2 Strange Screen

"What's this....." Tanjiro narrowed his eyes and backed up from the sleeping Nezuko, feeling confused and scared at what's happening right in front of him.

[Synchronization Complete! Welcome, Kamado Tanjiro to the Helpful System. Would you like to check out your skills?]

"Wh-what are you.... and how do you know my name? Are you a Demon messing with my head?" Tanjiro demanded answers from the strange screen floating before him.

[No, I only serve to help you on your journey to become a Demon Slayer.]

'That's something a Demon would say.' Tanjiro thought while deadpanning the screen.

[I can assure you that I'm harmless. My only purpose is to track your progress of your skills and give you benefits on the side. Would you like to check your skills out?]

'Wait a second, you can read my thoughts? Kami, this is worse than I thought. The Demon has already entered my brain.' Tanjiro gulped while his heart started beating faster. He didn't know demons can perform magic.

[Would you like to check your skills?]

It would seem like Tanjiro had to comply with the demon's requests for now. Urokodaki was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them both, when he's done that would be his chance to alert his sensei about the demon in his head.

'Sure.' Tanjiro replied in his head, not wanting to alert his sensei now or else the demon might do something to him or Nezuko.

[Skills:

Swordsmanship: Lvl 2

The art of fighting with a blade. Increase the speed of your swing by 4%. Note that it does not increase your ability with the blade nor does it increase its damage.]

[Aesthetic Bodybuilding: 1%

When you reach 100%. You will gain the perk Heavenly Restriction.]

[Enhanced Smell: Lvl 20

Smell things up to 200m]

[House chores: Lvl Max

Mundane things like washing the bathroom will be easy as pie for you.]

'Heavenly Restriction? What does it do?' Tanjiro asked himself but shook his head. He shouldn't let himself be enticed by these benefits, no matter how helpful they were.

[Would you like to check out your traits?]

Once again, Tanjiro complied with the 'demon's' demands. Another floating screen popped up in front of him.

[Traits:

Forehead Power: Attacks with your forehead deal 200% more damage.

???:????]

'Huh? What are all these questions marks for?' He wondered.

[You are not ready to know about them yet.]

Tanjiro huffed and crossed his arms. 'Now you're just insulting me! What's so shocking about knowing traits about myself?' Tanjiro asked the system.

[It's not about yourself, Tanjiro. It's something related to your journey of becoming a Demon Slayer. You'll unlock it in the future. For now, just focus on increasing the skills you currently have.]

"You know Tanjiro, the way you're staring at your sister is kind of creepy." Tanjiro jumped a little as he looked at Urokodaki approaching him while holding a tray full of food.

"A-ah! Sensei! N-no! It's not that! I w-was just thinking about something!" Tanjiro widened his eyes in shock. He successfully lied to a person.

'That's impossible! Mom said that when I lie, my face twists like crazy! And sensei can't see it either!' Tanjiro thought while looking back down at the floating screen.

Tanjiro is a very honest person, so honest that he can't lie in the slightest as his honest nature clashes with the insincerity of his words.

[Sorry, but I would rather have your special ability stay special.]

This system was more special than Tanjiro thought.

[My only purpose is to help you, Tanjiro. I wish no ill intent on you. My only wish is to see you become as strong as possible.]

Tanjiro sighed. On the more logical side, it was probably the worst decision he could make, but what else has he got to lose? He's lost pretty much everything now.

'Alright. Sure.'

The screen disappeared. Tanjiro sighed and looked back at Urokodaki who was setting up the dinner table.

"Get over here Tanjiro. Dinner's ready."

"I'm coming, sensei."

.

.

It was night time, everyone was fast asleep, except for Tanjiro who was sitting on his futon. He was busy studying his skills and making plans to improve them in his notebook.

Tanjiro sighed and started looking around the dark house. He looked beside him to see Nezuko sleeping, not once changing her sleeping position.

Tanjiro shivered, his mind suddenly thinking that Nezuko looked like a corpse. He quickly shut that thought away, Nezuko is a demon, not dead, which is somehow even worse because the dead don't harm people.

'Well, they do harm people mentally and emotionally.' Tanjiro slapped himself with both hands on both cheeks on his face. He looked at the small chest that Urokodaki gave him.

