The Persistent Shaman
The S-rank hunter inspected his transformed physical abilities and shook his head. His strength had increased by a full 10%, but there was no need to replace the equipment or tools. The existing setup could handle it just fine. What mattered was the feel for controlling that power. It wasn't a drastic shift, so adapting wouldn't be too hard.
"Might as well finish cleaning up."
Seojun shook off the thoughts and headed to the backyard. He had to clear the mess left from forging the Seven Star Sword. The furnace was in ruins after the mountain dokkaebi's fierce battle(?) with it.
Part of the makeshift furnace had melted down, its interior clogged with solidified slag and congealed molten metal to the point of being unusable. Scattered chunks of hardened slag littered the area, and some molds were deformed where the metal had stuck and cooled.
"Hmm... Next time, I need to train her properly."
Even so, it was hard to find a worker as capable as the mountain dokkaebi. As a kaeyi, she had endless stamina and a sturdy body that didn't break easily.
"Gotta make the environment better too."
He dismantled the furnace first, rebuilding it from scratch. He incorporated improvements based on the annoyances he'd felt while using it. He even pitched a tent to block out the weather. He organized the haphazardly piled raw materials to free up space and optimized the workflow for smoother movement.
"Whew."
By the time the cleanup was nearly done, a pale blue dawn was breaking in the eastern sky. He'd placed a generous order for molds and spares at the factory.
"Time to rest."
Seojun stepped back into the forge and sank into a chair. Exhaustion was crashing over him, but his mind stayed sharp. There was just too much to mull over: the S-rank dungeon, Baegbaekgyo, his own changes. But as his eyelids grew heavy and sleep beckoned—
"Here...!"
"Right now..."
Murmurs drifted in from outside. Seojun lifted his heavy lids and rolled up the shutter. Morning sunlight poured in, revealing two figures. One was the familiar face of Park Cheolwoo. The woman beside him was a stranger.
She wore a white triangular hood over her head, a translucent white shaman's robe draped over her shoulders, and a red skirt-and-blouse ensemble underneath. She looked barely into her early twenties, but her eyes held a profound depth. Above all, the spiritual aura radiating from her was no joke.
"Long time no see."
Seojun greeted Park Cheolwoo, then shifted his gaze to the shaman.
Park Cheolwoo opened his mouth with a troubled expression. "Ah, boss. This is S-rank hunter Im Jiyeon..."
"I know."
Seojun replied flatly. There was only one hunter in Korea who wandered around in shaman garb. The sole S-rank spiritual ability user: Im Jiyeon.
"You make some rough stuff."
Im Jiyeon met his eyes without flinching and spat it out bluntly. Her voice was flat—no warmth, no malice. It felt like she was just stating what she saw.
"The place too."
Im Jiyeon surveyed the forge as a whole. Her gaze lingered briefly on the signboard at the entrance, then on the incongruous Bulgasal statue, and finally on the warehouse visible over his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed as if sensing something, then returned to normal.
"You expect me to use a spear? Does that even make sense?"
This time, her tone carried human dissatisfaction. She was talking about the spear, specialized anti-kaeyi equipment. Handing a shaman a spear was reason enough to complain.
But Seojun didn't back down. "It's the means that matter, not the form."
Im Jiyeon's lips twisted, tension crackling in the air. Park Cheolwoo fidgeted, glancing nervously between them.
"Make me a new muryeong shaman bell."
"No."
Seojun shot down the pointless demand. The Hunter Association had commissioned the anti-kaeyi weapon in the first place, and he'd stuck to the spear out of respect without protest. He moved to lower the shutter, but Im Jiyeon barged in without a care.
"Not open for business today."
"Make the muryeong then."
Im Jiyeon shot back shamelessly and strode deeper into the forge. Seojun furrowed his brow at the sight. She should have been affected by the forge's rules the moment she entered, but she seemed utterly fine.
Not like some kaeyi on another level entirely.
She was slipping through the rules as if she didn't exist. After dealing with so many kaeyi, hunters had started feeling bland by comparison. This S-rank had some real presence, though.
Then it must be something else.
Im Jiyeon ignored him and poked around the forge. She ran her eyes over the workbench, stared intently at the furnace, and scanned the tool racks hanging on the walls. But he'd stashed the important stuff in the warehouse and finished a thorough cleaning, so there were no special finds.
