Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Movie Filming (4)
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In response to Hanul's provocation after being possessed by the General Spirit, Shun and I simultaneously assumed combat stances.
The energy emanating from his body felt threatening even to me, someone who knew nothing about shamans or spirit possession.
It was as if this mansion's garden had turned into a battlefield.
In stark contrast to our tense readiness, however, Park Sunja and Bora casually plopped down on nearby garden chairs, watching like it was a fire across the river.
Where on earth did that composure come from?
Only Hanbit fidgeted anxiously, shouting at Bora.
"The General Spirit is on a whole different level from ordinary monsters! We have to help them somehow...!"
But Bora cut off Hanbit's words lightly and waved him off.
"Don't make a fuss and stay quietly in the back. If we clumsily butt in, we'll just get in those two's way."
Her words carried a strange sense of trust.
She seemed to believe in Shun and me that much.
Bora simply gazed slowly toward the camera.
Park Sunja's opinion was similar to Bora's.
"Yeah, let's look for another way to escape this phenomenon for now."
Park Sunja stared intently at the script in her hand, wondering if it held any clues.
Neither of them showed much interest in the fight.
"You bastards! Where are you looking?!"
That was when it happened.
Hanul kicked off the ground and charged ferociously at Shun.
Thud thud thud!
It was an unbelievably swift movement for such a massive build.
He leaped lightly into the air and unleashed a powerful kick toward Shun's head.
The sound slicing through the wind was sharp.
Whoosh!
"Hup!"
But Shun was no pushover either.
He twisted his body fluidly like flowing water, narrowly dodging Hanul's kick, then immediately assumed what looked like a karate stance and delivered a sharp counter to Hanul's side.
Thwack-!
The sharp kick struck the side, echoing with a dull thud.
But contrary to expectations, Hanul didn't budge an inch. Instead, it was Shun who let out a low "Urk!" of pain, quickly retracting his kicked leg and retreating.
Pain and bewilderment crossed his face simultaneously.
"His body... his body is as hard as wood!"
Shun said, breathing heavily.
Beads of cold sweat dotted his forehead.
The General Spirit's possession had abnormally strengthened even his flesh.
"Really?"
I asked, as if verifying his words.
Shun shot me a bewildered look that said, 'Is that what's important right now?', then curtly replied, "Yes!"
Hearing that, I got a sense of how much power to regulate.
I didn't want to go all out recklessly.
If I did, I'd end up causing massive physical damage, just like with those other monsters.
I didn't want to create such a gruesome scene.
I'd have nightmares for days if that happened.
As Shun fell back, I dove into Hanul's opening.
Then, toward his bulky abdomen, I planted a kick with power appropriately adjusted based on the info Shun had just given me.
Boom-!
My kick hit Hanul's abdomen dead-on.
Even with regulated power, the impact was considerable.
The sound wasn't even like flesh hitting flesh.
Hanul staggered back several steps with a strangled "Gurk!" and his reddened eyes widened in shock.
It was the expression of someone who hadn't imagined taking an attack like this.
"You bastard! How dare a worm like you have such power...!"
Hanul bellowed at me, his face flushing even redder with rage.
I was inwardly impressed by his reaction. Even regulated,
few had withstood my frontal attacks unscathed until now.
The body possessed by this General Spirit or whatever was no joke.
...I could probably kick a bit harder.
"You wretch!"
Hanul, seemingly losing his reason in fury, charged at me again with ferocious momentum.
For a split second, his aura almost made me flinch, but I focused on his form.
His outward appearance was still that of an ordinary human.
The fear was something I could overcome.
Swoosh-!
A large hand flew at me, and I turned my head to dodge.
Hanul's attacks kept coming without pause.
Dodging alone wouldn't end this.
Thud!
My counter struck Hanul's chest, and he rampaged in even greater fury.
From there, it turned into a full-on brawl.
His attacks were unbelievably fast and powerful for that hefty frame.
