43. Invasion of the Other World (3)

I finished meditating after reading Darkness Stealth.

It’s Tuesday evening.

Seems like I’ve been meditating all morning.

“I’m hungry.”

I’ve gathered about 1200 Magic Points. With the Magic Enhancement effect restoring 120 MP per hour, it would take nearly 50 hours of continuous meditation to reach the maximum of 6000.

As if that’s possible.

“For now, 1200.”

Since I’ve gathered 1200 from 10 hours of meditation, I should use this to make some paper shikigami.

While using shadow shikigami for exorcism can definitely deal high burst damage, tearing up paper shikigami is much faster for quickly eliminating enemies in emergencies.

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“Done.”

After finishing the shikigami, Number 1 knocked on the front door.

“What is it?”

“Ah, you haven’t come out all day. Here’s a healing potion.”

“Ooh.”

Number 1 handed me the healing potion. I’d just used one earlier and needed another, so this was perfect.

“Thanks.”

After storing the potion in my Inventory, I listened to Number 1’s report on today’s events.

While I was meditating, they cleaned the dirt from the stairs and applied the Divine Tree Cult Leader’s nutrient solution to the Mandrian Seeds. Apparently, sprouts emerged within just a few dozen minutes.

“Already?”

“Yes. Sprouts appeared almost immediately after application, within about 30 minutes.”

“Wow. That’s effective.”

That bastard Cult Leader was so confident-turns out it really works wonders. Maybe he should’ve quit being a cult leader and just farmed instead. Then he wouldn’t have ended up so messed up in my hands.

Anyway, at this rate, I should be able to harvest within this week.

“Ah, this too.”

“This is…”

“Boiled sap. I tested it earlier on Number 2-no toxicity, just pain relief.”

“Damn.”

I immediately took it. The Divine Tree Cult Leader’s sap (blood) is a bit gross, but if I’m about to die, I won’t have time to care about that.

Moreover, it has immediate pain-relieving effects like morphine with almost no addiction risk, making it perfect for emergencies during combat.

“Ah, right. I’ll be away from home for about a day.”

“Huh?”

“If anyone comes looking, hide well.”

“Where are you going?”

“The Other World. Know where that is?”

“Uh… not really.”

“It exists. Stay here with Number 2 and guard the place.”

I patted Number 1’s shoulder and closed the front door. I’ll be gone for about a day-I hope they keep the place safe.

‘What if the place gets raided while I’m gone?’

If that happens, I’ll be furious. I might just roam around Seoul killing every living thing in sight.

If my base gets wrecked, revenge is the only option. And by revenge, I mean slaughtering every survivor in Seoul. Since I won’t know who did it, I’ll just kill everyone indiscriminately until the culprit dies.

“Sigh. Alright.”

In case I can’t return within a day, I packed a week’s worth of food. Then I gathered my weapons, a lightweight blanket, and stored all my skill books in the Inventory.

Even if my base gets raided while I’m away, these books must not be stolen.

They’re insane items that can grant Awakening if read. Among everything I own, they’re the most valuable.

If they fall into the hands of some assholes, my future will definitely get complicated.

So I stored them all in the Inventory. These are items that must never be stolen or leaked.

“Then, slowly…”

I also packed the gas mask I looted and dressed entirely in black. The Other World is dark, so I should move around in dark clothing.

“Ready.”

I reached out and opened the Gate to the Underworld.

“Sigh.”

Now, stepping through this, I’ll enter the Other World.

A mirror image of reality, a place teeming with all kinds of lowly spirits, monsters, and aberrations running rampant.

I pushed my body through the Gate.

******

“Sigh.”

I’ve crossed into the Other World.

The dimly lit room resembled the 401호 I just left, but it was clearly different.

‘The windows are all broken.’

Parts of the walls had collapsed, and the building itself looked as if it had been abandoned for a century.

The Other World is like a mirror image of reality.

It’s similar to reality but stripped of familiarity and drenched in post-apocalyptic aesthetics.

I put on the dust mask immediately. The air was thick with dust.

Though dark, the moon in the sky provided faint light, allowing some visibility-but the dust particles were so large they were visible.

The overall atmosphere was damp and cold. There were also strangely many insects.

It felt like a world covered in the slimy skin of some filthy amphibian.

Mushrooms sprouted here and there. Everything reeked of danger.

“…”

I clenched my mouth shut and pondered my next move. The immediate goal is to survive 24 hours. Honestly, I could probably just hole up somewhere quiet using the Demon Digestion Method.

‘Hmm. First, it seems the exit is the same as the entrance.’

This part is quite important. I opened the Gate inside my home to enter the Other World, and the place I exited was identical to where I entered.

Meaning, only the phase is different-the location remains the same. This is crucial.

‘I can infiltrate enemy territory in one move.’

Literally, I can breach heavily guarded enemy positions instantly.

Here’s how: Open a Gate at home, enter the Other World, move to the heart of enemy territory, then open another Gate to exit.

