[Ding! Random Trait Plundered: Devouring Spirit (Blue), Poisonous Spirit Energy (Green)]
[Poisonous Spirit Energy (Green): Your spirit power now contains lethal toxins.]
"One's a duplicate, the other's trash. Toss 'em both in the garbage."
Hayashi gave the new Traits a glance and immediately discarded them.
He carefully sensed the changes in his body—he could clearly feel a slight increase in both his magic reserves and soul strength.
"That Cursed Spirit was probably upper-mid-grade. Not bad at all for a Blue Trait."
The power of the [Devouring Spirit (Blue)] Trait, Hayashi could already feel it firsthand.
Among the Blue Traits, this one's potential was nearly on par with a Purple Trait.
With his thoughts settled, Hayashi swept his gaze over the surrounding panicked crowd.
He raised his finger, and a blinding light enveloped the entire group.
"Nightmare Magic: Memory Manipulation."
In the next instant, everyone's memories of what had just happened were erased.
They merely thought they had spaced out for a second, and returned to their daily routines.
"Maria's magic is really handy."
After cleaning up the aftermath, Hayashi turned to the still-stunned Eriri and Yotsuya Miko.
"Miko, Miko… you really live up to your reputation."
Sure enough, if he was looking for Cursed Spirits, he just had to find Yotsuya Miko.
Wherever she went, Cursed Spirits would show up.
He'd been wandering half the day without finding a single one, and she immediately pulled a whole swarm.
Hearing herself praised, Yotsuya Miko looked like she was about to cry.
That kind of praise she didn't want!
Ignoring her misery, Hayashi turned to the dazed Eriri who was still staring at him.
That familiar blonde loser face—he recognized it in an instant.
"Well, well~ Blondie. Long time no see."
"That nickname… You're that damned bastard!"
Eriri pointed at Hayashi in shock.
Yotsuya Miko looked confused and asked curiously, "You two know each other?"
Hayashi laughed heartily and made no effort to hide the past.
Back when he was taken in by the Hero's village, he wasn't always kept there.
He'd been sent to the city for elementary and middle school, and during that time, he'd been something of a schoolyard king—and naturally had crossed paths with Eriri.
For Eriri, the memories that resurfaced were far more embarrassing.
Back in elementary school, she'd clumsily given her first kiss to Hayashi… as one of several girls.
Thinking back now, she felt like she'd been completely fooled.
That guy had been scheming even as a kid!
Eriri had a stomach full of things she wanted to say, but in the end, she just sighed and let it go, instead asking,
"Why did you suddenly transfer and disappear? Even Yuki didn't know where you went… And how are you using superpowers like in manga now?"
Hayashi's disappearance had been abrupt—it had left her heartbroken for quite some time.
She even had her mom try to track him down, but it seemed like someone had intervened, and eventually the search was dropped.
"It's a long story. The short version: I used to be from a Hero's village, but then my Devil bloodline awakened and I got kicked out.
I've been drifting for the past five years, and now I've settled around here."
Hearing Hayashi's blunt explanation, Eriri was left dumbfounded, unable to respond for a while.
She'd never imagined something so fantastical could happen right next to her.
Beside her, Yotsuya Miko's expression turned to shock.
"So… you're actually a Devil, Hayashi-san?"
"Something like that. Though with my mixed blood, not a single Devil faction wants me."
Hayashi waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to dwell on the topic.
He wasn't in the mood for deep talk anymore.
The moment he reunited with Eriri, his Crossing Gate progress had noticeably slowed down.
Eager to move forward, Hayashi conjured two protective charms and handed them to Eriri and Miko.
"Keep these on you. I've got stuff to do, so I'm heading out."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left. In the blink of an eye, he was gone from their sight.
Eriri and Yotsuya Miko stood frozen in the breeze, bewildered.
"That damned guy. After all this time, we didn't even get to talk properly."
Clutching the charm in her hand, Eriri muttered in frustration.
She had so much she still wanted to say to him.
But as she looked at the finely crafted charm, a foolish smile crept onto her face.
No matter how much time had passed—they'd met again.
And that bastard… hadn't changed one bit.
Yotsuya Miko, meanwhile, looked at her charm with a sigh of relief.
Compared to the one Raynare had given her, she instinctively felt this one was stronger.
After a moment of silence, Eriri leaned closer to Miko.
"Hey, that freaky monster from earlier… What the hell was it? Do you know?"
Her thoughts were a mess—she didn't understand why she could suddenly see those things.
But it was clear that Yotsuya Miko knew something.
Miko assumed Eriri was the same as her—someone who had suddenly awakened spirit vision.
So she didn't hide anything, and began explaining everything she knew about Cursed Spirits.
As the two girls chatted side by side, Hayashi stepped into a deserted alley.
"Crossing Gate, activate!"
With the command, the karma he'd accumulated coalesced into a glowing formation, constructing a shining gate before him.
All the information regarding the Crossing Gate surged into his mind.
The [Crossing Gate] didn't just enable dimension travel—it also granted him access to a Time-Space Realm the size of a football field.
The Time-Space Realm acted as a transit hub between worlds, and also functioned as his own private domain.
The realm would expand as he gathered more fortune power.
Furthermore, anyone with a favorability score of 80 or more toward him could be bound to the Crossing Gate.
He could assign permissions, granting them access to enter the Time-Space Realm—or even cross into other worlds.
Hayashi browsed through the details and checked the Gate's favorability scale:
[Favorability: 0–9: Stranger, 10–29: Acquaintance, 30–59: Friend, 60–79: Close Friend, 80–99: Life-and-Death Bond, 100: Eternal Devotion]
"Even lets me bring people with me. I'll have to test that later."
Reading the Crossing Gate's features gave Hayashi some new ideas.
Raynare and the others who had signed Master-Servant Contracts with him—if he gave them proper "training," their favorability should definitely reach above 80.
Combined with the contract's authority, he'd be able to trust them completely.
With this Crossing Gate, he could secretly begin building his own power base.
After all, the world he lived in was anything but peaceful—and he'd always feared the eventual descent of some Elder God.
But now, even if such a thing happened and he couldn't win, he could at least run away with his whole family.
With no more worries, he finally felt at ease.
Hayashi stepped through the glowing gate and entered the Crossing Gate's internal Time-Space Realm.
It was a desolate land, and even the sky above was dim, shrouded in mist.
"The absorbed Fortune power is too little. This world's not fully formed yet."
Hayashi crouched and pinched a bit of dirt—he couldn't feel a trace of life within it.
The air here had low oxygen, only just enough to sustain life.
He'd need to gather much more fortune power to change the environment.