The path to Capital Nozumo is separated into 3 areas with 2 checkpoints determining the zone, the 1st checkpoint is close to the northern gate of beginner town.

The area from the northern gate to the 1st checkpoints is known as the beginner zone, PVP is still not allowed in this area and the level of the mob in the area ranges between level 2 ~ 15. Newbie generally does quest around this area while learning the basic of melee and ranged combat, when a newbie want's to cross the checkpoint, they will need to pass a graduation quest that tests their overall basics skill in the checkpoints.

The quest is easy to complete as it requires the player to complete one of the two available quests, 1st being the melee spar against a level 15 instructor and the 2nd being the range target aiming. The melee spar is not too difficult as the instructor does not use any skill and his movement is not hard to predict, the range quest is also easy as it just requires the player to hit the moving target and reach the quota.

After completing the quest, the newbie then will be able to cross the checkpoint into the 2nd area. Tanaka is now heading toward the checkpoint and he intends to do the melee quest as it's the most suitable for her combat style, also because that she doesn't really know what is demon slayer proficient at.

While traveling toward the checkpoints, she will often encounter a few goblin scouts, she quickly disposes of them without any problem. Slimes is passive toward her and the spider just seems to avoid her, Tanaka travel to the checkpoints with ease. After 20 minutes of traveling, she finally arrives at the checkpoints, numerous player can be seen leveling near the checkpoint and some of them is doing the graduation quest.

T-"Really bring back memories here, Adachi stuck here for quite a while because the instructor keeps on beating him."

She approaches the NPC in charge of the checkpoint in the middle of an encampment.

T-"I would like to start a graduation quest."

The NPC looks at her and nods his head, a notification then shows up instead of the quest selection menu. Tanaka immediately knows that her hardcore mode must have trigger something yet again.

 

[Graduation Quest Accepted!]

[H* 1 Versus 10 ]

level recommend: NaN (Quest mob level will be 30 level above the player)

In order to graduate and pass the checkpoints, the player will have to face off with 10 samurai puppets all at the same time.

The player will respawn at the checkpoint if the player dies during the quest, all the puppet will regenerate and respawn to full HP.

This quest is to test the player's ability to overcome a difficult situation, the path of hardcore mode is not easy so one should always be able to stay calm and turn the tide in their favor.

Reward:

Checkpoints access

Hardcore Badge

 

T-"Ten versus one huh, not that hard really, the only problem is their level."

 

Tanaka proceeds to walks toward the arena stage where the instructor is, when she arrives at the arena the instructor has just defeated a player. The player perish into pixels and the instructor get off the stage, he then walks toward Tanaka.

I-"I have been informed that you will be taking the Ningyo challenge, head up the stage and the challenge will start."

A player walks toward Tanaka and the instructor and yell.

P-"Hey not fair! I have been waiting here for a while, why does she get to do the quest first!?"

The instructor responds by punching the player right in the face, the player falls down to the ground after taking tremendous damage. The instructor Level is 55 instead of 15 when he is not on the stage, so a single punch is quite deadly to a newbie. He then glares at the player on the ground and says.

I-"Keep that up and I will have you detained back to beginner town."

The player shriek and crawls away in shame, Kumo taps its front leg as if it's laughing at the player. Tanaka then proceeds to get up the stages while Vanguard swallows up Tanaka and turns back into a set of light mithril armor. As she walks toward the middle of the stage, a notification shows up in front of her.

 

[Player Tanaka, are you ready?]

[Y / N]

She stretches her arms and after she is done she presses on the Y icon, the notification changes into another.

 

[Prepare for combat...]

[3...]

[Engage!]

T-"Huh!?"

 

The system tricked her and starts before the countdown even reach 2, she glace around her surrounding and the samurai puppet has already spawned and is rushing toward her, each of the puppets wears a full set of red samurai armor with a red kabuto helmet, they wield a regular katana with both their hand.

Two of the puppet reaches the back of Tanaka and tries to stab her in the back, Kumo immediately turns around and sprays toxic on them. Both the puppet did not stop their attack and their blade stabs into Tanaka's back, she turns around and swings her enlarged mallet right on the left puppet. The puppet smash right into the puppet next to it and both of them get fling toward the side, their armor begins to corrode from Kumo's breath and their movement become clunky. Tanaka uses this chance to dash toward the empty area of the arena and quickly chuck a potion while checking her HP as she groans from intense pain.

HP: █████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Her HP slowly regenerates from the potion as she fends off another puppet that strikes her from her left flank, the mallet smashes the puppet right in the head and it gets sent flying out of the stage, it explodes into pixels as it hits the ground outside of the stage.

T-"If I get hit by the puppet 3 times simultaneously I am so dead... tsk!" 

She jumps toward her left flank to dodge 4 of the puppet strikes coming from her front, as she landed one of the puppets immediately turn around and slash her waist.

T-"For fuck sakes! That fucking hurt!" She glace at her HP.

HP: ██████████▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Having no time to waste, she quickly dash to the other end of the stages while chucking another HP potion. Two of the puppet chase her while the other seven spread around and encircle her, limiting the area she can move around. When both the puppet get close to her, Kumo fire a toxic shot at the right puppet face while the puppet tries to block the shot, however, it failed and the shot hit it right in the face. The puppet paused and grab its face as if it can feel pain, it kneels down as its face slowly melt.

Just as the other puppet tries to stab Tanaka's chest, Tanaka shrinks her mallet as she holds it up high and enlarges it while she smashes it down toward the puppet. The puppet gets crushed by the max STR mallet and a shockwave emerges from the puppet's death and destroys the kneeling puppet that's already low on HP.

