Outside (3)
Outside (3)
The girl, Lee Ji-yeon, is a Shaman who turned 17 this year.
Since childhood, she had seen all sorts of strange things, and sometimes suffered greatly because of them.
-Become the offering for this land. That is your role.
One day, her parents passed away in an unknown incident, and just before she was about to be caught by a Goei at the very end, a Shaman appeared and saved her. That completely changed her life.
Hearing that she had seen Goei since childhood, the Shaman took her as a disciple and taught her the power to fight against Goei, the power to wield spiritual power.
Lee Ji-yeon had talent. Within five years of being taken in by the Shaman, she comprehended the use of spiritual power, which one might never realize even after a lifetime of training without talent, and left her master's side.
After leaving her master's side, she began wandering from place to place, hunting Goei. Wherever negative energy gathered strongly, Goei would invariably appear, so for Lee Ji-yeon, who could sense negative energy with her spiritual power, finding them was simple.
And sensing negative energy in the village halfway up Dobongsan Mountain led to the current situation.
"I don't know who you are, but it seems you don't know that one should show respect when dealing with strange and supernatural beings. Are you a Western wizard?"
Lee Ji-yeon thought someone was manipulating the moving earth with magic. Through experience, she knew that among Western wizards, many used Goei as materials.
Furthermore, the mental state of such individuals was usually unhinged, leading to frequent battles. While asking her question, Lee Ji-yeon was also internally preparing to gather her power.
'What...? Hangul?'
However, the earth's reaction defied Lee Ji-yeon's expectations. The earth squirmed and moved as if forming letters, then answered like this.
-I am not a wizard.
"If not a wizard, then a psychic? What is your business here?"
-Not a psychic either.
Lee Ji-yeon was dumbfounded. Not a wizard, not a psychic... was this person a clergyman or something? There were limits to deception.
"I don't think we are in a position for jokes. Speak clearly. What were you doing here?"
-I was trying to eliminate Lingering Thoughts.
"Lingering Thoughts? You mean that strange and supernatural being just now?"
-Let me ask you instead. Are there many people like you on this land?
"I have no obligation to tell you."
-Communication is impossible.
"That's my line."
The confrontation between them was clear. Lee Ji-yeon did not know the intentions of the being before her, and its identity was also unknown. The other party, Gaia, was also reluctant to reveal information, not knowing if Lee Ji-yeon belonged to a group or operated individually.
However, continuing this standoff was meaningless, so eventually Gaia was the first to write.
-I came to look around the nearby villages, discovered the Lingering Thoughts, and was just trying to take measures so that nearby residents wouldn't be harmed. I have no particular intentions.
Lee Ji-yeon's eyes emitted a faint blue light again, then she closed her eyes and nodded.
"...It's not a lie. I also came to eliminate the strange and supernatural being, so I will withdraw now. You seem to be someone doing good deeds, so please refrain from remarks that could cause misunderstanding. Then..."
-Wait, you haven't answered my question yet. Even a rough idea is fine, please tell me.
"...If you're asking if there are many like me, you seem to have only recently awakened your abilities, which is clearly impolite. Please be aware of that."
-Okay. I'll keep it in mind. So, how many are there?
Lee Ji-yeon sighed, wondering if the other party couldn't take a hint or was ignoring it, given their attitude of persistently asking questions. Thinking she might as well accumulate some good karma, she had no choice but to open her mouth.
"Sigh... I don't know well either. Since most of us hide our identities, it's impossible to know except for the rare chance encounters. The Management Bureau probably knows to some extent, though."
-Management Bureau?
"You don't know about the Management Bureau either... It's an organization that subdues, deals with, and manages strange and supernatural beings. They are the group working at the forefront to prevent the world from falling into chaos. I think that should be enough of an answer by now."
-Yeah, that helped a lot. Thank you.
Lee Ji-yeon gave a faint smile at Gaia's thanks. For better or worse, she felt she had ultimately helped someone.
'Listening to the story, they don't seem to harbor any malicious feelings, just ignorant of the world. I probably don't need to impose sanctions.'
"Then I'll take my leave..."
-Ah, wait a moment.
Just as the Goe-ryeok-nan-sin was resolved and Lee Ji-yeon was about to leave, Gaia stopped her.
"What is it?"
-I received help, so I want to give something in return.
"Something in return? Like what?"
-I'll give you power.
Frowning at the mention of giving power, Lee Ji-yeon soon shook her head.
