Chapter 129: Japan trip (5)

We passed the set and headed further inside.

I wondered what might come next.

My heart pounded with excitement, but I carefully scanned my surroundings as I walked deeper.

“Where exactly are we?”

The Hero asked Yoshino, who glanced around and shrugged as if even he didn’t know.

“Since we passed that set-like area, I believe we don’t know what’s beyond here either.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Ttangchili snapped at Yoshino, clearly annoyed.

This tin can of a robot, with its apparent android intuition, had been looking quite unhappy for a while now.

“Well, we’ve dealt with the oni and Hachishaku, but we don’t know what’s in the next area.”

“Hmm. Then let’s keep searching.”

Tap! Tap! Tap!

I thought I heard a tapping sound.

What was that?

It sounded like a child running around.

No, it wasn’t that.

The sound was consistent.

I glanced toward the direction of the noise and saw a figure in the darkness.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like a doll dressed in what seemed to be the official attire from the Qing Dynasty of China.

“What is that?”

“It looks like a jiangshi.”

Indeed, it was a jiangshi.

I wondered why a jiangshi was here, in a place unrelated to China.

I glanced at the kimono girl following closely beside us.

She looked quite uneasy too. Is she really a ghost?

I wondered if hitting her would get her to talk.

Given how she followed us, it seemed like she was scared but still wanted to stay with us.

Maybe she respected me?

-If it were me, I’d be scared of retaliation and would follow along.

Too harsh.

Retaliation for what?

They’ll end up like Hachishaku and the oni anyway.

Like pudding.

“Why is there a jiangshi here in Japan?”

“Could it be that the jiangshi’s origin is Japan after all?”

“Why not say the Qing Dynasty is part of Japanese history too, you ignorant slave?”

I smacked my ignorant slave on the forehead.

“Are you calling me ignorant?”

“Yes.”

It’s not rocket science.

Being ignorant is a crime, especially if my slave is the one who’s ignorant.

“That’s harsh.”

“Anyway, it’s strange that there’s a jiangshi here in Japan.”

Why would a jiangshi be in Japan, of all places?

With so many yokai and ghosts native to Japan, why was there a jiangshi here?

It just didn’t add up.

“True.”

“What’s a jiangshi anyway?”

The Hero asked.

Oh, he doesn’t know.

Well, explaining is the polite thing to do.

“Think of it like an undead from the Yukran Continent. It’s a stiff corpse that hops around with its arms outstretched, dressed in Qing Dynasty robes, with a talisman stuck to its forehead. Like that one.”

That should be enough explanation for the Hero.

He stared at the jiangshi for a while before frowning, clearly wary of it.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“That’s a bit scary.”

“Yes, it’s frightening because it’s a stiff corpse hopping around. Ghosts, at least, are free-moving supernatural beings. But the jiangshi? It’s terrifying because it’s a stiff corpse that moves.”

“Why does it move like that?”

I didn’t have deep knowledge, but I recalled looking it up a long time ago out of curiosity.

“I’m not sure, but I heard that during wars, bodies were transported back to their homeland using sticks to prop them up. They would stretch the arms out in front and tie the bodies with long poles, or use wooden planks or sticks to secure the limbs.”

I mimicked the motion, stretching my arms out in front.

“Was it to make them look like they were standing?”

“I’m not too sure about that, but apparently, they tied up several bodies like that. When people dragged them along, it looked bizarre.”

I wondered how it would look from afar when people were dragging corpses tied to poles.

“Like they were walking in that position?”

“Yes, that’s one explanation for the origin of the jiangshi.”

“So, it wasn’t a ghost to begin with?”

An undead corpse.

Perhaps something similar to the corrupted bodies of the Yukran Continent.

“Originally, all such things become ghosts eventually. But here’s the thing—this is Japan. Doesn’t it seem strange to have a jiangshi here?”

Whatever the origin, it seemed to point back to the Qing Dynasty.

I couldn’t help but wonder how these things existed.

The kimono girl… does she have any connection to this?

“It’s clear that the very existence of these things doesn’t make sense,” I said.

“Exactly. Oh, it seems like the jiangshi has noticed us.”

The jiangshi was now staring directly at us, as if ready to charge.

