I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts - Chapter 53



53 – Mirukyo (3)

The King of Hongdae had his tongue grabbed by the masked woman. Still, he was smiling.

Feeling something in that instant, the masked woman took a few steps back and assumed a defensive position. The King of Hongdae then casually discarded his jacket and said,

“To describe someone as a bug…it’s an emotion that causes a sudden acceleration.”

The King of Hongdae slowly approached the masked woman.

But she continued to move back.

“I know your identity. And I can guess who your master is. Wow, your Mirukyo is truly a crazy organization. How is this possible?”

Who is this masked woman?

And why is Mirukyo considered a crazy organization?

I was curious, but the King of Hongdae didn’t give me an answer.

“If I cared about my pride, I would tear you apart right now. But I don’t really want to confront your master. I hope you have a good meeting with your master. If you answer a few questions, I’ll spare your life.”

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The masked woman nodded in response.

“Why did you suspect the things I brought, but not the underwear?”

“If you receive their blessing, you will be able to perceive the traces of Maitreya.”

“So, you ignored me as the owner and had contact with Cheonsu?”

Upon hearing those words, the woman in the hanbok bowed her head.

“Cheonsu attempted to make contact with us first.”

“Oh, is that so? The stray dog wagged its tail because it wanted to please its owner, so the owner gave it treats. Then, can’t I ask why I gave you treats?”

“I…did not have any intention of opposing the darkness.”

Upon hearing those words, the innkeeper laughed again.

It was a laugh that flowed like a low breeze.

“Who’s the fool here? Hm?”

“…”

When the masked woman didn’t answer, the innkeeper’s expression turned disappointed. Then suddenly, the masked woman started trembling.

“Oh, things have gotten complicated. If everything went as planned, I was going to be treated like a fool and find out what kind of people your leader is. But by cowering like this, I won’t even be able to be treated like a fool or an Arahan. Right?”

The innkeeper lowered his head and looked at me.

And he spoke to me.

“Your name is Jin, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You’re quite useful. I probably didn’t even achieve half of your level when I was your age. Do you plan on becoming an Arahan?”

Why suddenly talk about levels?

I don’t even know how the levels of psychics are divided. But it was true that I wanted to become an Arahan, so I nodded my head.

“I heard that if you become an Arahan, you can meet the leader of Mireuk Religion to receive blessings. When you find out who the leader of Mireuk Religion is, lift the blackout curtain once for you.”

“Just lifting the curtain once?”

“hahahahaha. Is that all? As expected, you’re impressive. This really tempts me.”

What does it mean to lift the curtain just once?

But the innkeeper didn’t answer that.

“Anyway, think about it carefully.”

After saying that, the innkeeper slipped into the darkness of the corridor.

A few moments passed.

It had already been a while since the innkeeper’s presence disappeared.

After he vanished, I slowly looked around. The situation was serious. Most people were trembling and frothing at the mouth.

What is this?

Ah, so that’s why Makju was boasting about his martial arts skills.

While the others fainted or got pushed away, I just stayed still.

Anyway, is this some kind of audacious determination?

By the time my delusion reached Makju, who was using his martial arts skills, a few stumbling people had regained their senses and started throwing out comments one by one.

“Makju, Makju was a master of the Four Spiritual Realms.”

“They said he was an elite of the Amnak, but he was more than just the third rank of the Four Spiritual Realms.”

“This level is comparable to the old Kireyon.”

Judging by the overall reaction, Makju must have been truly skilled. In my eyes, he was just a guy with a crew cut tattoo.

At that moment, a white hand reached towards my sister’s underwear.

I grabbed that hand in horror.

“Are you insane?”

“What? I’m offering this sacred relic.”

“The only thing I offer is this shirt.”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t pass my sister’s panties to this crazy Lolidaisuki cult. I pretended to be calm and said.

“Do you have a problem? Just mere people who are inferior to Makju’s power.”

“Grr.”

Although her expression couldn’t be seen, I could tell.

The woman in the mask was unhappy right now.

But she was mistaking me for being the stronger one and couldn’t move.

In the end, the woman in the mask reluctantly accepted my bragging and carefully put the shirt into the reliquary. While doing so, she glanced at the panties that were still in my hand.

Damn it, when I leave here, I have to somehow take that white shirt with me too. I can’t leave anything about my sister for these perverts.

The woman in the mask kept looking at my hand as if she was disappointed and slowly spoke.

“There was some commotion just now. I will proceed with the test.”

After the woman in the mask made an oath, the floor opened up and stairs leading downwards appeared. Judging by the size of the stairs, I could guess that the underground facility was quite large.

“Let’s proceed to the location of the test.”

And so, we followed the woman in the mask and went down into the underground. While going down the stairs, the woman in the mask spoke.

“There are various types of tests. If you pass the most difficult test, you will be able to meet the head of the main school and receive blessings.”

“We can meet the head of the main school?”

“Yes. It’s possible today. If you only pass the test.”

Who is the head of the Mireuk Temple?

Of course, it would be the Mireuk (Buddha).

And judging by their reactions, Mireuk was soon to be a harini (enlightened being).

My heart starts pounding.

Harini, are you really alive?

My hands trembled, but I held back with extreme patience.

As I expected, the underground facility beneath the cottage was enormous.

It felt like watching a grand underground church.

