Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: First Shrine
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Numerous eyeballs clinging to the woman's arms were staring at Jojun and his companions. As if trying to bewitch them. They intended to bind their minds with all sorts of grotesque and terrifying illusions until the victims collapsed, never to awaken again.
This ancient yokai, covered in eyeballs across its entire body, hunted people that way. Lacking direct combat prowess, it induced fear to drain its foes' spirits before feasting on the vital essence of the fallen humans.
But tonight was the night of living sacrifices.
If anyone collapsed under Dodomeki's gaze, the forest would surely devour them. The Missing Persons' Forest was half-awakened under the influence of the entity sealed in the shrine.
Thus, every lesser creature bound to the forest perceived these intruders as offerings and was consuming their souls to infuse into the idol of the god at the forest's heart.
"Ugh..."
"O... Oppa..."
"Gahk..."
The yokai power in each eyeball was immense. That's why Lee Eun-ji, Ha-rin, and Kang Hee-sun beside Jojun were instantly bewitched, helpless to resist.
Yet, strangely, nothing happened to Jang Jojun. It was as if Dodomeki's power had simply glanced off him—no anomalies, no changes. This was thanks to Yang Ji-sang at his waist, who had absorbed all the yokai energy heading his way.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
Abyssal Maw activated.
Unaware of this, Dodomeki tilted its head curiously, wiped the sneer from its face as it eyed the victims, and looked up at Jojun with a more serious expression. Even with most of its reason eroded away, it sensed something was off.
Jojun gazed down at Dodomeki with a look that said, What now? Then, extending a hand toward the creature—whose lips curled in an unpleasant smile—he activated his skill without a hint of fear.
Huer...?
"Pluto."
The Abyssal Maw appeared in an instant, its maw gaping wide.
The Abyssal Maw was a skill that devoured even ghosts. Dodomeki screamed and barely dodged the bite aimed at its upper body. But it wasn't a perfect evasion.
The arm full of eyeballs it had exposed to kill Jojun's group was torn off and crunched by the Maw. Its ethereal form was damaged in a flash. Not only was it injured, but it wasn't regenerating.
The abomination that had devoured countless missing people in this forest over hundreds of years felt sudden terror at the incomprehensible situation.
This yokai, nurtured on the fear of those lost in the woods, shrank back in dread of something even more grotesque and sinister.
Huaaah!!!
Dodomeki belatedly shrieked in pain, its wail echoing through the area like a chorus of damned souls.
Plip... plop...!
From the severed stump of Dodomeki's arm dripped a yellowish, translucent fluid. It was ectoplasm. Unlike ordinary vengeful spirits or souls, it possessed an astral body, and instead of blood, ectoplasm flowed through it.
Having survived centuries by devouring humans, this horror had elevated its nature beyond mere evil spirits or ghosts to true yokai status.
Anyway, the ectoplasm Dodomeki was leaking reeked of rot and instantly corroded the ground and plants it touched.
Any living human touching unrefined ectoplasm would suffer excruciating pain and itching. The affected area would slowly rot, poison spreading like a zombie bite.
Dodomeki knew this. Aware that the fluid from its body was lethal to living beings, it scattered ectoplasm around, hoping to at least take the fallen humans with it.
But by then, the Ebony Cockroaches had already dragged the collapsed women behind Jojun. The cockroaches circling the group had seized the opportunity at the fight's outset to create a favorable position.
Now, only a sinister, grotesque, otherworldly being wearing human skin remained before Dodomeki. A rippling barrier around it blocked every drop of scattered ectoplasm.
Jang Jojun's Warped Scales skill was active.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Warped Scales
Ectoplasm corrosion nullified. Barrier active.
"What are you?"
Dodomeki couldn't answer Jojun's question. Not only did their languages differ, but it was crushed by his presence, rendering speech impossible.
Only now, accepting it couldn't harm him, did it notice the entities clinging to his back.
A crystallization of malice crawling the deepest abyss and a massive, chaotic mass whose nature was hard to fathom glared at it.
Huer... huaaah...
The yokai's inarticulate wail. Dodomeki knelt, bowed its head, and performed a dogeza of utter sincerity toward Jojun.
It had picked the wrong fight. Mistaking him for just another lost human in the forest was its mistake.
Dodomeki had easily devoured countless souls like cake. It assumed it'd savor warm human breath and vibrant essence without issue this time too.
Big mistake. The lingering spirit haunting the woods, lulled into complacency, failed to sense the far greater threat. It had grown careless, lazy—above all, arrogant, convinced no mere human could kill it.
That arrogance led to its downfall. It hadn't assessed its foe, moved on inertia like a fool, and touched what it shouldn't have.
