7. Final Selection

As soon as they gave the go, the participants charged into the forest.

Not wanting to influence the main characters, Shiro made sure to avoid the paths they took and went in the opposite direction.

After just a minute of running, he was met with his first three demons.

"Now, who do we have here?" one of them smiled eerily.

"Another brat ready to give themselves up!"

"Looks like we feast again tonight!"

They broke out in mock laughter but suddenly stopped. A few seconds later, their heads fell to the ground and rolled away. Their bodies disintegrated and all that was left was the clothes they were wearing.

"May your dumbass souls rest in pieces," Shiro said with complete seriousness.

[Ding! You have killed three demons!]

[Ding! All stats increase by 1!]

[Hidden Mission: Kill 50 Demons (4/50)]

Instantly, he felt his body strengthen from the stats increase. After getting his fill of satisfaction, he broke out into a sprint and activated his tracker ability to find demons.

When using his tracker ability, his senses were enhanced tenfold and a mini-map would appear in his mind for the area. On the map, the red dots indicated the demons or 'hostile presences'.

There was a demon just up ahead.

"First Form; Way of the Flame!"

"Second Form; Ashened Road to Harmony!!"

He sliced the demon's head off not even giving it time to retaliate. The body disintegrated and Shiro moved on. Once more, he got the notification of his stats increasing and felt it in his body. His speed increased as well making him faster than many of the other candidates.

All of a sudden, he stopped and looked to the right.

A disgusting presence was coming from that direction.

Shiro narrowed his eyes and sped off in that direction. When he arrived, he was shocked to see Tanjiro already there and he was facing off against...

"The hand demon," muttered Shiro.

Shiro remembered this demon. It was the one who killed all of Urokodaki's apprentices, including the Sabito, the kid with the fox mask, and the girl.

He'd consumed around fifty children making him quite possibly the strongest presence on the mountain.

Shiro was going to step in but it seemed that Tanjiro had it under control. He chuckled softly and muttered, "Who am I to interfere with the main character's growth?"

He watched the battle for a few more seconds before turning around to leave.

- - - -

Shiro met another similar demon to the hand one. It wasn't as powerful but it still posed a challenge for other candidates who were eaten by it.

Shiro pushed himself off the ground and spun in the air before landing consecutive slashes on the demon. His final move was a horizontal strike that completely chopped off the demon's head.

Shiro breathed out a sigh. He wasn't tired, just...bored.

So far, none of the demons on the mountain had posed a challenge for him and his strength only increased after each demon he killed. He didn't want to sound cocky but it really was too easy for him. Hell, he even saved a couple of candidates that were on death's door, but he doubted they'd live till the seventh day.

While he was thinking about this, he heard a system notification.

[Ding! You have completed the Hidden Mission: Kill 50 Demons!]

[Ding! You have completed a feat that no other rookie has done!]

[Rewards Issued: 200 System Coins, All stats increase by 5!]

[Additional Reward: Unlock Sun Breathing Technique; Enbu!]

"Sun breathing?!! Hot damn!" Shiro gaped. "It's only one form but still..."

The information on the breathing technique entered his mind along with the instructions on how to do the first form. He only had access to the first form but it was more than enough for him.

The Sun Breathing was the strongest of all the breaths.

And the second thing that shocked him;

"I've killed fifty demons already?! Doesn't that qualify me to become a Hashira?" Shiro said to himself.

There were two ways to become a Hashira. One was to defeat one of the twelve Kizuki and the other way was to defeat fifty demons.

And Shiro has just fulfilled the second way.

Shiro caught sight of a crow on top of a tree branch and watched as it flew away.

"Looks like I was being watched," he mused.

His body felt stronger than ever now after defeating the fiftieth demon. All his stats had increased a lot and now that he'd defeated fifty demons, he should be on the same level or at least close to the level of other Hashiras.

"I'm finally strong enough to start taking on the Lower-moons."

Wiping his blade on the grass, Shiro sheathed it and began running through the trees. Today had marked the fifth day of the exam and it was uncertain how many participants were still alive. For sure, Tanjiro, butterfly girl, scar face, and Zenitsu were still breathing. Originally, they were the only four who survived but now, Shiro was included.

Shiro's footsteps were light and made no sound as he ran. It was almost as if he were just a brush of wind. This went to show how strong and controlled he was now.

With this, he was able to sneak up on several demons and cut their heads off.

Shiro's once pale reddish haori was now covered in dry blood and grime. None of the blood on his clothes belonged to him though.

As soon as this exam was over, he couldn't wait to take a nice long bath.

- - - -

Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.

Inside a brightly lit room, a man with an elegant figure and calm demeanor was sitting behind a table on a tatami mat. The top half of his face was slowly rotting which transformed his previously handsome appearance into a ghastly one.

In front of him was a scroll delivered to him by one of his daughters who was overseeing the Final Selection.

The scroll was a report on one of the candidates taking the test.

"Shiro, apprentice of the former and only practitioner of the Undying Flame Breathing Style," the man muttered with a small smile. "He has managed to kill fifty demons in only five days and will probably kill more. It seems the Demon Slayer Corps has another genius in our hands."

The first genius being the Mist Hashira; Muichiro Tokito.

"He basically qualifies to be a Hashira," another man said. This man was seated across the table at a respectable distance. He was the one who read out the scroll since the scar-faced man was blind.

"What do you think we should do?" the elegant scarred man asked. "Should we promote him straight to Hashira, or shall we give him a special mission to confirm if he is suited for the position?"

"I will abide by your decision, Oyakata-sama," replied the other man.

"Hmm..."