Chapter 128: Japan trip (4)

There were a ton of ghosts in the Osaka Dungeon.

How do I know, you ask?

Because we’ve piled up their corpses into a mountain.

We caught a lot, both the Battle mage and Cheonma.

“What happened?”

“What do you mean? We caught the ghosts, of course.”

We caught every single ghost we could find.

As a result, their bodies were piled up high.

“Even so, it’s hard to believe the ghosts were smashed to pieces like this.”

“There’s nothing Kanora Church can’t do.”

That’s what Kanora Church is all about — making anything possible.

“But still, ghosts leaving behind corpses? Hmm, it’s surprising. I saw it with my own eyes, but to make them maintain a physical form…”

“Kanora Church can do anything. Ghosts’ existence itself doesn’t matter.”

Yes, that’s it.

The existence of ghosts doesn’t matter at all.

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“After catching them all, this is what it’s come to.”

“We caught dozens of eight-foot-tall ghosts. Even a few Oni, too.”

It really feels like we caught a ridiculous number.

How many could there be?

One, two, three, four… Ugh.

A single ghost would be impressive enough, but dozens of eight-foot-tall ones?

It’s laughable.

“What should we do with these?”

“Do you think we could strip off their clothes?”

“What would happen if we did?”

“Well, let’s try it and see.”

So, we decided to give it a shot.

We carefully stripped the clothes off one of the eight-foot ghosts, and underneath, there was pure white skin.

Ugh, I regret looking.

Its proportions are… what is this?

Its arms, legs, and body are all one solid piece, and even its face is ugly.

There’s nothing salvageable about it.

Its body is terrible, and so is its face.

What can we even use it for?

“Yuck. What is this even supposed to be?”

“Hm, the Oni has a physical body too.”

Cheonma kicked a strange horned demon that was half-dressed in samurai armor.

It sure looks strange. Its skin is red, and it’s built like a brick wall.

If it weren’t for us, I’m sure we wouldn’t have stood a chance.

It wasn’t just one, either; they multiplied into two, three…

If it weren’t for us, we’d all be dead by now.

Harusaki Yoshino was foaming at the mouth.

“Hmm, I’m hungry.”

“This is why humans are so frustrating.”

I subtly tried to show off a bit as an angel.

“Weren’t you human too? Now you’re boasting just because you became an angel?”

“What if we ate the ghosts?”

Battle mage complained, and I kicked the corpse of Hachisaku-sama.

It’s got some flesh on it; maybe it’s edible?

“Are you crazy? It still looks somewhat human, doesn’t it?”

“But it’s not human.”

“No.”

If it’s not human, then there’s no problem, right?

Hmm?

There’s no issue with that.

Its arms, legs, hair, and weird face — it looks grotesque, but it’s not unthinkable to eat.

If you think of it as a long-limbed monkey, it wouldn’t be that strange, would it?

“Besides, aren’t there cultures that eat monkeys? Ghosts could fall into that category, don’t you think?”

“No, no, wait a second. Ghosts aren’t the same as monkeys. No one in the world eats ghosts.”

“We could claim the world’s first title, couldn’t we?”

The world’s first title: ghost-eating.

Doesn’t that sound kind of cool?

“Wait, are you really going to eat it?”

“I’m an angel, so I don’t need to eat. Let the slave eat first.”

It should be enough if the slave eats it first.

“But still, she’s Erin’s mother, isn’t she?”

“This country has a hereditary slave system. So Erin is a slave too, and she has to follow my orders.”

In other words, all the elves are my slaves.

“Is that so? Even my daughter is a slave?”

“That’s right. It’s only fair, right? I mean, the former priestess of the Great Forest took on a 2-billion debt. Meanwhile, Erin was growing drugs behind the scenes.”

I made her handle all the dirty work, but since everything was registered under Erin’s name, it’s like Erin was the one growing the drugs.

“Oh, I see? That’s unfair.”

“So, whether it’s a monkey or a ghost, it’s still the same thing.”

“Wouldn’t they taste similar? Hm? Why are you shaking so much, kimono girl?”

The kimono girl’s face had turned pale blue.

Why is she so pale?

She doesn’t need to be.

Her face looks so pale, like a ghost.

Well, her skin is already incredibly white.

Unlike the eight-foot ghost, her appearance is still human, though.

The kimono girl shook her head vigorously, clearly uncomfortable.

“No, no, it’s okay.”

“Want to try eating it?”

“No, but you’re tearing apart the corpse like it’s nothing?”

I grabbed the arm of an eight-foot ghost and ripped it off.

