[You have come into contact with the weirdness 'Door of Despair'. You have been marked by the curse…]
[Reality Guardian mission triggered!]
[Mission Objective: Kill the anomaly 'Door of Despair' invading this world]
[Upon successful kill, you will receive the following rewards—]
[Two thousand game coins]
[Ten free attribute points]
[Three random skill scrolls]
[One Skin Card]
[One fine item]
[One Dungeon Exemption Card]
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and said softly:
"It's actually good news."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded gently:
"It is indeed good news."
Just now, from the woman's description of the world behind the door, the two thought it was a peer of the game, or a colossal existence of the same level. It turned out to be just a weird kaidan invading the real world… It must be said, it was indeed quite good news.
"I-it hurts so much…" Sakura-san clutched her chest, her face pale, looking at Amamiya Natsuki and the two in a panic, "My heart hurts so much, I can barely breathe… P-please, quickly eliminate it."
"President?" Shinomiya Kaguya looked up, and whispered, "Should we destroy this door directly?"
Amamiya Natsuki shook his head:
"Destroying it is useless."
The moment the door appeared, Amamiya Natsuki stared at it unblinkingly. At this moment, a prompt had already quietly appeared before his eyes:
You attempted to physically destroy the Door of Despair, but failed. This door is not a physical entity.
After careful consideration, you decided to enter this door, hoping to eliminate despair.
"Chika is still inside," Amamiya Natsuki said softly, "We need to go in first and find Chika and Moeha."
Shinomiya Kaguya stepped forward, took Amamiya Natsuki's right hand, and said calmly:
"Then let's go in together."
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at the woman with a pained expression and said seriously:
"Sakura, this door must be destroyed from the inside. We will go in with you."
Sakura's expression immediately turned to despair: "Are we… are we really going in?"
"Please rest assured," Amamiya Natsuki said confidently, "We are professional private exorcists."
"Wait, wait a minute…" Sakura Rinko's eyes widened, "Aren't you the Supernatural Investigation Bureau?"
Amamiya Natsuki said without changing his expression:
"Sakura, you just had an auditory hallucination… If we all go through this door together, we shouldn't appear in different places, right?"
"No…" Sakura Rinko shook her head, "I heard that if doors appear at the same time, entering them will lead to the same location."
"That's good," Amamiya Natsuki said gently, "Let's go in now."
Sakura Rinko's heart was in severe pain and she definitely couldn't hold on for much longer, while others would take at least half an hour to arrive.
In other words, waiting for Marin and the others was too late; this time, only Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya could act.
"First, I need to tell everyone…"
Amamiya Natsuki called Marin, explained the current situation, and asked Marin to relay it to the others. Then he turned to the Lady and said:
"Are you ready?"
"Mhm." Shinomiya Kaguya looked over, holding Amamiya Natsuki's right hand, and whispered, "President, let's go in."
"…"
Amamiya Natsuki took two steps forward, pushed open the red wooden door on the wall, and then he and Kaguya stepped inside. Sakura followed closely. As the three figures disappeared from the apartment, the Door of Despair on the wall quietly faded, vanishing without a trace.
Unlike the game, entering the Door of Despair did not cause dizziness or temporary loss of consciousness. There was only complete darkness and a deathly silence with no sound.
To be safe, Amamiya Natsuki held Kaguya's hand and stood still, not moving. Just as he was about to drink a Witch Potion, a splashing sound suddenly came from his ears.
"Hmm… Is that the sound of rain?"
As the sound began, the darkness before their eyes quietly dissipated, turning into a thick white mist.
Immediately after, the mist rapidly thinned, and Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya's vision cleared.
A rainy night.
Torrential rain poured down, and murky puddles had already formed on the ground.
Darkness.
The surroundings were pitch black, a desperate darkness without any light.
Only a small bus stop platform was not far ahead. Under the platform's rain shelter, a group of pedestrians were standing, sheltering from the rain. There were men and women, and among them was even a girl in dinosaur pajamas with a terrified expression.
"Are they 'players' of the Despair game?"
Amamiya Natsuki narrowed his eyes slightly and pulled Kaguya over.
Whether they were players or not, they had to go there. They couldn't just stand in the road getting rained on.
As soon as they reached the bus stop, a middle-aged aunt sighed, her gaze falling on Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya, and she said sympathetically:
"Oh, two more newcomers. What a pity."
Amamiya Natsuki subtly looked around, not seeing Sakura for the moment, so he said:
"Sister, why do you say we are newcomers?"
The middle-aged aunt was startled. After being called 'sister,' a smile flashed across her face, but it was fleeting, quickly replaced by numbness and despair. She whispered:
"Because only newcomers walk out of the mist… Both of you entered that red wooden door, right?"
"That's right." Amamiya Natsuki took out a clean towel, handed it to Kaguya, and let the Lady simply wipe the rain from her body, then asked, "Excuse me, where is this place?"
"This is a place of only death and despair." A man sneered and stepped up to Amamiya Natsuki, reaching out his hand impolitely and saying, "Hey, give me that towel."
