"Where should I start? First, I'm in a forest with no idea where I am. I don't have a phone on me, and I want to get to Tokyo, but I have no way of knowing which direction that is. Damn it, stuck in the middle of nowhere... finding a safe place before midnight is going to be hard."
I was making an inventory of my situation, trying to calm myself down. The reason I wanted to go to Tokyo was to reach the Jujutsu High there. Thanks to Tengen's barrier, I'd be safe once inside.
"There has to be a way out of this."
I began looking for a wooden stick to draw a diagram on the ground. Whenever I had a complex problem to solve, I'd usually take a sheet of paper and a pen, break down the issue to its root, and outline the steps needed to solve it. I'd draw a precise diagram. Unfortunately, I had neither pen nor paper here—only dirt and a stick.
I spotted one nearby, picked it up, crouched down, and started what I called my "Mapping Method."
"Problem: knowing the cardinal directions won't help if I don't know where Tokyo is from here."
I drew arrows in the dirt to represent different paths.
"I'm in a forest. To find the city, I need to find a village first. To find a village, I need to find a water source. To find that, I'll need to track animals. So the starting point is 'search.'"
"I also need to avoid making mistakes by observing moss growth on trees, bark markings, vegetation, and topography," I muttered to myself.
The simplest method would have been to climb a tree to get a better view and look for a river or wildlife. But the trees here were massive—twice the size of any I knew. Climbing them was out of the question.
So, I followed my plan and began looking for animal tracks while also checking for moss on tree trunks. The system messages were still on my screen, but now marked as read.
Eventually, I spotted deer tracks and began following them. Either they'd lead me to a water source or to a group of deer—but moss on the trees would confirm the presence of moisture, meaning I was heading in the right direction.
I kept walking, and to my relief, I noticed patches of moss growing thicker and more frequent as I went on. I walked for nearly an hour.
As for cursed spirits, I wasn't too worried. Curses are born from the negative emotions of humans, and I was in an uninhabited forest. It's rare to encounter a curse here. Even if I did, it likely wouldn't be stronger than grade 3.
For now, I hadn't completed my quest, so I couldn't view my stats. But if I had to guess, I was probably a grade 3 sorcerer. Why? Because the system had called me a "Cursed Player." So, instead of using "mana," I'd be using "cursed energy." That meant instead of MP (Mana Points), I'd probably have something like "Cursed Points" or just a pool of cursed energy.
Well, I'd find out more once I completed the quest.
A satisfied smile crept across my face as I spotted a river a few meters ahead. The next step was to follow it upstream—water sources often indicate nearby life, and thus, settlements.
I drank plenty of water and rested for about seven minutes before setting off again. I couldn't afford to lose time.
But as I started following the river, a shiver ran up my spine—a heavy, chilling sensation, from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. I froze and slowly turned my head.
A child with no legs was crawling toward me on two grotesquely twisted arms. Its skin was pale, almost translucent. Its eyes were pitch-black, void of pupils. Its mouth was sewn shut, yet it made muffled, whimpering sounds, like it was crying, and it dragged itself toward me.
Judging by its appearance, it was probably a grade 3 curse. Higher-grade curses tend to look more developed, more intelligent, and more menacing—though they sometimes mock their enemies too.
"From what I've read, a sorcerer usually has no major trouble exorcising a curse of the same grade. Like Gojo once said, curses found in cities are often stronger and more self-aware. So it's better to gain some experience before heading into urban areas."
And then, I glanced at the screen in front of me:
[Daily Quest: Find a Safe Place]
Objective: Reach a safe zone, far from curses.
Optional: Exorcise encountered curses.
The more curses exorcised, the better the rewards.
Curses exorcised: 0
"I have no choice—I need better rewards." I made up my mind.
I swallowed nervously and stepped closer to the curse. As I tried to remember how to manifest cursed energy, the creature lunged forward with terrifying speed. Its twisted, jerky movements made its path impossible to predict.
It slammed into me. I crashed into a tree, wincing in pain—but not enough to keep me from getting back up.
I ran and took cover behind a tree. Since it was only a low-grade curse, I figured one hit charged with cursed energy should be enough to destroy it.
I gathered my negative emotions, recalling all the pain and suffering I had endured. My heart was boiling. I remembered my final moments before coming here. I had to channel all of that without losing control.
I began to feel it—like wireless electricity flowing through me. I just had to focus and direct it.
I concentrated cursed energy into my fist as I heard the immature curse approaching again.
Then I threw a punch with everything I had, aiming straight for its face.
WHOOSH!!
My fist connected directly—and with just one hit, its head exploded. The curse dissolved, vanishing until nothing remained.
"Did I do it? I won my first fight..." I thought as I fell to my knees, smiling.
As expected, the system message popped up. I skipped everything else and checked what mattered most:
Curses exorcised: 1
The data had been updated.
That curse had actually helped me in three ways. First, I'd now get more rewards, as the system promised. Second, I now knew a village had to be nearby. Third, even if minor, I'd gained experience—though I hadn't learned much from it.
"Time to keep moving."
I hurried along. A few more minutes of walking, and I finally reached the village.
"At last... I made it," I whispered, letting out a long sigh. A gentle warmth rose inside me.