The Max Level Hero Has Returned!-Chapter 1260

It wasn’t hard for Davey to reassure Kouna and send her on her way. She had duties of her own, after all.

"Hey! Anchor that stake properly!"

Super Ribbon’s eyes sparkled as she watched the travel club members bustling about setting up their tents.

While she was used to being outdoors, suddenly doing it just for fun, instead of for survival or some mission, felt strangely refreshing. There was something curious and exciting about simply enjoying nature alongside others.

“This goes here...”

While she was fumbling with the one-touch tent, her upperclassman Kim Ah-Rin, the one who’d brought her into the club, came up to her.

“Did you check how nice the stream is?” she said as she pointed to the clear valley stream nearby, holding an already-inflated tube in one hand. “This place isn’t really well-known, so it’s quiet and all. That’s why it’s perfect for us to camp out.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Her expression clearly showed how proud she was of her recommendation.

“It really is peaceful here,” Super Ribbon agreed.

“Right? Normally, this general area gets crowded, but people avoid it this time of year. Something about getting possessed by ghosts or whatever. I think people are just being ridiculous, though. I mean, to get possessed, you'd have to climb over the mountain to that old hospital! Who in the world would go all the way there just to get haunted? If someone were actually dim enough to do it, that’d be the real problem.”

Ah-Rin glanced around carefully, as if checking no one else was watching, then pulled out a small yellowish talisman.

“Also... one of our club members is from a well-known shaman family.” The talisman pulsed with a subtle eerie energy. “It’s not for exorcising or anything, just to prevent any chance of being influenced by ghosts.”

Aside from Super Ribbon and Ah-Rin, there were four more members on the trip. Particularly, it was two guys and two girls that she wasn't familiar with.

"Hey, you two! Let’s get into the stream!” One of the guys with a bold, refreshing look was already down to his swimwear. He soon dove into the stream without hesitation.

“Ahhh? Wait for me, sunbae!” Ah-Rin, clearly excited, was about to run in after him, but quickly looked at Super Ribbon with a quick glance.

Then she grinned.

“Sunbae?”

“Super Ribbon! You’re coming too!” Grabbing her arm, Ah-Rin yanked her up from the rock where she’d been sitting.

“Kyaa! W-Wait a second—!”

“What are you talking about? The first rule of coming to a creek is to get in first and think later!”

Splash!

Demonstrating an explosive burst of energy, Ah-Rin dove into the water with Super Ribbon in tow. The others laughed as they saw the two go in.

“Pfft!!”

Emerging from beneath the water in her full outfit, Super Ribbon flung her hair back and pouted. “I... I’m soaked.”

“You brought spare clothes, right?”

“I did, but...” Super Ribbon still felt annoyed at the inconvenience.

“Then play!”

Ah-Rin’s aggressive cheerfulness eventually made Super Ribbon chuckle.

That whole experience might seem trivial and mundane to some. Yet for Super Ribbon, who had only ever heard of such things through stories or seen them in media, actually living it was something else entirely.

Super Ribbon almost seemed like she was about to cry, but the joy of the moment was overwhelming. It wasn't long before she was laughing and playing alongside the rest of the club members like old friends.

About two hours later, the group finally came out of the stream.

“Whew! Alright, time to eat. I’m taking charge today.” One of the guys pulled out a large knife and immediately began slicing into fresh fish. His technique was clearly far too smooth for a regular college club member.

“Wow... You’re really good at slicing.”

“Of course I am. My father runs a sushi restaurant!” Scaling, gutting, and filleting, Sung-Yool handled the rockfish, flounder, and striped beakperch with professional speed. The others began setting the table.

Meanwhile, Baek Yoon-Seong, the son of a shaman, worked with his longtime friend Park Hyun-Ji to set up a grill and cook pork slices to perfection.

“Hey, you’re a shaman’s kid. Are you even allowed to eat meat?”

“What’s stopping me?”

“True, I guess even elves from Tionis eat meat these days.”

“Oh... That lady.”

They were referring to Yuria Helishana. Her name had apparently spread far and wide.

“Tada! All done!” Sung-Yool placed the sashimi on a large platter and set it down on the folding table.

“Seriously, we’re so lucky. Who gets to eat sashimi like this in the middle of the woods?”

“No kidding. Thanks, Sung-Yool!!”

As laughter rippled through the group, Super Ribbon also picked up her chopsticks. “Sunbae, thanks for the food.”

“O-Oh? Yeah, sure thing! Eat up, Super Ribbon! Honestly, I wish I could cut up a tuna right here, but it takes up too much space.”

He patted Super Ribbon on the shoulder and let out a hearty laugh. From what she could tell, none of the club members seemed like bad people.

Once the sun began to set, the group helped Super Ribbon finish setting up her tent and gear, then lit a campfire and gathered around.

