Chapter 22

After a good night's sleep, I immediately began my preparations to enter the dungeon. This time I wasn't just planning on going down and coming back up in a single day. Instead, I am planning to go down and kill monsters of the 17th floor, especially since Goliath shouldn't be there after the Loki Familia passed through, and camp on the 18th floor. I considered the possibility of even setting up a magic circle on the 18th floor, but I'm not sure how that would work inside the dungeon. I also packed up enough food for a week, as well as quite a bit of water, just in case Aqua can't make me some for any reason.

"I'm heading to the 18th floor for a few days," I told Miach as I grabbed an apple off the shop's counter.

"How long will you be gone," He asked, looking up from the potion he was in the process of brewing.

"Three days maximum, probably less though,"

"Okay, be careful down there," Miach said, giving me a wave goodbye as I walked out of the shop.

As I walked along the path to the dungeon I began to do something I had thought of last night. I pictured moon breathing in my head as I tapped in my sub-skill Sword Master. I had no idea if this will work or not, but I tried to use my sword mastery to gain Total Concentration Breathing and Moon Breathing. I could also replicate the long-range strikes and the erratic crescent moons in the attacks with my Magic Aura, but I would have to get the breathing down first.

I could feel my breathing start to change after a while, causing me to cough violently. After recovering, I tried again to use the breathing technique but failed. I tried the entire way toward the dungeon, feeling myself getting closer and closer with every attempt. I figured that of course it would be easier for me than if I was a regular human due to my already superhuman powers, even as a peak level 1. Even still, I knew that it would take me a lot longer to get the breathing style down, let alone the actual sword techniques.

As I was on my way to enter the dungeon I paused. I decided to turn off my path and head toward Babel and the Hephaestus familia's weapon shops there. I knew I wouldn't be able to buy an extremely high-end sword, but I needed a backup sword in case my main one broke in the dungeon. I could also feel that my current blade would break if I tried to power it up too much, or even if I tried to use Moon Breathing techniques with it.

I walked up toward the high-end weapon shops, seeing the insane price tags in the windows. I walked around for a little while before entering a suitable shop. I emerged a little while later, 500,000 Valis poorer. I knew it was worth it as I looked down at the blade I carried in my hand. It was a fairly long sword that would extend my already great reach advantage against most opponents. Both the scabbard and blade were pure black with very few decorative designs, which I liked quite a bit.

I dropped the blade in my storage as I headed down into the dungeon, breezing through the Upper Floors. I slowed my pace upon reaching the Middle Floors, focusing more on my breathing and killing monsters than speed. My breathing wasn't at the point where it is boosting me yet, but with every breath I take I get closer and closer to being able to use Moon Breathing. I cut down any monsters in my path with just my sword as I made my way deeper. Trying to focus on my breathing while also fighting monsters was a slight challenge, but nothing too intense.

It wasn't long until I reached the 17th floor, I made my way through the floor slowly. I wasn't sure whether to throw out the bait and begin or if I should go down to Rivira and try to master Total Concentration Breathing before coming back up here. Eventually, I decided to go down and then just come back up later. 'I'll be here for a few days. There's no rush for me to max out my stats,' I thought to myself as I found the entrance to the 18th floor and entered.

I had to cover my eyes as I emerged from the dimness of the dungeon and entered the vast expanse of Rivira. I looked out over the green forest that covered this floor with a massive tree at the floor's center, I even spotted a few lakes dotting the floor. Looking up, I saw thousands of crystals embedded in the ceiling that was far above my head. I had to avert my eyes from the white crystal at the center of the ceiling as it seemed to imitate the light of the sun, burning my eyes when I tried to look at it.

After I finished admiring the floor, I set off into the forests, and away from the beaten-down path leading toward a small fort. I made my way to one of the closer lakes I had seen, sitting on its bank as I pulled out a snack and ate. I crossed my legs and sat, breathing in, trying to imitate Total Concentration Breathing. The light on the 18th floor got darker as I continued attempting to get the correct breathing pattern down until I eventually felt something click. My breathing changed and I could feel my body and mind filling with new power. I quickly checked my skill list and found a new Art there, Total Concentration Breathing.

During my time practicing I thought of an easy way to turn make my new breathing constant. I stayed seated as I magic circle appeared in front of me, but failing to form properly. I continued trying long into the night until finally, a perfect magic circle appeared in front of me. I checked my list of Arts and was exhilarated to see a new magic and spell present, Mental Magic and Self Hypnosis.

