Chapter 5: Beginning to Entice
"The owner of this photo is definitely an extraordinary existence on this mountain as well…"
Kitahara looked at the photo again, about to casually throw it away.
However…
[Ding! Discovered special item—Nether Photo: Miko Awaiting Her Wedding]
[Introduction: After a person dies, their relatives take photographs to preserve their last appearance. This custom originated from the West and became popular after spreading to Neon…
And photos taken after a person's death are called Nether Photos.
However, some Nether Photos are taken while the person is still alive…
A naive miko with a pure emotional world, perhaps she doesn't know what love is, perhaps, just a slight display of tenderness and affection will make her heart flutter? Isn't that right?]
[Ding, discovered the object of origin, detected its possible connection to a powerful item, beginning to entice.]
Then, Kitahara looked at the beauty in the photo and suddenly felt a strong surge of love within him.
An impulse suddenly arose from his heart, making him unconsciously speak.
"I like you…"
He said it to the photo…
But after he said these words…
He suddenly felt as if this barrier world had abruptly changed, becoming intensely silent.
Then, a strong alarm instantly rang in his mind.
[Warning, warning, terrifying resentment reviving, initiating forced exit… Discovered Red…]
Buzz!
The world trembled…
After that, Kitahara felt something cold spreading in his chest.
His consciousness went black, and his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
And the moment Kitahara figure disappeared from here…
On the summit of the sacred mountain…
A giant Sakura Tree…
Petals of Sakura fell, the shrine long deserted, only the giant Sakura Tree remained beautiful and vibrant; it seemed to have never stopped blooming.
Under the Sakura Tree, bright Sakura-pink light illuminated the entire space… pure white shimenawa, blood-red talismans emitting an eerie aura.
Pale long hair hung down, as if asleep, the girl slowly opened her blood-red eyes.
… …
"Hoo!"
Suddenly sitting up from the bed, Kitahara felt his entire body drenched in cold sweat…
He didn't know what had just happened on the sacred mountain, but judging from the system's terrified reaction, it was definitely nothing good…
And…
His gaze fell on his chest…
He saw a beautiful Sakura pattern appear on his heart area.
What is this…?
In his vision, the system text appeared.
[Discovered Mark: Proof of Promise]
(Explanation: When you speak certain words, it signifies the formation of a contract. You, possessing this mark, have been branded by another existence. Perhaps you need to go to a certain place and fulfill a certain promise to remove it.
Note: Since you spoke such bold words, you must take responsibility…)
Kitahara: "… …"
Was he, then, tricked by the system?
That damned greedy system…
Kitahara looked at the mark, feeling the faint, chilling aura emanating from it.
"Has this become someone else's property, so a mark was left?"
Kitahara instantly thought of that beautiful photograph, and his gaze subconsciously went to his left hand, only to find that he hadn't brought anything with him.
"The photo wasn't brought over…"
The mark on his chest was definitely left by the owner of that photo…
As for what promise to fulfill.
Kitahara remembered that he had confessed to the person in that photo…
So the promise…
Was he targeted by that guy?
He took a deep breath.
Putting aside the matter of this mark for now, Kitahara began to sense the changes in his body.
After completing the first scenario and receiving the system's reward, his body had undergone earth-shattering changes.
After all, when he first transmigrated, this body was not strong, even somewhat weak; the original owner himself did not like exercise.
And now…
He stretched out his hand and clenched his fist…
A powerful, unfamiliar force surged from all over his body, gathering in his fist.
Kitahara even felt as if he could punch through a wall right now.
Is this the power brought by the Spiritual Energy Breathing Method…
Because a special meridian was opened within his body, his current body only became slightly stronger, without turning into the physique of those strongmen.
Although his physique hadn't changed much, his strength had almost quadrupled…
If Kitahara, when he first transmigrated here, only had half the strength of an adult, then now, he possessed the strength of three adults.
And with the blessing of the so-called Spiritual Energy Breathing Method, his strength could even be greater.
This trip was not without any gains.
And…
Kitahara looked at the upper left corner of his vision, where there was a light blue dot.
He focused his gaze.
Then the light dot was opened…
A transparent character panel appeared before Kitahara.
Name: Kitahara Tai
Constitution: 3
Spirit Energy: 9/10
Skill Points: 10
Skills: Spiritual Energy Breathing
Method (Upgradeable)
Items: Yujin Chi no tori
Scenes:
Continuous Large Scenes: Prologue: The Lovely Things Living in Mountain Range
Star Rating: One Star
Prologue Scene Task: Omitted
(Note: All tasks in the prologue must be completed to unlock the next scene.)
Below that was a huge skill tree, containing all sorts of skills, and unlocking these skills required skill points…
This was his system…
Kitahara gaze fell on the skill section.
"The Spiritual Energy Breathing Method can also be upgraded, and it also requires skill points…"
He tried to upgrade it.
Do you want to spend three skill points to upgrade the Spiritual Energy Breathing Method?
"Yes."
Buzz!
The moment he made the decision, the words "Spiritual Energy Breathing Method" in the skill bar trembled violently, then blurred, and became clear again.
Spiritual Energy Breathing Method Stage Two (Upgradeable)
Do you want to spend six skill points to continue upgrading?
"No…"
Kitahara felt the power within him grow considerably stronger again.
His Constitution went from three to six, and his Spirit Energy cap increased from ten to thirty.
… …
It took some time, but Kitahara figured out how to use his system.
Simply put…
He could gain skill points by slaying spirits, which he could then use to learn and upgrade skills.
And the 'Scenes' section of the system was essentially his main quest line, requiring him to continuously complete tasks to unlock subsequent scenes.
Once he received a scene, he had to complete the tasks within it to progress. If he failed to complete them within the allotted time, the system would forcibly teleport him to complete them.
Looking at it this way…
Although the forced completion of tasks made Kitahara a bit helpless, he also saw the benefits of this system.
After all, the feeling of his body instantly becoming stronger was simply amazing.
Moreover, if he became strong enough, completing those dangerous scenes would also become relatively easier.