15 years ago, Seong Guk-eon, who was the student council president of Eungwang High, left countless legends at this school and changed schools.
The most representative example was the establishment of Jiikhoe, an autonomous organization for dormitory students. The Jiikhoe had been protecting the school in various ways.
‘The Jiikhoe ordered a quest or went directly to the subjugation of wild boars to delay the work of the Don tribe cutting off the leylines of Mt. Cheonik.’
There were two ghost stories that Seong Guk-eon, the creator of the Jiikhoe, commissioned to investigate. The first was a secret association between the student council and the leadership team. This secret association was followed by the clues left by the former Korean branch manager, who signed a contract with the Jinjok which had planted a frozen alien world on the Korean Peninsula. The second was now the Gui Gate of Cheoniksan.
The Gui gate was related to the lei that the Don tried to cut off.
‘Is this a coincidence?’
Seong Guk-eon’s actions in the game. Seong Guk-eon and Jeon Moo-young’s strange attitude when they were asked to investigate a ghost story. The essence of the myth. I put it all together in my mind and came to a conclusion.
‘I can’t. Seong Guk-eon knows something.’
Although the condition of ‘Moonless Night’ in this ghost story was not fulfilled, Seong Guk-eon’s intentions were grasped.
‘Next time, we should make a moonless night. Wait until the clouds form, or use an ability or item…’
While checking the location of the ear on the hologram map while wearing the ‘lens that can see the gate,’ a point that shone exceptionally brightly came into my eyes.
‘All other points have the same brightness… It’s only weird here.’
Faat!
At that time, the usable time of the lens expired, and the item melted and promptly scattered in the air. Looking at the hologram map that was seen through the effect of disappearing items, I pondered for a while before I then made up my mind.
‘Shall we go?’
I jumped from the observatory on the 3rd floor and activated Gwanglin.
〈Gwanglim, ‘player’s trajectory’ is used.>
Papat!
When I used a character with a higher overall stat level than my current one, I landed on the ground lightly. The character I decided to use was the fully grown version of Kim Yuri.
I could use ‘danger detection’ to prepare for emergencies on dark mountain roads, and I could use ‘sprinter’ to increase speed.
‘I can’t use Kim Yu-ri’s Gwanglim here.’
Due to the nature of Gwanglim, it was difficult to use it in the mountains, and because it was too powerful, the use time of ‘Player’s Trace’ would be consumed in an instant.
<I use the character’s skill, ‘Sprinter’.>
Using the sprinter, I started to move to the point I checked with the lens and map. And…
<The character’s skill, ‘Danger Detection’ has been activated.>
<The character’s skill, ‘Danger Detection’ has been activated.>
… ….
… ….
… ….
Whik! Whoops! Puck!
A pebble baptism that would make you feel sick even if you don’t die after getting hit.
A pump with sleeping gas and paralyzing gas.
An alarm bell that emitted thorns with a sharp sound.
The system warning message and trap activation sound due to the skill effect did not stop.
‘What kind of traps are there?! Looking at the contents of the trap, it doesn’t look like it was installed by a baron…’
It seems like these were placed by crazy people who could place traps on Cheoniksan, not the barbarians.
All I could think of was Woo Ki-hwan, the third-year student, and his crew.
It seemed that the point I was heading to had something to do with the energy of the universe that they hang.
‘Since the 3rd years from Class 0 didn’t show up, it seems like they aren’t at school right now.’
If they knew that the trap had been activated, they would have run to Cheoniksan right away at night or whatever and handled me.
It seemed like he was trolling outside school tonight.
‘Is this here?’
The place I had arrived at was in front of the Temple of Heaven.
Cheondansu was the longest-lived divine tree in Mt. Cheonik, and there was a description of it being the last to wither in the game.
‘In the game, I thought it was just one of the background settings based on the Shindansu (神壇樹) of the Dangun myth as a motif.’
Now that this world had become a reality, it would definitely have some meaning. As we approached near the Temple of Heaven, there was no sound of danger warning that kept ringing. It seemed that the Year 3 Class 0 students didn’t even touch the immediate vicinity of the sacred tree.
