- **God's Descendant:** Tame divine beings. Increases chances of taming divine, spirit, and shrine-type entities.
- **Serpent God's Favorite:** Becomes favored by serpent-type beings. Increases favorability from serpent entities and the likelihood of serpent-related events.
- **Novice Tamer:** Tame five or more beings. Increases chances of taming lower-level entities.
"...Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"Well, I just learned the title 'Novice Tamer,' but it says I need to have five or more tamed beings. Right now, I only have four: Hannah, Tiki, Terra, and Inari. So why did I gain that title?"
"Hmm, that does seem odd... Oh, wait a minute. Could it be...?"
At that moment, Inari also started making a phone call. Watching a supernatural being on the phone feels surreal, almost like a jarring contradiction.
"Oh, forgive me. Could you please let me connect to Kurama's fool? Yes, it's about the titles. I'd like to request some adjustments... Oh, you're in excellent shape, more than anything. Right now, I'm checking the stats of a player named Henry, but despite having only tamed four creatures, there's a beginner tamer popping up. Hmm. It's likely that both I and my designated proxy have been registered twice. What an inconvenience, indeed."
I see. After taming the original Inari, the proxy Inari joined, which caused the double registration. This also applies to other proxy users and allies. So, it's a bug.
"Apologies; sometimes odd situations crop up in this world. If you report it, it should be fixed eventually, so if you notice anything strange, you should also contact the administration."
"That said, I usually have Inari and the others nearby, so if something goes wrong, wouldn't it be quicker for them to report it?"
"That's a fair point. Well, I suppose that's a consideration for when you're alone."
For now, I'll activate each title at least once. Whether the titles have significance remains to be seen, but since it's a nice option... why not?
"Looks like there are two taming-related titles and one connected to Terra. I think I'll stick with the usual titles for now—it would be too much to have something like 'God Descended' become too well-known."
"By the way, wasn't there something going on with Roku? Isn't it already out in the open?"
"No, in my case, I edit first and then upload it to the tube. So, I plan to cut out the parts that don't work. For now, I guess it's about checking my skills?"
**Tame Level 14:** Able to tame NPCs and enemies.
**Spirit Vision Level 14:** Can see otherworldly beings.
**Luck Level 5:** Good things will start to happen.
**Lucky Pervert Level 4:** Events with a hint of naughtiness involving women seem likely.
**Kicking Skills Level 8:** Learn various kicking techniques.
**Preferred Weapon: Unarmed Level 15:** Increased attack power from fighting without a weapon.
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**Intuition Level 5:** Can sense otherworldly beings.
**Throwing Skills Level 4:** Learn throwing techniques.
**Prostration Level 10:** An incredibly impressive act of prostration, they say.
**Heat Detection:** Switch vision to thermal imaging.
**Quick Sealing Gesture:** With two fingers, cut through and purify everything.
**Sealing Counter:** Let's chant: Onkiryakehara Futaran Basotsuwaka.
**Tackle:** The body itself is a weapon; a direct attack using one's own body.
**Spirit Strike Level 1:** Physical attacks now deal direct damage to spiritual bodies.
Front Kick: A swift strike launched at the enemy right before you, delivered with no visible motion.
Yakuza Kick: With both hands stuffed in my pockets, I lazily throw a front kick, exuding a lack of decorum.
Pray: For now, I bow before whatever is in front of me. I should voice my wishes out loud.
I've picked up quite a few things.
The quick nine-character invocation and its return likely stemmed from our earlier exchange.
I probably learned the tackle and Yakuza kick while fighting the spirits gathered around the torii on my way here—those moves haven't surfaced anywhere else.
And then there's the basic skill of the class, praying.
Taking advantage of the moment, I bowed towards Inari's shrine, wishing that Hannah would never leave me.
"Now, how do we get back?"
"The ghostly presence is quite intense right now."
Inari and I gazed up at the torii.
Countless spirits clung to the area around it, forming a spherical mass.
Honestly, escaping from here seems to be the biggest challenge right now.
"They don't enter the shrine, do they?"
"Past the torii, there's a purified atmosphere. Those spirits can't breach this barrier; if they do, they'll just be purified."
It appears that places where deities reside usually have such purifying barriers.
As a result, spirits either get repelled or forcibly enter and are purified.
Tiki, while only possessing an upper body, is still a physical manifestation of a malevolent spirit, so she's fine. However, Hannah is entirely a spirit, making her vulnerable. The moment she steps through that torii gate toward the shrine, she's purified and taken to heaven.
We need to be cautious around here, especially to avoid inadvertently entering the purification barrier with Hannah present.
"Alright then, my lord, climb onto my back," Tiki insisted.
"What? Why?" I asked, surprised.
"I'll create a breakthrough. You handle the legs," she said confidently.
Ah, so I'm acting as her steed. I crouched down right there.
Inari then leaped up onto my shoulders, landing right at the nape of my neck.
"Whoa, that's a bad spot to land!" I protested, feeling the weight.
"Come on, let's hurry," she urged.
"Got it. By the way, what's your level, Inari?"
"Same as yours. If I were in my true form, I'd be too powerful. This vessel will adjust to your level, so consider me weak for now."
