CH. 1: Death, Rebirth, Acceptance

Aiden woke up hazily to a brilliant night sky full of stars. As he rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, he suddenly realized... Wasn't he camping? Wasn't he sleeping in a tent? How did he end up outside?

He jumped up, looking around in shock. The surroundings were completely unfamiliar - the trees and terrain were nothing like the campsite he had chosen with his friends.

Could his friends have played a prank and secretly moved him here? It was possible!

"Eddy! Kylie! John! Where are you guys?" Aiden called out tentatively, slightly afraid he would attract animals with his shouting.

His voice still echoed through the silent woods like thunder.

But unfortunately, there was no response except for a crow startled by the noise.

Aiden grew more anxious, searching through the woods while continuously shouting, "Come on, stop kidding around! Isn't it enough that I admitted I was wrong? When we get back, I'll treat you to...a party..."

His's voice trailed off as he halted in his tracks.

He remembered now - he was actually dead...

Aiden, 22 years old, a college student.

Because he had just graduated recently, he went on an imprompt camping trip with several of his best friends!

Everything was normal at first, but during the bonfire party at night, a snake suddenly appeared from somewhere and bit Aiden on the ankle!

Although Aiden didn't recognize what kind of snake it was, judging from its bright pattern and triangular head, its venom was definitely potent.

Sure enough, despite his friends sucking out the venom, he still gradually lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he was in this unfamiliar forest.

Aiden lifted his leg and looked at the bite mark. There was no wound - this must be the afterlife!

Why was he still in a forest after death?

Could it be because of an unnatural death that turned him into a spirit or ghost?

That would be troublesome... If he was left alone in this desolate place, he would definitely go crazy before long!

[System initiating binding!]

The sudden voice in his mind made Aiden jump.

Before he could react, the mechanical voice continued: "Binding successful, welcome host to the Unnamed Mysterious system. Scanning...scan complete. The optimal physical condition for the host was at age 19. Commencing body modification!"

"Unnamed Mysterious System? Well, that's a peculiar title." he said.

[That was not a name, but a temporary title] The system responded.

"Huh, then when will I know your real name?" He asked curiously.

[Neither the host's body nor mind is currently strong enough to fully bond with the system, so I will refrain from answering any questions for the time being. In the meantime, the host will only have access to limited functions of the system.]

Before Aiden could process this information, he felt his body "shrinking". Correspondingly, his long-lost biceps and abs returned!

He felt his muscles in surprise - the familiar sensation did not seem fake at all!

"Age 19 huh..."

Aiden recalled that was when he had just started his college, he had a lot of goals that he wanted to accomplish.

Back then, with his hormones in full action, he used to do a lot of workout and devoted all his time to training his body.

In the end, he did build muscles but his grades plummeted from neglecting his studies...

But the past was in the past. There was still one more thing worth noting!

His body had "shrunk" back to age 19, his clothes got much bigger, and his long sleeves covered his palms, only revealing a few fingers...

This meant he had returned to age 19 from 22

Turning his attention back to the system in his mind, an enormous, dazzling treasure chest sat in the center of his vision, with the words "Daily Draw" floating above it.

There were also some explanatory captions next to it.

[Daily Draw Function : As the name suggests, you can draw from the chest once per day. The items received are extremely varied and unpredictable. Draws do not accumulate, they expire if unused, So always check the chest status to avoid wasting resources from forgetting.]

Aiden wiped the imaginary sweat from his brows. What a terrible name for a function! Who came up with this?

Knowing it was a lottery, unfamiliar people might think it was for drawing lots!

Why not name it "Daily Lottery" or "Daily Chest"? Those are much more normal and pleasing to the ear!

After thinking that, he slightly looked down and noticed his hands were shivering.

Even though he was trying to act nonchalant, even though he was making jokes to himself, his hands betrayed him. He was trying hard not to freak out over the fact that he had probably just died. How could he not freak out? His 22 years of life flashed before his eyes - his parents, his siblings, his friends, his college, his achievements, the things he still wanted to achieve...everything disappeared in just a few minutes. He tried his best to calm down and collect himself.

Looking at the system screen, with just a slight nudge of his consciousness, the chest immediately sprang to life, spinning and dancing merrily to the upbeat system music.

As the final beat ended, the chest slammed down and automatically popped open with a "whoosh".

A blinding white light flashed, and a treasure sword slowly rose up.

Aiden's eyes widened in shock.

System discription :

[—The Demon Blade Senjin!

The blade was formed from thousands of fragmented pieces and it can break apart and pieced together. The hilt and half the blade were black, with blue stripes on the blade depicting evil spirit patterns.

The people who used this blade always used to say:

"Demon Blade Senjin—

Unrivaled in offense, lacking defense!"]

When Aiden finally held it in his hands as his hands still trembled.

He couldn't help gripping the hilt, and his consciousness entered a barren space. In the center of the desolation, an ancient evil spirit floated cross-legged in midair.

Sensing his arrival, the ancient spirit merely opened its eyes briefly before closing them again.

Aiden released the hilt and his consciousness retreated back out.

"There- there was an evil spirit in this sword." He stammered. Saying that, he quickly became more interested in the sword, wanting to know what type of sword he was holding. It seems there was evil spirit in this sword and it had become the Demon Blade's spirit

In the system space, after the item was drawn, the chest lost its original luster and dimmed.

Then a window popped up:

[Current World: Demon Slayer

Mission: Eliminate Kibutsuji Muzan and Edward Hakens.

Reward: Ability to traverse to the next world]

So this was not the afterlife, but another transmigration...

Demon Slayer World -

He had just finished this anime recently, and even read through the manga because he liked it so much.

If his goal was just to get Muzan killed, even without doing anything Muzan would still be destroyed eventually, although many people will be killed.

However, who is this Edward Hakens, he never heard of this name in the manga.

"System tell me more information about Edward Hakens." He asked the system.

[Information about Edward Hakens will be given to the host when the system completely bonds with the host]

Aiden sighed hearing this and stopped thinking about this new character for now.

Even without issuing any mission he actually wanted to change a lot in this manga.

He didn't know how far along the plot was, but with the system's help, it shouldn't be too difficult.

As long as he was given time to grow stronger, it wouldn't be long before he could defeat Muzan!

But there's a saying -

If nothing goes wrong, something will...

A black shadow suddenly dashed through the woods and leapt high in the air before landing heavily in front of Aiden.

It was a grotesque, ashen-skinned demon!

Aiden's hand on the sword hilt trembled slightly.

Speak of the devil!