Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
65. Things that have to be hidden (7)
I recalled the actions of the Mountain Spirit until now.
The place I first met the Mountain Spirit was the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain.
It was the day I investigated the Eungwang School’s ghost story ‘On moonless night, all hike roads on the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain lead to ghost gates’, as I accepted Seong Gukeon’s request.
‘Thinking about it, the ghost gate ghost story from then was also connected to ley lines.’
I wasn’t able to satisfy the ‘moonless night’ condition, but I figured out the ghost gate locations with the ‘Ghost Gate Seeing Lenses’.
The locations of the ghost gates found through the item matched the key points of ley lines of the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain, that the Don tribe tried to cut off.
That day I discovered a strangely eye-grabbing place besides the ley lines.
And in that location, I ran into the Mountain Spirit in front of the Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu).
When I put my hand on the Heavenly Sacred Tree’s bark according to the Mountain Spirit’s advice, the ‘Communication With The Transcendent Universe’ skill raised a level and the Power of Fate activated.
‘The Power of Fate guided me to use the ‘Communication With The Transcendent Universe’.’
It wasn’t the only thing that bothered me.
When I used the ‘Communication With The Transcendent Universe’ and went to meet Eun-ho under the Silver Light (Eunhwi) Building, wasn’t the Mountain Spirit also there?
The Mountain Spirit put the branch of Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu) on Eun-ho’s body and sprinted away.
‘In addition, the power to communicate with the sky…?’
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed that that ‘sky’ was the Transcendent Universe.
Thinking about it, the rarity of the Transcendent Universe skill was UR rank, not the immeasurable EX rank.
It wouldn’t be strange if someone in this world had it.
I tried to think and compare it to the situation in PMH to obtain information, but immediately stopped thinking.
‘… There is no way Mountain Spirit appeared in PMH, right?’
No matter how powerful of a soul the Mountain Spirit had, they wouldn’t be able to receive the divine energy from the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain and wouldn’t be able to use the power.
Weren’t the ley lines of the Heavenly Wings Mountain cut off, and because the Divine Beast was lost, the trees withered and died, and the ground rotted?
“Is ‘that kid’ you speak of Jo Uisin?”
The Mountain Spirit was staring piercingly in my direction while speaking, but Hwang Jiho asked for confirmation.
The Mountain Spirit nodded vigorously, with a face filled with an intense sadness and dejection.
“Ye, I diligently helped that kid, but he didn’t help me.”
Come again? What?
It was like a sound of young child throwing a tantrum.
The Mountain Spirit sent me signals to help them a few times when tigers were scolding them, but wasn’t most of it deserved?
Even if I stopped them then, the Mountain Spirit might have been scolded somewhere else when I wasn’t around.
‘That being said, it would be difficult to have a conversation if I openly ignored them.’
When I thought I should appease them with some adequate words and move on, Baek Ho-gun opened his mouth.
“Don’t demand such things from Jo Uisin.”
He didn’t put superpower wave in his voice, but it felt as if the temperature around the Mountain Spirit dropped.
The Mountain Spirit’s body stiffened as if it was frozen at the voice without warmth.
My Playable Character was so deeply considerate!
I received a lot of help from Baek Ho-gun, but I couldn’t at all join him in the search for the Mountain Spirit, so rather, hearing those words, I felt sorry.
“As Baek-ho said. Though I don’t think you have helped Jo Uisin, even if you did, it’s not a good attitude to demand a price.”
“You’re the Mountain Spirit of the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain, the sacred mountain of the Ho tribe. Please don’t forget it.”
After, Hwang Jiho and Eun-ho also added a word.
Everyone’s tone was like that of persuading a young child.
I still didn’t know what kind of being was the origin of the Mountain Spirit.
However, if they received the divine energy from the moment when the Heavenly Wings Mountain’s ley lines returned to life, it was certain it wasn’t long since this Mountain Spirit had an ego.
‘If you count that, their mental age is probably the lowest among the Mountain Spirits.’
The Mountain Spirit nodded half-heartedly to the tigers’ words, but it seemed that it was letting their words in one ear and out the other.
Even knowing that the Mountain Sprit was not retrospecting, the tigers changed the topic of the conversation.
