Chapter 48

---

I was about to die.

Absolutely die.

It felt like an overwhelming sense of despair, as if a meteorite had fallen on my head.

What? What about?

Maybe because of Kuhaku's shaking...

"What kind of appearance!? What color was her hair and horns!? What was she wearing!? Even just her way of speaking...! No, wait, that's no good! Such second-hand information is a waste!! Ah, but I want to know!! I'm so curious!!"

With Kuhaku's incredible strength, which I estimate to be well over four digits, I was shaken so violently that I didn't even notice my HP rapidly decreasing. By the third shake, I was already groggy.

Somehow, it felt like... my whole body was being shaken... my internal organs were shifting... I'm going to die...

"Gi, gi... give..."

"Wh-!? Sorry!"

"Guh..."

I was slammed onto the floor when Kuhaku suddenly let go, and I couldn't move, lying there flat.

"Shukuna? Don't die, Shukunaaaaaa!"

No, I'm not dead...

---

When the bar owner rushed over to see what was happening, I told him I was fine and got up, sitting back down on the floor, still feeling a bit dizzy.

Hmm, it still feels like I'm shaking.

"Sorry..."

"No, it's okay..."

"You're still wobbly. ...Hey, Shukuna, come over here."

Kuhaku sat in seiza and patted her thighs, beckoning me over. In other words, she was offering me a lap pillow.

When I complied, a soft sensation enveloped the back of my head. It felt really good.

Hmm, technically, it's a thigh pillow, not a knee pillow. I wonder why it's called a knee pillow.

"The Oni I saw was a temporary form, a reflection of my appearance."

"R-Really? That's both exciting and disappointing... So, in the end, you don't know much about her either?"

"I have no idea about her appearance."

The Oni I met back then had recreated my avatar in perfect detail, so I couldn't see her actual form.

The only thing I know is how to get there.

Wait, thinking about it, how did Kuhaku try to unseal the Oni? I was directly guided, but she shouldn't have met her.

"By the way, Kuhaku, you said you were trying to revive the Oni... Did you have a lead?"

"Sort of. ...Do you know why the Oni was sealed by the Creator God?"

"Not at all."

"The Oni, in a fit of rage, destroyed three human kingdoms and turned them into wastelands. According to one theory, she had something precious stolen by a human villain. This was during the time when she was a regular Oni, before she became a god."

Considering how Kuhaku destroyed a village and the Oni destroyed three kingdoms, the Oni seem to have a hard time controlling their emotions.

"The Creator God, unable to bear the sight of such atrocities, sealed her in the far side of the world's edge... what is now known as the 'Edge Forest.' This is the story passed down among the Oni."

So, there are clues in the Edge Forest.

"That's right."

I see, the Oni know that the Oni is sealed in the Edge Forest.

The proper way would be to gather information from NPCs who know this and head to the shrine in the Edge Forest.

"I think the Oni told me to aim for the Edge Forest."

"Interesting, so the legend isn't wrong."

"What I was told is—"

I shared everything I knew with Kuhaku, who was deep in thought.

We need to find the shrine in the Edge Forest, I need to be at least level 50, the hairpin on my head is the key to the Netherworld, and there are powerful enemies in the Netherworld.

"To surpass the Netherworld, I can't do it alone. I think Kuhaku's help is absolutely necessary."

"...Ha, you're a light that illuminates the dark path ahead. To be able to see a dream I had given up on again..."

Kuhaku said this, then looked down slightly and smiled.

"I'll entrust the power of the strongest Oni in this world to you. To unseal the Oni."

"Sure, I'll work hard to fulfill Kuhaku's dream and achieve my own goal."

The important thing is mutual benefit. A contract based on mutual benefit is far more trustworthy than selfless service.

The promise between Kuhaku and me was of that nature.

After all, we've only known each other for a few hours.

"Shukuna, can I have a little more of your time?"

"Sure, is something wrong?"

Before leaving the bar after settling the bill, I was stopped by Kuhaku.

"Shukuna, you have the 'Unarmed Combat' skill, right? I thought I'd teach you 'Oni Dance.'"

"Oni Dance?"

In response to my question, Kuhaku smiled slyly and said:

"It's a martial art left behind by the Oni, which only Oni can use."

---

"Phew... This is such an intense life..."

A few hours later. After a rigorous training session with Kuhaku, I had returned to reality.

Rin is still playing. I could make dinner, but I'm not very good at cooking elaborate meals.

"Hey, maybe I should check the bulletin board."

Feeling a bit idle, I decided to check the official bulletin board for WLO.

Players with an ID can access it from various terminals, and of course, it can be viewed in-game, but only in safe areas like towns.

Why did I want to check it? Well, I had been streaming continuously, even during my private conversation with Kuhaku.

While the number of comments had decreased, there were still more listeners than when I started exploring the Demon Forest, and my stream was in the top 10 of the category's rankings.

Since it was already out in the open, I thought I might as well share the information.

"Let's see, Oni... Ah, here it is, the dedicated bulletin board."

WLO is a game with a wide variety of races, but the player demographics are extremely skewed, with 40% being human.

The remaining 30% are beastmen, 10% are elves, and the other 20% are spread across various other races.

This is because races other than humans, elves, and beastmen have highly specialized abilities.

For example, Oni are specialized in physical combat, fairies in magic, dwarves in blacksmithing, and halflings in crafting.

Choosing a race with such specialized abilities limits your playstyle, so the more flexible three races are more popular.

Incidentally, while beastmen are often lumped together, they are treated as different races based on the type of animal, which is why the number of sub-human races is inflated.

So, what I'm trying to say is:

Oni players make up less than 5% of the total player base, a minority race.

Given the small number, there is a dedicated bulletin board for Oni.

"Ah... As expected."

As expected, the Oni dedicated bulletin board was buzzing with activity, based on the content of my stream.

The number of posts started increasing sharply around the time Kuhaku and I met, so I assume it's because of the excitement.

"Ah, this template is interesting."

Having never really looked at bulletin boards before, I got distracted by the template at the entrance and spent 30 minutes before making my first post.

Beastmen, such as fox people, and Oni allies, such as Kitsune, are similar but different.

Fox people are humans with fox elements, while Kitsune are foxes that can transform into humans. Kitsune are pure animals, not mixed.

Incidentally, fairies are the opposite of Oni, being ultimate stationary artillery.

Next time, I'll focus on the bulletin board.