T-"Seven left..."

Tanaka glace around to check which of them is going to engage her, however, none of the puppets seems to be dashing toward her. They slowly advance toward her steps by steps, each of them moving one at a time randomly, seemingly trying to prevent Tanaka to predict which of it will engage her. As they advance closer and closer, Kumo makes a hissing sound and sprays toxic gas all around Tanaka's surroundings. The puppet back away to avoid the gas. Vanguard then transforms itself back to slime as it bounces upward and transforms most of its body into a mithril bow while part of it turns into 10 mithril arrow, Tanaka then grabs the bow while the arrow enters her inventory. At this moment, a small notification shows up.

[Vanguard & Kumo synchronization]

[Progress: 1%]

 

Tanaka smiles as she glances at the notification, she then aims her bow at the far left puppet and fires an arrow. The arrow pierces into the puppet's head and the puppet falls down on the ground, it then gets back up with an arrow stuck in its head, however, just as it gets up Tanaka has already fired another arrow and the arrow struck its head again, crushing it into pixels.

T-"Bulleyes~ six more to go."

The other six puppets would move around randomly outside of the toxic cloud to avoid Tanaka's arrow, Tanaka waits patiently until the toxic cloud disperses, right at that moment they charge toward Tanaka once again. Tanaka use this opportunity to fire 3 arrows simultaneously at the middle puppet and two of the arrow struck the puppet right in the chest while one is deflected, Vanguard then transforms back into slime and swallows up Tanaka while transforming back to an armor.

A puppet reaches in front of her and swings the katana side way toward her, she bends down immediately and swipes the puppet's legs. The puppet falls down on the ground while Tanaka gets up and smashes it right in the head. The puppet perishes into pixels while one of the remaining five puppets swings its katana right at Tanaka's head, Kumo fire a toxic shot right at the puppet's right leg and the toxic pierce through it. The puppet stumble and fall to the left causing the katana to only hit Tanaka left arm, she shrugs off the minor damage and dash jumps up high above a puppet and kick it right in the face, she then rolls toward the middle of the stage as she landed while the two of the puppet pull up the puppet that has fall down due to Kumo toxic.

Tanaka pants as she is getting tired from the relentless assault, Kumo continues shooting its toxic shot at the other two puppets that are trying to flank her from the side, Tanaka throw her max STR mallet right at one of the puppet while they are busy dodging Kumo attack. The mallet smashes into the puppet causing it to fly out of the stage and exploded into pixels, the mallet crash down near the edge of the stage while Tanaka runs toward the other puppet.

T-"Vanguard! Turn my left gauntlet into a dagger!"

The left gauntlet of Tanaka change its shape into a mithril dagger and Tanaka grabs it while stabbing it deeply into the puppet head, the puppet head is pierced through but it stills tries to slash Tanaka with its katana, Kumo shoots a toxic shot at the puppet hand and cutting it off, the puppet then falls flat on the ground and perish. The mithril dagger merges back into Vanguard and Tanaka's left hand slowly gets covered up by it while it transforms back into a gauntlet.

T-"Whew, you guys are awesome."

Vanguard can't respond but Kumo did tap its legs together happily. Tanaka then turns around toward the last remaining three puppets. Suddenly, two of the puppet sit down on the ground and take out a small red dagger, they stab the dagger into their abdomen and commit seppuku. They fall down on the ground and perish into red matrix code, the last remaining puppet then walks toward the code and absorb it. A red warning notification shows up in front of Tanaka.

 

[Warning: Ningyo has entered carnage mode!]

[Enraged Samurai Ningyo]

Level: 63

HP: ████████████████████

Skills:

Unknown

 

T-"Carnage mode... level also increased by 20, hmm."

While Tanaka is figuring out what does carnage mode does, the puppet vanishes and instantly appears in front of her, the puppet katana somehow has managed to pierce through Tanaka's chest without her noticing. Tanaka coughs out blood as she glance over at her HP bar.

HP: ██▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Tanaka notices she has some HP left and she smiles while blood drips out of her mouth and gush out from her wound, she then grabs the katana and pushes it deeper into her body, she groans at the pain, and eventually, the katana is all the way through her body with only the handle left. She then hugs the puppet with only a tiny amount of HP left as she whispers to the puppet's ear.

T-"Big mistake ...you stupid puppet, Vanguard...grow spikes!"

The mithril armor on Tanaka instantly grows spikes and pierce all around the puppet's body, the puppet struggles and tries to escape but Tanaka is hugging it tightly, Kumo uses this chance to fire a barrage of the toxic shot at the puppet head. The puppet eventually perish from the relentless barrage of toxic shot and it perishes into pixels, Tanaka then falls down on the ground as she checks her HP.

HP: |▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

T-"Urgh... almost die there."

Vanguard turns back into slime and it snuggles at Tanaka's hand, seemingly trying to cheer up Tanaka. Kumo is still rooted at Tanaka's shoulder and is making painful noise as its body shakes violently, Tanaka then remembers that Kumo shares an HP bar with her, she moves her hand slowly toward Kumo and rubs its body with her finger, Kumo seems to shakes less violently after Tanaka soothing. Tanaka then takes out an HP potion and drinks it, the instructor proceeds to jump up the stages and smiles at her.

I-"Congratulation! You have proved yourself and will be granted access to pass the checkpoint!"

Tanaka stares at the instructor and flips him off, the instructor just laughs and he jumps down the stage and walks away.