LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 199
Let’s turn back time for a moment.
“Be careful so you don’t get hurt!”
“I want to go too…”
With Da-eun seeing me off and Yuki giving me a look of pure envy that I couldn’t understand at all, I left the pension.
As soon as I opened the door, I was immediately hit by a torrential downpour that felt like the sky itself had opened up!
Could an ordinary person endure this rain?
“Hmm.”
Crack—!
Out of nowhere, I heard something break a few steps away.
Amid the deafening sound of rain, a distinct noise caught my attention, and I turned to see a tree lying on the ground with its back broken.
It wasn’t extremely thick, but not exactly flimsy either.
As I inspected the tree trunk, I nodded.
“Not good.”
No human flesh is tougher than a tree trunk, right?
Just a bump from that could leave some serious bruises all over.
A weak person might not just bruise but could even be laid up for days.
I kicked the tree out of frustration and lifted my head.
The rain reduced visibility, but that was no issue.
No matter how thick the mist created by the downpour, it couldn’t completely cover the towering mountain in the distance.
“Why does it have to rain on my vacation? Talk about bad manners!”
They say the highest praise from gamers is to say, “Your game is terrible.”
Maybe the Dimensional Beings would be thrilled if they heard what I just said.
Whether in a game or a war, getting insulted by your opponents counts as the best praise, after all.
I took a step forward, and at the same time, the scenery stretched away, as if trying to run from me.
Just like it was trying to ditch me.
‘Nah, that can’t be right…’
With each step I took, the surroundings changed swiftly.
The rain was pouring like crazy, and while the water spilled over my shins, there were indeed some people braving the streets.
Avoiding those people, I found my way through the bushes and even jumped over buildings, reaching the edge of the mountain before I knew it.
Truth be told, if I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings, I could’ve gotten here much earlier.
After the stalking incident the other day, I realized how many oddballs there are out there, so I’ve been a bit more cautious.
And as a result, I ended up as a yellow chick in a raincoat, with a hood pulled tightly and sunglasses on, looking like a total weirdo.
Wow.
“Even I think this is a bit much.”
Anyone would see me as suspicious.
But I guess anything’s fair in this weather, so why not?
Anyway.
The place I arrived at was different from where I hiked with the others a few days ago.
Back then, I had company and no urgency to climb, but now it was a completely different situation.
There was no need to stick to the paths, so I intentionally took this route.
Even if it’s a bit uncomfortable, I could move quickly while avoiding the public eye.
I was more than capable of climbing this mountain without getting snagged on any terrain.
The height didn’t matter; the mountains I used to live near were far more rugged.
As I trudged forward, not a moment to spare for sightseeing, the scenery was moving away rapidly behind me.
“──…?!”
“?”
With a leap and a landing, I caught a faint sound.
It was subtle, so I thought I imagined it.
But shortly after, I heard a similar sound, confirming I wasn’t just hearing things.
At that moment, I also felt a presence through my Sensation technique.
Normally, I would’ve ignored it, but…
“Should I check it out?”
I was on a mission to investigate.
The presence I sensed might be entangled with the Dimensional Beings, and I couldn’t just brush it off.
Sure, the chances were slim, but you never know.
As I moved toward the presence, I found…
“A-a person?! Over here…!”
“Help me…! There’s someone here!”
…
A pair of people trapped under debris, including the remnants of a broken tree, were completely stuck.
It seemed a tree had toppled over and blocked their path while they were passing by.
They were in a desperate bind, unable to move backward or forward because of the piled-up debris.
But hang on, this isn’t the hiking trail, right?
When I came up here days ago, the hiking paths were reasonably well-constructed, yet no signs of the trail could be found around.
You’d think there’d be some hint left, even if the torrential rain wrecked it.
“Is that a kid?”
Meanwhile, the feeling was mutual for them.
Surprised by my presence, the two who had sensed me asking for help hesitated as they looked at me.
“What’s a kid doing here…?”
“Sunglasses?”
They didn’t look that old.
Are they a couple?
Whatever the case, they both looked suspiciously at me, which suggested they had relatively good chemistry.
“Isn’t that a ghost?”
“Come on, where would you even find a ghost?”
“But it’s weird… Who wears sunglasses in this weather?”
“There’s no rule against it. Maybe I’m a celebrity.”
“Why would a celebrity climb a mountain in this weather?”
“Maybe they suddenly wanted to hike.”
“Are you gonna keep saying nonsense?”
“Ghosts don’t make sense?”
“That’s more believable than a celebrity!”
“…Hmm.”
…Wait, that doesn’t seem right now that I think about it.
“Anyway.”
The guy who was dishing out remarks to the girl turned back to me.
“Did you come with your parents? Where are they?”
“They’re not here.”
“…Not here? Ah, so you lost your parents, huh? Do you have any idea where they might be?”
“Yeah.”
“Really? Then go find your parents and ask for help—”
“Can’t. They’re in heaven.”
Did I just indirectly say I’m dead?
If so, that’s a pretty original approach!
Not a clue, really.
“…What?”
“Are you calling someone trash?”
“No, how was I supposed to know…?”
“Then why on earth did you bring up my parents out of nowhere?”
