The qualifications for entering the Sunhwan Cha family’s ancestral mountain differed depending on whether it was the entrance, the mid-slope, or the summit.
Even those who were not members of the family could enter the entrance area, where people who had devoted themselves to the family were buried.
However, the mid-slope, where even among family members only those who had rendered distinguished service were buried, required anyone who was not of the family to receive permission at the mid-slope entrance management office.
If someone without the proper qualifications set foot there…
‘They say you get lost inside the barrier and end up stranded. Forever, until the Sunhwan Cha family comes to rescue you.’
Lastly, the summit, where only family heads were buried and where the First Spirit had taken its place, could be accessed only by the family head and those who had received the family head’s permission.
The barrier here was even more complex.
In other words.
‘To reach the summit and liberate the First Spirit, we have to deal with the barrier first….’
But it was not an obstacle for us.
The reason was simple and clear.
‘Because we have Eunsol.’
Cha Eunsol was said to follow the family head every year during the ancestral mountain rite to meet the First Spirit.
Naturally, she could not help but know the path to the summit inside and out.
We decided to leave the guidance to her.
And so….
“Everyone’s here, right?”
The night before the ancestral mountain rite, Friday night.
Having decided to join Cha Eunsol in her intentions, we gathered in front of Ruby Dormitory at the appointed time.
Not only me, but all my friends were dressed in pitch-black clothes that would make it easy to camouflage ourselves in the darkness.
That was how stealthily we had to move.
We were going to break into the Sunhwan Cha family’s ancestral mountain and liberate the First Spirit.
No matter how righteous our purpose was, by society’s standards, it was no different from trespassing and damaging property.
We could end up involved in a crime.
‘When we broke into the Black Horse Oh family’s villa, we were forcing things a bit, but at least we had a plausible justification. If we’d been harmed like back then, maybe, but this time we don’t have a convincing excuse, so we have to be careful.’
There was also the possibility that it could flare up into an issue between families.
That was why we had paid attention to our attire.
We had even prepared masks to hide our faces on the ancestral mountain.
Even so….
“What’s wrong?”
Because of her white-and-blue hair and long rabbit ears, Yeon Haneul seemed like she would stand out quite a bit.
I glanced sideways at her beside me and let out a wry laugh.
“No, nothing. I was just thinking that you’d be easy to spot no matter where you hid.”
“I knew that would happen, so I wore this. To cover my hair if I had to. How’s this?”
As if to show me, Yeon Haneul suddenly pulled the hood attached to her hoodie over her head.
Her rabbit ears were pressed down by the hood and slipped neatly inside.
She did not stop there and pulled on the hood strings.
Her snow-white face shrank dramatically from view.
To someone who did not know her, seen from far away, it might look as though only a face were floating around.
I could not help but burst out laughing.
“Huh? Are you laughing right now? Am I funny?”
“You should see yourself. But even if you do that, I think you’ll still stand out. Because of your eyes.”
Yeon Haneul furrowed her brow.
I placed a hand on her head.
Then I slowly lowered my hand and grabbed the strings of her hood.
I pulled.
“If you don’t want to be seen, you have to cover your eyes too. How about just walking around like this?”
“Huh? I can’t see like this!”
The hood was really big.
In an instant, Yeon Haneul’s face disappeared.
Trapped inside the hood just like that, she made a fuss and told me to let her out.
For some reason, I felt like she was probably making a prim expression.
But though I felt bad for her, I could not let go of the hood strings.
‘If I let go now, I feel like I’ll get scolded.’
Instead, I stroked Yeon Haneul’s head to calm her down.
Then I whispered to the rabbit ears sticking out of the hood.
“Go around like this from now on. Let me be the only one who sees your face.”
“…You call that an excuse?”
“You’re pretty today too.”
“Hmph. Still… thanks.”
Yeon Haneul grumbled.
She thumped me lightly with her fists.
Judging from her voice and the way she hit me, her mood seemed to have improved somewhat.
Only then did I let go of the strings in my hand.
Yeon Haneul popped out from inside the hood.
She stuck out her lips.
“Just try doing that again….”