Today, this centuries-old witch of the woods would die.
All the eyeballs covering Dodomeki's body snapped shut at once. It had given up on life.
Jojun prepared to rip off the yokai's head with another skill activation. Then, the sword at his waist hummed and trembled.
[Wait a moment!!]
Yang Ji-sang urgently stopped Jojun from slaying Dodomeki.
"Why? What's up?"
[Swing me at that evil spirit.]
"Huh? Why?"
[If I cleave it... I feel like I'll get stronger... Just a hunch...]
Jojun, about to offer the yokai to the evil gods, recalled how they dismissed ethereal bodies as bland and tasteless.
'Even if I gave them this, it'd be worthless trash they'd reject... Better to feed it to Yang Ji-sang and strengthen him.'
Nodding to the request, Jojun drew the Ghostly Wailing Sword and swung at Dodomeki, who was scheming some desperate trick to escape.
Kiaaaah!!!!!
Dodomeki shrieked as the blade bit into it. Wails echoed everywhere. The deafening ghostly clamor made Jojun stagger for a moment.
"Shut your trap, you bitch."
He swung even more fiercely, relentlessly slashing until Dodomeki fully dissipated or was absorbed by Yang Ji-sang. Her screams would draw every lesser monster nearby. He had to end it fast.
With each swing, Jojun felt the ghost's form grow fainter. Finally, Yang Ji-sang, having fully latched onto Dodomeki, shouted.
[Absorb!!! Huuaaaang!!]
Yang Ji-sang cried out in ecstatic rapture, like someone reaching climax.
Jojun nearly dropped the sword from sheer chills.
"Wh-what the hell?! Are you insane?!"
[No! Absorption complete!! Hahaha!! Power! Can you feel this power?!]
Jojun definitely sensed the Ghostly Wailing Sword, infused with Yang Ji-sang from the swamp, emitting a more sinister glow.
"Whoa..."
The Ghostly Wailing Sword could hold only one soul. Yet now it housed two. This was possible because the original soul was Yang Ji-sang, a Mist Warlock who commanded ghosts and evil spirits.
Yang Ji-sang had drawn Dodomeki into the sword as its new body. Dodomeki was now subjugated to Yang Ji-sang, just as it was bound to the sword.
"Whoa..."
Jojun immediately raised the sword to check Yang Ji-sang's status.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
👻 Name: Yang Ji-sang
📊 Level: None
🎭 Class: Mist Warlock
⚔ Stats: None
🌀 Skills: Evil Spirit Creation, Evil Spirit Possession, Chilling Specter, Yokai Absorption (New)
📜 Summons: Dodomeki - Spirit absorbed from Missing Persons' Forest. Yokai that induces hallucinations in humans.
"You gained a new skill?"
[Heh heh heh... Probably from absorbing this one.]
Using Yang Ji-sang's skills required Jojun's mana, but with his mana nearing 800, it was no issue.
"Hmm... Huh?"
"Oppa..."
"Ugh... My head hurts..."
With Dodomeki sealed (?), the group snapped out of the hallucination. Jojun quickly addressed them.
"If you're back to your senses, let's get out of here fast."
"Yeah...!"
"Sniff sniff... My lord. Beasts... approaching from all sides..."
"Right. Everyone up. Run. Ha-rin, keep scanning. Eun-ji, I'll hold your hand... Up you go."
"Yes...!"
Jojun sent the Ebony Cockroaches ahead to scout beyond the woods. Trusting Ha-rin's senses, they fled from the approaching beasts.
He could kill them all if he wanted, but the Missing Persons' Forest was draining his vitality in real-time. Exhaustion loomed; he didn't know when he'd collapse. Falling would burden the others. Better to distance themselves first.
"Eun-ji..."
"Yes?"
"Bag... that... Dawn Seven, please..."
"Ah! One sec!"
Seeing Jojun's pallid face, Lee Eun-ji suppressed her worry, pulled a Dawn Seven from the bag, and handed it over.
Trembling, Jojun gulped down the fatigue recovery item—always stocked from the merchant, with dramatic effects.
"Kyah...! Whew. Better."
His mind cleared, vigor returning.
Kraaaah!!!
Kieeeh!!!!
Indiscernible beasts swarmed the battle site. They sniffed frantically for the recent sacrifices' scent but caught nothing.
Before fleeing, they'd sprayed body odor remover on each other. At Ha-rin's warning, Hee-sun had used her inventory's remover on everyone. Until it wore off, no beast could track them by smell.
Thanks to the merchant's favor, they escaped one crisis. They ran until the beasts' presence fully faded.
"Hoo... Damn. Damn it..."
