Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: American Lee's Rampage
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Fucking Ghost! You dragged me here with your powers!? Goddamn it! Get ready! I'm not going soft like those Ghostbusters!"
"Uwaaaah! Spare me!"
The fervent Republican cowboy, American Lee, had sized up the situation and shoved his shotgun in Shin Young-mun's face.
"Um, hey! Do you happen to know Lee Seung-hoon by any chance?"
"What? You know that guy?"
"Y-Yes! Seung-hoon and I are acquaintances!"
"Hmm. In that case, I'll let this slide."
Fortunately, Shin Young-mun picked up on a faint resemblance to Lee Seung-hoon in the man's face, leading to a dramatic reconciliation.
"But this God Damn School? I'm tearing it down. Urban legends? Just the kind of bullshit the Democrat bastards would love, and it's finally caused real trouble."
The Foundation agents had gained a solid ally.
"Everyone okay!?"
"Yes, we're fi—..."
"Fuck!"
American Lee spotted Kim Miri and yelled in shock.
"What the hell is that old hag!?"
"Huh? Me? Young-mun? That's an entity, right?"
"Well, yeah, but she's connected to Lee Seung-hoon, so she's probably on our side. Most likely."
"Good lord! Grandma! No! That's not it! You're a witch, aren't you? Looks young, but your roots are filthy old!"
"N-No, I'm not! I'm twenty!"
"Hmm, seems like the time Miri spent solving history problems got factored in."
"Whew, whatever. It's weirder if normal people hang around that guy."
The agents from Kim Miri's side rejoined those from Shin Young-mun's group.
"Huh? The external special consultant is the original?"
"Of course. But treat her as a separate entity now."
"Ah, thanks for the help anyway."
"Killing these damn things is the duty of a great American. No need for formalities."
With American Lee leading the way, they explored the school.
Beyond the exams, various entities ambushed them.
"Blood! Not enough blood!"
"Red tissue or blue tissue?"
"Study hard on Korean, English, math, and you'll be top of the class!"
The school housed not just exam-proctoring urban legends, but many others, all blocking their path each time...
"Double Barrel Shotgun is the true exorcism tool."
...only to turn to dust and vanish with one blast from American Lee's shotgun.
"I'm not soft like the Ghostbusters. Ghosts aren't for capturing—you shoot 'em dead. That's real exorcism, right?"
How was this possible?
Entities were notoriously hard to take down, yet he dispatched them effortlessly with his shotgun.
"Let's keep pushing."
Hope began to dawn on the agents.
"I'll kill 'em all."
"Truly beautiful."
The art teacher admired Lee So-hee's painting, unable to tear her eyes away, as if entranced.
"So-hee, you went to art school or something?"
"Nwo."
"Nope."
"Raw talent then? Wow, you can even paint stuff like that."
Even those without an eye for art couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
"It's like the awe I felt first seeing the Mona Lisa."
"For me, it's that feeling again from the girl with the pearl earring."
Those with some appreciation for art gazed at the painting in rapture, unable to look away.
"You, with talent like that, were doing internet broadcasts?"
"Nwo."
"Her dream is to become the top streamer."
"...You sure you're translating right? Feels off."
The chit-chat didn't last.
The art teacher snapped out of it and smiled brightly.
"With talent like this, I'll spare you all. Never felt this good in my life."
"N-Nwo!"
"Keep painting for me from now on."
"...Nwo?"
With those words, the art room door slammed shut.
"Paint here forever."
The drug had worked too well—she'd blown past the passing line by miles.
"Silver-haired red-eyed smiley girl is sugeeee!"
Then, an unfamiliar voice whispered in Lee So-hee's ear.
"Super kawaii desu! Fleeing from scary American Lee into this place and meeting a kawaii girl? Best luck ever desu!"
No one else reacted, so the voice wasn't audible to them.
So-hee cautiously glanced toward the source. In the metal joint of the brush she held, there was a tiny person.
"N-Nwo?"
"Your voice is cute too desu! Don't freak out desu! I'm a gentleman desu!"
A scrawny, shady-looking man with a weird speech pattern flashed his glasses.
"But... is this for real desu?"
"Nwo?"
"I peeked into your origin desu. You were originally a guy who got TS'd desu!"
How did he know!?
Shocked, So-hee stammered.
"N-N-Nwo."
"Gasp! It's true desu!"
He understood every word she said.
"Good lord! A silver-haired red-eyed loli TS girl exists for real! And she's a streamer too! Total webnovel protagonist desu!"
"What's that?"
Her voice was small, but maybe she'd talked too much?
The art teacher noticed and approached.
"Something weird's here, huh?"
"What's your name desu?"
"Nwo."
"So-hee-chan! Cute name too desu! Is that thing bullying So-hee-chan desu?"
"Disgusting speech pattern. Come here! I'll deal with that right—"
So-hee nodded vigorously.
"Nwooo!"
"Then I'll handle it desu!"
In that instant, the art teacher vanished.
"Isekai Truck, complete."
The tiny man in the brush joint shook a book.
"It was a gift for the original, but had to use it here desu! Waste, but for So-hee-chan, no choice desu!"
"N-Nwo?"
"Wondering what it is desu? This kind of thing desu."
He showed her the cover.
「Book for You Who Wants to Transfer to Another World Vol. 5: Wuxia」
A book with a bizarre title.
"Found it in the ruined library warehouse desu! It doesn't roll dice, but makes a contract once to force-transfer your target to a wuxia world desu!"
"Nwooo."
"Amazing desu. Most wouldn't get it, but you accept it right away—model TS loli desu!"
Now others had noticed him too.
"No need to whisper anymore desu! Time for self-intro desu!"
