Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 3
>Chapter Title: Monstrosity (4)
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“Try doing what you just mentioned.”
“R-right now, what...”
“You said you could control the monstrosity and get what you want from the Clan Head’s mouth.”
Sorcerer Myo-sin was momentarily dumbfounded.
From the atmosphere, he had naturally assumed he would be told to save the Clan Head.
He never imagined such words would come out.
‘Ha!’
Escort Go Chan was equally flabbergasted.
He had thought that, to avoid clashing with the Great Madam, he would at least tell the sorcerer to save the Clan Head somehow. He never expected the same demand as the Great Madam’s.
Go Chan approached Mok Kyung-un and whispered.
“Young Master. What exactly are you planning?”
“You heard me.”
“Pardon?”
“You said we can hear what the Great Madam wants from the Clan Head’s mouth.”
At those words, Escort Go Chan furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
That wasn’t why he was asking.
“No, Young Master. Even if we find out right now, what are you going to do with it?”
Mok Kyung-un let out a faint scoff in response.
Then, he countered with a question of his own.
“What are you going to do about it if you know?”
Go Chan was at a loss for words when questioned in return.
The meaning was simple.
Don’t question or doubt what he was doing.
‘This madman. What the hell is he thinking?’
Stealing what the Great Madam was after—what did he plan to do with it?
Go Chan, who had been fretting, tried to say something but promptly shut his mouth.
This guy wouldn’t listen to his opinion anyway.
Still, he worried that things might go awry and cause a mess.
Regardless, Mok Kyung-un pressed Sorcerer Myo-sin.
“Do it quickly.”
“......A-alright.”
He hesitated for a moment, but Sorcerer Myo-sin had no choice.
If he refused here, who knew what this murderous young master might do to him.
Myo-sin took something out from the incense burner case he had placed in the corner.
It was smaller than a fist—a wooden doll.
Mok Kyung-un looked puzzled at the sudden appearance of the carved wooden doll and asked.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“This wooden doll will serve as the medium.”
“The medium?”
“......If the Clan Head comes into direct contact with the monstrosity again like this, forget exorcism—his life could be in danger.”
This was true.
A monstrosity or impurity that had once detached from the flesh.
Coming into contact with it again could lead to dangerous consequences.
It was something even a sorcerer well-versed in monstrosities should never do.
“I see. Got it.”
Mok Kyung-un’s reaction was utterly indifferent.
Myo-sin inwardly clicked his tongue at his attitude.
‘The people in this household don’t care at all whether the Clan Head lives or dies. But if this fails, it’ll be a disaster.’
Myo-sin looked tensely at the Clan Head’s severed arm on the floor.
Though suppressed by the talisman, at its core, it was an impurity derived from slaughter—curse itself.
One mistake, and both the Clan Head and he himself could be in peril.
‘Damn it.’
Swallowing dryly, Myo-sin drew out a talisman.
He affixed it to his own chest.
[Seven Stars Descent Talisman]
On the talisman: seven, then three within the border, and three more within another border, and yet three more.
Seven Stars Descent Talisman.
This was a talisman under the protection of the Seven Stars.
It was to prevent any slaughter from splashing back onto him during the sorcery.
-Scritch-scratch!
He then dipped another talisman directly into red ink and wrote upon it.
Proxy (代), Conduit (通).
Strange patterns accompanied the characters.
With a tense face, Myo-sin affixed the talisman marked Proxy (代) to the wooden doll and wrapped its head with red thread.
Next, he placed the Conduit (通) talisman on the sleeping Clan Head’s head and brought the other end of the red thread—previously wrapped around the doll—to wrap around the head similarly.
‘It’s connected. Finally, the Six Persons Wandering Soul Talisman.’
Myo-sin drew out a longer talisman than before.
This was the Six Persons Wandering Soul Talisman, used for a spell that infused a proxy figure (doll) with a soul to control it freely.
“It might be dangerous, so please step back.”
At those words, Mok Kyung-un and Escort Go Chan retreated to the end of the room.
Myo-sin then formed a hand seal with his left hand while holding the talisman in his right and chanted the Wandering Soul Curse.
“Puppet transformation, heaven and earth reversal, emerge and act, divine day six needles, know your place, divine ghost unfathomable, hasten and heed the command.”
At first, there was no change.
But as Myo-sin directed the hand forming the seal toward the Clan Head,
-Tremble-tremble-tremble!
The Clan Head’s body strangely convulsed.
In that state, Myo-sin slowly directed the seal toward the wooden doll.
Then,
-Ooooooh!
The characters on the Proxy (代) talisman affixed to the wooden doll deepened, emanating a bizarre energy.
It felt as if the wooden doll had come alive.
‘Gives me chills.’
Escort Go Chan, watching this, scowled deeply.
He had seen all sorts of things, but anything involving monstrosities or sorcery felt deeply ominous.
