TRPM 168

chapter 168

I arrived with the kids at the place where the Erosion-type dungeon had appeared.

But Lee Ha-eun had summoned Sarang to sniff around, Kang Garam was scanning with the metal detector he brought, and Kim Eun-yeon was collecting samples from what seemed like dungeon residue, placing them on slide glass, into test tubes, and mixing them with reagents she had brought.

And since all of this was happening out in the open…

“What are those kids doing? Did they come here for a school science experiment or something?”

“They look like middle or high school students… maybe the adult with them is their teacher.”

Plenty of people were giving us strange looks.

Well, of course. These weren’t actual researchers—just high school kids at best—so it was only natural that people assumed this was some kind of hands-on learning program.

For reference, the “teacher” people assumed was with us was actually an Association staff member assigned to Kim Eun-yeon.

She silently handed Kim whatever reagent she asked for or retrieved test tubes without complaint. It looked like a hassle, but she didn’t show the slightest sign of annoyance.

“… Anyway.”

I turned my attention to the area around where the dungeon had appeared.

“The damaged road and the Association’s market are already almost fully restored.”

Naturally, restoring the road and the market would’ve been the Association’s top priority.

The market wasn’t just where Awakeners bought and sold items; it was also where their goods were funneled into corporate hands. In other words, the market was one of the Association’s main sources of revenue.

So for the sake of profit and returning to business as usual, the Association had every reason to repair the market as quickly as possible.

And the connecting roads, of course, had to be restored just as fast.

“…The nearby shops are a different matter.”

I did feel bad for the merchants who’d lost their stores and been forced into an involuntary closure, but honestly, I agreed that facilities tied to the Association came first.

After all, no one had lost their life—it was only property damage. Compensation from the Association should cover that much.

“Woof!”

Lost in thought as I surveyed the area, I suddenly heard Sarang bark.

I wondered if she’d found something, but when I looked in her direction…

“Pant, pant.”
“(Eek?! Why is she here…?!)”

Sarang wasn’t barking because she’d discovered something—she was simply happy to see someone she recognized.

“…Wait a second.”

The woman who recoiled in fright at the sight of Sarang… she looked oddly familiar.

And the language she had just spoken wasn’t Korean.

“Japanese?”

A Japanese woman?

But Sarang had always been with Lee Ha-eun, and Ha-eun had never been to Japan. Judging from how excited Sarang was, wagging her tail and rushing over, this wasn’t just a passing acquaintance.

“Sarang, what’s going on? Who is that?”

“(Stay back…! I did want to see you again someday, but not like this…!)”

Even Ha-eun didn’t seem to recognize her, so it wasn’t someone they’d met together.

“Ah, I remember now.”

She was a rather well-known figure: a Japanese miko, one of Japan’s renowned Awakeners. A few years back, she’d been recruited as a shamanism instructor for the Seoul Awakeners Academy.

I’d heard that when Chairman Shin Han-ji went to Japan on official business, he’d scouted her at the government’s request.

But then… how on earth did Sarang know her?

“Woof!”

“Huh? Excuse me… have you ever played with Sarang before?”

Feeling Sarang’s emotions, Ha-eun asked the miko that question.

The miko sighed in relief seeing Ha-eun hold Sarang back and admitted:

“Y-yes… a long time ago, actually. Back when I was in high school, I came to Korea on a school trip… and, um, I played with Sarang then.”

…She said it, but she was watching Sarang like she expected her to bite at any moment.

“So she came here on a school trip, huh…”

Now that I thought about it, I vaguely remembered something like that back when I was in elementary school.

Many Japanese high schools had organized trips to Korea under the pretense of “fostering ties between future generations.” Some even came to Gyeongju, because it had ryokan-style inns.

Sure enough, when our school went to Gyeongju for our own trip, there had been plenty of Japanese students around too.

And come to think of it…

I remembered.

Back then, I’d suddenly felt a wave of unpleasant energy wash over me—it was residual shamanic power from someone nearby.

I’d told Sarang:

[Sarang, can you feel the traces left by that spell? Go find the source quietly, away from prying eyes. Don’t kill them… just treat them like a toy.]

Sarang hadn’t come back until nightfall.

Could it be… the one who used shamanic arts back then was this miko?

“…If so, Sarang must’ve taken my words a bit too literally.”

I’d said to treat them like a toy, and she really had toyed with the poor miko.

