Chapter 134: Vortex Key (4)

━Let me out! You bitches! I know you're all there!

Yang Juhee screamed wildly from inside the box.

Thud thud-

There was also a dull noise, as if she was headbutting the box.

Thud thud-! Thud-!

━Ha Young-won. Save me. I can't breathe. Young-won! Young-won! Save me! Let me out of here! I said let me out! You let Yoo Dahee out, didn't you! You son of a bitch!

Yang Juhee was even cunningly touching on my childhood trauma.

A girl trapped, begging me to let her out. I'm weak to that kind of thing!

"No!"

Just then, Yoo Dahee shouted. She grabbed my clothes tightly with the hand not shaking the bell.

"You can't let her out!"

"...I know."

But Yang Juhee's voice was so pitiful, and she was even sobbing. Not many people could withstand such sounds.

"Mom...? Mom, why are you there!"

Then Bong Ji-yeon started talking nonsense. What's this about Bong Ji-yeon's mom?

Soon, Jung-seok also said something.

"Hey... I can hear Jin Seo-yeon's voice? From inside that box. I know this isn't real, but it sounds so vivid. I know it's impossible, but..."

"I can hear my dad's voice! Dad...!?"

Kwon Sua trembled. Everyone seemed to be losing it.

Only Ms. Hong Mi-ri looked somewhat okay.

"Ms. Hong Mi-ri, are you alright?"

"No, I'm hearing Yeri's voice. Asking to be opened. To be let out."

Is everyone hearing a voice they can't refuse?

Having to constantly ignore such voices was mentally exhausting. Even the voice of Yang Juhee I was hearing had now changed to almost an animal's howl.

Thud, thud-!

Yang Juhee hitting the box from inside.

I started to feel really scared. I had a feeling we might have nailed it shut a bit loosely.

Flicker-

The burning torches suddenly went out. Everyone froze in the unexpected darkness, and Bong Ji-yeon even screamed.

"Kyaaah!"

"...Kids, it seems we've failed. Let's get out of here quickly!"

Dr. Ji Dong-seok's voice in the darkness.

Just as the kids were about to panic.

Through my 《Owl Eyes》, I could see that Dr. Ji Dong-seok was still kneeling and performing the gut ritual.

Someone had imitated the man's voice.

"Guys! Don't stop! Keep shaking the bells! Guys!"

I shouted at the scared kids.

Snapping back to their senses at my voice, they started shaking the bells again.

Jingle jingle jingle-

The sound of bells that shouldn't ring filled the air-

Haa, haa-

Misty breath started to fill the air. As if the Buldan Temple was full of people.

***

The man said.

"I'm thinking of calling in more manpower."

The woman listening opened her narrow eyes and let out a sigh.

"I'm against it. We should just bury it. If we dig any deeper... we can't guarantee our lives either. What's down there... even I've never seen it before."

"......"

"It gives me chills to think this was under our feet. This kind of thing... it's better to just bury it. It doesn't even have malice. It's just like a landmine. Something that explodes when you step on it..."

"That's why I'm saying we should call in more people. I know someone in Japan. They've learned Japanese sorcery and can control ghosts. Their skills are certain. What's down there resembles Japanese ghosts, after all."

"I'm... still against it."

"Your opposition doesn't mean anything anymore. I've already called them. They'll be coming to Korea soon."

What is this? A dream?

When I came to my senses, it felt like my throat was choked with dust.

Cough, cough cough-

After coughing uncontrollably, my head felt like it was about to split.

"Guys! Are you okay?"

I called out to the kids in the darkness.

My memory was hazy. What happened?

"Talisman... Gas...!"

Just in case, I took out the talisman I had put in my inner pocket.

It was charred black as if someone had burned it.

"We're screwed. We really need to get out of here! Guys! Teacher! Mr. Ji Dong-won!"

I shouted towards the kids, but no one answered my voice from anywhere. 

What had happened?

We were shaking the bells hard... the seal on the shabby box broke and what was inside jumped out... and us all...

Gasp...!

I remembered.

Yang Juhee who was in the box jumped out and attacked us! As evidence, the lid of the box visible through my 《Owl Eyes》 had been torn off as if by a bear.

Crack, crunch-

Crackle-

Just then, I heard the sound of bones breaking and joints bending from somewhere. It was nearby.

When I went closer, I saw something behind this shrine tearing open and eating someone's stomach, which was bleeding red.

The one collapsed was Jung-seok, and the one eating Jung-seok was... Dr. Ji Dong-seok.

"...Mister."

I called out to Dr. Ji Dong-seok, trying to gather my wits.

I couldn't just be scared. I needed to know exactly what was happening.

Swish-

Ji Dong-seok stood up with blood all over his mouth.

He wiped the blood flowing from his lips with his hand and drew three lines from his forehead to his chin in the shape of fingers. Then he held out his hand, formed a seal, and made an "Om─" sound.

"Gasp... Yin-Yang Master!"

It was the same gesture as the third floor Yin-Yang Master who had banished me from the corridor earlier.

