Chapter 5 (Careful What You Wish For) has Musashi facing another dangerous supernatural situation. Watch out for hidden Seventh Stout Pillars and rift mechanics. Estimated 2 hours.
1. Chapter Overview
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Chapter | 5 — "Careful What You Wish For" |
| Estimated Time | 2 – 2.5 hours |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Setting | Cursed village outskirts — multi-building exploration |
| Story Summary | Musashi investigates a cursed area where desires become dangerous. The story reveals more about the supernatural forces driving Kyoto's corruption and sets up the climactic return to Kiyomizu-zaka in Chapter 6. |
| Key Unlocks | Seventh Stout Pillar (collectible), additional rift seals, Oni Stone |
| Recommended Level | 12 – 14 |
Chapter 5 shifts Musashi into exploration mode. The mission is set in a cursed area south of the Oni Clan dojo, with multiple buildings, vertical climbing, and a maze-like layout. The mission title is a warning: every reward you reach for here comes with a complication. Watch your footing around rifts — they respawn faster than the dojo rift, and the southern building hides the chapter's trickiest enemies.
2. Main Objectives
- Investigate the southern building — the source of the curse is contained inside.
- Collect scattered millet items — small rewards dropped by cursed villagers and corpses.
- Find the Seventh Stout Pillar — a rare collectible hidden on top of the cliff overlooking the cursed area.
- Defeat the cursed-area mini-boss — the curse's source manifests as a Genma hybrid.
- Unlock additional rift seals — at least two rifts in the area need closing.
3. Walkthrough
Section 1 — Cursed Area Entrance
You begin at the entrance area where you fought Genma in the previous chapter's side content. The area is now swarming with cursed villagers — half Genma, half civilian.
- Clear the immediate entrance of Genma Brutes.
- Approach the cursed villagers carefully — attacking the wrong one (a real civilian) costs a Citizen Saver progress point.
- Climb to find the Seventh Stout Pillar — the climb is on the eastern cliff. Use the Oni Gauntlet slam to break a cracked ledge that blocks the climb.
Section 2 — Southern Building
The southern building is the chapter's largest combat arena. The front door is locked; you have to use the improvised entrance on the west side.
- Use the improvised entrance on the west wall (breakable boards).
- More enemies appear from the south building once you enter — three Genma Brutes ambush from the upper floor.
- Inside, head north to a small room with a ladder. The ladder leads to a chest and the chapter's mini-boss arena.
- Collect one millet from the body on the ground in front of the entrance — easy to miss because the body is tucked under the broken boards.
Millet items are small and easy to walk past. Use Oni Vision (R3 + L3) to highlight them. The millet near the southern building entrance is one of the most commonly missed collectibles in the chapter.
Section 3 — Cursed-Area Mini-Boss
The mini-boss arena is on the upper floor of the southern building, reached via the ladder. This is a Genma hybrid with curse-based attacks — different from anything in the previous chapter.
- Attack pattern: curse projectiles (slow but tracking) and a melee curse slam (fast, wide AoE).
- Weakness: parry the curse slam; it leaves the boss stunned for ~3 seconds, which is your Soul Core window.
- Reward: cursed-area mini-boss soul cache (+600 purple souls) plus the Oni Stone (crafting material).
Section 4 — Seal the Rifts
After the mini-boss, two rifts remain in the area. Seal both to fully cleanse the cursed zone and unlock the chapter's full reward.
- Rift A: in the alley between the southern building and the entrance area.
- Rift B: on the cliff path leading up to the Seventh Stout Pillar.
- Each rift requires clearing the immediate Genma, then interacting with the rift core.
- Sealing both rifts unlocks a hidden Stout Pillar (#2) — see Missables below.
4. Key Items & Collectibles
| Item | Location | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Seventh Stout Pillar (rare) | Top of eastern cliff | Counts toward 8 Kyoto Mysteries (Retrogems) |
| Millet x5 | Scattered in the cursed area + body near entrance | Crafting material for trade goods |
| Hozuki Pouch | Inside southern building | Healing consumable |
| Oni Stone | Mini-boss reward | Crafting material for Oni Armaments |
| Hidden Stout Pillar #2 | Behind rifts when both sealed | Counts toward 8 Kyoto Mysteries (Retrogems) |
| Cursed Villager Soul Cache | Cursed villagers in the entrance area | +200 yellow souls per villager rescued (not killed) |
5. Missables
- Millet near body — directly in front of the southern building entrance, under the broken boards. Easy to walk past.
- Hidden Stout Pillar #2 — only appears after both rifts are sealed. If you skip a rift, you lose this collectible.
- Seventh Stout Pillar — requires using the Oni Gauntlet slam on the cracked ledge before climbing. If you don't slam, the climb path doesn't open.
- 2 cursed villagers in hidden alcoves — if you don't explore the side buildings, you lose 2 Citizen Saver progress points.
6. Soul Farming Opportunities
| Location | Enemies | Souls / Clear | Respawns? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern building (upper floor) | 10 Genma (Brutes + Shamans) | ~900 yellow | Yes (chapter select) |
| Cursed-area mini-boss | 1 mini-boss | +600 purple | Yes (chapter select) |
7. Chapter Checklist
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