I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-Chapter 543: Honey, Poison, Flame 3

If a terrifying ghost appeared only to get its head split by a holy sword, I could laugh it off. But when a hideous face suddenly jumped out from bushes or tree branches with a "WAAAH!" before vanishing into mist—that was different. Some viewers mocked them as one-trick jump-scare monsters, but even when you're expecting them, jump scares still get you.

"I mean, the beast monsters at least give a safari vibe so I don't mind them, but these ghost bastards—can't we do something about them? Should we find a shaman and perform an exorcism ritual? I'm seriously going cra—YAH!?!!"

-Did you bite your tongue? What was that at the end LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

-I absolutely hate horror that just jumps out with no substance and only startles you, and now it's happening here too...

-These ghost shits just scream and disappear, what's the point? I really don't get it

-Looks like the finch is driving them away—without it, would you be possessed and die?

-Yeah, this definitely seems like a sanity-draining gimmick. Without the finch, the party members' SAN would be destroyed

Since this wasn't a horror game on a computer, ghosts popped up from the front, behind, above, and even below. In the worst cases, a hideous face suddenly appeared right in front of Han Se-ah's drone camera with a "WAH!"—startling viewers too.

With those thoughts, I stomped on a ghostly hand that emerged from the soil and tried to grab my ankle. Though it was a translucent ghost hand, it could be crushed when infused with holy power—typical of fantasy world ghost monsters.

This meant our party, which included a saint, wouldn't fall victim to such ghosts. In other words, as viewers suggested, these ghost bastards would just keep startling us until we left the forest.

"Whew, we're almost there. It was worth moving straight through."

"Well, we're all superhuman, so one day isn't a problem. Are you alright, Irene?"

"Yes. My stamina has improved through adventuring."

Our forced march to escape from the unpleasant and annoying ghost gimmick was nearing its end. After being awakened by the finch's night alarm, we immediately dismantled the tent and started moving, not knowing when another ghost might appear.

We began moving late at night and marched through the morning until lunch. Then we had a hearty meal in a suitable clearing, smashed the heads of beasts attracted by the smell, and moved again. Thanks to this full day of travel, we were able to quickly return to the gate leading down.

Was an unidentified seed(?) the only thing we gained from all this trouble?

"Argh, honestly... I'd love to just sell it to the Magic Tower right away."

"Hmm, don't be too angry, Hanna. How could a creature that can't speak know any better?"

As Han Se-ah simmered with frustration due to ghosts repeatedly appearing on her broadcast screen rather than in front of her, and Katie enjoyed treating the fang tiger like a pet despite its size, they conversed while crossing through the gate.

At least the ghost bastards probably wouldn't crawl after us as far as the forest fairy village.

※

Through our forced march, we returned to the 61st floor, stopped by the forest fairy village to leave the seed, then continued down to the 60th floor and back to the city and Magic Tower.

The blue-haired crybaby forest fairy with some precognitive abilities claimed to know ancient documents about the seed and casually took it, making it seem like normal quest progression—causing Han Se-ah's protruding lips to withdraw slightly.

This meant the shadow fang tiger—nicknamed "Vegan Tiger" by viewers—would survive without being sold to the old men at the Magic Tower.

"Its tail grew back—maybe we should have pulled it out and sold it?"

"Our party isn't short on money, so there's no need for that."

"Still, we should probably cooperate with research. The fang venom and tail venom are likely different."

Well, it would probably have a limited lifespan and end up at the Magic Tower after we conquered the deep forest layer, but considering it was a trouble-making monster, keeping its lifeline intact was something. Being raised for ecosystem research would be better for it than becoming a subject for live experiments.

Unaware of its future, it crouched in the shadows. It seemed afraid of the world outside the forest, probably due to its ability to gauge others' strength.

For a creature that could estimate strength through mana, how terrifying must the Adventurers' Guild and Magic Tower appear? Aside from low-rank adventurers working for pocket change, there were thousands of mid-rank adventurers and hundreds of high-rank ones bustling about, especially with the Empire's appearance.

At this scale, if monsters were to flow back out of the Tower like the wolves at the beginning, they'd be slaughtered instantly before causing any human casualties.

"What about those ghosts, though?"

"I think we need to go to the Temple rather than the Magic Tower. It seemed like holy power was effective against them."

The creature that had once guarded its territory by swishing its lizard tail like a venomous snake now had its tail tucked between its legs, refusing to emerge from Grace's shadow—like a pet dog before a bloody dog butcher.

Perhaps feeling pity for it, everyone restrained the fuming Han Se-ah. Grace seemed to have grown attached from traveling together, Irene was naturally kind-hearted, and Katie had accepted the shadow fang tiger as a temporary party member purely for fun.

And so, with the fang tiger in the shadows and the finch perched above, we headed not to the Magic Tower but to the Temple, looking like some circus troupe.

"My goodness! What brings all of you here together?"

"Ah, Sister. We had something to ask about at the Grand Temple."

Behind Irene, who was having a pleasant conversation with the kindly nun we'd met when visiting the orphans before, the rest of our party members followed in a line, startling the Temple people.

Our hero party, now famous throughout both the Kingdom and the Empire, suddenly arriving at the Temple early in the morning must have seemed strange. Come to think of it, our nighttime forced march meant we were arriving at an unusual hour.

As a result, the attention of the nuns who were cleaning, the orphans helping them, and ordinary citizens gathering for blessings or prayers all shifted toward us.

"To the Grand Temple? Oh my, look at me. I almost left important guests standing here. Please come inside."

Noticing this, the nun hurriedly guided us from the busy hall to the inner area. Even excluding our status as the hero party, we were a combination bound to attract attention. Beautiful women who would turn heads anywhere, plus a sparkling finch perched above—how could we not draw stares?

As citizens whispered all sorts of gossip behind us, the shadow fang tiger slowly emerged from the shadows as we moved inside the Temple.

"Oh, m-monster!?"

"It seems docile—did the Hero tame it?"

"Wow! Can I pet it—ack!"

"Child! What are you saying that's so dangerous? Everyone, return to your rooms now!"

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Even amid the commotion of terrified citizens and children nearly running over, the shadow fang tiger brazenly walked toward the Goddess statue, truly exemplifying the "jerk cat" stereotype. Perhaps as a creature that could sense mana, it felt comfort in the holy power bestowed by the Goddess of Life.

As the nun looked with complicated eyes at the fang tiger crouching before the Goddess statue like a cat dozing by a fireplace, Han Se-ah apologized on its behalf with a bright red face.

"Ahaha, I'm, I'm sorry..."

She probably felt like someone whose pet had caused trouble in a public place.

Enjoy the chappy!