Chapter 23

In the withered, desolate farmland, that twisting, writhing pale phantom seemed to possess some strange mana, making it so that once Uesugi Toru caught sight of it, he could no longer look away.

The Waranin mask twitched for an instant, but the next moment, the originally awe-inspiring face revealed a bizarre smile.

A dry, distorted voice issued uncontrollably from the depths of Uesugi Toru's throat:

"Twist... turn..."

Even though Uesugi Toru felt extremely nauseated, he smiled ever more radiantly, and his originally exhausted body seemed to fill with energy as he stood straight up.

Then, along with that pale phantom in the farmland...

He twisted and turned.

On the lawn, Uesugi Toru suddenly opened his eyes, letting out a retching sound in utter disgust.

"What the hell..."

Even now, that bizarre, twisted white shadow still lingered in Uesugi Toru's mind, along with the sensation of his body completely beyond his own control.

After lying on the lawn resting for a good while, Uesugi Toru finally let his chaotic thoughts return to normal.

— This time, he actually died on the spot just because he took one extra look at that thing in the farmland.

One extra look and you explode?

That's absurd.

How many stars does this thing have? One star? Or one-star half?

Having noted down a few characteristics of that twisted white shadow, Uesugi Toru took out his mobile phone without hesitation and asked the omnipotent company slave netizens.

【Tsukisuna-chan】: I have a friend who saw a white phantom twisting and turning in a field, suspected to be a scarecrow. Is this thing dangerous?

In the office, Rituna Minami, who had propped her black-stockinged feet on the desk and was happily sipping her happy water, couldn't hold back and sprayed a mouthful of soda onto the face of Shizuka Mami, who was working seriously opposite her.

Shizuka Mami's mouth twitched; she didn't speak, just silently wiped the soda from her face and neck with two tissues.

— Even though it had only been half a day, she had already grown accustomed to Rituna Minami's unreliable appearance.

This Onmyoji Minor Officer's private demeanor was completely a different person from when she was in the external world.

She didn't look like a workplace elite at all; rather, she was very similar to her younger sister who was still in high school — liked gulping down soda, eating puffed snacks, and often secretly badmouthing colleagues with her.

Shizuka Mami sighed in her heart.

She felt a bit disillusioned, really.

— But Rituna Minami believed she had a reason for spraying the soda.

It had only been a few hours; she had just told Uesugi Toru to behave, so how did he go and provoke a famous Mononoke again?!

Bored out of your mind, are you!

The classic "I have a friend" couldn't fool Rituna Minami; she didn't know how many times she had used this little trick herself before.

However...

Rituna Minami was a bit puzzled.

Judging from the Spirit Control Technique's sensing, the puppet she gave Uesugi Toru hadn't been harmed yet; if he really encountered Twist and Turn, that puppet should have acted long ago.

This kind of specific Mononoke born in rural countryside, even if widely spread and known, wouldn't be too strong.

Because this is modern society.

Just like putting the famous Mononoke "Miss Mary" back a thousand years ago, she would also be greatly weakened due to having no telephone — same principle.

【Work Go Die】: Your friend won't last long before dying. This is "Twist and Turn", a very famous Mononoke. As long as you see it, you'll fall into mental derangement, until you go mad, then die.

Uesugi Toru saw the reply matching all the characteristics and thought, indeed.

He saw Twist and Turn and died of mental collapse within minutes, counting as experiencing yet another brand-new death method.

— This thing is this strong; could it be related to the Side Quest?

【Side Quest Two: White Scarecrow — In fields eroded by chemical wastewater, the scarecrow sways in the wind.】

Uesugi Toru read this task description carefully again, feeling that "Twist and Turn" had a high possibility of being related to it.

Then the question arose.

If he can't even take one extra look, how is he supposed to kill it?

Uesugi Toru relayed this question truthfully to the netizens.

— Rituna Minami felt Uesugi Toru had already gone crazy.

That Twist and Turn stays in the sparsely populated countryside and doesn't run around randomly; it counts as the most harmless type of Mononoke.

You say your brain short-circuited, so why go provoke it?

But while thinking this, Rituna Minami tossed out a key: "Shizuka, go take out that Golden Vajra Statue from the safe, and on your way this afternoon..."

Halfway through speaking, Rituna Minami suddenly realized Uesugi Toru was asking 【Work Go Die】, not her, Rituna Minami.

If she gave the stuff to Uesugi Toru, her vest would be exposed, wouldn't it.

So Rituna Minami took the key back.

【Work Go Die】: There is indeed a way, and it's not hard.

【Tsukisuna-chan】: What insight does the big shot have?

【Work Go Die】: Since seeing Twist and Turn makes you fall into madness, just close your eyes and chop it to death, wouldn't that work?

— Close eyes and chop to death?

Uesugi Toru laughed; do these company slave netizens think I'm some swordsman with "Mental Eye" or "Fist Eye"?

But after sitting silently for a while, Uesugi Toru discovered this idea seemed... not impossible either?

— Shizuku once said, hearing sound and discerning position is the most basic skill for a qualified Swordsman.

Seems there's something to it.

When I see Shizuku this afternoon, I'll go ask her.

Uesugi Toru thanked the netizen who replied promptly, didn't waste any more time, and entered Arakawa Ghost Village once again.

——He had killed the foreman, but hadn't yet had the chance to go to the blacksmith to claim his reward.

Massive water pressure struck.

Uesugi Toru, having gradually adapted to the cutscene, put on his mask without a word and headed straight for the Blacksmith Shop.

Along the way, he didn't forget to test the effect of the foreman's crowbar, this Rare Quality weapon.

In actual testing, Uesugi Toru discovered with pleasant surprise that the crowbar's effect far exceeded his expectations.

For ordinary locked doors in thatched huts, he only needed to hold the crowbar and lightly tap once to destroy the door lock, giving very much the feel of a master key.

And even for thick wooden doors blocked shut with planks and various furniture, Uesugi Toru merely swung once with normal force and knocked the entire door flying along with the obstructions behind it.

Although powerful, it seemed he fundamentally couldn't test the crowbar's upper limit.

"Why not try the School Rooftop's iron gate later."

Stowing the crowbar, Uesugi Toru thought as he was about to step into the Blacksmith Shop.

Entering the Blacksmith Shop, Uesugi Toru discovered this time there was no sound of forging from the backyard; instead, a small figure wearing a hood stood beside the blacksmith.

"Making such a small child learn forging, this is exploiting child labor……"

Mumbling this in his heart, Uesugi Toru was just about to open his mouth to explain the process to the blacksmith, but saw the other party smile and slam an iron hammer onto the table:

"Speak, what weapon do you want?"

Uesugi Toru, who almost thought the other party wanted to discard him after use, froze for a moment, put the firewood knife back, not expecting the old blacksmith to be so straightforward.

He said: "I practice Tennen Rishin-ryu."

The blacksmith stared blankly, his smile converging.

(End of Chapter)