Uesugi Tetsu huddled inside the freezing metal locker, peering outside through a narrow gap.
That thing... Kukuri should have gone far away by now, right?
The deserted school campus was terrifyingly quiet in the dead of night. There was no moonlight, and not even the slightest sound of insects.
Inside the locker, with his arms around the two equally cold bodies of his good brothers, Uesugi Tetsu thought:
"Trying to hide in a locker like in a game and escape an evil spirit's pursuit really was a dead end."
And now, hiding had gotten all three of them killed. The three brothers were arranged as neatly as if they were on display, lively and orderly.
Otherwise, he would never have had the chance to transmigrate here.
After spending more than ten seconds absorbing the remaining memories, Uesugi Tetsu gradually understood everything.
In short, the five of them had agreed to come here at midnight for a test of courage—to play "Kukuri" in that legendary classroom with corpses hidden inside its walls.
In other words, the Japanese version of things like summoning spirits with a pen or a saucer.
But as the saying went, inviting a god was easy, while sending it away was hard...
Not only that, but his good brother "Kumamoto" had even specially found a cursed Ouija Board for the game.
—Apparently, several female high school students had once used it to play Kukuri. As expected, they had all met with accidents.
The girls had held hands and jumped from the platform before a train passed. The scene had been utterly horrific.
When he recalled this point, Uesugi Tetsu's eyebrow twitched hard.
Good grief, they had even equipped themselves with a whole pile of soul rings.
You had stacked your buffs to the max. If the evil spirit didn't show up, it would almost feel like an insult to all that effort.
There was no need to explain the current situation. The original three brothers had already gone to the afterlife, while one girl had died on the stairs before they crawled into the metal locker to await death...
So now, Kukuri should have gone after the last remaining girl, named "Tokugawa Ririko."
"Thank you, Ririko."
Uesugi Tetsu sincerely thanked the girl who had used her life to buy him time.
Without her, he might have died before even having time to activate his cheat.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, then opened them again.
A panel unfolded before his eyes.
[Uesugi Tetsu] [Physique: 3] [Willpower: 4] [Charm: 9] [Spiritual Arts: 0] [Soul Ash: 50]
"This pathetic physique." Uesugi Tetsu was speechless. "With Charm this high, am I supposed to sleep with a female ghost until she submits?"
The problem was that, strictly speaking, Kukuri had no gender. Even if he could endure it for a while, it wouldn't be useful.
Uesugi Tetsu continued looking downward.
Directly beneath "Soul Ash" was a slightly swaying, desolate bamboo forest. Written above it were the words:
[Beginner-Limited Salvage: Deep Bamboo Forest]
Behind it followed some twisted purple-black writing that looked ominous at first glance—
[The first ten-pull salvage only costs half price!]
"Fine, fine. You're making me play the gacha game too, are you?"
Uesugi Tetsu didn't complain too much, though. Having a cheat at all was already good enough. Even the fifty Soul Ash required for the pull had been fully supplied by the three brothers in the metal locker. What more could he ask for?
Time was short, and the task was urgent. No need for more words.
He started pulling immediately!
In an instant, the bamboo forest in the darkness began to shake, and nine pale beams of light shot out one after another.
Uesugi Tetsu ignored them, focusing all his attention on the final beam of light.
The guaranteed pull!
Give me the guaranteed pull!
As if it had heard Uesugi Tetsu's thoughts, the bamboo forest began to sway wildly. The shrill cries of countless children slowly emerged from within.
Finally, a dazzling purple light drifted lazily out from the very center of the bamboo forest.
When the purple light faded, a delicate card with a blue-green face, fangs, and a strange grin slowly floated before his eyes.
[Laughing Brahma (Juvenile Form)]
Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes. This seemed to be more than just the guaranteed pull.
—Although the pool hadn't stated what the guaranteed pull would produce, judging from the nine white lights earlier, the best it could offer should have been blue or green.
The purple light had appeared purely because his luck had arrived.
Without thinking further, Uesugi Tetsu began examining the description and usage of [Laughing Brahma].
[Laughing Brahma (Juvenile Form)] [Quality: Superb] [Rank: Half-Star] [Rank Cap: One and a Half Stars] [Talents: Ghost God Power (Weak), Fearful Smile] [—The Laughing Brahma takes pleasure in frightening and playing pranks on children and has not yet fully matured. But perhaps its potential goes far beyond this?]
The instant his consciousness touched [Laughing Brahma], Uesugi Tetsu understood how to use it.
—He could use the card to transform into demons and supernatural phenomena that existed in history and legend.
Not bad.
Uesugi Tetsu grinned.
Hadn't Kukuri just scared them out of their wits? Then he would let it experience the same feeling later.
That was a traditional virtue, known as returning a visit when one had received one.
But Laughing Brahma's quality was actually only the green-tier "Superb." Perhaps that was because it had the potential to advance to higher star levels and qualities?
Unable to figure it out for the moment, Uesugi Tetsu continued browsing the two talents.
[Ghost God Power (Weak): Brahma are ghosts and gods. All Brahma possess physiques and Spiritual Power naturally beyond the reach of ordinary monsters and spirits. Even a low-level Laughing Brahma is no exception.] [Fearful Smile: The Laughing Brahma's smile exists naturally to frighten others. Any being that meets your eyes will undergo a "Willpower Check" after you smile. Those who fail the check will be forcibly paralyzed.]
The two skills complemented each other perfectly. Without another word, Uesugi Tetsu equipped them first.
Inside the metal locker, a blue-green mask with fangs and a strange grin flew out amid eerie laughter. With a click, it fastened itself onto Uesugi Tetsu's face.
His attribute panel immediately changed—
[Uesugi Tetsu (Laughing Brahma Incarnation)] [Physique: 3→10] [Willpower: 4→6] [Charm: 9→6] [Spiritual Arts: 0→2]
In the blink of an eye, he felt his ordinary, unhealthy high school body swell like it had been inflated. His muscles became sharply defined, his calm heartbeat turned into a booming roar, and he could clearly hear the rush of blood through his veins. Even his five senses grew sharper.
He could even sense a strange, indescribable power flowing through his body. This was probably what they called Spiritual Power.
The metal locker, which had just barely fit the three brothers, immediately creaked. It was clearly unable to bear the strain.
When Uesugi Tetsu looked outside again, the darkness that had previously been so thick he couldn't see his hand before his face was now as clear as daylight.
"That should do it."
He recalled the Kukuri with the old man's face from his memories.
Compared to his current self, it was nothing more than a somewhat dangerous stray dog.
Crack—
His powerful five fingers tore open the flimsy locker latch. Uesugi Tetsu, now merged with the Brahma Mask, bent down and stepped out.
Only then did he realize that the bodies of the other two brothers were slightly closer to the outside of the locker. Each of them happened to block half of his body.
Perhaps they had wanted him to survive even more...
Uesugi Tetsu silently shook his head, crouched down, and closed the terrified eyes of his two good brothers.
Beneath the Brahma Mask, his eyes were dark and cold, revealing not the slightest emotion.
He wondered whether the girl named Ririko, who had used her life to buy him time, was still alive...
At that moment, a loud collision rang out from at least a hundred meters away. Immediately afterward came a girl's roar:
"You bastard, get the hell away from me—!"
The deep-night silence carried the sound clearly. There was no doubt that it was Tokugawa Ririko's voice.
The evil ghost nodded in understanding, then charged forward with heavy steps. Its savage, terrifying roar-laughter spread like a shockwave through the gloomy corridors:
"Ririko, don't panic! I'm coming to help you!"
Before you continue