Chapter 43: Heading to the Mountain

Li Mo never expected to stumble upon Natagumo Mountain in such a way. According to the name, he had been searching for "Natagumo Mountain," but it turned out that the place was originally called "Natayama." The spiders had only appeared there in recent years. Perhaps in a few more years, due to the presence of a Lower Moon demon, the spiders on Natayama would multiply, and the mountain would earn the nickname "Natagumo Mountain."

Maybe that's how it would happen in the future?

But who knows what will happen in the future? Besides, with his interference, would things still develop as they did in his memories? Of course not. Tragedies had to be nipped in the bud.

"Natagumo Mountain should be around here, right? Kasugai Crow, Kasugai Crow, tell me, is this the place?"

Li Mo teased the crow perched on his shoulder. This black bird was incredibly intelligent, not only capable of mimicking human speech like a parrot but also expressing its own thoughts. Over time, Li Mo had come to see it as a friend.

"Idiot, you've asked too many times. Can't you remember the way? Can't you remember? Can't you remember?"

"Buddy, I'm directionally challenged."

"Gah! You're just too lazy to remember!"

The crow had never seen someone so lazy. Instead of memorizing the map himself, he relied on his crow to do it! Did he think the crow was some kind of genius?

Li Mo rubbed his nose. Was it really so bad to be lazy? As a Demon Slayer, all he needed to do was focus on cutting off demons' heads. Well, maybe also killing the demons before they could harm anyone. The so-called "Russian rescue method" might look cool, but it was just for show.

"Alright, let me rest at the foot of the mountain before heading up." Li Mo calmed the crow down and found a spot to sit, pulling out some dried rations to eat. It was dusk, and the last rays of the sun dyed the mountain red. The mountain, named Natayama, was lush with trees. In fact, along the way, he hadn't seen a single barren mountain.

The mountain, bathed in the glow of dusk, was beautiful. But when Li Mo thought about what might be lurking on it, the beauty faded. No matter how beautiful a place was, once stained with blood, it became ugly.

Li Mo opened the system interface. Killing Kyogai had raised his life level to **LV6**. He had a few attribute points left to allocate.

With his mastery of "Force Redirection," he had an advantage against most demons. Their usual reliance on brute force was less effective against him. In contrast, Kyogai's claw-like slashes from its drum were more threatening. The Lower Moon demon on this mountain used threads, right? Threads as sharp as blades would be tricky to deal with.

Would the combination of his Nichirin Blade and Sun Breathing be enough? After some thought, Li Mo allocated his attribute points. First, he increased his strength. As the saying goes, "strength can move mountains." Cutting off a demon's neck was a task that required considerable strength. Someone with less strength, like Shinobu Kocho, couldn't even sever a demon's neck.

"Huh?"

Li Mo noticed something unexpected—or perhaps a pattern. When his strength attribute reached **18**, the "+" sign next to it turned gray. Familiar with games, he knew this meant he couldn't allocate more points.

Why couldn't he allocate more points? Was the system that limited? Or did the number **18** signify something? But why 18? What was so special about this number? It couldn't just be a random number, could it?

Unfortunately, no matter how much he racked his brain, Li Mo couldn't figure out the significance of the number 18.

"Then I won't think about it."

He allocated the remaining two points to perception and agility. Li Mo remembered that if the spider family was involved, there would likely be many traps on the mountain. Higher perception would be helpful. Moreover, he felt that to master "Transparent World," his perception attribute couldn't be low.

He had almost mastered the offensive use of "Force Redirection," but "Transparent World" was still out of reach. How had Tanjuro Kamado learned it? Was he born with it?

Considering the scar on Tanjuro's forehead, which he was born with—was that a "Mark"? If so, being born with a "Mark" and "Transparent World" would make him a mini-Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

But that was just a thought. Tanjuro's body was too weak. Against demons, he wouldn't fare well.

"Time to head up the mountain. You don't need to stay on my shoulder. Fly up and scout." Li Mo patted the crow, which reluctantly took to the sky. His crow was the fastest flyer among its peers.

Li Mo began his ascent.

The sun had completely set, and the sky was now ruled by the stars and moon. They weren't stingy with their light. Even though the moon's light was borrowed from the sun, it was still a valuable source of illumination.

As he climbed, Li Mo heightened his senses. The forest was deep and silent, and a sense of loneliness washed over him. Even though the plains were just behind him, he hadn't ventured far into the forest, yet a chill had already crept into his heart.

With his increased perception, the world became much clearer. It wasn't just his vision that improved—his other senses had sharpened significantly. The subtle rustling of leaves became vividly clear to him.

"Rustle, rustle—"

As he continued upward, the leaves moved. But there was no breeze. What had disturbed the leaves? An animal? Li Mo didn't think it was an animal. He sensed danger.

"Come out. Do I have to force you?" His hand rested on the hilt of his blade.

A young girl emerged from the shadows of the forest. She stood on the path, a stark contrast to the darkness. She was entirely white—white hair, white skin, white robes. Her expression was pitiful, evoking sympathy.

"Why do you keep chasing me? I've come all the way here. Why won't you leave me alone? I just want to live!"

"So, you're the demon Kyoji Kuzuri was chasing, right?"

The demon Kyoji had been chasing was female. Li Mo knew that, but Kyoji's description hadn't mentioned anything about her being "white."

He remembered the demon living on the mountain. To it, this demon had become part of its family.

"It told me to kill you. Now I have the power to kill you! Don't blame me!"

The demon raised its hand. What was it going to do? Li Mo didn't know. He would never know.

Because in the next second, its head flew into the air.

"I won't apologize."

Li Mo stepped over its decaying body, ignoring the sorrow in its eyes.

He didn't want to say more. Perhaps, before becoming a demon, her story was one of great tragedy. But after becoming a demon, none of that mattered. Killing demons didn't weigh on his conscience.

When he saw the bodies of the Butterfly parents, he understood. Humans and demons were destined to be enemies. It was a fundamental difference in their very existence.

He continued up the mountain.