Following the sensation from the treasure map, Shinji Akagi quickly arrived at an abandoned well in the village.
At some point in the past, the well had suddenly stopped producing water, so it had long since been abandoned. The mouth of the well had even been sealed with a huge stone slab, probably to prevent anyone from accidentally falling in.
According to the map's guidance, however, the thing Shinji was looking for was directly below it.
Without hesitation, he pushed the large stone aside, lit a torch, and leapt straight down into the well.
During the fall, Shinji flipped his hand and produced a sharp kunai. Spreading his feet against the walls on either side, he increased friction to slow his descent, while driving the kunai into the cracks between the stones of the well shaft.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the bottom, successfully suspending himself just above the muddy ground.
"According to the sensing… it should be right here."
Shinji carefully searched the surrounding area first. When he found nothing, he began digging downward with the kunai.
Strangely enough, even after digging several meters into the soil, he still found nothing.
"Hm? That's odd."
Shinji paused and took out the [Cursed Treasure Map], wondering if he had missed some important information.
But the moment he took it out, something unexpected happened.
The originally pitch-black scroll suddenly turned to ash and scattered away, quickly dissolving into the soil beneath Shinji's feet.
Then the soil seemed to come alive.
At incredible speed, it merged together and reshaped itself into a black, ancient-looking treasure chest.
"So that's how it works."
Seeing this astonishing sight, Shinji fell into thought.
He had wondered before: what exactly could a treasure map from the system dig up?
Was the so-called "treasure" really sitting at that location the whole time? What if someone else happened to find it first?
And if it were just ordinary valuables from this world—gold, silver, jewels—then it would honestly be pretty useless.
But after witnessing this scene, his interest was instantly reignited.
He still didn't know what was inside the chest, but at least now there was something to look forward to.
The "treasure" wasn't actually buried here in advance. Instead, the map only activated once he himself arrived at the designated location.
In other words, the map in his hands was the real treasure—it simply needed to be unlocked.
Even if someone else stood at the exact same spot, they would find absolutely nothing.
And judging by what he had just witnessed, Shinji was convinced that whatever lay inside could not possibly be something ordinary.
While thinking all this over, his hands didn't slow down.
He decisively opened the chest.
However, he had overlooked something the entire time—or perhaps instinctively chosen to ignore it.
The prefix of that treasure map was [Cursed].
BOOM!!!
Hidan, who had been searching near the abandoned well, was suddenly startled by the explosion.
A moment later, he saw a somewhat battered figure burst out of the well.
Behind him, a mass of black things was wildly thrashing and chasing after him.
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?! Hurry up and help!"
Shinji dodged frantically while leading the pursuing mass toward Hidan.
Only then did Hidan finally see clearly what those countless black things were.
They were hair.
Endless hair.
For a moment, Hidan really wanted to shout:
"Don't come any closer!!!"
But based on his understanding of Shinji, that bastard would definitely drag him down with him.
And to make matters worse—
He couldn't outrun him.
Left with no choice, Hidan could only grit his teeth and jump into the fight.
He first pulled out his long black spear, then reluctantly put it away and switched to a kunai instead.
A spear was perfect for killing people—one thrust and you punched a hole straight through them.
But how were you supposed to cut hair with it?
As Hidan struggled to slice through the black strands surrounding him, he grumbled through clenched teeth.
When I get back, I'm definitely getting myself a weapon with way more destructive power.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Shinji's kunai flashed rapidly in his hand, forming a tight defense against the attacking hair.
Every strand that was cut immediately lost its vitality, falling to the ground and disappearing into nothingness. The sight was eerily unnatural.
The two of them fought while retreating.
Although the hair seemed endless, its strength was limited and its attack patterns were simple. So far, it hadn't displayed any other abilities.
For the moment, they could still hold their ground.
After retreating roughly fifty meters, the frenzied black hair suddenly stretched tight and stopped chasing them. Slowly, it began retracting, until every strand had withdrawn back into the well.
"It looks like that thing has a limited attack range… Fifty meters plus the depth of the well… so its maximum reach is probably around ninety to a hundred meters."
Shinji was analyzing the situation and thinking of a strategy when Hidan suddenly shouted beside him:
"What the hell was that thing just now?!"
"I have no idea."
Shinji shook his head honestly.
Hidan didn't believe him.
"Don't tell me you snuck out in the middle of the night just to admire the moon! I saw it with my own eyes—that thing chased you out of the well! Do you think I'm stupid?!"
Shinji looked at him in surprise.
"Well, well… looks like you've gotten smarter. Did the water finally drain out of your brain?"
"Bastard! I'll kill you!"
Hidan rolled up his sleeves and looked ready to fight Shinji on the spot. But Shinji still had more important matters to deal with, so he quickly changed the subject.
"I really don't know what that thing is. I came here because I wanted to retrieve something I once hid in that well. Who would've thought I'd dig up something like that instead?"
"What did you hide down there?" Hidan asked suspiciously.
"Some savings from long ago. From before I joined the Jashin Cult."
Seeing that Shinji had no intention of elaborating further, Hidan didn't bother pressing the issue.
But then Hidan suddenly sniffed the air, his expression turning strange.
"Do you smell something? It's… incredibly fragrant."
"That's not good."
Shinji's nose worked just fine. Of course he smelled it too.
In fact, even before arriving in this world, he had never encountered such an intoxicating fragrance.
It was impossible to describe with words.
It felt as if every beautiful thing one could imagine was contained within that scent, irresistibly drawing you closer…
and closer…
Gradually, a look of intoxicated delight appeared on Shinji's face.
But the next instant, a powerful sense of danger surged through him.
With the last shred of clarity he had left, he drove the kunai in his hand straight into his own thigh.
Thud!
Blood flowed from the wound, and the intense pain—doubled by his ability—instantly dragged him out of that bizarre trance.
When he looked up again, the sight before his eyes sent a chill down his spine.