Side Story: Avatar 3 — I'll Grant Them Ascension
*The setting of this novel is Earth in a parallel universe.
Master whispered to me that everything the women had done during the prison visit had been completely rewritten. Only we knew the truth. The guards' memories, the official records, even the CCTV footage — all of it had been altered to show nothing more than ordinary mothers asking after their sons' well-being.
Before long the bitches' husbands began arriving one by one, and then even Monk Hwaryun made an appearance.
He was a short old monk, maybe five-three, but his eyes held the fierce intensity of a tiger.
"Well now, Donor Ian. Meeting again so soon."
He and Master exchanged greetings with genuine warmth.
"Yes, Monk. I only hope we haven't troubled you over something trivial."
Junhui approached at the sight of him. Monk Hwaryun, mid-conversation with Master, caught sight of her mourning clothes and gave a solemn nod.
"This woman is the mother of one of the three who took their own lives."
"Amitabha. To suffer such a tragic misfortune — how deep your grief must be. May the departed rest in peace."
"Thank you for your kindness. I... I would ask that you confirm whether my son truly died because of a ghost's meddling."
"Of course."
Junhui led Monk Hwaryun into the morgue. A short while later the monk emerged, followed by the boys' fathers and Junhui herself.
"Is it true, then? That a ghost did this?"
Judging by the man standing beside Junhui, he had to be Gihun's father. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched the monk's hands, unable to believe it.
"Amitabha. Yes. This was unmistakably the work of an aegwi."
"Th-then does that mean our sons will become aegwi as well, Monk? Is there no way to stop it?"
The man who'd been standing next to Pomi — a sturdy middle-aged fellow around six feet tall, almost certainly Hyenseob's father — blocked the monk's path with tears in his eyes.
"Amitabha. Those who take their own lives cannot enter the underworld. And those who hang themselves become aegwi. Donor Ian — those three souls should still be lingering near their corpses. Have you checked?"
"No. We weren't exactly on good terms."
Monk Hwaryun hummed at that, then nodded. He turned to the parents and offered each of them words of comfort in turn.
"Even the Cheondo rites of the underworld judges won't work on them, I'm afraid. Extinguishing them is the only option."
"Oh, Nakjun!!! Ugh..."
Nakjun's father collapsed onto the hospital floor, pounding the ground as he wailed. Reaping what they'd sown. Every one of those men was a violent piece of work — the four boys had always gathered to trash-talk their fathers, after all.
"Donor. Rather than that — even if the bond was a bitter one, they were still your friends. Why not grant them ascension?"
"..."
Every gaze in the room swung toward Master. His face was flustered; he kept his mouth clamped shut like a mute who'd swallowed honey.
Then Junhui rushed forward and dropped to her knees in front of him.
"I'm so sorry, Ian. I failed to raise my child properly. But please... please, at least let my son's soul attain peace. Please!!! Sob..."
A flicker of irritation crossed Master's face. He shot me an especially hard glare.
This damn mouth of mine is too loose...
Casually telling Junhui that Master was some kind of mysterious figure had been the root of this whole mess. Master was clearly annoyed, but he seemed to be suppressing it with his acting trait.
The moment Junhui knelt, the other parents dropped to their knees in a wave. Pomi and Posuni read the room and knelt as well. The men at the very back were wringing their hands — this clearly wasn't their own idea.
"Donor. No matter how bitter the karma, extend a hand in kindness and it will return to you as fortune someday."
"Nngh..."
Then Master seemed to startle at something. He closed his eyes. The room went still. Everyone stared at his mouth, waiting.
His eyes snapped open — a look mixed with irritation, anticipation, rage, and more. He'd probably just received a mission.
Master nodded, then pulled three talismans from his pocket. He looked at the fathers of Hyenseob, Nakjun, and Gihun.
"First, let me explain why an aegwi attached itself to them. Does anyone here know Kim Yeongho — the boy who killed himself last summer?"
Monk Hwaryun had stepped closer to examine the talismans, then looked up at Master's sudden question. All three men and all three women raised their hands.
Master went on to explain everything — why Yeongho had taken his own life. By the end, every head in the room was hanging low.
"I used this to ascend Yeongho when he was an aegwi. Everyone, follow me."