The chest contained his belongings, what he had salvaged from his house. Tanjiro had the sudden urge to look at whatever was inside.

'Why not. Not like it'll harm anybody.' Tanjiro got out of his futon and silently went to the wooden chest. He knelt down in front of it and opened it.

There was some coins, dried food and some old clothes for him and Nezuko. There was also an axe. It wasn't much, but there was something that caught the 13 year old boy's eye.

A small, ornate, red and black box. Tanjiro stared at it, it was a memento from his family's home. He was a thankful that he remembered the location of this box which was hidden in a loose floorboard.

He remembered that a long time ago, his mother told him that this was his father's after he passed. She told them that his dad said to only open it if there was ever a time where the world became full of monsters. It seemed like a fairytale to him and his siblings. They would use it to tell ghost stories.

But right now, staring at its dark crimson color and small etches, it didn't seem like a fairytale to Tanjiro. Not anymore.

'So dad knew about demons all this time....' Tanjiro thought with a frown on his face. If his sickly father knew about them, then this box must contain some tips or countermeasures against them.

Tanjiro set the box barely bigger than his hands down and opened it. The lock was nonexistent. He felt his heart was beating quicker than before, there was some anxiousness there now that he opened it.

"It's so dark." Tanjiro realized. He quickly lit up a candle. It lit a small part of the room and the interior of the chest. Once it was, Tanjiro was surprised to see its contents.

A lone singular notebook and a folded paper note.

They were very old and worn out. While the wood of the box itself seemed to be recently carved, there was a clear different between it and it's contents.

'Were they passed down?' Tanjiro asked himself as he looked at the leather notebook that was sealed with a black cord and a symbol on the front. The symbol was weathered and barely noticeable, but it was a red painted sun.

The note however was yellowed, torn at the edges.

Tanjiro obviously had no clue what it was. They looked like they were one hundred, two hundred years old, maybe even older.

It was obvious that this was an heirloom. The thought caused him to rub his Hanafuda earrings, another heirloom.

He started with the note.

He hesitated as it laid between his fingers. And in one motion, he carefully opened it. As he did, the words became clear.

'A contingency. To the one who reads this, this book is a guide. I cannot explain the history behind why I have created such techniques. But know that they are yours to learn.

To end Muzan Kibutsuji.

-Yoriichi Tsugikuni'

"Muzan.... Kibutsuji...." Tanjiro gripped the paper tightly. The name belonged to the Demon King, the first of his kind, and the progenitor of all other demons in existence.

Urokodaki had told him of this name when he was training during the afternoon. When he did, the name bounced around before it settled in the center of his brain cavity. It sat, like an un-shatterable rock, sinking to the bottom of an ocean of subdued loathing.

A demon, and from what he figured, one like no other that could evade the swordsmen of the Corps. One that must've killed countless humans, his family being inconsequential.

Tanjiro gritted his teeth, feeling more of his burning anger directed to that name.

Wherever this Demon King was, however strong he was, it did not matter. It was only a matter of time before he found him and gather enough strength to do what the Corps couldn't.

'I'm gonna find you Kibutsuji. Once I do, you're dead. ' Tanjiro vowed in his head before he set his eyes on the writer of the letter.

"Yoriichi Tsugikuni....." He whispered. Tanjiro felt like he should know who he was but nothing came around.

'Maybe one of my ancestors knew who he was.' Tanjiro thought before he set the note down. He hummed softly as he looked at the leather notebook.

'That gives me a thought. Father said that the Hinokami Kagura alongside with the earrings have been passed down from father to son for generations. Maybe this Yoriichi has something to do with it.' Tanjiro mused. It was logical, since this Yoriichi trusted the Kamado Family so much to let them keep this.

"Hey, maybe I should add the Hinokami Kagura to my training. Even my father who was sick at the time could do this throughout the night till dawn without stopping even for a second." Tanjiro nodded, deciding to do it later.

He picked up the leather notebook. He pulled the string and the knot was undone, allowing him to lift open the cover. As the cover fell, he took a look at the first page.

The first page had a title. Tanjiro was confused at what it was.

'The Mark'

To be continued...