Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Survival Expert (1)
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Amid the countless tree branches stretching high toward the sky, grotesque creatures staggered into view, emitting eerie growls.
[Grrr...]
[Grrr...]
They seemed to have sensed human presence, heading straight in that direction with unmistakable intent.
The bright sunshine and clear weather? The vast, beautiful white sand beach? The emerald waves softly lapping at their feet?
*None of that was registering.*
If the staff had Spirit Eyes like Yeonwoo, their reaction would have been entirely different. They certainly wouldn't be wandering around leisurely, sightseeing like this. They probably would have freaked out, screaming and running for their lives.
And those things looked *that* horrifying—even Yeonwoo, who'd seen plenty, furrowed his brow.
The only reason he could stand there unfazed was...
*...At least they're better than the ones from that mountain valley I got lost in before.*
He'd encountered something similar once before.
*Remnants of the higher deified spirits that had been elevated to godhood...*
Commonly known as folk deities. It seemed assigning divine meaning to objects and bestowing faith upon them was an ancient custom shared worldwide.
*I thought it was just a thing in our country, but apparently not.*
Those once-worshipped divine beings had gradually lost followers and faith over time for various reasons, their influence shrinking away.
Power based on belief can't exist without that belief.
That was probably why.
Why *those things* had taken on such bizarre forms.
*Lions, monkeys, snakes... a total mishmash?*
Beings once revered as gods had devolved into mere massive thought entities.
Snake heads, monkey tails. Arms made of long branches and serpentine coils, bodies draped in lion's mane.
The reason was simple.
To compensate for their rapidly draining power, they'd devoured each other.
*The ones in the mountains just had thirty human heads...*
Definitely a step up from that.
Had anyone ever seen a monster with thirty heads and dozens of limbs attached? And in pitch-black darkness after sunset, with all those limbs rustling madly as it thrashed toward you, eyes gleaming wildly?
Even Yeonwoo, who prided himself on having seen it all, had felt his mind go blank.
Not your typical ghosts, but way scarier.
*Thank goodness Lady Kang was there.*
She'd explained what they were and how they'd formed.
It happened when he was a kid, accompanying her to a renowned sacred mountain for prayers.
*Gotta deal with them.*
What they craved was obvious: power to sustain their forms. To lost souls wandering in search of something to keep their existence from crumbling further, humans were prime prey.
Glance!
Yeonwoo's eyes flicked to the staff, too absorbed in sightseeing to notice.
No one watching this way—should be fine.
*I'll make sure to bill that guy properly later.*
Free trip? Cheap marketing ploy? Not in Yeonwoo's book.
Chairman Woo Do-gyeom's real intent was probably...
*My blood's not cheap.*
Dealing with those things.
[Grrowl...]
[Grrr...]
The crippled creatures pushed through the trees, drawing closer. Arms dangling low, Yeonwoo waited for them to get nearer.
Luckily, the paper talisman he'd pocketed just in case was still there.
Bleeding now might make them bolt and escape, so he'd use it once they were closer.
But then—
[You lot! How dare you prey on the living?!]
Something burst out from nearby undergrowth with a booming roar.
“...?”
Yeonwoo wasn't the only one startled—the approaching monsters froze.
[Get lost already! Crawling out just 'cause humans showed up after all this time? Pathetic!]
The man who'd shouted thrust something skyward.
*...A gun?*
Bang!
A menacing crack exploded from the firearm.
[Gwah...!]
[Grok...!]
The creatures flinched and huddled.
[Heh. Still not going? Guess that wasn't enough.]
Click!
As he reloaded, two more cowered.
Not satisfied, he let out—
[Rawr!]
—a ferocious roar, sending the monsters scrambling back into the island's interior.
“...?”
What the hell was this?
Yeonwoo pieced together the scene.
The massive residual thought entities had spotted the staff and approached the beach.
Then this burly ghost pops up out of nowhere and chases them off.
*Is that even possible?*
Debased to thought entities now, but they'd once held divine status.
Chased off by a mere ghost?
[Tsk tsk. What do they see in this island, slinking in one by one? What's so great about this backwater! This time there were a bunch of 'em too. Without me, you'd all be dead meat. Tsk tsk!]
The man clicked his tongue, lowering the gun.
Muttering discontentedly, he turned—and stopped.
[Huh?]
He squinted hard, locking eyes directly with what felt like a gaze fixed on him.
*Weird. Am I visible? No way. Must be coincidence. No living person could see me. Heh. Adrian, still chasing pipe dreams.]
