***Chapter 12***
The clock ticked midnight, casting an eerie shadow over the hotel as Augus and Yuta navigated its dimly lit corridors. Their mission was clear: exorcise another curse spirit that had been causing havoc in the vicinity. Augus, with his blond hair and striking red eyes, exuded an air of confidence, a stark contrast to Yuta's more reserved demeanor.
Yuta stole a furtive glance at Augus, silently wondering how his companion had become so strong and skilled at such a young age. Augus, ever perceptive, noticed Yuta's gaze and turned to him, raising an eyebrow.
"What's eatin' you, Yuta?" Augus inquired, his voice laced with curiosity.
Caught off guard, Yuta stuttered an apology before finally summoning the courage to voice his thoughts. "I was just wondering, Augus. How did you become so... well, strong and skilled? We're the same age, but you're on a whole different level."
Augus fell silent, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he felt a rush of panic. He couldn't reveal to Yuta the truth about his abilities. All his fighting skills were merely muscle memories from his game avatar, and admitting that he wasn't as skilled as he appeared was out of the question. He wanted to be a badass that can live up to the hype!
But he couldn't make himself look too hyped or else everyone will call him a fraud.
Seeing Augus's distress, Yuta grew even more anxious. In his eyes, Augus seemed to be glaring at him like a disapproving authority figure. Without knowing what was going on in Augus's mind, Yuta stammered out another apology.
Augus, realizing Yuta's distress, took a deep breath to calm himself. He shook his head, his expression softening, and assured Yuta, "Nah, Yuta, you didn't do anything wrong. No need to apologize."
Yuta visibly relaxed at Augus's words. Encouraged, he asked again, "So, Augus, seriously, how did you get this good at fighting?"
Augus hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell a white lie. "Well," he began, adopting a casual tone, "I pretty much taught myself how to fight. Just a lot of practice, you know?"
Yuta blinked, his eyes wide with awe. In his mind, Augus was beginning to resemble an idol. Augus's aura of confidence reminded him of their teacher, Gojo Satoru. The idea that Augus had achieved his prowess through sheer determination and self-teaching was nothing short of inspiring for Yuta.
As they continued their search for the elusive curse spirit, Augus decided to put his abilities to use. He activated his "Time Skip," a unique skill he had inherited from his game avatar. In the game, Time Skip granted players the ability to auto-dodge attacks, but it had an unintended glitch that allowed users to see through objects, much like sonar.
Augus triggered Time Skip, and as time briefly distorted around him, he found himself in a world where everything became semi-transparent. It was useful for detecting hidden threats, but it also had its quirks. During the Time Skip, all inanimate objects turned invisible to Augus, making navigation a bit more challenging.
Despite his enhanced perception, Augus still couldn't locate their target. Frustration gnawed at him. They had combed through the entire hotel floor, but the curse spirit remained elusive. Augus extended his senses upward, checking on Toge, Panda, and Maki, who were on the floor above them. Thanks to his Time Skip, he could tell that they too had made no progress in finding any hints of their quarry.
The tension in the air grew palpable as the minutes ticked by. Augus and Yuta exchanged worried glances, their shared frustration mirroring one another. The curse spirit had managed to elude them thus far, and time was slipping away.
But in the midst of their shared frustration and the pressing mission, a spark of camaraderie began to blossom. Yuta turned to Augus, his earlier awkwardness replaced by a warm smile. "You know, Augus, I'm glad to be teamed up with you. You're a great guy, and I can learn a lot from you."
Augus, taken aback by Yuta's friendly gesture, grinned back. "Yeah, Yuta, it's not bad hanging with you either. Now let's get this spirit and show 'em what we're made of!" He then raised his fist. Yuta blinked before giving Augus a fist bump.
However searching for the spirit proved to be fruitless as they found nothing.
Augus checked his watch, realizing it was time to regroup with the rest of the team. He gave Yuta a friendly pat on the back and pointed to his back with his thumb, signaling that it was time to head back. Yuta nodded in agreement and led the way, with Augus right behind him.
As they walked, something peculiar happened. Augus' ears picked up a whisper, a voice from behind. He halted in his tracks, swiveling around to see who had spoken. To his bewilderment, there was nothing behind him, just the empty hotel corridor.
Augus furrowed his brow and turned back to Yuta, confusion written on his face. "Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Yuta, with his keen senses, nodded. "Yeah, I heard it too," he replied, the tension in the air palpable. "It might be the curse spirit. We should meet up with Maki and the others and figure out our next move."
Augus, always alert, didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, I heard it too," he confirmed, his eyes scanning the empty corridor. "Could be the curse spirit. Let's meet up with Maki and the others and figure out our next move."
Yuta, feeling reassured by Augus's presence, nodded. "Good idea. We should be careful."
Together, they continued walking towards the stairs, aiming to regroup with their team. As they continued toward the stairs, Yuta remained vigilant, and Augus kept a close eye on him, ensuring his partner's safety. Soon enough, they found Maki, Panda, and Toge waiting for them at the designated meeting point.
Maki didn't waste any time and jumped straight into the question. "Find anything?" she asked with a sense of urgency.
Yuta shook his head. "No, we didn't find anything," he admitted, frustration creeping into his voice. "But we heard a voice, and it felt close."
