1. Demon Slayer

You know how the drill goes.

An unfortunate introvert/shut-in dies an unexpected death thanks to his own shitty luck and wakes up in another world.

That's it. That is basically what happened.

But if you want a more detailed explanation and story, here you go:

- - - -

In a vast dense void of nothingness, a lone soul floated around aimlessly. The soul belonged to a young youth by the name of Shiro.

His unexpected death led him here, or rather, his soul here.

Unable to speak, see, hear or smell, his only comfort was his thoughts and memories that still functioned despite the rest of his body not.

Time was non-existent in this place so it was uncertain just how long he'd been floating here. It could be days, weeks, months, or even years for all he knows. But strangely enough, he didn't feel bored. While he wasn't in the most comfortable state, he didn't feel bad about it.

An incredibly strange phenomenon.

He thought this is how it was going to be for the rest of his life...or death.

However, a sudden change occurred.

The void that his soul was floating in suddenly began crumbling like glass all around him. A bright light shone through the cracks and slowly overwhelmed his soul, sucking him in.

- - - -

On a snow-filled mountain, covered by countless pine trees, a large swirl of energy appeared at the very peak.

The energy grew wider and slowly took the form of a circle. The center of the circle began rippling and suddenly, a body fell out and onto the snowy ground.

As soon as the body touched the ground, the circle of energy disappeared in a flash.

"Ugh," a groan was heard from the body which turned over onto its back to reveal the face of a handsome boy. He had raven-black hair and golden eyes.

The boy was called Shiro.

Shiro sat up from the cold ground and rubbed the back of his head that was pounding. He then looked around him and paled.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?"

[Ding! System initializing...]

[Initialization complete! Now displaying welcome message...]

Shiro's eyes widened at the silver-colored translucent screen in front of him. He was baffled. What was this? A system? Those things are real?!

[Welcome (Shiro)! You have successfully bound with the SYSTEM. You, out of the seven billion humans on earth, have been chosen as the world's first world traveler. Your goal is to travel to the worlds assigned by the SYSTEM and complete the missions the SYSTEM issues. Failure to comply will result in immediate death.]

Shiro frowned at the message. Wasn't immediate death a little too much?

[You have arrived in the world of 'Demon Slayer'! Please click 'here' to view your missions]

"Demon Slayer?! As in the anime and manga?!" Shiro gaped. He knew exactly what that was because he was a certified weeb (and geek).

His finger tapped the 'here' button and the screen changed.

[World: Demon Slayer]

[Main Mission: Defeat and kill Muzan within two years]

[Side-Missions:

1. Train to become an official demon slayer

2. Pass the Final Selection

3. Kill at least two upper-moon demons and two lower-moon ones

4. Ensure all Hashiras survive]

[Rewards: Transfer to next world, 3000 System Coins (Can be used at System Store), an additional skill]

[Penalty for failure: Removal of SYSTEM and death]

As much as Shiro would like to say it'll be as easy as pie, he knew he'd just be lying to himself. This was far from easy.

"I should also check my stats," he muttered. "Open my profile and stats."

The screen changed once more to show his stats.

[Name: Shiro] [Age: 15] [Level: 1]

[Strength: 2] [Stamina: 3] [Flexibility: 2] [Intellect: 1] [Speed: 2]

[Skills: None] [Breathing Style: None]

"Okay, how the hell is my intellect lower than my strength?! This is an error!"

[The SYSTEM does not make errors]

"Bullshit..." Shiro muttered as he glared at the screen. This intellect stat was definitely a blow to his pride. He didn't think he was stupid. Okay, not THAT stupid.

[Please begin as soon as possible.]

[Remaining time: 1 Year, 11 Months, 30 Days]

Shiro groaned and closed the system interface. Looking around the snowy forest, he shivered slightly and frowned.

'If I want to start training, I need to find a master. To find a master, I'll need to find civilization by going down the mountains...'

He glanced up at the brightly lit sky and came to decision.

He needed to make it down the mountain before nightfall otherwise, he might get attacked by demons. To be on the safe side, it was best not to make any pitstops on the way.

He could be considered to be currently at rock bottom. Therefore, the only way left was up.

There was no other choice if he wanted to survive.

Therefore, he hardened his resolve and began his long journey down the steep mountain.

- - - -

It's been about four hours since Shiro began his journey.

His energy was running low due to a lack of food and water. There was not a single fruit-filled or berry-filled plant in sight. Since it was winter, vegetation was not sprouting so there was nothing he could eat.

He had no idea how to hunt either so his only hope was that he was nearing the bottom.

Thankfully, the warm clothing provided by the system kept him from freezing to death.

But his face was very cold.

The tips of his ears and fingers had turned pink.

Every time he let out a breath, the vapor from it could be seen.

"Haa, when will this stupidly tall mountain end?" he grumbled to himself as he trudge through the snow.

All of a sudden, he heard the crunch of a branch and he froze. Shiro looked around in his place and saw no one.

He was afraid to make a sound in case it was a wild beast or something.

"Hey."

"GYAAA!!" Shiro shrieked stumbling back. He looked to the right in shock and saw an old man standing there with a cane in one hand and a basket on his back.

"W-Who are you?" Shiro asked.

The old man frowned, "I should be the one asking that. What's a kid like you doing up here in these mountains? Don't you know it's dangerous here?!"

"Ah, I...I got lost," Shiro chuckled awkwardly after his lie. "I was...looking for some herbs and accidentally walked too far and got lost up here."

The old man looked at him suspiciously. Shiro kept a straight face to hide his nervousness and held his gaze. Eventually, the old man nodded.

"Yes, I suppose that happens at times," he said.

Shiro secretly released a breath.

"Well, you better follow me down. These woods are dangerous for those without weapons. Especially at night," the old man said ominously.

Shiro swallowed nervously, "I-I see. I'll follow you down."

"Mm, make sure you keep up."

With that, Shiro met his first ever acquaintance in this formerly fictional world.