After Xia Ji finished the roasted meat in her hand and they were getting ready to rest, Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched slightly. She suddenly sensed the sounds of a fight coming from not far outside the cave.
Yae Sakura's expression turned serious at once.
"There's a youkai nearby."
At last, she'd run into youkai again!
But when she looked at Xia Ji beside her, Yae Sakura hesitated.
"What is it, Lady Yae?" Xia Ji saw her expression and hurriedly asked.
"A youkai is coming."
"What?!"
A youkai?
Xia Ji immediately panicked. Naturally, she was terrified of youkai.
Having seen how frightening they could be, she couldn't help worrying.
"Stay here and hide. I'll go take a look."
After waiting so long for a youkai, Yae Sakura wasn't about to pass up the chance.
"But... then... be careful, my lady." Xia Ji wanted to say something, but seeing Yae Sakura's expression, she decided to keep quiet.
"Mm."
Yae Sakura nodded, took Cherry Blossom Blizzard, and walked out of the cave.
She hurried to where the youkai were—and saw a girl with a bow fighting a large horde of them.
"Hyah!"
The girl wore a red-and-white miko outfit. Unlike Yae Sakura's, it consisted of a white top and a long red hakama skirt.
It was a modest, classic outfit, completely different from the alluring clothes Yae Sakura wore.
A powerful spiritual force erupted from the girl. Its terrifying strength was visible to the naked eye.
"Damn miko! Why are you getting in our way?"
"All we did was eat a few humans!"
The youkai were being chased and beaten by the girl. They seemed to be at a disadvantage, too.
Several of them looked fearsome, yet they were all running for their lives.
"A miko... Hm... She looks like..."
Yae Sakura stared at the miko ahead and found her figure familiar.
A standard miko outfit: a white top paired with red hakama.
Dark eyes, an oval face, and long, glossy black hair tied back with a simple white ribbon. Her delicate features and pale lips stood out against her red-and-white robes, while her expression was resolute, with a hint of melancholy.
That looked like... one of the heroines of Inuyasha—the miko Kikyo.
Why did she only think it looked like her? Because this was the real world, after all, and it wasn't quite the same as the anime.
Still... Yae Sakura was certain this was that miko.
One of the most powerful miko of the Warring States period, Kikyo had been entrusted with guarding and purifying the Jewel of Four Souls. With her immense spiritual power and peerless archery, she drove away the youkai that coveted it.
But... hadn't Xia Ji said she didn't know Kikyo?
Or was Kikyo not famous yet, and hadn't taken possession of the Jewel of Four Souls?
"Youkai... Those who harm humans must be punished." Kikyo's voice rang out calmly, and her eyes sharpened.
She drew her longbow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at a gigantic ox-headed youkai...
The arrow blazed with powerful white spiritual energy. It purified the ox-headed youkai in an instant, along with several others nearby.
"Such powerful spiritual energy..."
Yae Sakura was astonished by Kikyo's spiritual power...
But then again, Kikyo had possessed immense spiritual power since birth. She'd spent her life fighting her way through a blood-soaked path, day after day slaying youkai and protecting the villagers.
Of course she was powerful.
But...
Yae Sakura was going to steal her kills!
What a waste if Kikyo killed all these youkai herself!
Watching the youkai flee in her direction, Yae Sakura took half a step back and lowered her stance... gripping the hilt of her Spirit Blade with both hands.
When the youkai drew near—
"Draw-cut!!"
The most basic and iconic move in Eastern Island swordsmanship. A massive pink blade of energy swept across...
The fleeing youkai hadn't expected anyone to attack from ahead. Before they could react, dozens of them were cut down in an instant.
They died without even knowing what had killed them.
[First time killing a mid-level youkai. Reward: 5 Crystals] [Killed 32 youkai with one sword strike. Reward: 3 Crystals]
There really were rewards...
It seemed the first-kill reward was the main one. But... what about the first-kill reward for a low-level youkai?
Had she missed it?
Also... if killing 32 youkai with one strike gave her 3 Crystals, would killing 100 with one strike give her 10?
Yae Sakura still wasn't sure.
But all she needed to know was that killing youkai earned rewards.
Just then...
[Bounty quest triggered: Kill 10,000 youkai and one great youkai] [Reward: 200 Crystals, pet: Higokumaru] [Accept?]
Hm? Hm?
A bounty quest? Higokumaru?
Did that mean Higokumaru would always appear wherever Yae Sakura was?
Were Higokumaru and Yae Sakura true love?
She was getting Higokumaru as a direct reward...
Naturally, Yae Sakura accepted.
By now, she had a general idea of the three kinds of quests.
There were main quests, bounties, and commissions.
For example, escorting Xia Ji was a commission quest.
A commission quest was probably triggered when someone asked for her help. The rewards were ordinary, but still decent.
Main quests were fixed and were one of the conditions for unlocking the next world. Their rewards were passable.
As for bounties... she still didn't know what triggered those.
"Hm?"
Yae Sakura suddenly sensed danger. She turned and saw the miko beside her with her bow drawn, aiming at her.
"Who are you? A youkai? Human? No... a Half-Demon."
Kikyo had her sights set on Yae Sakura, who was staring blankly. She couldn't sense even a trace of youkai energy from her, only powerful spiritual energy.
But... those ears on her head clearly weren't human. She had to be a Half-Demon...
Faced with this Half-Demon who had suddenly appeared and cut down the youkai she'd been pursuing, Kikyo didn't let her guard down. Instead, she grew more serious.
Yae Sakura's strike had been a sneak attack, but its power was undeniable. If Kikyo took a blow like that, she'd either die or be badly wounded.
She had every reason to be wary of a Half-Demon this powerful appearing out of nowhere. And yet... Kikyo had a feeling that if she fought this Half-Demon, she would surely die...
Even so, Kikyo would never beg a youkai for mercy.
Dying in battle was a miko's fate.
"Me?"
"Same as you! I'm a... miko!" Yae Sakura smiled calmly at Kikyo, as though she didn't mind having an arrow aimed at her.