TFN C15

Chapter 15

“Looking for the NPC said to be in Ghostslayer Valley on the Tower’s 7th floor.”

• “If anyone knows, please comment. Compensation offered.”

  “Bait post, no. There’s no such NPC.”

With information already scarce, the first reply was brutally definitive.

Wonhyo considered deleting and rewriting the post, but just closed the window.

Whether that NPC existed could be confirmed in person.

He had frugally saved more than half the target amount, covering both the cost to hire hunters up to the 7th floor and a guide to lead him safely to Ghostslayer Valley.

He opened the market, checked incoming orders and stock, and reviewed the transaction log.

“Huh? Why is this all gone?”

He hadn’t stocked a huge quantity, but seeing the talismans—usually selling one or two a week by word-of-mouth—completely sold out made him tilt his head.

Talisman crafting took time, so he produced only around ten per week; now inventory was thoroughly cleared.

Inquiry comments were stacked high.

“Any more in stock?”

“Saw something online and came to buy. Please notify me when restocked.”

“Paper scraps sold obscenely overpriced.”

“Online?”

Where on earth had they seen this?

After a brief puzzling, Wonhyo realized the source and sighed.

The crime scene that had been broadcast live—his talisman had been used there.

He couldn’t be pleased about fortune built on someone else’s misfortune, and wore a sour look.

Even as he read the comments, inquiries kept asking about restocks.

Wonhyo narrowed his eyes.

If he sold only what had been requested, the money would likely suffice.

The funds set aside were meant for other uses; to rebuild stock, he’d have to empty his emergency stash.

“Wasn’t planning to go out—do I have to?”

He picked up the five-direction banner he had set aside.

“Is it okay if I go out today?”

As he posed the question, his shoulders grew heavy again.

He fingered the staff and finally drew one.

The color that snapped before his eyes was a vivid blue.

Interpretation was flexible, but…

“Mm, if going out is okay, please answer with yellow or blue.”

As soon as he tidied the flags, he asked again and made his choice without hesitation.

The color that unfurled was yellow.

“Is it okay to buy supplies?”

Paper and water needed to be bought at the right time and quality; he asked—but the color drawn was green.

So, going out was fine, but purchases were not.

“Is this saying don’t go to the market?”

But if not the market, was there any reason to go out?

Wondering where he was supposed to head, Wonhyo drew for direction.

Each color on the five-direction banner corresponded to a heading; when he pulled, it indicated straight south.

The moment he wrapped the flags, a status window popped up.

“You have divined today’s fortune. Act to make it a day full of luck.

• Quest performance will reduce ghostly energy by 10%.”

Normally the reduction was at most 1–2%; today came with a generous reward.

He had resolved to stay in bed for a week starting today, but the quest shoved him forward.

Seeing the load already at 45%—never dropping into single digits even after returning human—Wonhyo scrubbed his face with his palm.

Bundled in a scarf so no skin showed, Wonhyo walked down the slope.

Avoiding people and calling a taxi was prudent, but today he wanted to walk a bit.

The long holiday had ended; midday on a weekday meant few people nearby, and the cold helped as well.

Even with a down coat reaching below the knees, his shoulders and knees smarted; hands shoved deep into pockets, he took quick, short steps.

He checked direction as he walked.

“Today’s heading is southeast, so south means Yongsan? And below the river is out, and without crossing the river, going east would be…”

His steps stuttered.

Worried he had mixed up place names, he pulled his hand from his pocket, took out his phone, and checked the map.

East from Yongsan meant Itaewon; a little further down from there stood the special agency.

“No, that’s…”

He recalled the divination’s push and the quest, and sighed.

“Even if I go, there has to be something to say.”

Was there a need to go out of his way to meet someone? Still, according to the fairy his sister served, a tie formed out of necessity meant that once he got close, he’d end up seeing the person whether he liked it or not.

And even then, there was nothing to say; had he learned something, perhaps he could speak—but at present he held nothing.

Besides, continued meetings with someone he had physically touched were troubling.

Not seeing them until a healthy distance formed was best.

“If I keep trying to tie this, it’ll be a headache.”

He considered the shepherd-boy tactic—show up and call a few times to say hello until the other side started avoiding him—but it seemed best not to try it.

Somehow, if he tried to play tricks, the end felt like it would be bad.

Suddenly, the absurdity of agonizing over encountering someone struck him.

“Maybe just head back home.”

He had already come straight down south; he could angle slightly east and head back.

The quest window wouldn’t be satisfied with that, but there was no penalty attached to this quest.

If it was south anyway, he could just go to the offline hunter market near Yongsan Station.

“Great, ruined.”

