Requests and Favors
The governor spread his arms wide in welcome even as he apologized, addressing both the soldiers who had escorted the supplies and me. “I’m truly sorry. We finally caught our breath after everything was so hectic. The raid you all suffered… it’s inexcusable. A large-scale prison break occurred, and some Awakened with criminal backgrounds joined in. It’s given us quite the headache on our end as well.”
I thought about Gangwon Province instead. It was winter now, and Gangwon was one of the regions with plenty of farmland. At the very least, it was in a slightly better position than the capital area, which was packed with urban sprawl, when it came to food supply. It also meant they had some breathing room to trade necessities with Seoul. Since this was a country preparing for war, they naturally had reserves, but those had to be saved until the absolute last moment.
Before the governor and the soldiers could drag the conversation out any longer, I seized the first opening and cut in. “Ahem. Governor, may I borrow a moment of your time?”
“…Hoho, of course. How could I refuse a conversation with such a lovely young lady?”
For a brief instant, admiration and desire flickered across the governor’s face, but as expected of a politician, he was far more skilled at hiding his expression than the young soldiers.
“I’ve come to eliminate the Headless Ghost. There are two or three things I’d like to ask you about the matter.”
“Oho! Good news upon good news. Everyone, let’s not stand around here. Please, come inside so we can talk properly.”
No matter how much of a politician he was, the prospect of solving two problems at once softened his expression. He invited me and the officers (major and above) into his office.
“I’m embarrassed that this is all I can offer you.”
Despite his words, the office was spotless, and the refreshments consisted of premium Korean sweets alongside green tea that smelled unmistakably high-grade. The soldiers glanced at the sweets with faint longing but held back out of pride, sipping only the tea. I had no appetite either, so I simply lifted my cup.
But of course, the green tea betrayed my hopes. I set the traitor back down without drinking.
In the meantime, the governor’s aide cleared the sweets aside and spread out a map marked with a large red circle on the table.
“We’ve established a position with our troops along National Route 44, adjacent to Gari Mountain. Excluding the Headless Ghost itself, their numbers are close to three hundred.”
“They’re close enough to reach Chuncheon directly, and if our response is delayed, that’s more than enough to cause chaos,” the colonel assessed the moment he saw the map. No one disputed his judgment. It was textbook. They had to be eliminated before the situation grew dangerous.
“They haven’t made any notable moves yet, but there’s a strong possibility they could mobilize their forces at any moment.”
“You’ve already attempted a preemptive strike, haven’t you?”
It was only natural to assume they had tried the standard approach.
“……Yes. The original plan was to use artillery to clear out the minions before engaging the Headless Ghost. At first, it seemed to be working. The cannon fire swept away all the low-level undead except for the one carrying a mana stone. But during the fight with the Headless Ghost, the minions began to resurrect.”
“And the result?”
“Two Awakened injured, one dead. Any reckless advance would only increase our losses, so we’re currently holding position.”
It was the classic trait of the undead. Just when you thought normal physical attacks worked, they would simply rise again. Conventional methods were useless against them. And the Headless Ghost possessing an inner core—what the West Server called a mana stone—was in a league of its own.
“If you had a skilled party…”
“They’ve all been deployed to the DMZ. As for the other Awakened… those with any real power either joined plunderer groups or headed to Gyeongsang Province or the capital area.”
Listening to the governor, I realized the Awakened who had attacked the Two-Don-Ban that morning belonged to that category.
“Well, we can talk about the plunderers later. In that case, I’ll go ahead and take care of my business.”
I stood up, picking up the map from the table.
“Wait.”
The colonel stopped me. If this was about helping wipe out the raiders, I intended to decline.
“Do you need fire support? We can set up a one-on-one arena with a barrage of 81-millimeter mortars or higher.”
Contrary to my rude assumption, the colonel seemed genuinely committed to dealing with the Headless Ghost.
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
After all, that was exactly why I had come here.
After exchanging brief farewells, Dowol left the office. The remaining people were exchanging short remarks about official duties when the aide reached for the cup of green tea Dowol had left behind.
‘…It’s cold?’
The aide’s eyes widened. The tea had all come from the same pot. The governor’s and the soldiers’ cups were still steaming hot, yet Dowol’s tea was so cold that frost had formed on the outside of the cup.
Crunch. Crunch.
Even though it was winter, the frost—not puddles—had melted under the midday sun. Dowol walked along National Route 44, which was lined with trees that had shaken off their leaves to survive. Despite efforts to clear the road, the tangled graveyard of abandoned vehicles formed a grim procession. Inside many of the cars, fragments of human corpses were scattered, likely victims of yokai attacks.
“Namu Amitabha.”
Dowol, who had always leaned more toward Buddhism than Christianity, pressed her palms together and prayed for their souls.
She continued walking. She crossed countless cars, stepped over corpse fragments, and met the gaze of skeletons that appeared to be the Headless Ghost’s minions, but neither side attacked. The minions knew their strikes would be ineffective, and Dowol knew it too, so she simply left them alone.
