Chapter 348: Yggdrasil (3-56)
“Ah… no… no… this… this can’t be real. It can’t be!!!”
Park Seon-hee started panicking as she looked at the unconscious Han Yeoreum.
“W-why is she suddenly like that?”
“Who knows.”
Min Hayeon just faintly smiled and shook her head.
I knew the reason, but there was no need to tell them about Han Yeoreum's antics.
Phew… at least she didn't kill herself this time.
Honestly, that was a relief.
Nothing was more annoying than her keep dying over and over.
It looked like she'd collapsed from the mental stress hitting her all at once.
But while that was fortunate, it came with its own problems.
The three women began alternating worried glances between their surroundings and Han Yeoreum.
“This is tough… She doesn't look like she'll wake up anytime soon.”
“But why did this happen all of a sudden? Could it be…”
“Sh-should we go back to the first floor?”
Arriving in a new place—especially one crawling with the dead—was bound to weigh heavily on anyone.
And with Han Yeoreum in this state on top of it all, they seemed gripped by fear that it was connected to this area somehow.
Well… the way she's been acting, anyone would think she was possessed.
To the three who didn't know why, it must have looked like a scene straight out of an exorcist movie—a human overtaken by an evil spirit.
But heading back to the first floor right now wasn't the best choice either.
“Let's keep going for now. If anything feels even a little dangerous, we turn back immediately.”
“Got it.”
They all nodded in agreement, then turned their eyes to the fainted Han Yeoreum.
One of the women sighed as she looked at her.
“Um… I'll drag her along.”
It was Han Bom.
The only one in this situation who couldn't just abandon Han Yeoreum.
Even if she came back to life after dying, Han Bom wasn't heartless enough to leave her sister behind in a place like this.
With those words, the others raised their hands too.
“I'll help.”
“No choice, I guess.”
“You can't move her alone. I'll pitch in too.”
The three women jumped in right away, effectively agreeing to bring Han Yeoreum along.
As they all committed to dragging her, I stepped up too.
“I'll help carry her.”
The moment I said that, Min Hayeon blocked my path and shook her head.
“No. Don't do that, Su-ho.”
“Huh? Then what should I do?”
“…”
Min Hayeon smiled and leaned toward me.
“You're the only one who can lead the way in front of us. Please.”
“Ah… got it.”
I felt a bit awkward knowing the women were handling Han Yeoreum, but I quickly drew my bow and took the lead.
“Everyone… stick close behind me.”
“Yes.”
With that, we slowly stepped into the fog.
As we moved, one thing became clear.
“This… looks like a village?”
Visibility was zero in the fog, but the occasional glimpses of buildings resembled the wooden structures from the first-floor village.
Similar, but not identical.
The exteriors look pristine, but they give off this abandoned vibe.
Running my hand over the wooden buildings, they didn't feel that old.
“…No sign of people, as expected.”
“It's weird how well-maintained they are, though…”
The smoothly finished wood felt recently cared for, if not brand new.
But despite the upkeep, the ghostly village atmosphere came from one thing.
“…We haven't found a single thing so far, right?”
There was no presence—no signs of life at all.
“Yeah, and even the channel viewers say they've never been here before, so they don't know anything.”
No basic geographic info either.
“Worst case, we use the compass to head back to the first floor. We'll be fine.”
Fortunately, the guide compass worked here too.
We kept a close eye on it, memorizing the path as best we could.
Everyone except me, that is.
[Houses discovered so far: 40 total. This seems like a fairly large village.]
Armonia was meticulously mapping our path as we went.
There was even a general store and a grocery shop midway.
[The priority is lodging. Finding a safe place to stay is…]
Armonia was explaining that to me when—
Ssshh… ssshhh… ssslip…
“Wh-what was that?!”
“What's wrong!?”
“S-something just went by!”
I first thought it was the wind, but Park Seon-hee screamed that something had passed behind us.
Just sensing an unknown presence sent the women into panic.
“Wh-what do we do?! Q-quick!”
“Wh-what now!!”
They'd held up until now thanks to getting used to Yggdrasil and facing beasts like Cerberus, building some courage.
But encountering actual dead people was another story.
Ghosts and spirits in our minds always meant dragging us to our deaths.
I quickly moved to calm them down.
“Calm down. Even if real dead folks show up, we've got ways to handle it.”
“R-really?”
“F-for real, mister?”
“Yes, so just stay close to me…”
I was answering Min Hayeon and Han Bom when—
Ssshh… ssshhh… rustle…
Voices suddenly swarmed around us, then figures began to emerge.
Beings coalesced from the thick fog…
The moment their forms came into clear view, the women I'd just calmed freaked out again.
“They're real!! Actual ghosts!!”
“Mom! Mooom!!”
“Su-ho! Hurry! Hurry!!”
Even as they screamed, the ghosts kept gathering.
No—they seemed drawn by the noise.
The ghosts mobbed us suddenly, closing in tighter and tighter.
This won't do. They don't seem malicious, but Hayeon and Bom are in bad shape.