Hmm, is that how a jiangshi usually acts?

“And of course, it’s a man.”

“Wow, even at a time like this, you care about gender? Our Hero really is a man through and through.”

The Hachishaku was female, and the oni was male, but maybe it’s because it’s a man this time.

Does he really want to see a female ghost?

“It’s not that. It’s just that a woman might have been at least a little more pleasant to look at, despite the horror.”

“Oh, I get what you mean now.”

“It’s probably because most jiangshi were men, given the origin story.”

It’s a subtle thing, but it makes sense.

Since the bodies died on the battlefield, they might be filled with unresolved grudges.

“Oh, they’re running at us, huh?”

“They’re probably just ghosts, after all. Like those guys.”

Crack! I slammed the jiangshi’s head, knocking it down. It felt pretty satisfying.

The head cracked easily.

“If you hit their heads, they go down in one blow. Feels like piercing with a spear.”

“So, we’re just beating them senseless, right?”

“Yes.”

As always, the head smashing strategy works.

That’s all there is to it.

“What if something happens while we’re killing these things?”

“That’s what we’re hoping for.”

Honestly, I’m hoping for it.

Something has to happen, right?

At least there should be some resistance against intruders inside this dungeon.

At least, that’s what I think.

The kimono girl next to me is suspicious, and beyond that, this whole dungeon is shady.

I don’t know if every place we enter is like this, but one thing’s for sure, I’m glad I came here today.

“And what are you hoping for?”

If I hope for it, everything will come true under Kanora’s will.

– No, not to that extent.

Anyway, something’s already happening now.

“Something has to happen for us to know what’s going on, right?”

“You’re just brute-forcing it, aren’t you?”

Brute force isn’t always the solution. Usually, that’s true. But do you really need intelligence to deal with ghosts?

Whether it’s a jiangshi or an oni, they’re just pitiful things driven by instinct.

In the distance, I keep hearing those strange sounds, tap tap tap tap.

Yeah, it’s a group of jiangshi.

A whole unit of them is coming.

“Screeeeech!”

As expected, it’s not just one.

One, two, three, four, five… their numbers kept increasing.

Everywhere we go, we’re met with sheer numbers.

“So, how do these guys attack when they charge at us?”

“Just body slamming?”

From what I saw earlier, they just mindlessly charge at us.

“Useless. All they do is charge.”

“For us, yeah, but regular people would probably freak out.”

It’d be terrible for mental health.

The fact that these jiangshi actually exist… how would normal people react if they saw them?

They’d probably be scared out of their minds and run for it.

If this dungeon had intelligence, psychological warfare would be the perfect strategy.

“Yeah, it does feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“It’s like we’re just killing corpses.”

I don’t know how many jiangshi we’ll have to kill.

“But what if these things really are ghosts?”

“Even if they are, so what? We’re basically apostles of a god, and what can mere ghosts do?”

Tap tap tap tap!

Boom!

Crack!

The incoming jiangshi varied in size.

Some were huge, others small. Large and small jiangshi charged at us but were all cut down by our hands.

“By the way, it makes me wonder. Why don’t we ever encounter places where quality matters instead of quantity?”

“Some dungeons release different monsters depending on the intruders. That’s part of the dungeon core’s nature.”

However, as I mentioned before, this dungeon seems more connected to that kimono girl than just the core.

“So, they think they can wear us down with sheer numbers instead of quality?”

“It makes sense, right? Even if they went for quality, how long could they last? Instead, it’s easier to exhaust us with wave after wave of ghosts.”

If they went for quality, they’d be overwhelmed, so it’s much more advantageous for them to create hundreds or thousands of ghosts to annoy and tire us.

That’s why I find this place interesting.

Whatever’s at the end of this, it’ll ultimately bring glory to the Kanora faith.

More souls will be offered to our goddess.

Honestly, souls are delicious.

Maybe it’s the influence of the demon god, but anyway, they’re tasty.

Who knows?

There might be a delicious soul in there.

“So, that’s why you said these jiangshi aren’t ordinary?”

“Yes.”

So, I’ll continue provoking this kimono girl.

She seems easily scared.

Watching her reaction as we smash ghosts in front of her should be amusing.

Now, what are you hiding?