Chapter 87: Oyakata-sama, I Suggest…
A miracle was out of the question. This "debuff" was permanent.
After cycling through several different diagnostic protocols with his Medicine
LV.3, Natsuya reached a cold conclusion. Forget the [Healing] or [Root Cause]
options—even the [Symptom Relief] protocol was flashing deep red, indicating an
abysmal success rate.
The higher-tier options were grayed out entirely. When Natsuya tried to click
them, the System threw a notification:
[Current Medical Level cannot affect Curse-type Status Effects.]
This is even weirder than Lady Ruka's illness, Natsuya thought. Wait, no, it's
not a biological disease at all. It's a Cursed status. It belongs to the Magic
or Occult tier of the game engine, not the Science tier.
He suspected that even if he succeeded in a "Relief" attempt, he'd just be
crafting a placebo equivalent to a modern aspirin.
Faced with the expectant gazes of the Rengoku family and the Kakushi, Natsuya
slowly shook his head.
"I can't do it. It's untreatable."
He forcibly swallowed the phrase "You're hard-locked for death, quit while
you're ahead" because the guy had just complimented his looks. He decided to be
professional.
"The Boss doesn't have a disease. He's carrying a curse."
"I don't know if a higher Medical rank would work, but with my current stats—and
even what I could reasonably grind in the short term—I'm powerless."
His Medicine skill was nearly at the level cap for his current stage, and it
still looked like a brick wall. He had a feeling he'd need Level 5 or higher
just to see a sliver of a progress bar.
"Instead of a doctor, you should probably be looking for a High Priest or
someone with a [Purification] skill tree," Natsuya added helpfully.
Kagaya didn't look disappointed. If anything, his smile grew warmer. "The fact
that you identified its true nature proves your medical skill is already
top-tier, Natsuya-kun."
He nodded gently. "Only the high priests of the Himorogi family reached the same
conclusion."
Himorogi? Natsuya recognized the name. Right, the Proctor from the Final
Selection.
"The Shinto guys? Even they couldn't 'Cleanse' it?"
Kagaya let out a helpless sigh. "This is no ordinary curse. It is a weight that
has pressed upon the Ubuyashiki family for a thousand years. It is a hereditary
chain, a destiny we cannot flee."
He signaled for the Kakushi to retreat to a distance. Then, he began to recount
the ultimate secret of the Corps' leadership—a lore drop that most low-rank
Slayers would never hear.
"It all traces back a millennium. The progenitor of all demons, Kibutsuji
Muzan... he was originally a member of my own clan. Because of his
transformation into the first demon, our bloodline was cursed."
The story ended in a heavy, suffocating silence.
Beside them, Shinjuro looked somber, but his gaze occasionally drifted to
Natsuya.
This child... why does he look like he's bored?
Natsuya, meanwhile, was mentally processing the 16x speed subtitles from the
"Backstory Animation."
Okay, got it. Progenitor and the Boss's ancestor were brothers. One went for the
'Gothic Horror' mutation build, the other went for the 'Paramilitary Science'
build. A thousand-year Faction War. Standard JRPG plot.
Kagaya continued, "In any case, Natsuya-kun, everything you have done adds to
our momentum in the fight against Muzan—"
Natsuya suddenly cut in. "Speaking of the fight, Boss... don't you think our
recruitment and training meta is a bit... 'Retro'?"
The Final Selection is basically a one-time Battle Royale with a 90% mortality
rate. It's a bit extreme for a group that's already short-staffed.
Shinjuro stared at him, shocked by the bluntness. Kagaya, however, gestured for
Natsuya to continue.
Natsuya began to roast the game's "System Design."
"Logically, the Corps is desperate for manpower. But the 'Sodate' model—one
master per apprentice—takes at least a year to produce one unit. After you
factor in the drop-outs, the people who quit, and the ones who transfer to
logistics or the Butterfly Mansion, the number of candidates who actually make
it to the Selection is tiny."
"And then you let hundreds of them die or get crippled every year just to find a
handful of 'Qualified' Mizunoto?"
"It's a contest that values RNG (luck) over actual skill. I've met Slayers who
passed the Selection without seeing a single demon. They just played 'Wilderness
Survival' for seven days in the wisteria bushes. And what about the ones who
actually fought?"
"The current system punishes 'Late-Game' heroes. Slayers with massive potential
who just haven't leveled their Breathing high enough yet get eaten by
over-leveled demons in the forest. And demons get stronger by eating Slayers! If
one demon eats three candidates and awakens a Blood Demon Art, every other
rookie is just delivery food."
"The Corps loses dozens of veterans a year, but you're only replenishing them
with ten or fifteen luck-based rookies. In a few years, the talent pool is going
to hit zero."
Shinjuro sat in stunned silence. As a prodigy, he had never questioned the
tradition. He simply thought those who failed were "weak" or "unfit."
But looking at it from Natsuya's angle... he realized the boy was right. A
rookie like Kyojuro, if he had a bad spawn or ran into a high-stat demon early,
could die before his fire ever had a chance to burn.
Kagaya's expression shifted from gentle to deeply serious. He listened intently,
nodding as Natsuya spoke.
Natsuya proposed a series of "Patch Notes":
1. Proctors: Deploy high-rank Slayers to the Selection grounds to act as
examiners and safety marshals.
2. Performance Evaluation: Pass candidates based on technique, willpower, and
character, rather than just surviving the clock. This filters out the
cowards and saves the talents.
3. Emergency Interventions: Proctors save promising talents from certain death.
A 'Failed' candidate who was saved is still better than a dead one—they can
be retrained or moved to support roles.
4. The Internship Phase: Don't send a Mizunoto solo. Group them into squads or
have them shadow a veteran for their first few missions to learn
team-tactics and demon biology.
Natsuya rambled on, covering personnel logistics, ranking systems, and
standardized training camps. To a person from 2099, the Corps' current
management looked like a disorganized startup.
Kagaya took it all in. He didn't feel offended or argued back. In his clear,
curse-clouded eyes, there was only sincere admiration... and a hint of profound
regret.
"Natsuya-kun... to think you have conceived of such visionary improvements. Many
of your ideas feel like they come from a place of ancient wisdom."
"It is truly remarkable."
The direct affirmation made even Natsuya pause. But then, Kagaya did something
that shocked everyone present.
He slowly and solemnly bowed his head toward Natsuya.
"Therefore, I must apologize to you—and to every Slayer who has harbored these
thoughts but could not voice them."
The Master lifted his head, his face etched with a heavy, ancient sorrow.
"I apologize not because your ideas are flawed. On the contrary... I apologize
because they are so correct, yet I lack the power to implement them
immediately."
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