"That's preposterous. One cannot arbitrarily give and receive another's power. Especially not for someone like me who uses spiritual power. So..."
-I think it might work.
"Excuse me? What do you..."
Before Lee Ji-yeon could finish, Gaia moved the earth to touch her. And...
"Wait, what are you doing so arbitrarily...!"
Lee Ji-yeon's urgent words faltered. Because power was truly flowing in from the point where the earth made contact.
'What... what on earth is this...'
Moreover, the power transmitted from the earth was converting into Lee Ji-yeon's spiritual power as it entered. It was a situation that could rightly be called mysterious.
"You, just what..."
-W e l c o m e...
Lee Ji-yeon tried to ask about this phenomenon, but Gaia, having used up all the vitality in the earth to infuse Lee Ji-yeon with power, disappeared from the spot.
"...What just happened?"
Left alone, Lee Ji-yeon muttered, realizing the energy she felt from the earth had vanished. Of course, there was no one to answer.
Meanwhile, Gaia, having used up all their vitality and returned inside the barrier, thought.
'It really worked.'
Why did that work?
"Gaia-nim, are you back?"
-Yeah. I'm back. What were you doing?
As I moved the clay doll, Cynthia, who had been fiddling with something nearby, greeted me.
"Hehe... ta-da!"
-Oh, you put flowers on the insect. Did you put them on yourself?
"Yes! Pretty, right? It suddenly appeared and started acting cute, so I thought it was adorable and stuck them on!"
-Nice. By the way, I've seen it somewhere before...
That peculiar green gloss looked familiar. Racking my memory, I remembered the insect that recently guided me on the road.
-I remember. This little one led me.
"Oh, really? That's amazing... this little one is a friend called a Pathfinder. It really lived up to its name!"
-So its name was Pathfinder. Interesting.
I told Cynthia about what happened outside.
"You met someone dressed all in white mourning clothes? And that person defeated a Goei?"
-Yes.
"That person must have been a Shaman! I've seen them a few times from afar, and they just burn Goei to ashes without any discussion, right?"
Cynthia looked at me with admiration for having met a Shaman and survived.
"But they talked to you, Gaia-nim? As expected, Gaia-nim is amazing!"
-Well... rather than seeing me as a Goei, they seemed to think I was earth controlled by a wizard or psychic.
"Hmm... that's strange. Spirit Users like Shamans are really good at specifically identifying Goei..."
Listening to Cynthia, there were more than one or two strange points. Above all, that last thing.
'How did I give power? I just thought it felt like it might work, so I gave it...'
-Cynthia, what happens if you give a Goei's power to a human?
"A Goei's power? Hmm... I've never thought about it, but I don't think a good result would occur. The essence of a Goei is, after all, a being born from the coalescence of human fear."
-That makes sense.
I somewhat agreed with Cynthia's words, but the fact that power was transferred to the Shaman without any incident still couldn't be explained.
'Come to think of it, we didn't even exchange names... Well, they said hiding identities is normal, so it can't be helped, I guess.'
Suddenly, Cynthia tilted her head and spoke.
"Hmm... but I'm not sure if seeing you as a Goei is correct. For one thing, the power you use, Gaia-nim, is different from ours, right?"
-That's... true.
Her doubt was valid. I myself had doubts about whether I was a Goei.
Going outside this time and meeting the Shaman made it clear. Lingering Thoughts also fall within the realm of Goei, and I possess a power opposite to that of Goei.
'What kind of being... am I, exactly?'
The question that looms again. Unsolved mysteries keep revealing themselves.
"Even I, who have become a follower of Gaia-nim, no longer feel like a Goei. Ah, perhaps you are something like a divine spirit?"
-Divine spirit? Do such things exist?
"Wizards, psychics, and Shamans exist right now. Gods might exist too, don't you think?"
-Perhaps...
"Exactly! I heard a rumor that there is supposedly a real god in the Vatican."
-That's interesting.
And so, Cynthia and I spent time chatting with each other. Since the questions couldn't be answered immediately, we decided to bury them in our hearts for now.
Time passed, two days later.
Two Management Bureau personnel visited Dobongsan Mountain.
"Ugh... we're here. Seeing this place twice a week feels bad..."
"Well, abnormal phenomena might have appeared. It can't be helped."
"I guess..."
One was dressed in light official uniform, the other in rather thick protective gear.
"Then, shall we go?"
"Yes."
And so, the two began climbing Dobongsan Mountain.