The Shadow Cat's Bargain
The skill that lingered in my memory was, of all things… “Meow.” It was bewildering. How had the ghost that appeared here taken the form of a small black kitten and begun to cry? I had expected a relatively ordinary mid-grade ghost, a shadow wolf, yet what emerged instead was this unidentified shadow cat that shattered my assumptions.
“Whoa! It’s so cute!” The rogue beside me tried to approach the kitten, but I reached out and stopped her.
“Meow, meow.” The kitten ghost cried earnestly and began toddling forward on its frail legs. The bi-gang dog beside it lowered its head and posture as though witnessing a king’s procession.
“Dowol, the records mention plenty of cat ghosts, but nothing about a kitten appearing. Could it be…”
“Yes. It’s likely a new ghost that manifested in reality. Its rank is probably…”
“Peep!” Now it had begun chirping like a chick. I took out a talisman and offered it to the kitten. It might simply have come seeking my yin energy. One talisman was hardly a loss.
“Meow.” Yet the kitten did not turn toward the talisman. Instead, it walked straight toward the map and the liver fragment. After sniffing the fragment for a moment, it looked up at me.
“It seems it wants what you have.” I drew a silver dagger and sliced the tip of my thumb. Cold blood laced with yin energy welled up from the thin cut.
“I accept the deal.” I offered the blood I had just drawn, and the ghost accepted it. The transaction was sealed when the kitten ghost licked it away, and a chunk of my energy was carved out in return. This creature did not look the part, but the yin energy it radiated confirmed it was a high-grade yokai.
“Meow.” Having obtained the blood, the ghost used it as a base to manifest flesh and cried out with its newly formed vocal cords.
“…Fast.” The manifestation had been too swift. On second thought, it was a high-grade ghost that had consumed both my energy and blood; forming a small kitten’s body would not have been difficult. No—only the essential organs had been realized.
“Then it’s time to fulfill your end.”
“Chomp, chomp, crunch!” The moment I finished speaking, the kitten ghost devoured the liver fragment. Though its size made the task slow, it eventually consumed every piece and extended its claws to press firmly on one spot on the map.
“…Senior, what do we do now?”
“Haa…” A sigh escaped one of the messenger pigeons as they stared at the marked location, and soon the entire party began to stir.
“Hongryeon, if we can still turn back, we should. Going there is the same as dying.”
“Then we’ll be stuck in limbo.”
“Is that worse than losing our lives? The gilded jade tax is going to collapse anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to pull out here…?”
“The problem is that our future lives will become miserable. If I’m branded a rebel remnant, my family will be destroyed.”
“I have a child and a husband too. If we don’t do this now, their future is blocked.”
“But… dying makes it all meaningless, doesn’t it?”
Telepathic messages—likely a form of West’s communication magic—yet their security was not strong enough to hide them from me.
“It will be difficult, but not impossible.” Even if the forest was riddled with landmines and yokai… even if it was the DMZ where Gangcheol resided.
“As long as we don’t run into Gangcheol, it isn’t that dangerous.”
“…Please speak from our standards, not yours.” One of the messenger pigeons cut in sharply. She was right; I had been speaking from my own perspective.
“……You already knew it would be dangerous.”
Since I had no comforting words to offer, I simply told them to steel themselves. It was hardly the sort of remark that would raise morale.
***
“Is this the place?” Yuseong, carrying Dohwa on her back and pulling a suitcase, stopped and looked at the location marked on the map.
Cheongang Sword Dojo
The imposing signboard on the outer wall bore both hanja and hangul, and if one listened closely, the sound of spirited shouts could be heard from within.
“…Heh. It’s bigger than I expected. Not quite what I imagined.” Yuseong felt a twinge of disappointment. She had pictured a shabby little dojo and an eccentric old master waiting inside—the classic hidden expert.
“Do you have business at our dojo?”
“Eek!” A voice came from behind, and Yuseong spun around in surprise.
“…Heh heh. The old woman’s prank was a bit much. Here, have some candy and calm down.” Yuseong steadied her racing heart and looked at the elderly man offering her a red ginseng candy. He wore light winter clothes, his white beard slightly unkempt, and his hair neatly combed. Though his face was lined with wrinkles, his skin retained its elasticity and he had a pleasant appearance. What caught Yuseong’s attention more than his looks, however, was his physique.
‘He’s huge.’ It was not merely his height; his very frame was large, and muscle still clung to it. Most importantly, the old man before her was an Awakened.
“…Are you a natural Awakened?”
