I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts

Since the Day of Spiritual Awakening, Korea had undergone countless changes.

Defense, diplomacy, society, politics, and media—

Naturally, real estate was no exception.

Some areas skyrocketed in value, while others plummeted so badly that people would run away screaming “cursed race” even if you handed them the land deed.

A prime example of such cursed areas was the old Paju or a certain building that started with “Louis.”

And here—Ido River’s embankment—was one of those places.

“So this is Ido River...”

A girl with black hair, dressed in traditional hanbok, murmured to herself.

Dangling from her waist was a traditional Korean accessory norigae, adorned with symbols of the sun and the moon.

Her name was Wolhyang.

She was a genius disciple who had been granted the ‘Moon’ title from the Ilwol-Oakmoon and was also the leader of this exploration team headed for Deungseon.

Wolhyang stared at the inky black current.

In that tar-like, viscous liquid, tormented faces floated to the surface. It was, quite literally, a river leading to hell.

“It’ll dry up soon.”

It looked like it would completely dry out by early dawn.

She had to be the first one in by then, to claim the ancient relics and medicinal treasures hidden inside Deungseon.

“Fourth younger sister, seal all electronics and put everyone to bed.”

“Already?”

“Yeah. If we’re already getting crap like population control alerts and suicide prevention messages just from being near the embankment, chances are, electronics won’t work at all inside Deungseon. Also, make sure they know—if anyone’s sluggish at dawn because they stayed up on their phone, I won’t forgive them.”

Wolhyang glanced again at the river of black.

The thought of touching that unholy stream—where twisted vengeful spirits melded and slithered—would make any sane person recoil.

But not her.

By dawn, it’ll be mostly dried up.

Mostly.

There would still be some left.

And only by risking that much could she be the first to breach Deungseon.

Even if it costs some lives... it’s worth it. The treasures inside Deungseon are that valuable.

Wolhyang recalled the ancient texts that spoke of the cave’s relics.

Purifying Ginseng – greatly enhances spiritual power and clears bloodlines corrupted by negative energy.

White Lotus Jade Water – drinking it improves most illnesses, and washing your face with it is said to make your skin ten years younger.

Moonlight Stone – the main target of this expedition.

These weren’t just ordinary spirit realm artifacts—they were divine relics, infused with sanctity itself.

To climb higher within Ilwol-Oakmoon, she couldn’t afford to miss a single one.

“Before anyone else...”

As Wolhyang anxiously chewed her thumbnail and waited for time to pass, a man was already roaming inside Deungseon.

His name was Yoo Hajin.

“This place is just shamelessly a treasure vault.”

Deungseon was a vast cave system made up of countless chambers, each with a different theme.

It felt like being inside a massive, broken escape room.

The room Yoo Hajin had just discovered was straight out of a video game—a treasure room, with sharp-edged, oriental-style chests piled all around.

“Is a mimic gonna pop out?”

He said that while cracking open a box.

Something about the idea of seeing a badass mimic-type creature excited him.

But the box was completely empty.

“Hmm, a dud. And even if something were inside, it’s not like I could touch it.”

He opened every single chest.

All he found was a bottle of cold water, a pricey-looking ginseng root, and a white stone.

“This ginseng looks expensive though.”

Naturally, he took everything.

And just as Yoo Hajin was pocketing the items for himself, across the embankment at Ido River, a group of other psychics was watching the Ilwol-Oakmoon exploration party.

One of them spoke.

“Ilwol-Oakmoon showed up too.”

“Of course they did. They’ve been making a lot of noise lately.”

His tone was gruff.

You could tell at a glance—he held a grudge against Ilwol-Oakmoon.

And he wasn’t alone in that.

“I heard their fourth elder, Ilwolja, started training again in that place starting with ‘Louis.’ The guy’s been practically sealed away, not showing his face at all lately.”

“Hmph. You think it’s real seclusion? He’s probably just licking his wounds.”

This group had plenty of reasons to hold a grudge.

They were from the sect Ten Thousand Li Sect—the only major sect capable of rivaling Ilwol-Oakmoon.

“The world isn’t made of land. Land is just an island floating on the sea. Same goes for the Five Peaks.”

“Exactly, Elder Brother. The spirit world is an ocean of souls, not a solid mass. Who sees a soul as something solid?”

“Right. And we are disciples of the greatest fisherman the world has ever known. There’s no way we’ll lose.”

