The Ghostly Mask

…To summarize the story of the abandoned hospital, it goes like this:

1. Seo Ji-woo investigated the police substation and then came to this abandoned hospital with her party members.

2. Someone trapped them inside a camera, and they were attacked by the vengeful spirit within.

3. The vengeful spirit disguised itself as 'Seo Ji-woo' to escape from the camera.

4. The original Seo Ji-woo party was trapped within the souls of the missing film crew.

5. The physical bodies of Seo Ji-woo's party were stored in the morgue freezer.

The person who trapped Seo Ji-woo in the camera is likely the culprit. By now, I have a pretty good idea of who it might be.

Anyway.

The way to get Seo Ji-woo's party out is, likewise, the camera. Since the entrance was a camera, the exit must be one as well.

I mounted the ENG camera onto the tripod. This tripod was in the exact same position and at the same angle as the one inside the camera.

Get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out!

The vengeful spirit had already cast off Seo Ji-woo's mask. It had become a mass of resentment and madness. If left alone, it would kill everyone inside.

I could pull it out. But the problem was how to wake Seo Ji-woo and the other explorers trapped in the film crew's souls.

Hehehehehehe.

Suddenly, the Dokkaebi fire flew into the camera's angle. It fluttered like a flower petal, as if trying to say something.

“…You’re going to do it?”

Hehehehehehe.

“…….”

I’m suspicious. It’s even more so because there’s nothing to be suspicious of in a Dokkaebi fire. If the opponent were a human, I could capture the micro-muscles of their face or track their habits—

Get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out get out!!!!!!

“Fine.”

There’s no time anyway. Let’s trust my intuition for once.

I pulled out my pack of Doraji cigarettes. There were only four left. My knee is hurting a lot right now. If I were an ordinary person, I’d probably have given up and been carried out by now.

Sssss.

I gripped my cane tightly, preheating the mana within my body. My knee throbbed even more.

Hehehehehehe.

“Here we go.”

I pressed the REC button.

Click.

The Dokkaebi fire flowed into the camera, and conversely, the vengeful spirit emerged from it.

Huuuuhhh….

It stared at me, exhaling red mist. Cr-cr-crack. It snapped its neck. Not left and right, but 360 degrees. It spun around like a propeller.

Its face, with the skin completely flayed away to reveal only muscle and blood vessels, was quite horrific.

I clamped the cigarette between my lips. Fzzzt. I lit it with mana.

“Who trapped you?”

I asked, suppressing the pain in my knee as much as possible.

“Tell me.”

What I wanted most in this world was ah I see I wanted to film pretty things I wanted to capture them in the world but ahahaha I only ended up seeing such terrible things but it’s not bad because it’s always been this way if I keep filming and filming like that someday pretty things will be filmed too right that’s right it will be but why the more I film the darker it gets the darker it gets the deeper I fall into it taking me somewhere I don’t know they are breathing but why do I have to see it that’s because I wanted to see it because I chose it I called them in they wanted to be filmed no no no that’s not it they didn’t want me they hoped to come out through me so they crawled out through the camera that’s why they chose me I thought they chose me and not someone else but it turns out they chose everyone I am here I am trapped here I want to get out get out get out get out get out.

Communication is impossible. Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t know. Because the culprit is a coward who hides their own face.

Thud.

I prepared for battle. I simply stood there, leaning on my cane. No complicated process is needed. My stance is immobility, not moving a single step. An unwavering zero-point adjustment. A spellcaster who has lost mobility stakes their life solely on firepower.

Fzzzt.

The ghost squirmed.

Suddenly, I’m curious. How is the nature of a vengeful spirit displayed? Is a vengeful spirit evil, or is it nothing at all?

“Haa….”

The moment I exhaled the smoke from my lungs, it moved.

It wasn’t evil.

Since she wasn’t a wicked person to begin with, the vengeful spirit wasn’t a villain either. Just a soul filled with resentment.

—!

It reached me in a single step. A spirit’s sprint that is hard to follow even with Sequence. But I had already made preparations.

I do not overconfident in myself. There is probably no one who doubts me as much as I do.

—Cr-cr-crack!

The resonance of mana detonating. Multiple golden lines surged up and bound the vengeful spirit. It stopped right in front of my nose.

It was a Geumjul (sacred rope).

A variation of an anti-personnel directional shotgun mine—a Claymore. A trap exclusively for ghosts, packed with compressed Geumjul instead of pellets.

Cr-cr-crack—!

The Geumjul gripped the vengeful spirit like a hand.

I looked at it while burning my cigarette.

Its eyeballs were round. Tears were flowing from eyes that could not be closed. It tried to reach out to me, but couldn’t touch me.

