Chapter 126: Japan trip (2)

“Why has the Prime Minister gone crazy like that?”

“He’s probably just stressed. While Korea seems to run around guilds, it looks like the Prime Minister here handles nearly everything.”

It’s truly unfortunate.

“Yeah, it does seem that way.”

“With the Great Cataclysm happening, there’s definitely some of that.”

I don’t know much about the situation in Japan, but looking at the Prime Minister’s face, his dark circles are pretty deep.

Awakened beings usually have superior physical abilities compared to normal people, so if he’s showing dark circles, it probably means he’s overworked.

People naturally seek something to lean on during difficult times, like right now.

“You don’t think he’s trying to do something bad to us, right?”

“Who knows. But from what I saw, it seems like he’s pretty much brainwashed, to the point where he’d believe it if the Demon Lord told him white was black.”

It’d be nice if we could brainwash the Koreans like that too, but they’re already pretty well under control without needing to push further.

If I tried to brainwash hunters, it would be troublesome if they caught on.

But in Japan, even if something slips, it’s fine since the Kanora religion has already infiltrated.

Besides, it’s not my country, so I don’t really care what happens.

The Prime Minister is already trembling in fear, anyway.

“Why don’t we just move our base to Japan?”

“If you stay here, you’ll probably have to deal with Japanese women.”

Not all women, but still.

Just like those gyaru girls earlier—there’s something bothersome about them.

“This is literally Japan’s own dungeon.”

The guide explained Osaka Dungeon that way.

A dungeon unique to Japan, huh?

Well, since it’s in Japan, it would be, but I wonder what that really means.

“A dungeon unique to Japan?”

“Yes, it features monsters like Oni and Hachishaku-sama.”

Oh, that sounds fun.

But who is this mysterious woman, anyway?

“What a strange place. By the way, your name?”

“Oh, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Harusaki Yoshino, your guide for Osaka Dungeon! I’m both a hunter and a guide.”

A polite woman with glasses bowed deeply.

If she took off those glasses, I bet she’d be really pretty.

Glasses, though—what a crime in this world.

“Ah, I see.”

“And I’m a huge fan of the Holy Maiden!”

Wow.

A fan of mine?

Really?

I mean, among foreign fans, K-Succubus is probably more popular than me.

“By the way, do you like yuri?”

“Of course!”

“I’m more into narcissism myself.”

Her excitement quickly faded.

Easy to read, huh?

Still, calling yourself my fan is a smart choice.

Better than that scandalous leader who keeps hosting wild parties under the name of pride of Korea.

“Anyway, I’ll guide you now. Follow me. Feel free to ask any questions along the way.”

“Since we’re talking about it, are these monsters just wrapped in ghostly appearances? Or is this something artificial?”

I’d bet on robots, usually.

After all, dungeons on Earth are like a different world or dimension.

They’re also called gates or rifts, kind of like cracks in reality.

That’s the concept.

Normally, monsters would be inside.

If this dungeon was made to be profitable, artificial monsters would probably be stronger.

“I think it’s more like the former.”

“More like it? Are you not fluent in Korean, or is it that Japan didn’t make them that way?”

Cheonma raised an eyebrow with interest.

She’s a guide, so she shouldn’t be bad at Korean.

There must be another reason.

“Yes, for some reason, the monsters here appear as ghosts. We didn’t create them. Japan doesn’t even have the technology for that right now.”

“So, they’re real ghosts?”

I’m genuinely curious about that.

“Well, it’s hard to say. If that were the case, there would be more ghost dungeons elsewhere, but this is the only one.”

“So, in the end, we can still fight the monsters, right?”

It might be best to think of them like wraiths.

“Yes. However, since they’re ghosts, you can’t fully exorcise them.”

It’s literally a haunted house concept.

This could be fun.

We can’t attack them, but they can attack us.

It’s a wonderfully absurd situation, like something straight out of a horror attraction.

Inside the dungeon, the setting felt like a traditional Japanese village.

There were old wooden houses everywhere, almost like a movie set.

“If you think a ghost might appear, just hide.”

“Anywhere?”

“Yes, you can enter any house. When you hear a ‘popopo’ sound, that’s when it starts.”

Oh, is this like some kind of story quest?