As I was backing away, I was so scared that I chose to run, but something caught my foot.

"Kyaah!"

"S-Sua?"

It was Kwon Sua's voice. I was glad that Kwon Sua was alive.

"Sua! You're alive!"

"Young-won? It's too dark! You're there, right? We need to get out of here quickly! I can't see anything! We need to get out of here! We need to get out quickly... My phone should be somewhere here..."

Kwon Sua fumbled around. Was she trying to find her phone?

I found Kwon Sua's phone, and its flashlight was on. When I held it out to Kwon Sua, I froze.

"...Uh..."

...Because Kwon Sua's eyes were severely injured.

I don't know how she got hurt, but it was so bad it was scary. Kwon Sua kept fumbling with her hands, not seeming to realize her eyes were injured.

"It's so dark... Young-won, you're there, right? Don't leave me alone! I'm so scared! So... so scared...!"

I thought I should take Kwon Sua and leave.

But I couldn't because something was coming towards me from that darkness.

Crunch, crunch-

Crack-

It was walking on four legs.

But it wasn't crawling normally, its arms and legs were bent in a bridge position, and its face was turned 180 degrees to look straight ahead.

Can a person move like that? No, that wasn't a person.

"I told you to save me."

Yang Juhee, transformed into a spider ghost, approached me. Yang Juhee's eyes were pitch black, and blood was flowing from her forehead.

"Ha Young-won, where are you? Where?"

The ghostly Yang Juhee was calling for me. I was terrified, but unfortunately, Kwon Sua was right where Yang Juhee was passing.

"Young-won! Where are you! I'm... so... scared..."

"Ha Young-won!"

Yang Juhee passed by Kwon Sua. I felt puzzled at that sight.

'Could it be she can't see Kwon Sua?'

I looked at Yang Juhee, wondering. Soon, Yang Juhee shuddered and looked at me.

"There you are?"

Crunch, crunch-

Pitter-patter-!

Yang Juhee approached me, bending her joints strangely. I closed my eyes tightly and wound the clock.

『《Sloppy Clock》 rewinds time.

100P consumed.

Remaining points. 880.』

***

Bang-! Bang-bang-! Bang-!

This time, I nailed it shut really well. 

No matter how much Yang Juhee struggles inside this box, she won't be able to escape. I had to use 100P and saw horrific scenes... but there was some gain.

'It seems Yang Juhee was definitely possessed by that Gandara spider woman. The reason Kwon Sua was the only one who survived while everyone else died... because her eyes were injured...'

Suddenly, I remembered what happened on the third floor. Didn't Jung-seok say this before the spider woman took him away?

─...We saw when we opened the door too. With eight arms... Like a spider...

Maybe what stimulates the spider woman is the act of 'seeing'. If we don't look, we might survive.

"Guys, no matter what happens, don't stop shaking the bells. You must keep shaking until I say it's over."

Dr. Ji Dong-seok chanted again. It was still an incomprehensible language.

Bang bang, bang bang bang-!

Yang Juhee hit the box.

It was a familiar scene.

"Is everyone okay?"

I spoke to everyone.

Unlike the previous attempt, this time everyone wore earplugs, so they didn't seem to hear me.

I was the only one not wearing earplugs. I could constantly hear Yang Juhee's screams.

━Open it! I said open it! Open it! Aaaagh! Aaaaaaagh! Spiders! There are so many spiders! Grandma! I'm sorry! I was wrong! I'll listen well from now on! Spider! Spideeeeer!

Yang Juhee was in terrible pain.

It was the kind of scream a person being burned alive might make. It hurt my heart to ignore such screams and keep shaking the bell.

"Hang in there! Juhee! You have to hang in there! You can do it!"

All I could do was cheer her on.

Whether that encouragement worked well or not, Yang Juhee's screaming voice gradually became quieter.

"It seems to be over."

Huff-

Dr. Ji Dong-seok, who had been chanting, also stopped. The man said.

"Now, at least for Juhee, those evil things won't attack her. That's the best I could do. Honestly, I'm not sure if it will work well."

We took Yang Juhee out of the box.

Yang Juhee was shaking terribly, and she would startle even if we just touched her.

"Hee! Hee!"

...Has she lost her mind?

I wondered what had happened. Dr. Ji Dong-seok said.

"She had a terrifying experience, so she won't come to her senses for a while. Stability is important."

I checked the status window, just in case. I thought she might have developed a quirk.

『Name. Yang Juhee Lv.5

Traits. 《Tool Expert》 《Strong Legs》 《Sacrificial Virgin》

Disposition. Brave

Quirk. None

Possessions. Eternal Box Cutter, Zippo Lighter, Princess Magic Wand

An unstable and secretive delinquent girl. Her personality is bold, she enjoys adventure, and she's proactive. In dark and sinister journeys, this girl will generally be a reliable companion.』

Instead of a quirk, an unfamiliar trait had appeared. As I focused on it, text appeared.

『《Sacrificial Virgin》. A virgin offered as a sacrifice to lure dark spirits. She won't be attacked by dark spirits. The price is terrible.』