The man was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and his exposed arms were covered in tattoos—in Japan, people with tattoos are often discriminated against, and many establishments prohibit tattooed individuals from entering. So, ordinary people rarely get them; usually, only members of yakuza organizations get tattoos.
Looking at his buzz cut, fierce eyes, and the cautious attitude of others who dared not speak, this guy was highly likely a real-life yakuza member.
Amamiya Natsuki glanced at him, about to speak, when he suddenly saw a woman appear out of thin air, stumble a few steps, and then frantically run towards the bus stop.
It was Sakura Rinko.
Upon seeing Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya, Sakura's face immediately lit up with surprise and she said:
"Thank goodness, you didn't abandon me… Everyone, we're saved! They are staff from the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, official members. They came in this time to eliminate the kaidan and save us."
There were five or six people standing under the bus stop, but most of them remained silent.
Now, hearing Sakura, these people seemed to come alive.
"Supernatural Investigation Bureau?"
"There's actually an official organization?"
"They're clearly just high school students… Are you mistaken?"
"…"
At this moment, a young woman in a red tracksuit with a ponytail and a cold expression spoke:
"They can't be official personnel. You've been fooled."
"You're talking nonsense!" Sakura immediately became agitated, "They're not ordinary high school students; they have special abilities! They must be official personnel!"
The young woman did not argue, she simply crossed her arms over her chest and said calmly:
"My father is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The moment I left this door, I asked him, and there are no official organizations, nor any exorcists. Shrines, temples, exorcists, Onmyoji, and so on in the real world are all useless. Instead, there are more and more terrifying strange tales in the world."
"Impossible… You're lying to me…" Sakura took two steps back, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, and looked towards Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya, "You really are members of the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, you didn't lie to me? You definitely didn't lie to me, right?"
"Half-truth, half-lie, I suppose." Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment, deciding to tell the truth. Since they were already in, whether they left or not was not up to Sakura. "Actually, we just wanted to piggyback… I misspoke, we piggybacked on your door to come in and find someone."
Upon hearing this, Sakura stumbled back half a step, the light in her eyes immediately extinguished, replaced by an expression of despair after hope was shattered.
"Idiot, to be deceived by high school students." The tattooed man sneered, "These two high school students clearly look like those thrill-seeking young people who like ghost stories, they won't cry until they're in their coffins… Hey, kid, I'm going to teach you a lesson right now. This isn't a place for children's games, but a place of real despair where people die."
"The blood characters haven't appeared yet, there should be a few more minutes… I didn't realize your girlfriend was so cute. It would be such a pity for her to die like this." The tattooed man's face distorted into a disgusting smile, his gaze passing over Amamiya Natsuki and landing on Kaguya behind Amamiya Natsuki. He extended his right hand and said, "Stupid high school students like you can't possibly survive. Since you're all going to die anyway, lend me your girlfriend to play with…"
Before he could finish speaking, Amamiya Natsuki had already kicked out with a blank expression, striking the yakuza man squarely in the chest.
Boom!
Under the astonished gaze of the others, this tall, burly yakuza man, as if hit head-on by a truck, was sent flying backward through the air for seven or eight meters before crashing to the ground with a thud, then rolling several more times, his body drenched in muddy water, before finally stopping.
"Ugh—"
After stopping, the yakuza man couldn't even stand up. He knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach and vomiting continuously, splattering everything on the ground.
Seeing this, everyone showed shocked expressions and instinctively distanced themselves from Amamiya Natsuki.
Even Sakura, who had been crying in despair and even had hateful eyes, stopped in astonishment, staring blankly at Amamiya Natsuki.
An ordinary high school student actually kicked a person that far?
How much force must have been in that kick?
And their expressions were too calm.
Not only was Amamiya Natsuki's expression calm, but even the lady, who was wiping her hair with a towel, had a serene expression, showing no signs of tension.
If they were newcomers, they should be frightened and trembling right now, shouldn't they?
Just like that new girl in the dinosaur pajamas, she was incoherent earlier, barely able to speak…
Amamiya Natsuki didn't care what these people thought. He simply extended a finger calmly and said with a blank expression:
"This is the first time."
He paused, then Amamiya Natsuki continued coldly:
"And the last time."
With Amamiya Natsuki's current physical fitness, plus the bonus from the 'Dark Walker' title, it was no exaggeration to say that he could now fight a tiger bare-handed without using any weapons.
He had already held back his kick; otherwise, a full-force kick could truly kill someone.
"…"
The bus stop quickly quieted down. Everyone was as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make a sound, only the torrential rain splashing on the rain shelter.
After a while, the yakuza man finally stopped vomiting and had the strength to get up. He clutched his stomach, scrambled to his feet, and cautiously hid in the furthest corner of the rain shelter. Forget about uttering threats, he didn't even dare to look into Amamiya Natsuki's eyes.
Amamiya Natsuki was too lazy to bother with him anymore and wiggled his pinky finger.
Soon after, his pinky began to tremble rapidly.
