The Island Village, Murder, and the Daughter of the Abyss

I spent a sticky, heated night with Sinoe Misano before heading to Haneda Airport early the next morning to catch a flight to Hachijo Island. The distance from Tokyo to Hachijo was just a little more than half the distance from Seoul to Jeju. Twenty minutes in the air was all it took.

On the way to Hachijo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Island, I decided it was finally time to handle something I’d been putting off—selecting the new trait I’d earned from leveling up during the Sawayanagi Azuma rescue operation.

It had actually been a few days since the level-up, but between acquiring Seryu Military Company and everything that came with it, I’d completely forgotten. This morning it suddenly hit me—Oh right!—so I figured I’d pick the trait while on the plane.

For reference, I’d dumped one point into Willpower, bringing it up to 17, and put another into the lowest of my physical stats, Agility, raising it to 8.

Hmm. None of them were particularly appealing. Genital Modification was one of those occasional body-alteration traits, but the problem was that even if I chose it, the system would register it as a modification. That would lock me out of one of the traits I was really after—Purest Praise, a no-modification-exclusive trait.

If I wanted to change my body, I needed to pick something from the Evolution line. Evolution didn’t count as modification.

Radiant Intellect was a solid trait that boosted Intelligence and efficiency, but Intelligence wasn’t exactly a priority for my growth path. It would be perfect for Han Yukyung, but since I’d earned it from my own level-up, I couldn’t pass it on.

I was a telekinetic martial artist ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who focused on physical stats and Willpower, so Intelligence wasn’t critical. Sure, learning new languages required it, but I’d manage somehow. I was even considering investing a bit into the Abyss. After seeing its overwhelming power during the Sawayanagi Azuma rescue, I figured raising Willpower enough would let me raise the Abyss too.

In the end, while high Intelligence would be nice, it wasn’t essential for me, so I decided to pass.

Finally, Ice Affinity was a staple elemental affinity trait, but since I had neither ice-based abilities nor any techniques that could make use of it, it was equally useless. With all three options being mediocre, it was obviously time to activate the Yeouiju ability.

Oh! There it was—Purest Praise. Did it appear because I’d just been thinking about it? This trait increased the cap on all physical stats while significantly boosting their efficiency. Absolute honey.

For reference, stat efficiency meant that with efficiency-boosting traits, the same stat could produce roughly 1.15 times more power. And since the boosts stacked, the more efficiency traits you had, the better.

The first option, Regeneration Trait Level Increase, made sense since I kept getting shot and my regeneration level rose steadily. The second, Flawless Bomb Maniac, would increase bomb installation and disarming speed while letting me craft higher-yield explosives.

It would have been perfect for Sawayanagi Shinya of Seryu Military Company. I had no idea why it came to me. Well, random traits popped up all the time, so it wasn’t strange, but it was still a shame.

I chose Purest Praise. The moment I did, I felt my body grow stronger. I opened the status window to read the detailed description.

The increase in stat caps wasn’t something I could feel directly, but the efficiency boost made my muscle fibers more elastic and resilient, strengthened the connection between my nerves and brain, and made me far more resistant to disease and pain. What I noticed most, of course, was the raw power surging through my muscles.

I flexed my forearms and chest a few times, savoring the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠improved performance, when I heard a soft chuckle. I looked over and saw a group of five college students—three guys and two girls. One of the girls was laughing at me. She had bright brown dyed hair and looked like the pure, innocent campus beauty. She was easily the prettiest in her department.

I must have looked ridiculous, suddenly flexing by myself. I gave her an awkward smile and a slight nod in greeting.

Our eyes met for a moment, and before I knew it, we had arrived at Hachijo-jima Airport. It really was fast. Obviously because we flew, but if we’d taken a boat it would have taken at least three to five hours. When it came to traveling any real distance, airplanes really were the best.

I unfolded the compact folding electric bike I’d brought, set it up in front of the airport, grabbed my bag, and headed for the harbor. I mounted my phone on the handlebars, set the navigation to the harbor, and started riding.

Riding through the morning sunlight and sea breeze at the same time felt completely new. The harbor was only about 3.5 kilometers away, so I arrived in under ten minutes. Rather than being happy about arriving so quickly, I was actually a little disappointed I couldn’t enjoy the sea breeze longer.

When I reached the harbor, I saw other people heading to Chooten Island. Looking closer, it was the same group of college students from the plane. A gray-haired man who looked like a professor and five students were getting out of a van taxi.

“Hello. I’m Taira Ryuta. I made a reservation for today.”

I got off the bike and greeted the man who appeared to be the captain of the boat I’d be taking. He was a sturdy, middle-aged man with a thick beard who looked quite strong.

“If you’re loading that bike onto the boat, you’ll have to pay extra.”

Even though it was a folding compact model, it still weighed about fifty kilograms, so paying more was only fair. I nodded and handed the captain another ten thousand yen.

“Looks like everyone’s here. All aboard. Depending on the sea conditions, it’ll take at least an hour.”

