the point. Tanjiro is overly bland and overly likable, but I'm fairly certain that was the point. He's not some sort of "Chosen One" Character but rather a dude who just got roped into things. At least, that's how I look at it.
Yes, he has the Hinokami Kagerua, but he can't even use it without destroying himself (reminds me of some other character I know…) and while the plot of Demon Slayer is carried super hard by Ufotable's animation, I plan to uproot all of that with Jessica and her story.
I actually have experienced that. It's why I portray it so often in my Gamer stories, of which there is this one and the GOTM. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this one as much as GOTM. Have a great day Kolt!
(Ao3) Eduard970 & Shadowdicks: I'm glad! Here's the next chapter!
Now, let's jump into the chapter, shall we?
xxXXxxXXxx
I had been in this world for about a week now. Truth be told I wasn't exactly all that shocked to have spawned in somewhere remote, which turned out to be for the best, considering that was what I wanted. The place that I had been made to start my journey was Kumitori Mountain. If that sounded familiar to anyone, that was because it was the place where the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, lived.
I have to admit, this was a place gorgeous during the spring season. The show only showed it during the winter months, and during those months, it was a frosty hellhole. However, in the springtime, it was lush and colourful, with wildlife that thrived. Boars, rabbits, owls, birds of varying kinds. And I had been using those to gain EXP to level up.
See, the main problem with the world of Demon Slayer was that there wasn't much grinding to be done. There were no ever-spawning monsters that I could kill to increase my level, and there was no way in hell I was fighting any sort of Demon until I knew for sure that I could kill them with my magic alone.
Oh, sure, I could go full evil mode and just slaughter villages and massacre everyone I came across. But if I did that, then all that would do would piss off everyone, with maybe the exceptions of the demons—and I wanted nothing to do with them. Why? Well, they were demons. If I need to explain anything more than that, then clearly you're not paying attention.
I'm a human, and they're Demons. Demons eat humans. I'm a human. I don't care what perks I could get from interacting with them, but I'll tell you right now, the only time I'd ever interact with a demon was if I was forced to.
The same went for The Demon Slayers. Why? Well, unless their names were Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, or Inosuke Hashibara, I would rather choke than talk to any of them. They were all psychopaths, except for Tengen Uzui, who was just plain insane, and Kyoujirou Rengoku, who wasn't all up in the head either.
As for what I was doing right now, I was sitting just outside of the hastily built hut made of logs and held together by very, very sturdy grass I knotted together, where outside of which I had a firepit burning to cook some wild boar I had recently killed just before the sun went down. Hunting these things was a lot easier for me than most because I could snipe them at a long range with my Razor Leaf spell. And by the Gods was that spell OP as all get-out!
It wasn't called Razor Leaf for nothing. It was quite literally a razor leaf. Pokemon was under-selling this move because, in the anime, it could barely scratch a tree. But with me? I could cut whole trees down with just one leaf! That shit was insane! I also found out that just using it gave it EXP, and it wasn't based on kills. Thank god, because that would just be too much.
Speaking of levels, due to my hunting for stuff like furs, food, and other stuff that I'm going to need to survive out in the wilderness, I gained a bunch of levels! The EXP these animals dropped wasn't much. But with the amount of rabbits I've hunted just to make a simple pair of boots for when winter rolls around, I was easily able to level up at least four times!
That also didn't account for the fact that I had killed the boar I was cooking, which in itself gave me a bunch of EXP—well over enough to level up three more times—and the fact that I ran into a Bear. Granted, it was a cub, and I had run away as soon as I heard the mom coming. I didn't kill either, but I did snipe an approaching wolf that allowed me to level up two more times.
When the Bear decided I wasn't a threat, the mama took her cub and stalked away. I was lucky, too, because even though I have unlimited Stamina, that didn't mean I didn't get tired. I also learned that running and doing exercises gave EXP too, but it wasn't enough to consider working out. At least, not yet.
According to Xeno, the higher level I got, the more EXP I would gain for working out. It was meant to stimulate actual growth so that other humans didn't get too suspicious. Though, having landed in a world where humans didn't have magical abilities—at least, not your standard ones, because if Total Concentration Breathing wasn't magic, then I don't know what is—that kind of made it irrelevant.
Like, seriously, doing 100 push-ups only gave me 20 EXP! That wasn't worth it even in the slightest! And that was at my current level of ten!
Speaking of my level, I was also very upset to learn that my Stats didn't go up insanely high. Xeno explained that ever since The Incident "regular" system users like myself—whatever that meant—were nerfed in some ways, but buffed in others. We used to have a level cap of 150, but thanks to The Almighty or whatever, or, well, the current Almighty—because apparently, that could change, who knew—that level cap was removed in favour of stunted growth. Another thing of note was that this world had been completely untouched by those who were called "Gamers." Or, at least, this version of this world—implying there was a Multiverse out there, and that only got me more excited.
