Chapter 18: The Marvel of The Smartphone (2)
And now was the time when these beatable evil spirits and phenomena were emerging in droves. The psychics did not hesitate to start showcasing their powers.
"Spiritual Manifestation."
Jinari also assumed her stance. It was a unique posture where she brought her hands together and extended them forward. Then, like a chick covered in downy fluff, a red aura began to swirl around her arms.
"Flame Wind!"
A wind blew from the northeast, and the evil spirits and phenomena it touched instantly burst into flames. Her skill was of a high caliber, even among the top-level students.
"Is that the power of the Phoenix?"
"Tch, a silver spoon born with even spiritual powers. It\'s unfair."
Their envious murmurs could be distinctly heard amidst the echoing sounds of battle.Jinari flapped her small wings as she listened to these sounds filled with envy and jealousy.
Ah, the power of the phoenix that everyone acknowledges.
What expression would that man wear upon seeing this power?
What if he becomes enchanted by her ability and wants to join the Jin family? Then, wouldn\'t it be okay to accept him until he gets over his imprinting?
The girl\'s daydreaming intensified.
Thump-thump-
With a fluttering heart, Jinari slowly looked toward the man.
But he was just staring blankly. More precisely, he had a look of sudden realization, but Jinari, who was raised sheltered, did not know the term for such an expression.
\'Is he not moved at all by my powers?! Just how powerful are the psychics he\'s been around!!!\'
Jinari was shocked by his reaction.
A cry of dismay almost escaped her lips.
Yet, Yoo Hajin still wore that same expression of realization.
\'Is this some kind of performance art?\'
Yoo Hajin couldn\'t see ghosts.
* * *
I can\'t see ghosts.
So, I couldn\'t see the abilities of psychics either.
\'Is this some kind of performance art?\'
That\'s why, when watching psychics battle, I couldn\'t help but think like this. Especially when the chick looked at me with world-class eyes after her spirit invocation, I couldn\'t help but wear the expression of a member who got kicked out of a hero party.
What expression does a member who has been expelled from the hero party have?
Obviously, it\'s the look of someone hit by harsh reality, a face full of despair.
Finally, the team\'s CGI-less hero action scene was over.
I got up to check if anyone was injured.
Not a single person was hurt.
It seems like this place is filled with top-notch psychics. They all seem like elder candidates, young masters, mistresses, and top disciples – truly living up to their nicknames.
"Then let\'s head out."
With that, we started moving again.
Not long after we departed, there was a reaction again.
"I hear a song. No, it\'s a Ghost Melody!"
"Everyone, cover your ears! Don\'t listen to the song from the phenomenon for too long!"
"Even if I cover my ears, the song plays in my head."
"Damn it, a Ghost Melody that penetrates spiritual defenses. This is no joke. So, please shut up!"
What song are they hearing?
If it\'s playing in their heads, it\'s like those songs banned during college entrance exams.
There\'s only one way to deal with this.
You have to replace one exam-prohibited song with another.
I turned on NewTube.
And searched for an appropriate song.
Damn, NewTube eats up so much data when I turn it on.
"Alright! We sing a military song while moving! The idol of YOASOBI!"
"Idol?"
"Tensai Teki na Idol-sama!!!"
I glared at my team members.
For some reason, they were all scared of me.
What can I do? Is there any other way than singing along to this geeky song?
"Sing along!!!"
"We, we don\'t know Japanese songs!!!"
"Does not knowing them end your life as a psychic?!! Just follow along as best as you can!!!"
How to Exorcise the Ghost\'s Song, the Melody.
It\'s exorcised with a song brimming with positive energy.
What kind of song is overflowing with positive energy?
It\'s the song that otaku guys fervently sing along to, brimming with positive energy. These guys have so much pent-up sympathy that they never get a chance to release it.
"Ugh."
Suddenly, I felt an internal injury.
I almost fell into a trance.
"Masani Saikyo de Muteki no Idol!!!"
"Masani Saikyo de Muteki no Idol!!!"
But seeing these socially elite insiders,
Singing otaku songs with all their might seemed somewhat healing.
"Quick, move faster!!! And don\'t stop singing!!!"
What about my data usage!!!
Are you guys going to pay for it???
So, hurry up, you uncivilized lot!!!
And so, we escaped the Ghost Melody Zone.
* * *
After passing through the Ghost Melody Zone, the next was the Fog Zone.
To be exact, it was the Ghost Fog Zone.
Because I couldn\'t see any fog.
"Even with spirit vision, this fog can\'t be pierced through."
"They\'re misusing Gamlo-nim\'s technique."
"If it\'s a being that can misuse Celestial Immortal\'s technique, it must be the Gwizon."
"The Gwizon…"
As I listened to my team members muttering, I shouted.
"Hey! Is it foggy back there too?"
"Yes! It\'s very foggy!"
Lately, more people started speaking formally to me.
Do I really look that much like an uncle?
I sighed and called the team together.
"We\'re about to reach the last point of this patrol. Once we hit this point and return, the Gwizon should be eliminated by then."
"I hope so."
"There\'s never been a wrong call from the leader."
When did I become the leader?
I\'ve always avoided being the team leader in group projects as a principle.
Being a team leader is definitely not my style.
"I\'ll lead the way this time too. And everyone, hold hands. If anyone lets go, shout immediately."
"Leader, do you have a clever plan to get through this fog? It\'s a misuse of Gamlo-nim\'s technique..."
