Chapter 14: The World's Changes

"Retreat quickly!"

Shinsuke swiftly pulled Hidan back, creating some distance, and without a second thought, slapped Hidan twice to wake him up!

In the brief moment of distraction, they had unknowingly moved several meters forward.

Hidan, now awake, didn't even have time to get angry at Shinsuke before he was startled by what he saw!

The strange fragrance seemed to possess a peculiar power, attracting all the nearby poultry.

They then saw those eerie black hairs suddenly emerge from the well, quickly and accurately entangling the chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs that had been drawn in.

The scent lost its stimulus, causing the animals to struggle in fear.

But it was too late; their efforts were futile. They soon fell silent.

After a while, the bizarre black hair slowly retracted again.

Shinsuke noticed that the hair seemed shinier and more resilient than before.

The unfortunate livestock looked like dried-out corpses, their appearances horrifying!

Both Shinsuke and Hidan were shocked by this scene!

"In the name of Jashin, this thing actually feeds?" Hidan almost cursed.

Shinsuke's expression grew serious, realizing that the creature he had unearthed might be a threat.

Moreover...

"Do you smell that? The strange fragrance is back."

Hidan touched the side of his face that had been slapped, incredulous. "The fragrance is to attract prey? What is this thing?"

Thinking about how close he had been to being ensnared, Hidan's face darkened.

If the creature had caught him, escaping would have been uncertain.

The thought alone was terrifying!

"While this creature is confined to this area, let's get out of here," Hidan suggested.

If it were a human, or even a god, Hidan wouldn't be afraid.

But facing this creature, he had no desire to fight to the end.

It was completely unnecessary!

Shinsuke agreed with Hidan, but...

In the darkness, numerous vague human figures appeared nearby.

They were villagers, lured by the special fragrance from the well, now clearly irrational!

If Shinsuke and Hidan left, the villagers wouldn't survive.

Shinsuke didn't see himself as a hero, rarely involving himself in others' affairs.

But causing this mess and leaving it behind, hurting innocent people, didn't sit well with him.

That would be irresponsible!

Moreover, he was unwilling to leave it unresolved!

Although unearthing the treasure seemed to have unleashed a 'monster', who could say it wasn't also a 'treasure'?

Furthermore, defeating monsters (like tailed beasts) to gain rewards (like Jinchuriki), was a time-honored tradition.

Without trying, Shinsuke couldn't be at peace!

So, Shinsuke calmly asked, "Scared?"

"Hell no! Who's scared?" Hidan retorted defiantly.

"Alright, you go first. I'll handle these people."

"Why me?!"

Hidan protested but seeing Shinsuke's odd look, he quickly changed his tune. "I mean, these people can serve as bait to distract the monster."

Shinsuke shook his head, "No, didn't you notice? The creature got stronger after feeding."

"The previous strength and numbers were already challenging. If it consumes these people, can you handle it then?"

Hidan grudgingly agreed but didn't want to admit it, so he grunted, "Why don't you go first while I handle the villagers?"

"I can quickly deal with them without causing trouble. Can you?"

"Of course, I can just kill them all and offer them to Lord Jashin!"

Shinsuke rolled his eyes, "By the time you finish, it'll be too late. Admit it, you're scared."

"Damn it! I'm never scared! Watch me tear that monster apart!"

Angrily, Hidan grabbed two kunai and marched towards the well, cursing.

Shinsuke, meanwhile, focused on his task.

He pulled out a kunai, cut his wrist, and with a strong flick, his blood floated before him, forming a sphere.

Bang! Bang!

Shinsuke adjusted the power of compressed blood bullets by firing at the ground.

Then he smiled.

"Better a mild concussion than being eaten."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Activating his curse energy, Shinsuke fired a barrage of compressed blood bullets from the blood sphere.

Many missed, but most hit the villagers, knocking them unconscious.

No matter how magical the scent, it couldn't immediately revive the unconscious.

Controlling them directly wasn't possible for the creature in the well.

Clearly, it wasn't that powerful.

Thus, Shinsuke quickly 'neutralized' all the 'zombies,' keeping them from breaching the 'safe zone.'

Efficient and fast!

Meanwhile, what was the clever Hidan doing?

He had moved a large rock to the well, trying to seal the creature below.

He thought, "I'll just 'seal' it down there."

"Done!"

Hidan dusted off his hands, feeling proud.

But why did his foot itch?

Looking down, the eerie black hair had already wrapped around his ankle!