His tone grew self-mocking as his shoulders slumped, a far cry from his booming entrance moments ago.
Normally, Yeonwoo would've ignored him, no matter how suspicious.
But—
[Harvestable Lifespan: +180 days]
The quest alert floating over the man's head was more than enough to change his mind.
***
“Excuse me.”
Yeonwoo wasn't a slave to lifespan.
Ever since gaining influence, he'd steadily filled his deficit like paying off a loan.
The movie was about to release soon, and the drama OST would drop with the broadcast.
Plus—
*The X-App's surprisingly lucrative...*
Just casual chats there, but for some reason, lifespan trickled in. The more viewers, the more it snowballed.
-[Of course. Even the tiniest reason can mean life or death for someone.]
Child Spirit's answer to Yeonwoo's question.
-[Seeing a loved one's face can be enough to keep going.]
The wistful look on Child Spirit's face stopped him from asking more.
Anyway, his lifespan was stacking up nicely.
But still—
*When it's offered so openly like this, ignoring it would be rude to lifespan itself.*
Not just days—180 whole days. Half a year.
And...
*...I'm kinda curious about his deal with those thought entities too.*
With filming continuing here, those things could target staff anytime.
Yeonwoo could sense and repel them while around.
But if circumstances didn't allow? During a rolling take. Or when he wasn't there?
*Better to have plenty of insurance.*
Yeonwoo stared at the man who'd called himself Adrian.
Remnants of deified beings, chased off by one soul.
*Intriguing.*
The lifespan reward alone made it a no-brainer.
Quests were always a win.
Bonus stats would be icing, though no way to check yet.
And didn't they always say not to lose your beginner's mind?
So Yeonwoo called out to the man, who'd briefly swelled with hope only to crash into despair.
“Heh heh... Still clinging to hope, eh? You're far from ready, Adrian. Time to let go of false dreams. Just coincidence. Has to be.”
“Excuse me.”
[Now I'm even hearing voices. Like it's calling *me*...]
“I *am* calling you.”
[Hmm? Calling me...? Wait, calling *me*?!]
Adrian whipped around, as if witnessing the impossible.
[No way... You were talking *to me*...?]
“No one else here but you, so yeah.”
[You can really see me? For real?]
“If I can talk to you, seeing you's no big deal.”
At Yeonwoo's words—
[My god!]
—Adrian dropped to his knees on the sand.
[Visible... I'm *visible*...! God has finally sent salvation!]
Amen.
Arms spread to the heavens, reverent.
[God answers me!]
Practically wailing, he sprang up.
[Am I going to heaven now? Or hell? No, please not that... God! Angel! I'm going to heaven, right?!]
“...?”
Yeonwoo blanked out.
It'd been ages since he'd heard *those* words.
*Angel... Angel.*
Sadly, Yeonwoo had zero connection to angels or heaven.
“No.”
[...Pardon? Then hell...?]
Adrian's face drained to despair.
“Not hell either. And I'm not an angel.”
[...?]
Now Adrian looked baffled.
*If not an angel, then what?*
“There are people who can see spirits without being angels.”
[Oh...]
Adrian's disappointment was palpable.
[So... I'll keep haunting this island forever...?]
“Nope.”
[Huh...? No?]
“Let's trade. How you survived those thought entities. Why they fear you.”
A smile tugged at Yeonwoo's lips.
“And your wish.”
***
[Angel.]
“Not an angel.”
[How'll you grant my wish if you're not?]
“Trade secret.”
[You really granting it? Then heaven?]
“Dunno.”
[...Anyway, just protect me from those things?]
“And how you survived.”
[Hmm... Simpler than you think. Just need Courage. Know what's key when facing wild beasts?]
“What?”
“Courage that doesn't flinch. Avoiding's best, but if you meet eyes, don't look away. Show 'em: *I'm way stronger.* In my case...]
Adrian gripped the shotgun slung over his shoulder.
[I had this. Problem is, only one bullet.]
“One?”
He'd seemed ready to fire more earlier.
[Haha. Bluffing. They won't know it's just one.]
He'd died with only one left, and even in death, it stayed that way. But it reloaded daily.
*A gun, huh.*
Fascinating that it scared off deified remnants.
[Hid and sniped daily, so they learned to avoid me.]
Adrian had a unique skill: Aura Concealment, A+ rank.
*No wonder I didn't sense him.*
Definitely worth the quest.
Even if—
-Additional Harvestable Skill: ?
—was a bit odd.