Chapter 89
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Dungeon Conqueror Ⅲ
Shin No-a
6
I am, after all, a so-called story retailer who processes my own experiences into tales to provide to you all.
Therefore, unless my brain has gone haywire enough to mistake myself for an omnipotent divine being, my stories inevitably have no choice but to insist on first-person narrative.
However, even I occasionally find myself envious of story wholesalers. That is, third-person narrators or those who employ rotating first-person perspectives.
Imagine it. How enjoyable would it be to slander and defame No Doha from an omniscient viewpoint?
Truly unfortunately, since I possess neither the [Evolve into Divine Being at Story's Finale] skill nor [Possession] abilities, it is impossible for me to describe phenomena from a third-person perspective or immerse myself in another person's first-person viewpoint.
However……. For subjects who feel no guilt whatsoever no matter what one does.
For instance, wouldn't 'historical distortion' be perfectly acceptable regarding anomalies?
And so I tried it.
-The security guard is coming! The security guard is coming!
The anomalies trembled with fear (though of course such a conversation would never have actually occurred) and shouted from within the shadows.
-To think we must feel terror toward mere humans! Are you not ashamed as anomalies!
-Stop! You must not go! Those who couldn't endure and charged forth never returned!
-Long live anomalies! For the glory of the Infinite Realm!
-The art room's Agrippa ghost, destroyed! Lost! No life response detected!
-Foolish creature. Made of marble without even physical immunity, what did it trust to charge forth like that!
-This cannot be. The music room's Beethoven portrait ghost is also not responding. Beethoven's portrait died with [Symphony One-Tool] written upon it! Blood is flowing from Beethoven's lips!
-The biology room's human specimen ghost was also discovered with all its internal organs shredded! On its heart [Arrhythmia], on its kidney [Diabetes], on its tongue… [No Doha]? Unidentified letters are written like curses!
-No! This makes no sense! We are the School Ghost Stories, the strongest among the tutorial dungeons that arrived on the Korean Peninsula! Yet our ace forces are being annihilated without even managing to resist?
-Enemy shadow, approaching! It's coming this way! Ah! The flashlight beam! That light! Our eyes!
-Block them! somehow hold the line!
-The security guard is coming! The security guard is coming!
-Aaaaaah! Iya! Iya!
That concludes the enjoyable historical distortion session.
However, no matter how much one distorts history, the truth does not disappear.
Here, the truth is that most of the ghosts from the 1st to 3rd floors of the school building were thoroughly cleaned up by my hand.
Day 2 of exploration.
After exorcising the 'student who ended up alone in the classroom after school' ghost in a 3rd floor classroom, I installed a notification board on the stair landing for easy identification.
[Patrol Complete]
With this, the lower floors of the school building had all transformed into safe zones. It had returned from the void called 'School Ghost Stories' to the reality of 'Baekhwa Girls' High School.'
"What's truly important is… the 4th floor, I suppose."
I murmured. When conquering a void alone, constantly exchanging monologues with oneself like this proved quite useful.
"It's a method to check one's self-awareness."
If murmurs I hadn't intended slip out, or if such murmurs feel like 'my words,' that's a sign that a brainwashing-type anomaly has appeared nearby.
Of course, talking to oneself had drawbacks as well.
"Proceeding to the 4th floor is an extremely dangerous matter. However, that's likely where the most survivors are being held captive."
"That's right. I knew you'd show up eventually."
Squelch!
I immediately imbued the cane-sword 'Doha' with aura and struck my own shadow.
-Aaaaaaaak!
Just like now, excessive monologues had a high probability of summoning 'doppelganger' type anomalies if one wasn't careful.
However, if countermeasures were prepared in advance, one could actually fish for doppelgangers by deliberately continuing to murmur.
The shadow struck by my cane writhed and convulsed.
-How? How? How?
"Thanks to the tools of civilization, you see. Anomaly."
Smoothly, I removed an earphone from my left ear. A small microphone was attached to the security guard uniform's collar.
I had been listening to my own monologue in real-time through the earphone. The microphone and earphone were each connected to a smartphone, deliberately reproducing the voice in low audio quality.
If there's a 'voice heard from the earphone at a completely different distance or sound quality'? That serves as proof that a mental brainwashing-type anomaly has appeared nearby.
