I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 253

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓𝟑

Merchants had urged me to go, so I quickly made some brief preparations and went straight to find the Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym.

It was true that they lacked military might, but their help was also necessary to search for enemies and rescue people who had gotten caught up in the ghost town-like space.

“Oh, you received the same request from the merchants?”

They glanced at me suspiciously, and it seemed at a glance that their reaction was not very positive.

One of them, a man with a shaved head named Cheol-woong, openly lashed out at me.

“I don’t know where you crawled out from, but don’t meddle in this. We have no intention of handing over any compensation whatsoever.”

As expected, they seemed to perceive me as nothing more than an unpleasant nuisance.

I had anticipated this kind of reaction, but I still opened my mouth again because I needed their help.

“I don’t need any compensation. Even if we succeed in rescuing the group, the Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym can take their things.”

“What a strange fellow. What would be left for you then?”

“I also have a separate covenant, so you don’t have to worry about that part. I will make sure not to cause you any inconvenience.”

When I humbled myself that much, the Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym finally whispered something among themselves and nodded subtly.

“Alright. But don’t do anything to hold us back.”

“Yes. I will be careful.”

Having barely obtained their consent, I let out a small sigh and glanced at them, but it seemed that they were diligently preparing their tools, suggesting that they were not just talking about going to the rescue.

Once all the preparations were complete, Jang Ri-gyeong, who seemed to be the leader of the Taoists, approached me and gave me his word.

“Let’s go. If a battle breaks out, we will consider you non-existent, so act accordingly. We will not help you if you happen to be in danger. If the formation is disrupted, we cannot guarantee our own lives either.”

“Yes. That is enough.”

The Taoists moved into action without any hesitation, and I followed them.

“Can we leave the rear security to you?”

“Yes. You may.”

They didn’t seem to be bad guys at heart, and unlike their harsh attitudes, they treated me as part of the group, albeit minimally.

Compared to modern-day exorcists, they were quite materialistic, but I thought that it might be natural considering the era they lived in.

“According to the merchants, they saw the city somewhere on this plain. . . .”

“Hyung-nim, why worry about it? We’ll just find it if we search thoroughly.”

“It’s not a matter to be taken so lightly. Judging from the fact that there have been eyewitness accounts at regular intervals, it’s not like it shows itself to every passerby. Since it recently lured in the merchants, it’s highly likely that we won’t be able to find it easily right now.”

Jang Ri-gyeong’s words were certainly correct.

Whether it was because he was the leader of the Taoists, his judgment was sharper and more accurate than I had expected.

Jang Ri-gyeong, who had been contemplating for a while, seemed to have made up his mind and gave instructions to everyone.

“The merchants definitely encountered the non-existent city while preparing to camp and then fled. So there must be traces of them that they didn’t have time to clean up. We can search for them and use detection techniques to scan the surroundings to find the entrance to the city.”

That idea seemed correct to me as well, so we all nodded and followed Jang Ri-gyeong’s words.

After discovering the traces of the merchants and searching the area around them with detection techniques, we were definitely able to sense a strange surge of energy.

“Hyung-nim. It seems like we can reach the city if we follow this surge of energy.”

Yang Wan, who had the lowest level among the Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym, spoke with a trembling voice.

I heard that he was the youngest in the group, so perhaps that was why he seemed more nervous than the others.

“From now on, pay close attention. Don’t do anything reckless.”

These words were not just for me, but for everyone.

With Jang Ri-gyeong’s words as our cue, we began to follow the energy and head deeper into the area.

About how long did we travel?

At one point, a thin white fog appeared around us, and soon it became so thick that we could not see the surrounding terrain.

Even the plain that had existed until just a moment ago had disappeared without a trace, and we could no longer clearly discern where we were headed.

And then, the non-existent city began to reveal itself before us.

“. . .Is that it?”

Jang Ri-gyeong also gulped as he gazed at the city, clearly taken aback by the unusual phenomenon.

And he slowly led the group into the city.

As I watched the scene, I already felt a headache coming on.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙣.」

Jang Ri-gyeong and his group seemed to have decent combat experience, but they didn’t seem to have encountered any real monsters.

『What’s clearly inside this city are yokai that are way too much for their level to handle.』

Verdi’s words were correct.

Jang Ri-gyeong and his group didn’t seem to notice, but several omens had already appeared in that short moment.

First of all, I didn’t know what kind of trickery had been used, but an almost perfect reverse space had been created here, and it was also incredibly large.

Secondly, the merchants had said that they felt an intense urge to surrender to the city the moment they saw it, but there was no such symptom now.

In other words, it was highly likely that the yokai ruling the city had summoned us of its own accord.