I guess they thought that nagging beyond that was useless.
“Then let’s hear about that sky. With what method are You communicating with that something of the sky?”
Perhaps hating to listen to any more scolding, the Mountain Spirit gladly responded when the topic changed.
The Mountain Spirit explained how they communicated with the transcendent Universe.
The explanation was clumsy and lacking, but from just hearing it, it felt similar to the ‘Communication With The Transcendent Universe’ skill that I used.
“That kid probably uses the same power as me? I saw him use it.”
At those words, the gazes poured towards me again.
I used the Communication skill in front of the Mountain Spirit, so I expected them to say it.
Even if I made excuses, it seemed useless, so I decided to admit it.
Hwang Jiho would notice anyway even without the Mountain Spirit saying it.
“It seems to be the same skill.”
The tigers were not shocked by my answer, as if they already guessed it, but Cheon Dongha made a surprised face.
It couldn’t be helped but be surprising if a junior had the same power as the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain’s Mountain Spirit.
Eun-ho asked me instead of the Mountain Spirit, who couldn’t explain properly.
“That power is a skill, eh? The Mountain Spirit said They put Their hand to the Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu) to use it, is it a skill that is impossible to use without the Heavenly Sacred Tree?”
Ah, no, it wasn’t.
The Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu) smoothed the communication and increased the time, but it could be used even without it.
I was certain of it as I used the communication skill in the hillside neighborhood before I entered Eungwang School.
When I was choosing my words, the Mountain Spirit answered first.
“No, you can do it without it. But with it, the body hurts less.”
“… Body hurts less?”
Hwang Jiho reacted to the useless and irrelevant sound the Mountain Spirit made.
I guess the body pain bothered him more than the differences in the skill activation based on whether there was the Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu) or not.
“Because the Mountain Spirit’s body is indistinct, They affect this world less, and are less affected by it in turn. But even the Mountain Spirit was in pain?”
If you used it for long, it would put burden on your body, shouldn’t they doubt the words of the Mountain Spirit who had a tendency to exaggerate?
I didn’t know why the Mountain Spirit was making such sounds instigating the tiger’s worries.
The target of Eun-ho’s question was me, and the content of the question was just if the skill usage was related to the Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu), not whether the body was in pain.
Eun-ho, who soundless put down the tea cup, asked Hwang Jiho.
“Did Uisin hyung use that skill often?”
Why are you asking Hwang Jiho instead of me?
Do you think I wouldn’t answer you properly if you asked me?
While I counted the number of times I used the communication skill in front of Hwang Jiho in my head, Hwang Jiho answered.
“A few times. He might have also used it in places I didn’t see.”
“Seeing Uisin hyung’s face, it seems to be the case…”
“Jo Uisin…”
I expected nagging like they did with the Mountain Spirit, but the tigers were quiet.
The silence fell.
Around the time tea turned cold, Eun-ho picked up the conversation.
“… We can’t change what happened in the past. We have to be more cautious.”
“Indeed. I’ll be more cautious.”
The ones using the skill were me and the Mountain Spirit, so I didn’t know what the tigers were to be cautious about.
It seemed that it was me that had to be cautious.
“Then another question.”
Eun-ho poured new tea into the empty or cold tea cups, while speaking.
I felt the atmosphere becoming slightly softer as the warmth and scent of tea spread.
“What is the party You’re communicating with, what the Mountain Spirit labels ‘Sky’?”
At Eun-ho’s question, the Mountain Spirit confidently answered ‘sky’ first, but no one lent them an ear.
Everyone waited for my answer.
Among them, Eun-ho likely clearly perceived and felt that existence.
“The name of the skill I’m using is ‘Communication with the Transcendent Universe’.”
“… If it’s the Transcendent Universe, it would be the same being I came into contact with before I opened my eyes.”
“First time heard name, eh?”
After that, we contemplated the Transcendent Universe.
Even when combining together what Eun-ho experienced, what I knew and the Mountain Spirit felt, no answer came.
In the end, we didn’t guess anything about the Transcendent Universe.
The Transcendent Universe wasn’t the only one unknowable.
‘What the hell is the Mountain Spirit?’
The Mountain Spirit wasn’t a being that was born naturally from the Power of Earth of the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain.