And the method to exorcise a doppelganger is simple.
"Try saying the Saintess's name."
-……? ……?
"You cannot answer. You are not me."
Bubbling—
The shadow boiled up then popped! and burst like bubbles. Once all the bubbles had burst, my shadow returned to normal.
After hearing the Saintess's real name in the 36th iteration, I never exchanged names with her again. A doppelganger living only in this iteration would have no way of knowing the Saintess's real name.
Therefore, 'I' and 'you' were different. Negation of identity. The anomaly, having its weakness exposed, could no longer maintain its existence and collapsed.
"Pathetic fellow. If you want to brainwash me, summon at least a Goyori-level entity."
But it wasn't over yet.
I re-equipped the earphone and microphone. Then this time, I took out a transceiver from inside my clothes.
"Alright. This is Security Guard Jang Uisa. Currently proceeding to the 4th floor via the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. No abnormalities. Continuing night patrol."
-Roger…….
"Good, caught it."
Discovery confirmed of the transceiver anomaly that should never have returned an answer.
I immediately played the line 'No abnormalities, continuing night patrol' on my phone's voice recorder on infinite loop.
However, I increased the speed to 10x.
Naturally, the transceiver anomaly that had to respond to my words also became urgent.
-Roger, roger, roger, roger.
"Oh. It's holding up quite well?"
I boosted the speed to 20x.
-Roger, roger, roger-roger, ro, ger-ger-ger, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro, ro.
Boom!
Before even 60 seconds passed, the transceiver exploded on its own.
Because a 'transceiver that fails to properly return answers' had no right to exist.
"This is Security Guard Jang Uisa. Ascending to the 4th floor. No abnormalities on the stairs. Continuing night patrol."
-…….
There was no answer from anywhere. Just in case, I looked at the school speakers installed on the wall, but that place too was silent.
Exorcism complete.
With this, most brainwashing-type anomalies could be considered swept away.
"Hmm."
In the now-silent stair landing, I glanced upward.
The Fourth (四) Floor.
The Death (死) Floor.
In voids where stairs or elevators exist, it's one of the most dangerous zones alongside '13th floor' and 'Underground 4th floor.'
One must not scoff that it's merely a wordplay using the 'Sa' pronunciation. Do that and you might end up like an Egyptian mummy, having liquid funneled through your nostrils into your brain.
'Toying with words in the world.' That very linguistic act is the essence of humanity, is it not?
Wordplay using homonyms forms the basis of comedy and poetry. For the human species that seeks to dominate the world through language, it also serves as a magical stratagem.
Wise readers will have already noticed.
Indeed. This is precisely why I insist on calling myself by the alias 'Jang Uisa' and why I never mention the 'Saintess's' real name.
Merely revealing one's real name carries the danger of being exploited in magic.
Unless one is a figure active in the light like No Doha or Dang Seorin. For beings like the Saintess and myself who must 'hide our identities' to be truly free, we must conceal even our names within aliases, just as we hide our bodies in the shadows.
"Let's see."
I opened the trunk case and took out 'money.'
The types of money were largely classified into two.
One was a pouch filled with gold and silver coins. The other was a stack of banknotes from various countries, bundled in 200-note piles.
I used the stairs leading to the 4th floor as an altar and arranged gold coins, silver coins, and banknotes in a row. I also placed a silver coin between my teeth.
Then I quietly closed my eyes and pressed my palms together.
"……."
Swish.
A chilling wind brushed past my cheek. When I opened my eyes, all the money placed on the stairs had vanished.
"Ptooey—"
On the other hand, the silver coin in my mouth remained intact. I spat out the silver coin and stuffed it back into the trunk case.
"Well now. The Reaper certainly devoured quite a handsome sum of toll money."
To safely enter the domain of death, the 4th (Death) floor—'the afterlife'—I had to express my sincerity in my own way.
That was the toll money.
Depending on 'what type of anomaly' ruled the domain of death, the type and amount of toll money varied wildly.
The money I had just placed on the altar included not just banknotes but also gold and silver coins that were 'coins issued by various countries throughout the world.' There were even Greek silver coins and Venetian gold coins.
Yet the 'afterlife' existing in this 'School Ghost Stories' snatched up all the toll money without asking or questioning nationality.
Meaning it's an anomaly dripping with greed.
