Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Faceless Ghost
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Daylight broke. Before Seo Il, on the final watch, could step forward to wake everyone, they had all risen first and gotten ready. Afterward, Wi Seongcheon and Paeng Yeonhwa set out amicably to scout the surroundings.
It was dangerous for the students to act on their own, but they couldn't be coddled like flowers in a greenhouse forever. This subjugation was, after all, meant to give the students experience in hunting demonic beasts.
Wi Seongcheon swung a branch he'd snapped off nearby while rinsing his dry mouth with water. As he did, he glanced sidelong at Paeng Yeonhwa walking beside him.
Throughout his watch, Paeng Yeonhwa had lain curled up but kept her eyes open.
Though Wi Seongcheon had spoken to her several times, she'd given the same response of "I'm going to sleep," and hadn't chatted with him about anything else.
"Sleep well?"
He spat out the water he'd rinsed with and asked. Paeng Yeonhwa, who had been nibbling on a small hardtack pill, glanced at Wi Seongcheon.
"Yeah."
"Liar. You were awake the whole time, weren't you?"
"I slept before that. I just don't sleep well at night anyway."
"Liar. Before coming to the academy, you slept fine during our overnight stops, remember? Even snoring."
She giggled at his words, and Paeng Yeonhwa's ears and tail perked up. She stopped nibbling the hardtack pill and glared at him.
"I wasn't snoring."
"You're right, you didn't snore."
"Then why'd you lie?"
"Because your reaction is fun to watch."
At Wi Seongcheon's response, Paeng Yeonhwa's tail twitched. She stared at him intently, then abruptly turned her head away. Rummaging in her bosom, she pulled out a small pouch.
"Why don't you stop flapping your gums uselessly and eat something?"
"What food? It's just hardtack pills. Ugh, I just can't get used to the taste. It's so bland and starchy."
"Eat it while you have it."
"Instead of worrying about me, why not take better care of yourself? You hardly ever go to the dining hall. You just fill up on hardtack pills, right?"
"...I do eat sometimes."
"Almost never. You need to eat proper meals. A variety of stuff."
"I eat enough."
Paeng Yeonhwa shot back. Wi Seongcheon clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"If you don't eat enough, they won't grow any more."
"They're fully grown."
"They might grow more. Hwangbo Seongu got huge."
"I'm a different species from him."
"I know that. Good thing your beastkin form isn't as ferocious as Hwangbo Seongu's."
Wi Seongcheon joked, but Paeng Yeonhwa didn't laugh. Instead, she glared at him with a stiffened expression.
He'd openly prodded at her reverse scale, alongside her fox features. And he hadn't done it unknowingly.
"Don't talk like that."
"What do you mean 'like that'? It's not like denying it changes the fact that you're a beastkin."
"Hey!"
"You're overly sensitive about it. What's wrong with being a beastkin? I'm jealous, honestly. It's all about how you use it. And the 'intent' behind it matters too. I don't think beastkin are monsters. Frankly, I'm envious. Even Hwangbo Seongu—healed up fine from a shattered right arm in just a few days, bandage off and all."
"You don't even know anything...!"
"Does not knowing mean I can't say anything?"
Wi Seongcheon looked up and glared at Paeng Yeonhwa. Her shoulders flinched at his gaze.
"If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't say stuff like this. But I do care—a lot, actually. That's why it bothers me so much. You need to accept yourself before you worry about fox faces. Know why I'm saying this? Because I went through it."
"...You did?"
"Yeah. Sure, my situation's different from yours. But when it comes to getting shit from everyone and hating myself? Same deal. I hated myself. Hated being born into the Heavenly Fire Sect, hated getting flak just for that. But you know, just hating doesn't change a damn thing."
Wi Seongcheon slowly stood up.
"Know why I'm telling you this?"
"...No."
"Because we're friends."
At that, Paeng Yeonhwa's tail stood straight up. An easy-to-read reaction. Wi Seongcheon smirked and snatched the hardtack pill she was still holding.
