Arrival

The moment the four Earth humans saw the reward, their eyes flashed with greed. Sun Breathing, the pinnacle of power in the Demon Slayer world, combined with a superhuman physique that can push the human body to its extreme limits—it was everything they had ever dreamed of.

Their breaths quickened. If they got the reward, there was a real possibility they could ascend directly to the Silver Master level, a leap that would bring them unimaginable strength. It would change everything.

Just as their ambition peaked, Kazuki's voice cut through their fantasy. "It's time for us to quit!" His words hit them like a bucket of cold water, shocking them.

'What? Quit?' The others stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, quit?" one of them questioned him directly.

Kazuki closed his system panel and sighed. "Don't get blinded by the reward. We aren't strong enough to kill Ryou, a man who could defeat Upper Moon Three Akaza.

We had one shot, tried to assassinate him when he least expected it, and still failed. If we try again, we'll lose our lives. Don't forget, this is the Original World. If we die here, we are gone for real. There are no second chances!"

His gaze swept across the three. "Of course, this is just my opinion. If any of you want to stay and try again, feel free. But I'm done."

One of them clenched his fists and said. "We've got the best chance to change our lives, and I'm not ready to give up! So what if he's strong? I've sacrificed too much to come here, to enter the Original World!"

Kazuki shook his head, "He's not just strong—he's an Anomaly. That makes him dangerous and unpredictable. I don't even know the full extent of his strength or what kind of abilities he's hiding. It's not worth the risk."

"It's best we sell our Source Crystals and trade the information we have for a better opportunity," Kazuki suggested, "Who knows? We might be able to negotiate for a Source Crystal linked to an even better Original World."

A heavy silence fell over the group as his words made sense. The greed that had filled their eyes slowly flickered, replaced by reluctant understanding. 

"I agree," one of them finally said, exhaling. "I already got Thunder Breathing as a reward for killing a special demon earlier.

Since I've only practiced Thunder Breathing, there's a 90% chance I'll be rewarded with Thunder Breathing once I leave the Original world. My strength is just short of a Hashira's level in Thunder Breathing, it's more than enough to rank my ability at 10-Star Bronze."

Hearing his words, the others nodded in agreement. They had all carefully planned their course of action before coming into this world, each learning a Breathing Style that suited them after arriving.

Their Primary Mission had been to eliminate Upper Moon One, Kokushibo, but recently, it changed to a far more dangerous target—Ryou, the Anomaly they noticed when they first arrived. The reward for this mission had increased dramatically.

Before the assassination attempt, the reward was already tempting: The Breathing Technique that they practiced would be maxed upon completion. But after the failure, the reward skyrocketed, a clear indication of how powerful Ryou was and how much of a threat the World System considered him to be.

"Let's leave now," Kazuki said. "With only a few months left until the plot reaches its end, the sooner we get to the Federation, the richer our rewards will be."

With a nod, the four of them summoned their Character panels and touched the 'Force Exit' button. The next second, the four of them disappeared from the world of Demon Slayer.

--

Back in the woods where Ryou fought,

After a few minutes, Kakushi arrived at the scene and carried the body of the fallen Demon Slayer for the proper funeral.

As for the assassination, Ryou chose not to reveal anything. Thankfully, no one knows what happened here as even his Kasugai crow wasn't present at the scene.

There was no point in revealing the incident to the Demon Slayer Corps, as Ryou couldn't explain the situation without diving into the complexities that are beyond their understanding.

Unlike the others, Ryou wasn't bound by any rules that prevented him from revealing the truth about the plot. Yet, he saw no reason to complicate matters further. Since they were from Earth and their target was him, it was a problem he'd have to handle on his own.

After that, Ryou's life returned to his usual routine, but he knew this was far from over. Those four would surely come for him again when they saw an opportunity since he's their mission target.

--

Nearly two months had passed.

Ryou received a letter from Kanae that Tanjiro, along with his friends and the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, had gone to the Entertainment District.

After the events of the Mugen Train, Kagaya Ubuyashiki became convinced that Tanjiro was special. So he had requested that Ryou remain within the region to provide backup in case anything went wrong.

'So they've already gone to the Entertainment District, where Upper Moon Six resides. The letter must have been delayed by at least a day due to the distance. If I set off now, it will take time to reach them.

Let's hope they haven't provoked the Upper Moon yet.' Ryou mused and uttered, "It's time to head to Yoshiwara, Tokyo."

--

At the same time, four human figures materialized in the exact spot where the previous four Earth humans had disappeared. These four newcomers exuded an aura as intense as the Strongest Hashira like Stone Hashira Gyomei.

One of them inhaled deeply, grinning. "The air here is so fresh!"

The tall one with a sharp, commanding presence, who seemed to lead the group, spoke up. "We don't have much time. According to the last group's report, the timeline should be around the Entertainment District Arc. Since this is a Level-1 Anime world, time flows ten times faster—one day on Earth equals ten days here."

--

Author: Hey guys, thanks to the people who voted. I see that most of you weren't fond of the Earth concept, and I understand.

But, I finished the Demon Slayer Arc on Patreon, so I can't change it now. From Naruto Arc, we'll stick to the normal flow without any Earth elements for now.

To those who voted 'I like it,' I'm glad you enjoyed the idea, but I've decided to set it aside for the moment. After we finish the Naruto and One Piece world, let's see if we can do something similar again like Ryou traveling back to Earth.

Thanks for the support.

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Patreon: FanficMortal(20+ Chapters)