When the Temple of Heaven came close enough to touch…
Paah…
The Temple of Heaven then began to emit a whitish light. A faint halo of light hovered among the leafy trees. Eventually, a group of lights came together to form a human-like form and approached me.
‘I think there’s something you want to tell me.’
The lights were beckoning and gesturing, but of course I didn’t understand. The group of lights, who seemed to be in trouble, pretended to put their hands on the Temple of Heaven and repeatedly approached me.
‘Are you saying, ‘Raise your hand?’
The danger detection skill didn’t sound an alarm either, so I decided to stretch out my hand. When I raised my palm and placed my hand on the pillar of the Temple of Heaven, I could feel the warmth between the skin in contact with the divine tree.
‘Generally, the temperature of the bark would not be this high.’
Paah!
I thought it was strange, but the accident did not last long. The halo of light that had gently wrapped around the Temple of Heaven began to increase the amount of light with the momentum to explode.
‘He’s very talented…!’
As if sending a message to the sky, the Heavenly Temple of Heaven, emitting light and psychic waves, soon began to calm down. A system message could be heard through the remnants of the intense psychic.
<The skill level of ‘Communicate with the Paranormal Universe’ has risen from 1 to 2.>
I heard a word I hadn’t heard in a long time.
‘Is this a paranormal universe? The cosmic energy that Year 3 Class 0 was chasing is really…’
However, the system messages didn’t stop there.
<Skill ‘Fate’ has been activated.>
Papat!
A skill window popped up, along with a message to activate fate. Fate sometimes induced me to take specific actions, but the skill window never came to mind.
Paah…
At the same time, the halo pointed to a skill in the skill window.
‘…What should I do?’
The skill pointed to by the light crowd was ‘communication with the paranormal universe’. Destiny now seemed to want me to communicate with the super-universe.
‘I was stunned for 3 days when I first communicated with the paranormal.’
Through training, the overall stats had been strengthened, and the communication skill level had also risen, so the time to stun was likely to be shorter than for 3 days. Being stunned in the mountains was not a very good option.
I could have asked someone, ‘Come pick me up because I’m going to pass out soon,’ but I couldn’t think of what to explain later.
Still, there were people who would come running here without telling me in advance.
‘The Year 3 students from Class 0 will come soon, so it’ll be fine.’
If I were to find a fainted junior, I would throw them into the infirmary. It would bother you for a while when you wake up. He strengthened his resolve and used his skills.
<I use the skill ‘Communication with the Paranormal Universe.’>
Woo-Woong—
The sensation of my brain being thrown into the air struck me. My head was dizzy at the disgusting feeling of floating like my brain was being ripped apart.
What did you do when you first communicated?
Yes.
Puck!
I clenched my fist and slapped my cheek. He came to his senses with a tingling sensation in his cheeks and fists.
“I want you to do something for me. Say it quickly.”
Whoa-!
Along with the resonating sensation in my head, the psychic wave in my body shook. It felt as if the paranormal universe was ripping through my insides.
Lee Neung-pa moved freely and began to draw attention. It was similar to the feeling I felt when using the eye light skill.
“What’s in the Eye Glow skill?”
Even as my breath was suffocating, my mind was tinged with blue. I thought that the eye light skill only had the effect of improving eyesight and stopping objects caught in the field of view, but it seemed that that was not the only effect.
I would have to consider the Eye Glow skill in the future.
“Other than that, is there anything else?” I asked while I was out of breath. Then, part of his vision began to turn blue. Upon closer inspection, I realized that only the scenery of Cheoniksan had turned blue.
“You mean to keep an eye on Mt. Cheonik? In addition?”
There was no change. The message of the paranormal universe seemed to end here.
Then I would have to cut off communication, but there was something I wanted to ask when the opportunity was to arise.
“Warning, excessive communication between the paranormal universe and the two-dimensional future modified body causes a load of the body.”
I ignored the message and asked another question. “My junior in the previous world, Seongheon Cheon. How is he?”
However, the superhero did not answer. I tried to ask again, but before that, a system message rang.
<Warning, the body of the 2D Future Modified Conformity has reached its limit.>
<The access to the 2D Future Modified Conformity is restricted.>
I should have asked him sooner. I regretted it, but the sense of the unknown disappeared and my vision began to turn black.