They all filed into the morgue. The three corpses were pulled from the storage lockers. The attendant grumbled about the hassle and left them to it.
"Ten minutes."
"Got it."
Master's eyes gleamed for a moment — he'd opened his Soul Eyes. He took the talismans back from Monk Hwaryun and walked toward the bodies. One by one, he pressed a talisman into the empty air above each corpse.
And then, astonishingly, the souls of Park Hyenseob, Kim Gihun, and Kim Nakjun materialized. Tears streamed down their faces as they bowed deeply to their fathers. To their mothers they offered only a lowered head — then they followed a light descending from above, passed straight through the hospital wall, and vanished.
"Gihun!!!!"
"Amitabha. How is it possible for such sins to be washed clean?"
At the monk's stunned expression and voice, every parent turned to stare at him.
"Ah... all three of their sins have been completely washed away. It seems they will reincarnate almost immediately..."
"Yes. If you fathers impregnate a woman within forty-nine days, the souls will reincarnate as they are. If someone else conceives first, that window closes. Well then — I'll be going."
"Thank you, Ian."
Junhui dropped to her knees again and bowed. Master glanced at her once, then walked out of the morgue. I followed.
"Those bastards didn't give up a single thing."
"Huh? Typical. What a rotten bunch."
"And they'll be reborn as women. Ugly women. He said he'll make them remember their past lives at some point. Though with the world ending anyway, I'm not sure it matters."
"What? Hahaha. Seriously..."
Master's whispered words. It meant that, unlike Yeongho, those three hadn't spat out any talents at all. Master just snorted, as if he hadn't expected much to begin with.
Still, the part about being reborn as ugly women who would one day recall their past lives cracked me up.
"But Master — ascending Hyenseob and the others just because people knelt? That was unexpected."
"Mission. An emergency mission dropped. Soul Stones, a Summoning Scroll, even Mana Gold. And I arranged to get a few cats out of it. That was the real prize."
"Ah... cats? You mean actual cats?"
"There's a thing. Two Korean Shorthairs named Geumgang and Horan."
Way too generous a reward for sticking three talismans. The three Ascension Talismans hadn't been a waste, and since it was the Constellation's will, Master had clearly had no choice but to go along.
"Say, Donor — do you happen to have any more of those talismans?"
"This is part of the mission too. Handing one over to Monk Hwaryun."
Master whispered it in my ear, then pulled an Ascension Talisman from his pocket and offered it to the monk. The monk, who'd been delighted a moment before, now looked at Master with a troubled expression.
"Isn't this something precious?"
"Yes. I received ten from a certain someone, and aside from these, I only have five left."
A nod. Monk Hwaryun scratched his head and pondered for a long while.
"Nngh. I can't even begin to guess what would be a fair exchange. I don't know if I can reproduce this talisman, but I'll give you whatever I manage to make. And if any of your lovely donors are ever tormented by evil spirits, tell me first. Would that suffice?"
"Hahaha. Yes — I actually like that second part better. Oh, and one more thing. Could you persuade those people back there not to go around talking about me?"
As if he'd expected exactly that, Monk Hwaryun nodded.
"Understood. Amitabha..."
"And Monk — those kids have a friend. Well, fellow delinquent, really. Apparently he tried to kill himself on Jeju Island. He helped torment Yeongho, so an aegwi has probably attached itself to him as well..."
"Amitabha.... Karma. Pure karma. Can you give me his contact information?"
"Yes. Here..."
Master handed the monk a scrap of paper. Most likely Hyeongcheol's number, or his father's.
Junhui's expression had brightened considerably. After seeing her son's form as a soul, she seemed one hundred percent certain it had been an aegwi-driven suicide. When he'd first appeared, his neck had been bent at that awful angle with the rope still around it, after all.
I didn't bother mentioning that her prison visit was what had shattered his mental state in the first place.
"Master. Once the funeral's over, I'll come up right away."
"Alright. Can Seonhui come up too?"
Junhui nodded. Dressed in black mourning clothes with a white ribbon fixed in her hair, she looked considerably thinner — but a soft smile lingered on her face.
"Yes. I'll be fine on my own. Take Seonhui unnie and Ayoung unnie and have fun for three days."