Regardless, my stats weren't all that bad, all things considered. I was only just starting out, and that meant that I was only bound to grow stronger. So, as I sat at the fire pit, I opened up my menu and looked over what I was working with.
[Stats]
HP: 95 [0.9 Hp regen per second] (Rank: F)
MP: 95 [0.9 Mp regen per second] (Rank: F)
Atk: 14 (Rank: F)
Def: 19 (Rank: F)
End: 16 (Rank: F)
Mg Atk: 19 (Rank: F)
Mg Def: 24 (Rank: F)
Crit: 1.5 (Rank: F)
Mg Crit: 1.5 (Rank: F)
Char: 1
Luck: 1
Exp to next level: 1000
Overall, I'd have to say, it wasn't all that bad. Although the F ranking next to each stat was kind of upsetting. Then again, they were pretty low. That, and I noticed that my CHAR stat hadn't increased. Again, Xeno told me that I had to actually talk to people, and that just wasn't happening. I was a foreigner in Taisho-Era Japan. And if World War 1 was going on, that made it all the more prudent that I was staying my ass in the woods.
I still hadn't gotten my first Quest yet. That was probably because I was in the woods. But, as said, there was a perfectly good reason as to why I hid in the woods. As said above, the people in Taisho-Era Japan were very, very Xenophobic toward anyone who wasn't Japanese. I doubt that even if I did leave the woods I would be able to get any quests.
That being said… seeing as I did live on Kumitori Mountain….
"Hey, Xeno."
[Yes, Jessica?]
"By any chance, are there any quests I can do on his mountain? You know, without having to go into town?"
[Not many. Most of them are for those of a higher level, as in Level fifteen or above. Are you sure you wish to proceed?]
I hissed. Lovely, so if I wanted to remain non-contact, and to progress, I would have to kill more animals. Which, as I said, didn't respawn. This wasn't a video game, this was real life. And these things took time. I didn't want to wipe out the ecosystem and ruin this place for others who wanted to live here. I was only level ten. Five levels was a lot more than just a small amount. Five levels could mean the difference between my death, and my survival.
[Jessica? Do you wish to proceed?]
"Sorry, Xeno… um. How about a quest meant for someone my level?" I asked as the System took a minute to respond. When it did, it didn't respond with anything like a message, but it straight-up dumped a quest on my lap. A quest, mind you, that was vague as all get out.
[Quest: Flow like the water]
[At the base of Kumitori Mountain lives a man. This man is your gateway into this world, or at least, should you wish to become a Demon Slayer. Speak to him to continue this quest. It will take two weeks to get from where you currently are, to where he is]
[Rewards: 500 EXP, 150 Yen, 1 Item Gacha Token]
"Okay… and, just out of curiosity, what about the opposite side of the spectrum? For Demons?"
[Quest: Smooth Criminal Cosplayer]
[In four months from now, in the midst of a cold December night, a man who looks like the hit pop star Michael Jackson, will show up. Should he not kill you during your meeting, he will ask you to do something for him. Complete his Quest to continue this Questline]
[Rewards: 500 EXP, 150 Yen, 1 Item Gacha Token]
I frowned, crossing my arms. I wanted to do neither. One implied that I was the one who murdered the Kamado family, and the other was me basically taking Tanjiro's role in the story. Neither of which I wanted to do. Don't get me wrong, I want to do something, but I don't want to do either of these. They seemed so… generic, and not at all worth doing for someone like myself.
"What about something that applies to neither of these factions?"
It took a moment for Xeno to reply with something, but when he did, I felt a chill shoot down my spine. Why? Well… It was what the quest was.
[Quest: Ice, Ice Baby]
[Survive your Encounter with UpperMoon Two, Douma, and reap the rewards]
[Rewards: 2500 EXP]
And just as I was about to ask what that meant, something in my body told me to dodge. And that was just what I did. Had I not dived out of the way and rolled just past my fire, I would've become a donut. As I stood up, and as I saw just what it was that did that, I was left in awe when I saw that Xeno was not kidding.
"Oh~! Now isn't that just cute!"
Because standing behind just where I was sitting was a tall, muscular man. He had platinum blond hair that flared out around his forehead, pale skin, rainbow eyes, and was wearing a blood-red turtleneck with a black pattern around the base of his neck, almost like a blood stain. It was the same around his wrists, and atop his head as well. He also wore a pair of straight, tan-coloured hakama pants, held up by a pale-green-tinged belt, with a silver buckle.
"You dodged! And here I thought this would be an easy snack~!" The Demon said as I narrowed my eyes. Observe activated immediately, as it did whenever I came across something new, and my heart stopped. I already knew who this was, but at the same time, did Xeno think it was funny!?
