Above the hidden divine mountain, an ancient village secluded from the world, bizarre and bloody mysterious rituals, and exclusive and reclusive, quiet villagers.
Unknown and terrifying folk customs are hidden here…
An ancient and sacred shrine, with a gloomy and eerie presence hidden in its deepest part.
In the village, there is a group of such beings.
They wake up when the sun sets and sleep when the sun rises.
They let out low laughter under the moon and run through the dark forest.
Lost travelers will encounter them in the forest.
At that time, please escape quickly and do not look back.
They are a group of people who have attained eternal life, calling themselves… gods.
But no one knows their true appearance, and before this, they… were just a group of mad people who had lost their minds.
They did some unforgivable things…
… …
The sun had not fully set, and the light had completely dimmed. A gentle breeze blew, and the green grass swayed, rustling as if whispering softly in an uninhabited place.
Stepping on the soft grass, Kitahara, dressed in pajamas, looked around, a bewildered expression on his handsome face.
Where is this?
Kitahara remembered that he should have been preparing to burrow into his warm bed to sleep.
How did he end up in such an eerie place before even getting into bed?
Kitahara looked ahead.
The mountain forest was silent, as if entering another uninhabited world. He stood on a grassy clearing, surrounded by a gloomy forest.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Kitahara's gaze seemed to subtly perceive that the trees in the forest had come alive, extending their withered branches like ghostly claws and gently swaying at him, the outsider.
There was no one around, only the sound of the wind softly whispering in his ears, as if someone was murmuring softly.
The setting sun stretched Kitahara's shadow, pinning it to the ground. His lone figure in the quiet sunset appeared somewhat lonely and helpless.
Stillness, emptiness.
Kitahara turned around again and looked behind him, his pupils slightly contracting.
There, a tall torii was embedded in the dark mountain forest, its branches and leaves intertwined, revealing two high corners, exuding a vast and ancient aura.
"torii? Shrine?"
He took a few steps forward, examining it closely.
It seemed no one had been here for a very long time.
Under the erosion of time, the originally red torii had turned into mottled red and black, its surface covered with countless cracks.
The paint, solidified like fresh blood, peeled off in pieces, like decaying skin on a woman's body.
The torii was dilapidated and could collapse at any moment.
Behind the torii was a Sando leading to endless darkness, extending upwards. The Sando was covered with black moss, and beyond it was a dim expanse, with no end in sight.
As if sensing something, Kitahara looked at the pitch-blackness behind the torii, feeling uneasy in his heart.
Behind that torii, deep within the mountain forest, something was silently watching him.
"Am I… having a nightmare?"
Kitahara couldn't help but pinch his face.
There was pain…
Not a dream?
His pupils contracted slightly.
He didn't expect to encounter such a thing on his first day after transmigrating…
He looked at the torii.
Is this my golden finger?
It doesn't seem like it…
Kitahara looked around again.
This place… doesn't look like somewhere ordinary people would come.
Moreover, the torii, which should clearly represent the divine realm beyond it, now, under the light of the setting sun, revealed a sad decay and dilapidation.
It was as if it had suffered destruction and struggle from some abnormal entity.
At this moment, it even had the feeling of sealing the entire great mountain.
Kitahara looked puzzled.
What's going on now? How did he end up here?
He looked at the torii.
The darkness behind the torii made him feel a little creepy at the moment.
There was also a strong urge in his heart, telling him to leave this place immediately…
Ding!
However, just as his gaze focused on the torii.
A string of glowing text suddenly appeared in his vision.
The text was as follows:
Item: [Foul-Smelling torii]
Description: A torii constructed from the body of a girl who suffered endless torment and the supremely yang object, lightning-struck wood. The sacred lightning-struck wood encases the girl's dismembered limbs, which contain unimaginable grievance. The invisible, terrifying grievance it emits makes it difficult for any impure thing to approach.
Perhaps one day when all the blood on its surface completely peels off, something terrifying might escape from within.
And here, representing the entrance to the divine realm, it is a barrier used to seal certain things. The true "gods" existing within may not be as holy as imagined.
Ding!
Discovered scene item, preparing to loot item…
Starting loot…
Ding, loot successful!
Obtained Item — Yujin Chi no tori
Note: This is an item with terrifying sealing abilities. Although powerful, please use it carefully. After all, everything has two sides. The more frequently you use it, the more marks it will leave, and in the end, you might become its shape.
Prompt sounds kept ringing in his ears, and Kitahara suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness appear on the back of his right hand.
That feeling was as if something was being peeled from his body and then growing.
He raised his right hand and looked, only to see a crimson torii pattern slowly appearing on the back of his right hand.
He looked at the pattern, deep in thought.
This is… the system-looted item?
Ding, due to the discovery of a supernatural item, gained partial self-preservation power. Mission mode activated.
Mission One: Enter the foot of the mountain.
Mission Two: Enter the mountainside.
Mission Three: Enter the mountaintop.
The interface changed, and a mission interface like a game appeared.
Kitahara looked at it. On the transparent interface, three missions were arranged vertically, their content extremely concise.
"Why does it feel like playing a game?" He couldn't help but mutter, his gaze once again sweeping over his surroundings.
A quiet and deserted clearing in the forest, with only him standing there. The silent environment made him feel uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart.
"This place looks a bit dangerous…"
His gaze retracted from the torii. He tightened his pajamas.
Although he was a horror film enthusiast before transmigrating here, claiming to have seen countless horrors, when truly experiencing a supernatural event firsthand, it was inevitably a different feeling.
From the description and construction method of that decaying torii, it could be seen that the divine mountain behind it was not a good place, and the things living on it would not be benevolent entities…
So, he tried to ask.
"System, quit game!"
No response…
"Quit!"
No response…
"Exit scene!"
Ding! Please select and complete one mission, and remain in the scene for three hours.
This time, the system responded, but…
"I have to complete a mission to leave?
What kind of place have I come to? An alternate dimension? Or a spiritual realm filled with evil spirits?"
Looking at the conditions required to leave this place, Kitahara frowned slightly.
He felt that he should have entered some strange space now, which was the so-called scene.
And in this space, he needed to complete some specific missions to leave.
Unknown things always cause fear.
Especially when you have no choice but to face them.
Kitahara felt this way now…
He looked at the darkness behind the torii.
A divine mountain, huh…
A place emanating such an ominous aura…
Would it also be called a divine mountain?
But… he had to make a choice.
Since that's the case, then choose the place closest to the exit…