Curse Kill

"Aso-san, a package was just delivered to the estate. It was sent under the name Mercenary Tao. Should we retain it?"

In the presidential suite on the top floor of the Aman Hotel, a man wrapped in a bath towel answered the phone. The voice of a security officer from his family estate came through the line.

He ruffled his hair, and the moisture evaporated at once, leaving it dry again.

With a thought from Aso Shinjiro, the television in the presidential suite switched on by itself. The image changed, revealing a scene from his family estate.

It was indeed one of the family’s security personnel calling him.

He sat down on the sofa with a smile on his face.

Mercenary Tao, that beast, couldn’t hold himself back so soon…

He had never actually intended to bring Mercenary Tao under his command. He was skilled at psychological profiling, and though they had only met a few times, he was certain that Mercenary Tao was not a beast easily tamed.

And compared to taming beasts, killing them for meat was far more convenient.

"No need to retain it. Open the package directly and see what’s inside."

As one of the heirs to Japan’s most powerful clan, Aso Shinjiro was convinced that even among Reincarnators, he was one of the exceptionally gifted.

Just like in countless manga and novels, people possessed aptitude. Reincarnators were no different.

Compared to magical talent or talent for martial arts, Aso Shinjiro believed that a Reincarnator’s talent came down to only two aspects.

One was the innate endowment determined upon entering the Space;

The other was the influence a Reincarnator wielded in the real world!

Although Reincarnators carried out missions in the Space, measured by real-world time, they still spent the vast majority of their time in reality.

Therefore, before one became powerful enough, influence in the real world held an overwhelming advantage.

And as a male member of the Aso Clan, he was very adept at exploiting that advantage.

Information gathering, assassination, detention, surveillance—every kind of modern method was part of his arsenal against Reincarnators. He was also attempting to spearhead the creation of a Department for Special Abilities in Japan. Once it was approved, he could use Japan’s financial resources to further specialize his advantages.

Perhaps one day, he could even turn Japan into his own Back Garden.

Aso Shinjiro possessed immense ambition, but he was also exceedingly cautious.

The reason he did not live in the family estate was because he feared that powerful Reincarnators who learned his identity would launch a direct assault and kill him.

Thanks to its enormous wealth and influence, the Aso Clan’s estate was exceptionally secluded.

But in battles between Reincarnators, a tranquil environment was not an advantage. On the contrary, it made assassination easier.

He had chosen to live in Tokyo’s most luxurious hotel and rented out the entire top floor. He then used technological means to monitor every location in the hotel. A vast number of cameras were connected to the internet, tirelessly recording everywhere outside his room.

So long as a Reincarnator used extraordinary abilities within that area, he could upload it online, causing the Reincarnator to violate the Space Regulations and ultimately be erased.

Moreover, he had placed a great many long-range attack talismans on this floor to guard against beyond-visual-range sniping or bombardment.

Aso Shinjiro smiled as he waited to see what Mercenary Tao had sent him.

"Aso-san, it’s a videotape."

The security officer was puzzled by the old-fashioned videotape. If someone wanted to send video footage, sending it over the internet or mailing a USB drive or disc would theoretically have been better. Videotapes had been obsolete for more than a decade; nowadays, only collectors kept them.

When Aso Shinjiro saw it, his eyes narrowed. Looking at the security conference room fully displayed on his monitor, he said,

"Find a VCR and see what’s on that tape."

The security personnel in suits, pistols holstered at their waists, exchanged looks before ultimately choosing to obey.

They had someone bring over a VCR, connected it to the television, and began playing the tape.

Aso Shinjiro remained seated on the sofa and shifted his posture. With a beckoning motion of his left hand, a glass of red wine flew into his grasp.

Mercenary Tao, you actually want to use that thing to kill me? Heh, not a bad idea, but you’ve oversimplified things.

As an experienced Reincarnator, he was naturally sensitive to the various items found in the Space. In reality, everyone called him Aso Shinjiro, but in truth, he had long concealed his real name. His current identity had been inserted into all kinds of records through his family connections.

It was precisely to avoid being Curse Killed by items like the Death Note once his true identity was exposed.

The appearance of this old videotape immediately put him on alert. As he watched the image on the television begin to flicker erratically after the security personnel started the tape,

he knew he had been right.

He switched the camera angle, observing the room only from a concealed position outside. At the same time, the cameras in the security conference room had been connected to livestreaming software on social media.

The next moment, the image on the monitor began flashing irregularly before twisting out of shape.

Then, the heavily armed elite security personnel began backing away. Even after reaching the wall, they still tried to retreat. Someone drew a gun, but his hands shook so violently that he could not fire.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Aso Shinjiro thought, So it really is that thing.

The Cursed Videotape from the world of The Ring, a dangerous item capable of spreading a terrifying Cursed Meme.

You actually want to Curse Kill me with this? Tsk, you’re practically opening a new Pandora’s Box in the real world~

Aso, codenamed Clear Spring on Stone, was not afraid. He had not seen the tape’s contents, and although the Cursed Meme from The Ring was terrifying, its method of breaking free was actually quite simple.

He merely needed to duplicate the Cursed Videotape and have someone else watch it, thereby passing the curse on.

But the next moment, the situation changed.

As the monitor flickered, a black-haired woman dressed in white appeared on the screen. Moving in bizarre, frame-skipping motions, she suddenly appeared in front of the security personnel.

Then, the bodies of the security personnel convulsed a few times before they collapsed to the floor, silent and lifeless.

His brows furrowed. By all rights, the curse from The Ring should Curse Kill its victim after seven days. How could it happen so quickly?!

He watched the Grudge Spirit’s twisted body slowly turn around. In the next instant, it raised its head and looked toward the camera outside.

Aso instantly shut off the monitor. That brief moment of eye contact had truly sent a chill through him.

This wasn’t an ordinary Cursed Videotape. It had been modified!

A sudden unease rose within him. This sort of method did not resemble Mercenary Tao’s rumored style at all. That man was supposed to be a Martial Artist.

At that moment, the phone call he had just ended rang again. Frowning, Aso Shinjiro answered, intending to order those at the estate to dispose of the videotape. To be safe, he would still make copies and arrange for others to watch them.

Bzzz~

Static came through the phone. Then, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice reached his ears.

"This is Aso Shinjiro. I’m reading in the afternoon. I may return after the new year to %&￥"

The beginning sounded like ordinary speech, but the content made no sense to him. The latter half became something he could not understand at all, not even Japanese.

The one thing that remained unchanged throughout was that voice, that tone. The speaker was clearly himself!

Aso Shinjiro suddenly realized something, and an icy chill rose from his tailbone.

You have suffered the curse: One Missed Call

His voice on the phone slowly faded away. At last, a young-sounding female voice emerged.

"Clear Spring on Stone, you are no longer qualified to continue this hunting game."

"Hunting Reincarnators is a game for the strong."

"Farewell, Worm~"

An urgent news bulletin: At noon today, members of Japan’s Aso Clan were suspected of being poisoned. Everyone inside the estate has died.

Japan’s prime minister has issued orders for a thorough investigation.

Bai Cangshu lay on a hotel bed, watching the news report appear on the screen.

Tsk, he really was a madman.

He could now understand why people liked calling him a madman. Some people’s thought processes really were completely different from everyone else’s.

Clear Spring on Stone had not offended Heart Demon at all. Heart Demon had merely wanted to cooperate with him, yet the man had taken offense and become angered on his own.

And because of something like that, Heart Demon had found the other man’s hiding place in the real world and successfully killed him in an extremely short time.

That guy really was a little crazy.

Tsk, being targeted by someone like that was truly… interesting.