Chapter 69

In a deep mountain, a youth with deep red hair and eyes, and a scar on his left forehead, was fully focused, gripping the knife in his hand and adjusting his breathing.

Until, in his perception, he finally grasped the so-called "moment of opportunity" and split the boulder in front of him with one strike, the youth finally showed a look of great surprise.

Because splitting the spherical boulder in front of him was the final test given to him by Rengoku Zakuro. If he couldn't even do this, Rengoku Zakuro believed he didn't have the qualifications to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps examination.

To defeat Muzan Kibutsuji and avenge his family, and to turn his sister Nezuko back to her original form, Tanjirou had to become stronger. The first step was to join the Demon Slayer Corps, which specialized in slaying demons.

Tanjirou had already met Rengoku Zakuro's other training requirements, but only the boulder in front of him had been blocking his path.

However, through daily efforts, he finally mastered the technique and successfully split the boulder in front of him.

Nezuko had fallen into a long sleep recently, which made Tanjirou even more eager to find a solution.

After precisely splitting the boulder and completing his final training, Rengoku Zakuro had no choice but to let Tanjirou go to the Demon Slayer Corps examination.

Before leaving, Rengoku Zakuro gave Tanjirou a mask from his lineage and his spare Sun Blade.

When Tanjirou arrived at the examination site, "Fujiwakazaka Mountain," according to the map given by Rengoku Zakuro, he found that it was different from what Rengoku Zakuro had described.

According to Rengoku Zakuro, Fujiwakazaka Mountain was a prison for demons, so Tanjirou had thought it would be quite sinister and terrifying.

But when Tanjirou actually arrived, he found that it was not only not terrifying but also quite beautiful.

The mountain foot was covered with beautiful wisteria flowers, and at the foot of the mountain, a large number of young men and women, like him, had gathered to take the entrance examination.

The number of people was at least twice as many as Rengoku Zakuro had mentioned.

According to Rengoku Zakuro, the Demon Slayer Corps entrance examination was extremely dangerous. Most of the swordsmen who had not been thoroughly trained and had no real experience in slaying demons would face a near-certain death.

So, the number of people who came to take the examination each year was not large, as they needed to master the breathing technique and gain their mentor's approval.

But Tanjirou saw no sign of a small number of people; instead, it was as if a festival was being held.

Soon, Tanjirou discovered the reason from the whispers around him.

The reason why this year's Demon Slayer Corps entrance examination had so many more participants than before seemed to be due to the incident at last year's examination.

It was said that a monster-like existence participated in the examination last year and, with his own strength, completely exterminated the demons that had been imprisoned in Fujiwakazaka Mountain for nearly a hundred years.

This led to the current scarcity of demons in Fujiwakazaka Mountain, so most people believed that this year's examination would be easier than in previous years, and thus chose to take the examination this year.

"Hmph, a bunch of weaklings. If you're so afraid of facing demons, why are you here for the examination?

And do you think the Demon Slayer Corps are fools? The Fujiwakazaka Mountain has already been replenished with new demons. If you come to the examination with a relaxed attitude, you might as well go home early, so you don't die without knowing how."

The one who said this was a youth with a dark mohawk and a fierce scar on his left cheek.

This person was not an ordinary person but the younger brother of the current Wind Pillar, Giyu Tomioka, named Genya Shinazugawa.

The youths who had been discussing earlier were naturally furious at Genya Shinazugawa's sarcastic remarks.

But due to Genya Shinazugawa's fierce aura and the terrifying scar on his face, they did not dare to fight him and could only retort, "You talk so well, but aren't you here for the same reason this year?"

The youth who had been mocked said this with great dissatisfaction.

Although the Demon Slayer Corps came with great risks, it had to be said that the benefits were truly abundant in the current social environment.

In today's society, most people struggle to even get enough to eat, while members of the Demon Slayer Corps not only enjoy good benefits but are also revered wherever they go.

"I am not like you trash. My goal is to slay all the demons in this mountain, just like the monster from the previous year!"

After leaving these words, Genya Shinazugawa turned and left. Although he was temperamental and had a bad attitude, he was not inherently evil.

If these people entered Fujiwakazaka Mountain with such attitudes, they would almost certainly die!

Touching the terrifying scar on his left cheek that extended to his nose, Genya Shinazugawa seemed to fall into a bad memory, and his expression became even more fierce and angry.

Only those who have truly faced demons know how far beyond common sense these monsters are.

Although his intention was to prevent those with insufficient strength from going to their deaths, due to Genya Shinazugawa's temper and attitude, not only did he fail to have any effect, but he also earned the hatred of most people.

When the time was right, the Demon Slayer Corps examination began as scheduled.

The black-and-white girl who had greeted Yudai and the others last year also appeared in front of Tanjirou and the others.

After scanning the number of examinees, which was more than twice as many as before, the black-and-white girl, in addition to the rules, said some other things.

The gist of what she said was similar to what Genya Shinazugawa had said earlier, hoping that those who intended to take the examination to take advantage of the situation would best give up now.

Because the current situation in Fujiwakazaka Mountain was not as optimistic as they had thought.

Thanks to the efforts of the Pillars, the number of demons in Fujiwakazaka Mountain had been replenished. Although these demons, having been caught recently, might not have as much malice and resentment as the previous demons,

they were far beyond what ordinary people could resist, especially the few demons captured by the Demon Pillar, which were comparable to the "Hand Demon," the leader of the demons in Fujiwakazaka Mountain.

Let alone ordinary people, even the newly trained Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had mastered the breathing technique might not survive those few demons.