Huh, fog or whatever, I can\'t see it, okay?
I wish I could see the same things as you all.
But I can\'t say that, so I decided to divert the conversation.
"I can break through this level of technique."
"You mean to break through Gamlo-nim\'s technique?"
"I can\'t believe it."
My teammates looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Even the chick chirped in surprise.
Oh, I really don\'t want this kind of attention.
They\'ll surely treat me like a fraud once they find out I\'m powerless.
"If everyone\'s ready, let\'s start moving. Roll call!"
"One!"
"Two!"
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"Forty-three!"
"Forty-five!"
"Hey, can\'t you count?! Why is forty-five coming out of nowhere? What happened to forty-four?"
Ah, these hopeless cases.
So good with spiritual powers but can\'t even count properly.
The man who was called out for missing a number tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why he said that. To be precise, everyone was tilting their heads.
"Who, who was number forty-four?"
"I, I can\'t remember. There definitely was one."
"Ah, I think I know. That guy\'s neck was bent at a ninety-degree angle. How did we not feel something was off then?"
These clueless psychics.
Can\'t count, can\'t recognize a ghost.
Why is it that my teammates always have such bad luck?
Are you all kindergarteners or what?
In the end, I had to gather the team and count them myself. One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight...
"Good. Everyone\'s here. Everyone\'s holding hands, right? Let\'s go."
And so, I led the team through the Ghost Fog Zone like a daycare teacher herding children. There were a few dorks who let go of hands and wandered in different directions from time to time, but what does it matter? La-la-la, off we go!!!
* * *
Thus, the patrol team reached the end of their route without a single casualty. They were moved by their own survival and felt gratitude towards the one man who saved them.
"It\'s a miracle we\'re alive. I never expected such a fusion of bizarre phenomena."
"Really no joke. Is this the old territory of the Gwizon?"
"If it weren\'t for Yoo Hajin, I would be miserably dead by now."
And now, that man, Yoo Hajin, was sitting, fiddling with his phone.
"This isn\'t easy."
Yoo Hajin seemed more serious now than when he was breaking through numerous bizarre phenomena. His teammates thought he was fighting against a more powerful entity through what appeared to be a smartphone, but was actually a talismanic artifact.
However, Yoo Hajin was merely playing a game about making watermelons. He was just frustrated that the necessary oranges were not showing up.
At that moment, a man approached him.
This man was Baeksooho, of the prestigious Baekga family.
"Excuse me, Mr. Yoo Hajin."
"Hm? What for?"
"May I take a look at that smartphone?"
The Baekga family excelled in barriers, spellcraft, and talismans.
So, Baekga recognized the value of the smartphone faster than anyone else.
\'A device transmitting uncorrupted information in an area heavily influenced by bizarre phenomena.\'
The prospect of examining a talismanic artifact as powerful as this smartphone, even at the risk of angering the formidable Yoo Hajin, was too tempting. Understanding its principles could propel the Baekga family to surpass the Jin family and become the top family in the sect.
Hence, he took the risk to make such an audacious request.
"For free?"
"Of course not. Our Baekga family will..."
"Then, how about ten thousand won for a rental?"
Just ten thousand won?
The Baekga heir hurriedly pulled out the amount from his wallet.
"Here you go."
"Wow, you\'re really giving it. Just don\'t break it."
With that, Yoo Hajin easily handed over the phone.
The Baekga heir quickly accessed the internet.
"It\'s incredible."
An internet connection unaffected by information corruption. If one could connect to such an internet amidst bizarre phenomena, they could request help or even look up strategies anytime.
The Baekga heir hurriedly accessed the website for Countermeasures against Bizarre Phenomena.
He then began searching for information on anomalies in the DMZ.
====
Dangerous Anomalous Objects in the DMZ.
Level 1: Suddenly Appearing Mines and Wild Boars.
They can cause physical harm.
Use spirit abilities for removal.
Level 2: Suddenly Appearing Soldiers and Civilians.
Soldiers and civilians do not exist in the DMZ.
They are evil spirits, so use spirit abilities without hesitation for removal.
Level 3: Suddenly Appearing Mothers and Fathers.
Your parents cannot possibly be in the DMZ.
They are Grade 2 or higher evil spirits capable of reading minds, so remove them with spirit abilities along with a teammate, or flee if impossible.
Level 4: Suddenly Appearing Gods and Angels.
There are gods in the DMZ.
Level 5: This Sentence.
If you read this sentence, suddenly you will slit your throat...
===
"Hey there."
Yoo Hajin stood up and snatched back his phone. He had thought the man who borrowed it was taking deep breaths because he entered some adult site. One shouldn\'t do such things on someone else\'s phone.
\'I lent it to him for a simple call, how dare he?\'
When Yoo Hajin glared, the Baekga heir bowed his head.
"Thank you for saving my life."
And then he hastily retreated to his seat.
The smartphone wasn\'t special. Through his discerning eye, the Baekga heir realized that the smartphone was just an old, cheap model. The fact that it tried to corrupt information immediately upon his inspection confirmed it.
The special one was Yoo Hajin.
Yoo Hajin was impervious to the information corruption of bizarre phenomena.
Any corruption in objects he touched also disappeared.
\'Has he pushed away the bizarre phenomena with his overwhelming spiritual power?\'
Baeksooho looked up at Yoo Hajin with admiration.
– – – The End of The Chapter – – –
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