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"Where the hell did I end up? Is this still my country?"
At night, on a busy, brightly lit street, a teenage boy stood frozen in the middle of the road. He was strikingly handsome, with long hair that gave off an unmistakably artsy vibe. His eyes were wide as he stared around in disbelief, shock written all over his face.
Pedestrians passing by glanced at the boy who seemed to have suddenly lost his mind, their expressions full of pity.
Such a good-looking kid. What a shame. Lost it at such a young age.
But Asher couldn't care less about the strange looks. His mind was in complete chaos.
Because just moments ago, he had realized something unbelievable.
He had transmigrated.
Yes. Transmigrated.
He'd been dropped into a world that was completely unfamiliar to him.
Sure, the people around him were dressed in modern clothes.
But the shop signs lining the street, the massive billboards overhead, all written in Japanese, made one thing painfully clear.
This was not where he belonged.
Just yesterday, he had been stuck suffering through that god-awful Super Ghost King event, utterly disappointed in a certain brain-dead planner whose entire family registry probably had only one page left. In a fit of rage, he'd uninstalled the gacha game that had accompanied him for nine whole years. Then he went to sleep.
And when he woke up, he was here. In a totally different world.
As Asher was still trying to process what kind of cosmic bad luck had landed him in this mess, a very familiar voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
[Ding! System binding successful!]
[Dear Host, the Great Onmyoji System is at your service!]
[Due to the Host currently being in an unfamiliar environment]
[The system has automatically loaded language templates and identity settings]
Asher froze.
System?
And that voice… why did it sound exactly like the mascot girl from that three-character game?
No, not "like."
It was identical.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the voice responded again, as if it had read his thoughts.
[Yes, Host. I am the system spirit of the Great Onmyoji System. You may call me Kagura.]
…Of course. It really was that game.
Damn it. Even after transmigrating, Onmyoji was still chasing him.
Asher felt utterly helpless at the fact that he still couldn't escape this thing.
Still, as a proud twenty-first-century youth who had been thoroughly poisoned by countless trash web novels, transmigration wasn't exactly hard to accept.
"So, Kagura," he asked, "where exactly did you send me?"
"And since you're my system spirit, what can you actually do?"
Kagura answered immediately.
[Yes, Host. You have transmigrated]
[You are now in a mixed-world setting]
[This world includes many anime universes, some you have seen, some you have not]
[In short, this is a complex world where normal and abnormal powers coexist]
[As for the Great Onmyoji System]
[Its purpose is to assist the Host in becoming the strongest onmyoji in this world]
"I see. That makes sense."
Asher stroked his chin and nodded in understanding.
Looks like he'd gotten the standard transmigrator package.
A system by his side. Becoming the strongest. Reaching the peak of life. Maybe even building a massive harem while he was at it.
[Ding! As this is the Host's first time binding with the system, you have received a Beginner Onmyoji Gift Pack. Would you like to claim it?]
Just as Asher was imagining his bright future, Kagura's voice rang out again.
There was no hesitation.
"Claim it."
[Ding! Opening Beginner Onmyoji Gift Pack ×1]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Onmyoji Hunting Robe ×1, Basic Spell Techniques, Ten-Pull Summon Opportunity ×1, Onmyoji Exclusive Skill Draw ×1]
Looking at the rewards, Asher twitched the corner of his mouth.
That was it?
He'd thought the system would be more generous.
Back in his previous life, newbie benefits on new servers were insanely good. Even old veterans like him could only drool while remembering how miserable the early days had been.
Still, something was better than nothing.
After quickly checking the system interface, Asher understood what each reward did.
The onmyoji robe was self-explanatory. Style mattered. You couldn't call yourself a proper onmyoji without a signature outfit.
The basic spell techniques were standard attacks that every onmyoji knew.
As for the ten-pull and the exclusive skill draw, one was clearly for summoning shikigami, while the other boosted the onmyoji himself.
According to the system, the summoning pool didn't just include shikigami. There were all kinds of weird and wonderful things in there too.
"Whatever."
Just as Asher shook his head and was about to use the system's gifted ten-pull for some good old-fashioned digital gambling—
Kagura spoke again.
[Host, although interrupting your enjoyment is impolite, Kagura believes it would be best for you to leave this area for now]
"Huh?"
Asher was completely confused.
But it didn't take long for him to understand why.
When he finally looked around, he realized that at some point, a large crowd had gathered around him.
Every single person was staring at him like he was an idiot.
It hit him instantly.
He'd been talking to the system in his head, but to everyone else, it probably looked like he was muttering to himself and losing his mind in public.
A wave of goosebumps ran from his scalp all the way to his toes.
No matter how thick-skinned he was, there was no way he could stay calm in this situation.
And if he actually started pulling cards out here, who knew what kind of chaos that might cause.
Without another thought, Asher bolted.
Under the painfully awkward gazes of the onlookers, he fled the scene in pure embarrassment.
…
Some time later, he ducked into a narrow, secluded alley where it didn't look like anyone would pass by anytime soon.
After catching his breath and calming his racing heart, Asher reopened the system.
This time, he didn't hesitate at all and went straight for the skill draw.
"Kagura, draw an Onmyoji exclusive skill."
[Ding! Drawing Onmyoji exclusive skill…]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Onmyoji exclusive skill: Word Spirit: Bind!]
"....."