At the captain’s words, the students and professor boarded first. I folded the bike, carried it in one hand, and stepped onto the boat. It was a small passenger ferry, so eight people including the captain was plenty of room. Looking at the seats in the cabin, it looked like it could hold at least twenty-five.

I didn’t stay in the cabin. Instead, I stood outside, watching the sea.

“Are you here for travel?”

“Ah, yes. I searched for travel spots that most people don’t visit, and this Chooten Island came up as a hidden gem.”

The gray-haired man who looked like a professor struck up a conversation. In truth, I had no idea whether Chooten Island was actually a hidden gem or not, but I couldn’t exactly say, An otherworldly divine being called the Daughter of the Abyss sent me an invitation, so I gave a safe answer.

“That’s true. The scenery on Chooten Island is spectacular. I’m Honmura Koga, a folklore professor at Kanto University. These kids are my students.”

“I’m Taira Ryuta. I work at a company.”

Professor Honmura Koga and I exchanged introductions. If he specialized in folklore, maybe there were some strange customs on Chooten Island? I was curious.

“Actually, Hachijo Island was originally a village built by exiles, so it’s quite important from a folklorist’s perspective. The Hachijo dialect still retains many traces of ancient Japanese, and there are many unique customs.”

I seemed to have stepped on a landmine. This Professor Honmura Koga was a talkative type who would lecture even complete strangers. That said, a village founded by exiles did give off a similar vibe to Australia.

“What makes Chooten Island different?”

“Chooten Island has its own unique culture that doesn’t exist on the Japanese mainland, which makes it a fascinating research subject. For example, they hold an annual ritual for the Goddess of the Sea…”

I’d asked hoping to learn something useful about Chooten Island, and sure enough, Professor Honmura Koga answered enthusiastically. Hmm. Goddess of the Sea… Could it be related to the Daughter of the Abyss? Or was it just a coincidence?

“It just so happens the ritual is being held tomorrow, so we’re going today to film it. If possible, we might also examine the shrine’s records for research.”

“I had no idea. I guess I’m lucky to be able to witness such a special event.”

“Indeed. In the past they used to perform human sacrifice, but nowadays they mold human figures out of rice cakes. That evolution is quite interesting. Almost no one in Japan has seen this ritual, so you’re quite fortunate.”

A ritual… Things were starting to line up a little too perfectly. Was it really a coincidence that the ritual happened to fall on the exact day I was visiting?

“Are you conducting research with your students?”

“That’s right. Three are graduate students, and two are undergraduates. Wano, bring those two over here.”

Professor Honmura Koga gestured to his students and introduced them to me.

The oldest-looking one with a gloomy expression was a PhD student named Wano Haruto. The beautiful female undergrad who had exchanged glances with me on the plane was Uchitate Kanimī. She had brought along a plain-looking friend that Kazuhiro would probably like—Hijitani Saori. The other two had gone into the cabin, so I didn’t get introduced. Not that it mattered. They were both plain-looking guys, so I’d probably forget their names immediately anyway.

“Hehe, what were you doing on the plane earlier?”

Uchitate Kanimī seemed quite curious as she asked why I had been checking my muscle performance on the flight.

“The flight was a bit boring, so I was just stretching.”

“Oh! Now that I look again, you’re really well-built! Do you practice some kind of martial art?”

At some point Professor Honmura Koga had casually switched to informal speech. I smiled faintly and demonstrated a quick jab.

Whoosh~!

“I’ve trained a little in ancient martial arts.”

The sound of the wind from my punch seemed to surprise the people around me. Uchitate Kanimī and Hijitani Saori both exclaimed how amazing it was, while Professor Honmura Koga said that ancient martial arts were also a subject in folklore and looked ready to ask all sorts of questions. Only the graduate student Wano Haruto showed little interest, quickly turning his head back toward the sea.

Following Wano Haruto’s gaze, I looked out at the ocean as well. In the distance, Chooten Island was beginning to appear.

“Get ready to disembark! We’ll be arriving at Chooten Island soon!”

At the captain’s booming voice, we started gathering our luggage. I only had my bag and the bike, so there wasn’t much to organize, but the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠professor’s group had so much luggage that they were bustling around trying to get everything together.

The distant outline of Chooten Island grew clearer and closer. The island had a modestly tall mountain at its center. Soon, the boat reached the pier.

“I’ll come pick you up in three days, so enjoy your stay!”

Once we had unloaded all our luggage, the captain said he’d return in three days and disappeared into the wheelhouse. He seemed to be taking a short break before heading back to Hachijo Island.

I had finally arrived at Chooten Island. My heart was pounding at the thought of when I might meet the Daughter of the Abyss. It was a complicated feeling—both excitement and fear mixed together.

NOTE: I tried creating the characters from “The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate Family” in a different art style lol. Think of it as a parallel world version (swimsuit warning).

Yukiko with animal ears. She looks insanely young, whoa.

For some reason Aris is clutching a Ukrainian flag cushion really tightly.

I have no idea why Han Yukyung’s hand is between her legs.

Making them in different art styles is pretty fun. I’ll have to look for another style I like even more lol.