NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
Chapter 40
“It’s coming.”
The infected creature melted back into the darkness. Letting our guard down could be fatal.
‘I have no choice but to cut it down.’
That thing is not human.
Even if it means completely erasing it, there’s no other way.
“So—”
Yomi glanced at me sideways.
“How do you plan to catch an invisible opponent?”
“It’s simple.”
I had been thinking about it the whole way here.
Not only can it move freely within the darkness, but it can also pull its opponent into it. On top of that, its form blurs, making it hard to track its spiritual energy.
“Do you know how to hunt a pheasant?”
“Hunt a pheasant?”
The method of catching a pheasant in an open field: scare the pheasant into flying far in the opposite direction, then the hunting dog on the other side chases it, repeating this process until the exhausted pheasant is caught in the middle.
『Sain-gum – Yomi: Foxfire』
Blue spiritual energy filled the Sain-gum. Small Foxfires swirled around, brightly illuminating the surroundings.
“Yomi, light up the area with Foxfires from the opposite side.”
“Oh ho. So, you plan to catch it in the middle.”
The ability of the 7-A infected is to hide within darkness. This means that if the darkness is dispelled, it has nowhere left to hide.
“This sounds fun; I’ll play along.”
Whoosh
With a sinister laugh, Yomi disappeared. At the same time, a blue light flickered at the far end of the hallway.
“Let’s begin.”
Like Gretel leaving breadcrumbs while leading her brother out of the forest, I dropped a Foxfire from the Sain-gum with each step I took.
Whoosh
As the ends of the hallway brightened, the darkness in the center grew even more ominous.
By the time Yomi’s face became visible from the other side, we both converged in the central classroom where Jin So-yul was.
“With this, the entire hallway is illuminated.”
There’s no place left for it to hide.
‘Or rather, just one place.’
Even with the entire hallway lit, one shadow remained. Yomi and I exchanged a brief, knowing look,
“G-g-gotcha!”
With a piercing shout from behind me, the infected creature suddenly leaped out.
The only space it could hide was the shadow cast between Yomi and me, hidden by the light. It was a clever tactic, but since we anticipated it, it was merely a futile ploy.
“Baek-ah, give me the blue tissue.”
『Spirit Conjuration- Baek-ah: Blue Tissue』
Ah, speaking of ghost stories, there was a bathroom ghost tale that was popular when I was a kid.
When you entered the bathroom, a voice from below the toilet would ask, “Do you want red tissue or blue tissue?” If you answered red tissue, you would be cut and die covered in red blood. If you answered blue tissue—
Shaa!
— —a blue hand would choke you, turning you blue.
“Gr-grahh…!”
A blue hand emerged from the Sain-gum and twisted around the infected creature’s neck.
“Gotcha.”
The blue hand, with immense strength, dragged the infected creature completely out of the shadows. The creature, its neck being squeezed, flailed its legs in the air as if it was about to suffocate.
“K-kkeh gahk…!”
“No hard feelings.”
I angled the Sain-gum.
“Are you planning to annihilate it?”
“There’s no other way.”
Yomi didn’t add any further comments.
‘This isn’t human.’
Just a monster mimicking a human form.
Believing this was for the best of both sides, I prepared to drive the blade into the infected creature’s heart.
Bang!
“Ha-baek, wait!”
“Senior?”
Suddenly, the door burst open and Jin So-yul rushed out. My hand paused as she hurriedly stepped between me and the infected creature.
“You can’t kill this creature.”
“Senior, if you don’t kill it first, we’ll be the ones dead.”
Foolish compassion is a luxury.
If I had shown misplaced sympathy towards Shin Seo-jun’s doppelganger, we might all have died on the spot.
“No, it never tried to kill us in the first place.”
However, Jin So-yul seemed to see things a bit differently from me.
“It was just playing ‘hide and seek’ with us.”
Jin So-yul turned to face the infected creature.
“J-J-Jeonghwa, Jeongju…”
The infected creature reached out its arm weakly toward Jin So-yul.
“Now I understand why it showed me those memories.”
Ignoring the danger, Jin So-yul took a step closer to the infected creature.
“Senior!”
“Wait a moment.”
Just as I was about to stop her, Yomi tugged at my shirt sleeve.
“Did you not notice what that girl is holding in her hand?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“It’s no wonder you didn’t notice.”
Yomi snorted dismissively.
Come to think of it, Yomi had been casting glances at the object Jin So-yul was holding. In a low voice, Yomi whispered so as not to disturb Jin So-yul.
“It’s a talisman. And a very potent one at that.”
“A talisman? But it doesn’t feel like one—”
“Exactly, you wouldn’t feel any spiritual energy from it.”
Despite its crude appearance, as someone who has made talismans before, I knew that even the most poorly made talisman carries some spiritual energy.
If Jin So-yul was really holding a talisman, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.
“Only an exceptional level of Taoist power would prevent it from being detected by humans. It provides yin energy to good spirits and yang energy to evil spirits, guiding them toward the cycle of reincarnation. As far as I know, there’s only one person in this land capable of creating something like that.”
Yomi trembled.
She looked fearful yet also seemed somewhat excited.