“A kid wandering around in the mountains might raise questions…”
The guy seemed stuck on that point but was clearly flustered.
Even though I’d doubted he meant it that way.
“…Wait! Are you actually hiking up this mountain…?”
The guy’s eyes were wide open, like he’d just seen an earthquake.
“Ahem…! Listen, kid. It might be tough right now, but light will shine on you. I was once in a rough spot too—”
“What are you doing?”
“Hang on. We should save the kid first…”
Those two lowered their voices to chat without me picking up on it, but ironically enough, I could hear every word.
“So, are you two a couple?”
“Y-yeah! We’re dating. Oh, right! You’ll definitely get a boyfriend just like me, so don’t lose hope—”
“You’re really pushing it!”
“…What are you two doing?”
“If you don’t help, then let’s just go!”
“Pfft.”
Yup, they’re definitely a couple.
“What were you doing here?”
“Well…”
Why was I even answering?
The guy wore a funny expression but straightforwardly opened his mouth.
“We were at the shelter up there, but it felt like we need to get out of there.”
“Why?”
“It felt ominous. The roof creaked, the windows leaked… and with our food running low, we couldn’t stick around.”
I don’t disagree with his reasoning.
But honestly, wouldn’t it be safer to wait for the rain to let up rather than rushing down the mountain?
It was as if he read my thoughts; the guy gave a sheepish smile.
“…If I had known it’d turn out like this, I would’ve just stayed put. So, um, could I ask you for a favor?”
“A favor?”
“If you go a little up, there’s a shelter. People are gathered there. Do you think you could go tell them we’re here? I know it’s asking a lot, but… as you can see, we have no one else.”
“Hmm.”
“While you’re at it, you can rest at the shelter too. Not that it’s really my place to say, but going down the mountain in this weather is not a good idea.”
“That’s really not your place to say.”
“…Haha.”
The guy laughed again.
This time, it was a slightly more awkward chuckle.
Helping him out wasn’t going to be a big deal.
“But I have something to ask.”
Yet that’s that. It’s time to ask my questions.
“Is this really the right time to ask?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“This isn’t a hiking path, though. What are you doing here?”
Could I get a hint about the Dimensional Beings?
I asked with low expectations,
“The hiking path got wrecked, so we couldn’t pass.”
“I see.”
In line with that, the returned answer was hardly satisfying.
My interest waned in a flash, but I figured I should finish my questions.
“Have you seen anything strange around? Suspicious, or anything?”
“The kid in front of me is suspicious.”
“Excuse me, kid.”
The girl, who had been silent until now, with a look of displeasure, spoke up.
“Are you playing detective? Or mimicking some comic? Sorry, but we’re not in the mood to humor you. Either help or just leave!”
“Hey, hey… why are you saying that?”
“Did I say something wrong?”
“…Still, you should at least try to persuade.”
“Ugh…”
The guy was earnestly trying to soothe the girl.
That did lighten the mood somewhat, but the girl still turned her head away like she couldn’t stand it.
“Strange things, huh.”
The guy, who had been making a wry smile while looking at the girl, pretended to think.
“That’s hard to say.”
“I figured as much.”
Despite finally appearing, there was no information to gain.
Still, since they answered earnestly even in that situation, I had to help them out.
As I reached out to clear away the tree blocking their way…
“…Ah!”
I suddenly halted, as if I had recalled something.
“Last night, at the top of the mountain, I saw green light coming up from Baengnokdam. It was still there when I came down, so maybe someone who didn’t make it to the shelter is trying to signal for help?”
“Green light…?”
Could someone visibly send that signal in this downpour?
Interesting!
I thought I’d hit a snag, but…
“It wasn’t a total bust.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
The guy reacted to my mumble, but I didn’t feel like responding.
“You were a big help.”
“…Uh, that’s a relief.”
What I gained was just a clue, but once I go there myself, it’ll be confirmed.
A clue is still better than nothing.
Plus, I appreciated how calm he was in responding during a crisis.
If it weren’t for that, I’d have wasted time aimlessly or left without gaining anything.
“So, I’ll help you out.”
“…Really?! Thanks! Though technically, this isn’t the right time… we need something of use…”
“I’m not going to the shelter.”
“…Huh?”
This time, I was making an exception to show myself to gather information, but I didn’t want to expose myself to others.
I wasn’t weak, after all.
Looking at the puzzled guy and the girl, who had turned her glare toward me, I raised my arms.
* * *
“…”
“…”
“Yeeun!”
“…Yeah?”
The guy dazedly stared ahead, calling out to the girl beside him.
She responded to his call, her expression no different from his.
Just earlier, they were blocked by heaps of debris piled like a wall.
As they opened their eyes to the piercing sound, it was as if the blockage had vanished into thin air.
Was it just a dream?
“Ouch.”
The guy pinched his cheek for no reason, and all that returned was pain and the girl’s incredulous look.
In the midst of the guy’s shivering from the cold, holding his warm cheek, he said,
“Earlier, you said where are the ghosts?”
“Yeah…”
Maybe there’s a god after all.
“Who knows?”
The girl who vanished without a trace; the guy in the yellow chick raincoat shivered as he looked at the spot she stood. He suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.