Spirits usually wander aimlessly.
However, they also try to absorb the life essence of living people, relying on their only remaining "instincts" from their former lives.
And these spirits, who have lingered in the deep mountains for years, rarely have the opportunity to test whether living people can see them, as they cannot go to the cities.
Therefore, when Rosen appeared here with the girls,
Their presence was like a lighthouse guiding ships in a dark harbor, exceptionally conspicuous.
The spirits, like sharks smelling blood, instantly surrounded them.
And in Rosen's eyes,
These spirits inhabiting the mountains were even more abstract than those in the city.
Most of them couldn't maintain a human form.
They were like corpses rotted by seawater, or anatomical specimens soaked in formalin.
Their swollen, grotesque faces made it difficult to discern their appearance in life.
Their mouths constantly emitted various irritating sounds.
"Can you see me?"
"Come here~~~, come here~~~"
"Go this way, go this way~~~"
Low or sharp tones filled their eardrums, like a cacophony of noise.
Let alone an ability user who could see spirits, even an ordinary person who saw and heard nothing would find it difficult to leave the forest alive.
After all, although these spirits couldn't directly harm living people who couldn't see them, some spirits could influence other things, such as making vines tie up a living person's ankles, or creating a trap out of thin air.
And in the current situation, not to mention that Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana could all see them.
Even the "battle-hardened" Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but feel a hint of fear when she saw so many spirits.
They were countless, simply too many.
Dozens of them were already surrounding them.
And there were even more spirits continuously emerging from the periphery.
Rather than a forest, it was more like a mass grave.
"How are there so many here?"
Sakurajima Mai tightened her clothes, and a Holy Light Sword involuntarily appeared in her hand.
"So many, it's so scary, God, what should we do?"
Yurikawa Hana shrank her head back.
Although she had mastered special abilities, seeing spirits all over the mountains still brought out her inner fear.
"Just follow the plan you've made. If you can use your abilities normally, you can easily reach the shrine's location."
Rosen stroked the girl's head and said with a light chuckle.
Then he glanced at Zhoufang Youxi, who was also trembling violently beside him, and used his other hand to rub her long hair.
"Work hard, I'm rooting for you."
How can you be rooting for me?
Am I... not a novice?
Making me tackle a high-difficulty dungeon right from the start, isn't this a plot kill?!
Zhoufang Youxi's mind was now filled with "Oh my gosh."
Although having teammates by her side made her feel a little more at ease, those menacing spirits were still very oppressive.
If she were here alone, she would probably be scared insane on the spot.
While they were talking, the spirits got closer and closer.
And when some of the spirits made eye contact with the girls, their bodies immediately became twisted and grotesque.
They looked exactly like the monsters from the movie "The Thing," roaring and pouncing towards the girls.
This also made the other spirits realize that these living people could see them.
"They can see! They can see!"
"Roar roar roar roar—!"
"Come! Hurry up and come!"
Their tones were as urgent as heavy rain, mixed with intense excitement.
"Buzz—!"
Yotsuya Miko bore the brunt.
A spirit, integrated with the ground, suddenly pushed aside the grass and emerged from the earth, its gaping maw filled with sharp teeth that could easily tear a human body apart.
The girl's heart pounded faster.
But with a cold glint in her eyes, Yotsuya Miko instantly calmed down, and a special power surged within her.
Her eyes became clear, and her physical strength and speed became faster and more coordinated.
After dodging the ground spirit's attack, she used a Light Lance to pierce through the spirit's brain.
Sakurajima Mai, on the other hand, made good use of her abilities.
When a spirit attacked her, she instantly erased her own presence.
The spirit, which had lunged at nothing, immediately froze, its low intelligence keeping it rigid in place, trying hard to figure out where the delicious human had gone and why it had disappeared.
They had a memory span like fish, only "seven seconds."
Then, Sakurajima Mai reappeared behind it and chopped off the spirit's head with a single sword stroke.
As for Yurikawa Hana.
Because she was not accustomed to using weapons, she had developed her own attack method after discussing it with Yotsuya Miko earlier.
Standing still, she extended one hand forward, and after aiming at a spirit, she sprayed her life energy through her palm.
To compensate for the loss, Yurikawa Hana had a drink hanging around her neck, and with her other hand, she stuffed a donut into her mouth.
The purpose of doing this was to replenish the lost life energy.
Zhoufang Youxi, however, seemed a bit inexperienced.
Since it was her first battle, she hadn't yet mastered the use of weapons like the Holy Light Sword or Light Lance.
But even without training, ordinary people still knew the most basic "wild swings."
Although wildly swinging a Light Lance in front of her could indeed keep the spirits from getting close, its efficiency was very low.
At this rate, how long would it take to reach the shrine? It would be ages!
Rosen could only remind her: "Youxi, don't forget your own skills."
"Skills? Oh, oh! I still have skills!"
Zhoufang Youxi only reacted a few seconds later.
"So, the most suitable weapon for this situation... what weapon is it?! It's a gun!"
As the girl imagined, a black rifle quickly appeared in Youxi's hand.
But when she pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
This was because her Projection Divine Art could not perfectly replicate the characteristics of objects.
Although she imagined a rapid-fire rifle, the imagined rifle couldn't even fire continuously, let alone pull the trigger; it was purely a stick with the appearance of a modern weapon.
"Oh my god! It's even worse than a cold weapon!"
Zhoufang Youxi still had the presence of mind to complain at this moment, and quickly threw away the gun whose projection had failed.
Then she tried hard to recall the comics and novels she had read over the years, to draw inspiration from them.