"Why four people?"
Looking at the battlefield where the fight with the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit had just taken place, there were clearly only three types of Innate Techniques visible to the naked eye: Kiyono's [Growth], Iwata's [Earth], and Ishihara's [Skyfire].
The fourth technique belonged to Mr. Akutagawa—[Loan]. It was quite an intriguing ability.
What appeared to be a seamless ambush by three people was actually the result of all four acting in concert. Through [Loan], Mr. Akutagawa could distribute the Cursed Energy within his own body to Kiyono, Iwata, and Ishihara.
Currently sitting on Akutagawa's shoulder was a plump, white, cute-looking little angel—a stark contrast to his fierce appearance. The creature kept chirping "Pochi, Pochi." This was the materialized form of his technique, used for "billing."
There were three modes of operation: [Usury], [IOU], and [Mortgage]. The method of lending was chosen by the caster.
For his own team, he naturally used the [IOU] mode. By utilizing Akutagawa's Cursed Energy, the precision and power of the borrowers' techniques were significantly enhanced beyond their natural limits.
Just now, the three of them had borrowed a total of 17,670 points of Cursed Energy—roughly 5,890 points each. Theoretically, Akutagawa could lend up to 20,000 points to a single person, which was his maximum capacity.
He could have lent 60,000 points across the three of them, but the remaining 40,000-point debt would have triggered a "Mandatory Zero-Cursed-Energy Mode" for the borrowers once Akutagawa initiated the settlement, lasting until the debt was repaid.
Fortunately, [IOU] was interest-free.
Then there was [Usury]—extravagant loans with astronomical interest rates and even higher total repayments. Just thinking about it was terrifying; it was a lending method designed to make anyone reconsider.
Normally, Akutagawa could use all these modes, but currently, he was limited to [Mortgage] and [IOU].
Looking at the ledger, 18,000 points had been consumed, followed by another 330.
"Initiate settlement?"
"Cough... cough... not yet."
Strictly speaking, as the possessor of this technique, Akutagawa should have been the person with the most Cursed Energy in the Association. Unlimited lending essentially meant a bottomless pit of power. However, because Akutagawa had spent his younger years exploiting loopholes, over-borrowing, and defaulting, his "credit score" had tanked.
Wiping a smear of black blood from his lips, Akutagawa coughed violently. Because of his "blacklisted" status, using the technique forced him to activate a secondary technique, [Fictional Soul], to impersonate another entity. This placed a massive physical burden on him. After today's activation, he likely wouldn't be able to open the ledger again for a month. He needed to confirm the state of the battlefield before closing the technique.
As long as the ledger remained open, Ishihara and the others still had 42,000 points they could potentially draw upon. Otherwise, the moment the settlement began, the debt collection would instantly drain their Cursed Energy reserves.
"Better to be careful."
Logically, a Grade 1 Sorcerer should comfortably defeat a Grade 1 Spirit. Why was it so difficult for them? Was a four-on-one "ganging up" really this exhausting?
The members of the [Scavengers] were all classified as back-end support for a reason. They couldn't compare to active frontline combatants. Old injuries from past missions and the lingering effects of death-curses from powerful spirits meant that their maximum energy capacity, output, and reaction times had all inevitably declined.
Akutagawa's group currently hovered at the level of Grade 2 Sorcerers. In a few years, they would truly have to retire; it was questionable if they'd even maintain Grade 3 proficiency then.
Much like Takahashi, Kinoshita, and Hongo—who were currently tending to civilians—these men had accumulated massive internal damage from overwork and injuries in their youth. Even their once-powerful techniques were becoming unusable.
Only when "borrowing" from Mr. Akutagawa could they catch a fleeting glimpse of their younger, stronger selves.
Ultimately, the problem was the shortage of Sorcerers. The busiest ones were doing the work of ten people, racing across the country to exorcise spirits. Meanwhile, the only person in the Association currently ranked as a Special Grade was a willful, flighty young girl who was largely useless for the cause, as she never accepted missions.
This was why Akutagawa and the others were reluctant to retire: the younger generation hadn't grown up yet.
"Is it over?"
Seeing the commotion subside in the distance, Kenmyo Isayama ran over immediately.
No, he definitely wasn't doing it for the points.
"Are you guys okay, uncles?"
"Of course we are, Ken!" Seeing him arrive, Ishihara set his hammer aside and slapped Kenmyo's back with a palm the size of a fan. It wasn't meant to be forceful, just a simple greeting. "Don't underestimate us. With the four of us moving together, this was a piece of cake."
Before Kenmyo was a crater 20 meters deep and 100 meters wide. The bottom was scarred with high-temperature melting marks, and the scorched earth was still smoldering. He could vaguely see the charred, fire-red remains of the horrific spirit's torso.
"Good work."
Kenmyo smiled and offered a few words of praise, but his eyes never left the pit. He had a keen sense that this thing wasn't entirely dead yet.
The system showed 0 collectable Cursed Energy. It needed a finishing blow—and that was his specialty.
"Mr. Kiyono, let me borrow your sword for a second."
Kenmyo crouched down next to the prone Shin Kiyono.
"What do you need a sword for? Sss... damn, that hurts." Kiyono and Iwata were both unable to stand due to the strain of their techniques. They were slumped against a car door. Even if the energy was borrowed, their bodies were the conduits; forcing high-output Cursed Energy through withered pathways was agonizing.
"Take it yourself."
Looking at the two exhausted uncles, Kenmyo chuckled helplessly and took the 1.5-meter-long katana from Kiyono's hand.
The possibility of Kenmyo turning the blade on these defenseless former Grade 1 Sorcerers never crossed the minds of Ishihara, Kiyono, or Iwata. Despite the age gap, they had been on enough missions together to establish deep trust.
"Well then, I'll handle the final cleanup."
Kenmyo unsheathed the katana. The cold glint reflecting off the silver blade was spine-chilling. His hand trembled slightly—this was a chance to personally kill a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit!
How many points would he get?
"I'll be right back."
"Ken, where are you going?!" Ishihara shouted as he saw Kenmyo leap into the smoldering pit. He wanted to stop him. The pit wasn't just hot; it was filled with toxic fumes, and the air was thin enough to cause hypoxia. Kenmyo wasn't even a certified Grade 4 Sorcerer; it was a suicide mission.
But Ishihara was at his limit. His body was stiff and unmoving from overexertion. He only managed to remain upright because he was too stubborn to fall.
"The temperature is still too high. Wait a bit for the cleanup, there's no rush."
Seeing Akutagawa approaching slowly, Ishihara shouted urgently, "Boss, stop Ken! He's heading down there!"
Mr. Akutagawa looked at the three immobilized men with a touch of resignation, but he wasn't panicked at all.
I told you not to overdo it, but you just had to show off.
If they had simply stalled for time, they wouldn't have burned through such a massive amount of Cursed Energy. But their goal from the start had been to annihilate the target.
In a way, they were cut from the same cloth as Kenmyo; his measly triple-digit mana pool meant he was usually just as "exhausted" as they were.
"It's fine. Ken mentioned it to me." Akutagawa pulled out a cigarette and lit it leisurely. "He recently awakened his own Innate Technique."
He looked at his three subordinates. "On the other hand, look at you three. You don't even know if your own prey is dead yet."
"Grade 1 Sorcerers?"
"Heh. I'm blushing on your behalf."