Kitahara looked at the panel.
Task One: Enter the foot of the mountain.
(Task Content: Please explore the foot of the mountain for at least ten minutes.)
(Task Description: In the mountains, there is a group of lovely gods. Please run away as soon as you see them.
Otherwise, you might bring them home...
The quiet mountain forest, all around silent.
Kitahara stepped on the soft grass, making a rustling sound.
Although the sound was faint, in the quiet mountain forest, it seemed so abrupt.
Having chosen Task One, Kitahara planned to stay outside for three hours first, then enter.
After all, in the task, he only needed to explore the foot of the mountain for ten minutes.
Once the time was up, no matter what difficulties he encountered, he could immediately log out.
Moreover, he looked at the back of his right hand.
On the back of his hand, a blood-red torii was like a scar burned by a hot iron, and although it was a scar, it inexplicably had a unique beauty.
Kitahara was somewhat dazed, then shook his head with a helpless smile.
"To think a wound looks good, there might be something wrong with my brain too."
And the fact that he could smile in such a place meant his mindset was extremely strong.
However, he surveyed the divine mountain beyond the torii.
This mountain seemed much taller than the surrounding mountains, and its vegetation was far more lush than other peaks.
Kitahara had heard that Sakura Trees with buried corpses underneath grew better than other Sakura Trees.
Although it was just an unreliable rumor, the completely different vegetation growth on this mountain compared to others showed that this mountain must be very rich in nutrients, right?
And...
Kitahara looked at the torii.
"To be able to build such a torii in a place like this, it probably wasn't originally meant for outsiders to enter the shrine on the divine mountain for offerings..."
Meaning, the shrine on this mountain was built specifically for certain people.
And this torii became a kind of barrier.
Isolating the outside world, creating a divine concealment.
But with the erosion of time, the so-called barrier would also become fragile, as that torii was not entirely a pure object to begin with.
Made from such extremely evil materials, while it could block even more powerful impurities, it would also cause quality issues.
However, those people living on the mountain were definitely a group of lunatics with no so-called sense of life.
During this waiting period, Kitahara was not idle; he tried to walk outside the clearing.
But unfortunately, although he wanted to try to leave, every time he tried to approach the forest, a strong sense of fear would arise in his heart.
It was as if the trees in the forest were not ordinary trees, but rather strange coffins with corpses buried inside.
Coffins sprouting, then growing into trees.
These trees have very good nutrients too...
The idea of trying to find a way out from the outer forest was immediately dismissed, and Kitahara returned near the torii.
It seemed this was the only safe zone. The torii barrier's coverage also included this clearing, and beyond the clearing, something terrifying was definitely lurking.
The forest outside the clearing might not be as dangerous as the divine mountain, but going to the divine mountain would allow him to leave after completing the task.
And Kitahara did not think he would be so lucky to find a way out by exploring the forest outside the mountain.
So...
Kitahara glanced at the watch on his hand.
Time was up.
He found a relatively sturdy wooden stick, briefly got used to its weight, swung it a few times, and then came to the front of the torii.
He took a step forward.
Since a decision had been made, it was better to be decisive and resolute.
Kitahara was not a hesitant person by nature.
Stepping into the barrier, it felt like a cool layer passed over his body, but nothing unusual happened. Kitahara was a little nervous.
He tightly gripped the wooden stick, guarding against dangers that could appear at any moment.
Entering the barrier was like entering another separate world: dark, damp, with a faint, lingering smell of decay.
Kitahara felt as if his entire being had fallen into darkness.
If, in the clearing, he could still feel some light, then upon entering the torii and stepping onto the stairs, only the steps a few meters ahead were visible, while both sides were completely dark forest.
Kitahara took a deep breath.
He only needed to stay here for ten minutes.
Whew...
Suddenly, something seemed to breathe softly behind his head.
He subconsciously turned his head, wanting to look at the torii behind him...
And then...
His pupils suddenly constricted.
Cold sweat instantly seeped from his forehead.
"This is... the front and back are completely different..."
In his vision, the originally somewhat dilapidated torii had its paint completely peeled off on the other side.
That faint, lingering smell of decay partly came from that torii.
And what made Kitahara even more horrified was...
On the brown wood beneath the torii's paint, there were surprisingly deep claw marks.
Something would come here at a fixed time, then try to destroy the torii with its withered claws, wanting to... escape...
Claw marks, one after another, dense and covering the entire back of the torii.
The chaotic claw marks were filled with a kind of frenzy, making people inexplicably feel agitated.
But Kitahara seemed to have seen something at this moment; he slowly approached the torii.
Whatever that thing was... it might not just want to destroy the torii.
After getting closer, Kitahara saw that in a densely claw-marked area, the torii's brown wood was already damaged, revealing what was inside.
Kitahara looked, using the dim light.
Then he saw...
Flesh...
Crimson, slowly wriggling as if alive, densely covered with blood-red patterns, as if breathing...
There was something living inside the torii...
An incredibly absurd thought arose in his mind, Kitahara's pupils constricted, and he took a few steps back from the torii.
Time slowly passed...
After the task began, a countdown appeared in the upper left corner of Kitahara's vision.
Unconsciously, three minutes had already passed.
Kitahara had not yet felt anything unusual.
He scanned his surroundings; aside from being a bit scary, was it safe here?
However, as soon as he had that thought.
Crack...
A sudden, unfamiliar sound from not far away instantly made him focus.
He looked in a certain direction.
It was the dark, seemingly endless forests on both sides.
It was dark, and he couldn't see what was inside, but at this moment, Kitahara felt as if, at a certain position ahead, something eerie was standing upright, quietly watching him.
The two of them might be staring at each other at this very moment, who knew.
Thinking of this, a strong shiver ran from the base of his spine to his entire body.
He took back what he just said.
There was definitely something living in the forest on this divine mountain...
Because... he could already smell it...
...
It was a nauseating stench, like a decaying corpse, then constantly running, and the stench constantly dissipating when blown by the wind.
A faint, lingering fear swelled in his heart. Kitahara felt his adrenaline surge wildly, and his breathing became rapid.
He gripped the wooden stick tightly, sweat seeping out.
Next, it was about how to deal with that thing.