The Prisoner (6)
A low groan echoed through the air.
Kim Yeon gathered her consciousness and her eyes gleamed with light.
Before her lay a shadow and a skeleton ghost captain.
Looking at the two at the level of the Four Pillars, she adjusted her stance.
She had only just stepped into the Heavenly Person realm.
The way to reach the Heavenly Person realm was to become completely immersed in a single concept.
Then what concept had she immersed herself in?
If it had been before she heard the truth of Seo Eun-hyun’s heart, she might have thought the feeling was simply love.
But once she heard the truth and began to observe her own feelings, Kim Yeon finally understood that it was not love.
‘Then what exactly is this feeling?’
Kim Yeon thought.
The direction of this feeling pointed toward Seo Eun-hyun.
But it was not simply love.
Then what was it?
‘Name. This feeling… needs a name.’
Moreover, this feeling contained the heart of the One-Gate Dharma Refiner.
And this feeling held a longing for home.
This feeling held loyalty toward her colleagues.
To sort her own heart.
To set her attitude toward her master.
To deepen her longing and her loyalty even further.
Kim Yeon decided to give a name to this heart.
“Anyway, it’s surprising. The infamous Strange Ghost King was only at the Heavenly Person level…”
The two skeleton ghost captains each pulled out their talismans.
Kim Yeon remained silent and focused her consciousness.
Memories of when Seo Eun-hyun had taught her martial arts in her dreams surfaced.
―Yeon-ah, you have far greater spiritual talent than me, but your martial arts talent is… the same as or even lower than mine.
―What?! Then what do I do? I have to learn martial arts to have any chance of escaping…
―Don’t worry. I was also a slow learner, so I’m confident in teaching you. For now…
At that time Seo Eun-hyun had told her,
―Let’s keep repeating Wing-to-Wing Dance endlessly.
―Eh?
―It might feel boring, but for someone without talent, endless repetition is the shortest path to advancing the realm. I know from experience.
From that day onward, under Seo Eun-hyun’s guidance, she trained endlessly in the art of Wing-to-Wing Dance.
Strangely enough, the Wing-to-Wing Dance she learned was quite similar to the movements of the One-Gate Dharma Refiner’s [she].
At the same time it resonated with her Strange Star-Mind Scroll, and learning Wing-to-Wing Dance even helped her Strange Star-Mind Scroll in strange ways.
At first she had thought it was boring and crazy.
Holding a fan and repeating the same movements over and over.
Of course, at the time it was far better than being with the One-Gate Dharma Refiner, so she had endured it with gritted teeth.
But even the boring practice faded as she reached a certain ‘realm’ in Wing-to-Wing Dance.
The true meaning of Wing-to-Wing Dance was not waving a fan while dancing.
It was that the movements connected, that spent power was partially recovered.
As long as the beginning and end were connected, whether one held a fan, a spear, stood on one’s head and spun like a top, it didn’t matter.
‘But Wing-to-Wing Dance itself lacks attacking power.’
So she secretly learned a new martial art from Seo Eun-hyun.
Clang―
Kim Yeon lowered her hand.
In her hand were suddenly four flying daggers.
She had combined the Wing-to-Wing Dance created by Seo Eun-hyun with a new martial art taught by the One-Gate Dharma Refiner.
She had kept it secret from Seo Eun-hyun.
―Miss Kim Yeon, this martial art is a fusion of the Dragon-Shaped Flying Tiger Claw and the Void-Breaking Sword Technique.
The current Wing-to-Wing Dance you are practicing suits your Strange Star-Mind Scroll very well, but I believe this will directly boost your combat power.
―Ah, thank you.
―You don’t need to be so polite. I’m younger than you.
―…Ah, yes… I’ll still use honorifics. Anyway, what is the name of this martial art?
―I haven’t given it a name.
The One-Gate Dharma Refiner had shown her many martial arts in front of Kim Yeon.