[Name: Doma, UpperMoon Two]
[Lv. 500 (BOSS)]
[HP: 3500]
[MP: 1500]
[Strengths: Enclosed Spaces, Cold invernments]
[Weaknesses: Nichirn Blades, Fire Magic, The Sun]
[Feeling: Surprised that a mere human was able to avoid his attack]
"Perks of having Observe. Although, this is more information than I had thought it would give at Level 3. Still…" "Can we just, I don't know, talk about this? I know it's a long shot, but…" I said, the Demon smirking.
"What's there to talk about? I'm hungry, you're a beautiful woman, and that's all there is too it!" Douma replied as I frowned. Straight to the point, it seemed. Just as Douma lunged toward me at a speed that I knew I wasn't going to dodge. I decided to do something both stupid and smart. I stayed right where I was, snapped my fingers, and when I did, a whole bush worth of Razor Leaf appeared behind me and shot in Douma's general direction. It was wide, and it was spread out, and no matter where the bastard moved to, it was going to hit him.
That got Douma to go wide-eyed, most likely not expecting something like what I had done to be something that I could do. And before he could dodge out of the way, the leaves flew toward him at a breakneck speed, cutting into his body and leaving rather deep cuts into his skin. They didn't remain, mind you, and his HP regenerated faster than he took damage, but that wasn't the point of the attack.
The point of the attack was to gain distance and put a buffer between myself and the UpperMoon. I hardly cared about the damage I did to him, which if all the numbers that flashed up added up to what I thought it did, I did a meagre 49 damage to the guy. Which meant it was 1 damage per leaf. Meaning his defences must have been fucking mental.
"Well, no shit! He's level 500 and he's a Boss! Of course, his defences are insane!" I jumped backwards after the attack. I had to thank Gamers Body for the infinite stamina, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to clear half the tree that was behind me, and land on the branch. I don't know how I did it, but I assumed it was because of the aforementioned infinite stamina, and my body acting on its own.
"How...?" Douma muttered, looking up at me with narrowed eyes. "How did you do that? You are a human, right?" Douma questioned as I tilted my head.
"What do your Demon senses tell you, Mr. Blond and freaky?" I spat. That attack had drained all of my mana, and it was slowly recharging. I had to keep him talking for a little while before I could do anything else. The Demon in question stood up tall and proud, staring up at me, before he took a few steps back, and sat down.
I was confused, but I didn't budge. The Demon just sat there, hand on his chin as he narrowed his eyes in thought. He looked back up at me, then back down at the ground, then back up at me, his expression shifting each time. First, it was confusion, and the second time, it was amusement.
"Well… I've heard rumours of Humans evolving, but still… I never thought I'd be the first one to meet one. How interesting," Douma said. "Alright then, human. You've piqued my interest. What's your name?"
I frowned. This wasn't going how I thought it would. Even so, the last thing I wanted was to start up another fight. I didn't have the mana for it. "Jessica Blackmore," I said, as Douma huffed.
"You aren't from Japan, then. I mean, it was obvious. You did have a different air to you. Where do you hail from, then?" Douma questioned, almost like an interrogator. I narrowed my eyes.
"Why do you care?" I asked as Douma shrugged.
"Just curious."
"Damn…" I thought. I never expected to be talking to anyone, so I never came up with a good enough explanation for how I could use magic. That was when an idea came to mind. It was a long shot, but then again, it's not like Douma had left the country. So, how would he know it to be true? "Great Britain. Japan isn't the only place with Paranormal creatures. Japan has Demons, Great Britain has Witches. I'm a Witch. A special kind of human born with the ability to cast and create magic. We're… not liked. So I ran away."
Douma looked at me, and narrowed his eyes, an intimidating aura radiating off of him, until he smiled, closing his eyes and clapping his hands together. "Well! That truly is interesting! Humans amuse me quite a bit! To think such a thing would exist is beyond interesting~!" As Douma said that, he opened his eyes, and dropped his hands to his sides. "If that's the case, you must taste terrible! So, I'll leave you alone for now. Besides, the more I look at you, the more I can see something special in you."
As Douma turned to leave, I could only shudder at what he meant by that. The fact he said "for now" meant he was going to come back later. And I doubt he'd offer me the same mercy he gave me here. If I remember Douma correctly, him granting someone else mercy was few and far between, and wasn't offered twice.
In other words, this was his warning.
"Just remember though, Witch or not… I'm going to eat you one day. You're not ripe enough right now. But I can tell, if you get stronger, and I eat you, I'll get more out of it later! Buh-bye!"
And with that, he jumped off, leaving a puff of dirt and dust in his place whilst I stood on the branch that I had jumped up to in hopes of avoiding Douma. My heart was beating in my chest, and I could feel it. He was going to come back, and I didn't know when. All I knew was that it wasn't going to be fun when he did.