Even so, it seems breaking through that swarm of ghosts is possible. Given the circumstances, if she can manage it, I'll have to rely on her.
"Alright, I'm ready. Let's charge in!" I declared.
I switched my skills to combat mode: Spirit Vision, Spirit Strike, Tackle, Unarmed Combat, and I should add Luck too. And let's take off Lucky Pervert…
—Warning: Please disengage from close contact. If you ignore this warning, account suspension may occur…—
"Watch out!! Lucky Pervert can't be removed!?"
Being piggybacked by Inari-san has us in close quarters. Thanks to Lucky Pervert, everything seems fine, but if I try to detach it now, it could lead to an account ban. Thank you very much.
Damn it, at this rate, I won't be able to defeat the ghost at Hayakujizuri. It looks like I have no choice but to keep both luck and Lucky Pervert.
"Here we go!"
I steeled myself and dashed toward the torii gate.
I slipped through the gate and sprinted down the stairs. Inari-san seemed to be working her magic above me, but I had no idea what was happening. My only task was to charge down the stairs without losing my balance.
"Whoa, there are more than I expected!"
"Well, of course. Can you handle it?"
"Y-yeah, don't worry! The vessel's abilities are just a bit below expectations."
Is that really okay? I felt a flicker of apprehension, but I couldn't afford to look away.
"Oh. First… no, it's fine."
Huh? Wait, are you really okay? Something just slid by me in an odd way!
Thanks to Terra-san's growl, whatever it was vanished into thin air.
"Ugh, why are there so many of them!? This is definitely unexpected. Master, you haven't been doing anything strange, have you!?"
What is considered "strange"? I've tamed Terra-san and Inari-san, but nothing else, honestly. I handled the Hayakujizuri issue properly!
Finally, the stairs were behind me. All that was left was to dash through the mountain path. It should be easy… but whoa, what the?!
"Sorry, but there are way too many!"
"What the heck is going on?!"
I saw a horde of ghosts pouring towards me from all directions. Thankfully, they were still some distance away, so I was safe for now. But I had to sprint with everything I had or I'd be done for.
"Is this some kind of event?!"
"I've never heard of such an event!"
Monsters with a reputation didn't scare me, but this was terrifying! Damn it, there must be a way… Wait! I got it. I'll change my skill from a body slam to a throw. Take this, you bastards!
I ripped open a bag of salt and hurled it at the sky with all my might. The salt scattered mid-air, swirling into a cloud that caught the wind. The ghosts shrieked as they were hit by the salty gust.
Yes! That buys me some time. I'll complain to the devs later about this.
"Hey, Inari, you don't think I'll end up dragging these things through the city, do you?"
"No, once we get back home, we should be fine. Only allies can enter there. It would reset before reaching the city."
That was a relief. If I could just get through that area and return home, everything would be solved.
I sprinted desperately towards the mountain entrance. Normally, I'd be out of stamina by now, but in this world, I could keep running at full speed for a surprisingly long time. My physical abilities increased as my level climbed.
Honestly, it was intense. However, thanks to the salt, I managed to escape the mountain without being caught by the ghosts.
"Hey, Henry, over here!"
Having narrowly escaped a horde of ghosts in the woods, I decided to log out for a bit to gather my thoughts and take care of some matters before the end of the school day.
To be frank, being chased by that many ghosts was a serious strain on my heart. Even when I returned to my in-game room from the mountain, I couldn't shake off the anxiety—I had to follow Inari's suggestion to log out for a moment.
It was definitely too overwhelming for my second day in the real world. If I had been alone, I would have undoubtedly been cursed. And I was still anxious about whether anyone was following me.
After I calmed down and logged back in, I found Hannah, who had finished her tasks, and Tiki, who was free from her lecture, back in my room. Hannah was surprised to see the two new girls, realizing that while she had been working, new faces had appeared. Although, it's not exactly that...
By the way, I found out that Terra is also a girl. Who knew?
Surprisingly, there was no catfight or ranking battle; instead, Hannah and Inari introduced themselves and exchanged greetings, wrapping up their first meeting quite harmoniously with a cheerful, "Let's work together!"
I hope everything's fine, but isn't it a bit too smooth? Well, it's okay, I guess.
After catching up on the latest news, we headed to the shopping district to sell off some unwanted items. I had collected quite a bit after taking down ghosts, but I managed to sell most of it. A lot of it was useless to me anyway, so I sold all the spirit shards too. Thanks to that, I ended up with a decent amount of cash.
Before I knew it, though, I was nearly broke again after splurging on salt and various recovery items. How did that happen?! I had just become a little rich! Maybe upgrading my bed to a king size was a mistake? I got a bit carried away, thinking about sleeping next to Hannah.
The only leftover item I could find in my inventory was a spellbook Yuki had given me. It had something about demon summoning written in it, which freaked me out. It seemed so ominous that I couldn't even consider reading it. But since it was a gift, selling it feels wrong. One day, I guess I'll have to muster the courage to read it.
For now, I'll just tuck it away in the back of my item box. What I really want to do is channel my inner child and play with the NPC kids. In the classroom after school, only Julie and a few others remained. As I walked in, an event triggered. Ray shot me a look as if he was witnessing something heartwarming, and it made me cringe.