―I have created and combined and evolved various martial arts—staff, blade, spear, sword, fist, claw—based on the martial arts my lord taught me. But… not a single one has been named.
―Why?
―Hmm… Because I don’t think a name is necessary in martial arts. I’ll decide on names after I unify all of them.
―Amazing. Eun-hyun oppa knows them too, right? The martial arts of… that One-Gate Dharma Refiner.
―Ah, that’s a secret between me and the lord. I want to surprise you later. Hahaha…
The monster Seo Eun-hyun, the One-Gate Dharma Refiner.
The Wing-to-Wing Dance he taught the slow learner, the martial art he wasted on the genius.
Uwoong―
Inside the formation, Kim Yeon’s consciousness filled the entire space.
Under the pressure of her consciousness, the faces of Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain darkened.
“This… is consciousness at the Heavenly Person level…?”
“Impossible… Could the Strange Ghost King just be a Four Pillar who has fallen a level?”
Kim Yeon smiled faintly and raised her hand.
“It seems you have time to speak.”
Boom―
The next instant.
Kim Yeon’s fingertips swept across the two ghost creatures.
Kwa-aaaang!
The four flying daggers flew like claws, spraying a slash of death.
Kim Yeon’s attack, already at the Heavenly Person level with an Integration-grade consciousness, was amplified wildly inside the consciousness-filled formation and shot forward.
“Ugh… what…!”
Baek Rin blocked her attack with his talisman and gulped.
Kim Yeon lowered her hand.
Threads of consciousness flowed from her fingertips and merged with qi, becoming materialized qi threads.
Those qi threads connected to the four flying daggers she had drawn.
“Ugh! What is that sorcery?!”
Baek Rin asked with a terrified face, and Kim Yeon lowered her other hand as well.
Clang―
From her opposite hand four flying daggers also connected with qi threads. Kim Yeon stepped into a side-step and swung the daggers connected by qi.
“Well, for now, let’s call it Claw Method.”
Hwoong―
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Like a giant claw swinging, eight slashes flew toward the two.
And Kim Yeon began to dance.
Her dance scattering countless slashes was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever seen.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The formation began to shake and could not endure the slashes.
A gap appeared in the formation, giving Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain a chance to escape, but they could not think of fleeing.
Even though a gap had appeared in the formation, there was still no gap in her domain.
Every time her flying dagger or her [claw] swung, slashes scattered.
But the slashes continued to connect once more.
Slashes continued endlessly, yet power was not consumed at all.
Originally it was simply a martial art similar to Seo Eun-hyun’s Mountain Beyond Mountain is Endless.
But when the power of the Heavenly Person was added to this Wing-to-Wing Dance, an entirely different property emerged.
Kukugu-gu―
Thanks to Kim Yeon’s heavenly qi guidance, the heaven and earth spiritual energy rushed toward her.
While the Wing-to-Wing Dance barely consumed power, the more heaven and earth spiritual energy rushed in, the more power Kim Yeon accumulated.
The more she unleashed it, the stronger it became. It was a monstrous, perverted martial art.
The two ghost creatures gritted their teeth in the raging storm of slashes that grew stronger and stronger.
“Ugh, we can’t let this happen!”
“Behind us are the will of countless ghost creatures in the White-Ghost Valley! We cannot lose to a devil cultist who brainwashes people!”
Kim Yeon heard those words and smiled wickedly.
“Brainwash? That’s ridiculous. Our Wugeuk Sect only provides modern, fair working hours—twenty hours a week, reasonable wages every month, excellent welfare and benefits—so that the hearts of the disciples are won fairly. It is not brainwashing.”
“Ugh… I have no idea what language you’re speaking.”
“The words of an evil devil cultist. Do not falter, Master Baek.”
Kukugu-gugu!
However, together with that, countless slashes merged into one and shot toward the two Four Pillars.
“Kuuuuugh! What kind of monster-like power…!”
“What kind of output…!”