"You hate me?"
"...No."
"Then we're friends, right?"
Paeng Yeonhwa mumbled, unable to respond properly. She'd overheard the conversation between Dang Seona and Wi Seongcheon the night before.
It made her feel like an eavesdropper, but the two hadn't cared if anyone heard. They were chatting right next to her—it would've been impossible not to listen.
*Thanks to getting close with sunbae.*
*Because we're friends.*
That was what had pricked at Paeng Yeonhwa's heart in their exchange. She had no memories of being close with Dang Seona from childhood.
It was a childhood impression, but the Dang Seona she'd seen at the clan gatherings had seemed like someone no one could befriend. That impression hadn't changed when they'd reunited at Yicheon Academy.
That Dang Seona had said something like that—it was surprising, yet...
*...What about me?*
The thought came. What exactly was her relationship with Wi Seongcheon? Just a brief acquaintance from childhood? It felt too shallow for that. Wi Seongcheon had come too close to her.
He crossed the lines she'd drawn for self-protection, prodding at the parts she hated. Not out of malice.
It was a rough method, but Wi Seongcheon was undoubtedly looking out for her, and Paeng Yeonhwa felt it. That's why... she couldn't push him away. Even after trying several times, he'd come back.
In the end, Paeng Yeonhwa stopped pushing Wi Seongcheon away. Far from it—she was influenced by him. When she came to, she admired Wi Seongcheon, who was so different from her.
She'd just needed a trigger. Someone to push her from behind, or take her hand and lead her forward.
"...Yeah."
Paeng Yeonhwa nodded.
"We're friends."
"Friends should eat together first."
Wi Seongcheon shoved the hardtack pill into his mouth and grinned. Watching his eyebrows furrow at the bitterness, Paeng Yeonhwa let out a small laugh.
"...Hold on."
They walked a bit farther for scouting when Wi Seongcheon stopped. On the reddish-brown hardened ground lay chunks of flesh.
It was where he'd tossed the bugbelly humanface spider yesterday. Wi Seongcheon crouched and picked up a piece. Sinew chewed and spat out. Not bloodjaw beast predation marks.
Wi Seongcheon scraped the ground with his branch. The blood-soaked hardened dirt hadn't fully set and yielded. It wasn't just blood. Something else was mixed in.
He looked at the bright blue mucus on the tip of the branch. Bringing his hand close, he didn't touch it but could feel the lingering warmth.
Not blood.
"...Azure fluid."
Paeng Yeonhwa, standing beside him, looked slightly tense. Wi Seongcheon stared at the branch and clicked his tongue softly.
Azure fluid.
In this area, that blue mucus meant only one thing.
His senses twitched. Nothing to brush off. Where? He couldn't pinpoint it exactly.
This constitution wasn't something he controlled at will, nor sharp enough to locate precisely.
"We should head back..."
"Too late."
The words were curt. Wi Seongcheon whipped his head around.
Nothing was there.
But suddenly, something surged up. Just as he'd heard. Wi Seongcheon grabbed Paeng Yeonhwa and pulled her close, stepping forward to shield her. He glared at the demonic beast that had abruptly appeared.
Faceless hungry ghost.
He'd been warned it was one to watch out for among local beasts. Less beast, more actual "ghost."
Not stealth—it was sorcery. He'd confirmed it with his own eyes. Unlike bloodjaw beasts or bugbelly humanface spiders, faceless hungry ghosts truly appeared "out of nowhere."
The one that emerged was as large as Hwangbo Seongu in bear form.
Its naked body rippled with solid muscle, and its face—as its name implied—was blank. Like it wore a turned-inside-out white mask.
"...Guess it does have a mouth."
Wi Seongcheon chuckled darkly. Beneath the blank face dangled a blue tongue, dripping azure fluid.
"Too late to run now, huh?"
