Transmigrated as the Side Top used as an Emotional Trash Can - Chapter 77.2
It was the Jangsanbeom.
A white, long-haired monster that lured people by imitating sounds.
“…Wow.”
The moment I turned around, I made eye contact with the red eyes of a white beast that looked well over three meters tall, and I died instantly.
“Waaah, there’s no way you’d hear dress shoes clicking in a forest cushioned with fallen leaves.”
I really had been completely fooled. Should I have just kept my eyes closed? From now on, if I heard something and needed to investigate it, I should close my eyes first instead of looking directly.
When I revived, I was sitting on the bicycle again.
“So the Jangsanbeom had already started following me from the moment I arrived here?”
When I killed myself, I revived immediately before it happened. When someone else killed me, I revived at a point where I could avoid being killed by them. That was the rule of the revival system.
“As long as I’m in this forest, I can’t avoid dying.”
It was already near me. I needed to escape quickly or lose it.
“Baek Hanrim.”
Kim Jihwan’s voice came from behind me. I immediately got on the bicycle and started pedaling.
There was no way Kim Jihwan could be here. That wasn’t Kim Jihwan.
“Where are you going! Stay here! Hey!”
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
I heard Kim Jihwan’s distinctive irritated voice and footsteps chasing after me.
Can it make multiple sounds at once? Could it really be Kim Jihwan?
“Jihwan-ah, when’s your birthday?”
I steadied my breathing as I pedaled at full speed and asked.
“What?! Haa, November, 5!”
I could hear Kim Jihwan panting from running, along with the messy footsteps of someone desperately trying to catch up.
It was detailed enough to fool me without thinking, but this.
“If you were the real Jihwan, you’d swear at a time like this, Jangsanbeom.”
“I’m not the Jangsanbeom.”
The voice that had been panting just moments ago suddenly became calm. That confirmed it was the Jangsanbeom. I pedaled even harder and raced through the forest.
“Haa….”
After riding for a long time, I found a stream. When I got off the bicycle and lifted a rock, there were freshwater fish and crayfish living underneath.
“Would it be okay to drink this?”
I scooped up just enough to wet my mouth. I stripped off my school uniform until only my short-sleeved shirt remained and washed my face too. It was pleasantly cool, and my tension eased.
Booom-!
Would you like to restart?
Yes / No
It was the Jangsanbeom.
I raised my head to react to the sudden explosion, made eye contact with the Jangsanbeom, and died on the spot. The quick reflexes I had developed through all those survival games ended up killing me instead.
“Judging by how far away it is, running away must have worked.”
During my first death, it had been right in front of me. This second time, it was about a hundred meters away. Since looking into its eyes killed me, the Jangsanbeom was capable of long-range attacks too.
“Let’s memorize the terrain before I revive.”
While in my translucent state, I climbed a tree and looked over the forest. I could see nearby areas clearly, but the distance was white with fog. It seemed impossible to learn the surroundings with my eyes like this while I was in a spirit state after death.
I guess I really had no choice but to revive and explore it myself.
“Should I follow the stream?”
If I followed where the water flowed downward, I would reach the lower course, and eventually the sea. You wouldn’t call a place like that a forest anymore.
“Anyway, all I have to do is escape the forest. If I reach the sea, they’ll count that as escaping, right?”
The moment I came to my senses, I threw off my uniform and padded jacket. Then I pedaled the bicycle back toward the stream I had found earlier.
During all of this, the Jangsanbeom didn’t attack. I couldn’t tell whether this silence was a trick meant to make its prey lower its guard, or simply incompetence after failing to pursue me.
“But I can’t just stand still either.”
As planned, I followed the stream downstream. Contrary to my expectations, however, the terrain rapidly became steeper. This feels kind of ominous. This isn’t going to lead to the ocean, it’s….
Guoooo-!
“A waterfall?”
A waterfall tearing powerfully through the land and a sheer cliff greeted me. It was a fairly large waterfall and cliff, grand enough to look majestic.
“Should I follow the waterfall? It’ll take a while, but….”
But the waterfall and cliff were too big. Just climbing down looked like it would take half a day. I wanted to simply dive down, but if I got swept up in that enormous torrent, I felt like there wouldn’t even be bones left to recover.
“Even for someone in the Swimming Club, that’s a bit….”
“It’s too steep here. Let’s go back to where we started, Hanrim-ah.”
Cha Gwonhyeok’s voice came from behind me. Here, in this dangerous cliffside terrain. I was startled, but I deliberately kept calm and tried not to react.
If I moved carelessly, I could fall.
“Gwonhyeok-ah, hit me once.”
“What? I told you it’s dangerous here?”
Wrong. That wasn’t how Cha Gwonhyeok would react. Cha Gwonhyeok would ask why before scolding me.
That confirmed the thing behind me was the Jangsanbeom. I carefully moved my body while continuing the conversation.
“Gwonhyeok-ah, do you remember that we agreed to meet on your birthday?”
“Hm? I don’t remember that….”
Correct. Because I made it up.
Can it imitate the memories of the person it’s copying too? It’s smarter than I thought.
“Gwonhyeok-ah, how did you end up here?”
“You’ve been asking weird questions for a while.”
The Jangsanbeom wasn’t simply repeating words. It understood the context of the conversation.
“Sorry, I’m too frazzled right now. Are you okay?”
“I hurt my leg. It’s hard to walk.”
How did someone who had trouble walking climb up terrain this steep and talk without even breathing hard?
Grab!
The bicycle I had been pushing was caught.
And something was pulling it with tremendous force.
Should I let go? But it’s my only way to escape from the Jangsanbeom.
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