Chapter 180: Ghost Story (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 180: Ghost Story (4)
A ghost with a pale, heavily powdered face popped up right in front of his nose with a "peekaboo." It was a sight that would make even the bravest soul foam at the mouth and pass out. Kang Geomma, too, was startled.
Although his 'Mental Rank' quickly calmed his racing heart, it wasn't enough to grant him absolute composure.
It couldn't completely erase a shock that caught him so off guard. When someone jumped out to scare him like this, even he could freeze up.
But that was as far as it went. His composure quickly returned.
The enemies he had faced up until now were all legendary powerhouses.
Having felt a spine-chilling thrill with every life-or-death battle, a moment was all he needed to recover from a scare like this.
"What the fuck are you doing, jumping out and scaring people like that?"
Kang Geomma ground his teeth fiercely. Then, he thrust Murasame straight into her left cheek.
The blade tore through her cheek and protruded from the other side.
He had originally intended to swing his arm and decapitate her, but the space was too cramped.
Kyaaaah!
The Pink Shoes Ghost shrieked. Her high heels tapped frantically against the bathroom tiles. The chaotic rhythm of her ghostly wails and tap-dancing steps echoed down the corridor. It was only a matter of time before the other ghosts roaming the hallway caught on.
Sure enough, heavy footsteps began to thud outside. There were dozens of them, at the very least. Their steps were frantic, like people who desperately needed to take a shit.
Kang Geomma cursed under his breath.
'Damn it. There are only three stalls in this bathroom, but dozens of them are rushing in.'
As he hacked away at the ghost's face, Geomma quickly revised his plan.
He would escape his current stronghold—the men's bathroom—and then regroup.
'But first, I need to deal with this ajumma ghost who trespassed into the men's room.'
Peeping. Ghost or not, she had committed a crime. She deserved to be punished accordingly. Especially since she was a pervert.
Geomma yanking his hilt downward with all his might. His swift blade smoothly sliced through her jawbone.
From her newly hollowed lower face, a purple, white-coated tongue dangled limply.
Crash!
Geomma kicked the stall door open. The ghost was sent flying along with the door, crumpling into a urinal. A geyser of water shot up from the shattered porcelain.
Having lost her jaw, the Pink Shoes Ghost could only let out choked, gurgling groans.
She instantly regretted her life choices. She had never imagined her target would be such a brutal tough guy.
Geomma stepped out of the stall, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. He stood before the urinal and looked down at her.
"If you needed to use the restroom so badly, you should've gone to the next stall. Why peep into one that's occupied? Besides, a woman entering the men's room is wrong to begin with."
Geomma lectured her in a thoroughly bored tone. In response, the ghost lunged, thrusting her sharp nails forward in a desperate frenzy.
"Kuaaaagh!"
Geomma dodged the swipe with a simple tilt of his head, then swung Murasame.
Slice!
Her headless body slid limply down the urinal.
"And when you get to the afterlife, make sure you learn to knock first, you crazy bitch."
Just then, a system message popped up before his eyes.
[NEW! You have met the special condition for the 'Power of the Underworld King' by 'defeating 50 or more Ghost-attribute entities.' A new ability has been unlocked.]
* * *
〈Power of the Underworld King〉
◈ New Ability
: You can command an unlimited number of Ghost-attribute entities slain with this armament.
: This effect is not permanent and is limited to a duration of 10 minutes.
: Current number of entities available to command: (32) in total.
* * *
"...What on earth is this?"
I stared at the status window, my eyes widening.
I was probably more shocked now than when that shoe ghost had shoved her face through the crack in the door.
The Power of the Underworld King. I hadn't used it once since my battle with Vendetta.
It had lacked practicality because I could only command a single entity at a time.
But now, that restriction had been lifted specifically for Ghost-attribute entities.
I had always been vulnerable to overwhelming numbers.
That was precisely why I preferred duels or quick skirmishes.
But with this new ability, I could easily dominate a war of numbers.
Just before hiding in the bathroom, I had noticed a map of the building posted on the hallway wall. I had memorized it with a quick glance, just in case.
Thanks to that, I had a rough layout of the building mapped out in my head.
Looking back, there was one glaring anomaly.
Each classroom was numbered like an apartment unit—101, 102, 103, and so on. It was certainly unusual.
'Usually, they'd be labeled as the art room, woodshop, or music room.'
But there was something else that had truly caught my eye: the fourth floor was labeled with the Hanja for death (死) instead of the number 4. Furthermore, where Room 404 should have been, it was written in Hanja as '死靈死' (Death-Spirit-Death).
I hadn't been sure what to make of it then, but after checking the status window, the pieces fell into place. Room 404—that was where the 'core' of this dungeon lay.
I took a moment to analyze the situation. I was currently on the second floor, and enemies were already pouring out like crazy.
What about the third and fourth floors above? They would almost certainly be swarming like a disturbed beehive.
I had been worrying about how to handle those numbers, but the special condition for the [Power of the Underworld King] had unlocked at the perfect time.
'Talk about good luck.'
Once I farmed enough ghosts, I could just sit back and watch the show.
If the ten-minute time limit ran out, I could just slay a few more to replenish my ranks.
The ultimate essence of K-mobile games—'auto-hunting'—brought to life!
I felt my heart race. My grip tightened around my hilt.
A surge of energy rushed through my exhausted body. Such was the magical resonance of the phrase 'auto-hunting.'
Of course, I'd have to butcher a lot more of these ghostly bastards first, but I already had over thirty in my arsenal.
If I put some effort into it, reaching triple digits would be a breeze. The more allies, the merrier.
"Over here!"
Right on cue, a horde of ghosts surged into the bathroom like a tsunami.
Their eyes gleamed with a sinister light as they glared at Kang Geomma.