“Campfires really are the highlight of any trip,” one said with a smile.

“Hey, are we not allowed to be doing any fires?”

“What’s the big deal? There’s nothing but rocks around. You know how many people come here and light briquettes?” It was clear that Yoon-Seong was used to that sort of thing. He and Hyun-Ji bickered lightly as they poked at the fire.

“Having fun?”

“Yes. A lot!” Super Ribbon answered.

“Alright, let’s just enjoy the first night. Tomorrow’s plans are... a secret. That makes it more fun! But hey, Yoon-Seong, you sensing anything weird?”

Facing their club leader Ah-Rin’s question, Yoon-Seong, who had been tossing twigs into the fire, lifted his head. “The yin energy’s only moderate. Actually, there’s even a strong yang presence, probably thanks to Super Ribbon. There shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ll place a few extra charms around the tents later to be safe.”

“Cool.”

“Ummm. Ah-Rin?” One of the girls raised her hand quietly. “Do those charms actually work?”

“Pfft! You think Yoon-Seung’s some random faker? He’s legit! Trust me, we’ll be fine. Besides, half of that ghost stuff’s just superstition anyway.”

Super Ribbon and the girl, Jin Ah-Reum, glanced over at Bae Yoon-Seong.

“Is that true?”

“As long as we don’t go into that hospital, we should be fine. But just saying... don’t go into the hospital. That place is overflowing with yin energy right now, and I’ve seen people get straight-up possessed when walking in there.”

Yoon-Seong and Hyun-Ji were the same age, while Ah-Rin and Jin Ah-Reum were a year older. Yet since all four were second-year students, their chemistry felt natural, almost like longtime friends.

Yoon-Seong pulled out a charm from his bag and waved it lightly, scanning the area with careful eyes. With all the fun and excitement, no one had realized how much darker it had gotten. Without a single other person around them, the place looked downright eerie at first glance.

At that moment, Park Sung-Yool, the oldest in the group, asked out of curiosity, "Hey, Yoon-Seong, are there really ghosts over there?"

“Don’t even bring it up, sunbae. Korea has a ton of famous haunted spots, but that one...? Whew... I’d never want to go there.” Bae Yoon-Seung paused for a moment before he slowly opened his mouth. “Since it came up, I’ll go ahead and tell the story. My mom once had a business trip related to that place.”

It was a horror story, sure, but that just made it more entertaining. Most of the club members were surprisingly into ghost stories, so no one tried to stop him.

“A while back, a few staff members, director, and actors for some movie had visited the place as a potential site for filming.”

The deeper the story went, the more the club members became engrossed. Yoon-Seong had a real talent for storytelling.

As they listened, Super Ribbon suddenly flinched and turned her head. Someone had unexpectedly grabbed her shoulder.

“Why aren’t you reacting?”

“Ummm. I don’t know.”

Ah-Rin looked at Super Ribbon, baffled, and Super Ribbon just gave her an awkward smile.

“Honestly, ghosts don't really scare me.”

Bae Yoon-Seung paused mid-sentence and nodded. “She’s got a ton of spiritual energy, after all. Or maybe that’s not the right word? Anyway, if anything happens, just stick close to her, and you'll be fine.”

“What about me, Yoon-Seong?”

“You’re practically a walking ball of energy, so you better be even more careful.”

Bae Yoon-Seong roughly messed with Hyun-Ji’s hair and grabbed a pair of tongs.

“Anyway, while they were messing around during filming, one of them suddenly vanished.”

As he resumed the story, Super Ribbon clenched her fingertips. She had always been powerful when wielded in the form of a sword alongside Davey, yet as a human figure, she had never directly exerted any influence.

Maybe it was because she hadn’t been born into this world for very long. Either way, she still wasn’t able to use her powers on her own.

Someone swallowed nervously. “So? One person disappeared? What happened then?”

“What do you think happened? My mother said she didn’t see what happened directly because she was looking around the area. The person wasn’t answering their phone, no one could find them, and everyone was panicking because they figured going in there might make things worse. Then... they heard something.”

Everyone held their breath.

“A slither... tap... slither... tap...” He mimicked the sound, slowly raising both hands like a ghost, immediately adding a sense of eeriness to the atmosphere.

“They heard something dragging, and just froze on the spot. Honestly, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t freak out. Everyone said they ran without looking back even once. However, the film’s director couldn’t just leave the sound director behind. So, he said he’d go by himself, asking them to keep in contact through the walkie-talkie. He went down, and—”

Rustle rustle.

“Kyaaah!!”

The first to react was Park Hyun-Ji. She practically leapt at Bae Yoon-Seung, clinging to him while staring in the direction of the noise. The others, tense from the sudden sound, turned toward the bushes where it had come from.

