Chapter 130: Japan trip (6)

After defeating the jiangshi, the path ahead was wide open.

The malice we sensed all around us didn’t pose much of a threat to us.

It was strange that they would even dare attack us with this much power.

The dungeon—or whoever was controlling it—must be cautious right now, like the kimono girl standing next to me.

“Oh, a Japanese yokai has appeared.”

It had been a while since a Japanese ghost or yokai had shown up.

It looked like a strange umbrella, and it was truly bizarre.

“An umbrella with legs and eyes.”

“And it has a tongue and hands? What is that? It looks so weird.”

There were several of them, not just one or two.

Japan really has a lot of fascinating yokai.

“That’s a ‘karakasa,’ a yokai that came from an umbrella.”

“Yoshino, why are you trembling?”

“Well, it’s the first time I’ve seen something like that.”

The first time, huh?

It seems Yoshino’s guide skills won’t be of much use here anymore.

Still, knowing about yokai is good enough.

I never thought I’d see something like this in real life, only in comics.

“That umbrella might be useful if we don’t have one.”

It looked big enough to be handy.

It could be great for several people to use during the rainy season, though that tongue would be a bit of a problem.

The question was whether it had any combat power.

As I got closer, it just blinked its eyes.

If combat strength is the issue, it’s definitely suspicious.

“Still, that’s a bit much, huh?”

“Doesn’t it look like its tongue is dripping saliva?”

“This feels like it’s not much of a threat to us, right?”

As I looked more closely, it didn’t seem all that impressive.

“Well, it’s been beaten up until now.”

“But those eyes are annoying, so let’s pluck them out.”

“Screech!”

When I plucked out its eyes, the umbrella started to die.

Its legs flailed wildly, so I stomped on them.

It was somewhat threatening but only that.

Finally, the umbrella settled in my hand.

“Wow, no mercy, huh?”

Battle mage frowned as she spoke, but then she took the umbrella from me, inspecting it with interest.

I grabbed another umbrella, but this time without pulling its eyes out.

“We could give this to Neiphir as a gift.”

Nepihir has such a peculiar taste.

Plus, he’s an old man, so he’ll probably like this.

An umbrella with eyes and feet?

How unique.

“Do you think he’ll like it?”

“If we send it to him as a souvenir, he’ll love it.”

“He’s just a game addict, after all.”

Before we left for Japan, Neiphir made sure to ask us to bring him a souvenir.

He won’t need something like Japanese food you can order online.

The best gift would probably be a yokai like this.

It’s even useful as an umbrella, so he’ll definitely like it.

“But what’s the point of these yokai?”

“Didn’t the saintess say the dungeon is suspicious?”

“Yes, the Hero would likely know about dungeons like this as well.”

Thinking about how many dungeons the Hero’s party and I had gone through, this one doesn’t seem all that different from the Demon King’s dungeons.

I’m curious about what lies at the end of this one.

“Right, some dungeons will do anything to maintain themselves.”

“Wait, are you saying this dungeon is beyond supernatural phenomena?”

Supernatural phenomena.

Dungeons and gates are classified as disasters and rifts between dimensions.

But looking at the diverse worlds, monsters, and bosses inside them, it’s not hard to define them as supernatural.

But I know the truth.

I’ve seen dungeons form from the will of a single human.

A long time ago, there was a boy who, after falling into darkness, turned into a dungeon core to avenge his parents.

So, maybe dungeons aren’t just supernatural events.

Perhaps they’re built from human desires or wishes. It’s a serious thought.

“Up until now, most of the dungeons we’ve explored were influenced by the Demon King, but this one might have some connection to Japan.”

“Something like that, yeah.”

After all, we’re in Japan.

I don’t know much about their situation, but they do have a lot of strange things related to this, including this kimono girl.

“Maybe the ghosts here are like the dungeon’s will.”

“When you think about it, it’s not that different from dungeons on the continent of Eucran.”

“Hey, look, there’s a woman over there.”

She was dressed in a splendid kimono, with the traditional pale makeup of Japan.

Her face was so white, it looked like it had been dusted with flour.

Outwardly, she seemed to be just a pale woman, nothing more or less, but given her appearance here, something felt off.

“She’s dressed similarly to the kimono girl, but she’s an adult.”

That might be the only difference.

“Hmm, she looks strange too.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“A…rokurokubi!”

Yoshino was scared and hid behind me.

A guide hiding?

Isn’t that a complete failure as a guide?

“A yokai with a long neck. Ugh, that’s a bit unsettling. Japan really does have a lot of different yokai.”

“Its neck is long, like a snake.”