But this wasn't bad news.
Quite the opposite—it was welcome news worth embracing with open arms.
"Then let's see you spit back what you've devoured."
A truly simple transaction.
The more toll money one receives, the more one must grant 'special favors' to this side.
It wasn't for nothing that Charon, the ferryman of the afterlife, set the boat fare at one silver coin for everyone regardless of age or gender because he was a pushover.
Charon had the wisdom to avoid protests demanding his resignation over fairness controversies.
Yet the 'afterlife anomaly' just now accepted a face value exceeding at least 100 million won even excluding the historical value of gold and silver coins as toll money, didn't it? And from a living person who hasn't even died yet.
This amount would constitute bribery, embezzlement, and special favor controversies grounds for immediate dismissal in any religion, any mythological system, with no room for complaint.
As a diligent citizen of a democratic society, I couldn't help but smile broadly. I walked vigorously toward the most dangerous area in 'School Ghost Stories.'
Step.
Step.
As soon as I finished climbing the stairs and set foot on the 4th floor, true to its nature as the worst domain, immediately, red flesh masses writhed from all directions, rushing toward me——.
-…….
——they couldn't. The red tentacles all stopped right before my nose.
As if an invisible barrier surrounded my body.
Rumble…….
From the dark corridor. From beyond the pitch-black corridor like the maw of hell, a single gold coin came rolling with a clinking sound, then tapped against my feet.
I grinned.
"I'm not accepting it."
-…….
"No refunds."
-…….
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Gold coins and silver coins rolled in one after another from beyond the corridor. As time passed, numerous coins piled up at my feet, but I paid not even a speck of attention.
"I said I won't accept money. You were going to demand limbs and such as payment for lives if humans couldn't pay up anyway, weren't you?"
-…….
"Interest rates are steep these days, I don't know how far this usury will stretch. Let's meet again in a bit."
Step. Ignoring the refund request and walking forward, the illusion of flesh masses that had dyed the surroundings red vanished all at once.
Only an ordinary school corridor was visible.
The 'afterlife' hadn't been completely exorcised yet. As proof, the area beyond the corridor windows was still stained blood-red, and handprints soaked in blood were smeared here and there.
But for a while, at least my immediate surroundings would be protected from the 'afterlife's' curse.
Perhaps because of that.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—
The wooden corridor resonated. Light footsteps. Yet weight without losing center of gravity. The rhythm of a living organism with breath in its body and muscle in its flesh.
Not an anomaly, but human footsteps.
"Hwaaaaap—!"
That biological rhythm was confirmed in the voice as well. A human in a white uniform came running instantly on the wooden corridor, then jumped, extending her right foot toward me.
Excellent jumping power. A splendid kick.
I lowered my head and caught the opponent's shoe. Shake. The black-red Air Jordan basketball shoes faltered.
The kick carried the full weight of Cheon Yohwa who had been running vigorously, but I skillfully absorbed it with the aura in my palm.
"Hwah?"
The opponent was startled. An orange ponytail swayed in the air.
For a moment, our eyes met.
"——A, a human? Huh? An adult?!"
Instead of immediately slamming the opponent into the corridor, I lightly landed her so her waist wouldn't break.
"Hwah! Heck! Gahk!"
The opponent couldn't maintain balance, stumbled, and ultimately fell in the corridor. But since I had killed all the momentum, she didn't seem to be particularly injured.
"Owowowow……. W-wait a moment. An adult? Are you really an adult? Uh, I mean… mister, you're, you're human, right?"
"Hmm."
I nodded.
"Yes, I am human."
"Aaah……! F-finally! You came to rescue us!"
Joy spread across her face.
Her impression was quite different from when I would meet her later, but the name tag attached to her front pocket proved that the person before me was exactly who I had been searching for.
The awakener who would grow to become the strongest necromancer on the Korean Peninsula.
A member of South Korea's last National Sports Festival girls' high school basketball runner-up team. Main position: point guard.
The 113th student council president of Baekhwa Girls' High School. The sole witness connected to the Outer God 'Infinite Realm.'
Cheon Yohwa.
Heaven's Cheon, lonely Yo, becoming Hwa. A child who carried stillness in a corner of her name.
The moment I finally encountered my target in the worst tutorial dungeon.
An infinite regressor telling tales.