Hidechiyo

Seeing the girl's puzzled frown, Gu Mo immediately realized he had been somewhat forward. But it wasn't entirely his fault. Under normal circumstances, he could control his emotions, but this time was truly different...

Put simply, that game's overall art style had leaned heavily toward realism and immersion.

And the girl before him looked exactly like the character he had personally spent an entire night painstakingly creating from scratch, without using anyone as a reference! It couldn't be called identical; it could only be called indistinguishable!

Her delicate, lovely features, her rose-red eyes, her hime-cut bangs, her long hair simply tied back with a ribbon, even the beauty mark beneath the corner of her right eye—

Even though her face was currently covered and he couldn't see her whole appearance, those exposed details alone were enough for Gu Mo to identify her immediately.

There was no other reason. It was precisely because Gu Mo had created such a beautiful character that he had managed to persevere through that goddamn game. Even when he died until his consciousness blurred, he could still eagerly go again instead of getting so enraged by its mechanics and malicious design that his stomach hurt and he threw his controller or smashed his keyboard.

To a great extent, that was why he had stayed so enthusiastic, grinding at such an intense pace until he cleared the game, completed every playthrough, and unlocked every achievement... So when that face, into which he had poured so much effort, truly appeared before him, of course he recognized it at first sight.

—In a sense, hobbies really could be powerful motivation.

But it was precisely because of that—

A character who should have existed only in his imagination had suddenly appeared, making all the difficulties he currently faced seem as though they had been resolved in an instant. Coupled with the fact that he had just been thinking about her, Gu Mo was naturally overcome with indescribable shock and excitement, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.

"Cough, cough..."

Quickly calming down, Gu Mo looked at the girl opposite him, who was frowning in confusion and tilting her head slightly. He composed his expression and coughed lightly, about to explain his earlier rudeness. But at that moment, an idea quietly surfaced in his heart and swiftly took root.

It seemed that, at this critical juncture, he had a rare opportunity to latch onto the girl's thigh... Simply put, he could make use of his foreknowledge of the "plot" and the information advantage he held to gain a head start.

Hmm, it seemed very possible.

That's right! No time like the present. If it worked, he could finally breathe easy. And if it failed, there wasn't much to lose. Could things get any worse than him having to fight an Ox-Head Demon and a Horse-Headed Demon alone?

And so—

"You're here. I've been waiting for you for a while, but unfortunately, it seems we both arrived too late. As you can see, there are no living people left in Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village. After the bandits ravaged this place, yokai appeared as well... Sigh, there's nothing we can do for them now."

As naturally as if nothing had happened, he raised a hand in an overly familiar greeting while speaking in as steady a tone as possible, introducing the current situation to the girl as though they already knew each other. Still, he had played a small trick here.

The masked girl with long black hair first gave him an odd look, then her gaze turned enlightened.

So he was the one who had sent her a letter, saying he would wait beneath the night cherry blossoms for her arrival and inviting her to Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village to exterminate yokai?

She couldn't be blamed for thinking so. Earlier that night, she had indeed received a letter from an unknown client saying that yokai had appeared in Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village and asking her to come exterminate them. That was why she had come to this village alone late at night...

And then came what was happening now. She had entered this ruined village, destroyed by blood and flame, and seen the man before her.

He seemed to be the last living person in the village. Yet his clothing and appearance were utterly out of place. No matter how she looked at him, he didn't resemble a local villager, or even someone from this chaotic era.

Of course, as long as he wasn't some vicious yokai or demon, that was fine. Seeing that he was clean and untainted by blood, the girl had judged that he was at least not the murderer. She had been about to step forward and see whether she could get some information from him... But when he turned around, she had been completely thrown off.

Was that a greeting or something?

Was it some unusual form of greeting she didn't know? He really wasn't from around here, was he?

Setting aside her small doubts, the girl surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze swept past the cherry tree above Gu Mo's head and the enormous Ox-Headed Monster in the distant Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village graveyard. It appeared that was indeed the case: the client waiting beneath the night cherry blossoms for her to exterminate yokai was him.

Gu Mo was only calm on the surface; inwardly, he was nervous. He carefully watched the girl's microexpressions and the changes in her eyes. Only after seeing her look as though she had come to an understanding did he finally relax. This was exactly what he wanted—to let her form a preconceived misconception about his identity.

Though he had not said a single thing about who he was, his words had been highly selective and therefore highly misleading. The girl probably hadn't considered that besides herself and the client, someone else might know she was coming here tonight—and exploit that fact.

But since he hadn't actually said anything, even if he were exposed later, he would still have an excuse. He could say it had all been a misunderstanding, that he had been waiting for someone else at the time...

Of course, he probably wouldn't need that excuse. Once this Dungeon was successfully completed, he would immediately grab his bucket and run. If they couldn't even find him afterward, what would there be to explain?

Of course, there was likely another important reason why this had gone so smoothly—

The girl couldn't speak, so she had no way to ask for too many details.

And since it wasn't much of an issue to begin with, after Gu Mo gave her that misleading information, she naturally came to that conclusion.

While relaxing internally, Gu Mo also knew he had to strike while the iron was hot. Smiling, he took a step forward. "Right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gu Mo. What's your name?"

