Chapter 36.1

Chapter 36.1

The moment I stepped over the golden rope, my foot touched the ground.

It felt like I’d entered a special field in a game or something.

The fog vanished as if by magic, revealing the scenery around me.

But...

‘...It’s huge.’

Under the full moon, the field in the mountain was far larger than I had expected.

A massive field sprawling over the ridge.

The dark, deep greens swayed quietly under the bluish moonlight.

Yet, there was nothing peaceful or pleasant about it.

It felt ominous, unsettling.

– A strange scent lingers here.

He was right.

And among those swaying green plants, I noticed clusters of small, red berries... wait a minute.

‘...Ginseng?’

It was, wasn’t it.

Is this a field of ginseng?

Wait, ginseng is typically cultivated by people, but this didn’t seem to be human-grown...

‘...Wild ginseng?’

All of this is wild ginseng?

‘No way...’

I quickly scanned the field and saw a sign posted at the edge.

[千年]

Millennium.

“......”

I immediately turned around, intending to cross back over the golden rope.

– Mr. Roe Deer?

‘I’m outta here.’

Thousand-year-old wild ginseng?

It’s like opening a friend’s pencil case to borrow a pen and finding it filled with gold bars instead.

Just as I was about to cross back over the rope—

[Honored Guest!]

“......!”

[Ah, Honored Guest. Please, don’t leave me...]

A faint, trembling voice called out, with the sound of soft sobbing from behind me.

Slowly, I turned my head halfway.

[The ghost bound to the tiger is coming to take me! A terrifying tiger will tear me limb from limb and spit me out upon the earth! Please save me, please...!]

One of the berries in the field wobbled, as if waving at me.

Then, realizing I was looking, its leaves drooped dejectedly.

[Ah, my time has come. I will be shredded with nothing left but fragments of flesh...]

“......”

I turned fully to face the wild ginseng plant.

The half-buried, grotesque ginseng lay motionless on the ground, completely knocked out.

It was a strange sight, like a cockroach lying flat after being hit by bug spray or a cat or dog dozing peacefully, belly up.

– Oh! Rude, but that was quite an amusing character! How about taking it as a souvenir?

Normally, I would’ve thought he was crazy.

But I cautiously examined the ginseng.

It had talked, shown emotions, tried to deceive me, and calculated its actions. Something like sap even seemed to be flowing through it.

So, if that’s the case...

‘Isn’t it... a sentient being?’

I’d found it—a substitute sacrifice.

* * *

“...So, you gathered all the materials, prepared the ritual, and for the sacrifice, you’re planning to use this strange wild ginseng... is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“......”

The people in the abandoned house looked utterly dumbfounded after hearing the abridged version of ‘What Kim Soleum (currently posing as security) encountered outside~.’

Maybe I summarized it too much.

But there was no helping it. I couldn’t explain exactly how I’d managed everything, so it ended up as, ‘Anyway, I got everything.’

‘I still feel a bit uneasy about bringing back the wild ginseng, but... it’s easier on my conscience than randomly picking a person to die.’

I had no idea whose land this belonged to, but if it was a real issue, Braun would’ve raised an alarm.

Trying to keep a natural expression, I looked around at the others.

They were still gawking at me, switching their gaze between the materials and the wild ginseng.

But they seemed to buy it.

“Wow, as expected from the Security Team... handling even things like this!”

Not quite.

Feeling a bit guilty, I glanced over at the actual member of the Security Team. The security sergeant lay among the middle schoolers, looking thoroughly bored.

Somehow, the kids had started chatting with him as if they’d already introduced themselves.

“Hey, you don’t look that strong.”

“No... I’m super strong.”

The kids were laughing, seeming a bit more at ease with more people around.

Section Chief Lee Byeongjin, checking the materials, glanced anxiously between Go Seonha and me, then gulped and said,

“S-So, we’re all going to the shrine now? To perform the ritual...?”

“Yes.”

“...The shrine is nearby, so as long as we move carefully, it should be fine. Nothing happened when I was there last time...”

Go Seonha, with a tense expression, looked back at me.

“By any chance, when you went out, did you visit the shrine too?”

“Yes.”

Taking advantage of Braun’s ability to erase my presence, I’d even burned the peach branches.

I’d nearly screamed a total of three (3) times from nerves.

“...Then that makes it easier. Just walk quietly, don’t make a sound, and move quickly. As long as we don’t make mistakes in the fog, we’ll be fine.”

“Understood.”

“...Alright, then. Let’s go to the shrine together.”

The time has come.