Heather was eliminated, and the curse ceased to exist.
Mission accomplished, Madison's first instinct wasn't to reflect on it. Instead, she swiftly produced the small mirror she carried and scrutinised her own face. Satisfied to find she still had the power to attract attention, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That ugly hag's finally crawled back to hell. Ruboo, let's find somewhere to wash up first—I'm filthy." Glancing down at her designer clothes, now grimy from the fight, Madison spoke.
Ruboo didn't refuse.
He was even dirtier than Madison.
Heather's house had been unoccupied for so long that the water and electricity had long since been cut off.
After leaving this place, the pair casually selected a residence that appeared reasonably neat and tidy, and simply pushed their way inside.
Due to the haunting, everyone with any means in the town had hurriedly moved away, leaving only the poor behind.
Naturally, the house Ruboo had broken into stood empty. With ample water and electricity, and even cold drinks and food in the refrigerator, the pair settled in to recuperate for the time being.
Ten minutes later.
The sound of hot water cascading down Ruboo's head filled the air.
Washing away the dust, the fatigue of their journey, and the exhaustion from his battle with Heather, Ruboo felt thoroughly refreshed. He summoned the Book of Containment.
The once-blank page numbered one was now filled.
[Number: 001]
[Name: Heather Neimark]
[Type: Malevolent Entity]
[Status: Contained]
[Abilities: Possession by malevolent spirits; Malevolent curses]
[Description: An obsessively vain woman whose fixation on beauty remained undiminished both in life and death. Following the loss of her arm, the golden prosthesis became Heather's foremost obsession. Should anyone dare to take it, she shall crawl forth from the depths of hell to curse the thief endlessly until her golden limb is returned.]
Accompanying the text description is a lifelike portrait of Heather in her form as a malevolent spirit.
When Ruboo's gaze fell upon it, he could make out Hester, her right arm now fitted with the golden limb, murmuring contentedly, "My golden arm."
"A spirit, simply swallowed by the Book of Containment, reduced to nothing more than a page within its pages?"
Flipping through the vast expanse of blank pages that followed, Ruboo marvelled at the Book of Containment's voracious appetite while inwardly lamenting his own wretched future as a wage slave.
Fortunately, the Containment Book wasn't an unscrupulous capitalist that only took without giving anything in return.
This successful containment of Heather earned him 80 containment points.
Combined with the 20 Containment Points gained from the previous two curses, he had amassed a total of 100 points from Heather.
This was more than enough to raise one of his attributes by a full point.
The return was rather decent.
So where should the remaining 80 points be allocated?
Heather's abilities all pertained to the realm of malevolent spirits; as a living being, I couldn't learn them even if I wanted to.
The only options were physique and spirituality.
The benefits of physical prowess need no elaboration.
Enhanced spirituality allows for clearer perception of non-physical supernatural entities.
This is crucial for someone who will spend most of their time dealing with the supernatural.
How to allocate these resources requires careful consideration.
Fortunately, after containing Heather, he had a period of leisure ahead and needn't rush this decision.
Ruboo closed the Containment Book and reached for the towel beside him, preparing to finish his shower.
Click.
The bathroom door suddenly swung open.
Ruboo startled, whirling round to find a completely unclothed, dazzlingly pale form standing before him.
Her figure was perfectly proportioned, full where it should be and slender where it needed to be.
Paired with that strikingly beautiful, captivating face, it was bound to make a powerful impression on any man.
In this place, such a figure could only belong to Madison.
"Ahem!"
After several seconds of stunned silence, Ruboo finally remembered to cover himself with the towel and averted his gaze. "Madison, is something the matter?"
After the heart-stopping moment, Madison, in desperate need of some relaxation, strode in with unabashed confidence. Spinning gracefully to showcase her exquisite figure, she declared:
"You know perfectly well what I'm here for, Ruboo. Shall I make the first move? I wouldn't mind being the one on top."
"Ahem... Madison, I have a girlfriend," Ruboo stammered, feeling rather overwhelmed.
Madison inched closer: "What's that got to do with it? Does having a goalkeeper stop you scoring? Besides..."
She stood before Ruboo, leaving him nowhere to turn. Like a female rogue, she hooked his chin with her fingers and declared with unwavering confidence:
"Ruboo, you don't want to guard the Black Widow for the rest of your life, do you?"
"Trust me, after everything that's happened, I'm dead serious this time."
"Come on, Ruboo!"
The siren's song echoed incessantly in his ear.
Just as Ruboo summoned every ounce of willpower to resist, a fiery, supple body pressed against his.
Then came the final straw.
"Ruboo, you're not bloody gay, are you? Or perhaps you simply can't perform? I've heard that Asians..."
There was no 'or what'.
Madison's inflammatory words instantly ignited everything within Ruboo.
To prove himself, Ruboo hesitated no longer and summoned the Book of Containment.
"...Stat boost..."
[Physical Constitution: 1.2→1.3]
"...Increase again..."
[Constitution: 1.3→1.4]
"Ruboo..."
A fierce battle raged on within the master's absent home.
...
Afterwards.
As Madison, exhausted yet content after pleading for mercy, collapsed onto him and fell asleep, Ruboo nodded with satisfaction.
His earlier decision to allocate points had not been in vain.
Though this went against his earlier plan to return and think things through properly.
But matters of dignity left him no room for second thoughts.
The outcome proved to be quite favourable.
Not only did Madison submit to him, but Ruboo also discovered an unexpected windfall.
"What on earth is this?"
Watching the pages of the Containment Log in his mind suddenly rustle and flutter, much like when containing Heather before.
Perplexed, Ruboo opened the Containment Book.
Then, he witnessed a startling sight.
Following Heather, a new containment subject appeared on the pages—none other than Madison.
[Designation: 002]
[Name: Madison Montgomery]
[Type: Salem Witch]
[Status: Indirect Containment]
[Abilities: Telekinesis; Pyrokinesis]
[Description: Despite being afflicted by physical ailments, Madison remains among the most gifted witches within the Salem lineage. Yet beware her arrogance, selfishness, ruthlessness, and cold-heartedness... Perhaps she requires a true man to subdue her. Could this be what she has always yearned for?]
Beside him, a lifelike portrait of Madison stood before him, clad in a black evening gown and a half-veiled top hat.
Wait!
What on earth is going on here???