While Horitake was maintaining a cautious pursuit, the System within his mind suddenly chimed.
There was only one reason the System would speak up now: it was time to issue a quest.
[Ding! The Host has significantly influenced Kanao Tsuyuri, making her far stronger than in the original timeline. This has disrupted the threads of fate to a certain degree, triggering a Negative Butterfly Effect: 'Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish!']
Hearing that familiar syntax and the monotonous voice, Horitake couldn't help but feel a phantom ache in his chest.
Here we go again, he thought. The 'Butterfly Effect' that has absolutely nothing to do with anything is back.
He had put Kanao through a period of rigorous crash-course training, leading to a noticeable jump in her strength. That was clearly a good thing. How on earth did that translate into a "Negative Butterfly Effect"?
Furthermore, the quest triggered by this supposed effect was obviously linked to his current situation—specifically, the demon he was currently tracking.
Did Kanao's increased strength have even a shred of a connection to the demon in front of him?
This damn System pulls this nonsense every day. It's getting old, Horitake grumbled inwardly. He bypassed the pleasantries and addressed the System directly through his thoughts.
"Stop beating around the bush. Just spit it out. What kind of bizarre quest is it this time?"
Immediately, the System's voice resonated again:
[Ding! System Quest Issued:]
[Quest Objective: Resolve the Negative Butterfly Effect: 'Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish!']
[Description: The shape-shifting demon the Host is currently tracking is undoubtedly the 'line' for this fishing trip—or perhaps the 'bait.' Either way, the Host must follow this line to track down a 'Big Fish' lurking in the outskirts of this city.]
[Given the Host's current strength, the 'fish' hidden near this city cannot be considered small. It is worth noting that if this fish goes on a rampage, it will bring about a cataclysmic disaster for the city.]
[For the safety of the populace, please 'fish' this threat out in a timely manner.]
[Protip: The clue is right in front of you. What more of a tip do you need?]
[Quest Success Reward: Unlocking the 'Transparent World' (See-Through World) and certain additional rewards.]
[Quest Failure Penalty: The high-level demon hidden near this city will go into a frenzy at a specific moment in the future, resulting in a massacre that will turn the city into a wasteland. Fate will be heavily disrupted, spiraling in an unpredictable direction, leading to a further collapse of the Butterfly Effect.]
After listening to the mission details, Horitake had a clear grasp of the situation.
This quest was actually quite simple. He just had to follow the stray cat running ahead of him, find the source, and let nature take its course.
However, this mission felt different from the previous ones. His past objectives usually involved key characters from the original plot. This time, while the safety of an entire city was at stake, it seemed to have no connection to the central cast of the story.
To be honest, even if the System hadn't issued this quest, Horitake had already intended to track the demon to see what was going on.
This feels like a total freebie from the System, he mused.
The reward was also quite intriguing: the Transparent World.
According to Horitake's understanding, the Transparent World was a state where one's mental focus reached a critical threshold, allowing their perception to project outward. Through this, one could perceive their surroundings even with their eyes closed. It even granted an "X-ray" effect, allowing the user to see the internal workings of a body—every bone, every organ, and even the flow of blood through the veins.
In any context, the Transparent World was an incredibly potent auxiliary ability.
However, there was a slight awkwardness to it. Horitake already possessed Spirit Vision.
The utility of Spirit Vision was arguably superior to the Transparent World. Receiving a reward that felt like a "downgrade" or a redundant version of an existing skill made him wonder if the System was playing a joke on him.
Is this mission truly just a handout? Is that why the reward feels a bit like a participation trophy?
Wait... He recalled the System mentioning "additional rewards" alongside the Transparent World.
He wondered what those could be. Hopefully, they were actually useful items and not just more "chicken ribs"—things that were too good to throw away but useless to keep.
If the System expects the horse to run but refuses to give it any hay, I'm going on strike!
Though these thoughts were complex, they flashed through Horitake's mind in a mere instant. Once he had processed the mission, he continued his silent pursuit of the stray cat.
The demon's raw power wasn't particularly impressive, but its Blood Demon Art was certainly interesting. It could shift into human forms at will, and even transform into small animals like a wild cat. It was perhaps the ultimate Blood Demon Art for reconnaissance and camouflage.
Horitake wondered if it could go as far as Sun Wukong and turn into a fly or a mosquito.
He reconsidered and decided that was unlikely. Insects were too small; a wild cat was likely the lower limit of its transformation. If a demon could truly turn into a mosquito, the world's power balance would be utterly broken.
Still, being a cat was more than enough. Cats were small, nimble, and masters of stealth. In the dense undergrowth and bushes of the mountain forests, a cat was in its element, moving freely without being detected.
If Horitake didn't have Spirit Vision, he might have actually lost the trail. If his own level of strength weren't as high as it was, the cat might have sensed him during the chase.
The cat-demon continued to weave through the trees, moving without a sound, drawing deeper and deeper into the wilderness. Horitake followed like a shadow, clinging to the trail.
However, cats are naturally sensitive creatures.
After running a significant distance, the demon-cat paused hesitantly. It turned its head, its six whiskers twitching as they probed the air for vibrations or scents.
The primal instinct of the animal form told it that something was "off" tonight compared to its usual patrols. Even though there was nothing behind it and the surroundings were deathly silent, an inexplicable sense of unease tugged at its mind.
Deciding to be cautious, the demon-cat suddenly leaped onto a nearby tree, flattening its body against a thick branch and remaining perfectly still.
Then, its flesh began to ripple and surge.
In a grotesque display of biological mimicry, the color of the cat's fur began to bleed into the hue of the bark. Its body merged with the wood, elongating and twisting. Small twigs and leaves even sprouted from its "limbs."
Within seconds, the demon had completely vanished, replaced by what appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary branch growing from the tree.
It was a flawless camouflage.
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