“Okay, I’ll only do it this once. Come to think of it, Lisa and Arin will stand out because of their hair too. Yuri’s is gray, so she should be fine.”
“That’s why I tied up my hair and even put on a newsboy cap. But you didn’t even notice. That’s mean. It’s because your eyes are always only on Haneul.”
“Hmph, I don’t need you worrying about me, okay? Stop paying attention to me. …Not completely, though.”
Just when I thought Yeon Haneul had withdrawn her glare, this time Lisa and Min Arin glared at me.
I had to break into a sweat soothing and appeasing the two of them.
Meanwhile, my gaze turned to a spot a few steps away from the group of friends.
“This feels somehow uneasy…. If those kids are here too, doesn’t that mean they’re planning to cause some serious trouble?”
‘She looks really displeased.’
A branch family member of the Sunhwan Cha family, Cha Eunseo.
In the game’s progression, she was an enemy who appeared in this episode to block Gang Hanbyeol’s group on their way up the ancestral mountain to meet Cha Eunsol.
As for why she was here….
‘Eunsol got caught trying to sneak out.’
So Cha Eunsol, who had no gift for words, apparently gave up on making excuses to Cha Eunseo and told her honestly.
Without even explaining the detailed circumstances, she simply said she was going to the Sunhwan Cha family’s ancestral mountain.
At those words coming completely out of nowhere in the middle of the night, Cha Eunseo must have been startled.
As a result, as Cha Eunsol’s dedicated caretaker, she had followed along to keep watch in case Cha Eunsol caused any trouble.
‘I have no idea what she’s thinking.’
It bothered me.
Cha Eunseo was a member of the Sunhwan Cha family.
If she found out what we were about to do, it was obvious she would try to stop us.
She might secretly report it to the family as well.
That was why I had wanted to have Nam Yuri remove her from the situation until the incident was settled.
Whether that meant taking away her smartphone and locking her up, feeding her sleeping pills and putting her to sleep, or knocking her out.
If Cha Eunsol had not protected her, I would have done just that.
“Are you really taking her with us too?”
“Yeah.”
It was about time to move.
Before leaving Ruby Dormitory, I asked Cha Eunsol once again.
She nodded again, then seemed to feel her explanation was lacking and added more.
“I want Eunseo to know too. How we’ve been receiving the blessing.”
“….”
Cha Eunsol abruptly turned away.
Unable to press her any further, I sighed.
“I don’t know anymore. Do whatever you want. But if things go wrong because of her, it’s all your responsibility then.”
“Yam. Then it’s Eunseo’s responsibility. Because Eunseo did something wrong.”
Seriously, this girl was way too shameless.
* * *
Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.
After leaving the warp gate terminal, we headed straight for the Sunhwan Cha family’s ancestral mountain.
Our means of transportation was a fifteen-seater van, a rental car.
“A warp gate and a rental car…. If we do this, isn’t hiding our identities meaningless? There’ll be records.”
“I was thinking the same thing. What if they check the records later and we become suspects?”
“If you have business with the First Spirit, then whether you get permission or not, shouldn’t you first make an inquiry to the family? But instead, you’re moving secretly in the middle of the night…. Do you people have any sense or not? What are you going to do if the family finds out…?”
While Gang Hanbyeol drove.
Min Arin and Go Eunbi voiced their unease.
Cha Eunseo, who had only been told the rough circumstances, kept grumbling as if the more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
Looking at the night streets beyond the window, I answered them.
“It’s fine. So what if there are records? Is it suspicious to come to Chungju for a day trip? We just have to make sure no records are left at the ancestral mountain. Right?”
“Exactly! We came to have fun. We rented this car to go camping too.”
“Gyeonwoo-Gyeonwoo, Hanbyeol-Dubyeol. You sure make nonsense sound fun. But I think you’re right! As long as there’s no decisive evidence!”
“Sigh….”
“….”
Gang Hanbyeol and Nam Yuri chimed in.
The other friends seemed to have lost the ability to speak and just stared blankly at me.
Shrugging under their gazes, I turned my head back toward the car window.
I pretended not to hear Yeon Haneul sigh beside me.