They were a powerful soul that resided around the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain and received the divine energy to become a Mountain Spirit.
Hwang Jiho and Eun-ho presented several candidates, but nothing stuck.
‘Even so, there is a clue.’
And it seemed that the Transcendent Universe knew the answer.
Like I confirmed Sinin and Cheongho’s identity, if I gathered clues and asked a question, wouldn’t I be able to receive an answer?
No, considering what the Mountain Spirit said, there was a better way.
“When I use the communication, the Transcendent Universe answers in two types of ways.”
“Two types?” [1]
“Positive or negative, and direction.”
Dying my vision and mind green.
And light pointing the direction.
Until now, the Transcendent Universe answered only in those ways.
However, it seemed that the Mountain Spirit was different.
“The Mountain Spirit said that ‘If you help that kid, that kid will help you’. They probably heard more substantial answers than me.”
“… Uh, probably?”
The Mountain Spirit’s words strangely trailed off.
Hwang Jiho asked again.
“What does that ‘probably’ mean?”
“In the past it would just talk, but these days it just shines green or red in front of me. It seems to be just answering ‘yes’ and ‘no’.”
Then it was similar to me.
Did the Mountain Spirit’s Communication level drop?
Hwang Jiho fell into thoughts for a moment, and then said:
“Then from now on we should throw the questions to our heart’s content, eh? Prepare thousands of yes or no questions and…”
“Ah, no, I hate it!”
The Mountain Spirit jumped at Hwang Jiho’s words.
It was somewhat forced, but if we did as Hwang Jiho suggested, and threw questions as if playing something like twenty questions, we might have been able to reveal the Mountain Spirit’s identity.
“Now even if it’s one or two questions, my body hurts and I can’t use the power.”
The Mountain Spirit spoke, trembling.
The Mountain Spirit was filled with fear they may be annihilated.
There was some weak feigning of pain mixed in, but it didn’t seem like they were lying.
‘Is it related to the Mountain Spirit becoming material enough to be visible to the naked eye, and be able to communicate?’
Thanks to the Mountain Spirit gaining a body, they were able to communicate with us, but in reverse, it seemed that the Mountain Spirit was limited in the communication with the Transcendent Universe.
After that, we had a conversation about the Mountain Spirit and the Transcendent Universe, but we weren’t able to find a solution in the end.
The tasks that had to be solved increased by one.
When we finished talking, it was slightly past lunchtime.
“Let’s eat lunch.”
Hearing those words, I belatedly felt hunger.
Hwang Jiho stood up from his seat, while addressing Cheon Dongha.
“Let’s have lunch together. This one will personally cook.”
“Uh… Should I help?”
“Hahaha! There is no need. Wait.”
It looked like he planned to cook for Cheon Dongha too.
It was in contrast to when he said that they couldn’t thoughtlessly have a taste of his cooking and attacking the 3rd year class 0 Woo Gihwan’s gang.
But would Eun-ho’s descendants at the side building eat properly?
Though the automatic maid could cook if requested.
“Rest assured. Hwang Yuho will make lunch.”
As if reading my worries, Hwang Jiho stealthily said.
But hearing it, I wasn’t reassured at all.
Wasn’t Hwang Yuho Hwang Jiho’s elementary school version?
It would be difficult to cook with such a young appearance.
Even when the youngest Eun Jaeho was cooking, he would step on a stand, so wouldn’t it be better if I went to the main building and help?
The moment I finished this thought, I abruptly came back to my senses.
‘… No, I’m comparing Eun Jaeho and the geezer?!’
No matter how young Hwang Yuho looked, the insides were Hwang Jiho.
I decided to turn my thoughts towards some other place.
Ding.
Opportunely, a new message arrived on the device.
[Cunning] I feel that the value of the gift will decrease with the passage of time, so I wish to see You this evening.
[Cunning] See You later.
*~*~*
[1] “Two types?” — Hwang-ho’s question.
[?] Cheonik and Cheondansu — you may have noticed that I didn’t always put Korean names in parentheses. It doesn’t mean anything. I simply didn’t want to keep repeating it sometimes.
Translator’s note: Having Cheon Dongha here is a very interesting choice…
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