Chapter 75: The Parade of a Hundred Demons, The Girl Named Oboro
Sinking, falling—
Passing through the illusory boundary.
*
At dusk.
At the foot of the endless mountain range, within an ordinary small village, trails of cooking smoke drifted into the air.
Beside the road outside the village stood a humble hut, built with wood and thatched tiles. A row of colorful little flags hung under the eaves at the entrance.
Above the door was a horizontal plaque bearing three characters—Mountain Pass Teahouse.
At this moment, the door to the teahouse swung open, and out walked an elderly couple dressed in simple, time-worn clothes. Behind them followed a fair-skinned young girl, her delicate features framed by smooth black hair coiled neatly at the back of her head.
She appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen, clad in homespun garments resembling a kimono. Though not voluptuous, her legs were straight and slender, and the contours of her waist and hips were unexpectedly graceful.
“Oboro, it's time to go home. If we don't return to the village before sunset, the terrifying evil spirits will snatch us away.”
The grandfather, his face gentle and kindly, turned to address the girl.
As if to reinforce his warning, the moment he uttered “evil spirits,” a flock of birds suddenly took flight from the woods nearby.
The unexpected occurrence startled the old man.
The girl called “Oboro” nodded obediently. “Yes, Father, the teahouse is tidied up. Let's go home.”
On the other side, the grandmother clapped her hands, as if recalling something. “Oh dear, there are still some leftovers in the teahouse today. I'll pack them up and bring them home so nothing goes to waste.”
The grandfather nodded slowly. “I'll help you. Oboro, wait for us here at the door.”
“Alright,” the girl responded quietly.
Meanwhile, in the dense woods where the birds had scattered—
A handsome young man, dressed in black fitted clothing, stood silently.
*
Zhou Yan’s eyes cleared. Before he could confirm his surroundings, a cascade of information appeared before him.
["Calamity Realm Walker" positioning complete]
[Calamity Realm Number: 289762]
[Depth: 2]
[Calamity Cause: Hundred Demons Rampant]
[Calamity Realm Brief: The Five Defilements descend upon the world, the Gates of Hell stand open, monsters and demons roam the Genroku Island Nation, and the people live in misery]
[Basic Task: "Survive" for thirty days]
[Additional Task 1: Travel to Musashi Province's Edo City and attend the "Demon Extermination Audience Gathering"]
[Additional Task 2: Slay three renowned great demons (0/3)]
[Additional Task 3: Expel the "Great Demon" and close the "Gates of Hell"]
[Complete the "Calamity Realm Walk" to a higher standard for an elevated evaluation]
“Hm… this time, there are three additional tasks…”
“And also, that ‘Depth’ indicator has changed from ‘1’ to ‘2.’ Does that mean the difficulty will increase as well?”
Zhou Yan pondered silently. The Calamity Realm Walk was fraught with danger; a single misstep could cost him his life.
Therefore, he tried to glean key hints from the information panel, which he trusted not to deceive him.
Hundred Demons Rampant, Genroku, Musashi Province's Edo City, Great Demons…
These keywords easily led him to suspect that this journey had brought him to a world resembling ancient Japan on Earth.
Moreover, it was an ancient Japan imbued with supernatural monsters.
He wondered… what level of combat might he encounter…
Zhou Yan closed the panel and began to assess his own situation.
He was now standing on a small path in a dense forest, clad in his “Fate Attire,” which automatically equipped itself upon entering the Walk.
After three rounds of upgrades, the basic form of this attire had changed considerably.
Though it still appeared as a black fitted suit, the chest and abdominal sections had transformed from a soft, rubbery material to hard, matte-black armor plates—light yet sturdy. These plates were perfectly contoured to his muscles, allowing unrestricted movement while offering ample protection.
If he had to compare, it was somewhat like Batman’s suit in DC comics, upgraded from the original soft costume to one with lightweight armor patches.
That familiar sense of power and security surged through Zhou Yan’s body.
[Attributes: Physique 18 (52), Agility 14 (45), Spirit 12 (38)]
With the Fate Attire equipped, all attribute bonuses were fully unlocked.
Even without factoring in the special abilities and buffs, his basic stats alone put his physical capabilities at five times the limit of an ordinary person.
This was close to the level he’d achieved in the “Frenzied Snow” world just after merging into the “Lotus Calamity Demon” form.
Although the attire’s upgrades contributed greatly, his own diligent cultivation had also raised his stats significantly.
“In any case, I need to find people and follow the task requirements, taking it step by step.”
Zhou Yan collected his thoughts and started down the mottled path beneath his feet.
*
This Calamity Realm Walk’s basic task was to survive for thirty days—a “long-term mission” compared to previous ones.
Finding humans and integrating into their society was essential.
He had no intention of living as a wild savage.
*
A few minutes later, Zhou Yan emerged from the thinning forest.
The small woodland path became a broad road, and following its direction, he saw ahead a simple yet charmingly decorated wooden house. At its door stood a slender girl in kimono-like attire.
“Good, I found someone right away.” Without hesitation, Zhou Yan quickened his pace and approached.
As he drew near, the kimono-clad girl looked at him warily and stepped back.
Her caution was understandable.
Zhou Yan stood over six feet tall—a respectable height even in the modern era, but among the ancient Japanese, he would seem almost like a giant. Coupled with his odd fitted attire, missing left hand and right eye, he presented an imposing figure.
He had no easy solution for this. After all, he couldn’t bring any real-world items with him, so he couldn’t prepare clothes in advance. His two “super fusion forms” did come with garments or armor, but one gave him a sinister appearance with a flower growing from his right eye, and the other covered him in exoskeletal armor, resembling a futuristic warrior.
If anyone saw him like that, he’d be mistaken for a monster before he even met any real ones.
To avoid frightening the first person he encountered, Zhou Yan pulled down the mask of his Fate Attire, revealing his face, and spoke in an unfamiliar but fluent language.
“Greetings, my name is Hiko. I arrived here after crossing the forest—may I ask, where is this place?”
He curiously listened to his own speech. The intonation seemed close to Japanese, though perhaps a bit different.
It sounded much like what he’d heard in anime and action movies back on Earth.
Whether it was truly Japanese didn’t matter.
The key was, his calm and earnest tone, combined with a handsome and clean face—albeit with one eye—put the girl slightly at ease.
She exhaled softly, then carefully responded in formal speech.
“Lord Hiko, I am called Oboro. This is a village within Mikawa Province. Do you require assistance?”