Chapter 103 – Ghost (5)

The party focused on training for a week. They worked out and sparred to exhaust their magic power. Yoo Yeonha led the training like in the original story.

“Huup!”

A crescent sword strike flew through the air. Clang! The sharp, metallic sound of swords clashing rang out. Chae Nayun felt like her hands would burst, but she didn’t lose focus. Kim Suho immediately followed with a cross slash.

“Uk!”

Then he stabbed forward like water. Chae Nayun couldn’t properly defend and flew back.

“Auu… I lost.”

She raised her hand from the ground and surrendered. Yoo Yeonha jotted something down in her notebook.

“Kim Suho 12, Chae Nayun 0.”

“Do you need to keep track?”

Chae Nayun grumbled and stood up. She dusted off the dirt from her body as Shin Jonghak checked her out. The weather had turned rather hot and Chae Nayun had cut her long jeans into shorts. Yoo Yeonha shouted at him.

“Shin Jonghak 4, Kim Suho 8!”

“What? No, it’s 4 wins, 4 losses, and 4 draws.”

“I’m the referee. Kim Suho won those by my decision.”

Woong—

The sound of a bike engine drew near. Kim Suho muttered after drinking some water.

“Looks like Hajin is back.”

“Yeah, ssp, looks like our chef is back.”

Kim Hajin took care of their food ever since they arrived in the past. Yoo Yeonha detested herself for drooling whenever she heard his bike since he always brought back something delicious. She began to react subconsciously.

“Hey, Kim Hajin! What did you bring back today?”

Chae Nayun shouted as the bike appeared in front of the entrance with an icebox.

Kim Hajin parked next to the wall and took off his helmet. Everyone had gotten used to his long hair and beard. Chae Nayun scurried up to him like a puppy waiting for her owner. Then she brought back the icebox.

“Cough.”

Yoo Yeonha and Shin Jonghak also followed Chae Nayun. The icebox contained pork, chicken, drinks, and even snacks.

“Is this Coke?”

“C-Coke?”

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes filled with greed when she spotted the brown liquid inside a glass bottle.

“Korea had Coke in the ’70s?”

Shin Jonghak murmured as he rubbed his new beard. He raised his chin to emphasize it when Chae Nayun glanced at him. She stared for a moment and blurted out.

“Why does your beard look like a goat’s?”

***

Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan handled the cooking. My magic bag contained all sorts of spices and seasonings. They braised some delicious spicy chicken and pork belly.

In the 1970s, even ordinary stream water contained more spirit energy and mana than Baekdu Mountain’s so-called heavenly water. The food tasted even more delicious when cooked with the water. Everyone’s magic power capacity would increase by 10% from eating and living here for six months. Of course, they would also have to train to accumulate that effect.

“Ah, I almost don’t want to go back. How am I supposed to eat food from back home again?”

Chae Nayun muttered as she stared at the empty pot.

“Rather than that, you should get up and spar.”

“My body hurts every time I use magic power. I’m not kidding. It feels like someone is squeezing my heart.”

“That’s because magic power clumps in your heart. You can alleviate that by using it.”

I ignored her complaints as she grumbled.

“Then why aren’t you sparring?”

“Because I don’t need to.”

“Oh yeah?”

I didn’t need to spar. The alerts on my smartwatch proved it.

[Your magic dysfunction physique permanently absorbs the accumulated magic! Your strength increases by 0.0002 points.] [Your magic dysfunction physique permanently…]

I gained 0.25 stat points over the past 50 days from this place’s high mana concentration. I didn’t have to put in any effort. Only an hour would pass in the real world even if we stayed for a year. However, that didn’t mean we could stay forever. The party stayed for about four weeks in the original story. The past would slowly erode after that.

“Alright everyone, listen up.”

I clapped and drew their attention.

“We’re going to start poking at them in four days. After all, we can’t stay here forever. I’ve come up with a plan.”

I only slightly changed the plan in the original story. We would start at their weakest point and steal two of the crystals.

“Northeast water tower’s Kim Mingyo and south steel tower’s Joo Parang. We’ll split into two groups and ambush them at night.”

