Shinsuke followed the directions on the treasure map and soon arrived at an abandoned well in the village.
Due to an incident years ago where the well suddenly ran dry, it had long been abandoned, with a large stone covering the wellhead to prevent anyone from accidentally falling in.
Based on the treasure map's guidance, Shinsuke knew that what he sought was below.
Without hesitation, he moved the stone blocking the well, lit a torch, and jumped in.
As he descended, Shinsuke skillfully wielded a sharp kunai, using it to slow his fall by creating friction against the walls.
In the blink of an eye, he reached the bottom of the well and successfully landed on the ground.
"According to the map, it should be here…"
Shinsuke searched around carefully but found nothing, so he started digging with his kunai.
Strangely, after digging several meters down, he still found nothing.
"Huh? That's odd."
He stopped and looked at the [Cursed Treasure Map] to see if he had missed any details.
As soon as he took it out, the black scroll turned to ashes and quickly merged into the soil at Shinsuke's feet.
The soil began to move, forming a black, ancient-looking treasure chest.
"So that's how it is."
Shinsuke was intrigued by this development. He had always wondered what kind of treasures the system's map would lead him to.
Were the treasures always at the marked coordinates? What if someone else found them first?
If it was just mundane items like gold and jewels, it would be disappointing.
Seeing this, his interest was reignited. Although he didn't know what was inside the chest, he was eager to find out.
The real treasure wasn't at the location but activated by him arriving there with the map. The map itself was the key, only revealing its secrets to the rightful holder.
Other people wouldn't find anything, even if they stood in the same spot.
Considering this, Shinsuke believed the contents of the chest must be extraordinary.
While pondering, he opened the chest without hesitation.
However, he had overlooked one thing—the map was labeled [Cursed].
BOOM!!!
Hidan, who had been searching near the abandoned well, was startled.
He saw Shinsuke emerge from the well, followed by a mass of black tendrils chasing him.
"What the hell is that?!"
"How should I know? Get over here and help!"
Shinsuke dodged the tendrils while leading them towards Hidan.
Hidan finally saw what the black mass was—hair.
He wanted to yell, "Don't come over here!"
But knowing Shinsuke, he realized he would be dragged into the mess anyway.
Hidan had no choice but to join the fight.
He first pulled out his black spear but then switched to a kunai.
A spear was great for killing, but not for cutting hair.
Hidan grumbled about needing a better weapon while hacking away at the hair with his kunai.
Shinsuke expertly wielded his kunai, cutting the hair that attacked him. The severed hair lost its life force and vanished upon hitting the ground.
Despite the seemingly endless hair, it was manageable as long as they kept their defense up.
After retreating about fifty meters, the hair stopped chasing them and retracted into the well.
"It seems its range is about ninety to a hundred meters, including the well's depth."
Shinsuke analyzed the situation, then heard Hidan ask, "What was that thing?"
"I don't know," Shinsuke replied honestly.
Hidan was skeptical. "Don't tell me you came out here for a midnight stroll. I saw that thing chase you out of the well!"
Shinsuke was surprised. "You've gotten smarter. Did the water in your brain finally dry up?"
"Damn it! I'm going to kill you!"
Hidan was ready to fight, but Shinsuke had more pressing matters.
"That thing, whatever it was, I don't know. I came here to retrieve something I once hid in the well. But instead of finding it, I released that cursed thing."
"What did you hide in the well?" Hidan asked suspiciously.
"Some savings from before I joined the Cult of Jashin."
Seeing that Shinsuke wasn't going to elaborate, Hidan didn't press further.
However, he soon sniffed the air, sensing something. "Do you smell that? It's fragrant."
"Something's not right."
Shinsuke smelled it too. The fragrance was indescribable, captivating, and enticing him to come closer.
He began to feel dazed but snapped out of it by stabbing his thigh with his kunai.
The pain and blood brought him back to his senses, and the scene before him was chilling.