Chapter 90: An Unexpected Guest
Dawn slowly drew back the curtain of night.
A brilliant morning spilled over the city, fresh and bright enough to make the events of the previous night feel almost unreal. Birds had already settled on the branches, chirping away in a noisy little symphony that was both irritating and strangely comforting.
For the residents of Shibuya Ward, the sight of the rising sun finally loosened the stone that had been pressing on their hearts all night.
One by one, they let out long breaths.
Some leaned against their windows. Some collapsed back onto their beds. Others simply stared at the morning sky for a while, as if confirming that the world had not ended while they were trapped behind their doors.
Last night had been a nightmare.
They did not know the details of the supernatural incident, nor did they understand what kind of danger had nearly swallowed Shibuya whole. But they had eyes. They had ears.
Police sirens had screamed through the district. Onmyo Bureau vehicles had rushed through the streets. The lights of Shibuya, which had dimmed since the Supernatural Recovery, had burned bright enough to turn night into day. Then came the thunderous explosions from Sitinge Mansion, followed by the tremor that swept across the entire ward like an earthquake.
With so many abnormal signs piled together, who could sleep peacefully?
Most people had already decided to call in sick, skip school, or simply pretend the world outside did not exist for another few hours.
The terrifying night had finally passed.
Now, at least, they could sleep.
Inside the secret room of the White Fox Office, Gin Tsumugi sat cross-legged on a meditation mat, quietly examining the reward brought by resolving the latest supernatural incident.
A translucent system panel floated before his eyes.
[Abe no Seimei — Founder of Onmyodo]
[Role-Playing Progress: Youth Period — 41%]
[Onmyodo Framework: Myriad Laws — 30%]
[Character Abilities:]
[Basic Talisman Compendium — Grandmaster]
[Shikigami Contract — Grandmaster]
[Five-Pointed Star Incantation — Grandmaster]
[Spirit Speech — Minor Accomplishment]
[Uho — Minor Accomplishment]
[Immovable Binding Technique — Minor Accomplishment]
[Fire Boundary Spell — Minor Accomplishment]
[Myriad Demon-Subduing Mantra — Advanced]
[Crucifix Sutra Thunder Technique — Advanced]
[Marīci Heavenly Mantra — Advanced]
[Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation — Minor Accomplishment]
[Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra — Advanced]
[Acala Demon-Subduing Mantra — Advanced]
[Trailokya-Vajra Heart Mantra — Advanced]
"Only forty-one percent?"
Gin stared at the numbers for a moment.
Before this, his role-playing progress had been at thirty-five percent. After resolving the Weird Wood Spirit Incident, the Human Devouring Incident, and the lingering aftermath of the Wedding Dress Tree Incident in one sweep, it had only risen by six percent.
That was far less than he had expected.
When he had destroyed the Wedding Dress Tree, his progress had risen by a full twenty-five percent. Of course, that had not been due solely to the Wedding Dress Tree itself. That incident had dragged in the Spirit Domain, the old village, the buried history of Mingao, and several key mysteries connected to Abe no Seimei's past.
Even so, the current increase still felt stingy.
This time, he had not merely eliminated one yokai either.
The Nure-onna behind the Weird Wood Spirit Incident was not something the Wedding Dress Tree could compare to.
On the surface, both had possessed Spirit Domains. But the Wedding Dress Tree's use of its domain had been crude, almost instinctive. The Nure-onna was different. She had been able to fold the power of her entire Spirit Domain into her attacks, forcing her opponents to withstand the pressure of the domain itself with every strike.
With that kind of technique, she was already close to invincible below the Great Yokai class.
That was also why Gin had summoned Zenki and Koki immediately to end the battle.
If he had fought her personally, he was confident he could have won, but victory would not have come cleanly. It would have taken time, effort, and risk.
Zenki and Koki, on the other hand, had made the outcome immediate.
And yet, even an opponent of that level had only granted six percent.
"I already knew the gap between each growth stage of the role-playing system would be significant," Gin murmured, unable to help smiling bitterly. "But the difference between the teenage period and the youth period is larger than I thought."
He dismissed the system panel.
As for the completion progress of his Onmyodo Framework—Myriad Laws—it remained at thirty percent, without the slightest increase.
That part did not surprise him.
The completion of Myriad Laws could not be improved simply by eliminating yokai. It required his own comprehension of Onmyodo. At present, the fastest way to improve it was still to continue reading the Senji Ryakketsu.
The problem was that his ability to understand the later portions of the text was closely tied to the advancement of the role-playing system.
Only after advancing again would he be qualified to read further.
If he forced himself to continue now, it would be no different from staring at a heavenly book. The profound meanings recorded within would simply pass beyond his understanding.
In the end, everything still returned to one issue.
He needed to increase his role-playing progress as quickly as possible.
"At this rate, if I want another major increase like the one from the Taizan Fukun Ritual in Mitsuwa Town, I'll probably need to eliminate something at the Great Yokai level."
Gin rubbed his brow.
Great Yokai were not weeds growing by the roadside.
Even in the current era of Supernatural Recovery, such beings were not easy to encounter. And with his current progress, one Great Yokai might not even be enough to push the role-playing system to its next advancement.
Two would be safer.
"Now I can only hope Shinomiya Kaguya's mark proves useful in a few days."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It would be best if it lured over two Great Yokai at once and filled the progress bar in one go."
Of course, that was only a joke.
If the mark on Shinomiya Kaguya truly had enough weight to draw two Great Yokai, then what came would not be two Great Yokai.
It would be Shuten-dōji himself.
And if the Oeyama Demon King personally descended, Gin's only choice would be to run as fast as possible.
With Zenki and Koki, he was confident he could ambush and subjugate two ordinary Great Yokai-level existences. But that did not mean he could fight Shuten-dōji.
Those who had never faced Shuten-dōji would never understand how terrifying he truly was.
That demon stood on a completely different level from ordinary Great Yokai.
With Gin's current strength, provoking him would be suicide. Only after the role-playing system advanced once more would Gin have the confidence to stand before him.
"I wonder if I'll meet any old acquaintances this time."
A deep look passed through Gin's eyes.
After all, in those thousand-year-old memories, he "knew" quite a few of Shuten-dōji's subordinates.
At that moment, a crisp knock sounded from the wooden door of the secret room.
Iwanaga Kotoko's voice came from outside.
"Director, a guest has arrived."
"Coming."
Gin responded and rose from the meditation mat.
When he opened the wooden door and stepped out, he saw an unexpected old man sitting on the office sofa.
"Old man?"
Gin paused slightly.
"How do you have time to visit?"
The visitor Kotoko had mentioned was none other than the Divine Fan, Amami Daizen—one of the Twelve Divine Generals of the Onmyo Agency.
His sudden arrival was truly beyond Gin's expectations.
.....
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