ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 95: Treasure or Terror? ( )

Damn! This cave is too deep. When will I find my treasure?

Hazuki let out an exaggerated sigh as he trudged forward, his boots crunching against the rocky floor. The eerie glow from the crystals lining the walls barely lit his path, casting strange, shifting shadows.

"Ugh... I swear, every isekai protagonist finds treasure so easily—just one random cave and bam! Legendary weapon, gold piles, maybe even a sealed goddess who calls them ’Master.’" He clicked his tongue. "Meanwhile, here I am, wandering through a cave like an idiot."

He kept walking, grumbling under his breath.

"Seriously, why is treasure so damn hard to get? Shouldn’t there be some kind of dungeon navigation skill for poor, struggling adventurers like me?"

The deeper he went, the brighter the cave seemed to get, as if something up ahead was illuminating the space.

"...Huh?" Hazuki narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. That’s not normal, right?"

Ohhh!

Hazuki’s eyes sparkled like a man who just spotted an all-you-can-eat buffet after starving for days. His mouth stretched into a wide, idiotic grin.

"I’m sure that’s the treasure!! MY TREASURE!!!"

Without even thinking—without questioning if it was actually treasure or just some weird glowing rock—Hazuki sprinted forward, his greedy eyes gleaming with the kind of desperation only a broke adventurer could understand.

"Treasureeeee!!!"

And...

WHAM!

Hazuki’s foot caught on a slightly raised rock, and with the grace of a drunk squirrel, he faceplanted onto the cave floor.

Hazuki slowly stood up, rubbing his sore nose.

"The pain? What is that? Never heard of it," he muttered, shaking off the embarrassment of tripping over nothing.

His excitement reignited as he rushed toward the glowing pile ahead. This was it. This was his big break.

But...

"Huh?"

Instead of a mountain of gold or a legendary artifact, he found himself staring at a heap of shimmering, translucent crystals.

"Diamonds? Err... what is this?" He picked one up and examined it closely, tilting his head. Definitely not diamonds, but maybe valuable? He stuffed one in his bag.

Then, his eyes landed on something in the center of the cave—a large, ancient-looking jar, covered in strange markings.

"Oho~ This thing’s gotta have treasure inside!" Hazuki grinned, rubbing his hands together. It was common sense! Who puts a big, fancy jar in a hidden cave if it doesn’t have something valuable inside?

He grabbed the lid and tried to open it.

"Ngggghhhh!!!" He strained, veins popping on his forehead. "Why is this thing so damn hard to open!?"

After a few more grunts and unsuccessful attempts, Hazuki sighed. Then, his grin slowly returned.

"Alright, fine. If hands don’t work, I’ll just use something sharper."

With a smirk, he raised his sword high above his head and—

CLANG!

Damn! This is hard!" Hazuki gritted his teeth, glaring at the stubborn jar.

"Just break already!"

CLANG!

CLANG!

"Ugh!" His arms were starting to ache. "What the hell is this thing made of!? Is it enchanted!?"

"Alright, since regular attacks aren’t working... let’s add some mana to the mix!"

Grinning, he focused, channeling his mana into his sword. A faint green glow surrounded the blade as he raised it high.

"Haaaahhh!!"

CLANG!

The impact sent a sharp vibration up his arms—but this time, something cracked.

"Oh—!" Before he could even finish his thought, the jar lid shattered with a final, resounding CRACK!

The glowing markings on the jar flickered, dimmed... and then vanished completely.

The cave suddenly felt different.

A thick smoke erupted from the jar, swirling violently as crackling lightning and pure mana pulsed through it. The entire cave trembled, sending small pebbles tumbling from above.

The smoke gathered, condensing into a single form—a floating, ghostly figure with an overwhelming presence.

"IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME! FINALLY!!!"

A booming voice echoed through the cave, filled with power and excitement.

Then, the glowing figure turned its gaze downward, staring at Hazuki.

"OH? WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE? A HUMAN?"

It hovered closer, its energy crackling like a storm.

"ARE YOU THE ONE WHO RELEASED ME?" ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Hazuki, who had been standing confidently just moments ago, now stared with sheer horror.

His mouth opened, but no words came out.

Then—

"KYAAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

Without hesitation, Hazuki turned and ran, arms flailing, screaming like a terrified child.

"OI! HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!"

The booming voice echoed through the cave, but Hazuki? He was already halfway down the tunnel, legs moving faster than they ever had in his entire life.

"THIS ISN’T TREASURE!! THIS IS A DAMN GHOST!!"

His arms flailed wildly, his face contorted in pure terror as he stumbled over his own feet while trying to escape.

The spirit just floated there, watching him with a dumbfounded expression.

"A ghost? EXCUSE YOU?! I AM AN ANCIENT, POWERFUL—"

But before it could finish, Hazuki let out another high-pitched scream—

"KYAAAAA!!!"

—and kept running.

Hazuki kept sprinting like his life depended on it, but his mind raced even faster.

"I—I’M NOT RUNNING BECAUSE IT’S SCARY, OKAY?! IT’S JUST... THAT THING IS A GHOST!! OKAY?!"

His breath hitched as he nearly tripped over a rock.

"I’M NOT SCARED OF GHOSTS! SERIOUSLY! BUT STILL...!!"

Suddenly, something floated beside him.

"Human? If you’re not scared, why are you running?"

Hazuki whipped his head to the side and saw the ancient spirit casually floating next to him.

His face went pale.

Hazuki sprinted even faster.

"OI! At least let me speak first! Why do you keep running?!" the spirit yelled

"NO WAY! YOU’RE A BAD SPIRIT!!!" Hazuki screamed, pumping his legs even harder.

The ancient spirit stopped mid-air, completely dumbfounded.

"I’M NOT A BAD SPIRIT!!!" it roared, before taking off after him again.

Hazuki glanced back and nearly tripped over his own feet.

"IF YOU’RE NOT A BAD SPIRIT, THEN WHY THE HELL WERE YOU SEALED?!!"

The spirit faltered for a second.

"...Oh."

It blinked.

"Okay, fair point."

"BUT HEY! YOU DON’T NEED TO RUN!!" the spirit shouted, clearly frustrated.

"NO WAY! I KNOW BAD SPIRITS LIKE YOU!" Hazuki yelled back, still sprinting for his life.

"YOU’LL POSSESS ME AND THEN—"

He suddenly tripped on a rock.

"GAH—!!!"

Faceplant.

The spirit floated over, arms crossed, looking unimpressed.

"And then what? Come on, finish your sentence."

Hazuki lay there unconscious, blissfully unaware of what was happening.

The spirit, still hovering over him, grinned mischievously.

"Well, well... if I can’t talk some sense into you, I’ll just take over your body instead!"

It lunged forward, aiming to possess him—

"GYAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The spirit screamed in agony, its form distorting violently.

"WHAT THE HELL!? WHY CAN’T I POSSESS HIM!?"

It writhed in pain, flickering erratically, and only then did it realize...

Its formless tail—had accidentally brushed against the tip of Hazuki’s sword.

"W-Wait, why do I feel—AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

With a sudden whoosh, the spirit was forcefully sucked into the blade, its glowing form spiraling into the weapon like water draining into a whirlpool.

The eerie glow faded. The cave fell silent.

Then—

The sword glow softly.

( End Of Chapter )