‘According to the original game’s progression, the chairwoman will protect us anyway.’
So there was no need to worry too much.
We just had to avoid committing any serious crimes.
I did not think it was a big deal.
A short while later.
“Eunsol, is this the place?”
“Yeah, this is it. Yam.”
“Guys, we’re here. Everyone get out. I’ll park somewhere out of sight and come back.”
Gang Hanbyeol stopped driving with the Sunhwan Cha family’s ancestral mountain right before us.
Except for him, who had gone to park, all of us got out of the van and looked up at the ancestral mountain.
The mountain shrouded in night was so pitch-black that its outline disappeared partway up.
“We’re going to have a hard time hiking in the middle of the night.”
My friends nodded as if agreeing.
Not long after, Gang Hanbyeol returned after parking.
“Hanbyeol’s here too, so let’s get going. Eunsol, guide us. Everyone put on your masks.”
“Yam-yam.”
From now on, we had to hide our identities.
Wearing masks that covered up to the middle of the bridge of our noses and suppressing our presence as much as possible, we climbed the stairs leading to the entrance area.
From there, we entered the path leading to the mid-slope.
Perhaps because it was late at night, until then we did not sense any other presence besides ours.
‘In the game, you fought enemies like Cha Eunseo while climbing this mountain…. I really did pick the right time.’
I praised myself inwardly.
Around then, we were able to spot the mid-slope entrance management office on top of a hill.
In order to reach the summit without wandering inside the ancestral mountain’s barrier, we absolutely had to pass through that place.
The problem was that there were people guarding the entrance management office.
“….”
Two men who appeared to be Hunters.
Hiding behind nearby terrain and objects, we observed their movements.
Unaware of our presence, they were currently grilling meat and lounging around.
“Do Gyeonwoo, what are you going to do? Looks like there’s no way but a frontal breakthrough. Can I go fight them? I’ve always wanted to fight a spirit master at least once. This works out well.”
“No, wait.”
Stopping Yong Haerang as he tried to step onto the hiking trail, I checked the Hunters’ status windows.
They were not at a level that required caution, but they were not pushovers either.
‘The Sunhwan Cha family is at the foot of the mountain. If a fight breaks out, the Sunhwan Cha family might notice. What a pain. What should we do….’
After thinking it over, I opened my mouth.
“Let’s do this.”
“….”
I explained the plan to my friends.
Since we had no time to delay, I did not accept any objections.
Then we immediately put it into action.
I, Gang Hanbyeol, and Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo, who had taken off their masks, advanced toward the mid-slope entrance management office.
“Hm? Who are you at this hour?”
“What business do you have? State your purpose.”
The Hunters sitting in front of the grill noticed us.
In an instant, they sharpened their presence and took out their devices.
Even so, we did not get nervous and approached them.
At last, when the distance between us had shortened.
“…Lady Cha Eunsol?”
“Even Lady Cha Eunseo…. Why are you two ladies here…?”
The Hunters, who had been taking combat stances, recognized Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo.
Confusion flashed across their faces.
Cha Eunsol, on the other hand, greeted them calmly.
“Hello. The meat smells good. Can I have some too?”
“What? Ah… yes, you may, but…. That’s not the issue. What brings the two of you here…?”
“Hello, haha…. Thank you for your hard work so late at night….”
“If it’s for the ancestral mountain rite, that is tomorrow. Please return to the family at once. Or I will accompany you. The path is dark at this hour, so it is very dangerous.”
The Hunters’ attitudes softened somewhat.
After exchanging glances, Gang Hanbyeol and I swiftly grabbed Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo.
Then we pressed our swords against the backs of their necks.
“Don’t move. Unless you want to see their heads fly.”
“You’d better not try anything funny.”
“Sorry, we’re hostages.”
“Haha….”
“…You bastards. I thought you looked suspicious from the start. Who the hell are you?”
“Take your hands off the young ladies. Do you have a death wish?”
They probably had not expected us to suddenly appear, much less take Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo hostage.
The Hunters furrowed their brows.
An unpleasant air drifted from them.
But they only glared at us and could not move rashly.