"Hmm... alright. Got it."
I hugged Junhui, then turned and headed for the parking lot. We left the sedan for her to drive up later, piled everyone into the van, fired up the engine, and pulled out of the hospital.
"None of you are wearing anything underneath, right?"
"Yes!!!"
Six women answered in unison. Every one of them wore nothing but a long trench coat and stockings.
I reached over and slipped my hand inside Ayoung's coat in the passenger seat. Soft bare skin. Sliding lower, my fingers found a pussy dusted with nothing but fine down. The outer lips were already slick with arousal.
"Tsk. You really are Seonhui's daughter. Getting wet from exhibitionism proves it."
"Hahnn. Yes. I'm a pervert who gets turned on by being exposed."
I drove the van along a quiet national highway away from the hospital — the kind of road made for a leisurely drive. Past Gimcheon, heading up toward Sangju, a deserted stretch of roadside came into view. Almost no traffic. Pulling off onto a farm path in February, the rice paddies and fields were empty of people.
I stopped the van.
"Alright. Everyone out."
"Yes!!!"
Black and red dog collars circled their throats. Metal chains disappeared down into their coats. I smirked as they lined up along the farm path.
"Coats off."
I raised the camera. All six women shrugged out of their coats, and their obscene bodies were laid bare. Every one of them bore a Crotch Tattoo, and every nipple was pierced. Emeralds glittered from those piercings — and from their navels, and even their clits. The bitches all had two rings through each of their inner labia as well.
Click. Click.
They made V-signs with their hands. Seonhui and Ayoung were dripping so much that the camera caught every strand of arousal. I moved in for close-ups, one after another.
Well, Suhyeon and Areum will be modified into the kind of bodies that get off on being hit anyway. Once Master runs the physical remodeling on them, they'll turn into perverts soon enough...
"Squat down. Spread your pussies and make a V."
They dropped into squats, spreading themselves open with their left hands while flashing V-signs with their right, smiling for the lens. The black stockings and black high heels stood out beautifully, and the emeralds kept catching the light.
Damn. Those darkened inner lips cleaned right up...
Click. Click.
Then the sound of a cultivator engine approached from behind. Even with my sharp senses picking it up, I kept shooting. Areum's eyes trembled. Seonhui and Ayoung, on the other hand, gushed even harder.
"Alright. Coats on."
They scrambled back into their clothes, and just as they were fastening the buttons, the cultivator rolled past the parked van. An old grandmother cocked her head curiously, then drove on and disappeared.
A massive rush of pleasure slammed through my skull. I had no idea exposing them like this would be such a thrill.
Throb.
I felt my sweatpants strain beyond their limit. The moment I climbed back into the van, Ayoung leaned over from the passenger seat, pulled my pants down, and took my cock in her mouth.
In Sangju we found a restaurant and went inside — a private room, as expected.
"Bring all the food out at once, please."
To any outsider, nothing about the women looked unusual. Their dog collars had been swapped for chokers, and though their stockings were damp beneath the coats, the wetness was concentrated on the inner thighs and didn't show much.
"Of course."
The women filed into their seats. Ayoung and Seonhui sat on either side of me. Bibimbap and meat jeon arrived, drinks were set out — and the door slid shut with a soft rattle.
I gave them a look. They shrugged off their coats. Naked bodies, fully revealed. I reached out, stroked Ayoung's and Seonhui's breasts, and smirked.
"Eat."
"Yes."
"No clothes until you've finished everything. Better eat fast — who knows when someone might walk in."
I stretched out my legs and dug my toes into Oh Areum's pussy. The wet, chewing grip of her walls. My left foot savored Nam Suhyeon's.
"Hnnn."
Surprisingly, the food was good. I liked the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant, and the meat jeon in particular was excellent.
"Mm... delicious."
"Yes, Master. We should come again."
Ayoung said it while chewing a piece of jeon. I nodded and gave her breast a flick. It bounced heavily, the green gem on her piercing catching the light.
I picked up a piece of meat jeon, dipped it against Ayoung's pussy, then tasted it.
Yeah, no. Those videos where people moan about how good this tastes were complete bullshit.
I'd recreated a hot scene from a porno, and it was thoroughly mediocre.
"Does it taste good?"
"No."