It’s a sad thing.

It was a person with big dreams.

Hsssss—

The sound of the vengeful spirit’s soul burning away. It tried to resist, but this Geumjul is also a part of a spell/technique. It means it can be strengthened through mana.

Fzzzzzt!

I injected Flame of Cognition to solidify the structure of the Geumjul and bind the spirit. I incinerated it.

“Director Jin Yu-seon.”

I don’t know if these words will be a comfort to you.

“Don’t worry.”

I muttered in a low voice, spitting out the cigarette smoke as if chewing it.

“Soon, that bastard will follow you too.”

Thump—!

I tapped the ground with my cane. Artillery. Mana was mixed into the thunderous resonance, and the Geumjul responded, pulling taut.

The vengeful spirit vanished without being able to make a sound or resist.

Dust….

It scattered into ash.

I, too, am on the verge of shock. Because of the damn knee pain.

“Ah… at this rate, I’ll die first.”

I lit another cigarette. I’ve secured enough screen time. From now on, if possible, I’ll stay as a truck until the labyrinth ends.

* * *

Hehehehehehe.

A strange laughter. Warmth that felt like it was groping my body.

“Ugh….”

Reporter Lee Tae-young opened her eyes, letting out a groan. Some letters were scorched onto the wall of the morgue.

Move. Find a way.

A way… what way?

She felt her head. She touched a bone fragment. It felt like her skull had been slightly crushed.

Hehehehehehe.

“Startled me….”

A purple Dokkaebi fire. As she stared at it, she fiddled with her chest. She grabbed her employee ID.

Reporter Lee Tae-young.

“…Lee Tae-young.”

Lee Tae-young? Who is Lee Tae-young? Is it me? No. I am….

“I’m Seo Ji-woo.”

My memory returned.

She stood up, staggering. Inside the freezer, there was Seo Ji-woo—my body.

“How do I go back?”

Thud. She pressed her forehead against Seo Ji-woo’s body in the freezer. It was the same.

Hehehehehehe.

“…I got it.”

Let’s stay calm. There is definitely a way to go back. I am a spellcaster. Even though I’m dizzy because my head is injured, magical phenomena must be solved with magic.

Seo Ji-woo took a deep breath. Even if the body changes, the soul remains the same. Mana is the power of the soul.

Line [線].

I pulled out the line connected to myself and connected it to Seo Ji-woo’s body. As I infused mana, it felt like my consciousness was flowing and heaving.

Hehehehehehe.

Laughter. After that, Lee Tae-young’s body tilted. Instead, Seo Ji-woo opened her eyes.

“Hup!”

She stood up, exhaling a breath. “…Ah, it’s cold.”

Coming out of the freezer, she opened the remaining doors. Five party members were inside.

“Who is who?”

Then the Dokkaebi fire moved. As if telling her, this is this one, this is this one, and this is this one.

“Whoa… who are you? Thank you?”

Seo Ji-woo connected them all with lines. But one person was left. There are 5 film crew members, but 6 party members.

“Are you this one? Yong-seung?”

Hehehehehehe.

The Dokkaebi fire laughed again. A small firefly rose from the air and settled in front of Lee Yong-seung.

“Ah~ so this was Lee Yong-seung?”

No wonder a firefly kept following me around.

“But… you seem like a bit of a unique kid?”

Lee Yong-seung is the size of a fingernail, but this one is a little bigger than a ping-pong ball.

Hehehehehehe.

“Ah, okay. Let’s go.”

Seo Ji-woo gathered mana while clutching the multiple lines connected to her team members. A bluish current rose up.

Fzzzzzt—!

A surge of energy erupting from the lines. My palms felt like they were burning, but it was bearable.

Now.

“Hup!”

Seo Ji-woo pulled the team members trapped in someone else’s soul.

Cr-cr-crack—!

Consciousness moved along the lines. From the fake body to the original body.

Cr-cr-crack—!

Soon, the lines broke. Fortunately, the explorers’ complexions returned to normal. I succeeded.

“…Phew.”

Seo Ji-woo laid them down according to the camera’s angle.

Flash!

I frowned at the sudden flash.

“Ugh.”

I slowly opened my eyes. Seol Ha-woon was standing on the other side. Seo Ji-woo asked with a surprised face.

“…You startled me. Are you okay?”

“Nothing happened.”

Seol Ha-woon said that while clamping the cigarette in his mouth.

“No… you’re bleeding a lot.”

Blood flowing from his head soaked his entire right face. He looks more like a ghost than the ghost itself. Even a ghost would run away if it saw him.

“I just got scratched a little.”

