The sudden sound of dense footsteps made Maki feel a great sense of unease.
Sure enough, when Maki looked back, she saw more than a dozen enemies, identical to the ones before, appearing from all directions.
Maki immediately moved, taking advantage of the fact that they had not yet formed a encirclement.
The ancient building in the center of the island was clearly not right at first glance.
When exploring, it would be best to use a stealthy approach and proceed cautiously.
Therefore, Maki had to shake off these persistent followers as quickly as possible.
However, the ground, covered in slime, greatly affected Maki's speed.
Conversely, the Octopus People's speed increased in this environment.
"Do I have to deal with them first?"
Maki looked back at the Octopus People relentlessly chasing her.
The next second, the familiar sensation of dizziness appeared again.
"Could it be that just looking at them causes a curse?"
Recalling the previous instance of dizziness, Maki made a deduction about the Octopus People's method of cursing.
Maki stopped focusing on what was behind her, relying solely on sound to determine the Octopus People's positions and movements.
However, the dizziness did not disappear.
Maki gritted her teeth, deciding to knock down all the Octopus People behind her before moving forward.
"Explode."
A familiar voice came.
The gentle voice carried a strong, echo-like sensation.
The next moment, more than a dozen Octopus People behind Maki all exploded.
"Nice work, Inumaki."
Maki smiled and looked up, towards the direction of the voice.
There, a young boy with snake eyes and snake fangs tattooed on his face was waving at her.
Meeting a companion in such a place was a very happy occasion.
"Okaka?" (Are you alright?)
Inumaki Toge asked with concern.
"I'm fine. If I had my cursed tool, those guys would have been dealt with long ago."
Maki waved her hand, signaling Inumaki Toge not to worry.
Inumaki Toge, however, grabbed Maki's hand.
"What's wrong?"
Maki looked at Inumaki Toge in confusion.
Following Inumaki Toge's gaze.
The back of her hand had already developed a pallor completely different from her original skin.
Maki pulled up her sleeve, revealing that half of her arm had developed this sickly pallor.
Inumaki Toge pulled Maki's hand and ran towards the edge of the island.
The two quickly reached a very weak man.
"Who is this guy?"
Maki felt that the man in front of her looked somewhat familiar.
"You're that Assistant Supervisor who went missing, Inoue Hao?"
Maki recalled the identity of the man in front of her.
"Oh my goodness, finally someone I can communicate with normally. If I didn't have someone to talk to, I felt like I was going crazy…"
It seemed he had truly been holding it in for a long time. Although Inoue Hao's voice was weak, he kept expressing his joy.
The white-haired boy who had just found him kept talking about strange food.
Not only did the two not communicate well, but the more they talked, the hungrier they became.
"Enough. Let's save these words until we leave this place. For now, please explain what's going on here."
Maki impatiently interrupted Inoue Hao's incessant chatter.
"Sorry, I've been stuck in this rotten place alone for a day, I really needed to let it out."
Inoue Hao scratched his head apologetically.
"Um, let me ask first, are you two Jujutsu Sorcerers?"
Inoue Hao looked at Maki with hopeful eyes.
"Yes."
Maki nodded.
"That's good."
Inoue Hao breathed a sigh of relief. Since they were Jujutsu Sorcerers, there was a chance they could take him away.
"Before I explain the situation here, let me ask, have you heard of cthulhu?"
Inoue Hao asked curiously.
"Never heard of it."
"salmon roe?"
The two answered succinctly.
"I see."
Inoue Hao scratched his head.
As an adventure enthusiast who loved seeking thrills, Inoue Hao was very fond of mysterious and exciting works like cthulhu.
"Then I'll start with some more basic things."
Inoue Hao organized his thoughts and began his introduction to cthulhu.
"cthulhu is one of the most famous Great Old Ones in a new mythology created by H.P. Lovecraft in the last century. This mythology is also known as the cthulhu Mythos."
"According to the mythology, cthulhu sleeps in a submerged city in the South Pacific. Due to certain external factors, it occasionally connects with and makes contact with unspecified humans through psychic perception…"
It seemed he was either under too much pressure and needed to release it, or seeing the beautiful Maki, he wanted to gain her attention by showcasing his knowledge.
Inoue Hao began to continuously recount the contents of the cthulhu Mythos that he knew.
At first, Maki and Inumaki Toge listened attentively.
Later, they vaguely sensed that something was off.
Inoue Hao first gave a simple introduction to the origins of cthulhu, which was fine.
Then he spoke of beings with many tentacles and eyes, similar in appearance to the Octopus People outside.
This was also fine.
After that, the content began to deviate from the current situation.
For example, cthulhu's Three Pillar Gods.
Did these have anything to do with their current predicament?
Could the beings appearing here really be the Three Pillar Gods?
If so, how could you still be alive?
And why did you suddenly express, with a tone of emotion and deep thought, that human value is meaningless in the Universe?
That the exploration of the mysterious would ultimately lead to disaster.
"Get to the point."
Maki interrupted unhappily.
Inoue Hao also realized that he had displeased Maki.
He immediately brought the conversation back on track.
"All that I've said was actually to introduce you to cthulhu's appearance and characteristics.
Because, according to my deduction, the Cursed Spirit here is likely an imaginary Cursed Spirit derived from the cthulhu Mythos."
Inoue Hao said seriously.
"Explain in detail."
Maki's impatient expression vanished, and she began to listen intently.
"Normally, to defeat an enemy, we must understand it, but the cthulhu Mythos is different."
Inoue Hao looked up, his gaze meeting Maki's.
"In the cthulhu Mythos, the more you understand them, the deeper you become infected. Only destruction and madness await you."
After speaking, Inoue Hao pulled up his shirt.
What was revealed beneath his shirt was not a human body.
Instead, it was skin like an octopus, and numerous eyes.
Seeing this, Maki instinctively tensed her body.
Inumaki Toge's hand also moved to his zipper.
"Don't be nervous, I'm still fine."
Seeing their wary expressions, Inoue Hao immediately raised his hands in surrender.
"I just wanted to tell you not to try to understand it, otherwise you will become like me, and like the people outside."
Inoue Hao's tone was somewhat dejected.
As an adventurer, it wasn't his first encounter with a Cursed Spirit, but he hadn't expected to encounter such a being this time.
He should have known better than to enter the village to search for a Cursed Spirit for that small reward.
"Are you saying those Octopus People are all humans?"
Maki suddenly asked.
"They should be former humans."
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