Picking Up The First Halo

Inosuke did not waste the days at his disposal or the helpfulness of his system.

He hadn't yet developed his own Beast Breathing technique, but just thinking about it gave him a surge of inspiration.

He had been so laser-focused on the unique characteristics of demons that he forgot he could obtain halos from other sturdily built creatures as well.

Inosuke could only pick up defensive and healing halos while in the world of demon slayer, so he felt limited, which is why he did not think fast enough to be creative with his brain and ideas.

But, on his way to the demon slayer examination site, he came to a halt in the forest, motivated by the realization that he could gain an early advantage in his quest to gain enough strength to ensure his safety.

He had to go hunting quickly.

Night was about to come down, bringing with it the possibility of demons, but what he was about to hunt was something else - another type of monster.

One who enjoyed eating both fish and honey.

A bear.

An adult bear.

This one seemed to be a male bear based on the paw prints on the ground.

Inosuke was on the hunt for that animal. 

He was currently following the tracks of the one he had discovered. 

Inosuke had grown up with and around wild animals, so hunting came naturally to him.

It was something he did on a regular basis in order to find food.

He'd never killed bears, not because he couldn't, but because they weren't the easiest protein to hunt and kill quickly. It was just a waste of time in general because there was so much meat left to rot after just one meal. His boar family was an omnivorous bunch, but even with their help, it was impossible to eat a whole bear before the meat went bad.

Inosuke finally heard sounds.

As he came closer to the forest-dwelling colossus, the sky, which was about to be enveloped in the blackness of the night, was already a wide range of colors, from orange to pale red to pink.

"Finally found you."

Inosuke spoke as his sight was drawn to an adult, enormous bear rolling around in the grass beneath a tree, appearing to be alone. 

It was enormous and frightening, but it also had an amusing body shape, as do bears.

Inosuke's voice was carried by a gleeful beam on his face. Beneath his mask. His gaze at the mountain-dwelling lord was one of instant gratitude rather than ill will.

He hadn't stalked the beast with benevolent intentions, nor had he hunted it for a kill…

His feet had been guided solely by survival instincts, with his motives being to increase his chances of maintaining his existence in this world.

This bear had useful DNA, and Inosuke needed it. 

So he was obviously grateful.

In fact, Inosuke had no intention of killing the innocent animal and was only looking for a small amount of blood, hair, nails or something akin to it.

He had more advanced senses than most people, but they were not superhuman. He didn't find any of the DNA he needed along the way, and he may have missed clues because he lacked Tanjiro's supernatural sense of smell.

Inosuke's super extrasensory ability was limited to a keen sense of danger, threats, and murderous intent.

Inosuke stopped thinking too much and dashed out at high speed toward the animal.

He moved as soon as the muscular beast, which was deceptively fat and chubby, noticed him with surprise; he didn't want to waste time battling.

He had not come to fight the bear.

As the distance between fated opponents shrank in an instant, the poor bear barely had time to process the situation and let loose its growl.

Inosuke sliced its body gently and courteously with his blade, much like a doctor drawing blood from a patient with a needle.

'Success!'

The movement seemed fast and elegant to Inosuke, almost polite, but to the bear, it was likely something that would definitely provoke anger and hatred.

And it obviously did.

A terrible roar sounded!

Unfortunately, the dumbfounded overlord of this small piece of mountain did not have time to confront Inosuke in battle.

By the time it was on its four paws, ready to battle, Inosuke scurried away with no nonsense.

He didn't even try to apologize because it was pointless to an enraged beast whose majesty had been trampled on, and he didn't know bear language.

The bear who had been left behind was grumbling in anger about the unjust wound it had received.

The red blood liquid, however, had already been stolen and was on the blade of Inosuke's sword. The owner could only chase Inosuke angrily and persistently for a while before losing sight of him.

Despite its speed, the bear was unable to match Inosuke's agility and endurance. 

Inosuke, who had spent his entire life in the mountains avoiding predators, was faster than any ordinary bear and had a great deal of running stamina.

It wasn't easy to live as a boar.

When Inosuke was far enough away from the bear's living quarters and no longer being pursued by it, he began extracting the blood. He wasn't even in the mountains or the forest anymore, and he was finally out of breath.

However, all of this exercise was about to pay off.

Examining the blood on the blade of his sword, which had begun to dry and clot slightly in some places, he thought, 'Extraction!'

The reaction was instantaneous, wasting no time in the process!

[Ding! Congratulations on extracting bear blood and gaining a defensive talent that far surpasses that of humans and breath users!]

[Please keep in mind: All Halos in the future, including this one, can be activated or turned off at your convenience! They use no energy and can stay active at all times!]

[Breath of the Land King (Level 1): A halo obtained after stealing the DNA of a powerful animal living on land. Increases your skeletal, muscular, and flesh defense at a much faster rate than humans. It also improves the durability of the weapons you wield, akin to claws you would be clutching.]

Inosuke was beaming with happiness. 

He was immersed in reading the notifications when he suddenly felt his body and bones become much more resistant!

After a few seconds of basking in this strange sensation, he felt as if the bear from before could not cause him any significant harm even if he was hit by it again!

Feeling both delighted and curious, he asked the system how to improve the Halo's level.

[Ding! To improve the level of this Halo, Host, simply increase your strength or actively try to receive damage! But there is no need to do that because all of your halos grow alongside your strength!]

After asking another question, he nodded and departed for the demon slayer exam location.

Because he was in the world of Demon Slayer, it seemed that the names of the Halos would be inspired by breathing techniques or demon powers, as these were the primary two forms of power.