Chapter 8

As I advance deeper into the cave with the wolves, the shadow seems to grow thicker. The path is only 5 meters wide, but the shadows keep getting darker. Is the curse getting stronger as we go deeper? Could the source of the curse be further in? I’m not good at exorcisms, though.

I push forward, purifying the visible shadows. However, after a while, more black shadows start to appear in the passage. It looks like they are seeping out of the walls. It’s creepy.

The wolves start to breathe heavily through their mouths as the shadows grow thicker, and their bodies tremble. We need to do something, or this won’t end well.

What can I do? Even if I purify the shadows, they keep appearing from somewhere. To prevent them from getting close, I remember from manga that a barrier might work. Was it to protect against monster attacks? I wonder if it would work against curses.

Let’s try it out. First, I’ll imagine a barrier covering me, the wolves, and the dogs. Since they’re moving around, it’s like surrounding each one with a large balloon. The barrier won’t be effective if it contains the curse, so I’ll activate purification at the same time.

“Barrier”

I thought it would be covered with a faint, beautiful blue film, but it disappeared. However, the shadows don’t get close to us. It seems to have worked.

This barrier might be effective against physical attacks as well. This is a magical world, after all. I’m using magic too. So, there’s a possibility of being attacked without being seen.

Can I strengthen the barrier? I’ll try it out. I need to imagine a barrier that can withstand physical and magical attacks. That’s difficult.

Maybe I should imagine the barrier being attacked and then repelling the attack. Hmm, repelling the attack. Whether it’s a sword, a knife, a gun, a bomb, or magic, it all bounces off the barrier. Wait, did I end up imagining a double retaliation? Oh well, it’s fine.

“Strengthen”

A whistling sound echoes through the passage, and various colors run through the barrier before it becomes transparent again. Did it work?

The wolves are all staring at me intently. Hmm? Did something happen?

“It’s just that I strengthened the barrier, so it’s fine.”

For some reason, everyone looks complicated. Hmm? Did the strengthening fail? I won’t know unless we get attacked. I don’t like that idea.

Let’s keep moving. The shadows get thicker as we go deeper, and visibility is poor, which is frustrating. I keep purifying the shadows as we walk.

After walking for a while, we finally reach the back wall and discover an entrance that seems to lead to the next space. This cave is much larger than I imagined.