Domain Expansion?!

Panda was literally a panda.

Letting him roam around outside would make it easy for people to assume he had escaped from a zoo...

But in reality, he was a fully autonomous Cursed Corpse created by Yaga Masamichi, capable of independently absorbing cursed energy.

Because three souls within his body observed one another, he could switch forms freely and unleash strength no weaker than that of an ordinary Grade 1 Sorcerer.

To be frank, Panda was pretty strong. Contrary to his appearance... if transfer students were not counted, he was very likely the strongest among the second-years. Specifically in the early stages of the story.

Now that the three had met up, Fushiguro Megumi casually raised his phone.

"Did Gojo-sensei tell you what the specific mission was?"

Exchanging information was important, especially before beginning an operation. Sharing whatever intelligence they had gathered with one another was also crucial.

"Pickled mustard greens."

"Toge says he knows. Satoru sent him a text, and it described the mission very clearly."

That unreliable-looking guy did not drop the ball when it came time to actually get things done...

With that thought, Fushiguro Megumi searched the map on his phone and finally determined the rough direction.

"It's over there..."

Panda leaned his head over, looking it over while making strange "ooh, ooh, ooh" noises.

"It's actually on a mountain... isn't that strange?"

It was perfectly normal to have that question.

After all, cursed spirits were born from fear of certain things. Ultimately, they ought to appear in places with more people.

A cursed spirit around Grade 1 that stayed far away from crowds... cases like that were indeed rare.

Fushiguro gave a quiet hum. As he checked through other information, he added,

"Near here... two months ago, there was a mass disappearance involving an outdoor tour group."

Even Inumaki leaned his head over this time.

"Thirty-six outdoor enthusiasts encountered heavy fog while descending the mountain, forcing them to delay their descent. They decided to set up tents and stay the night... but the next day, every person had vanished. Only their clothes, tents, and various food supplies remained."

They had suddenly disappeared.

"That description itself is suspicious..."

"White cheese."

"Toge says it should be an abstract cursed spirit formed from people specializing and distilling certain characteristics of the mountain."

Fushiguro Megumi nodded slightly upon hearing that, indicating his agreement.

"Considering this cursed spirit's tendency to operate in unpopulated areas, that does fit the conditions."

"Though the level of harm is not particularly high, it will be troublesome if anything happens. We should deal with it early, so ordinary people will be safer too!"

The three quickly reached a consensus and began their operation.

Meanwhile.

Following the address Kenjaku had given him, Kana Shizumi continued onward until he reached the target location. He was now standing at the edge of a village.

He held up his phone and looked around.

"..."

The utility pole not far away was the landmark marking the location of this mission.

Logically, he only needed to bury it directly.

But Kana Shizumi had only made it halfway there when he suddenly stopped.

At that very moment, another idea abruptly surfaced in his mind.

"Jail Mom fixed this location for me, which means one corner of the Sendai Curtain should be concentrated around here."

If nothing unexpected happened, this should be a boundary point for the story's judgment range. Then...

What if I "fine-tune" it?

Strictly speaking, Kana Shizumi did not know whether this counted as altering the story.

But if he thought of it, he would do it. After all, this job was not all that serious in the strict sense. As long as it remained within a one-kilometer radius, this slight change would not affect the Curtain's overall shape.

Kana Shizumi looked around briefly before setting his sights on a hill not far away.

"Burying it in the mountain would be more concealed, and it would serve as a reference point. Even if Jail Mom really holds me accountable later, I can dig it up in time and admit my mistake..."

Either way, he would not lose out.

Kana Shizumi quickly approached and stopped for a moment at the foot of the hill.

Come to think of it, it was strange.

—He felt that the hill looked shrouded in mist, as though something gloomy was hidden inside.

He sniffed, and his instincts immediately told Kana Shizumi that there might be something wrong with this place...

But he did not care.

After all, he was not going up the mountain... I'm just burying it at the foot of it!

With that thought, he found a large tree nearby, dug through the soil, and excavated a pit more than three meters deep.

Kenjaku had given explicit requirements regarding this, so Kana Shizumi did not slack off. He carried them out strictly, placing the object in position before burying it again.

[You have distorted the plot of "Sendai Curtain Fixed Range"]

[Reward: 1 free attribute point]

Yes!!!

Sure enough, there was nothing wrong with this line of thinking.

But just as the displayed message indicated, this was only a minor detail, so the reward would not be particularly "generous."

It was like getting a takeout meal, at least.

Kana Shizumi nodded in satisfaction. After giving it some thought, he casually assigned the free attribute point.

[Kana Shizumi]

[Total Cursed Energy: 49 (+5 from Cursed Tool)]

[Cursed Energy Efficiency: 32]

[Cursed Energy Output: 34 (+5 from Cursed Tool)]

[Innate Technique: Modified Blood Manipulation]

[Martial Arts and Cursed Energy Control: 38]

[Derived Abilities: Advanced Barrier Technique, Flight (carried by Cursed Tool), Cursed Blood Attachments (carried by Cursed Tool)]

Not only had he gained attribute points now, but after combining them with the free attribute points he had obtained earlier and some scattered gains, this was his current overall status panel.

Compared to when he had first transmigrated, he had now firmly reached the level of a Grade 2 Sorcerer.

Considering his actual combat performance, if conditions allowed and he held the advantage, he might even be able to trade a few moves with a Grade 1 Sorcerer.

But that was all.

His essence as a maggot had not changed at all...

"I still need to find a way to learn other things and get stronger faster."

As he lamented this, Kana Shizumi had just lifted his foot to leave when he quickly stopped again.

"..."

He raised an eyebrow and looked around.

At some unknown point, perhaps just moments ago, or perhaps much earlier?

A dense, overwhelming fog that seemed impossible to disperse had already enveloped Kana Shizumi.

What was this?

Kana Shizumi silently raised his right hand and extended it before him.

He touched the fog, yet felt nothing substantial. At the same time... an inexplicable thunderous roar descended from above, and cursed energy surged forth like tides and crashing waves, slamming into him head-on and making Kana Shizumi stagger.

As he fell with the momentum...

He discovered that he was actually falling?!

"Wha—"

Before he could react, Kana Shizumi hit the ground heavily.

Fortunately, there was grass beneath him, so he did not smash his head open. He hurriedly climbed to his feet and looked around, his expression becoming incredibly vivid.

What was that just now? The summoning and fluctuation of cursed energy...

Holy shit.

I got dragged into a Domain?!