Chapter 16

"[Herpes Culprit]? Oh... I don't really care about anything below the Special Grade. Whether it's a cursed spirit or a cursed object, they're all super weak."

Just to be on the safe side, before setting off, Kazuma Hatori called Satoru Gojo to confirm.

They bought the cell phone while strolling around Hachibancho in Yamagata Prefecture. The reason for this was that when Gojo Satoru and Hato Kazuma exchanged contact information, they discovered that the other person was not only empty-handed, but also had empty pockets.

At this moment, Kazuma Hatori's new phone only has one contact.

However, this contact person was clearly too capable, so much so that his grasp of relevant intelligence was probably not as good as that of the assistant supervisor who was often by his side.

“I’ll have Ichiji gather some information; he’s quite good at this kind of thing.”

On the other end of the call made by Kazuma Hatori, along with Satoru Gojo's voice, came the sharp sirens and horns of police cars, so loud that the whole sentence became intermittent.

"However, it's quite strange that those old men from the Kamo family would actually tell you about their mistake? They're all incredibly stubborn and old-fashioned..."

Gojo Satoru was sighing to him, but Hato Kazuma could barely hear him, his attention constantly being drawn away by other noises coming from the phone.

"Over there..."

Just as Kazuma Hatori was about to speak, his voice was completely drowned out by the sudden alarm, and he even subconsciously moved his phone away from his ear.

But then the sound suddenly weakened considerably, as if Gojo Satoru had deliberately moved away from the chaotic and sharp noise source.

"I've just arrived at the location where the cursed spirit was discovered,"

Gojo Satoru's usually light and rising voice became much more stable as he took the initiative to explain to Hatori Kazuma.

"This cursed spirit was born in a factory that was still in operation. It caused quite a lot of personnel accidents. Police cars and fire trucks have come."

"We contacted the government under the pretext of a gas explosion and asked them to help evacuate the people urgently. That's why the alarm was sounded just now to remind the people still in the factory to evacuate as soon as possible."

"Then you should also be careful." Kazuma Hatake blurted out to him instinctively as he suddenly realized what was happening.

"Wow, I rarely hear that phrase."

Gojo Satoru paused for a moment before speaking to Hato Kazuma again, his words carrying a hint of involuntary, delighted laughter.

"Alright, I'll accept your concern then!"

Kazuma Hatori heard laughter on the other end of the phone, and his mood improved as well.

But this moment of tranquility was fleeting, and another voice came through the phone on Gojo Satoru's end. It sounded very urgent, as if someone was calling him to come out.

"Okay then, I'll bring ten fish back to you to get your stamp. Bye-bye—"

beep.

Kazuma Hatake left the phone, blinking slowly twice before putting it away. The phone had almost no other use besides contacting Satoru Gojo.

Even though Gojo Satoru was busy dealing with the disturbances caused by the cursed spirits, he didn't forget the help he had offered earlier—Hatori Kazuma didn't have to wait long before the information on [Herpes Root] was sent to his email.

The unfamiliar address must belong to that person, Ichiji Kiyotaka.

Kazuma Hatake opened it, and the description of the [Herpes Root] inside was extremely detailed, including records that it had indeed been transported to an abandoned hospital in the suburbs, but the official documents stated that it was being suppressed and there were no abnormalities.

The regular reports from [the window] were also quite standard, and there was nothing special about them compared to the cursed objects used to suppress other places.

Judging from the comparison of the two documents, Kamo Chokichi and his group did indeed conceal the fact that the cursed object had already been unsealed from an official perspective.

According to the information about "the root of herpes", it seems to have originated from an ancient monster legend, but it actually came from the rampage of a curse master in the late Edo period, commonly known as "the grave robber herpes granny".

In those days when people were terrified because of the spread of herpes, there was an old woman who specialized in digging up graves and stealing the corpses of people infected with herpes.

Even with the villagers' constant prayers and the heavy stones placed on the graves, they could not stop the disappearance of corpses and the spread of herpes, and the number of dead and disappearing corpses continued to increase.

Finally, the overwhelming fear, forming a vicious cycle, completely crushed the entire village. The massive accumulation of negative emotions gave rise to the Herpes Curse Spirit, which also attracted sorcerers who came to exorcise it.

For ordinary villagers who don't understand spirits, spell power, and curses, all they know is that from a certain day onward, corpses will never be stolen again, and the sores will suddenly disappear without a trace.

All that remains is the legend of "Grandma Herpes Who Raped the Tomb", also known simply as Herpes Granny.

According to records from the sorcery world, Herpes Granny was actually an evil sorcerer who used villagers to raise Gu poison. Even after she was killed, she left behind a cursed object called [Herpes Root], which has been used for many years to suppress a region from being corrupted by low-level cursed spirits.

However, if the [seal] of the cursed object is removed, its cursed power will be coveted by high-level cursed spirits, who will then attempt to devour it to strengthen themselves.

There are also cases where cursed objects can transform cursed spirits, similar to possession or backlash.

Therefore, what he needs to pay attention to is the cursed spirits attracted by this cursed object, or the cursed spirits that have been transformed by it.

