For now, let's set aside how Senju Chenghe would handle the crisis he had run into and focus on Senju Kyogawa. After that monster-like wall swallowed him, he found himself in a very dark place.
There wasn't a glimmer of light. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and that strange fragrance filled the air.
Senju Kyogawa sniffed and, feeling uncomfortable, held his breath.
Along with that strange fragrance, the air here carried a fishy smell.
But the stench was strange. Senju Kyogawa couldn't accurately describe it. It was like the smell of blood, yet also like the fishy odor of seafood. In any case, it wasn't pleasant.
This revolting smell was an especially devastating blow to Senju Kyogawa, who had already mastered Total Concentration Constant Breathing on his own. And now, in this completely dark place, his restricted vision had made his sense of smell even sharper.
What a horrible smell. Senju Kyogawa grumbled inwardly.
He lit flames in both hands to illuminate the area, only to find that they went out after just a minute.
But how could that be?
Senju Kyogawa knew how powerful his flames were. Once ignited, they wouldn't go out unless he, their master, drew them back into his body.
Senju Kyogawa was puzzled and asked the system in his mind.
The system still ignored him, only telling him to explore on his own.
Senju Kyogawa felt a little speechless. What was the point of having a system if it was going to be like this?
Fortunately, he had already gotten used to the system's complete lack of presence.
Still, in the instant his flames had flared up, they had illuminated a small area around him, and Senju Kyogawa had seen it.
He seemed to be in a vast space. The floor was red, covered in thick folds and layer upon layer of mucus.
Senju Kyogawa cautiously moved his foot. It felt as if something had stuck to the sole, making it almost impossible to move—even a single step.
This mucus is way too sticky.
Could I be inside that monster's stomach? Senju Kyogawa recalled that just before he'd been pulled in, he'd seen something like a gaping maw. He couldn't help making a bold guess.
But he would have been better off not thinking about it. The moment he pictured himself inside that "wall monster's" stomach, a chill of revulsion ran through him. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his back turned cold.
Wait...
The chill on his back didn't seem to be his imagination...
It felt as if something had really crawled onto his back. The thing was icy cold, slowly licking his back.
The chill stretched from the small of his back all the way to his neck, and even left a damp sensation.
[Cuddle Points +1]
Realizing what the increase in Cuddle Points meant, Senju Kyogawa froze. His head turned backward with painful stiffness, as if it had rusted solid.
"Hiss~ ha~" A strange sound came from all directions.
Suddenly, a dim red light came on all around him, accompanied by the sound of creatures squirming.
In the faint red glow, Senju Kyogawa's backward glance met a glowing red eyeball. A nerve dangled from it, making the eyeball tremble as it hung in the creature's single eye socket.
When the monster noticed Senju Kyogawa looking at it, its mouth suddenly split open. It stuck out a long, slender tongue like a snake's and licked his cheek.
Senju Kyogawa's heart skipped a beat in terror.
The red light around him grew brighter and brighter, with faint green glimmers mixed in.
Senju Kyogawa stared around in confusion. Looking closely, he realized that the red lights all came from the eyes of these one-eyed monsters. Their bodies resembled manta rays, yet they glowed a deep green all over. Compared to their eyeballs, which trembled as they dangled outside their sockets, the green glow seemed especially dim.
Senju Kyogawa was struck speechless.
The monsters were packed so densely that the sight was truly awe-inspiring. By now, Senju Kyogawa couldn't even scream.
The monster on his back kept crawling. Senju Kyogawa finally couldn't take it anymore. He slapped the disgusting thing off, leaving his hand covered in mucus.
His stomach had already been especially active because he'd skipped breakfast, and now stomach acid surged up into his throat.
Senju Kyogawa couldn't help vomiting all over the ground.
He couldn't help it. The monster was just too disgusting.
Senju Kyogawa took a deep breath and concentrated all his energy in his lungs.
[System, let me borrow the cheapest Nichirin Sword.]
[Beep! Detection complete. Host has 10,745 Cuddle Points, equivalent to approximately 107 days of life. Nichirin Sword (counterfeit) redemption complete! Host now has -250 Cuddle Points remaining. Please replenish your Cuddle Points as soon as possible, or you will face a life-threatening danger!]
Senju Kyogawa couldn't help sucking in a breath at those words. He hadn't expected even a counterfeit Nichirin Sword to cost him over ten thousand Cuddle Points.
And that -250 Cuddle Points—was the system really not mocking him?
[Warning! Warning!]
[Host must replenish Cuddle Points within one day, or you will face the risk of death. Time remaining: 24:00:00]
[23:59:59]
The system's beeping echoed in Senju Kyogawa's mind. Each tick of the clock was a warning of death.
Before you continue