There were roughly fifty of them. Their chaotic, tangled ranks resembled a messy ball of yarn.
In contrast, Kang Geomma stood perfectly still, facing the snarling horde alone. A cold, knowing smirk played on his lips.
"If I clear all of them out, I'll easily hit a hundred."
Without a moment's hesitation, Geomma lunged straight into the horde.
His footsteps left a trail of splashes on the flooded bathroom tiles. Splash, splash. The light sound of water echoed.
The ghosts' pupils dilated in shock as they watched him charge at them with sheer excitement. He's smiling in a situation like this? But they had overlooked one crucial detail.
Just how terrifying a Korean can be when there is farming to be done...
* * *
Ghostly wails echoed throughout the haunted building.
Kyaaaaaaaah...!
A human completely blinded by the prospect of farming slaughtered the ghosts. It was a complete reversal of roles between human and specter.
With every casual swing of his sword, the ghosts collapsed like dominoes.
Geomma flicked the blood off his blade and surveyed his surroundings.
The hallway was packed so tightly with corpses that there was barely any room to step.
Yet, his expression remained unsatisfied.
'I'm still hungry.'
Those words perfectly captured his current state of mind.
Having finished his hunt on the second floor, Geomma made his way upstairs.
It was far too early to feel satisfied. As if in agreement, Murasame and the Ten-Thousand-Year Frost hummed with a sharp, bloodthirsty resonance.
He headed up to the third floor to satisfy his hunger.
* * *
Unlike the second floor, the third floor was dead silent.
There was only a single, solitary well sitting right in the middle of the corridor.
It looked as if a scene from a classic horror movie had been copy-pasted right into reality.
Geomma clicked his tongue in disappointment. He had come upstairs looking for more prey, but this floor was a barren wasteland.
He felt like a farmer staring at a ruined crop during a severe famine.
Right then—
Creak.
A pale hand suddenly shot out from the well. Dark veins webbed across its bloodless skin.
The owner of the hand slowly dragged herself out of the well. She was a textbook virgin ghost.
With her long hair draped over her face, she stumbled toward him.
"M-M-My name is M-M-Malsuk..."
She offered an unsolicited introduction in a dry, raspy voice.
"Y-You're... s-so... handsome... B-Be... my... husband..."
"Bullshit."
The virgin ghost tore her mouth open impossibly wide. The inside of her throat was a pitch-black void, and a dark, ink-like liquid began to ooze from her eyes and nose.
"I-I'm... s-so... l-lonely... a-all... b-by... m-myself...!"
The virgin ghost spread her arms wide as if welcoming her lifelong partner. Geomma merely stared back at her with a look of utter apathy.
"Well, you look like a mid-boss at least."
Just when he was starting to feel disappointed, he had hit the jackpot. Though she sounded a bit dim-witted, the magic power radiating from her was formidable. She was easily on par with a B-rank Magical Beast.
If the second floor was about quantity, the third floor was all about quality.
Adding this virgin ghost to his ranks would provide a massive quality upgrade, making his army far more robust.
Geomma let out a low chuckle and raised his hand. It was time to test the fruits of his labor.
Rumble!
The floor began to vibrate violently. Fresh out of the well, the virgin ghost stumbled. She quickly regained her balance and glared at Geomma.
"W-What... d-did... y-you... d-do...?"
Geomma replied calmly.
"Did you say you were lonely?"
"...?"
"You're going to regret saying that."
In the next instant, an indescribable chill ran down the virgin ghost's spine. An overwhelming pressure, heavy enough to make her eyes twitch, choked the very air out of her.
Groooaaan...
A chorus of tangled, guttural groans echoed up the stairwell. A massive horde of evil spirits—easily numbering over a hundred—began to swarm up, gathering behind Geomma's back.
With a single flick of his wrist, the ghostly legion fell into formation, acting as if they were his loyal disciples. Every single one of their movements was under Geomma's absolute control.
The virgin ghost stumbled backward in horror. But it was already too late. Geomma flicked his raised hand, giving the signal.
"She says she's lonely. Go make sure she has some company."
"W-Wait... h-hold on...!"
The ghosts surged down the narrow corridor like a tidal wave.
Terrified, the virgin ghost, Malsuk, threw herself back into the well she had just crawled out of.
Countless questions raced through her mind, but survival was her only priority right now. She had to run.
'I can't die again as a virgin!'
But the horde of ghosts poured into the well right after her.
Malsuk stared up blankly at the massive crowd of intruders invading her home. Before she could even process it, she was swept up in the stampede.
A bloodcurdling shriek echoed from the depths of the well, only to be abruptly cut short.
Malsuk met her second demise, her lifelong wish left unfulfilled.
Only then did Geomma resume his stride, heading toward the stairs at the far end of the corridor.
Having completed their task, the evil spirits crawled back out of the well and fell in line behind him. Malsuk was now among them.
Step, step.
It was a long, eerie procession. Hundreds of ghosts marched in lockstep, escorting the single human leading them.
Their strides and gaits perfectly synchronized with his. Here and there, eerie will-o'-the-wisps flickered in the darkness, illuminating the path ahead.
The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. Spirits of the dead roamed the mortal realm.
And leading them at the vanguard was a single human who commanded the dead—Kang Geomma.
To put an end to this tedious nightmare, and to bring a close to this exceptionally long night, he marched forward, leading the ghosts bound to this den of demons.
As he walked, he murmured a phrase that suddenly surfaced in his mind—the very words that had appeared when he first acquired the Immortal Magic Stone.
"Listen to the voices of the dead. For they shall open the gates of the underworld and answer your call."
Groooaaan!
The ghosts let out a chilling, unified roar.
It was their nightly greeting, heralding the grand procession of the Underworld King.