The man struck a cool pose.
"I am Satoshi desu! Nice to meet you, So-hee-chan!"
"Kuso-!"
"Ugh, it hurts!"
Kim Godeok gasped for breath. But exhaustion had him too drained to even breathe properly.
"Itai desu!"
"Hmph! Hide-and-seek doesn't include punching!"
He'd staked his life on it. Yet he failed to topple the book-reading girl statue, who teleported freely, or the far tougher and stronger Yi Sun-sin statue.
'Regrettable.'
He'd wanted to see his disciple grow.
Hadn't he accomplished nothing like this?
"Kuso! Shimai desu!"
"Gonna read a book again! Idiot!"
A martial artist must live without regrets.
With death always at one's side, only a regret-free life allows one to depart without lingering attachments when it suddenly arrives.
'I have regrets.'
He wanted to watch his disciple grow.
Far from that, as master, hadn't he robbed her of the chance to grow?
'At least the book-reading girl...'
But no more opportunities.
His innate qi was depleted, his life like a candle on the verge of snuffing out.
'No final burst of brilliance.'
And the Yi Sun-sin statue approached to sever his neck.
"Woof!"
That was when it happened.
An impossible puppy bark rang out.
"Woof woof!"
Clinging to the Yi Sun-sin statue's bronze sword was a pint-sized pup.
'Am I hallucinating?'
The thought was brief. When he came to, he was already on a barren plain.
"Woof woof!"
"What bizarre events. I knew this world of entities teemed with yokai, but a tiny pup as a grim reaper?"
Strangely, he could understand the pup.
"Yeah, I'm coming now."
They crossed the desolate plain to lofty cliffs with cascading waterfalls.
"Woof!"
"That's my origin?"
"Woof woof!"
Atop the cliff lay a single sword.
Rusted and on the verge of breaking, but as the pup licked it fervently, it began restoring.
"Huh."
Rust flaked off, teeth returned, luster gleamed, and finally it became a magnificent treasure sword.
"Like new-forged."
Kim Godeok pulled the embedded sword from the ground.
"This is my origin."
Gazing at it swelled emotion from deep within.
"My life."
He'd chased the martial all his life.
In modern society, martial arts were fictional nonsense.
Mocked by all, he believed, trained relentlessly, and claimed it for himself.
"My path."
But how could one always hold the same resolve?
Demonic temptations came, he doubted his path hundreds of times, regretted it thousands.
"My future."
If only he'd had a master.
Predecessors to learn from or find solace in.
Kim Godeok had none—he was the first martial artist, the first challenger.
"Heh."
Even immovable mind from inner cultivation couldn't mend his broken heart.
So he'd thought his heart, if manifested, would be anything but beautiful.
Yet his origin was a splendid treasure sword, his heart a scenic haven fit for immortals at leisure?
"My life wasn't in vain."
The worries of the trailblazing challenger, unrecognized by any, washed away clean.
With worries gone, ineffable joy surged, and inner power raced through him like waves.
"Hmm."
His middle and upper dantians opened.
Inner power circulated through both, granting utmost purity.
"This is enlightenment."
When he opened his eyes, mere instants had passed in reality.
'Body feels light.'
Lost innate qi fully restored.
Inner power purer than before, same amount now a thousand-gold weight.
"Huh!"
He glimpsed his reflection in the approaching Yi Sun-sin statue's sword.
His face looked thirty years younger—early fifties, late forties at most.
'Return to youth? Marrow cleansing? Not fully.'
Black hair whipping, he assumed stance.
"Blood Flame Terror Fist."
He thrust his fist.
"Metal."
Pure inner power at fist-tip compressed the world. Warping space, gathering power exceeded limits, manifesting physically.
"This is—"
Power the hue of crisp autumn skies erupted with compressed space.
"—fist aura."
"Nani?"
Yi Sun-sin's final word.
The erupting fist aura struck, reducing the statue to dust in one blow.
"Whew, still not used to it."
Limbering up, Kim Godeok grinned.
"Shall we go catch that book-reading girl then?"
'Here it is.'
On the way to the club rooms, many thoughts swirled.
[Infirmary: Source of urban legends since time immemorial!]
The infirmary wasn't the core.
It was the first place visited re-entering the main building, but nothing happened.
[Of course, what I make isn't limited to one...]
Dr. Janus had created only one entity.
[Collecting rare animals for the Family Zoo contest, so making one to submit!]
Family Zoo entries had no limit, but to win, quality over quantity.
No need for multiples—a single perfect entity upped odds, and tying to his words, one strong entity likely spawned derivatives.
[Today's the birth day, came to retrieve it. Easiest to tame right after birth.]
Third: Entity born today, tamable easiest post-birth.
'Remaining questions: Infirmary's role, how to tame the born entity.'
Not instinctually loyal to creator.
[Stalker could vanish anytime, miss window and hard to tame, so make new elsewhere.]
Time passes, even creator struggles to tame.
'Could've made it so if wanted, but maybe budget short.'
Reached the floor with club sub-rooms.
Walking the hall, soon found the target.
[Urban Legend Club]
[No outsiders!]
He opened the door and entered.
Then Sarang activated.
[Lee Seung-hoon, external connection established.]
"Sarang, find one thing for me."
"Yes, sir."
Sole way to survive entities: Gather intel.
"Can you pull every message or call where this school's alumni talked about urban legends?"
Sarang replied.
[Possible.]
"Then do it."
Sarang's battery drained.
[Beginning intel collection.]
"Grk, gah, dirt!"
The gym where the still-twitching PE teacher lay.
Its door slid open silently.
"......"
A black shadow appeared.
It halted, then spoke.
Voice dripping with seething rage.