What the hell was he trying to do?
He watched tensely.
-Thud!
Sorcerer Myo-sin gripped the wooden doll and cautiously moved it toward the arm possessed by the monstrosity.
He placed the wooden doll right in front of the arm.
Then, the Clan Head’s severed arm, which had the Suppression (壓) talisman attached, began to react.
Though suppressed by the talisman, the veins writhed and bulged as before.
At that moment,
-Rip!
Myo-sin tore off the talisman marked Suppression (壓).
No sooner had he done so than hideous veins burst from the Clan Head’s severed right arm, wriggling like living things and seizing the wooden doll.
-Crush!
“Hngh!”
The moment it gripped the wooden doll, a groan escaped the Clan Head’s lips.
“Huh?”
It was eerie.
The doll was gripped, yet the Clan Head reacted.
-Creeeak!
“Grrrrr.”
As force entered the hand clutching the doll, the Clan Head let out a pained groan as if in agony.
‘Th-this is bad, isn’t it?’
Escort Go Chan glanced at Mok Kyung-un.
But Mok Kyung-un watched impassively, his expression unchanging.
It was astonishing how he could remain unfazed by such a sight.
-Slither-slither!
Then, something阴森 from the Clan Head’s severed right arm flowed into the wooden doll.
“......Divine day six needles, know your place, divine ghost unfathomable, hasten and heed the command.”
‘It worked.’
Sorcerer Myo-sin, who had been chanting the spell, showed relief in his eyes.
Fortunately, the monstrosity had accepted the doll as the Clan Head—a proxy.
This was a form of deception.
If the monstrosity hadn’t accepted the wooden doll as the Clan Head, it would have rampaged and caused disaster.
But luckily, the deception succeeded.
However,
-Crack! Crack!
Fine cracks appeared on the wooden doll where the monstrosity had fully transferred.
‘!?’
Sorcerer Myo-sin’s eyes wavered at the sight.
The wooden doll was made of refined willow, extremely sturdy against evil.
Yet cracks formed the moment the monstrosity entered...
‘......The slaughter is too strong.’
Myo-sin swallowed dryly.
Though interrupted midway and expelled from the flesh it possessed, and weakened somewhat during exorcism—he had thought.
But it completely exceeded expectations.
‘This is...’
Come to think of it, yes.
For a monstrosity to possess a martial artist who cultivated qi and threaten their life, it was on a different level from ordinary impurities.
‘Dangerous.’
Suddenly, Sorcerer Myo-sin’s lips went dry.
This monstrosity, laden with such intense slaughter, didn’t seem controllable.
Forcing it here could shatter the doll and release the suppressed monstrosity.
“Young Master, it seems...”
Sorcerer Myo-sin couldn’t continue.
His eyes met Mok Kyung-un’s.
-Flinch!
No matter how he thought about it, it was utterly bizarre.
How could a living human have eyes like those of the dead?
Just looking made him shiver.
-Swish!
Then, he saw Mok Kyung-un fiddling with a sharp sword blade.
Seeing this, Myo-sin shut his mouth.
This mad young master wouldn’t believe him unless he saw it with his own eyes.
No one would.
‘Ah!’
In that instant, a clever idea flashed in Sorcerer Myo-sin’s mind.
Why hadn’t he thought of this sooner? In this situation, it was as good as a self-preservation measure.
Myo-sin said.
“Young Master, I will control the monstrosity. But it seems quite important—mind if that one listens in too?”
The one he indicated with a nod was none other than Escort Go Chan.
“What? Oh...”
Go Chan, momentarily confused, understood.
What they were about to hear from the Clan Head’s mouth was the location of the secret manual and his personal seal.
He was asking if it was okay for a subordinate to hear as well.
“I’ll step out for a bit.”
Though not truly a subordinate, Go Chan figured it was better to voluntarily withdraw than irk Mok Kyung-un unnecessarily.
Mok Kyung-un seemed to expect as much and nodded lightly.
-Creak!
As Go Chan exited through the door on his own, Myo-sin chanted the Wandering Soul Curse again.
“Puppet transformation, heaven and earth reversal, emerge and act, divine day six needles, know your place, divine ghost unfathomable, hasten and heed the command!”
-Tremble-tremble-tremble!
“Grrrrraaaah!”
The wooden doll shook violently, and a groan of pain escaped the Clan Head’s lips.
-Crack!
Another crack formed on the wooden doll.
It couldn’t hold out, as expected.
Knowing this, Myo-sin formed the Tiger Claw (虎指) seal with one hand and declared.
“Hasten and heed the command. Wandering soul, answer the call!”
“Grrrr... Wh-who......who......calls......me......?”
A raspy voice flowed from the agonized Clan Head’s mouth.
The voice echoed strangely, as if coming from the underworld.
-Crack!
A line cracked across the doll’s chest.
Sweat beaded on Myo-sin’s forehead as he watched.