Jojun's body refused to obey; even Dawn Seven couldn't sustain hours of running. He could barely stand.
Paradoxically, Eun-ji—with the best stats—looked in better shape than him.
"Gotta... find the shrine..."
"Oppa... It's fine. We haven't been here a full day yet. Rest a bit..."
Eun-ji placed a hand on panting Jojun's shoulder, urging no rush. Hee-sun offered water from her inventory.
"Yeah, Joon-ah. Rest first. We've walked too long, run too much."
Jojun nodded, pouring water over his sweat-soaked hair.
"Sniff sniff... No scents. We've lost them."
Ha-rin, who'd been guarding nonstop—nose dry from overuse—rubbed it and reported. The group nodded. No threats from the cockroaches either. A brief respite.
"Summon Shadow Moth..."
Seizing the lull, Jojun called the moth. Resting didn't mean idling completely; he'd work his summons while recovering.
The moth appeared, scattering scales. Jojun ordered it to patrol and report anomalies. Yang Ji-sang could sense the shrine, so now: shrines.
Three shrines in this vast forest for keys to the shrine's entrance.
"Fuck..."
Jojun questioned if this was even solvable. Without someone like him—an unusual class human—most entrants would likely die by day 7 without clues.
'Even finding a shrine... gotta identify if it's a key or cursed junk like a kotodama box...'
He hoped Yang Ji-sang could handle identification.
'Worst case, grab a new slave... make 'em open it.'
Leaning against a tree, Jojun closed his eyes.
About four hours passed.
"Hup..."
Awakening, Jojun hadn't even realized he'd slept.
"Uh, Eun-ji. How long was I out...?"
"Four hours."
"Damn..."
"Oppa... It's okay. Ha-rin's on watch. Hee-sun unnie's communing with nature, eyes closed. No dangers."
"Good... Haah..."
Thankfully, no threats in those four hours. Victims' screams echoed distantly from the woods.
"Take turns resting."
"Shall we?"
"Sure..."
They rested more. No sun made time hard to gauge; Jojun checked his watch constantly.
Outside the forest: Monday, 1 PM. Midday sun.
Soon all awoke; Hee-sun unpacked preserved food.
"Kids. Let's eat something first."
She distributed meals—nothing fancy. Fire was risky, so preserved goods: tuna cans, corn, nut powder drinks.
"This hits the spot."
"You've burned tons of calories. Here, more of mine."
"Thanks, unnie."
Meal done, they rose. No time for dawdling.
Meanwhile, the scouting Shadow Moth signaled a discovery. Low intelligence limited communication unlike the cockroaches, but it conveyed a man-made structure.
"Found something. Head there. Might be a shrine."
No reaction from Yang Ji-sang meant not the main shrine. Probably a shrine or mystery building.
They moved out.
Soon, a small building: dilapidated, like a warehouse stuffed with ancient books.
Clang!
Smashing the entrance latch, Jojun's group entered.
Inside was far larger than outside. Filled with dusty tomes in unknown script—not Japanese or Chinese. Nothing special jumped out. Just a book storage shed.
"No weird vibes."
"Yeah..."
Quiet inside. Only old paper scent; no threats. Jojun even felt fatigue ease slightly. Like the building blocked the forest's malice. Felt like a safe zone.
"Spread out and search. Call if you find anything odd."
They rummaged for boxes that might hold keys.
Not shrine-like—just a rundown warehouse—but a building amid endless trees surely held clues.
Then Ha-rin, sniffing beyond books, found a stone-carved mini Buddha statue and a fist-sized wooden box sealed with red string in a corner.
"Here! Something!"
"Huh?"
"Where?!"
They rushed over, standing before the statue and bound box.
"That... the key box?"
"Or a curse box."
"Don't open it ourselves."
"Right... Grab a Chinese slave to open it."
"Good idea."
Jojun stroked Eun-ji's head; she was starting to think like him.
"Yeah... Best way."
Hee-sun agreed.
"Then, time to hunt Chinese... Uh...? Shh."
"Why...?"
"Something... coming this way..."
"Yeah...?"
"Yes... Multiple presences. Can't tell human or beast..."
"Wait 'til they enter."
Ha-rin, feigning excitement for the hunt, suddenly crouched, finger to lips for silence. Jojun and the others hid behind shelves, minimizing noise to conceal themselves.
Eun-ji blended into the ceiling shadows like a ninja. Jojun's jaw dropped slightly at the sight.
Soon, someone entered the building.
"Hweh... Sugoi... Nanikore."
"Koko wa itai dokoda..."
"Sore demo, anzen da tomo."
"Shh... Nanika aru yo..."
Four young Japanese entered.
Unaware of what hid inside.
They'd stepped right in.
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