This seems like it could be fun.

I’ve been looking for something entertaining after defeating the Demon King.

I picked one of the houses to check out.

“Oh, this house looks nice.”

It’s quite spacious, a large traditional Japanese house.

Japanese people sure know how to build beautiful mansions, though they do seem a bit cold.

But in the summer, it would probably feel nice and cool.

“Any points of caution?”

“Are you going to fight or not? You need to decide. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend fighting right away since other spirits might get involved too.”

But wouldn’t it be worth a shot if the opponent is a spirit?

After all, I’ve already taken down a Golden Wraith before.

Though I still don’t know what that strange Wraith really was.

“If we don’t fight, should we just hide here?”

Ttaengchili tilted his head.

For someone from the 24th-century android era, a house like this must feel quite shabby.

Well, he didn’t seem to like the Kanora Guild building much either, though it was a church.

“Yes, but it depends on the spirit. With an Oni, you can just hide, but with some spirits, hiding won’t work.”

So, do we need to do something?

No matter how scary the spirit might be, it’s no problem for us.

After all, we’re from the Kanora Church! We defeated the Demon King!

With a bit of pride, I puffed out my chest.

“Hahaha, there’s nothing Kanora Church can’t handle!”

“Oooooh.”

“We never lose!”

Po-po-po-po

Hmm, a strange sound started echoing in my ears.

It was an unsettling noise, like something repeating the word “po” over and over, a sound so dumb it felt like the only word it knew was “po.”

I instinctively looked outside and saw an incredibly tall woman wearing a hat.

She was massive.

I wondered what she looked like on the inside. Interesting.

“I hear a weird sound.”

“Indeed. Are the spirits in Japan always this strange?”

Even the warriors and adventurers noticed, furrowing their brows.

“Could it be Po-po?”

“Yeah, it’s making a po-po noise.”

“Wow, that’s the Hachishaku-sama already.”

Harusaki Yoshino exclaimed in surprise.

Isn’t now the worst time to be amazed?

It’s Hachishaku-sama, after all!

“I hear it too.”

“You need to paste newspaper over the windows and pile up salt.”

Salt in the room?

“That doesn’t sound like what I’ve heard before.”

“It’s different in reality. Or maybe the spirits changed when they appeared in the dungeon.”

The Hachishaku-sama story I’d heard didn’t escalate this quickly.

Is it the difference between reality and myth?

As we searched the house, I realized there was no need to spread salt. It was already scattered around every room.

“The salt’s already been spread out? Nice service, I guess.”

“No, we didn’t do that. Usually, the participants have to do it themselves.”

So this is a beginner hunter killer dungeon?

I picked a tough one, it seems.

Not that I’m going to fall for it, but they could’ve given better service.

“I’ve already spread all the salt!”

“Who?”

Suddenly, a woman in a kimono appeared from inside the house, holding a newspaper and a handful of salt.

“That’s not the point right now! You need to come inside!”

The kimono woman grabbed my hand and hurried us into the room.

Upon closer inspection, this room was even more thoroughly prepared.

Salt was neatly arranged in every corner, and the windows were completely covered with newspaper.

Very meticulous.

“What do we do now?”

“We just have to wait until morning. Since the whole place has been rented out by Kanora Church, we’re safe.”

That’s not the issue.

Staying cooped up in here doesn’t feel right.

I’m not the type to sit still for long.

That Hachishaku outside, even if she’s big, her head looks like it’s breakable.

Couldn’t we just go out and finish her?

“How many people heard the Po-po sound?”

Several people raised their hands.

All of them were from Kanora Church.

Hmm, that means this dumb Hachishaku-sama is an easy one, showing herself to everyone like that.

Anyway, everything’s fine.

Except…

Po-po-po-po-po

She’s here.

That damn Hachishaku-sama has shown up.

Bang bang bang bang!

The stupid spirit began pounding on the windows.

“You need to stay still until morning! The salt is starting to burn! And no matter what Hachishaku-sama says, don’t be fooled!”

Yoshino blocked our approach to the window.

It made sense, but…

The Hachishaku-sama outside looks really angry.

And then—

“Karina, it’s me, Park Yoo-jeong. Please open the window! The spirit’s chasing me!”

The acting’s terrible.

What a joke.