Adventure and Reading
While traveling, Bima and Phoebe quickly formed a strong connection. As, Bima was heartbroken due to his parents, and he found solace in venting his emotions to Phoebe. He cried and bombarded her with numerous questions. Initially, Phoebe seemed unreliable, but she gradually started answering his queries with illogical answers and they grew closer.
Once we arrived in the USA, I discovered that Master Peter now resides in New York City. Let me tell you, that place is packed! It was quite a challenge to find someone in such a crowded area. Unlike the other masters who were in remote locations, digging them up was a piece of cake. But in New York, I could sense bursts of curse energy coming from all directions. It's no wonder that curse spirits are born frequently there.
As I ventured into a nearby alley, I was taken aback by a group of people dressed in what looked like space suits. They had a sleek and modern vibe, and they were engaged in a fierce battle with a grade 2 spirit. Their attacks were well-coordinated, and they all wielded similar curse tools in the shape of guns. Although the power of their attacks was negligible, it perfectly complemented their fighting style.
Their suits were incredibly practical, equipped with various types of bombs, a connector for each team member, an expandable kite shield that could be retracted, and simple curse boots that enhanced their speed. The defense capabilities of the suits were also impressive. This whole ensemble was truly practical for dealing with curses and working together as a team. Once they finished their extermination operation, I couldn't help but be amazed by their skills.
I approached and introduced myself, inquiring about their line of work. To my surprise, they revealed that they were employed by a company called Curse Busters. Their job involved dealing with curses, paranormal activities, and even mysterious murder cases. It all seemed quite logical and intriguing. What fascinated me even more was the fact that there were other companies with the same mission. I couldn't help but ask about their curse tools and suits, but unfortunately, it was against company policy for them to disclose any information. I couldn't help but think that my sister would absolutely love working in this field in New York. It suits her character perfectly, and the financial rewards seem quite enticing, especially for those in grade 2 and above. When I inquired about any special grade sorcerers, I learned that there were a total of six of them, each with their own company. However, their information was kept private, so I couldn't learn much about them unless I too possessed a special grade status. It made me contemplate visiting New York again once I became powerful enough.
When I asked the Curse Busters if they knew about Master Peter, they helped me find his address. Apparently, he's a really skilled fighter even though he's not a sorcerer. He runs a famous dojo, so before we approached, I asked Phoebe to transform into a smaller version of herself, and she settled down on Bima's shoulder. After that, we grabbed some cheeseburgers and fries and headed over to Master Peter's place. Convincing Master Peter was a breeze; all I had to do was pay for it. Learning rope dart was a pretty interesting experience. To fully control the rope, you have to be in sync with the centrifugal force. Surprisingly, I was able to pick it up easily on my own. I just transformed my hand into the rope dart, and controlling the output force was a piece of cake. The same went for the other weapons I learned, but the only thing I needed to work on was practice. Luckily, I got plenty of that at the dojo, practicing with other members using all the weapons I've learned so far. After spending four days at the dojo, we decided it was time to hit the road.
Before leaving, I had this grand idea of traveling the world and immersing myself in as many languages as possible. The thought was, once I returned, I would unlearn this technique since it wouldn't be useful in battle. However, the reality hit me that globe-trotting would take more than a year, and I wanted to be back before my sister arrived. So, I decided to explore countries near Japan instead, saving precious time on my journey back.
Experiencing different cultures and effortlessly picking up new languages was an exhilarating adventure. My time in Korea was truly enjoyable. Unlike the old world, Korea was not divided into two parts. Instead, it was home to four major clans, each possessing equal power. This created a harmonious balance, where no one clan held dominance over the others. Additionally, there were two extraordinary grade curse spirits, each with their own set of curse groups, who had formed a pact with the clans. This pact ensured neutrality among them, although occasional conflicts arose with other curse spirits who were dissatisfied with the arrangement.
While learning Korean, I had an interesting encounter with ancient texts written in an ancient Korean dialect that even modern Koreans can't understand. These texts mentioned an old clan that was lost in the northeastern part of Korea. Although there was no mention of cursed sorcerers, I was still curious and decided to investigate. It wasn't safe to bring a child along, but I had no other choice.
When we arrived at the location, it was surrounded by a quiet and eerie forest. As we ventured deeper, we came across five grade 2 spirits that resembled monkeys but with different colors. I immediately instructed Phoebe to take care of Bima while I transformed my skin into that of an armadillo and changed my hand into a rope dart.
As I spun the rope, the monkeys attacked. I managed to dodge the first attack by sidestepping, avoided the second attack by transforming my head into that of a snake, and sprouted wings on my back to evade the third and fourth attacks. When the fifth monkey reached me, I swiftly stabbed its head while simultaneously changing my hands back into Kris swords. I beheaded the other two monkeys, but as I attempted a ranged attack with my rope hand to finish off the remaining two, my hand was crushed by the strong palms. It was incredibly painful, and it took some time to adjust my mindset. However, I utilized natural energy and idle transfiguration to heal and close the wound, and miraculously, a new hand grew back.
The new perpetrator turned out to be a grade 1 curse spirit in the shape of a huge gorilla with massive rocky hands.
After a long time, anger surged within me, prompting me to stop fooling around. Swiftly, I transformed into a small falcon, narrowing the distance. Then, back into a fly, I slipped into it's blind spot. In an instant, I shot towards the two remaining spirits, swiftly beheading them with the sharp kris sword in my human form.
With only the formidable figure left, and not wanting to waste any more time with Bima at my side, I promptly used spiked roots to tie up its legs. I proceeded to pummel the entity left and right, much like how Hulk smashed Loki. Within a few minutes, the once formidable figure was reduced to a crushed meat paste.
By the time I had finished, it was late in the evening, so I thought to rest before continuing, and went to the edge of the forest, where I spread out a log for the night.