After carefully reviewing the information, Kazuma Hatori put away his phone and looked at the abandoned hospital in front of him.

The tent was lowered by the Kamo family. The sky in sight seemed to be shrouded in a dark filter. As the light quickly dimmed, the air emitted a low hum, as if embodying the concept of danger within this small area.

At this moment, only Kazuma Hato stood here, and it was the first time he had faced a cursed spirit alone.

Without Gojo Satoru and Fushiguro Megumi by his side, and with his cell phone completely cut off from communication with the outside world due to the [tent] being lowered, he was unable to do so.

However, Kazuma Hatori did not appear nervous.

You have entered the territory of the Level 1 cursed artifact [Herpes Bane].

[Enter battle: Yes/No.]

【yes. 】

For him, it was just a change from teaming up to grind monsters to immersing himself in solo dungeons.

Kazuma Hatake took out the [Blood-Stained Fighting Gun] from his inventory and held it in his palm. The two revolvers resembled the Colt Python model in appearance, with a blued surface that gave them a special light purple sheen. The grips fit the palm perfectly, and the revolvers turned smoothly without needing to be loaded with bullets.

Each time he pulled the trigger, the extremely compressed blood bullet shot out like a meteor. The kinetic energy from the pistol made its attack almost invisible to the naked eye, and it instantly penetrated the target's body, blasting a huge hole from the inside out.

Kazuma Hagoromo was very satisfied with the power of this weapon.

As he walked down the corridor of the clinic, the low-level cursed spirits attracted by [Herpes Bane] were almost killed with a single shot, unable to withstand the terrifying destruction brought by the pistol and Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique.

A silent hum still lingered in the air. Kazuma Hatori looked around—the walls were peeling and mottled, large areas were covered with irregular stains, and heads were peeking out from broken windows.

Kazuma Hatori raised his gun expressionlessly, pulled the trigger, and lowered his hand—a series of fluid movements.

Bang!

The cursed spirit that was uttering its murmurs collapsed to the ground, its eyes and mouth bursting into large fragments that gradually dissipated.

In this hospital, low-level cursed spirits do not generate [crystallization], and according to Kamo Nokichi's confession, he needs to go to the morgue on the basement floor to find the [root of herpes].

He has never touched a gun in real life, but as long as he selects a target for his spell, the game will help him lock onto the head and never miss.

The elevator had long since stopped working, so Kazuma Hatake found the emergency exit and went down the stairs to a deeper part of the hospital.

The completely dark environment with no windows forced him to put away one of his pistols and instead use his cell phone for light.

The faint buzzing sound in the air became more pronounced.

The closer he got to the morgue, the more steady each step he took became.

The low-level cursed spirits also disappeared here, and everything seemed to have fallen into the deep sea, calm and normal, with only the surging undercurrents brewing.

"————"

The sudden burst of babbling was like a loud scream. When Kazuma Hatori looked up again, the scenery beneath his feet had changed!

The endless stone tombstones replaced the dilapidated hospital, and the disgusting cursed spirit with pale hair and pustules appeared before Kazuma Hatori.

It spread its hands out, middle fingers tucked inwards—Hatake Kazuma's vision immediately turned pitch black, and the pressing tombstone crashed down on the coffin that trapped him.

The strange attack method caused Kazuma Hatake to quickly fire two shots upwards. Finding that the blood bullets couldn't break the boulder, he reacted swiftly, putting away his gun and phone, and switching to continuous fire—

[Black Flash]!

Countless streaks of black lightning surged like waves across the sky. With the game's assistance and control, Kazuma Hatake was able to make every punch he threw a terrifying critical strike with the power of 2.5 times.

The tombstone couldn't withstand the [Black Flash] several times before it shattered with a crash, and the wooden coffin was easily destroyed with a single touch. Amidst the flying wood chips and small stones, Kazuma Hatori's gaze quickly swept across and locked onto the cursed spirit, and the [Blood-Stained Fighting Spear] appeared in his raised palm.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Without hesitation, four shots were fired, and the cursed spirit, which had no lower body and resembled a ghost, was ripped open with four huge wounds. As the tombstone environment suddenly collapsed, it also fell to the ground.

When the weapon in his hand was put away, when Kazuma Hatake opened his hand again, there was an extremely black crystal lying in his palm, with a faint vortex inside that seemed to be surging, condensing, and dissipating on its own.

[Pseudo-Superior Grade Spell Crystal: Man-made product.]

There was no further explanation.

Kazuma Hatake clicked on the pop-up window, unsure of what was happening, only to find it closed immediately.

This doesn't seem like a normal crystal drop. I'll keep it for now and ask Wu to help me figure out what's going on later.

…………

Outside the hospital entrance, behind the tent.

As Kamo Chokichi and the others watched with growing alarm, the dark curtain was drawn back, and a tall figure, almost chilling to the bone, slowly stepped out from within.

"Hello everyone,"

The black-haired, black-eyed head of the Kamo family slightly turned his gaze to them, revealing a cold demeanor like that of a tyrant, yet his words were polite—which only made them feel a deeper sense of fear and apprehension.

"I'm back."