Its arm came off easily, with no bones, blood, or flesh visible.

It’s just completely white, like jelly.

It feels like pudding or a soft gelatin dessert.

I flicked the flesh with my finger, and it bounced back.

“Hm, it feels like milk pudding.”

“Did you eat it?”

Battle mage asked with a disgusted expression.

“No, it just feels that way.”

“Damn, thanks to you, I’ll never be able to eat pudding again.”

I gave it a little lick, but it had no taste.

Just cold.

There’s really no flavor at all.

“Let’s not eat it. It’s tasteless.”

“Did you really taste that too?”

“Why not? So, Miss Kimono Girl? Give me an answer.”

I pointed at the girl in the kimono.

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

“Is that so.”

Forget that, look at her playing hard to get despite not even being human.

I’ve been watching her, and this kimono girl is definitely a ghost.

I can’t be completely sure, but she’s closer to that side.

I can feel it, that she’s not human.

I don’t know what logic allows ghosts to appear here, but judging from Yoshino’s reaction earlier, this girl in the kimono is certainly a ghost.

“Well, eating was just a joke. Yoshino, can you stand up?”

“Oh, uh, yes.”

“Is it okay to go all the way to the end of this dungeon?”

“What?”

Yoshino made a dazed face.

That’s the usual reaction.

Now that I look closely, it seems like there might be something further in.

In places like this, there’s usually something when you go deeper.

From dungeon exploration reviews, I’ve heard people got scared after seeing a Hachishaku ghost and turned back.

Most adventurers probably just exited without going further.

Well, after seeing not only the Hachishaku but also an Oni, who would dare to go deeper?

Just the number of Onis and Hachishakus alone would discourage anyone from continuing.

Even after passing through what looks like a set, there’s a deeper, darker place.

I decided to drop some bait.

“When you think about it, this place is suspicious, right? Ghosts, really? And without knowing why, Japan just set up this service blindly?”

“Well, that’s…”

“What if, while continuing this service, something happens?”

Imagine if people start dying.

Wouldn’t it be a huge problem?

Who else but hunters would come to a gloomy place like this?

But still, you never know.

It’s blatantly advertised where even civilians can see it.

What if people actually die?

This is a chance to fully conquer this dungeon.

There would be an uproar in Korea.

If Kanora church conquers Japan’s dungeon, it could mean we’re establishing ourselves in Japan.

“Well, there is a short warning written when making a reservation. And I’m just following the guide manual. Nothing’s gone wrong so far.”

Of course.

They’re probably recommending it to hunters with a high survival rate because safety isn’t fully guaranteed yet.

“Anyway, so we can go further, right?”

“There’s no particular restriction on someone like a Saint.”

“So there are restrictions for others?”

“Yes. Regular Japanese hunters aren’t allowed beyond the set.”

It seems they’re at least trying to block off the most dangerous threats.

“What? Then are we in an unsafe place?”

“What? It’s safe.”

This place is super safe. Sure, there’s a warning in red text, but for us, it’s no problem at all.

“What do you mean? You said there was a warning!”

“Is it scarier than the Demon King?”

At my words, the faces of the returnees nodded in understanding.

We even have a hero here, not to mention some of the strongest fighters.

What more is there to say?

“Oh.”

“So, today our goal is to resolve the issue in Japan.”

The Japanese Prime Minister should be thankful to me.

He probably never imagined I’d go this far for him.

That will only make him more dependent on me.

“Are we finding out why the ghosts are appearing and handling it?”

“Yes. If we do that, we’ll gain tremendous fame. The words of the Goddess will spread throughout all of Japan.”

By then, not just the Prime Minister, but all of Japan will be in our hands.

And then it will be their problem to deal with.

“Wow, that’s incredible.”

“Just thinking about it makes me feel full, doesn’t it?”

“I’m still hungry, though.”

Ah, Battle mage was rubbing her belly.

Right.

I knew this would happen, so I came prepared.

In any case, I’m a master with slaves, and I prioritize their welfare.

“Well, that’s not important. Knowing this would happen, I brought some sushi.”

“Sushi? From where?”

“I brought it because I thought it would fit the Japanese atmosphere. I have an inventory prepared by the Heavenly Kings’s Guild Master.”

This shows that I care about my people.

Especially my guild members.

After all, you have to give to get the best results.

“You’re really well-prepared.”

“Of course. Praise me. So, Yoshino? Will you keep guiding us?”

“Yes, sure.”

Good.

That’s the answer I was hoping for.

As they say, even sightseeing comes after filling your stomach.

Let’s eat first, then conquer this dungeon at our own pace.