I glanced at the teary, panicked Min Hayeon and Han Bom, then pulled an item from my inventory.
A green orb the size of a baseball.
I raised it high, thrusting it toward the approaching ghosts.
That instant—
Fwaaaash!
Green light burst forth, sending the ghosts tumbling to the ground.
They sprawled face-down, trembling violently. Seeing that, I marveled at the item.
Whoa… this thing is insane.
Dropped from shooting an arrow into Cerberus's eye.
Controls undead and spirits.
The description alone screamed OP, but using it confirmed it was ridiculously powerful.
“Wh-what… what just happened?”
“Mister, what's that?”
With all the ghosts subdued, the women turned to me demanding explanations.
But explanations could wait—priorities first.
“I'll explain after we handle this. First…”
I approached the nearest burly ghost.
His foggy form clearly hinted at his human life before death.
“Hey.”
“Any lodging around here for us to crash?”
“…?”
I turned to the party and spoke.
“Hey, take us to that gravekeeper.”
..
..
We got swarmed by ghosts a few more times on the way.
But each time, I whipped out the Cerberus Eye and parted them like Moses splitting the Red Sea.
From our burly guide, I learned why the ghosts acted this way.
All the dead craved one thing.
Life.
So when living people appeared out of nowhere, they flocked with hopeful expectations.
These village spirits were either recently deceased or had lived untroubled lives, so they posed no threat.
They just approached us clinging to a slim hope of resurrection.
“That gravekeeper guy—is he a ghost too?”
“…?”
I was puzzled, but if the gravekeeper was truly dead, it shouldn't be an issue.
With gods and demigods wiped out in the Twilight War, this gravekeeper would fall under the Cerberus Eye's influence too.
Following the burly ghost, Min Hayeon tilted her head, staring at his back.
After a moment, she hurried over to me.
“Su-ho… doesn't this guy look familiar?”
“Huh?”
I took a closer look at her words.
Something did stand out.
His foggy, East Asian facial features, maybe.
As we trailed him, I asked.
“Hey, what'd you die doing? You don't look that old.”
“…?”
“…Ah!”
It hit me.
“Ah! That guy!?”
The one whose head exploded after mouthing off to the fairy in the colosseum.
His words jogged memories—not just mine, but Min Hayeon's and the trio's too. They started whispering.
“So if you get summoned and die, you end up here…”
“Ugh… I don't wanna stay here.”
“Gotta survive for real.”
Seeing the afterlife firsthand was a novel experience.
Relief that life continued after death mixed with dread of being trapped here forever.
Following the giant's lead, we soon reached a massive castle.
“Whoa… hard to see, but it's huge.”
“Hey, where you going?”
“Might as well see it through. Take us right to him.”
The giant covered his eyes with both hands—mismatching his bulk—and started sobbing.
Didn't think he was this type…
The tough guy who'd sassed the fairy now looked completely different.
I eyed him suspiciously but didn't let him go.
He might lead us to some trap with ill intent.
The giant reluctantly led us slowly into the castle.
We met a gatekeeper at the entrance.
“Move.”
Then interior guards…
“Move.”
And even our guide…
“Move.”
“Oh, sorry. You all look alike, my bad.”
All the spirits scattered left and right before the Cerberus Eye, like the Red Sea before Moses.
Min Hayeon and Han Bom watched me worriedly.
“You okay?”
“Isn't this too aggressive?”
“It's fine. That's what these powers are for.”
Truth be told, I had two reasons for throwing the ability around so casually.
First, to establish a clear hierarchy with the local ghosts so they wouldn't bother us.
Second…
“Hehe… ghosts ain't shit.”
“Yeah, I was scared earlier, but with Su-ho here, no worries at all.”
To boost party morale.
Some caution was good, but too much fear would ruin everything.
Finally, we reached the castle's reception hall.
I shoved the Cerberus Eye at the guards and commanded.
“Now, fetch that gravekeeper or whatever quick.”
The guards, hit directly by the eye's effect, spun around and bolted.
I paced the reception hall, asking the giant.
“Gravekeeper, huh? Sounds like a high position.”
Unexpected.
Gravekeeper sounded like some ragged peasant, but…
This meant he was distinct from the other ghosts.
[As a dead being, your ability should work on him regardless.]
Still, dead was dead.
If he's some lich or undead immune to the eye, we just bail.
I leisurely surveyed the hall, waiting for the gravekeeper.
And soon enough…
Thud… thud… thud…
“…Sounds like he's coming.”
“…”
We all tensed, staring at the reception hall door.
One clear fact: he was markedly different from our giant companion.
Footsteps… he has a physical body.
Thud… thud…………
The footsteps stopped at the door.
A brief silence, then the door flew open with a cheerful man's laughter.
“Welcome to our Neo Niflheim! Oh, the living!”
“…Huh?”
We were momentarily stunned by the upbeat voice when Han Bom spoke up cautiously.
“Um… he looks like something from a movie.”
A skeletal figure cloaked, wielding a massive scythe…
“Isn't that the Grim Reaper?”
It really was.