“Heh heh, that I am. Thanks to it, moving around at my age is easy. But the child on your back looks familiar… Dohwa!?” The old man’s eyes widened. He grabbed Yuseong’s shoulders and leaned in to peer at the sleeping Dohwa.
‘Turbulent times, yokai, Dohwa carried by a stranger, and a suitcase.’ In an instant, an ominous puzzle assembled itself in the old man’s mind.
“Dowol! What happened to our Dowol!?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Elder, please calm down!” Chaos erupted on the roadside as the old man shook Yuseong. From her violently swaying back, Dohwa’s eyes slowly opened.
“…Grandpa? I feel dizzy.”
“I-I’m sorry! This old man shook you too hard, didn’t he?” At Dohwa’s single remark, the old man released Yuseong’s shoulders. Yuseong, now clear-headed, pulled a letter from her coat.
“W-we came to see someone named Choi Gakseong. We need to deliver this letter.”
“Give it here. That’s me.” After exchanging names, the old man—Choi Gakseong—swiftly took the letter and opened it. A sigh of relief escaped him, and the tension drained from his shoulders.
“…I’m sorry, young lady. These days… so many people have left that I’ve become overly sensitive.”
“No, it’s all right.” Yuseong answered in a daze, then realized the man she had been searching for stood before her.
“Well then… one week. No, let me collect myself. Come, let’s go inside and talk. It’s still cold out here.”
Following Choi Gakseong’s guidance, Yuseong stepped into the dojo. Inside, as expected, practitioners clad in protective gear were swinging wooden swords at one another. Choi Gakseong glanced at Yuseong and Dohwa, then raised a finger to his lips—clearly not wanting to disturb the ongoing sparring.
‘Everyone here is an Awakened?’ Yuseong noticed that nearly everyone in the dojo—except the supervisor—was an Awakened.
“Master, you’re back… Oh, and who’s this?” A middle-aged man who had quietly entered the office greeted Choi Gakseong, then looked at Yuseong beside him.
“They’re children Dowol asked me to look after for a while.”
“Ah, Dowol… Is she doing well?” the man asked in a worried whisper.
“You rascal. Dowol’s the most troublesome one among us! She wants us to watch them for about a week because of work.”
—Thud!
“Ghhk!” Choi Gakseong, forgetting his earlier restraint, delivered a flick to the man’s forehead. It was no ordinary flick; the speed and sound were far too violent. The man clutched his head and rolled on the floor while Choi Gakseong stared at his own fist, then at the man.
“…Anyway, that’s the situation.”
“Be honest. You failed to hold back, didn’t you?”
“Grandpa! That’s mean!” Yuseong’s voice carried a hint of lost trust, while Dohwa’s brimmed with delight at being able to scold someone.
“Please wait a moment. I can perform simple treatment.” Yuseong set Dohwa down and placed her hand on the writhing man’s head.
Healing
Golden light bloomed from Yuseong’s palm and settled over the man’s head. His thrashing ceased, and he blinked in astonishment as the pain faded.
“Oh? Oh! It doesn’t hurt anymore. Are you a priest?”
“…No. It’s the Healing skill every elf receives at the start. I just happened to remember it. The effect is only about as good as a painkiller and Madecassol on cells, though.” Yuseong answered bitterly. Healing had been one of the basic spells every elf possessed, yet its potency was minimal—nothing like what she had hoped for.
“Hoho, it’s a finer skill than anything a sword can do. Don’t be so disappointed. Before long… that talent of yours will shine.” Choi Gakseong’s expression darkened briefly. Though the front lines had stabilized far more than a month ago, casualties still occurred, and healing talents were invaluable both on the battlefield and afterward.
“It’s a bit early for dinner… Shall we begin lessons right away?”
“Yes!”
“Hoho, what a refreshing answer! Then I’ll start by correcting your basic posture and teaching you the fundamentals of the techniques and martial arts Dowol will instruct you in. Ah, Changho. Take Dohwa and go plant some flowers.” Choi Gakseong retrieved a small paper envelope and a wooden plaque bearing a talisman from the bag he carried and handed them to Park Changho.
“Ah, when I bought vegetables at the market, they gave me this as a bonus. They said brewing tea from the petals has a nice fragrance. Anyway, the country was handing out these wooden plaques that supposedly help plants grow, so I took one. But… what was the flower called again?”
“Eh, we can find out the name later. Besides, planting flowers is perfect—it’ll serve as education for Dohwa too.” Park Changho took the seed-filled envelope and wooden plaque with a cheerful heart and headed out with Dohwa to plant them.