"You're in the middle of raiding a haunted dungeon—sure it's okay for an S-rank spiritualist to be away?"
"Make the muryeong."
Seojun tried to shoo her out, but she parroted the same line like a parrot. No point talking. To make matters worse, she plopped down in the corner chair, clearly planning to squat until he caved.
Park Cheolwoo approached Seojun with an apologetic face. "Sorry, boss. I tried everything to stop her, but..."
"It's fine. No need to worry about it."
No B-rank could control an S-rank. Especially not a headstrong one digging in her heels. Seojun treated Im Jiyeon like she wasn't there and asked Park Cheolwoo, "How's the site?"
"It was a bloodbath, but the anti-kaeyi gear you sent let us catch our breath. Before that, Silver Lining Guild was holding the line, but we were one step from disaster."
Park Cheolwoo answered with relief at the topic shift. But the mood on-site was grim. Without that gear, it could have been a catastrophe.
"What about the raid?"
"...Stalemate. Seven S-ranks and five quasi-S-ranks are in there, but no progress. The haunted rules are too tricky to grasp. Right now, we're just physically holding back the kaeyi swarms."
Park Cheolwoo glanced at Im Jiyeon as he spoke. She cut in abruptly from her chair. "Faceless kaeyi are no issue. Stab 'em with spears or burn 'em with talismans, done. The problem is the world drowned in nothingness—no way forward."
"What exactly is this 'nothingness'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Nothing at all. No paths, no directions, not even the flow of time. A void of emptiness with no signposts to break through."
Im Jiyeon described her S-rank dungeon experience with a grave face. A standard S-rank could wipe out a nation or city; a haunted one was tricky by nature. This was an S-rank haunted dungeon—no wonder it was tough.
"Then why demand a muryeong?"
Seojun asked out of curiosity. If there were no signposts, what good was a bell?
Im Jiyeon rubbed her chin. "You never know. Make one for me, and maybe a path opens."
She tacked on the excuse like she'd been waiting for it. Having tried the so-called anti-kaeyi spear, she'd gotten greedy.
Should I just toss her the Seven Star Sword?
Seojun pondered her persistence for a moment. It might be useful for raiding an S-rank haunted dungeon.
But if something goes wrong, it's a disaster.
Hunting haunts and kaeyi could birth a new one. Even among S-ranks, Im Jiyeon didn't meet the criteria.
As he mulled it over, Park Cheolwoo took a call and hung up after a brief reply. "Im Jiyeon, the Association says return ASAP. Situation's critical."
"Not leaving till you make the muryeong."
She didn't budge. Park Cheolwoo looked to Seojun helplessly. "Boss, sorry, but I've got a summons. Gotta go."
"Can't be helped with the situation. Don't worry about here."
"Really sorry. I'll come back for her later."
Park Cheolwoo apologized repeatedly and hurried out. Now it was just Seojun and Im Jiyeon in the forge. An awkward silence settled in.
"Shutter's half-open, so feel free to leave anytime."
Seojun ignored her and lay back on the sofa. He was beat—time to catch some shut-eye. Finally, his eyelids closed, and sleep took him.
...
When he opened his eyes, dusk had fallen outside. Streetlight seeped through the half-open shutter. He yawned, rising from the sofa.
"You're still here."
"Staying till you make the muryeong."
Im Jiyeon sat rigidly in the chair, turning only her head to meet his gaze. It was downright creepy.
What if a kaeyi shows up like this?
Nights at the forge were prime time for kaeyi visits. They didn't always come, and visits had dropped since the void opened nearby.
"Hee hee hee."
A giggle echoed from somewhere. A child's playful laugh. Familiar. Definitely a kaeyi.
"Hi?"
The voice came from right in front of Im Jiyeon. Where nothing had been, a child now stood. Dressed in colorful hanbok with a bright red skirt, her neatly braided hair marked her as Taejagwi.
"Wanna play with me?"
Taejagwi beamed up at Im Jiyeon. Her black eyes locked with the shaman's.
Im Jiyeon's body went rigid. Her pupils shook wildly, on the verge of rolling back. Her lips quivered, then convulsions wracked her frame.
"It's okay."
Taejagwi reached out and touched her. Im Jiyeon couldn't take it—she collapsed in a faint.