A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

But after glancing at the smiling village chief beside her and then at the excited students, she swallowed the doubts that were on the tip of her tongue.

The less trouble, the better.

If we question the villagers' beliefs now, and they kick us out, we won't be able to complete this field trip, and we'll get scolded by the principal when we get back.

"They probably got scammed by those unscrupulous salespeople."

The female teacher comforted herself in her heart.

“These days, scammers will sell anything, even monster models as idols to these old men who have never seen the world.”

"Ahem, Mr. Village Chief, this statue is quite... artistic."

She managed an awkward but polite smile.

"Hehe, yes, this is our village's guardian deity."

The village chief stroked his beard, a barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy old eyes.

"Come, come, don't just stand here. Our hot spring pavilion is right ahead, especially the Cleansing Pool. Soaking in it will wash away all the filth and purify your soul. Afterwards, a sumptuous banquet awaits you."

"Hot spring! I want to soak in it!"

"Is there dinner? I want fried shrimp!"

The children's attention was instantly diverted, and they cheered and followed the village chief.

Let's turn our attention back to the shrine entrance.

"Hey, it's almost time for your shift to change, isn't it? I really want to grab a drink."

The guard on the left yawned and reached into his pocket for a cigarette case.

"Just bear with it. You know what day it is today. If anything goes wrong, the high priest might throw you into a pit to be fed..."

Before the guard on the right could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a cold wind blow across the back of his neck.

The two muffled thuds almost overlapped.

Before long, Kazama Chiba dealt with the two gatekeepers.

Although Qianyu didn't have any sleep cards in his hand, he had a physical sleep spell.

Two scalpel cuts were made on the carotid sinus.

The two burly men didn't even utter a sound; they collapsed to the ground like two sacks of potatoes.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Kazama Chiba summoned the Shadow Legion to drag the unconscious guard into the shadows and settle him properly. Then, she activated the Illusion Card to simulate two dutiful phantoms standing guard at the door.

After doing all that, he swaggered inside.

As soon as you enter the cave, the light outside is swallowed up.

Instead, torches were placed every few meters along the walls.

The air grew hot and dry, carrying a strong smell of sulfur and a certain fishy, ​​sweet odor.

It was mixed with the musty smell of something that had never seen the light of day, and a faint, indescribable, fishy-sweet aroma.

The further you go in, the more pronounced the heat becomes.

Chiyu felt like she was crawling into a giant oven.

Moreover, the security level here was higher than he had imagined.

There was a checkpoint every ten meters or so, and patrol teams carrying torches shuttled back and forth.

"Are these villagers just bored and have nothing better to do? Why are they making such a big fuss?"

Qianyu was not overconfident.

In order to avoid being exposed, he had to maintain the effect of the illusion card.

Like a ghost, it slipped silently past the patrol teams.

At a corner, Qianyu had to stop.

Ahead was a narrow passage, where two villagers dressed in sacrificial robes were leaning against the rock wall, smoking and chatting in hushed tones.

"Has the Mountain God not woken up yet?"

One of the slightly younger ones exhaled a smoke ring, his tone tinged with unease.

"It's almost time. The tremors of the earth's veins are becoming more and more frequent. That's a sign that the adults are turning over."

Another older man glared at him and lowered his voice.

"What about the offerings?"

"Don't worry. It's already being washed. We'll send it in when the time comes. As long as the master is satisfied, our village's prosperity for the next ten years is assured."

"Hehe, the outside world is too chaotic, nowhere is it as comfortable as here."

The younger man threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"Let's go check if the offerings in the pool are ready."

The two chatted as they strolled inside.

Chiyu, who was hiding to the side, had no interest in this and continued to venture deeper into the underground source of magic.

Anyway, his only goal this time was the source of magic, and he didn't have time to bother with these rural legends. What gods the villagers believed in had nothing to do with him.