Its neck was long like a snake, but what was even more disturbing was that it looked like flesh.

Honestly, it gave me the creeps.

A lot.

“It may be scary, but as long as we don’t panic, we can subdue it. For example, wouldn’t its long neck itself be a weak point?”

If we try to cut it, like slicing through stretchy cheese with scissors?

“Hmm, but what if even cutting the neck doesn’t stop it from stretching?”

“There’s no way its neck can stretch endlessly, right?”

Pew pew pew!

Cheonma’s energy pulse pierced through the long neck of the Rokurokubi.

It was quite the sight.

That’s what you get for recklessly messing with us.

The Energy pulse lodged in its ridiculously long neck made for a truly grotesque image.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Its neck is still growing. Guess the head is the real target, after all.”

Crack!

I smashed the head of the Rokurokubi as well.

Inside, it was white like pudding.

I have no idea what the logic is, but these ghostly beings always seem to be white on the inside.

But then, the state of the kimono girl was starting to look more and more unsettling.

Upon closer inspection, her pale, doll-like face twitched as if she was trying to say something.

“So, how much more can that mace of yours destroy?”

Was that what she wanted to ask?

Well, I don’t mind telling her.

This could be a chance to figure out the kimono girl’s identity.

“Who knows? Why? Got something you want destroyed?”

“N-No, it’s not like that…”

Not like that?

There’s definitely something she wants, even if it’s not a direct request.

“I don’t really care either way. But if there’s someone whose head you want smashed, just let me know.”

“In Korea, do you call heads ‘tteokbaegi’?”

Hmm, interesting.

Is she implying she needs something done?

Or is this a sudden quest?

This girl is getting more suspicious by the second.

Whatever the case, it seems like she’s finally about to open up about something.

Or maybe she just wants to befriend us?

“Yes, it’s kind of a slang term. But why did you suddenly decide to speak up?”

“Oh, uh… actually…”

“Wait a minute, what’s wrong with your body?”

The Hero stepped forward to stop us from approaching the girl.

Ah, so there really is something strange about her.

The girl’s face, already pale, turned even whiter.

The Hero moved closer to inspect the kimono girl’s body.

“As I suspected, she’s similar to the ghosts we’ve encountered so far.”

“Ugh.”

“Her arms are ice-cold. She doesn’t seem human.”

“Feels like the pudding-like things we saw earlier.”

“N-No! I’m not a yokai or a ghost! Well, maybe in some ways, but no! I might be more of a… spirit. Ugh.”

Yokai?

Ghost?

Spirit?

What exactly is she trying to say?

She seems a bit young mentally, and her body is frail.

She can’t even make proper eye contact, stuttering like that. Is it because she’s scared?

At any rate, she’s the most suspicious person here.

The Hero had already drawn his sword, on guard.

“So, what are you exactly?”

“Could she be a Zashiki-warashi?”

“Zashiki-warashi? What’s that? You should explain it step by step, especially when your audience is Korean.”

No, seriously, if you’re talking to a Korean, explain it in Korean.

What is a Zashiki-warashi?

As a guide, she’s a complete failure, don’t you think?

“It’s a spirit or deity that lives in houses or storehouses. According to legend, it plays pranks on the people living there but brings good fortune to those who see it, or it makes the household rich.”

“But she’s here in the dungeon, not in a house.”

After a quick search, I found that it’s also called Zabudon or Zashikidōji.

Apparently, it can have an unspecified gender or take on various appearances, sometimes male, sometimes female, and sometimes even in different forms.

In some regions of Japan, it’s just a legend.

“So, I see it’s only a legend in places like Aomori and Iwate, right? Anyway, why would a spirit that’s supposed to be in a house be here in the dungeon?”

“A house is still a house, though.”

I pointed to something that looked like a movie set.

Wouldn’t that explain it?

She might have been the Zashiki-warashi of that house.

Or maybe there are others, but we just haven’t encountered them yet.

Or maybe the salt pranks were her doing.

“Oh, I think I get it now.”

“Cheonma, did you figure something out?”

“Isn’t this girl the owner of the dungeon?”

“What?”

That sounds like a pretty plausible theory.

“The entire dungeon is like one big house, and there are lots of buildings here that look like homes, right?”

“So everything, from the Hachishaku-sama to everything else, was all just a prank?”

As the Cheonma speculated, Battle mage furrowed her brow and looked at the kimono girl.

Yoshino, trembling behind me, was shaking so much it felt like a giant smartphone vibrating.

“U-um, that’s… uh.”

“It would be better if you told us, don’t you think?”

Finally, I was starting to understand what kind of place this dungeon really was.