In fact, he wasn’t even scratched. The vengeful spirit’s ghost energy had sharpened and grazed his face, and because his durability was so terrible, his scalp was torn by just that much. A perfect glass cannon.

“It’s not just a little… well, thank you. Thanks to you, I survived.”

“No need for that.”

Seol Ha-woon pointed to Seo Ji-woo’s bag. It was the evidence Seo Ji-woo had collected while she was Lee Tae-young.

“Thanks to you, I got the evidence….”

Jeoldong Elementary School, Soyeon’s diary. Abandoned hospital laboratory, someone’s picture diary. And other clues scattered here and there. That alone is enough to narrow down the culprit.

However, it has to be 10 o’clock. Only then can I face him at Imgak Mountain. So before that….

“How many copper coins do you have?”

I have to start doing business.

“Copper coins? Ah, these?”

Seo Ji-woo pulled out a bundle of copper coins, jingling them.

As expected. I thought she would have a lot because she has such good luck with wealth. If she didn’t have any, it would be a fake.

Seol Ha-woon reached out his hand.

“Emergency relief service. The price is 3 nyang per person.”

It’s a service I just made, but it can’t be helped. “18 nyang. You just have to give me that.”

I’ve thought of more things I want to buy at the night market than I expected.

* * *

The above community is the perspective of ordinary people. Most share opinions only on the content aspect of the program. On the other hand, in the explorer community, there are many in-depth analyses.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“They’re fighting among themselves here too.”

The language of the explorer community is default English. There are tabs by country, but to see global reactions, you have to look at the entire tab. “There’s so much talk about Labyrinth Exploration NaN.”

If you scroll down, ‘MTN (Migung Tamheom NaN)’ appears frequently. It means that there is a reaction all over the world these days.

“…Ah. There are still 5 days left.”

‘Ye-rin’, a warrior belonging to the Taebaek faction of the Korean Peninsula, explored the community while waiting for the appraisal. Every time she scrolled, the Seol Ha-woon and Lee Jun-ho caricature key rings attached to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her smartphone jingled. They are the two people she voted for.

Ah, who am I? I’m an adventurer who pulled an ‘SSR—Snow Globe’ from Astroal Merchandise.

Ye-rin accessed the Korean tab again.

Familiar tone, much easier to read than English.

The spellcaster community is in the middle of ‘stealing’. Spellcasters sometimes seem like a group obsessed with knowledge. They believe that not only their annual salary but also their own existence is determined by how well and diversely they handle spells.

“Ms. Ye-rin. They say the appraisal is finished.”

The appraiser’s secretary said. Usually, every sect has at least one exclusive appraiser, and they help with loot appraisal.

“Yes.”

Ye-rin entered the appraisal room.

“Oh~ Ye-rin.”

Park Yeon-seok, a 50-year-old A-rank appraiser, looked at Ye-rin while washing his hands in running water. “Is it true that you won that emergency relief shop that everyone is talking about these days?”

“Yes. Astroal Merchandise.”

“Did you feel the effect yourself?”

“Of course. Since I put this by the head of my bed, I haven’t had a restless sleep. I sleep soundly for 6–7 hours, and no matter how tired or physically exhausted I am, I recover most of it after sleeping.”

The appraiser put his monocle back on.

“That’s right. This item is quite a masterpiece. The effect is exactly as you said, and the mana is also very pure. It’s hard to call the quality of the work itself master-level, but it has potential. If you let it age, it might become master-level.”

“Wow… how much would it be worth?”

I need money for a lot of things these days. The teeth of my sword are all broken, and my leather armor feels like its lifespan is over.

“Well. You’d have to put it up for auction to know… but right now, it might end up around the $5 million line.”

“And?”

“If it’s a tycoon who values deep sleep, I don’t know if they would be willing to pay twice that.”

“And?”

“If the shop called Astroal spreads by word of mouth and establishes itself as a collection that everyone acknowledges, the function of this snow globe itself will be amplified, and it will become an item that you’ll regret even selling.”

“Then… the answer is to keep it.”

“That’s right. If you need money, solve it with a collateral loan if possible. First, it will be uploaded to our sect site, is that okay?”

Ye-rin’s eyes widened.

“Wow. It must be that good of an item.”

“It is to that extent. I think it will probably enter the TOP 10~20 of our sect’s loot this year.”

The sect web introduces only a very small fraction of the loot acquired by sect members, and it was chosen as one of them. It’s a pretty important thing. Because the domestic sect ranking changes depending on what kind of loot is acquired every year.

“Upload it to the sect web? Tell me if you don’t want to.”

For Ye-rin, it’s her first time since joining the Taebaek faction.

“I don’t want to? Please upload it, Sahyeong (senior)!”

She answered proudly.