A Fairy Descends from the Heavens
A fairy descended from the heavens. Though she had merely come down by helicopter, her mysterious silver hair, brilliant golden eyes, and ethereal beauty that rivaled a sprite left nothing to be desired in calling her a fairy. And since she had truly received the grace and power of Jogwangshin, the title was not strange at all.
“You’ve changed since I last saw you.”
“Ah, you were with Master…!”
“This way, please. I will guide you to Lord Dowol.”
Pigeon 1 politely led Yu Seong forward, followed by escorts carrying the moonstone wrapped in talismans and the injured.
“···?”
Then, suddenly, Yu Seong realized something strange. The people were stepping aside for the path he walked. Yet they bowed their heads while never taking their eyes off him. If there was one thing they all had in common—
‘Are they all Awakened connected to holy power or celestial energy?’
After scanning the energy they carried, Yu Seong was momentarily surprised at how sharp his senses had become. He also noticed that their celestial energy felt somewhat hollow.
‘Holy power without an object of faith is nothing but an empty shell.’
Lee Han’s words came to mind. And he realized that this particular group had clear flaws.
“Just a moment.”
That was why he decided to show them. No matter what their previous faith had been, he would reveal exactly who had granted them power for our sake—for my sake—right now.
⟨ Ascending Sun ⟩
The light born in Yu Seong’s palm rose into the sky. Just as its name suggested, it was merely a small rising sun, yet it allowed them to witness the power of Jogwangshin contained within.
“Ahh.”
Pure admiration rose from every direction. They felt a sense of fulfillment as the lacking parts inside them finally found direction and became whole.
He began walking again. Despite being under moonlight, a strange shadow seemed to fall over him, accompanied by a biting cold like that of the Arctic that greeted Yu Seong.
“You’re here. You’ve changed a bit.”
“Master, you’ve changed too.”
The yin energy and cold were so dense that the frost sitting on the trees and ground had turned black. Yu Seong’s own energy could only remain ordinary within Dowol’s domain.
“Sorry. It’s hard to control my energy right now. And you did really well. I didn’t expect you to become famous this quickly, but congratulations.”
“···Um, you already knew?”
“Of course. I had to see what kind of person my future disciple would be.”
Fame. For Yu Seong, who had aimed for that as his goal, his primary objective had been achieved. However, what had changed was not only her appearance.
“But now there’s something more important than that.”
He didn’t ask what it was. There was no need to say it aloud; it was clearly far more precious than fame.
“The moonstone is Grade 2, right? I sensed a familiar yet weak energy, like something you’d been hit with.”
“Yes. I made a sword using the Mountain Lord and the one we caught in Jeju Island.”
Yu Seong walked toward Dowol, who sat in a lotus position holding the sword. The celestial energy carrying yang properties and the night celestial energy carrying yin properties clashed, creating a bizarre distortion. And all of this was the minimized result of the two trying not to interfere with each other.
“Here.”
Dowol received the sword Yu Seong handed over. Though wrapped in talismans, its length rivaled that of a professional basketball player, clearly requiring immense effort and skill to wield. But Dowol frowned at something else entirely.
“The balance is a complete mess. Yu Seong, look at this. If you were choosing a sword, you should never pick something like this.”
“It really does look like a stone axe with a blade and hilt slapped together.”
The design was the worst. The center of gravity was the worst. It could certainly pierce Gangcheol’s scales, but Dowol’s sword qi was already sharp enough.
“Shall I help? Hehe.”
“Whoa! The cat is talking.”
Dowol calmed the startled Yu Seong and gave a displeased look to Changcheon Amgui, who had possessed her cat.
“Do you really have time to spare? Right now, Gangcheol is imitating human yang energy with a portion of his flames to gather the monsters in the north and organize their ranks. And he’s dispersing his forces rather than concentrating them. To places even mortars would have trouble reaching.”
If the enemy dispersed their forces, it would be easier to strike the main army, but if those troops ignored them and marched south, the story changed. They might even be surrounded. This was no longer a situation of stopping a single monster—it had become a war.
With the sudden resolution of the most troublesome Geumokse, the army they had been preparing began to move in earnest.
“No matter how much catalyst they coat the bullets and shells with, can they withstand a monster army led by territorial guardian spirits? You know the limits of catalysts fired by ordinary people.”
Changcheon Amgui leaped up, used her claws to peel away the talismans, and licked the blade with her tongue. The talismans, meeting an intensely powerful yin energy, froze, shriveled like withering flowers, curled inward, and turned to powder. The sword began to twist. Metal warped, bones expanded, and hide and fur sprouted in a sight that could never be called pleasant. Yet it steadily changed shape until a four-cheok sword was completed—housed in a pure white bone sheath and finished with the Mountain Lord’s white fur at the hilt.