『Lastly, despite possessing such power, I can’t sense any particularly distinctive energy. . . . . . .』

This meant that it could perfectly control and restrain its own power.

Considering the usual strong instinctive aspects of yokai, this was definitely not a positive sign either.

At this point, it was openly high-level.

Perhaps when measured by modern standards, it was highly likely to be an existence ranked among the top of the S-ranks.

「𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩.」

I had secretly hoped for a strong enough guy to help me grow, but this was a bit too much.

At this level, even I would be burdened if I had to face it alone.

If I had at least one equal companion, it might be different, but if I just went head-to-head with it, the results wouldn’t be so mild.

『I can help you for a little while.』

“Are you saying your natural energy has already recovered that much?”

『It’s probably because of the traits of this era. There’s so much energy everywhere.』

If that was the case, then it was fortunate in its own way.

If I could get Verdi’s help, I might be able to gain the upper hand somehow.

Since it wasn’t easy to back down now anyway, I sighed and reluctantly followed the Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym.

“It’s really creepy.”

As Cheol-woong had said, the city was literally bone-chilling.

There were houses, but strangely enough, there were no traces of people or tools necessary for life, and there was no sign of any human presence or scents of any kind.

“Don’t tell me it’s all been sucked dry?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Cheol-woong. I don’t know about the others, but most of the merchants who were taken just yesterday are probably still alive.”

I agreed with that opinion. People who had been taken somewhere definitely existed, but we couldn’t find any sign of them because of the city’s disorienting fog.

About how long did we travel? We caught a strange and noisy sound and quickly followed it.

When we reached the end, what unfolded before us was . . .

“. . .A marketplace?”

The sound of musical instruments filled the air, and as if the previous scene had been a hallucination, countless people were bustling about the streets.

The pungent smell of food and alcohol. The clamor of people’s conversations.

The Taoist priests of Daehwa-rym, who saw the scene, turned pale as if they couldn’t believe their eyes and kept looking around.

“Damn it, what kind of sorcery is this?”

“Hyung-nim, for some reason, it feels like a bad omen. . . . . . .”

A sense of discomfort found from being confronted with the impossible.

Yang Wan, the youngest, who felt it strongly, shook his head as if he was nauseous.

In the meantime, Jang Ri-gyeong, who had barely maintained his composure, pointed a finger and indicated the people.

“It’s true that this is a very abnormal sight.”

The people who were walking around the marketplace seemed happy, but their faces were full of exhaustion.

Not only that, but upon closer inspection, their bones were protruding and they were so yellowed with jaundice that their condition was worrying.

“This is. . . . . . .”

“They’re all being drained of their life force. They’re nothing more than snacks for the yokai ruling this city.”

As soon as those words were finished, a small burst of laughter suddenly came from among the people, and a woman appeared.

“That’s right. You’re quite clever to have noticed that right away.”

It wasn’t difficult to identify her. That woman was definitely the existence ruling this non-existent city.

However, even in that situation, Jang Ri-gyeong and his group didn’t react at all.

No, to be exact, they couldn’t.

For a moment, they were completely overwhelmed in body and mind by the explosive demonic energy emitted from her.

“Hi, hiiik. A monster!”

“This, how can this be. How can a mere yokai be this. . . . . .!”

Even the cool-headed Jang Ri-gyeong was completely frozen and trembling all over.

It wasn’t particularly strange.

This was what could truly be called an enormous evil, a high-level yokai.

Jang Ri-gyeong and his group had simply encountered such an existence for the first time in their lives.

“How pitiful. You didn’t even realize that you had opened the way for me to come here and just wandered in.”

The woman didn’t seem to care about Jang Ri-gyeong and his group.

She had just given them a hint to back off or not, but Jang Ri-gyeong and his group had walked straight into their own deaths.

The woman, who had been looking at the frozen Taoists, clapped her hands and sent a strange voice into our heads.

“Well, that’s done. Since you’ve come all this way, I’ll accept you as part of the city. It’s true that there are some mixed in who aren’t to my taste, but I’ll have to make do.”

With just that, Jang Ri-gyeong and his group, who had been paralyzed in body and mind, had their spirits possessed and began to mingle with the other people in the marketplace, drinking and eating.

『I expected it, but it really isn’t any help at all.』

“. . . . . . .”

Those words were indeed correct.

However, I couldn’t blame them. After all, I had also come here of my own choice.

The woman looked at me, who had let out a sigh, and tilted her head as if she found it strange.

“Aren’t you going?”

There was only one answer I could give her.

“Secret Curse of Fear.”

From the talisman that extended with a short incantation, a strong curse bared its teeth.

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