That would explain why the woman was so terrified of her. And why Sarang now seemed delighted to see her “playmate” again.

But hold on.

Hadn’t the miko just muttered in Japanese that she had wanted to meet again someday?

If it had been such a traumatic experience, why would she want that?

And more importantly…

“…Why is she here?”

Her being in Korea wasn’t strange—she was working at the Seoul Academy after all—but this place was far from Seoul. Unless she had a specific reason tied to this dungeon, her presence here was out of place.

“Anyway… sorry, but could you all step aside? I’ve got work to do.”

“Yes.”

At her request, Ha-eun stepped back. So did Garam, who had been sweeping with his detector, and Eun-yeon, who had been collecting samples.

The miko then moved to what was likely the dungeon’s central point and pulled several talismans from her robes.

“Reactive charms… they ignite when exposed to certain energies. Ah, so she must’ve been dispatched by the Association to investigate.”

As a high-ranking shaman, she could likely detect things ordinary practitioners or instruments couldn’t.

Sure enough, a few of the charms burst into flame.

But that was only because an Erosion-type dungeon had formed and collapsed here. It had nothing to do with Oracle’s capsule.

Judging by her sour expression, she understood that too. No artificial energy signatures—just raw, unrefined mana lingering in the air.

“(Hmm… should I try something besides charms?)”

She muttered about using another method, but the results would be the same.

“Woof!”

“Huh? What is it, Sarang?”

As she pondered, Sarang suddenly barked, drawing everyone’s attention.

She pressed her nose to the ground, sniffed intently, and then—

“Woof!”

“Sarang! Wait, we’ll come with you!”

“What’s wrong with her all of a sudden?”

—bolted off.

I had a pretty good guess at what she was tracking.

“She’s probably after the scent of the doppelgänger the Association took, or the capsule.”

Or maybe the Awakeners who had sealed the area, or the staff who carried them away.

That’s what I assumed—nothing serious.

But the others seemed to think Sarang had found something important.

“Did she discover something?”

“Let’s follow her!”

“(Considering the faint divinity I sense from that wolf… maybe this is a kind of revelation?)”

The kids packed up their gear and ran after her. The miko tucked her charms away and followed as well.

… I sighed, but I followed too.

The kids might be in high school now and know better than to cross certain lines, but accidents still happened. At least we had both an Association staffer and the miko with us.

“Woof! Woof!”

Sarang kept glancing back to make sure we were keeping up.

She wasn’t sprinting at full speed, and since we were all Awakeners, it wasn’t hard to match her pace.

Before long, a familiar building came into view.

“…The Seoul Awakeners Association Headquarters.”

Of course. The doppelgänger’s remains and the Oracle capsule would be in the labs there, under analysis. Heading that way made sense.

But then—

“Woof!”

Sarang suddenly veered off.

Not toward the headquarters.

I chased her, puzzled.

And then—

Thump!

“Grrr…”

We found her standing atop a delivery truck parked by the roadside.

“Is there something in that truck?”

“That truck… it belongs to…”

Everyone saw it then: the logo emblazoned on the side, belonging to a globally famous company.

“Core Earth?”

“They specialize in dismantling and transporting monster byproducts.”

Of course.

The Association must’ve used them to move the doppelgänger’s corpse and the capsule to headquarters. Sarang must’ve caught the lingering scent.

Or… had she?

I frowned, watching her.

“Sarang isn’t an ordinary dog.”

She was a demonic hound—intelligent enough to understand speech and even mimic a bit of my martial arts.

If it were only a faint leftover scent, she wouldn’t have led us this far.

“Ha-eun. Can you tell why Sarang’s on that truck?”

“Um… well…”

Linked with Sarang, Ha-eun could grasp her intent, if not the exact thoughts.

Her face twisted in confusion.

“She says… the doppelgänger is inside that truck. Right now.”

Silence fell.

The corpse that should’ve been at Association HQ… Sarang insisted it was here.

I extended my senses, scanning the truck with Sammae, while the miko drew a charm and probed its energy.

The results confirmed Sarang’s claim.

“…It’s really there. The doppelgänger’s body is inside.”

“(Only this close could I feel it… something is definitely in there.)”

But why?

“…The removal of the doppelgänger’s corpse hasn’t been authorized.”

The Association staffer, alarmed, had contacted HQ.

According to her, the body should still be at headquarters.

So why… was it inside that truck?