-Shing.
When the sword was drawn, a beautiful blade emerged from the black-jade-like body, gleaming with the iridescent light of mother-of-pearl inlay.
“The weight is the same. Yet the center of balance is perfect, flawless—an undeniable treasured sword.”
“Somehow… the man-made moonstone has completely disappeared.”
Yu Seong felt a pang of regret. It was as if the efforts of all those people—including the ones currently being treated by medics—had been diluted.
“More importantly, what’s the price?”
“Hehe♪ There is no price, my child. Just become stronger. Experience the process of creating this sword’s prototype, endure this war, grow stronger through it all. And learn how to stand up again.”
Changcheon Amgui leaped up once more, licked Dowol’s cheek briefly, then closed her eyes and opened them again.
“Nya?”
But the one who opened her eyes was not Changcheon Amgui, but Hyeonro. Seeing this, both Yu Seong and Dowol fell silent. She had not stated her purpose or reason. Whether it was to become stronger simply to survive, or to prepare for something else, they could not tell. But one thing was certain: if they could not overcome this trial now, they would never reach the point Changcheon Amgui had in mind.
Dowol closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The moment of the decisive battle had come. But since it was not the end, there was still something she had to do.
“Hyeonro, I have a favor to ask. Will you do it for me?”
“Nya? Nya!”
“Thank you. Then, could you stay by Dohwa’s side? I think she’ll feel too lonely if she wakes up and there’s no one there.”
“Nya.”
Fortunately, Hyeonro accepted my request. She might be startled by the sudden appearance of a cat, but Dohwa would probably like it. And having Hyeonro with her would also serve as a sort of bodyguard.
“Then I have to go bless the others, so I’ll take my leave. I can’t give you a direct blessing, Master… but I’ll be cheering for you!”
Yu Seong clenched both fists and cheered with all her might. Did she realize that what she was doing right now was truly a spell of victory and a blessing?
Looking at her reminded him of the past.
“Dowol! You have to win!”
“Yeah, I’ll win and come back.”
“You have to win so the director raises the quality of the restaurant he’s taking us to… Ouch!”
“That’s what you say after all that buildup! Starve, then!”
It was fun back then.
They exchanged such trivial words to ease the tension, won, sometimes lost, embraced each other, made love, promised a future, pointed out each other’s shortcomings, demanded they be fixed, then parted ways. Greater misfortune, separation, and overwhelming pressure followed.
“It’s already a connection that has left. Just knowing that she’s alive is enough to satisfy me.”
In the frozen land where no one else was present, she spoke to herself. She spat out the lingering attachments through her mouth, absorbing back the energy that had been wasted and leaked. From mouth to lungs, lungs to meridians, meridians to the dantian—gathering like a mass, then rotating and reversing the entire process. Like red blood cells carrying oxygen, the energy circulated and permeated every part of her body.
It was cold. Terribly cold. Yet she could feel this chill tempering her.
Let me solidify my identity. I am not a sorcerer. I am a swordsman who holds a blade and swings it. I am a warrior.
She could not change her constitution, but if only temporarily, she could produce a similar effect. The throbbing of her heart accelerated the circulation of energy even further, temporarily altering her constitution. No longer a glass cannon for sorcery, she became like eternal snow—frozen, compressed, frozen again—harder than metal.
It was electrifying. A thrill dominated her entire body, vitality surged, and it boiled up as if cold flames were blazing.
“A mere puppet has stepped into the Transcendent realm.”
When she opened her eyelids—frosted instead of crusty—Gangcheol was sitting before her. It was a form she had never seen before: a snake-human hybrid, a sa-in. Of course, it was far larger than a human—more like a giant—and even while seated, it looked to be at least three meters tall.
“More importantly, the sun has already passed its zenith.”
“Yes. It will soon be the Hour of the Sheep.”
“Speak like a modern person. Modern people have abandoned such outdated time concepts.”
“Ten.”
Ten minutes left? She must have spent quite a long time in meditation.
“Nine, eight, seven.”
“Oh no.”
She hurriedly checked the analog watch in her pocket. The time was 12:58:32 PM. If she had trusted only his words and attacked, she would have been in serious trouble.
“···That’s why you can’t escape being a snake.”
“Hehehe, to become a dragon, one must have at least this much composure.”
A moment later, she checked the time again. Five seconds remained. She drew her sword and poured inner energy into it, forming sword qi. The color of the sword qi was like the night sky holding a few faint blue stars.
“It seems you’ve obtained a treasured sword from somewhere. After I kill you, I’ll have one more thing to collect.”
The time had come. Her form and Gangcheol’s vanished from the spot.
-Kwaaaaaang!
The explosion from the clash of sword and claw was the only thing that shook the entire area.