Feeling a bit panicked, Michael's finger smashed another item that looked like it could be useful.
[Rockfall Trap - $14.99]
Purchase Confirmed!
Boulders tumbled down the slope, forcing Yuriko to dive behind a log.
"Use the river!" Michael shouted at his screen, dragging [Tree] symbols toward rushing water.
Aiko stumbled into the icy stream, gasping at the cold. The current tugged at her legs, threatening to sweep her off balance.
"You think water saves you?" Yuriko waded in, drawing a second dagger. "I taught you to swim in these very rapids."
The memory flickered in Aiko's eyes—sunlit days, laughter, a mentor she'd trusted.
"Why… why do you hate me?"
Yuriko froze.
"You think this is personal?" Her laugh was bitter. "I served your father for twenty years. One mistake—your mistake—and I was tossed aside like trash. Himari offered me redemption."
Aiko gripped a rock to stay upright. "You know I didn't stab Father! You were there!"
Yuriko's gaze hardened.
"I saw you holding the bloody knife."
"There was a kitsune!" Aiko's voice broke. "It disguised itself as a maid! I struck it down before it poisoned him!"
"You are a fool if you think that matters." Yuriko slashed at Aiko's legs. "No one else saw this 'fox.' Just you, screaming about spirits as your father bled out."
Aiko blocked with her tiny knife, the force numbing her wrist.
Yuriko's dagger clattered to the river rocks as she grabbed Aiko's wrist, twisting it with a sickening crack. Aiko cried out, dropping her knife into the rushing water.
In one brutal motion, Yuriko slammed her against a boulder, arm pressed hard against her throat.
"Pathetic," Yuriko smirked.
The dagger tip pressed into Aiko's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. "You couldn't even hold a blade properly. How did you ever think you'd lead the clan?"
Aiko choked, clawing at Yuriko's armored forearm. "I… didn't… attack Father…"
Yuriko leaned closer, her scarred face twisting. "Doesn't matter what you did or what I believe. Lady Himari controls the clan now. And you?" She smirked. "You're just a dead girl walking."
"You… were there that night!" Aiko gasped. "You saw the kitsune! Why lie?!"
Yuriko's grip tightened. "You think this world's a fairy tale? I'm not throwing my life away for a disgraced fool. When your father fell, the council wanted my head. Himari offered me a way out—your head." The dagger dug deeper. "Your death is my ticket back into the clan. No more shame. No more serving tea to sniveling nobles."
Aiko's vision blurred. Her legs kicked weakly, [Strength: 1] rendering her powerless.
Kami-sama…
"No, no, NO!"
Michael's remaining hand trembled as he stabbed the phone screen.
He'd tried traps, distractions, shields—nothing stuck. But the problem wasn't Yuriko. It was Aiko's curse.
She was a warrior princess reduced to a frail girl. If he could break that curse even for a minute…
He scrolled to the "Blessings" section.
[Curse Breaker (Permanent) - $99,999.99]
[Duration: Forever]
[Restores all stats to original levels.]
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Does this game think he'd spend 100k to just help a in-game girl?
Shameless…
Michael likes this game, sure, but he's not insane. Withholding the urge to throw his phone on the hospital wall, he kept scrolling.
[Curse Breaker (Temporary) - $299.99]
[Duration: 10 minutes]
[Restores all stats to original levels.]
$300?!
That's a third of his remaining cash!
But compared to that 100k purchase, 300 suddenly felt like nothing.
He jabbed the "BUY" button.
Purchase Confirmed!
Remaining Balance: $469.80
Next, weapons. Aiko needed a sword.
[Blade of the Tempest - $149.99]
[One-time summon. Conjuration Weapon. Non-permanent.]
[Legendary katana with wind enchantment.]
Purchase Confirmed!
Remaining Balance: $419.81
Lastly, defense.
[Phoenix Feather (Single Use) - $99.99]
[Absorbs one lethal attack.]
Purchase Confirmed!
Remaining Balance: $404.83
Michael slapped all three icons onto Aiko's avatar.
Golden light erupted from Aiko's chest.
Yuriko stumbled back, hissing as the radiance burned her eyes. "What trickery is this?!"
Aiko gasped, collapsing to her knees as the curse was temporarily lifted.
[Strength: 1 → 59]
[Agility: 1 → 78]
[Intelligence: 1 → 37]
[Endurance: 1 → 42]
[Spirit: 1 →13]
The moment the curse broke, Aiko's body remembered.
Muscles long atrophied snapped taut. Blood roared in her ears—not the weak flutter of a caged bird, but the thunderous pulse of a warrior's heart. Her fingers curled into fists, calluses long faded now prickling with phantom strength.
Yuriko staggered back, dagger raised. "What dark magic is this?!"
Aiko didn't answer. She moved.
[Agility: 78]
Her bare foot slammed into Yuriko's chest before the ex-captain could blink. Ribs cracked. Yuriko flew backward, crashing into the river with a splash.
I'm… strong again. Aiko stared at her hands. Not the trembling claws of a broken slave, but the steady grip of a swordsman.
Michael's phone buzzed with alerts as he watched Aiko's health bar stabilize.
Aiko's Stats Restored! (Temporary: 09:59… 09:58…)
"Let's go, let's GO!" he muttered, jabbing the screen to deploy the Blade of the Tempest.
The air above Aiko's palm rippled. With a shriek of tearing wind, the katana materialized—its blade glowing faintly blue, runes flickering like storm clouds.
Aiko caught the hilt midair.
Familiar weight. Balance perfect.
Memories flooded her: drills at dawn, Yuriko barking corrections, the rasp of steel on whetstone.
"You gave me… a sword," she whispered, awed.
"And a fancy one!" Michael crowed to his empty hospital room. He'd blown half his cash on that pixelated blade, but seeing Aiko twirl it like an extension of her arm? Worth it.
Yuriko surged from the river, water sluicing off her armor. Blood trickled from her split lip. "A borrowed blade won't save you, girl."
"You taught me that any blade can be lethal," Aiko said softly. "If wielded with honor."
"Honor?" Yuriko spat. "Honor feeds no one. Protects no one. Power does."
She lunged, dagger aimed at Aiko's throat.
[Strength: 59 vs. Yuriko's 65]
Aiko parried, the katana shrieking against dagger steel. The impact jarred her arms, but she held firm—her stance rooted, muscles singing with forgotten reflexes.
CLANG! CLANG!
Yuriko pressed the attack, forcing Aiko backward into deeper water. "Still hesitant! Still weak!"
Michael's thumb hovered over the [Wind Slash] ability he'd seen in the sword's description. $149.99 better include special moves!
"Use the magic, Aiko!"
As if hearing him, Aiko swung the Blade of the Tempest in a wide arc.
The runes flared.
A crescent of compressed air ripped from the blade, slicing the river in half. Yuriko dove sideways, but the gust caught her shoulder, shredding armor plates.
"GAAH!" She rolled behind a boulder, clutching her bleeding arm. "Since when do you use magic?!"
Aiko stared at the sword, eyes wide.
"I didn't. Kami-sama did."