As Kazama Chiba ventured deeper into the underground cave, the environment became increasingly bizarre, and the temperature in the air became more and more outrageous, almost as if it were roasting people alive into jerky.

"Tsk, do these villagers usually take saunas in places like this? At this temperature, you could cook them straight out of the oven if you sprinkled some cumin on them."

Kazama Chiba wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling that her heat resistance bar was almost empty.

The rocky ground beneath our feet was terrifyingly hot; we could feel the heat through our shoes, as if it were about to cook our feet.

The surrounding rock walls also began to take on an abnormal dark red color, and occasionally, scorching steam with a sulfurous smell could be seen spewing out from the cracks in the rocks.

Even at the edge of the field of vision, the air was distorted and deformed by the high temperature, and the figures of the patrolling villagers were stretched like an abstract painting by Picasso.

Qianyu even wondered if she had walked into an active volcano.

"No, if we go any further, we'll become grilled Chiyu."

Chapter 69 Which came first, light or darkness?

As an ordinary person with only a mortal body, Qianyu quickly reached his limit.

If he continued on this path, he feared he would turn into a roast suckling pig before he even found the source of magic.

Therefore, Qianyu decisively chose a strategic retreat.

Instead, they turned back and went into a side path that looked a little shadier and wasn't guarded much.

This road is definitely much more comfortable.

Although the air was still murky and stuffy, at least it no longer had that suffocating feeling of being in an oven.

After walking down the winding stone steps for about five minutes, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The narrow, oppressive passageway has disappeared, replaced by a massive, astonishing underground cavity.

When Qianyu stepped out of the cave and stood on the edge platform, even he, with his vast experience, was stunned by the sight before him.

It was a circular altar suspended in mid-air.

It is like a lonely island, suspended in the endless dark void.

Below is a bottomless abyss.

Only four narrow stone bridges, each just wide enough for one person to pass through, connect this central altar to the surrounding rock walls, like four chains.

"This kind of structural mechanics would make Newton turn in his grave."

Qianyu stepped onto the rickety stone bridge and silently made her way to the altar.

As soon as he stepped onto the dusty stone floor, his gaze was drawn to the huge circular murals surrounding the altar.

It was a circular relief mural.

Although the passage of time has caused some parts to become mottled and peeled, it still clearly depicts a story that took place in ancient times.

"This is getting interesting."

The light here was dim, with only the faint green glow from the ever-burning lamps on the surrounding walls, but that was enough for Qianyu.

However, the style of the murals is extremely abstract, with rough lines that look as if they were directly carved out with some kind of sharp tool, carrying a barbaric atmosphere from ancient times.

But for a transmigrator who is well-versed in all kinds of ACG works, interpreting this kind of comic book is simpler than doing reading comprehension.

The first painting.

A group of stick figures-like, crudely made humans knelt on the ground, trembling. Above them, a gigantic monster was rampaging.

The monster spewed red flames from its mouth and crushed houses with its feet, filling the entire scene with a sense of despair and destruction.

"Hmm...this monster looks familiar."

Qianyu touched her chin and shifted her gaze to the next picture.

The scene changed.

Just as humanity was on the verge of extinction, a beam of light suddenly descended from the sky.

After the light faded, a colossal figure stood on the earth.

Although the drawing is abstract, the red and purple stripes on the giant's body, as well as the iconic and somewhat complex crystal on its head, simply evoked childhood memories from Qianyu's DNA.

The next few paintings follow the standard tokusatsu (special effects) drama format.

The giant and the monster engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat.

Every punch landed squarely, and beams of light flew wildly.

Finally, the giant picked up the half-dead monster and threw it into the crater of a distant, erupting volcano, like throwing away trash.

The last painting.

The monster was swallowed by the lava, and the giant transformed into a beam of light and flew into the sky.

The surviving humans rebuilt their homes at the foot of the volcano, the place where the giants disappeared, and constructed shrines to worship the god who saved them for generations.