The man named Haejun of Ten Thousand Li Sect continued:

“Deungseon is a ruin from the mythic era. The writing inside is also from that time. Without someone who can read it, entering early just means getting lost and dying.”

“Which is why we brought someone capable of deciphering a line of mythic text in under three minutes.”

“Exactly.”

They had invested an absurd amount of money and effort to bring in a linguistics expert for ancient script.

Could Ilwol-Oakmoon have prepared someone like that?

Haejun thought not.

In the midst of their internal succession war, there was no way one faction would lend a rare expert to another.

“The rest of the riffraff probably doesn’t even know what kind of treasure this is.”

Which meant their only real competitor was Ilwol-Oakmoon.

Haejun’s gaze shifted to the opposite bank.

At the same time, Yoo Hajin tilted his head upward—toward the writing inscribed above the doorway.

“Hmm. I have no idea what that says.”

Yoo Hajin had grown up as the son of a shaman family and had been forced to learn classical Chinese characters.

Up until middle school, he had the proficiency of level 3 in Chinese characters; even now, having slacked off on studying, he still floated around level 4.

So he could confidently say—whatever was written above the door, it wasn’t Chinese characters.

Without hesitation, Yoo Hajin pulled out his phone.

Then he turned on his phone’s camera and scanned the text.

The moment the auto-translation kicked in, Yoo Hajin let out a whistle of admiration.

“Damn, who says real powers are invisible? This right here is a superpower.”

Soon, the result appeared on screen.

<Recognized Script: Ancient God-Banished Language – Translated To: Modern Korean>

<Translation: A room you can’t leave unless you XX>

“...?”

Was this translation right?

A room you can’t leave unless you what?

Yoo Hajin stared blankly for a moment.

He tilted his head and tried opening the door.

It opened without resistance.

Wait, didn’t it say you had to do something to open it?

Feeling a little awkward now, Yoo Hajin mumbled to himself.

“Not like I expected anything. I mean, I’m the only one here anyway.”

And so, Yoo Hajin continued pressing deeper into Deungseon.

As the man whose brain had been marinated in Kkotomi* memes ventured deeper into the cave, the time had shifted into early evening.

Under the rising crescent moon, a pink-haired girl whispered to herself.

“So many eyes… and sharp ones at that. Is that the gaze of Ten Thousand Li Sect?”

“Yes, my lady. It seems the master of Ten Thousand Li Sect seeks to claim more Immortal Disciples for themselves.”

“So they plans to strike while Ilwol-Oakmoon is in chaos.”

The pink-haired girl, Jinari, nodded slowly, lost in thought.

“When a sect speaks of Disciples, they mean Immortals. And an Immortal is someone who can fully manifest their fundamental vow as power.”

“That is correct. Full manifestation—a state far beyond the likes of Solitude, Swallow, or Righteous.”

“I know. It’s the level where you transcend mortality, right?”

Jinari looked toward the dark stream flowing through the cave.

“Yang is life, and Yin is death...”

She murmured softly.

“Those who reach the end of Deungseon may shed death itself and become immortals.”

“You, my lady, will surely reach that end—and ascend.

No one surpasses the Seonghwa Jin Clan in conquering Deungseon.”

“Still...”

A woman in a suit bowed respectfully and said,

“Do not worry, my lady. Only the Seonghwa Jin Clan, who once tamed the First Flame and served as this land’s hereditary shamans, hold knowledge like this.”

Just then, deep within Deungseon, Yoo Hajin began feeling along the wall.

According to information he’d acquired from the hereditary shamans, there were certain actions required to open doors in rooms with no apparent exit.

“In rooms marked with plum blossoms, scratch the left corner and knock on both side walls...”

Would something that weird actually work?

The shamans had gone on and on about the mystical meanings of plum blossoms and how every gesture had spiritual significance.

To Yoo Hajin, it all sounded like nonsense.

Just felt like something from an escape room game.

Still, he followed the instructions half-heartedly.

Clunk—

The door opened.

Yoo Hajin let out a dry laugh and muttered in his head: How the hell is anyone supposed to get through this without a walkthrough?

“Seriously? This half-assed escape room is supposed to help me level up to Heavenly Demon tier?”

Still half-skeptical, Yoo Hajin pressed on—toward the end of Deungseon.

– – The End of The Chapter – –

[TL: Kkotomi (꼬토미) is Korean meme slang for “goes crazy only on Saturdays” — used to describe someone who’s totally normal during the week, but unhinged and wild on weekends.

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