Augus added, "Yeah, we thought the spirit might be on this floor, hiding in one of the rooms."
Panda, ever thoughtful, scratched his chin with a paw and hummed in contemplation. "Interesting, an spirit with invisibility curse technique, perhaps. Augus, could you recount the whole experience for us, from when you two started heading back?"
Augus nodded, his demeanor switching to storytelling mode. "Sure thing. We were heading back when I heard the voice. It was like it was right behind me, saying we didn't belong here. When I turned, there was nothing there."
As he spoke, the others listened intently, their expressions growing more serious with each passing word.
Maki listened intently, processing the information. "So, we need to be on high alert. This spirit might have some tricky abilities."
Toge, the silent one of the group, nodded in agreement.
Now armed with more information, Maki made a decision. "We should head back to our meeting point and strategize on how to draw the spirit out. We need a plan."
As she turned to lead the way to the stairs, an unexpected sight halted her in her tracks. The stairs, where they were supposed to descend, had vanished, replaced by a solid wall.
Yuta scratched his head, perplexed. "What the heck happened to the stairs!?"
Panda, his eyes narrowing as he pieced things together, commented, "We must be in its domain expansion."
Toge, his wooden mask betraying no emotions, nodded in agreement. "Tuna, Mayo."
For Augus, he couldn't help but draw parallels between their situation and a manga he had once read. "This situation," he mused, "reminds me of Chainsawman. Actually, no... this has Chainsaw man vibes written all over it."
Maki, never one to back down from a challenge, squared her shoulders. "Alright, then. We'll have to adapt. Augus, you seem to have a knack for drawing inspiration from manga. Any suggestions on how to navigate this place?"
Augus, still grinning, stepped up to the challenge. "I say we explore this place. It's like a twisted puzzle, and there's bound to be a way out."
Yuta, though initially shaken, found himself warming up to the camaraderie of the group. "Alright, let's do it. We're in this together."
Just as they were about to search the rooms, a sinister laughter echoed across the halls. Everyone quickly drew their weapons and curse techniques (Maki uses a spear, Yuta and Augus swords, Panda a pair of brass knuckles, and Toge his snake tongue curse technique) before they went back to back to cover each other's blind spots.
"The hell was that?" Yuta muttered, his sword poised and ready.
Maki tightened her grip on her spear, her voice low and determined. "Stay alert, everyone."
Panda clenched his brass knuckles, his panda eyes squinting with suspicion. "Sounds like trouble."
Toge nodded in agreement, pulling down his high collar to reveal his curse technique markings.
Augus couldn't shake the growing unease. "This doesn't feel right."
The sinister laughter continued before it taunted, "We'v been waiting for you... void." Those words made Augus suddenly had a bad feeling and doesn't like the situation they are in.
"What in the world is that voice on about?" Augus muttered to himself.
"Void, you've fallen so low."
"Making friends with these powerless monkeys."
Maki, her spear poised, questioned, "Who's this Void it's talking about?"
Panda shared Maki's confusion. "And what's with the monkey insults?"
Yuta couldn't help but think of Geto Suguru with how much the spirit kept saying monkeys to the point he started it think it was some form racism.
The longer the curse spirit talked, the more Augus felt like this situation had become far more dangerous than he thought. Was the spirit an NPC from the game given life? If so, which was it? Was it a mob or a raid boss? If it was the latter, then they were on a suicide mission. Raid bosses took around fifty players and three hours at maximum to be taken down. Even the weakest Raid boss that can be solo-ed took the same amount of time as the strongest.
While Augus was thinking about the possibility of an NPC sharing the same fate as him, Maki and the others were thinking about something else. Who was this void the spirit was talking about? And why does it sound like it had a grudge against this 'void'?
"Ah, Void, I've been waiting for this moment."
Maki's eyes narrowly turned to Augus, suspicion lingering in her gaze. Yuta, Panda, and Toge were thinking along the same lines. However, they were in this together, and attacking Augus wasn't a sensible move.
Yuta asked Augus quietly if he knew this spirit. Augus took a deep breath and told everyone that he might but just in case he was wrong, they should be on guard in case the worst happened.
"Augus, do you recognize this voice?" Yuta inquired in a hushed tone.
Augus swallowed hard before replying, "I might, but let's stay cautious."
Everyone began asking him if he knew the spirit and why it had a grudge. However, Augus didn't have an answer.
Maki, her grip on her spear firm, questioned, "What's the deal with this 'Void'? Do you know this thing, Augus?"
Panda and Toge exchanged uneasy glances, sensing something amiss in the situation.
Before Augus could respond the entire hallway morphed, suddenly resembling into a hallway made out of mouths. All of it chanting 'void,' each taunting Augus.
"Void, void, void!" The eerie chorus echoed.
"Void, you still can't figure it out, can you? How pathetic. Do they even know what you truly are?"
Maki clenched her spear even tighter, her suspicions deepening. "This is all getting too weird."
Panda grumbled under his breath. "This ain't normal, even for cursed spirits."
Toge recoiled in discomfort and disgust. "Tuna Mayo Salmon."
The group, now encompassed by the surreal and nightmarish environment, faced a mounting sense of unease, not knowing what the haunting 'void' truly meant or what the curse spirit had in store for them.
"Welcome, Void, to my domain. Let the games begin."