They came relentlessly, but I used my speed to evade them all by a hair's breadth.
And I struck back at openings.
Arms, legs, torso—every part took my counters.
Though it was a brawl, only my strikes were landing on him.
"You...! Pesky fly!"
"I'm here too."
"Urk...! You bastards!"
Shun also exploited moments when Hanul focused too much on me, targeting joints meticulously to rack up damage.
Unlike the torso, his attacks were penetrating the joints.
The garden floor cracked, and nearby flowers and branches snapped.
Each time Hanul withstood an attack, I gradually amped up the power bit by bit.
How much time had passed?
Hanul's movements, which had been pouring attacks without respite, began to visibly slow.
Then, at one point, a desperate, pained cry burst from his mouth—not his previous intimidating voice.
"St-stop...! Please stop...!"
With his cry, the eerie red energy staining his eyes began to fade away languidly.
Like a dying flame.
Had the possession ended?
"Ugh... ughhh!"
Once the red energy fully vanished, Hanul collapsed on the spot, screaming in agony as all the suppressed pain hit at once, and lost consciousness.
His body trembled faintly like it was convulsing.
"...Is it over?"
"...What about the script? The script?"
Shun asked, panting roughly.
We all scanned our surroundings with tense expressions.
Would time rewind like before, or something even worse happen?
But contrary to expectations, what reached our ears was that familiar director's voice.
"...Didn't see that coming..."
Praise? We exchanged baffled looks.
Then, the contents of the script Park Sunja held began to change once more, sliding smoothly.
The original script was deleted, replaced by the scene that had just unfolded.
We didn't know why our actions pleased the director, but at least Hanul wouldn't be getting up again.
"Wow, Uncle possessed by the General Spirit went down this easily..."
"Our team members are general-level too, what's the surprise."
Hanbit stared at us wide-eyed, and Bora replied nonchalantly, smiling at Shun and me.
But the filming still wasn't over.
We couldn't fully let our guards down.
And sure enough, the scenery surrounding us began to distort once more.
"This is starting to make me nauseous."
"Um..."
When we opened our eyes, a completely different landscape from the previous opulent mansion unfolded.
We stood in front of a small, cozy rural house nestled in the mountains.
A weathered platform sat in the dirt yard, and the house itself exuded a simple, warm feel far from extravagance.
"Where's this?"
Park Sunja gently caressed the leaves of branches flowing from the mountain.
Perhaps because we'd just come from Hanbit's grandfather's grand garden and mansion, this house seemed especially small and modest.
But oddly, it had a strangely soothing atmosphere that put the mind at ease.
As we looked around in confusion, Bora was the first to speak this time, her face stiff.
Her voice trembled faintly, unlike her usual confident tone.
"This place is..."
She paused for a moment, slowly scanning the house and surroundings in disbelief.
Then, with a low sigh, she continued.
"Looks like it's my turn this time. This is my childhood home."
Bora's childhood home.
This monster phenomenon seemed intent on dragging her past onto the stage next.
The script had changed too.
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"Two people this time."
Park Sunja read the script and looked at Bora and me.
Confirming the contents, Bora snorted in disbelief.
"Hmph, trying to get revenge on an Exploration Team using a monster? The script's a mess."
There wasn't a trace of tension in her voice.
She brimmed with confidence.
And rightly so.
We were Exploration Team members who dealt with monsters at Dongto and now at White Tiger.
Bora pulled out a few talismans from her bosom ahead of time, thanking the script for the advance warning.
"But why is the backdrop Bora's childhood home, of all places?"
"...Yeah. The script says he uses a vicious monster hiding in this region..."
Suddenly, Park Sunja raised a question.
In response, I read the part of the script that bugged me.
What could this vicious monster hiding in the region be?
I subtly turned my head toward Bora, wondering if she knew.
"...No way... Nah, something like that couldn't..."
Bora's face turned serious for a brief moment before she shook her head.
As if it couldn't be.