Disgusting Monster, Dog-like System

In a flash of lightning, Senju Kyogawa had no time to think; he immediately drew a kunai from the ninja tool pouch at his waist to parry the sudden attack.

Unexpectedly, the tongue was incredibly flexible. The moment the kunai struck it, the weapon was ensnared, and a tremendous suction force clamped onto it.

The long tongue was coated in a thick layer of mucus that emitted a nauseating stench; even from a distance of about an arm's length, it made Senju Kyogawa feel dizzy and faint.

Perhaps this foul-smelling slime was intended to stun the opponent so they could be dragged away by the tongue without a struggle.

The tongue gave a sharp tug, pulling Senju Kyogawa forward.

Faced with the choice of letting go of the kunai and losing his balance, or being dragged toward the monster, Senju Kyogawa released his grip without hesitation. He would rather fall into a pile of monsters than be entangled by that tongue.

If I'm going to die, I'd rather find a comfortable way to do it! Senju Kyogawa thought.

The monster's tongue retracted with the kunai, and Senju Kyogawa tumbled downward as his center of gravity shifted.

At this moment, his heart was in his throat, and his hands and feet were paralyzed by sheer terror.

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact of death after the sensation of weightlessness.

Will I die from the fall, or will I be assimilated by the monster? Senju Kyogawa thought inappropriately. He hadn't even begun to enjoy his new life before facing death.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

At the critical moment, Senju Chenghe reacted, using Earth Style to raise a wall from the ground. The wall caught Kyogawa just at the edge of the eaves, leaving him in a precarious, teetering position.

Senju Chenghe rushed over, intending to pull him up, but Senju Kyogawa's limbs were weak and limp; he couldn't even stand with assistance.

Consequently, Senju Chenghe carried him to a flat area.

The monster, having retracted its tongue only to find it had caught nothing but a kunai, tilted its head. It looked confused for a few seconds before erupting into a fit of rage. The monster shrieked, its eyeballs bulging from their sockets, laced with angry red blood vessels.

The earth wall blocked the monsters in the courtyard, restoring a relatively quiet and safe environment for the two of them.

The thrill of this night had caused the hearts of a four-year-old child and a seventeen-year-old youth to skip a beat; everything that had transpired was far too terrifying for them.

Senju Kyogawa lay quietly for a while until he finally caught his breath. He swallowed hard, moved his parched throat, and turned his head toward Senju Chenghe, his voice raspy and weak.

"Thanks, Brother Chenghe. If it weren't for you, I would have turned into one of those disgusting monsters by now."

Senju Chenghe's face remained pale. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead caused by the tension and fright, his voice trembling.

"It was the right thing to do."

"What is going on? How did the world change just by taking a mission? What... what are these monsters?" Senju Chenghe muttered, his mind clearly reeling.

Senju Kyogawa felt his strength slowly returning. He braced his hands against the roof tiles and slowly sat up.

He was still shivering with cold. He thought of the pastry the noblewoman had given him yesterday, the strange fragrance he had smelled, and the fact that neither he nor Senju Chenghe had eaten the family's food tonight.

"Brother Chenghe, what does this family do? Looking at this small town, they seem quite wealthy. Are they the local landlords?" Senju Kyogawa asked.

Although Senju Chenghe hadn't attended the banquet, due to his habits as a ninja, he had made inquiries upon arriving in the area and learned quite a bit. He thought for a moment and replied:

"They are the wealthiest landlords in the region and own several large granaries. Last year's harvest wasn't great, but because they had so much land, they had a large surplus of grain. This winter, they opened their granaries and distributed a lot of food to the local people. The villagers are quite fond of the old master because of this, and it's said they even want to nominate him as the town mayor."

Senju Kyogawa closed his eyes. Everything had formed a closed loop. He said despairingly:

"The grain from this family might be the problem. Among the Senju ninjas, only you and I didn't eat their food. The other clansmen who ate it have all undergone mutations. That is the issue."

Senju Chenghe's face turned pale with horror upon hearing this. If the grain distributed by this family was tainted, then almost none of the townspeople would be spared!

It was winter, and with the New Year just passed, many laborers—men, women, and children—had returned here, meaning the number of mutated individuals would be massive.

Even ninjas struggled against these monsters, let alone ordinary people.

"It seems we are facing a massive number of monsters, and the survivors..." Senju Chenghe fell silent.

System, System, come out! Stop playing dead! You popped out a hidden quest that nearly cost me my life! At the very least, tell me what the weaknesses of these monsters are! Senju Kyogawa wanted nothing more than to drag the system out of his brain and beat it to a pulp.

[Given the sudden nature of the event and the threat to the host's life, the system can provide partial assistance and permissions. You are hereby informed: "Evil Demons" fear sunlight and can only be killed by decapitation. Being scratched or bitten by an "Evil Demon" may lead to your own mutation.]

Fear sunlight...

That meant if they could just hold out until dawn, they might get a moment to breathe.

What about the permissions? System, you at least need to give me some kind of cheat. Look at me, I'm useless right now. I can't use "Flame," I don't know if my healing ability works on this virus, and my taijutsu is mediocre at best. Don't talk to me about completing quests for rewards; I don't even know if I can survive! Senju Kyogawa thought viciously, trying to squeeze some kind of cheat out of the system to save his life.

Whether it was because the system was overwhelmed by the barrage of complaints and crashed, it didn't respond for a long time.

After a while, just as Senju Kyogawa was losing his patience, the system finally replied:

[Given the host's current lack of self-preservation, the system determines: Priority is given to granting the host partial rewards from the hidden quest in advance to assist in completing the mission.]

[If the host successfully completes the hidden quest, the rewards will be permanently acquired; otherwise, the system will reclaim them.]

[Distributing rewards now...]

[Distributing...]

[Reward: Sun Breathing: First Form: Waltz]

[Function: This skill can emit energy identical to the sun to kill "Evil Demons." Note: This skill must be used in conjunction with a breathing technique and a specially crafted Nichirin Sword.]

Huh???

What is a breathing technique? And what is a Nichirin Sword? System, if you're going to give me a cheat, at least give me the whole thing!