***

Four days passed and the night we would attack arrived.

We split into two teams with Shin Jonghak and me in one and the other four together. Of course, Shin Jonghak opposed it, but I insisted. I felt more comfortable teaming up with him.

“We’ll go first. If you can’t clear the mission in two hours, just escape and return to base.”

I got on my bike as Shin Jonghak awkwardly hopped on behind me. He tried to find something to hold, but accidentally touched my butt. Immediately, he shuddered.

“Shit, what am I supposed to hold on to?”

“Next to you.”

“…”

Shin Jonghak spotted two protruding handles on the sides.

“I want to ride it too…”

Chae Nayun watched in envy as I stepped on the accelerator. My bike could go from 0 to 100 in less than a second even on a mountain path. We reached our destination in a flash.

“Get off. We’ll walk from here.”

I parked in a nearby forest and transformed the bike into its suitcase form. Shin Jonghak suddenly asked as we snuck to the target.

“Oy, is there a reason we had to team up?”

“Well…”

Kim Suho wouldn’t kill even if the people in this world weren’t real.

“So?”

“Sh. Look.”

We could see the water tower in the distance. Only about twenty individuals guarded it. Furthermore, people from the past couldn’t efficiently use mana. The only person I couldn’t beat was Kim Mingyo. However, he was only as strong as a low-intermediate rank hero, so Shin Jonghak would be enough.

“Kim Mingyo should be inside the water tower. I’ll deal with the small fries outside, so you go get him. I’ll support you from the back.”

“I don’t need your support.”

Shin Jonghak took out his spear. Whish— He needlessly spun it and caused a cloud of dirt to rise.

“Ptui. Hey, you’re getting dirt in my mouth.”

“Shut it.”

“I saw it entering yours too.”

“… Cut the crap.”

He licked his teeth and spat on the ground. Then a deep voice came from below the mountain.

“Who is it?”

We both turned and saw a young man with a well-built body. He seemed like a lackey on patrol from the way he shone a flashlight at us.

“This place is Asura’s land. Outsiders aren’t allowed, so turn back.”

Shin Jonghak stepped up with a sneer. “And if I refuse?”

“Ha, then you’ll be beaten.”

The young man pulled out some nunchucks as his magic power flickered around. Whoosh— whoosh— whoosh— He started swinging.

“Can you see the movement of the wind?”

Top, bottom, left, right. The nunchucks swung from all sides and created a fierce gale. I took a step back as the young man burst into laughter.

“Ahahaha! Scared?”

Click. I transformed the Desert Eagle into a shotgun and pulled the trigger.

“This is… huaak—!”

I blasted him away like an insect.

“… What a funny guy.”

“You wait here, Shin Jonghak.”

I prepared 100 handgun, shotgun, and sniper bullets along with 900 5.56mm bullets for this event.

“Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“It’ll be easier for two captains to fight once the lackeys disappear, right?”

“… I guess you’re right.”

I climbed a nearby tree and transformed the Desert Eagle into a sniper. First, I targeted the ones patrolling or dozing off. My bullets silently flew and killed them. I didn’t hesitate or feel guilty. This place was only a reproduction of the past. These people weren’t real, but phantoms that would soon disappear. I clenched my teeth and pulled the trigger. A body silently fell as I aimed for another without watching the last one die.

“Haa.”

I was drenched in cold sweat by the time I killed five. Even killing fake people took a toll as I closed my eyes for a brief rest.

***

Kim Suho’s team infiltrated the south steel tower.

“Hmm…”

Yoo Yeonha pondered as she looked up at the steel tower. A purple crystal shone at the peak. However, a magic cylinder encased it and made it impossible to snatch with her whip.

“What’s our plan?” Yi Yeonghan asked.

Yoo Yeonha scanned the enemy forces below. About forty around the same level as Cube cadets. It would be difficult with just the four of them. Heroes could take on ten individuals one full rank below them. For example, an intermediate rank, grade 1 hero could suppress ten low-intermediate rank, grade 1 heroes simultaneously. However, Yoo Yeonha didn’t think the four of them could do that except for Kim Suho. Yoo Yeonha looked at him and spoke.