Originally, when a Wulin martial artist fought a Daoist cultivator, the martial artist would use superior techniques to break the Daoist’s sorcery, while the Daoist would crush the martial artist’s techniques with overwhelming output.
But now.
An incredible sight was unfolding.
Kim Yeon’s martial arts, influenced by her Integration-grade consciousness, were pushing the Daoist cultivators back with overwhelming output.
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain used every possible technique and sorcery to counter, looking for gaps in Kim Yeon’s slashes.
“There! There’s a gap!”
“Hurry and escape!”
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain gathered their strength.
The two ghost creatures joined hands.
A massive skeleton-shaped aura gathered, and a dark shadow covered it.
A huge black-skeleton aura flew toward one spot in the formation.
Baek Rin recalled the loyal skeleton ghost captains who had enjoyed labor with kind expressions.
The skeleton ghost captain recalled the innocent ghosts who had always valued obedience and submission as virtues.
The two ghost creatures clasped hands and prayed for the peace of the White-Ghost Valley, raising all their power.
“Taaaaaaa!”
“Haaaaaaa!”
Flash!
Finally the two ghost creatures escaped the evil domain of the Strange Ghost King just before being swept away by her slashes.
Kukugu-gu!
The two looked back at the collapsing formation behind them and hurried toward the center of the Wugeuk Sect.
“Ugh… heh… ugh…”
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain ran panting like they had never breathed in their lives.
“That place… is…”
“The residence of the Pure Heavenly Venerable… the Wugeuk Sect!”
The two arrived at the building completely shrouded in dark curses and panted.
“As expected of the Devil Cult Leader, he surrounds the building with curses.”
“The curse is evil just to look at. Break through quickly!”
The two ghost creatures raised their power and hurled talismans at the building.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
And bursts of explosive sound and dust clouds rose.
But the sight that followed made Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain tremble.
A tall human figure stood in front of the Wugeuk Sect and blocked their talismans.
“That person is the Destroyer of Fate…?”
“A helpful talisman!”
And the dust cloud settled.
“W-wait…!”
“Y-you…”
However, after the dust cloud settled.
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain realized who had blocked their talismans and jumped in shock.
The one who had blocked their talismans was the Ghost King.
“Ghost King Master! What are you doing?!”
“Ghost King, you don’t mean…”
The Ghost King smiled with a wide grin and raised his arm.
Weeeeeeeee―
Strange circuits glowed from the entire body of the Ghost King.
“Ah, sorry. I was originally going to leave handling the Strange Ghost King and the Six Extreme Ghost King to them, but the Strange Ghost King missed you and the Six Extreme Ghost King had something to do.”
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain stared at the Ghost King with dumbfounded expressions.
“Haha, don’t look at me like that. To push you two into the depths of the sect so you couldn’t escape, I had to act like I was sacrificing myself and push your backs.”
The two ghost creatures gritted their teeth.
Thinking back, the one who had proposed attacking the Devil Cult Leader was this person!
“You… trapped us in a trap!”
“Hahahaha! I received the blessings of the Cult Leader. It was indeed incredible. And after looking at the welfare of the Wugeuk Sect, it was better than our own sect. I simply made the correct choice to give our sect’s zombie warriors a better quality of life.”
Uwoong―
The Ghost King shouted while glowing his own circuits.
“Look! Originally I was only at the mid-Four Pillars level, but after receiving the ‘surgery’ of the Strange Ghost King and the ‘blessings’ of the Cult Leader, I now possess power comparable to the Integration Grand Completion of the Four Pillars! Hahahaha!”
“Ugh, what nonsense are you saying, Ghost King! Weren’t we supposed to be setting the righteousness of the White-Ghost Valley straight together?!”
“Righteousness? Righteousness was the Wugeuk Sect that gives good flesh to weak ghosts and zombies and provides advanced welfare! You should join the Wugeuk Sect too. You’ve already come this far. In any case, you two cannot escape.”
