I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Escape from the Spirit World No. 1 （2）

White skin. Short black hair. Oval face. Deep blue eyes, and a slender, slim figure.

She’s delicate, but there’s a strange sense of resilience about her.

Her eye color and face shape are different, but for some reason, she reminds me of Rake.

It’s not that their atmosphere is similar. It’s, how should I say, their aura? It’s hard to explain, but their auras are similar.

“I don’t know how a human soul got here all by itself, but you shouldn’t make loud noises here…”

The woman, who was looking at me strangely as I was gasping for breath, suddenly widened her eyes.

“Th-that aura? Is that Malak-nim’s?”

Her jaw dropped.

Huh, can she read my aura? Come to think of it, she also mentioned something about a ‘human soul’.

She’s a civilized person, but she might be related to the Loa. Her clothing also has a strangely barbaric feel to it.

“…”

I hesitated for a moment. Right now, I have a human body and I’m Sanz, wearing a convenience store uniform.

Should I introduce myself as Sanz, Malak’s messenger? Or should I introduce myself as Malak, who temporarily borrowed a human body?

It might be better to pretend to be Jin Malak to evoke ‘awe’.

I was about to open my mouth after a brief moment of contemplation.

“Ah, you must be him! Malak-nim’s representative! I wouldn’t have recognized you if I hadn’t looked closely!”

The woman smiled brightly, as if she was glad to see me. Her smile also resembles Rake’s.

No, this is not the time for such leisurely thoughts.

“Huh.”

This time, I was the one who was flustered. How do you know that? It’s a top secret that only Jin Malak, the goddess, and the other Loa know about.

“Come on, get up.”

I instinctively grabbed the arm she held out. It’s warm and soft. It was definitely the first time I had touched another person in a long time, but it felt somehow familiar.

Is it because I felt Rake’s warmth even in my totem state?

I was about to open my mouth to say something.

“Perhaps because the dominance of the soul has changed, I only sense a faint trace of Malak-nim’s aura. Let’s get out of this flower garden first and talk.”

She gently helped me to my feet and moved busily.

“Flower garden?”

Isn’t this a forest? What flower garden? I turned my head to see what she was talking about.

“Wh-what is this.”

The plants that had been embedded in the ground were raising their heads and slowly moving towards us. The flowers blooming on their heads were split open like the mouths of beasts.

With slime-like substance dripping down, it seemed like they were drooling.

“These are carnivorous plants that live in Sesu-nim’s flower garden. They are sensitive to loud noises. Hurry!”

Apparently, they started moving after hearing me curse at the goddess.

Carnivorous plants. Are they insectivorous plants like Nepenthes or Sundew?

…As far as I know, those so-called insectivorous plants slowly digest their prey with digestive fluids.

If I get caught, I’ll melt to death? That’s too horrible. Even if I don’t die because I’m temporarily borrowing Malak’s soul, what’s the point if my whole body melts?

I don’t want to become a slime monster, a popular toy for children.

“Yes!”

I ran after the woman who was hopping like an elf. She’s really fast.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

“We should be safe here.”

The woman looked around and nodded. She said we were now out of Sesu’s flower garden.

“Huff, huff, huff…!”

As for me, I was exhausted and panting like a paohoo~. It can’t be helped. It was my first sprint in years.

Ah, I should have exercised regularly. This is so embarrassing.

“You’re lucky. I happened to be nearby at the right time.”

“Thanks. I almost died.”

I agreed.

At first, I spoke formally, but then I realized there was no need for that. It’s clear that even as Jin Malak’s representative, I’m in a higher position than an ordinary priestess.

So, I’ll just speak casually. She doesn’t seem to mind, judging by her reaction.

“I am Nike of the Brown Rock Tribe.”

“Nike, huh.”

For a moment, I thought of a certain game called ‘Goddess of Victory’, but I immediately banished that thought. It’s rude to think of a game where you try to look at a woman’s butt when you first meet her.

Anyway, I have a lot of questions for this woman. Let’s start with this one.

“What’s your relationship with Rake?”

I was very curious about how she knew me and where we were, but I was even more curious about this woman’s identity.

Who is she to have a similar aura to Rake? Is she perhaps a half-sister Rake didn’t know about?

She seems to be about the same age as Rake.

“You’ve met her.”

Nike gave a gentle smile.

Her?

“She’s my daughter with Rakan-nim.”

