Chapter 0045.50

Ishida stood there, staring at the screen in front of him. Right now, he couldn't remember anything about the demon that had just run away or anything else he had said. He was just lost in whatever he was looking at on the screen.

But, he didn't realize he wasn't alone anymore. Someone had come up behind him, watching him with a puzzled expression, wondering why he was just frozen, staring at one spot.

"Ishida!" A voice broke through his thoughts, snapping him back to reality. He turned to see Karin standing there, looking at him with a curious expression. "What's going on?" she asked.

Ishida glanced at her, then walked past without giving much explanation. "The mission's over," he said, leaving it at that. He didn't bother with more details. Suddenly, he remembered Kazuki and noticed he wasn't with Karin. His mind jumped to the worst conclusion—that something had happened to him. The demon had taunted him earlier, saying his friends were dead. But seeing Karin here meant that wasn't entirely true, right?

"He's nearby and hurt. But you still haven't answered my question," Karin said, her voice turning more serious.

"Not much to explain," Ishida replied. "There were two demons, kind of like snakes. You probably know that already," he added, noticing the marks on her hand. They were definitely from the same type of demon he had fought, or at least that's what he thought, and he was right. "I took down one, and the other got away," he explained briefly. It was clear Karin wanted more information, but Ishida didn't elaborate. He started heading down the mountain, ignoring her frustrated look. She didn't press further and just followed him down.

'Morning's here already,' Ishida thought. 'First, I need to get back to the Demon Slayer headquarters. On the way, I can handle some daily quests. After that, I'll focus on the main quest. No way I'm going to miss out on that.'

Soon, they found Kazuki, and together they made their way out of the forest. Ishida wanted to use a healing potion to help Kazuki, but he hesitated. He remembered how he had easily given the potion to Sakura and Kazuki before without thinking much about it. It seemed so convenient to have something that could heal such serious injuries with no effort. Back then, Sakura and Kazuki hadn't questioned it, probably because they were too caught up in the moment, and the other people he'd helped were too scared to doubt anything.

But now, with Karin around, Ishida realized she wouldn't just accept it like the others. She was more observant and wouldn't let something suspicious slide by without questioning it. So, he decided to be cautious this time and didn't use the potion, avoiding any potential suspicions, which meant, as Kazuki couldn't walk out the forest with his injuries, He needed to help him to do so, which he did.

Karin, as not getting answer, parted ways and left them , as Ishida and Kazuki went towards the demon slayer corpse headquarter and soon they reached back there. Ishida , firstly took Kazuki at the butterfly mansion for treatment and came back to his given room there.

[New Quest Unlocked: ?]

[Do You Want to Accept?] [Y/N]

The screen popped up again, capturing Ishida's attention. "A question mark means it's unknown? So I'm not getting any details about the quest's name or its nature?" he muttered to himself, sitting down in his room. "Wait, what other information is available for the quest? Don't tell me all I get is that question mark and the YES or NO options," he said, hoping to extract more details from the screen.

In the past, system-given quests had come with more information. During his last mission, he had even unlocked a new breathing form. After joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he assumed that the missions he undertook for them were the quests. However, it now seemed they were separate entities. Although he earned points, experience, and leveled up by defeating demons on Corps missions, these system quests appeared to be something entirely different.

[For More Information Regarding the Quest, You first need to accept the quest]

The Screen appeared in front of him , immediately after his question regarding more information for the quest.

A screen popped up right in front of him just as he asked for more details about the quest.

"So, I have to say yes to the quest without knowing anything about it first?" Ishida sighed, feeling a bit let down because he didn't get any information about what he was signing up for. Still, he looked at the screen and said, "I accept!" without showing any emotion.

He figured that no matter what the quest turned out to be, it would surely be an exciting challenge. He wasn't the type to give up easily, and after coming this far, he was determined to keep pushing forward until he achieved his goal.

[Quest : Become The Strongest]

[Quest Level : 28]

[Rewards :

Reward 1 - Exp. 20,00,000 [Note: Exp. For Defeating Enemies Is Excluded]

Reward 2 - Added Stat Points : 40

]

---

"Level 28!?" Ishida mumbled to himself, feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity about the level number for this new quest. "I'm at level 25 right now, so this quest is three levels above where I'm currently at. Judging by the rewards, it looks like it's going to be super challenging. I mean, obviously, this is going to be the toughest quest I've faced so far."

At first, Ishida thought the quest would kick off right away, but then he realized it wouldn't start until the next afternoon for some reason. So, he had some time to prepare until tomorrow afternoon before diving into the quest.

So, after realizing he had some time, Ishida decided to finish his daily quest for the day, which was still pending. He got to work, tackling each task one by one.

The Next Day...

By the afternoon, even though Ishida was gearing up for the big quest assigned by the system, he didn't waste any time. He managed to complete two more missions from morning till now, along with his daily quest too.

"Alright, it's quest time," he said to himself, standing in his room. He had already accepted the quest, and now it was finally time to dive in and start it.

[In 3 seconds, you'll be transported to the quest location. Get ready.] The system's message popped up, but Ishida was already set and didn't need to do anything more.

[Are you ready to proceed with the quest?] [Y/N]

Taking a deep breath, Ishida looked at the screen and read the prompt. "Yes. I'm always ready!" he declared.

Just like in his previous quests, everything around him turned pitch black. This time, though, he wasn't startled by the sudden change; he had gotten used to this kind of thing. Calmly, he closed his eyes and waited for the darkness to lift.

.

.

.

"Now... this is different," Ishida murmured, his voice carrying a hint of surprise mixed with curiosity. Despite the unexpected surroundings, he steadied himself, ready to take in the first glimpse of the place where he found himself standing.