Uwoong―
Showing off the glowing circuits on his own body, the Ghost King extended his hand toward the two ghost creatures.
“I have a proposal. Since you can’t escape now, as someone who has become a Guardian Ghost King of the Wugeuk Sect, I will give you a chance. I will let you experience the Wugeuk Sect by going around it once. After exploring the Wugeuk Sect, decide on joining. I’m serious. The future of the White-Ghost Valley is the Wugeuk Sect!”
Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain said with tears in their eyes.
“Such nonsense! We cannot believe in an evil devil cultist who brainwashed countless skeleton beings!”
“As expected, you the sect master have also been brainwashed.”
“Tsk…! You’re stupid! Everyone says it! It’s not brainwashing, it’s true heart-conversion!”
Baek Rin burned his ears and raised his voice.
“Brothers! How far have you been brainwashed!”
“…I can’t communicate with you. Fine. Then I will make you kneel and tell you the truth.”
Weeeeeeeee―
The circuits on the entire body of the Ghost King blazed brightly.
The three ghost creatures rushed at each other.
Uwoong―
Kim Yeon had lost the ghost creatures but did not care and continued weaving her formation.
“Very good, very good. You’re doing well.”
Next to her Yeon Wi was teaching Kim Yeon.
“Yes, that’s how you unfold the formation. With your large consciousness domain you can pull out over 120 percent of the formation’s power.”
“Yes, I will work hard.”
“Since you are not a disciple of the Golden Ghost Heavenly Thunder Gate, I cannot teach you the Thunder Spirit Technique, but I can teach you my formation knowledge, so that’s fortunate. Learning formations this well.”
“You flatter me.”
Uwoong―
Around Kim Yeon strange threads of consciousness from the Strange Star-Mind Scroll spread wildly and covered the void.
Her consciousness threads covered the void and were becoming one large cage that enveloped the entire Wugeuk Sect.
‘If the intruder cannot escape, tightly weave the void with consciousness, guide the flow of heaven and earth spiritual energy, and divide the space itself…’
Ki-ing―
Kim Yeon completed the formation and laughed.
“Ah, it’s complete! Master Yeon!”
“Excellent! Hoo hoo, what a good child.”
Yeon Wi looked at her with a satisfied expression and then asked casually,
“By the way, there is one thing I’m curious about. Why are you chasing after that Seo person?”
“Eh, yes?”
“Honestly I can’t understand it. Of course that Seo person has outstanding ability, but he has nineteen heads, weird hobbies, and a slightly crazy mind. I heard he liked you since he was little, but why is that person good?”
Before Yeon Wi finished speaking, the scene inside the formation entered Kim Yeon’s mind.
The scene where Baek Rin and the skeleton ghost captain defeated the brainwashed traitor Ghost King and finally shattered the curse barrier of the Wugeuk Sect.
The two ghost creatures entered the Wugeuk Sect.
“Ah, those two went inside. Oh dear, now those two too…”
Yeon Wi clicked her tongue and showed sympathy toward the two ghost creatures.
Kim Yeon took the moment when Yeon Wi was looking into the interior of the formation and thought deeply.
‘When exactly did I start liking oppa?’
She naturally recalled the memories from the beginning of her internship.
Thinking back, at the start of the internship.
Kim Yeon had not particularly liked Seo Eun-hyun.
“Hello, I am the new intern assistant Seo Eun-hyun from today!”
“Oh, I am the new intern Kim Yeon from today!”
“From today…”
Kim Yeon, who had entered the soap company as an intern, was actually quite nervous.
‘Intern in the Sales Development Department…’
The Sales Development Department of this company was full of bad rumors.
The department head Jeon Myeong-cheol summoned people for weekend mountain climbing.
The vice head Kim Young-hoon said nothing, but the section chief Oh Hyun-seok was famous for overworking people, and the deputy gang Min-hee and Jeon Myeong-hoon were one gloomy and the other just ‘the worst’.