“What the hell was that, Yoon-Seung?!”

“I... I’m not really sure.”

“Sounds like a wild animal.”

Super Ribbon, who had been observing them, spoke up. “A wild animal?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a pretty good sense of hearing, so it’s easy for me to tell.”

At that moment, a chipmunk suddenly darted out of the bushes, sniffed the air, and disappeared again.

Everyone relaxed, but Super Ribbon’s gaze shifted elsewhere.

‘What is that?’

What she saw was a black crow. However, something about the crow looked off, and nobody else could see it.

“That’s pretty much the end of the story. My mother said the director got so scared he called her for help. When I showed my curiosity, she told me not to ask what exactly happened inside. She shut it down right away. No matter how many times I asked, she never said another word about what went down. She just kept warning me to never go there.”

The ghost story ended rather flatly, yet thanks to the eerie mood and his storytelling skills, a chill still lingered.

“But seriously, that mountain does have a strong yin energy... Anyway, if you’ve finished eating, clean up and get some sleep. I'll stick a few talismans around the area later, so don't worry.”

Kim Ah-Rin pulled Super Ribbon into a tight hug. “I’m sleeping with Super Ribbon! She might get scared.”

Super Ribbon gave a light laugh. “More like the other way around.”

Maybe it was thanks to Bae Yoon-Seung’s talismans, or the fact that they were far away from the hospital. Perhaps it was just superstition. Either way, that eerie feeling eventually faded.

Though there was the famous abandoned hospital nearby, they saw it as just a distant landmark. No one had plans to go anywhere near it.

Still, Ah-Rin seemed shaken by the story earlier and didn’t want to leave Super Ribbon's side. Fortunately, unless a monster popped out, nothing seemed likely to go wrong.

Ah-Rin and Super Ribbon stayed up chatting late into the night before finally falling asleep, letting the drowsiness wash over them.

Super Ribbon opened her eyes a few hours later. She had been dreaming about making a flower crown with Davey.

She instinctively pulled her phone from her pocket. It read two in the morning.

Someone’s panicked shouting had woken her up, and they repeated, “Hey! Jin Ah-Reum! Where’s Jin Ah-Reum?!”

Kim Ah-Rin, who had been sleeping next to her, woke up with a puzzled expression when she heard Super Ribbon rustling around. “Huh? Super Ribbon, what’s going on?”

“Sunbae, I think something’s going on outside.”

Once she stood up, Ah-Rin stared blankly at her back, then shivered as a chill ran down her spine. “Hey... Hey, what’s with you? You’re seriously creeping me out...”

Even so, she scrambled to follow Super Ribbon outside the tent to where most of the club members had already gathered.

“Yaaawn. What’s going on at this hour, Seong-Yool?” Ah-Rin crossed her arms and asked him, the oldest and the son of a seafood restaurant owner.

He turned to her. “Ah-Rin...”

“Yes?”

“It’s Jin Ah-Reum. Ah-Reum is gone.”

Ah-Rin froze, but quickly forced an awkward smile. “She probably just went to the bathroom.”

“Well, she never came back. It seems like she probably went toward the mountain...” Yoon-Seong muttered with a troubled look. “Something feels really off. I don’t have high spiritual power like my mom does, though, so it’s hard to tell exactly.”

Hearing his words, Ah-Rin frantically pulled out her phone and tried calling Ah-Reum. The faint ringtone rang, on and on without any answer.

“You can hang up now, she’s not picking up. It’s been about thirty minutes since she disappeared. I remember Ah-Reum saying she was going to the bathroom, but I figured she’d come right back and just went back to sleep. Once I woke up, something felt off.”

Park Hyun-Ji, who had shared a tent with Jin Ah-Reum, was now crying silently, overwhelmed by fear.

That was when it happened. The loud ringing suddenly cut off, and someone picked up.

Startled, Ah-Rin shouted into the phone. “Ah-Reum? Ah-Reum?!” At that exact moment, a chilling sound rang out loud and clear from the speaker, sending goosebumps over everyone’s bodies.

Ssss... Tap.

Ssss... Tap.

Ssss... Tap.

Screeeeech! Thud!

Ssss... Tap.

Everyone turned pale, except for Super Ribbon.

Click.

Not long after, the sound cut off completely.

They instinctively remembered where they had heard that sound before, and where it could possibly be coming from.

“Y-Yoon-Seong!” one of them shouted, looking to him for reassurance.

“We’re hella screwed...” His face didn’t look any better.

If it had been a monster, they could’ve stayed calm. After all, they figured they were safe with Super Ribbon around.

Even though she didn’t look like it, they all knew that she was the daughter of the Saint of Tionis. There was no reason to fear monsters in her presence.

However, paranormal phenomena like this was a different story.