Hunting Dogs (3)
Ju Kang-rim had never feared ghosts, not even in his previous life. From the earliest memories he could recall, he'd always been aware of them. He just treated them like bizarre wild beasts. Seeing the dead didn't mean he could interact with them in any meaningful way. If anything, the ghosts avoided him.
Thanks to that, aside from some childhood suspicions that he might be mentally unstable, he had no real trauma or suffering from it. He wasn't even sure if it counted as an awakening skill. All awakeners had emerged after the gates appeared. It was only later, during an official awakener exam, that seeing the dead was confirmed and labeled as the Canine Eyes skill with its D-rank classification. Even then, people were skeptical about the existence of "ghosts."
Ju Kang-rim figured it was a useless skill anyway.
But isn't Kangryeong Daegun a stronger spirit manipulator than me?
So he couldn't quite grasp why Kangryeong Daegun would be tormented and terrified by ghosts. Unless they popped out like in some horror flick, real ghosts weren't that scary.
"Does Reaper Yoo Wol-ryeong fear ghosts?"
"It depends on the ghost."
Yoo Wol-ryeong paused briefly, then continued as if elaboration was needed.
"Hunters die at the hands of their prey, woodcutters get crushed by the trees they fell. Grim reapers aren't exempt. Nothing can harm another spirit quite like a pure one."
"Hmm."
"Kangryeong Daegun is the same. He's wielded ghosts like tools to unleash his power, so being haunted by them in turn would throw him into panic."
The ghosts embedded with black core fragments were beyond Kangryeong Daegun's control.
"Reaper Ju Kang-rim, what ability did Jang Han-taek have?"
"Possession skill. His body got wrecked, and in the end, his soul splintered and burst trying to flee."
"Exactly. Right now, inside Kangryeong Daegun's body, Jang Han-taek and his grudge spirits are rampaging like mad. The pain, terror, and shock Jang Han-taek endured are shredding Kangryeong Daegun's soul."
"Damn, is that what black cores do?"
"They're the essence and remnants of souls. Yes. That's precisely why we have to collect and return them to the underworld."
Ju Kang-rim recalled how black cores were used in the mortal world: as zombie plague suppressants or enhancers for awakeners' abilities. They were indispensable resources now, yet they were traces of souls that needed returning to the underworld. The irony felt off-putting.
"For reference, black cores 'collected' by the Saingeom accumulate inside it. The blade grows heavier and sharper with the weight of those souls. Later, when you report to the underworld, you shake them off to lighten it."
"Ah, so that's the system."
"Yes. Soul tolls are like bonus pay from the underworld."
Ju Kang-rim could see that souls reaped by the Saingeom would eventually return to the underworld, but he wondered about those absorbed by others.
"What happens if you absorb a black core?"
"You've seen enhanced zombies, right? That's what happens. Zombies are the basest beings straddling the living world and underworld, capable of devouring other souls. The more people they've killed, the stronger they get."
Yoo Wol-ryeong clenched her fist into her other hand.
"In other words, killing an enhanced zombie that's slain a hundred people is equivalent to sending a hundred souls back to the underworld. Human, awakener, immortal—it doesn't matter."
Whether they knew it or not, awakeners who'd boosted themselves with black cores were destined for the underworld too. The upside? Everyone dies eventually. If they refused, treat them like immortals and kill them. Problem solved. End of story.
"Anyway, if Kangryeong Daegun's suffering as you say, I'd love to take our time, but the time allotted to you, Reaper Ju Kang-rim, is too short. Do you have a way to find him?"
"Yeah, plenty. Don't worry."
Ju Kang-rim knew exactly how a boss who'd lost his main force and all direct subordinates would act—especially with a backup plan to whisk him away. He'd definitely try to flee Korea.
Coastal smuggling routes in major port cities, contacts, names of people who could smuggle someone as important as Kangryeong Daegun—they flashed through his mind. Few options fit, but he didn't need tedious investigations. Lifting Blenderbus, he said,
"But there's an even easier way."
In Ju Kang-rim's Canine Eyes, the musket spirits in Blenderbus were howling, writhing, and screaming toward one specific direction. He'd noticed it before but never understood why or where they were pointing.
Now he did. The musket spirits, filled with hatred for their sacrificial scapegoat, were sniffing out the wounded prey's blood like frenzied hunting dogs.
Blenderbus's spirits were tracking Kangryeong Daegun like bloodhounds on the scent.
"Just follow where these guys are pointing."
"Kuh... kuhuk..."
Kangryeong Daegun groaned, vomiting dark red blood. It splattered into a trash bin full of fish heads.
He was in a dim, humid warehouse reeking of fish, undergoing the worst surgery of his long life.
"Kuh... ughhh!"
As an immortal, there was no worry of infection or shock, so they'd cut in boldly without anesthesia. But the deep agony radiating from within was almost unbearable, even for him.
Clink.
The pale-faced surgeon finally set down the scalpel with a displeased frown.
Kangryeong Daegun turned his weary head.
"Already done?"
"No. But we can't proceed further."
"My groaning getting on your nerves?"
Refusing anesthesia had been his stubborn choice. Dark circles ringed his eyes like bruises.
On the way to this warehouse, unidentified spirits had tormented him. Jang Han-taek's traces were strong, but it felt more like countless grudge spirits shredded and mashed into a clay lump.