The girl blinked at that, studied him carefully once more, then lowered her head and picked up a short blade hanging at her waist. One hand gripped the hilt, the other the sheath, and she gently pulled.

The cold blade gleamed sharply even in the night. It was a real weapon, and as it was drawn, Gu Mo felt as though a flash of reflected light had crossed his eyes. Looking closer, he saw a single character deeply engraved on the blade: "Elegance."

Dark purple night cherry blossoms drifted down all around her as a backdrop. The valiant girl drew the short blade carved with her own name and regarded him calmly with both eyes.

For some reason, Gu Mo was suddenly struck by a strange feeling. Fantasy had become tangible reality and appeared directly before him. The intense sense of unreality sent waves of trembling through him, not from fear or terror, but from surging emotion and suppressed excitement.

Not long ago, he had still been facing reality and everyday life.

Now, however, he was standing within a gorgeous fantasy.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to let his unusual feelings show on his face, Gu Mo smiled and nodded. "Xiu? Then I'll just call you Axiu?"

The girl sheathed her short blade again and nodded lightly, seemingly having no objection.

At this point, most of Gu Mo's doubts had also faded. Although he had long known all this, he had still harbored certain concerns—if the scenes inside Dungeons were each real worlds, then perhaps, just as he hadn't been able to recognize Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village immediately...

Who could guarantee that things like the "plot" wouldn't also change?

But now, it seemed that in these real worlds, aside from the unreasonable designs that existed only in games and served gameplay above all else, the "plot information" he possessed could still be used as a reference.

Letting out a soft breath, he looked at the girl named Axiu and wondered whether he should take this chance to ask for an autograph or a photo together.

After all, she was Hidechiyo, one side of "Toyotomi Hideyoshi." No matter what, she counted as a historical figure—

Though he couldn't take it out and brag about it, it still felt as though it would be meaningful as a memento. Like photographs taken during a journey, perhaps he was merely one of countless passing travelers to the scenery he encountered, but to him, they were proof that he had witnessed it.

"?"

At that moment, Axiu tilted her head again in confusion and softly made a questioning sound. This person had been staring at her without saying anything, and his gaze was so strange. What exactly did he mean?

"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking of something..." Gu Mo laughed awkwardly, giving up on the idea of an autograph and photo. "What do you think we should do now, Axiu? There are no living people left in this village. Should we still continue exterminating yokai?"

Without making it obvious, he placed himself and the girl into the same camp, calling them "we."

The thigh-hugging strategy was officially underway. He had found the proper way for a level-one newbie to clear a Dungeon that was practically certain death at the start.

Axiu didn't realize that she had unknowingly teamed up with a freeloader. She had already decided that this man was the client who had invited her here to exterminate yokai, so she naturally found no problem with what he had said. She only thought he was respectfully asking for her opinion.

She turned her eyes toward the graveyard, nodded to him, drew the Tachi at her waist, and let its tip hang lightly downward as she walked toward it as if dragging it across the ground.

She was extremely decisive, with no hesitation or wasted movement.

Gu Mo twitched the corner of his mouth. Even though he knew what the girl would do, he was still a little shaken at that moment, especially from behind as he watched her carry the long blade in reverse grip and stride straight toward the enormous Ox-Headed Demon.

The Ox-Headed Monster stood nearly three stories tall. Every step it took made the earth rumble with deep vibrations...

Against the girl's tall and slender yet comparatively tiny silhouette, it formed an immensely striking contrast.

Cool! That was seriously too cool!

Exhaling forcefully, Gu Mo hesitated before walking forward. But as soon as he approached a little closer, the world before his eyes abruptly changed color! It was as if his vision had suddenly darkened. He could no longer see any vivid colors, and everything in sight had been overlaid with a heavy, gloomy filter.

The night sky turned murky and dark. The air seemed like viscous liquid, rippling faintly, while specks of dark red appeared across the ground. They were vast patches of flowers blooming and withering, constantly sprouting, flowering, dying, and repeating, as though shown in footage sped up countless times.

From afar, each patch of blooming and withering flowers looked like a carpet spread with blood, its dark hue resembling coagulated crimson.

Gu Mo's breathing immediately grew heavy. The instant he stepped into this region, shrouded by an aura filling every corner of the surrounding space, his body felt as heavy as lead. His limbs weakened, his mind became restless, and his energy seemed to be steadily draining away.

Damn it!

He had forgotten about Perpetual Darkness...

Realizing this, he quickly backed away. The world before him instantly returned to clarity, and his body felt light again, as if some heavy burden had been lifted.

Gu Mo twitched the corner of his mouth. Powerful yokai and demons could instinctively unfold a domain like this called "Perpetual Darkness," suppressing all things not of this world. Within such a domain, human vitality was heavily suppressed, while yokai bloodlines and Yokai Power became greatly invigorated.

Nope, nope. He'd leave it to his invincible teammate. He could just observe from the sidelines.

He looked around and happened to spot, in another direction farther away, a deformed creature like a giant-headed monster infant with its back to him. It seemed to be crouched over a corpse, feasting heartily.

He would latch onto a thigh when necessary, but he could still test himself against low-level monsters like this. He had to work hard to farm monsters and level up whenever it was within his ability.