In the dim corridor, the air seemed to have frozen. Li Shunchen was in a state of absolute calm and focus.
"Low Presence" [N] was already operating at full power.
Combined with his now-doubled total of 15 points of Cursed Energy, it could not make him completely invisible through zero Cursed Energy like the legendary "Heavenly Tyrant," Toji Fushiguro, but it was more than enough to fool a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit that acted purely on instinct.
He stopped silently at the basement doorway. The nauseating chewing sounds inside had ceased.
The Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, with its bloated body and enormous head, had its back to the doorway as it rummaged through Sato's mangled remains, seemingly savoring that Cursed Energy-rich "appetizer" from moments earlier.
Li Shunchen did not rush to strike. Killing this Cursed Spirit was no longer difficult for him. Even with nothing but Asagirimaru in his hand and a surprise attack, he had more than an eighty percent chance of killing it in one blow.
But his primary objective now was to field-test his newly awakened Innate Cursed Technique, "Phantom Parade."
His gaze passed over the Cursed Spirit's massive body and settled beside Sato's incomplete corpse. Several bloodstained talismans lay scattered there, traces of Sato's struggle to summon Shikigami before his death.
Like a ghost that did not breathe, Li Shunchen slipped soundlessly into the room. He even boldly exploited the Cursed Spirit's blind spot as it turned to gnaw on a bone, edging as close as he possibly could to Sato's remains.
"A perfect opportunity."
Li Shunchen extended his hand from the shadows, his fingertips touching precisely against the talisman soaked in Sato's blood and residual Cursed Energy.
Innate Cursed Technique, activate: Phantom Parade.
An obscure stream of information instantly flooded his mind through his fingertips. It was not a direct explanation in words, but muscle memory and instinctive pathways concerning the flow of Cursed Energy that had belonged to Sato in life.
[Analyzing...] [Target Cursed Residue: Assistant Supervisor · Sato.] [Reading complete.]
As the information was deconstructed, a trace of surprise flashed through Li Shunchen's cold eyes, then turned into undisguised mockery.
"So that's how it is..."
During the first simulation, he had seen Sato throw talismans that turned into paper figures and naturally assumed it was some kind of low-level "Shikigami summoning." But now, by directly reading the deepest layers of Cursed Residue, he saw the truth.
Sato's Innate Cursed Technique was not summoning at all. Its true form was actually Puppet Manipulation!
It was a powerful Cursed Technique that connected to a medium through threads of Cursed Energy, allowing extremely precise control over objects.
Unfortunately, Sato had been utterly useless. Not only had his Cursed Energy been weak, but his understanding of his technique had also been appallingly shallow.
He had been completely incapable of controlling multiple threads or making fine adjustments. All he could do was crudely pour Cursed Energy into specially made talisman paper, turning it into living targets that could only move stiffly.
No wonder that man always had to grab someone for bait when hunting Cursed Spirits alone. With his half-baked proficiency squandering such a valuable technique, he could never kill any Cursed Spirit capable of fighting back without sacrificing someone else.
Li Shunchen snorted inwardly, then mobilized the 15 points of Cursed Energy inside him and forcibly poured it into the bloodstained talisman in his hand, following the Cursed Energy pathways he had just analyzed in his mind.
"Reproduce."
There was none of the effortless control he had imagined. It was a peculiar sensation, like forcing himself to run in a pair of ill-fitting shoes. There was a clear obstruction in the flow of Cursed Energy.
Rustle-
The talisman in his hand moved without any wind, trembling as it floated upward. It folded and twisted strangely in midair, finally turning into a bloodstained paper figure the size of his palm.
It landed crookedly on the concrete floor, moving so stiffly that it looked ready to fall apart at any moment.
"Just as I thought..."
Li Shunchen frowned slightly. The system's rules were rigorous. Although his total Cursed Energy exceeded Sato's, proficiency was not something he could acquire in a single leap.
The result he had reproduced was almost on par with Sato's half-baked level in life. Forget killing a Cursed Spirit-it probably could not even strangle a rat.
Still, if it was only meant to serve as bait, it was enough.
A cold curve lifted the corners of Li Shunchen's mouth, and he lightly crooked a finger hidden in the darkness.
The crooked paper figure suddenly moved. With extremely stiff steps, it pattered toward a blind corner on the other side of the basement. Under Li Shunchen's deliberate control, it even slammed into a discarded empty tin can, knocking it over.
Clang-!
The crisp metallic crash echoed thunderously through the deathly silent basement.
The Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, which had still been gnawing on the remains, abruptly swung its massive body around. Its cloudy, bloodthirsty eyes instantly locked onto the fleeing paper figure.
"Roar-!"
To the Cursed Spirit, the paper figure gave off the scent of a Jujutsu Sorcerer, something it loathed intensely yet found deeply enticing.
With barely any room for thought, it roared, opened its enormous, bloody maw, and hurled its massive body forward like a mountain of flesh!
Rip!
The fragile paper figure was, without any suspense, instantly shredded by the Cursed Spirit's sharp claws.
Yet in those extremely brief fractions of a second when the Cursed Spirit's attack found nothing, its previous force spent and its next not yet gathered-
At some unknown moment, Li Shunchen had already appeared like a phantom in the Cursed Spirit's absolute blind spot! "Low Presence" concealed his presence perfectly. Right up until the instant before he swung his blade, he had triggered no warning from any movement in the air.
He gripped Asagirimaru tightly in both hands in a reverse grip. Although the 15 points of Cursed Energy inside him were not yet pure enough, under his forceful compression, they instinctively coated the pitch-black blade, erupting completely without reservation at that moment!
There were no flashy moves, nor any need for an unnecessary roar.
Only one swift, precise, ruthless horizontal draw slash!
Shhk-
The sharp short blade, coated in Cursed Energy, sliced through the Cursed Spirit's bloated, tough neck as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.
The enormous head flew into the air! Foul-smelling, blackish-purple blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the surrounding walls with a teeth-grating, corrosive sizzle.
The Grade 2 Cursed Spirit did not even have time to scream before its massive, headless body crashed to the ground. It then rapidly broke apart in the air, dissipating into black dust.
Li Shunchen stood expressionlessly in place, casually flicking the filthy blood from his short blade onto the floor.
He watched the Cursed Spirit gradually fade into nothingness, his gaze deep.
"Crude puppetry to divert its gaze, combined with concealment for a one-hit assassination... it really is a good tactical combination."
The one drawback was that this had only been an encounter in reality, not a special mission issued by the system, so killing an enemy above his level this time did not directly reward him with any simulation attempts.
But having picked up a decent "secondary skill" for free and verified his current combat ability, Li Shunchen was already quite satisfied.
He sheathed his blade, slowly turned around, and surveyed the wrecked basement.
Tonight's killing was over. Next came the test of his acting skills.
Li Shunchen walked over to Sato's torn suit, fished out the little notebook containing the illicit accounts, and tossed it into a conspicuous spot where it would look as though it had fallen during the struggle.
Then he grabbed a handful of grime mixed with bloody water from the floor and smeared it over his face and clothes without hesitation.
"There are still a few hours before dawn, when Window's cleanup personnel arrive..."
Li Shunchen leaned against the icy wall and curled his body into the deepest shadows, the corners of his mouth lifting into a morbidly perfect curve of terror.
"Enough time for me to get into character."
Before you continue