“Kim Suho, you need to draw their attention as much as possible. Most of them will chase after you, but they’ll keep a small amount to defend. The three of us will suppress the rest. We’ll slowly decrease their numbers.”

“What? Isn’t that too dangerous?”

Chae Nayun hesitated, but Kim Suho agreed.

“No, I think it’s for the best.”

He lightly smiled. “Then I’ll get going.”

He condensed magic power around his legs and exploded forward. A sonic boom scattered behind him as he shot to the battlefield like a bullet and struck a guard down with his branch.

“Uuk!”

The man collapsed with a scream as everyone focused on Kim Suho.

“E-Enemy ambush!”

Most of the guards ran towards Kim Suho while Yoo Yeonha, Chae Nayun, and Yi Yeonghan rushed at the ones left behind.

“W-What!?”

“Aak!”

Yi Yeonghan headlocked them with his monstrous strength, Chae Nayun smacked them with the magic power surrounding her sword, and Yoo Yeonha suppressed them with her whip.

“Uu, uuu…”

A man with a sword fainted after Yoo Yeonha choked him with her whip.

“Hmph.”

Yoo Yeonha poked the man on the ground with her foot. She leisurely turned back after he didn’t react. Suddenly, a sharp sword shot towards her. She quickly ducked, but the blade severed a few strands of her hair.

“Y-You!”

Yoo Yeonha swung her whip and strangled the attacker.

“Do you have any idea how much effort I put into growing it!”

Her whip strangled him tightly as the man’s face turned purple. She stared at her hair on the ground and grew angry once again when she realized how much she lost.

“Uk, uuk…”

However, she showed mercy and stopped before the man died. Kim Hajin said they weren’t real, but killing them would leave a bad aftertaste.

“Hey, Yi Yeonghan! You handle the steel tower! Yeonha and I will go help Kim Suho!”

Chae Nayun shouted.

“Okay!”

Yi Yeonghan continued ahead as Yoo Yeonha looked over at Kim Suho. Only 5 out of the 30 still stood. He didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage.

“Uwuk, hey! Help me, not Kim Suho! Joo Parang is here!”

Yi Yeonghan desperately shouted from the steel tower.

***

Two hours later, both teams retrieved the purple crystals without any problems like in the original story. We roasted a whole pig in celebration. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but Chae Nayun and Kim Suho voraciously ate. I watched them finish before speaking.

“Good job today. The north and southeast areas will now become inactive.”

We just had to take it slow like today.

“Kek.”

Yoo Yeonha suddenly grabbed her neck as if she choked and smacked her chest before gulping down some water. Her face turned pale.

“What’s wrong, Yeonha?” Chae Nayun worriedly asked.

“Nothing. I just can’t… digest well.”

I frowned. “There’s no way you can’t digest your food.”

“W-What do you mean? It’s not like I’m a pig. I can get sick too.”

No, that couldn’t be the problem since the meat was so tender. I narrowed my eyes and scanned her for injuries, but she seemed fine. Then I noticed her hair. It looked asymmetrical like someone had cut it.

“What’s that?”

“Yes?”

Yoo Yeonha tilted her head as I pointed at her hair.

“Your hair. What happened?”

“Oh, this? Someone cut it during the last battle…”

“Damn it.”

Kim Suho’s team would’ve only suppressed them. The survivors would take back any traces of their attackers. For example, someone’s hair.

“Argh, why does my chest feel so heavy?”

Yoo Yeonha kept thumping her chest. Someone had cursed her. Even a single strand of hair could kill depending on the curse magician’s ability. Gwangmyeong City Hall did have a voodoo magician who used the curse of weakening. Things just got complicated.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not that sick.” Yoo Yeonha frowned.

“Look how worried he is. Maybe he likes you.” Chae Nayun chimed in with a grin.

“Then I’ll have to decline. Sorry.”

“Listen you two…”

Areas with high mana would amplify the power of curses. They snickered to themselves without knowing.

I was partially at fault for not warning them. I sighed and slowly opened my mouth.