A masked woman stood at the entrance and explained the facility.

“There are five types of trials. The first trial is the trial of hunger and thirst. If you can endure without eating anything for 30 days, the test ends. It is the easiest test, but the blessings and truth you can obtain are reduced.”

I see.

The easiest test is to endure without eating anything for 30 days.

Is that just telling us to die?

The next trials were the same. Gathered in a room with prostitutes and gigolos, endure without showing any lust for a week, complete the reading of the Mireuk Magnificent Vision Tablet within a day and memorize it without a single mistake, and so on.

They were all impossible tasks for me.

So I cautiously asked.

“What happens if you fail the trial?”

“You won’t fail the trial. The people gathered here have proven themselves worthy to become Arahan in both the secular and spiritual realms with money and relics.”

The masked woman chuckled sarcastically and spoke.

“But unfortunately, if you fail the trial, you cannot leave here alive.”

The woman in traditional Korean clothing continued speaking.

“I will explain the final trial. The final trial is to test your knowledge of Mireuk in this era. It is the most difficult and important trial. If you pass this trial, you can ascend to the highest rank among Arahan and become the blessed leader.”

“Knowledge of Mireuk?”

“Yes. You just have to guess things like their birthday and their likes and dislikes.”

Harini’s birthday?

Harini’s likes and dislikes?

Who am I? Harini’s older brother.

This trial is for me more than anyone else.

And the masked woman said.

“Now, please choose your trial.”

The people gathered here each chose a different trial.

And of course, I chose the quiz trial.

Then other people looked at me strangely.

“To become a high-ranking arahan, even those who become arahans have a fifty percent chance of dying in that test.”

“Knowledge about Maitreya, they all say it’s an extraordinary vision.”

“He must have some hidden thoughts, as he endured the aura of the last week.”

I didn’t have any particular thoughts.

I just felt uneasy when those guys suddenly became excited.

What should I do if they ask about Maitreya’s abilities in the quiz? And what if they ask about something related to Maitreya worship a thousand years ago?

If that happens, I can’t help but dodge the question.

While contemplating this, I walked towards the trial hall, consciousness focused on the black incense in my pocket.

* * *

And so, the Maitreya quiz began.

It was a format where I just had to answer when questions appeared on a giant screen and speakers. It was no different from a quiz show, except for the absence of cameras.

Fortunately, the questions came out as I had expected.

It was a question about Harin.

Like this:

“This is the third question. What was Maitreya’s favorite food?”

It was Harin’s favorite food.

This was an easy question to guess.

There was a time before when I happened to see a recipe called “Cheese Kimchi Pancake” in a book, and I made it for dinner. Harin tasted it and said, “It’s delicious.”

Even when eating chicken or pig’s feet, Harin used to eat without saying a word, so I was slightly surprised by this reaction. So, whenever Harin seemed upset, I often made Cheese Kimchi Pancake to cheer the child up.

The way Harin ate, having a blank expression with the tongue sticking out, was so cute. I said while recalling that time.

“Cheese Kimchi Pancake.”

“Correct.”

Then the Maitreya followers behind me went wild.

They were the followers who managed this facility.

“Quick, write it down! Maitreya’s favorite food is Cheese Kimchi Pancake.”

“From today, I will become the best Cheese Kimchi Pancake chef.”

“From now on, Cheese Kimchi Pancake is the food of the gods. There will be no objections.”

These people are truly insane.

I waited for the next question, speechless.

“The fourth question. What was Mireuk’s favorite weather?”

The weather I liked the most was sunny.

I’m not sure about this one.

No, actually, I think I know.

I used to engage in outdoor activities a lot, so whenever it rained, I would quickly go home. That day, it was pouring rain, and I ended up going home earlier than planned.

When did they start waiting for me?

The young child, who had been waiting for me in front of the door, handed me a towel. As I dried my hair with the towel, I said,

“I’m really annoyed by the rain. It’s monsoon season now, so I can’t play outside.”

“…I like the rain.”

“Why? The humidity rises, and it’s annoyingly wet.”

However, the young child didn’t respond to my words.

Why did the young child like the rain?

Only now, I think I know the reason.

It was because when it rained, I rarely went out of the house. With a bitter taste in my mouth, I gave my answer.

“Rainy weather.”

“That’s correct.”

And the next question began.

“The fifth question. What was the time Mireuk disliked the most during the day?”

“The time Mireuk disliked the most?”

I closed my eyes and thought.

When was the time that the young child disliked the most?

Since when?

The young child seemed to dislike the time when we parted ways on the bus, especially when I went to middle school and they continued to elementary school.

There was even a time when, on the day of my school trip, the young child grabbed my sleeve and dragged me when I tried to get off. I still can’t forget the expressionless face as they held onto my sleeve and pulled me.

“Morning school time.”

“That’s correct.”

I continued to guess the answers.

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The twelfth problem began like that.

“This is the twelfth problem. What was the most loved thing by Miruk-nim?”

Whom did the child love the most?

Was it mother? Or grandmother?

Or maybe a virtual boyfriend?

You bastard, Yoo Hajin. You already know the answer.

I spoke the answer, feeling my heart ache softly.

“Older brother.”

“That’s correct.”

And the problem didn’t continue.

Because the voice that was speaking the problems said something different.

“Why did the person who knows that discard his younger sister?”