“I don’t like that look. Does this girl need to bleed from the neck before you understand the situation? Or do you only get it if she dies? There are two hostages, so I guess killing one is fine.”
“Y-you’re not really going to do that… right?”
“…What the hell do you want?”
Gang Hanbyeol was a good actor when it came to threats.
When he threatened them with Cha Eunseo as a hostage, the Hunters wavered and lost their momentum.
Lisa, who had been waiting behind us, did not miss this opportunity.
From behind the Hunters, whose attention was focused on me and Gang Hanbyeol.
A subspace suddenly formed.
By the time they noticed, it was already too late.
Because Yeon Haneul and Nam Yuri emerged from within the subspace and ambushed them.
“Sorry about this.”
“Good night!”
“…!”
Yeon Haneul swung Sanullim with all her might, while Nam Yuri thrust out a fist made of hair.
Struck by attacks that came from outside their awareness, the Hunters immediately lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.
I ordered the triplets, who were emerging from behind a tree trunk.
“Geum Eundong, take these people to the management office so they don’t freeze to death in their sleep.”
“Wait, Gyeonu Gyeonu! We have to clean up properly! Feed them this!”
“What is it?”
“It’s a sleeping drug I concocted for today! Once it takes effect, they’ll be out cold for ten hours. They’ll fall so deeply asleep that what happened with us will feel like a dream.”
“Nice. Good work.”
Nam Yuri placed round candies into the fallen Hunters’ mouths.
Having heard about the candy’s effects, I praised her.
“Why am I helping them…? At this rate, I’m becoming an accomplice too, aren’t I?”
“Yamyam. Don’t be like that, just come and eat some grilled pork belly.”
Meanwhile, Cha Eunseo was ruffling her hair in confusion.
Cha Eunsol, who had somehow ended up sitting in front of the grill, grabbed her and fed her meat.
Then she naturally handed her the tongs and had her grill the meat.
“Is this the time to be eating meat? We need to get to the summit quickly.”
The other friends had likewise been enticed by the smell of meat and gathered around the grill.
Having taken meat from Yeon Haneul, I snapped them out of it.
And so we stepped into the barrier.
“Eunsol, I’m counting on you.”
“Yamyam. Make sure to follow closely.”
Cha Eunsol summoned spirits of light to illuminate the surrounding darkness.
We advanced along the path as she guided us.
The energy of Seonsan was clear and pure.
The energy seeping into my lungs together with the air seemed to soothe both body and mind.
*‘How comfortable.’*
The path upward was not difficult.
Meanwhile, one could occasionally hear a child-like giggling laughter.
According to Cha Eunsol and Cha Eunseo, it seemed to be the spirits who had settled on Seonsan.
“You must have felt it too, but the energy of the First Spirit drifts around Seonsan. The spirits materialized their voices through that energy. That’s why even though you aren’t Spirit Masters, you can vaguely sense them. You’ll probably be able to see them with your eyes before long.”
Cha Eunseo, who had been grumbling about us climbing Seonsan recklessly without the Patriarch’s permission, explained kindly.
In fact, it was not long before we could lay eyes on the spirits.
“…Amazing.”
“Wow, they’re beautiful….”
“….”
As if lighting lanterns so we wouldn’t lose our way in the night, or as if out of curiosity.
Lights of various colors floated around us.
At first, I thought they were fireflies, but it was not summer now, so fireflies were impossible.
People including me and Yeon Haneul exclaimed in admiration as they watched the spirits.
From that point on, we climbed Seonsan together with the spirits.
Time passed.
“Here.”
“….”
Finally, we reached the summit.
At the summit stood a giant tree reminiscent of the World Tree.
It was called a Spirit Tree, which created an environment suitable for spirits.
“The First Spirit is inside there.”
Cha Eunsol pointed to one side.
Between the roots of the Spirit Tree exposed at the ground surface.
A hole large enough for a person to enter was hollowed out.
We stepped into that place.
And so.
Kiaaaaaak!
“…Huh? Gamo… nim?”
I meet the First Spirit.
I became the childhood friend of the mid-boss.