Clicking his tongue, Wonhyo turned around.

As he lifted a leg to climb the slope again, a whine buzzed in his hand as if to grab his step.

He sniffed in and first checked who was calling.

Thankfully, it wasn’t from the place he most wanted to avoid.

“Hello.”

“Ah, it’s me.”

Uncle.

Wonhyo tugged the scarf down from his nose and mouth.

“Do you have time now?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

He answered and moved to the side of the road.

“It’s just—could you check the scene again? I’m a bit worried.”

“Aigo.”

He let out a sigh.

He knew what his uncle worried about.

If the original grudge targeted someone specific, that was one thing; if it grew madder and turned fiendish, it could start harming people indiscriminately.

If not for his condition, he’d have handled it that very day; delayed to the next, pressure was now urgent.

He blinked.

There was nothing auspicious along that direction, but it was south nonetheless.

He could swing by there and peel off to Yongsan—southeast, matching the intended heading—but would such patchwork satisfy the quest?

After a brief debate, he answered his uncle who was waiting.

“I’ll head over now and take a look. From what I saw then, there was definitely a problem at the scene. I couldn’t check everything due to time, but I’ll take it slow and see if there’s anything to be done.”

“Call me when you arrive? The local substation is still guarding the scene.”

“I’ll call when I’m nearby.”

With a short call ended, Wonhyo opened his almanac app.

He checked today’s date—under natal animal was “dragon.”

Just out from tiger and already dragon.

Truth be told, he had no sense for what he’d become on such days; he had deliberately holed up at home whenever the date corresponded to “dragon.”

“Came out with no thought at all.”

He could just call Uncle back and say it wasn’t possible today—but somehow the words wouldn’t come.

The moment he thought “can’t,” his throat tickled.

Someone above was nudging him to go.

If ghostly energy was felt, he would leave immediately.

He exhaled hard and hailed an unmanned taxi.

Fortunately, the visit record from that day remained; no need to re-enter the address.

After a short wait, the unmanned taxi arrived.

As he boarded, it started toward the stored destination.

Before reaching the scene, Wonhyo steeled himself.

That day, the moment he stepped out of the taxi, he had been swept by ghostly energy; better to prepare now.

It wouldn’t be as intense as on the day of the incident, but today was risky should he transform.

He took out an edible talisman and swallowed it.

It was his last edible talisman; he’d have to go out for materials soon.

Only after layering several talisman shields did his mind begin to settle.

They weren’t item-crafted talismans for sale; using them like this felt extravagant—but so be it.

He gripped the Gimyeong, recited from start to finish a charm that suppresses yin and malice, and received an arrival alert.

He looked out the window.

The apartment loomed with an oddly dim air, even under the midday sun.

Unlike that night, the moment he set foot near the scene, he wasn’t immediately flooded with ghostly energy climbing the penalty meter.

Thanks to that, though tense, he could look around with a bit of leisure.

He steadied his breathing and walked behind the apartment block where the victim lived.

Unintentionally, he found the spot with the best view of the scene.

“Exposed to powerful ‘ghostly energy.’ (…in progress…47.3%)”

He took a step back; the number stopped rising.

As if along an invisible line, a single step determined whether he contacted the energy or not.

Using his position as a baseline, he slid sideways and forward, then checked if the status window popped again.

After going forward and back several times to determine range, he discovered sections where the ghost-load rose quickly, like on contact with a ghost, and other sections where it climbed more slowly.

“Hm….”

Letting out a long groan, he flicked his wrist.

The summoned Gimyeong shifted from the spirit-bells in his palm to a fan.

A wind rose in response to the silently trembling slats, scudding dust into the air.

Fwee—eek.

He whistled, but sensed nothing.

He pursed his lips and whistled again, then shook his head.

“Strange.”

There had to be something—why else was ghost-load accumulating?—yet there was no sign of an original grudge or any other ghostly trace.

Footnotes:

• Market spike: Post-incident virality often triggers sudden demand for ritual items seen “on stream,” even when the practitioner disavows profiteering from misfortune.

• Five-direction banner (colors/directions): Blue/youth-east (often read as east), white/west, red/south, black or green/north, yellow/center; meanings vary by lineage, but colors guide “go/no-go” and headings.

• Fortune quest bonus: Rare daily modifier reducing ghost-load on quest actions, incentivizing risky outings despite self-imposed rest plans.

• Edible talisman: Rice-ink charms ingested to delay penalties or stabilize state; costly to craft and not market-legal as “items,” thus used sparingly.

• Ghost-load mapping: Stepping the boundary to chart fast/slow accumulation zones reveals energy fields without visible entities, guiding safer investigation lanes.