"Use Total Concentration Breathing: Constant," I said firmly while my eyes were closed, then opened them as I activated Self Hypnosis in front of my own face.

I blinked rapidly as the spell took hold. I felt no conscious change in my breathing, but from the power filling my body, I knew it had worked. Checking my Art list confirmed that Total Concentration Breathing: Constant had replaced Total Concentration Breathing. I couldn't help but laugh at how genius my idea had been. I sat back and looked up at the dim crystals on the ceiling before closing my eyes and falling asleep.

I woke in the same spot near the lake where I had fallen asleep. I could still feel the new power filling my mind and body, causing me to smile as I used Clean Wash and rose to my feet. Now, I was finally ready to move on to trying to get Moon Breathing as an Art. I began by simply slashing my sword, trying to form chaotic slashing crescent moons contained within my swing. My aura strained as I tried to bend it to the correct shape, but I was just too slow and didn't have enough fine control over my aura yet.

Instead of going straight for Moon Breathing, I decided to start by just forming crescent moons from my aura. Forming the crescent moons alone proved to be a much easier task, so I kept trying to form more and more, faster and faster. I was completely drenched in sweat when I finally swung my sword, creating many slashing crescent moons in the wake of the blade. I dropped to my knees as I felt my aura drain rapidly from the expenditure, but checking my Arts, I saw, [Incomplete Moon Breathing]. I sighed in relief when I saw I got the first form of Moon Breathing, Dark Moon, Evening Palace, down, but I knew that the 1st of the 11 forms was the easiest one.

(A/N: I know there are 16 Moon Breathing forms, but only 11 are actually shown in Demon Slayer, so I changed it to 11. All known Moon Breathing forms are listed at the end of the chapter)

I waited for my energies to recover before I walked back toward the 17th floor, even more, motivated to max out my stats and level up than before. Since leveling up gives adventurers a boost, my guess is that my aura and magicule quantities will both get a boost as well due to boosting my strength and magic respectively increasing their capacities as well. The main thing I was lacking in making more progress than just the first form in Moon Breathing is my quantity of aura.

I readied two bags of bait as I began to walk up the stairs back to the 17th floor. I decided that I wasn't leaving this floor until I felt that all my stats are SSS.

- - - (Chapter End) - - -

Should MC be able to store level-ups? For example, should he be able to level up from killing the two level 2s?

Known Moon Breathing forms: (Straight from the wiki, except I have changed them to 1-11)

First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace - Kokushibo quickly draws his sword and slashes swiftly in a singular horizontal motion in a crescent shape, creating numerous chaotic crescent blades. This technique is extremely reminiscent of Iaijutsu.

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Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing - Kokushibo performs several crescent-shaped slashes that defend him from incoming attacks, sending a barrage of crescent blades.

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Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains - Kokushibo swings his sword rapidly in two gigantic crescent slashes, from which a storm of smaller crescents spread, causing huge destruction in a small area.

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Fourth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy - Kokushibo makes multiple curved slashes layered over one another, creating a rising vortex of sword slashes and crescent moon blades.

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Fifth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant - Kokushibo releases a wild barrage of crescent-shaped slashes several meters in front of him. This technique was powerful enough to overwhelm Sanemi Shinazugawa and so long-ranged that it slices up the surrounding pillars.

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Sixth Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit - Kokushibo swings the gigantic version of his sword in a powerful frontal crescent-shaped slash that creates powerful multi-directional long-ranged slashes in the ground.

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Seventh Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail - Kokushibo uses the gigantic version of his sword and creates a singular gigantic crescent-shaped slash that slowly decreases in size, creating dozens of crescent moon blades.

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Eighth Form: Waning Moonswaths - Kokushibo creates a stream of long-ranged crescent-shaped vertical and horizontal slashes along with numerous crescent moon blades with the gigantic version of his sword.

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Ninth Form: Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves - Kokushibo creates a long-ranged triple-layered slash twister full of crescent moon blades with the gigantic version of his sword.

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Tenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon - Kokushibo uses the gigantic version of his sword and creates a chaotic vortex of powerful extremely long-ranged omnidirectional slashes that destroys whatever is caught up within its attack radius.

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Eleventh Form: Moonbow, Half Moon - Kokushibo creates a barrage of downward crescent slashes from an extremely long and wide range, resulting in a powerful six-fold slash crashing down on his opponents; the attack itself is powerful enough to create several miniature craters where the slashes have landed.

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