After finishing her grilled meat, Natsuki prepared to rest when Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched slightly. Suddenly, she sensed sounds of combat coming from not far outside the cave.
Yae Sakura's expression instantly froze.
"There's a monster nearby."
Finally, they encountered another monster again!
However, looking at Natsuki beside her, Yae Sakura hesitated somewhat.
"What's wrong? Lady Yae?" Noticing Yae Sakura's expression, Natsuki quickly asked.
"A monster is coming."
"Huh?!"
A monster?
Natsuki instantly grew anxious. Facing a monster naturally terrified her. Having witnessed their horror before, she couldn't help but feel concerned.
"Stay here and hide well! I'll go take a look."
After waiting so long for this moment with the monsters, Yae Sakura wasn't about to give up easily.
"But... then... Lady, be careful." Natsuki wanted to say more, but seeing Yae Sakura's determined expression, she closed her mouth.
"Mm-hmm."
Nodding, Yae Sakura grabbed her Sakura Blossom staff and walked straight out of the cave.
She quickly reached the spot where the monster was supposed to be, only to see... a girl holding a bow fighting against a whole group of them.
"Hey!"
The girl wore a traditional red-and-white miko uniform—different from Yae's outfit. She had on a white blouse with a long red skirt.
It was a conservative, classic miko attire, nothing like Yae's seductive clothing.
A powerful spiritual energy erupted around the girl, making her terrifying strength visible to the eye.
"You damned shrine maiden! Why do you keep getting in our way?"
"It's just a few humans we ate, for crying out loud."
The monsters were running away from the girl, clearly at a disadvantage.
Even some of the toughest-looking creatures among them were fleeing for their lives.
"Miko... Hm... That seems like..."
Yae looked closer at the miko ahead. Her figure seemed familiar.
She wore an ordinary miko costume: a white top with a red kimono skirt.
Black eyes, oval face, long smooth hair tied back with a white band, delicate features, a shrine maiden outfit with a white top and red bottom, pale pink lips, and an expression that was both determined and tinged with sadness.
That looks like... it must be one of Inuyasha's main characters, the shrine maiden Kikyō.
Why say "looks like"? Because this is the real world, so she doesn't look exactly like the anime character.
But... Yae could now be certain: This was indeed the shrine maiden from her time.
Kikyō was one of the most powerful shrine maidens of the Warring States era. She protected and purified the Jewel of Four Souls, using her strong spiritual powers and sharp archery skills to fend off demons eyeing the jewel.
Wait... Didn't Natsuki say she didn't know Kikyō?
Or maybe... Kikyō wasn't famous yet and hadn't taken charge of the Jewel of Four Souls?
"Monsters... must be punished for harming humans," Kikyō declared firmly, her eyes sharpening instantly.
She drew back her longbow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at a massive bull-headed monster...
The arrow, carrying intense white spiritual energy, instantly purified the Minotaur, even affecting several nearby monsters as well.
"What incredible spiritual power..." Yae Sakura was stunned by Kikyō's display...
But on second thought, it made sense. Kikyō had possessed strong spiritual powers since birth, walking a bloody path towards enlightenment from a young age. Her life consisted of unchanging routine: slaying monsters and protecting villagers.
It was only natural that she'd become so powerful.
However...
Yae Sakura decided to steal some kills!
With all these monsters around, wouldn't it be a waste if Kikyō killed them all?
Watching the monsters fleeing in her direction, Yae Sakura took a half-step back, crouched slightly... and gripped the hilt of her spiritual blade with both hands.
As the monsters closed in:
"Slash Drawn Sword!"
The most basic yet classic move in Tōei swordsmanship—a massive pink sword glare swept through...
The fleeing monsters never expected an attack from ahead. Before they could react... dozens were instantly cut down by the sword glare.
They died without even knowing what hit them.
First kill of a mid-level monster! Reward: 5 crystals
Killed 32 monsters with one sword! Reward: 3 crystals
So there are rewards...
It seems mainly for being the first to kill a monster, but... what happened to the reward for killing my first basic-level monster?
Did it get eaten or something?
Also... if I killed 32 monsters with one sword and got 3 crystals, would I get 10 crystals for killing 100 monsters in one go?
Yae still didn't quite understand.
But knowing that killing monsters gives rewards was enough for her.
Just then...
Quest triggered: Slay 10,000 monsters and one big monster
Reward: 200 crystals, Pet: Higyokumaru
Accept?
Huh? What?
A bounty quest? For Higyokumaru?
Does this mean... wherever there's Yae Sakura, there'll be Higyokumaru too?
Is it saying that Higyokumaru and Yae Sakura are truly meant for each other?
They're actually rewarding me with Higyokumaru...
Well... of course Yae Sakura accepts.
By now, Yae Sakura has figured out there are roughly three types of quests:
One type is the main storyline, another is bounties, and the last is commissions.
For example, escorting Natsuki was a commission quest.
Commission quests seem to trigger when someone asks you directly. The rewards aren't great, but they're decent enough.
The main storyline quests are fixed and necessary to open new worlds. Their rewards are just okay.
As for bounty quests... I'm not sure how those get triggered yet.
"Hm?"
Yae Sakura suddenly felt a sense of danger. She turned around and saw the miko girl had drawn her bow and was aiming right at her.
"Who are you? A monster? Human? No... You're half-human."
Kikyō locked onto Yae Sakura, who seemed lost in thought. Although she didn't sense any monster energy from Yae Sakura, there was a powerful spiritual presence.
But... those ears on top of her head—she clearly wasn't human. Must be half-human, Kikyō decided.
Despite this half-human's sudden appearance and interference with her pursuit, Kikyō remained vigilant. Though Yae Sakura's sword strike earlier could have been considered a sneak attack, its power was undeniable—one hit would likely mean serious injury or death.
The sudden emergence of such a strong half-human demanded caution from Kikyō. Even if... she had a feeling that facing off against this half-human as an enemy would surely lead to her demise...
Still, even then, Kikyō wouldn't beg for mercy from a monster.
Death in battle was the fate of every miko.
"Me?" asked Yae Sakura, pointing to herself.
"I'm just like you!" she said with a faint smile, looking at Kikyō. "I'm also... a miko!" It was as if being aimed at by Kikyō's arrow didn't bother her one bit.