Chapter 55: See Spirits

"I choose B."

The logic behind Bai Cangshu's choice of reward was actually very simple; because the opponent's Killing Points were too low, the reward values from this Drop Card were generally low as well.

The only "value-retaining" and most practical option was the Attribute Point reward in C.

Among the remaining options, because the number of selectable rewards in terms of items was too few, and the opponent had not displayed anything special, Bai Cangshu felt that rather than rummaging through trash, it was better to take a Specialty; even if it wasn't something he urgently needed, it would be of some use.

The result turned out quite well, as it gave him Footwork Mastery.

Bai Cangshu felt the spasms in his muscles; his strength had once again been enhanced. This feeling of rapid improvement was indeed something that could make a person feel an addictive intoxication.

Bai Cangshu felt that perhaps Sinful Reincarnators did not need any extra stimulation at all to walk step by step toward a destiny of constantly hunting other Reincarnators to strengthen themselves, then making enemies, and then continuing to slaughter.

And sooner or later, on some day, they would be killed by one or a group of Reincarnators, ending their sinful lives.

"Sinful Reincarnator, what a fitting name indeed."

At this moment, Bai Cangshu recalled the rumor about the 【Black King Society】 that the professor had finally transmitted to him; it was very clear that the other party was tactfully warning him that unlimited slaughter would invite disaster within the space.

Bai Cangshu sat on the roof of the train, with a silver full moon hanging high above his head.

I really have been underestimated; I have always been a law-abiding good citizen who resists temptation.

The night wind was very fierce, blowing Bai Cangshu's messy hair so that it whipped around constantly; under the moonlight, his face was brimming with a certain excited emotion.

He could already see the "torii" gates appearing more and more frequently in the mountains and fields in the distance; this was the greatest characteristic of the city of Kyoto.

As the center of Japanese culture that had continued since the Heian Period, various shrines had long since become the hallmark of Kyoto.

What was even more ironic was that as the existence most deserving of being loathed by the gods, Kibutsuji Muzan now lived within this Kyoto.

And that Prince Hirohito, the man who would later become the reigning Emperor who would let Japan ignite a catastrophic war across all of Asia, was also in Kyoto at this time.

Bai Cangshu's smile grew increasingly flamboyant.

He was not deceiving himself; Bai Cangshu liked 【Order】 and respected 【Order】.

During the years he grew up in Dongxia, on one hand, he was feared for being an Outlier, while on the other hand, he was also... pitied for being an Outlier.

Bai Cangshu was not one of those teenagers in chuunibyou stories; he did not feel disgust because he was pitied. On the contrary, he felt that humans were a very magical species.

To actually feel pity for something more powerful than themselves.

Bai Cangshu touched the location of his heart.

Is it because those people have a more powerful heart... perhaps...

Several images flashed through Bai Cangshu's mind like a strobe; it seemed someone had said some words to him, but just as he wanted to recall them carefully, everything vanished again.

"Kyoto station, we have arrived!"

As the attendant began to remind passengers in every carriage, the train also began to slow down. After a train journey of almost an entire night, the group had arrived at the place where this mission would likely involve a fierce battle.

Bai Cangshu did not wait for the others; he leaped directly from the roof of the train, like a crane spreading its wings, jumping across a distance of nearly ten meters through the air and landing on the fields outside the tracks.

He then quickly vanished into the night.

He had already discussed the so-called strategy with the others; what remained to be done was nothing more than waiting for the slaughter at daybreak.

Bai Cangshu walked from the fields toward the direction of the city; under the moonlit night, there was no trace of anyone in the fields.

But the sound of dense footsteps suddenly rang out from behind Bai Cangshu.

Bai Cangshu's footsteps paused, and the sound vanished completely; Bai Cangshu moved again, and the sound continued to appear.

Bai Cangshu's brows twitched, and he turned his head to check his surroundings. In fact, Bai Cangshu's senses were sharp; he knew there was nothing behind him at all. Turning his head, his falcon-like eyes swept across the low-lying fields and the trees on both sides of the train tracks.

He discovered nothing.

It was neither a man-eating Ghost looking for death, nor some startled small beast.