One, two, three, ten, fifty-one, a hundred, two hundred…
The further she walked, the more the number of minions swelled. By the time she stood before the Headless Ghost, they had not only blocked her retreat but had completely surrounded her.
“…I wondered what you were up to, and here you are doing something so pathetic.”
Seeing why the Headless Ghost had camped out on Route 44 left Dowol utterly dumbfounded. The creature wore pristine lamellar armor, and in its hands it held a crude helmet that matched the mask it wore. The helmet looked like it had been hastily cobbled together from car parts and a hood.
All things crave what they lack, and yokai were no different. For the Headless Ghost, that missing piece had been a head.
—Clack!
Without a word, it placed the helmet on its neck. The connecting parts locked together with a solid click. Confirming it was secure, the Headless Ghost drew its sword and assumed a stance, waiting.
“You’re actually waiting for me?”
Dowol found it absurd again. This was not how a yokai was supposed to behave.
—Whoosh!
As if to prove her point, while she was still speaking, a bony hand burst through the concrete floor. That was the signal. The minions surged toward her like arrows fired from a chariot ballista.
—Clang-clang-clang!
But faster than the minions could reach her body, an overwhelming blue sword strike carrying bone-chilling cold exploded outward like a storm in every direction.
“Hah…!”
A single arrow made of concentrated energy pierced through that storm of sword qi, aiming precisely for Dowol’s forehead. The Headless Ghost had pretended to attack with its sword, sheathed it again, and fired from the composite bow it had been carrying on its back.
Dohyeon tilted her head back. The arrow didn’t even graze a single strand of her fluttering hair.
—Slice!
The Headless Ghost’s left arm, along with the bow, was severed cleanly. It could only stare in disbelief at its own cleanly cut limb.
“You shouldn’t try cheap tricks in front of me.”
—Clang!
Before anyone realized it, Dowol was already behind the Headless Ghost, flicking the blood from her blade. The creature drew its ringed sword with one hand in a violent motion.
“Are you angry?”
The Headless Ghost had done well. Knowing its opponent was strong and that defensive formations would be useless, it had deliberately abandoned them to set a trap and laced its attack with deception.
“Isn’t it funny? Despite being called monsters, you’re all facing me in such a human way.”
Dowol voiced thoughts she had never shared with others, speaking directly to the Headless Ghost. But its only reply was a massive sword strike infused with ringed-sword energy.
The heavy blade, laden with power, came crashing down. Yet Dowol leisurely dodged it while pulling out a talisman and crumpling it in her hand.
‘…?’
The Headless Ghost felt a sense of unease. Its slash had been fast. Yet for some reason, it could see every one of those slow movements clearly. Why?
The question arose. And even more pressing was the question of why its own slash looked so slow, and why its body had stopped moving.
Then it realized. Those sluggish motions were impossibly fast, and for some unknown reason, it was perceiving them.
The talismans twisted together on their own within Dowol’s hand, forming a perfect orb.
It could not be stopped. It was far too fast to react.
The Urgent Dispatch Command orb turned blue, then deepened in color. It began to vibrate visibly before turning pitch black and compressing.
The spell had begun.
Yet it was calm. A strange sense of stability, as if everything was simply following a predetermined sequence, soothed the Headless Ghost’s mind.
And in the final moment, it understood.
Bottomless Cold Jade.
This scene was the lantern of its life flashing before its eyes.
The dark cold that erupted from the black jade orb engulfed the Headless Ghost, and its life review came to an end.
“Hohoho, thank you! Not only did you eliminate the Headless Ghost, but you even yielded the mana stone. I’m truly grateful!”
“It simply went where it was needed for official duties. The USB the soldiers gave you should contain confidential technology for utilizing inner cores. It should make for a decent energy source. Well, that concludes the request.”
Even after Dowol’s words, the governor continued expressing his gratitude. From the beginning, Dowol had shown little interest in the Headless Ghost’s inner core, and the request had even included providing that core to Gangwon Province. What Dowol truly wanted was something else.
“And I have one personal favor to ask.”
“Yes, please tell me.”
The governor was willing to grant it as long as the request wasn’t excessive.
“I’d like to put out a bounty for one carp. Please pass this along to every Awakened in Gangwon Province—soldiers, plunderers, and civilians alike. It doesn’t matter who.”
“A bounty… for one carp?”
The governor felt slightly deflated that the so-called favor was merely asking to spread word about finding a single carp, but if that was all, it was an incredibly cheap price to pay.
“Here is the notice. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Dowol handed over the USB containing the notice, offered a simple goodbye, and began walking toward Seoul.
“I don’t know whether I’ll find that carp first or whether I’ll have to crush Steel and extract his core first…”
Time was not on Dowol’s side. Whichever path she chose, she had to complete it quickly.
“Dohwa, just wait a little longer.”
And as Dowol moved on to the next step—
“Sunflower Carp?”
The governor was left blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar name of the carp.