But the scariest thing was separate.
“Hello, interns. Since today is the first day for everyone, there’s nothing big to do. Just follow me around and learn today. Ah, I am the chief Seo Eun-hyun, call me Chief Seo. First, check your own desks…”
Chief Seo Eun-hyun.
That man with sunken eyes, always in a bad mood from taking coffee and energy drinks and suffering from acid reflux.
Kim Yeon was the first to be targeted by Chief Seo.
“Kim Yeon, come quickly. There are more places to look around than you think. We have to do inventory management too.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Kim Yeon, drop that! Move quickly!”
“Kim Yeon! Ha… okay. Move.”
Kim Yeon immediately realized.
That when the internship ended she would be the first to be laid off.
‘Chief Seo… is too scary.’
While eating coffee and muttering ‘that bastard Jeon Myeong-hoon’ when bored, Seo Eun-hyun had not given the impression of someone easy to approach.
But the other interns, because they had good social skills, approached Chief Seo easily.
For the first three days the one who had been most miserable had been Kim Yeon.
‘Maybe I should just quit the internship and leave.’
At that time Chief Seo had the reputation in the department of working the hardest.
In other words, he was the one who worked the most harshly.
And Kim Yeon, assigned under such a person, felt a sense of failure that she could not do the work.
Seo Eun-hyun did not sigh even once in the company.
“Chief Seo, it’s lunchtime…”
“Ah, Kim Yeon. Go eat. I’ll finish this paperwork and leave. The other interns should go eat too.”
The others went to eat, but Kim Yeon could not.
‘I have to make up for the mistake at the beginning!’
Even when the others left, she gritted her teeth and finished her work to make up for the mistake.
Even if her back seemed to be touching, even if she was tired enough to die, she gulped down coffee that tasted like medicine.
Seo Eun-hyun only glanced at her on the way and said nothing.
Then, about halfway through the internship.
The atmosphere had changed a lot from before.
“Hello everyone.”
“Ah, yes, hello… Chief…”
“Haha. Chief, hello…”
At first everyone had tried to get close to Seo Eun-hyun, but as the internship progressed those who would meet his eyes disappeared.
The only one who had ever met his eyes was Kim Yeon.
“Ah, hello, Chief!”
“Oh, Kim Yeon.”
Seo Eun-hyun said curtly while looking at Kim Yeon.
“Good morning. Please deliver this document to the section chief, and check the inventory in the warehouse today. Also, please pick up coffee on the way.”
“Yes, yes!”
Because it was Chief Seo who ordered her around harshly the moment their eyes met.
At first the interns who had enjoyed taking on the tasks had gradually run out of energy and started avoiding Chief Seo, and in the end only Kim Yeon had endured his gaze.
And finally, as the internship was about to end.
All the interns had fled, leaving only Kim Yeon and the assistant Seo Eun-hyun.
[Run! Run!]
[Huaaah! A big ghost!]
The two ghost creatures who had entered the Wugeuk Sect began to run screaming from inside.
Kim Yeon moved her formation and her eyes gleamed.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Ki-ing―
The formation moved and countless threads unravelled, spitting threads toward the ghost creatures.
Churuk!
The two ghost creatures were caught in thousands of white spider webs.
Kukugu-gugu―
Inside the Wugeuk Sect.
A giant hand made of curse runes burst out.
The Cult Leader Seo Eun-hyun was using his power.
[Where do you think you’re going. Please explore the Wugeuk Sect a little more with our guests first.]
[Huaaah! Save me!]
[H, huaah! Back, back…]
Kim Yeon’s formation caught the skeleton ghost captain and he struggled.
The skeleton ghost captain, mustering all his courage, let out his roar from his eyes.
[Wait, Master Kim! What are you doing!]
[Even you go!]
Fwoororor!
The skeleton ghost captain burned Kim Yeon’s formation with his own roar and rushed toward Baek Rin, burning the threads that bound him.
