Domain Expansion?!

This was literally a panda.

Letting him roam around outside would make it easy for people to mistake him for one that had escaped from a zoo...

But he was actually a completely autonomous cursed corpse created by Yaga Masamichi, capable of absorbing cursed energy on his own.

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

To be honest, Panda was pretty strong. Despite his appearance... if transfer students were excluded, he was probably the strongest among the second-years. At least in the early part of the story.

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

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

Exchanging information was important, especially before an operation like this. Sharing whatever intelligence they had gathered with one another was equally important.

"Salted kelp."

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

That unreliable-looking guy actually didn't drop the ball when it came time to get things done...

With that thought, Fushiguro Megumi searched the map on his phone and eventually confirmed the general direction.

"Over there..."

Panda leaned his head over, inspecting it as he let out strange "ooh, ooh, ooh" noises.

"It's actually on a mountain... doesn't that seem weird?"

That was a perfectly normal question.

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

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

Fushiguro gave a soft hum. As he looked through more information, he casually said,

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

Even Inumaki leaned his head over.

"Thirty-six outdoor enthusiasts encountered sudden heavy fog while descending the mountain, delaying their return. They decided to set up tents and stay the night... but the next day, everyone had vanished. Only their clothes, tents, and various foods remained."

They had suddenly disappeared.

"That wording alone sounds suspicious..."

"Cream cheese."

"Toge says this is probably an abstract cursed spirit formed by people focusing on and refining some particular characteristic of the mountain."

Fushiguro Megumi nodded slightly in agreement.

"Considering that this cursed spirit likes to operate in uninhabited areas, it fits those conditions."

"Though it isn't too harmful, it'll be a huge problem if something happens. We should deal with it early. It'll be safer for ordinary people that way!"

The three quickly reached a consensus and began moving.

Meanwhile.

Following the address Kenjaku had given him, Kana Shizumi kept moving until he reached the destination. He now stood at the edge of a village.

He held up his phone and looked around.

"..."

The utility pole in the distance, serving as a landmark, marked the location for this mission.

Logically, he only needed to bury it there.

But just as Kana Shizumi had walked halfway there, he suddenly stopped.

At that very moment, another thought surfaced in his mind.

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

If nothing unexpected happened, this should be one of the boundaries determined by the story. Then...

What if I 'fine-tune' it a little?

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

But he decided to do it as soon as he thought of it. After all, this job was not especially serious. As long as it remained within a one-kilometer range, such a minor change would not affect the Curtain's overall shape.

Kana Shizumi briefly surveyed the area and finally picked a nearby hill.

"Burying it in the mountain would be more concealed, and it would give me 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 at the foot of the mountain.

It was strange, now that he thought about it.

—He felt as though the mountain was shrouded in mist, as if something gloomy were hidden inside.

He sniffed the air. His instincts plainly told Kana Shizumi that something might be 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 in mind, he found a large tree nearby, dug through the soil, and excavated a hole more than three meters deep.

Kenjaku had given clear instructions on this matter, so Kana Shizumi did not slack off. He strictly followed them, placed the object in position, and refilled the hole.

[You have distorted the plot of the "fixed range of the Sendai Curtain."]

[Reward: 1 free attribute point]

Got it!!!

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

But just as the message said, this was only a minor detail, so the reward was hardly going to be particularly "generous."

It was like getting takeout, at least.

Kana Shizumi nodded in satisfaction. After thinking briefly, he casually allocated the free attribute point.

[Kana Shizumi]

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

[Cursed Energy Efficiency: 32]

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

[Innate Technique: Modified Blood Manipulation]

[Physical Combat and Cursed Energy Control: 38]

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

This was the result after combining not only the attribute points he had just obtained, but also the free attribute points and miscellaneous gains he had received earlier.

Compared to when he had first crossed over, he was now firmly at the level of a Grade 2 Sorcerer.

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

But that was all.

His essence as a maggot had not changed...

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

With a sigh, Kana Shizumi had just raised his leg to leave when he quickly stopped again.

"..."

He raised an eyebrow and looked around.

At some unknown point—perhaps just now, perhaps much earlier—a dense, inescapable fog had already enveloped Kana Shizumi.

What was this?

Kana Shizumi silently raised his right hand and reached out before him.

He touched the fog, but it had no real substance. At the same time... an inexplicable roar descended from above, and cursed energy surged forth like tides and crashing waves, slamming into him and making Kana Shizumi stumble.

As he fell with the momentum...

He discovered that he was falling?!

"Wha—"

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

Fortunately, there was grass beneath him, so he did not smash his head open. He hurriedly got up and looked around, his expression becoming incredibly animated.

What had that been? The stirring and fluctuation of cursed energy...

Fuck.

I got dragged into a domain?!