“The wicked shaman of the Jin family (家) who trapped me in the shrine! I heard she died without any descendants.”
“Then…”
I looked at Jin So-yul.
Her lips tightly closed, her eyes filled with determination. The infected creature’s hand touched her flushed cheek.
Shaaa-!
A radiant rainbow-colored light, incomparable to the Foxfire, enveloped the entire space.
“I heard the man’s voice.”
When Jin So-yul hugged the infected creature tightly, a large amount of purple smoke rose from its body.
[Ah…]
[It’s warm…]
These were the distorted grudges that formed the foundation of the C-Virus. Those who had been writhing in agony now looked so peaceful in this moment.
“The distorted grudges are being purified!”
Yomi shouted in astonishment.
The terror-stricken expression on the infected creature’s face began to relax a little.
“Thank you.”
I felt like I could hear the voice as well.
Right after that, the beam of light illuminating the hallway faded, and Jin So-yul staggered.
“Senior!”
I managed to catch her just as she lost consciousness. Through the fingers of her tightly clenched fist, I could see the small talisman peeking out.
“What about the infected creature from earlier?”
“It is alive.”
Yomi shrugged after checking the condition of the infected creature. It now looked like an ordinary human, no longer resembling an infected creature.
“To think that just a single talisman could revert something neither alive nor dead to its original form.”
If, as Yomi said, the distorted grudges were purified…
‘This confirms that Jin So-yul does indeed have spiritual abilities.’
It’s hard to attribute it solely to the power of the talisman. Yomi’s earlier comment had also piqued my curiosity.
“You called Jin So-yul a shaman of the Jin family?”
“For someone who claims to be a descendant of the Seol family, you sure are clueless!”
Yomi frowned.
She didn’t sound mocking as usual; she seemed genuinely surprised.
“Are you telling me you really don’t know the three shaman families that sealed me in that tiny shrine?”
“I thought you were just sealed away by some idle people with time to spare?”
“You rascal!”
Yomi shouted, and her blue tail bristled sharply.
“I was sealed by the heads of the top three shaman families in this country!”
“And what are these three shaman families?”
“It can’t be helped. I’ll explain it to you in detail, you ignorant fool.”
Yomi crossed her arms and cleared her throat. It was evident she wanted to justify the legitimacy of her sealing.
“It refers to the top three shaman families in this country. The Seoll family you descended from was known for its expertise in spirit conjuration and shikigami (式神) control.”
Yomi glanced at the unconscious Jin So-yul.
“The Jin family was renowned for creating talismans that no other shaman family could replicate. The talismans plastered all over the shrine where I was sealed, and the one you tore apart that day, were all crafted by the Jin family.”
Yomi added,
“However, I heard that the head of the Jin family died young, and their lineage was cut off.”
“But the fact that Jin So-yul possesses that talisman…”
The same Jin surname, and having a talisman from a supposedly extinct shaman family, was enough evidence.
Circle Quest Clear!
– You survived! : Skill Points + 100
– Resolved the second school ghost story! : Spiritual Power + 3
– Discovered Jin So-yul’s secret! : Obtained ‘Orb of Warmth!’
A quest window appeared between Jin So-yul and me. Like during the mock subjugation, a new item I had never seen before appeared in my hand once the quest was completed.
‘Another orb?’
Unlike last time, this one was a bright, golden orb. I’d have to think about how to use it later.
“The barrier is lifting.”
The translucent spiritual energy that had enveloped the outer walls began to dissipate. As the barrier lifted, the sound of the early morning wind became audible.
“What will you do with this girl now?”
“First, we’ll take her to the infirmary. The door should be open there.”
“No, I mean after that.”
I realized a bit late what Yomi was getting at. Ultimately, this incident had pulled Jin So-yul into this world, and I had something to ask her.
‘The Jin family…’
If Jin So-yul were truly a descendant of that shaman family, there could be some connection to the power I wield. Maybe I could find a way to grow stronger quickly.
“…By the way.”
“Is there something else bothering you?”
I looked around.
The destroyed music room, the collapsed ceiling, the caved-in hallway—a total mess on the third floor of the school.
“We’re in trouble. It’s the weekend, but I’m going to get called to the Disciplinary Committee Room.”
This is a completely different issue compared to breaking a bathroom pipe. Illegal entry and the amount of damage caused meant I’d have to brace myself for at least a suspension.
“What should I do about this…?”
I couldn’t afford to be held back by this. With midterms coming up, getting suspended might make me miss out on important events.
“Clearly, you can’t do without me.”
“Yomi?”
Yomi stepped in front of me.
She placed a proud hand on her chest, looking overly confident.
“For the next week, you will take this form of mine to the tavern. Naturally, you will cover all the costs”
“Yomi, what exactly are you planning to do?”
“So, will you do it or not?”
I studied Yomi’s expression.
Her eyes were filled with determination. The only problem was her overwhelming confidence. But she was a mystery that often backed up her confidence with her abilities.
“Alright.”
“The deal is sealed!”
Yomi reached into her chest and pulled out a large, radiant blue orb.
“Behold! This is my fox orb!”
Whoosh!
As Yomi extended the orb above her head, a powerful wave of spiritual energy spread throughout the entire campus.
What happened afterward is a blur.