He'd seen the enemy. If anything, it made him more relaxed. Wi Seongcheon glanced back at Paeng Yeonhwa and asked. Her face was a bit tense.
"Why the fear?"
Faceless hungry ghosts were strong. Lower-class students needed resolve to fight. Plus, what made them tricky was their scream summoning the superior faceless evil ghost.
"I told you to run if you encountered one."
"It'd chase us anyway? Might as well fight. Just a matter of sooner or later."
"But..."
"End it before it screams."
Wi Seongcheon answered without hesitation. Paeng Yeonhwa looked at him with a stunned expression.
But Wi Seongcheon wasn't looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the faceless hungry ghost, its long tongue dripping azure fluid.
"Just in case, wanna team up?"
"...Huh?"
"Cut its throat before it screams. I don't have a blade."
"...Want me to lend you one?"
"Nah, don't be cold. I don't wanna solo it—help me out."
"I know."
"Good you get it. Going in."
Wi Seongcheon didn't wait for her reply. Heavenly Fire Chain Technique was already active, and the tongue-dangling faceless hungry ghost lurched into motion.
As it charged, so did he. He kicked off the ground and leaped high.
Faceless hungry ghosts used no poison. No sharp claws. They grabbed prey with brute strength and grip, tore it, and chewed with the mouth under the blank face.
Just that, but they were strong. Their movements and power surpassed first-rate martial artists.
*Fast.*
Its wide-open hand reached for Wi Seongcheon. Each finger as thick as his forearm.
*But slower than me.*
Wi Seongcheon thrust out both hands. He seized the grabbing fingers and twisted them viciously.
Then he kicked off its wrist and ran up its arm. Elbow. Thick, but grippable. That was enough. Grabbing the forearm, he twisted and maneuvered.
His long leg swung over its back, hooking the wing bone. As he straightened his body, the arm dislocated with a crunch.
"Kak!"
The faceless hungry ghost's head snapped back. The blank face tilted, its huge maw lunging to swallow Wi Seongcheon.
He released the arm and slid down. His foot crushed and shattered its ankle. The beast staggered and toppled.
"Dodge!"
At the sharp cry, Wi Seongcheon leaped back instantly. His eyes met Paeng Yeonhwa's mid-leap.
Splash!
Her swung blade severed the faceless hungry ghost's neck. Blue blood sprayed, and Wi Seongcheon retreated farther. He brushed the blood specks from his collar.
"Could've said so sooner."
"Figured you'd pull back on your own."
Paeng Yeonhwa swung her blade once to shake off the blood. It was their first joint attack.
Nothing major, yet her heart raced. Wi Seongcheon glanced at the fallen faceless hungry ghost's back.
"Didn't give it a chance to scream."
Not directed at her. Clap, clap. At the leisurely applause, Paeng Yeonhwa turned too. Seo Il smiled brightly, clapping.
"Excellent."
Seo Il said in a pleased voice.
"Perfect teamwork. Like you'd rehearsed it!"
"...Didn't I say run if you ran into one?"
Doo Jun squinted as he spoke. Striding over, he checked the corpse.
"It would've chased us anyway. In that situation, even I'd choose killing over fleeing."
Dang Seona said. But Doo Jun snorted and pointed at the bugbelly humanface spider sinews and the mucus-coated branch on the ground.
"You detected the faceless hungry ghost nearby before the attack."
"...Running isn't always the right answer."
Paeng Yeonhwa replied. Doo Jun looked at her in surprise. He stared at the blue blood still on her blade, then nodded.
"...Hm. Fair enough. I'm just a guide soldier—no authority to blame you lot."
"Chung Yeon General would have that authority, right?"
"...Hidden Dragon, you're awfully direct. I'll report yesterday and today's events to the general, so don't push it."
"Paeng Yeonhwa took its head."
Wi Seongcheon said with a grin.
"Cleanly."
"...I know."
Doo Jun turned away.
"No need to stick around. Let's head back."