* * *
Hwang Myeong-ho’s mansion.
After kicking out Ok To-yeon’s insistence on going to sleep, Eun-ho’s descendants also fell asleep while assembling blocks in the shape of a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel.
The three nobles, who moved the sleeping descendants to the room, had tea time in the living room.
“It’s just quiet.”
“If Seoho and Leeho hadn’t stopped, I would have kicked that damn moon rabbit right away,” Hwang-ho spoke while eating Kiju-tteok filled with cinnamon and honey red bean paste, a summer-limited product of moon rabbit rice cake.
It was indeed true that she always ate the moon rabbit rice cake gift she brought with her/
“When I do that, I almost always wear a school uniform. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”
“This is convenient.”
It was said that the school uniforms in Eungwang High were made relatively practical, but that could not be the case. Jeokho then spoke, all while ignoring Hwangho’s answer.
“It seems that school life is indeed fun.”
“You watch the pigs well. When the hunter returns, withdraw immediately and let me know.”
“Yes. I will.”
At that moment, Baekho, who was drinking crystal fruit without a word while holding the divine water in his arms, jumped up from his seat.
“Baekho? …What is this?”
Following Baekho, Hwangho also noticed abnormalities. It was faint, but a strange flow of power was felt from the side of Mt. Cheonik.
King! King!
The divine figure in Baekho’s arms began to bark toward Cheoniksan. “I would love to go. Jeok-ho, you wait here.”
“All right.”
Soon Baekho, Hwangho, and Shinsu leaped toward Cheoniksan. The strange energy they felt at Cheoniksan during the movement disappeared, but they headed towards the starting point where they felt the power to investigate the cause.
With that, I found a student lying on the ground in front of the divine tree and the Heavenly Tree.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a different world.
There was a body that looked like a ball of cotton through the white sheets. Olma was curled up in front of my nose and fell asleep.
It was right after waking up, so my mind was fuzzy, but I was sure.
“I came to heaven…!”
As I reached out and stroked the snare, I heard an absurd-sounding voice.
“…Because it was right after it happened, the intellectual decline is even worse.”
It was Hwang Jiho’s voice. I came to my senses as I pondered why he was in heaven with Olma.
Looking around, it seemed that this was the room in the first hospital room in the central area. I looked at the holographic watch and saw that it was Friday afternoon.
About 15 hours had passed since the communication skill was used.
‘Class time is over.’
I accidentally missed class again.
“As a result of the examination, it turned out to be vagal syncope. The cause of fainting is believed to be overwork.”
Hwangho looked at the hologram chart and had a displeased expression on his face.
“There’s one more thing that’s presumed to be the cause.”
“What.”
Hwang Jiho pointed his finger behind me instead of answering. When he turned his head, he saw Baekho.
The white tiger was holding something whitish in his hand.
‘I think I saw it when I first went near the Temple of Heaven.’
I didn’t know what it was, but it must have been brought from Mt. Cheonik.
“This guy is the ‘mountain spirit’ of Mt. Cheonik.”
“Mountain? Are you talking about what you say when you are a mountain spirit?”
“Yes. For most mountain spirits, mountain gods… There is no divine person who can be promoted to a higher being.”
In the myth of Gaecheon, it was the ‘mountain’ that had been described as a heavenly deity descending through the open sky.
In the Korean Peninsula, there was an idea of worshiping mountains, and there were even dynasties that gave titles to mountain spirits. That such a mountain spirit resided in Mt. Cheonik?
“It has been a long time since the Heavenly God left Mt. Cheonik, and the time has come for the mountain spirit to dwell. It is natural and welcome for a mountain spirit to stay in the mountain of Shinyeok, but you dare to offend our benefactor.”
At Hwang Jiho’s words, something whitish could be seen struggling. It was not the mountain spirit’s fault that I passed out.
“What are you talking about. I don’t remember getting angry with a mountain spirit.”
“…You don’t even know what happened. Mountain spirits are not the only good beings. There are also mountain spirits that lure humans to take qi. like this guy.”
Hwang Jiho seemed to think that I had been possessed by a mountain spirit in the middle of the night and had gone through a bowel movement.