I needed to get stronger…
[Quest Complete: Rewards Given – 2500 EXP]
[Level up! You are now Level 12!]
[HP/MP 95 – 105]
[Every other stat: Plus 2]
[Crit Stats: Plus 0.5]
Exp Till Next Level: 2000
I frowned, staring at my stats screen. I was growing far slower than I wanted to. I needed to do something to get stronger. However, before I could ask Xeno anything, I got a notification.
[New Spell Unlocked for Reaching Level 12]
Spell – Vines, Lvl 1 – Allows the caster to create two giant vines behind the user that deals physical damage equal to your ATK stat. Negates DEF, and Mg DEF. Costs 50 mana to cast. [100 Exp to lvl 2]
The notification disappeared, as I crossed my arms. That would've been much better earlier, but, beggars couldn't be choosers. Vines was kind of busted, all things considered. The fact that it negated Defence and Magic Defence made it very, very appealing. However, the mana cost was what irked me. I could cast it twice and then cast Razor Leaf once. After that, I was a sitting duck until my mana recharged.
I also have to wonder what levelling up the spell does for it. Does it add a modifier to how much damage it dishes up as it goes up in level? Or does it add more vines? I don't know, but I wanted to find out. The only problem was… "Now… How am I going to get stronger without screwing over the ecosystem?"
[Well, Jessica. I was planning on giving it to you once you've reached a higher level. However, at the request of my boss, I have a gift for you]
As Xeno said that, something appeared in my hand. It was a device, and it looked like something ripped straight out of Rick And Morty. It looked exactly like Rick's portal gun, though there were differences. The main difference was the fact that it didn't have that green liquid tube on the top. It still had the dial, but it had a spectrum of numbers, all ranging from zero through ten. Atop the dial was a screen that had a label that said DIFFICULTY in all capital letters.
I stared at the portal gun knock-off with a raised eyebrow. Before I could ask my question, Xeno spoke again.
[This is something known as The Dungeon Creator. It will randomly generate a dungeon based on the number that you select. Zero is classified as Super Easy, and Ten is classified as Impossible. Death in these dungeons means nothing. But, when you die, you will be unable to enter a dungeon for 24 hours. Use this wisely]
I smirked. So that was how I was going to get stronger. Well, if that was the case… I had some grinding to do.
-Douma-
"A witch, huh? Hmm…" Douma thought as he sat on a rock in the middle of the woods, feet touching as he sat in a butterfly stance, one hand on his chin with his other hand draped over his right leg. The air around him was freezing cold, meaning that anyone who was around him would be inhaling ice shards, and that wouldn't be very good for them. He did it so he could think in peace without a pesky Demon Slayer walking up behind him and thinking they found an easy kill—not that it would be an easy kill, he was UpperMoon Two for a reason.
That aside, he found it hard to believe that a human could use what would be their equivalent to a Blood Demon Art. And yet, he encountered one today. In his hundreds of years of living, he never would've imagined that being such a thing. The woman, Jessica Blackmore, a foreign woman who hailed all the way from Great Britain, used some form of nature-based Blood Demon Art—or whatever it was called, he didn't bother to ask.
"Lord Muzan is going to want to know this, and is going to want her dead…." Douma knew his master all too well. For as much as he respected and loved his master, he knew damn well that he wouldn't want to see someone like that around. He'd want her dead. But a part of Douma decided that it would be unacceptable for that to happen.
Why? Well, to put it simply, he was curious.
If Humans could have access to such powers, he wanted to see how far that someone could go. And if he could make them loyal to him and his Eternal Paradise Cult, then he could have someone who could potentially be at his side for the next hundred years. Not romantically, of course. He didn't care for that kind of thing. But, he could always use someone to act as a buffer between himself and whatever Hashira he came up against.
He would need to gain her trust, of course. That would be the hard part. She seemed to have known him despite the fact that he had never met her before. She knew he was a Demon, and yet, she wasn't a Demon Slayer. She didn't wear their attire, but rather something he had seen from The Red-Light district.
He smirked to himself.
This was going to be very, very interesting. He would hold off on telling Lord Muzan until she became a nuisance. Besides, his Cult was going to need to go on a pilgrimage soon because he was running out of potential new members. He didn't want to eat out his full supply. He still needed people in his cult to attract new people, and even more people so that no one got too suspicious about him eating his inductees. After all, he had a close call over 14 years ago with that Hashibara woman. He wasn't going to have another close call again.
With that in mind, Douma stood, cracked his neck from side to side, and went on his way to fetch his cult. Besides, it was almost summer time, and he heard Kumitori Mountain was beautiful during that time of year….
-To Be Continued-