The moment he lost focus, they screamed for him to join them, deafening him. And this was with eyes open. Trying to sleep was worse—monsters lunged from every direction the instant his lids closed.
Ordinary monsters or ghosts? No problem. But these were different. They wore black robes and horsetail hats, swinging axes.
He couldn't sleep facing that. That's why he'd refused anesthesia.
But the surgeon shook his head.
"That's not it. The grudge in this shrapnel is too deep."
The goal was removing the black cores embedded in Kangryeong Daegun's body. Unrefined cores were shoving spirits into his mind. But they went beyond hallucinations, warping his flesh.
"...come with... Kang..."
Splat.
Pus burst from his back like escaping gas. The surgeon irritably sliced it away.
Every black core site sprouted human-faced sores. They inflicted real wounds and voices, beyond mere visions.
"Damn bastard brats. I picked up strays with nowhere to go, raised them, and this is how they see me..."
Kangryeong Daegun knew the voice: one of his organization members who'd died fighting alongside Jang Han-taek.
"Did I kill you? Take it up with the bastard who did!"
He bellowed fiercely. Weakened or not, as a shaman king, his power shook the grudge spirits badly. They quieted briefly, but soon resumed their eerie moans.
Without an exorcism ritual, driving them out would be tough. The surgeon muttered watching them.
"Whoever killed these guys... must scare you more."
Kangryeong Daegun clicked his tongue.
"That hanbok punk seemed no match at first. But..."
"But?"
"...he grew terrifyingly during the fight. He's an immortal for sure. Yet every time he overcame death, he powered up three or four times stronger. Especially that lightning..."
Kangryeong Daegun shuddered involuntarily. Recalling the scene from that strike made his body quake. The surgery table rattled, so he slammed his head down with a hiss. Blood streamed from his scalp before the tremors stopped.
The surgeon asked, "Lightning? An electricity awakener?"
"Electricity? Ha, haha. That doesn't explain it. It wasn't even lightning to begin with."
"Then what?"
Kangryeong Daegun knew the precise term—he'd thought it the moment it hit. But voicing it risked ridicule. Still, he had to share the fear.
"It was heavenly punishment."
"...Heavenly punishment?"
As expected, the surgeon scowled at him.
"Bad deeds bring heaven's wrath? So what, the guy's some angel sent by God?"
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But nothing else fits. Reaper suits him better than angel."
"Reaper, huh. Come to think of it, I've heard rumors. The Reaper of the Capital Region?"
If the rumors were true, he wouldn't have followed this far. But Kangryeong Daegun had no energy for jokes.
The surgeon began applying oil to his back. The human-faced sores screamed and withered on contact. Surgical removal hadn't worked, so they resorted to precious holy oil.
"Forget the fantasy talk. Realistically, with US military traces involved, it's probably one of theirs."
"Any suspects?"
"The boss is watching this region closely. An immortal with the US military... There's Clint. Maybe he's taken on a new subordinate."
"Clint..."
Kangryeong Daegun had suspected the US military too. He'd messed with their stuff and pulled in Lopez, a USFK soldier. Retaliation was natural.
But his instincts screamed otherwise.
"Dunno. Feels like something else behind it."
"US involvement alone is the worst case. They have plenty of strong awakeners."
As the surgeon oiled his back, he continued, "The boss and we are preparing for the worst. Don't worry too much, Elder. Just think of building your kingdom here when you return."
"Mm."
Kangryeong Daegun nodded. It sounded benevolent, but he knew their game. They'd supplied ghoul drugs and weapons to build his faction—but nothing free. They wanted something on this land, using him as the base.
While he shed blood with his countrymen, they'd take it. For now, he was useful as an immortal shaman king. Once not, they'd discard him for a replacement.
"The ship to Shanghai leaves tomorrow. Rest and recover until then."
"Right... but aren't you coming too?"
"Of course, escort forces will accompany you. But..."
The surgeon peeled off his gloves. Shadows stirred in the warehouse gloom, silhouettes rising. The space wasn't that dark, yet spotting them was hard.
"The boss thinks it's safer to kill enemies preemptively and silence them than just block attacks."
That night, Ju Kang-rim and Yoo Wol-ryeong raced down the highway in the Bentley. Destination: Mokpo in South Jeolla Province. Where the shotgun spirits howled fiercest.
He'd considered bringing Han Min-ah, but the long trip post-battle was too much for her. Unlike them, she was near-civilian level and hadn't slept.
"Enjoying the speed?"
"Sometimes."
Late night meant empty roads, so Yoo Wol-ryeong pushed hard. Ju Kang-rim half-worried if his body could regenerate from smashing into a barrier at this velocity.
But he was eager too, so he trusted her and said nothing. Not a pleasant errand, but escaping Seoul felt refreshing anyway.
The northern Seoul gate had everyone on edge, stirring unease. Maybe it cracked people's minds with ominous fissures. Thus, Jeolla's ordinary night sky was mood-lifting enough.
"You look cheerful."
"Yeah. Perfect weather for immortal hunting."
"Is it? Good. I won't ruin it then."
Yoo Wol-ryeong adjusted the Bentley's rearview mirror and said to Ju Kang-rim,
"Enemies. They're tracking us."