From the enemy’s perspective, it’s as if I teleported. I can move unpredictably.

The only problem is that the Other World itself is too dangerous to roam freely.

‘Not even 10 minutes have passed yet.’

Time already feels slow. It’s passing faster than during military training, but the thought of spending 24 hours in this bizarre world makes me antsy.

‘Should I look around a bit?’

I forced open the tilted front door and stepped outside. I could’ve jumped from the window, but that seemed too noisy, so I decided to move normally.

Then, the world suddenly plunged into complete darkness.

“?!”

Startled, I rushed back inside and looked up at the sky through the window-wondering if something had blocked the moonlight.

‘What the fuck.’

But nothing was blocking it.

‘The moon… closed its eyes.’

What hung in the sky wasn’t the moon.

A massive eyeball. The eyeball was observing the world below, illuminating it like moonlight.

And now, it had closed its eyes. That’s why the world went completely dark.

‘This world is crazier than I thought.’

Now I understand why monsters and other aberrations crawl out of here. With a world like this, no wonder insane things emerge.

‘Ah, it’s open again.’

It seems the eyeball just observes without interfering. It blinks periodically.

Treating it as a natural phenomenon is probably better for my sanity.

‘This world seems even weirder than expected. Maybe I should just stay put for 24 hours…’

Just as I was feeling slightly discouraged by the giant eyeball and considering staying quietly at home, laughter echoed from afar.

“Kihahahahaha!!!!!”

The moment I heard it, chills ran down my spine, and I immediately thought, ‘This is hopeless.’

‘Why is she so excited?’

Glancing toward the sound, I saw a fleeing man and a massive monstrous woman chasing him.

‘Huh? That uniform…’

The running man was wearing the Hunter Academy uniform.

‘The thing chasing him is probably the Scissor Ghost.’

The Scissor Ghost roams with scissors, slicing up its victims.

Even proper Hunters find it troublesome to deal with. If this boy is being chased by one, his life is as good as over.

“Kyaaa!! Help!! Someone help me!!!”

Every time the monstrous woman opened and closed her scissors, blood sprayed from the boy’s back.

His clothes were also tearing, suggesting telekinetic force accompanies each scissor swing. Powerful monsters can naturally use psychic abilities.

Moreover, since it’s not a spirit but a monster with a physical form, it can exert even stronger power.

‘It could kill him easily but is deliberately keeping him alive while chasing him.’

Seems like it’s toying with him.

The surrounding lowly spirits are keeping their distance, afraid of getting their necks sliced.

‘Wait, why is an Academy student even here?’

For a moment, I wondered. Why would they come here?

Then, my question was answered.

“Kieeeeeee!!!!”

Just as the Scissor Ghost was about to deliver the final blow to the fallen boy’s back, its neck was abruptly torn off-like ripping the head off a paper shikigami.

‘No way.’

As far as I know, only two people in this world can do something like that.

First, me, who learned the Food God Extermination Method, and the vice-captain of the Academy’s Occult Club.

‘Did Jin Seon-mi come in?’

Seems so. Then that pathetic pissing bastard on the ground must be the Occult Club’s captain who’s been stalking Jin Seon-mi.

Probably, the Occult Club kids, trapped in the Academy, wandered around and found the Gate to the Underworld, then all crossed over together.

‘So the Gate to the Underworld opened at the Academy too.’

This is getting interesting.

How many students came here?

Within the Hunter Academy, the Occult Club is seen as a group of outcasts and troublemakers. So it’s highly likely only they came in.

‘Then about five must’ve entered.’

Moreover, with the story’s progression completely altered now, Jang Yi-sang seems solely focused on collecting monsters and not pursuing the Academy’s heroines, so he probably hasn’t formed a deep relationship with Jin Seon-mi.

‘What if I capture Jin Seon-mi before that bastard Jang Yi-sang recognizes her potential?’

Jin Seon-mi is essentially a sniper. She hides in hard-to-detect spots and quietly tears off enemies’ heads.

She’s arguably the most talented among curse-type Awakened.

What if I take her from Jang Yi-sang before he turns her into his plaything, torture-train her, and use her as a turret?

‘Sounds fun.’

Abandoning my plan to explore the Other World, I immediately entered the attic, locked the door, and sat down.

Then, I activated the skill I’d just learned today.

*Slither*

A snake emerged from the shadows.

Shadow Manipulation. The snake’s vision was transmitted to me.

This thing is like a shikigami drone. It moves as I control it and relays what it sees. I just need to close my eyes and observe the feed.

It’s like operating a reconnaissance drone.

Anyway, I closed my eyes and activated the Demon Digestion Method to erase my presence almost entirely while controlling the shadow snake.

I need to locate Jin Seon-mi before she finds me.

Battles between curse users are decided by who strikes first and severs the other’s flesh.

Once I spot her through the shadow snake, I can tear off her head with a paper shikigami from here and kill her instantly.