Shinomiya Kaguya saw it and whispered:
"President, Chika is here?"
"She is indeed." Amamiya Natsuki nodded, "There should be several scenarios running simultaneously here. Chika isn't with us, so we need to go find her."
After confirming that Chika was safe, Amamiya Natsuki temporarily put his mind at ease and began to study the previous prompts he had seen.
"Eliminate despair with hope…"
The purpose of the kaidan door pulling people in should be to absorb human despair. To destroy this door, the power of hope is needed.
The problem was that hope was intangible and invisible. How could it be used?
Amamiya Natsuki pondered for a moment, then his gaze shifted to the 'players' chosen by the Door of Despair. These ordinary people were caught in the kaidan; even if they miraculously survived this time, they would die in the next kaidan. Everyone was filled with despair.
"I probably understand what to do…"
Amamiya Natsuki's thoughts quickly became clear.
He and Kaguya were only two people, but there might be dozens of unlucky individuals entangled by the Door of Despair. The hope of two people certainly couldn't outweigh the despair of dozens.
So…
Converting everyone's despair into hope was the safest method.
The bus stop fell silent, no one speaking, no one conversing.
Several minutes passed like this, when suddenly someone whispered:
"Look, the blood characters have appeared!"
Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya heard this and turned to look at the bus stop advertisement board behind them.
They saw a sudden splash of crimson blood appear on it, and then the blood began to writhe and twist, forming characters.
Scenario: Ghost Bus
Task content: Ride the midnight ghost bus, then arrive at the terminal. Those who get off midway… die.
There were no rewards.
Or rather, returning to the real world after clearing the level was the reward given.
And the character for 'death' was noticeably larger than the others, with blood continuously dripping from it, looking particularly terrifying and eerie.
Besides Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya, there was also a true rookie in this scenario: the girl in the dinosaur pajamas.
Upon seeing the blood characters, the pajama girl shrieked, then clamped her hands over her mouth, her face pale, her body trembling, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"This is the correct posture for a newcomer…"
Several 'old players' subconsciously muttered in their hearts, then secretly looked at Amamiya Natsuki and Kaguya.
Those two high school students were clearly newcomers who had emerged from the mist, so why weren't they scared at all?
Amamiya Natsuki looked at Kaguya and whispered:
"Let's get on the bus first and see how difficult the task is."
Shinomiya Kaguya nodded lightly and said:
"First, pass this hurdle, then go find Chika and Moeha."
As he spoke, two dim yellow lights pierced through the rain, shining over. Immediately after, a dilapidated old bus rattled over and stopped at the bus stop. The door hissed open, and a chilling cold air blew out.
"It's starting."
"It should be this bus."
"Get ready to board… I hope we can survive."
"That driver… is a dead person?"
Amamiya Natsuki squinted slightly, looking towards the driver's seat.
The driver was wearing a bus uniform, but his cheeks had clearly turned into a mummified appearance, his eyes bloodshot and crimson. His head slowly turned, looking at the crowd on the platform.
Without a doubt, this was a Ghost Driver.
Amamiya Natsuki looked inside through the window glass. A few passengers were already sparsely seated on the bus: a woman with black hair covering her face, similar to Sadako, a woman whose mouth was slashed open by a sharp object, revealing a strange smile, and a guy completely wrapped in bandages… Without a doubt, the passengers on the bus were also ghost passengers.
Seeing this scene, the other 'old players' were fine, just looking grim but still managing to maintain their composure. The new girl in dinosaur pajamas, however, immediately burst into tears, her voice trembling with a sob, fearfully saying:
"C-can we not get on the bus?"
"You have to get on." The middle-aged aunt sighed, her face equally tense, but she could still barely maintain her composure. "If you get on, there's a chance to go back alive. If you don't, you'll definitely die."
The girl in dinosaur pajamas was teary-eyed, just shaking her head continuously.
At this moment, a brave young man stepped forward, cautiously walked onto the bus, and prepared to move to the back.
"Wait a moment…"
The Ghost Driver suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, like dry wood rubbing together.
The young man's body trembled, and he quickly stopped, nervously looking at the Ghost Driver.
Then, the Ghost Driver slowly said:
"You have to pay…"
Everyone: "…"
It's natural and reasonable to pay for a bus ride; there's nothing wrong with that.
"I have money." The young man breathed a sigh of relief, quickly pulled out his wallet from his pocket, took out coins, and said, "I'll pay right away."
Who knew the Ghost Driver would say in a hoarse voice:
"No… The bus only accepts Hell Money."
Since it's a ghost bus, accepting Hell Money is also normal.
The young man's face quickly turned grim, and he couldn't help but say:
"How can we ride without Hell Money?"
Before entering the Door of Despair, no one would know what they would encounter, so naturally, no one would prepare that kind of thing in advance.
Everyone else pricked up their ears, nervously awaiting the answer.
"No Hell Money?" The Ghost Driver's face suddenly showed a ferocious, bloodthirsty smile, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, and he eerily said, "Then you can still ride, you just need to… pay with a finger as the fare."