“Hmm.”

Well, I had expected something like this, so I wasn’t too surprised.

I remained silent to organize my thoughts, or rather, to form a hypothesis.

1. Rake said her mother died shortly after giving birth to her.

2. It doesn’t make sense to meet someone who’s supposed to be dead in this rainforest. I must be hallucinating or I’ve come to the afterlife. Let’s assume it’s the afterlife for now.

3. Interestingly, this world has a place similar to the afterlife. It’s the Spirit World, where barbarians are said to go when they do good things for the Loa.

4. Nike had a certain activity with Rakan and gave birth to a half-god, half-human, so she did a good deed.

5. Crucially, Nike called me a ‘human soul’ when she first saw me.

“Then this place is…”

Before I could finish my sentence, Nike answered first.

“Yes. This is the Spirit World, the dimension where the Loa reside, and the Hall of Ancestors.”

She says it’s the Spirit World.

The afterlife.

Fuck.

The moment I realized the true nature of this world, a status window popped up.

[First entry into the Hidden Stage ‘Spirit World’!]

[If you succeed in returning to the surface, you will receive a blessing!]

It wasn’t a message sent directly by the goddess, but a system message from the status window itself.

It must have been prepared in advance, just like the status window that appeared when I received the Symphony territory. I couldn’t check what kind of blessing I would receive as a reward for returning.

It seems I can only see it after I return.

“You should be on the surface, how did you get here?”

“Well…”

I explained the whole story to her.

Not in detail, just that I had exhausted a lot of mental energy killing the Seven-Headed Dragon.

Oh, I also mentioned that Rake and I have a very close relationship. That she became my guardian and is serving me very passionately.

…I also ‘slightly’ mentioned that Rake would be very sad without me.

There’s no one I know in the Spirit World. I need Nike’s full support. To do that, I need to use Rake’s name a little.

“That’s fascinating.”

Nike continued, resting her chin on her hand.

“The mind is the power of the soul. It’s separate from the presence or absence of divinity, material or immaterial strength. Even those with low rank can have a soul power as strong as superhumans.

Perhaps your soul power was depleted beyond its limit, causing it to flow into the Spirit World?”

“I see.”

To be honest, I didn’t fully understand. It just sounded like a far-fetched fantasy setting.

Let’s just assume that my mind became weak and I’m wandering around the afterlife. I’m hovering between life and death.

“Is there a way to return to the surface?”

Nike nodded.

“Yes, there is. You can leave through the Spirit Gate that connects the Spirit World and the surface.”

“Spirit Gate, huh.”

It’s a very straightforward name. Easy to understand.

“We don’t have a lot of time.”

“What?”

“Your representative is currently precariously connected to the Spirit World. It’s an unstable state. Look, isn’t your soul flickering?”

“Huh?”

My body had become slightly translucent.

I think this happened once before. Was it because of this?

After waiting for a few minutes, my body returned to normal. As she said, it ‘flickered’, temporarily becoming translucent.

“The intervals between flickering will become shorter and shorter. Instead of just flickering, that state could become permanent. And if you completely fade away…

I don’t know what will happen next. It won’t be good.”

So there’s a time limit.

“Can you come with me to the Spirit Gate?”

“Sure. Rakan-nim will be waiting, but… I’m sure he’ll understand given the circumstances.”

Nike readily agreed.

“Is Rakan here too?”

“Yes. Like all Loa, he resides in his own domain within the Spirit World.”

Well, I guess that was a silly question.

I might encounter other Loa on the way. Whether they will be friendly or hostile to me is something I’ll have to worry about later.

“We have to pass through dangerous areas to reach the Spirit Gate. I’m not enough on my own.”

Nike grabbed an arrow from her back and examined it. It seems she’s checking her weapon.

“Are there any who can help me?”

“Representative-nim, this is the Spirit World. This is where warriors who sacrificed their lives for the Loa go.”

Nike said confidently.

“We can ask for help from Malak-nim’s followers who live in the Spirit World. I know where they are. Now, let’s go.”

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

After a few hours, I was able to see my followers.

“If you’re Malak-nim’s messenger… Sanz?”

“Nice to meet you.”

“What was the messenger’s name again?”

People I thought were dead greeted me.

They were Gukbap, Nix, and Denzo, in that order.

Those who fought for me at the risk of their lives were waiting for me here.