II. Princess Kaguya (2)
お地蔵様. Jizo Bodhisattva statues are everywhere in Japan. They're usually set up at street corners. The cliché of cheerfully greeting a Jizo on the way to school is a staple in otaku stories. They must feel that familiar to Japanese people... but the Jizo in front of the bamboo forest was way too unapproachable for friendship.
I zoomed in on the Jizo with Yuuki's camera lens. Bodhisattva dude. Why'd only your body show up? No head, and moss clinging all over it. Probably abandoned for ages. No sign of the head that should be around here somewhere.
'The superstition about grinding stone Buddha noses to have a son—does Japan have that too?' I figured grinding up a whole head and drinking it probably isn't healthy anyway. Case closed. Poor Jizo, but I can't exactly rip off my own head and stick it on.
'I'll warm you up nice and cozy, Jizo-sama.' Even in summer, this place feels chilly. I decided to offer a little kindness.
—Whoosh—
Feeling refreshed, I swung the axe. Sharp blade—bamboos topple with every strike. I yanked out the tender bamboo shoots I spotted too. No need to venture deeper into the forest like I promised Reika. Right when I was satisfied...
I spotted it.
ː̗̀ (☉.☉) ː̖́
Two. Horned. Beetles. — ! ! !
A horned beetle clinging to that bamboo over there. If you're asking what a horned beetle is, it's only natural to answer: Kabutomushi, the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Wait, no. Shit. Then why call it a horned beetle instead of rhinoceros? The vibe's different. The vibe! Fire up a translator for Japanese games, and it spits out "horned beetle." "Rhinoceros beetle" feels like mass-produced supermarket merch for 15,000 won, but "horned beetle" has that treasure-from-the-Japanese-forest aura. That's why I stubbornly call rhinoceros beetles horned beetles. Stag beetles are stag beetles, of course. Japanese name "sky lobster" is too cringey—stag fits better than lobster. Anyway.
I bit my lip hard.
'Gotta hold back, Yuuki. We agreed to stick to the bamboo forest entrance today.'
Catching a horned beetle—top of the Utsuromura bucket list. But there'll be another chance someday. Just look today, catch later... Huh?
The horned beetle was gleaming iridescently.
'A golden horned beetle?'
Come to think of it, Reika mentioned it. Utsuromura has tons of unique local species. Horned beetles don't live in bamboo forests anyway—they're oak forest dwellers. This bug must be special, like the maggot rabbits. No. Hold back. It's just golden-bodied. Right as I went back to farming bamboo...
Clank—the horn shape shifted like a gun barrel.
Flash.
Its black eyes lit up with red concentric rings𖣠.
I can resist a regular horned beetle. Even a golden one. But a transforming golden horned beetle with glowing red eyes? No way.
'Alright. Just chase it a bit, then head back.'
I slung on my bag, gripped Buntaro's axe, and pursued the horned beetle...!
Hey everyone :)
It's your blog host BeatiqueOn!
Silent Story. Isn't it way too scary? Even for a horror gore dark fantasy game, every route has zero dreams or hope—holy crap ㄷㄷ
I totally broke down mentally playing it T_T
Today, we're diving into攻略 for the newbie shredder: Beheaded Jizo~
Beheaded Jizo appears in the area: Bamboo Forest~ It's literally a decapitated Bodhisattva statue.
If you fix your gaze (+) on Beheaded Jizo, it won't move, but to go forward, you gotta turn around—and boom, caught ㅠㅠ (No way! What kinda unfair pattern is this!)
Every time you turn, it gets closer. Once in range, it unleashes merciless attacks with insane durability.
Newbies wandering into the bamboo forest clueless? Head yanked off, game over~
Beheaded Jizo calms if you offer the drop item "Jizo's Severed Head" from the later Super Fused Kannon, but that's way stronger than Beheaded Jizo ㅠㅠ
Speaking of severed heads—how do you all manage your hair? I spent all day hunting Silent Story's happy ending, but nope, doesn't exist—stress maxed out :(
Excess stress can lead to hair loss, and I'm seriously worried lol.
If you're concerned about hair loss, I recommend M Co.'s scalp herb-based 'M Co. Hair Growth Tonic'~
Using it myself, feels like my hair's growing faster ^^
That's my review of Beheaded Jizo attribute攻略 today *^*
Wishing you all a happy day—ending the post here!
Please like and subscribe~^^
*This post was sponsored by M Co. with a small fee.
#SilentStory #EndlessSummerVacation #Sas攻略 #BeheadedJizo
"Where'd it go?"
Hah. Hah. I panted hard.
It was right there a second ago. Golden transform horned beetle. I hacked through bamboo with the axe when needed, but it always slipped away at the crucial moment.
Before I knew it, I'd gone pretty deep into the bamboo forest. Push further, and I'd really get lost like Reika warned.
"Ugh. Give up?"
Time to quit? Losing a game of tag to a bug? First time for everything.
I turned to check the path behind me.
'Huh?'
I doubted my eyes. A little ways off— a headless Jizo statue.
"What the—?"
No memory of spotting a statue chasing the beetle. Headless Jizos aren't common either— the one from the forest entrance? Nah. No way.
I let out a wry chuckle. A stone Buddha moving? Must've been too fixated on the beetle to notice.
I looked straight ahead again.
Rustle—bamboo leaves crunching underfoot.
I slowly turned my head.
The headless Jizo was closer now. Weird. Someone moving it? I cupped my hands and shouted.
"Reika-san! Buntaro-san! You there?"
Only those two knew I was coming to the bamboo today. Buntaro could probably haul a Jizo...
But my call echoed emptily.
"Quit messing around. Come out."
What is this? Initiation prank for Utsuromura newbies? Playful jerks.
To catch the pranksters—Whip—I spun around quick.
In just 2-3 seconds, the Jizo was even closer. Too short for a human to move and hide it.
'Oh crap.'
Clear now. The headless Jizo moves on its own.
Way too early for a guts trial event. What's it? Another Utsuromura endemic? Ghost? Even if possessed—why chase innocent me?
Ah. I yelled at the headless Jizo.
"No way. I warmed your feet, and you chase me? Real Jizo? Ridiculous. Headless making you cranky?"
Water-type double damage on rock-type, sure, but Buddhas gotta endure. After the jab, my head cooled a bit.
Yeah. What if it catches up? Doesn't feel dangerous at all...
! ! ! ! ! ! !
The stone Buddha stood in a bizarre pose. Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
JoJo pose. From Japanese superpower battle manga. A dynamic stance taken outta nowhere in fights. Parodied everywhere.
Dangerous!!! A Jizo that knows JoJo poses!!! Even if romcoms drift into battle manga under editor pressure, this is too much.
Danger level skyrocketed. Ngh. No. I gripped Buntaro's axe tighter. Cuts bamboo like paper. Soft volcanic rock material. With luck, axe it apart.
'Come a bit closer.'
I squeezed my eyes shut, then turned again.
Jizo in an even weirder pose. Still out of axe range. A bit more!
Now even the clothes warped JoJo-style. Finger pointing at me like "you're dead." Not yet. Eyes shut tight, then turn.
Yeah. Now.
"Back to the hell you crawled from!!!"
I savagely hacked at the Jizo with Buntaro's axe.
Crack.
After the splitting sound, I stopped.
"Hah. Hah. Took it down?"
Even countered the revival spell. Overwhelmed without fighting back?
"No way."
All my illusion.
Craaaack—the axe split. Zero damage to the Jizo.
Deep kiss distance now, the Beheaded Jizo flaunted another bizarre pose, right in my face.