After that he pushed Baek Rin outside the formation and threw himself toward the curse hand created by Seo Eun-hyun.
[I… will buy time!]
[Master Kim! Skeleton Captain! Skeleton Captain!]
[Huaaah!]
The shadow curtain covering the skeleton ghost captain blocked the curse hand.
Baek Rin shouted while shedding blood tears as he escaped Kim Yeon’s formation.
[I will come back to save you! I will come save everyone!!]
Kwa-aaak!
The curse hand swallowed the skeleton ghost captain.
He felt the existence that had released that curse and lost his sanity again, screaming.
[Huaaah! Kyaah! Kyaah! Kiyaah!]
The curse hand slowly pulled the skeleton ghost captain into the Wugeuk Sect.
“Oh dear, I missed one.”
Kim Yeon looked up at the sky with her eyes gleaming.
“Shall we go catch him?”
Uwoong―
When she extended her consciousness, the puppets spread throughout the Wugeuk Sect trembled.
But Yeon Wi shook her head and pointed at the sky.
“It’s fine. It seems Chief Jeon Myeong-hoon has returned.”
Kururung―
Above the dark night sky.
Red lightning flashed toward the place where Baek Rin had fled.
“Let’s go to the Wugeuk Sect now. It looks like the Cult Leader will cage the prisoners in dolls, so I need your strength to help with the surgery.”
“Ahahaha, actually even oppa could do it alone.”
Kim Yeon headed to Seo Eun-hyun’s residence with Yeon Wi.
The interns who could not endure the harsh work of Seo Eun-hyun’s residence had fled, leaving only Kim Yeon and one other to join the soap company.
“Ah… I really joined.”
Actually Kim Yeon had been deeply troubled.
In any case, it was meaningless to endure in this mid-sized company, and Chief Seo Eun-hyun, nicknamed the Labor Demon, would still bully her harshly today.
“…No. I’ll try.”
But Kim Yeon gritted her teeth and entered the company.
Anyway, she had been learning the work little by little, and she was becoming close with gang Min-hee, so she decided to give it one more try and came to her first day as an ‘employee’.
“Ah, Kim Yeon is here?”
“Hello, Chief Seo… Eun-hyun…?”
Kim Yeon could see Chief Seo Eun-hyun smiling for the first time and welcoming her.
“Congratulations on joining. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Uh… ah…”
“Since the department head and Jeon Myeong-hoon are gone, let me say this. Because there are many salary thieves who don’t work, our department is a bit harsh. So we treat the interns a bit strongly with a screening method, but thank you for enduring.”
Kim Yeon looked at the hand extended by Seo Eun-hyun and felt tears welling up for some reason.
“Congratulations on formal employment, Ms. Kim. Welcome.”
[Ah, come quickly, Yeon-ah.]
Kim Yeon went with Yeon Wi to the basement of the sect and looked at the ghost creatures tied tightly with countless curse runes beneath Seo Eun-hyun.
[First, let’s start the ‘surgery’. I need your help. Could you bring some puppet materials from Jeomuldo?]
‘Ah… I see.’
Kim Yeon recalled her past and felt she might now know when she had started liking Seo Eun-hyun.
‘I started properly liking him when I went on a business trip to the amusement park, but maybe I was already shaken from the first day of formal employment…’
It was not a sudden change from a boss who had been cruel.
It was that he needed her.
Kim Yeon thought perhaps that was why it made her so happy.
‘Let’s grow even more in the future.’
She resolved.
To keep growing from now on.
To grow more, to become stronger, to advance the realm.
For Seo Eun-hyun, for her colleagues, and for the One-Gate Dharma Refiner.
She resolved that she would become someone needed by everyone while remodeling the prisoners together with Seo Eun-hyun.
===
Author’s note: The parts that might be divisive in taste will be skipped for length!
Even if it might seem a bit boring, the story will be rushed to a quick end, so please be understanding…!