Bai Cangshu's brows furrowed slightly; his Ripple Qigong was subconsciously about to surge, but suddenly, Bai Cangshu remembered the particularity of this world and that special Milestone: 【See Spirits (Rare): See a Spirit Body】.

In the Demon Slayer World, it was not just the existence of "Ghosts" of the type like Kibutsuji Muzan; without a doubt, this world indeed possessed Spirit Bodies.

Those people who harbored kind thoughts, after dying, lingered somewhere in the world, unwilling to leave because they wanted to see the people they were attached to.

Bai Cangshu did not expect to encounter this situation. He was not afraid; Bai Cangshu had even gone straight at the most heinous man-eating Ghosts of this world with his fists.

It was just that he was not sure how he should handle the current situation.

This fellow was clearly right beside him, yet he could not see it.

Was it because he lacked the ability or aptitude to see Spirit Bodies, or... was it that the other party was unwilling to let him see?

Bai Cangshu glanced at the brightly lit city in the distance, unwilling to give up this Milestone marked as "Rare."

In various anime worlds, "Spirit" was also a concept with extremely high versatility; it was hard to say whether this Milestone would affect the acquisition of any precious power systems later on.

Bai Cangshu tried to continue walking forward, and sure enough, the sound of footsteps appeared again. Bai Cangshu changed direction, and the sound remained.

Only when Bai Cangshu walked toward the train did the sound disappear.

It was unwilling to go to the train or the train tracks?

Bai Cangshu gazed in all directions and suddenly noticed the numerous torii gates; a bright idea struck him, and he walked toward that place.

The footsteps behind him appeared again, just as expected.

When Bai Cangshu arrived at the foot of the mountain, he looked up and saw a huge torii gate standing across the mountain gate, and the road behind it was paved entirely with stone, with stone fox statues on both sides.

The stairs leading to the shrine at the summit were covered by small torii gates, like a red tunnel.

After he attempted to step into the mountain gate, the footsteps behind him slowed down.

Was it afraid?

While Bai Cangshu was surprised and suspicious, a voice suddenly rang out.

"I didn't expect you to be able to bring this child back, sir. Could this be a revelation from 【Inari】?"

An elderly man dressed in a red skirt and white robe looked very dignified; he appeared to be the Shrine Priest or Chief Priest of the shrine. The old man's beard and hair were all white, but the look in his eyes as he watched Bai Cangshu was as if he were looking at someone incredible.

The corners of Bai Cangshu's mouth curled up, revealing his signature smile.

He never believed in coincidences or divine revelations; furthermore, he was a Reincarnator, a plunderer to this world. This old man was putting on a solemn and dignified act, but Bai Cangshu smelled the scent of a conspiracy.

The old shrine official did not wait for Bai Cangshu to speak; he formed a hand seal, and the footsteps behind Bai Cangshu became clear in an instant.

The next moment, a young girl wearing a shrine maiden outfit and standing less than fifty centimeters tall appeared behind Bai Cangshu.

Two ears poked out from the girl's fluffy hair, her eyes were wine-red, and beneath her red skirt, a tail also extended out.

【You have encountered a Spirit Body in this world, completing the Milestone: See Spirits (Rare)】

【See Spirits—You will have a probability of seeing Spirit Bodies; the probability is linked to your Spirit and the strength of the Spirit Body. Each time you encounter a Spirit Body, your Spirit will have a small probability of increasing.】

【You have unlocked the subsequent Milestone: Touch Spirit (Rare)—Successfully touch a Spirit Body and achieve Survival.】

At the same time, the professor appeared below the mountain gate, and he was slightly dazed as he looked at Bai Cangshu, who had found this shrine one step ahead of him for some unknown reason.

"Mr. Tao Baibai, are you also here to seek assistance?"

Could it be that the other party is not a so-called Great Sin-type Reincarnator? But rather some type that can receive revelations just like himself?

"Human, I have a request."

The young fox girl, suspected to be a God's Envoy of the Inari God, spoke thus; Bai Cangshu reached out to grab the other party's head, but only felt the temperature on his hand drop slightly, while touching nothing at all.

(End of this chapter)