“Hasten and heed the command. Wandering soul, answer the question!”
“Wh-what......do......you......wish......to......know......?”
“Hasten and heed the command. Reveal where the Clan Head’s secret manual and seal are!”
-Tremble-tremble-tremble!
At the question, the wooden doll convulsed, and so did the Clan Head’s head.
It shook violently, eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
-Crack! Crack!
Cracks formed on the doll’s eyes and neck.
It seemed ready to shatter any moment.
Then, the Clan Head spoke.
“Drug......storage......basement......Ding (丁) Stone......Gate..........”
‘Drug storage... basement Ding... Stone Gate?’
That’s what it sounded like.
He was about to continue when,
-CRUNCH!
The wooden doll crumpled and shattered into a hideous form.
Then, something eerie and writhing tried to flow along the red thread toward the connected Clan Head.
Myo-sin hurriedly shouted.
“Young Master! Cut the thread!”
‘The thread?’
He realized something was wrong the moment the doll shattered.
Mok Kyung-un swiftly swung his sword at the thread the rippling something was traversing.
-Slash!
The eerie, undulating mass lost its path as the thread snapped perfectly.
‘Did it work?’
Just as he wondered if he had blocked it,
-Wooooong!
The rippling mass climbed up the sword at tremendous speed.
Realizing this, Mok Kyung-un tried to release the hilt.
But unlike the labyrinthine, endlessly tangled red thread, the sword’s length was pitifully short.
-Splat!
A chilling sensation flowed in through his hand.
The sensation rapidly burrowed into his body via his arm.
His body jerked as if struck by lightning.
‘Got him!’
Sorcerer Myo-sin’s lips curled up.
It went exactly as intended.
The wooden doll couldn’t withstand the monstrosity laden with slaughter from the start.
Thus, during the Six Persons Wandering Soul ritual, he anticipated it would break free from suppression.
So, Myo-sin had deliberately let the monstrosity transfer to Mok Kyung-un.
And it succeeded.
-Pat!
Sorcerer Myo-sin pulled a Suppression (壓) talisman from his bosom and affixed it to the forehead of the convulsing Mok Kyung-un.
‘Killing two birds with one stone.’
Roughly, the location of the secret manual and seal had come from the Clan Head’s mouth.
Moreover, he had offloaded the monstrosity onto this brat.
Monstrosities had their own will and learned.
Having endured exorcism and even the Six Persons Wandering Soul method, there was no longer any sorcery to remove it.
‘Unfortunate, but you brought this on yourself by pushing me.’
Forcibly trying to excise it could kill the possessed or turn them into a cripple.
Either way, it didn’t matter to him.
He just needed to fulfill the Great Madam’s commission.
* * *
His vision brightened.
Jeong looked around.
The sound of trickling water and chirping birds filled the air simultaneously.
This refreshing spring, where he came every morning to fetch water, felt just as always.
‘What was it?’
Something had happened just moments ago, it seemed.
But he couldn’t recall what.
It felt like a fleeting dream—or perhaps just spacing out.
‘Feels off.’
Like he forgot something, but the memory wouldn’t come.
Jeong, sitting on a rock and pondering, finally stood up.
He shouldered the water yoke he had set down.
‘Gotta hurry.’
Being late meant a scolding from Grandfather.
Jeong ran up the steep mountain path with the yoke.
This path he ran daily was so familiar he could navigate it blindfolded.
-Splash-splash!
Water sloshed in the buckets hanging from the yoke.
Yet not a drop spilled outside.
Following Grandfather’s nagging to never let water overflow, he had eventually mastered not spilling even one.
Thus, Jeong ran.
After running for a while and reaching the mountaintop,
‘!?’
Jeong furrowed his brow.
Black smoke was visible there.
The smoke rose from where the house was.
Seeing this, Jeong flung the water yoke aside and sprinted madly toward it.
Soon, he arrived.
-Roarrrrr!
Intense heat washed over him.
The house was ablaze.
Jeong’s face hardened terrifyingly.
Looking around frantically, Jeong dashed to the back of the burning house.
The rear garden held a small herb patch.
They grew medicinal herbs for qi cultivation themselves.
Normally, Grandfather would rise early in the morning to harvest herbs from the patch.
‘Please... please...’
Rushing to the patch, Jeong halted.
His eyes widened massively, spotting something bloodied.
Things that should be inside a body were strewn across the patch.
-Grind!
Jeong clenched his teeth.
He followed the trail of blood and chunks.
Looking down the slope, Jeong screamed.
“Grandfather!”
Grandfather was there.
His lower body torn away, only the upper torso remained—a horrific sight.
Yet somehow still breathing, he laboriously lifted his head. His face came into view.
Seeing it, Jeong felt his sanity slipping.
Someone stood beside him.
A being with pitch-black eyes devoid of whites and a pale face.
Jeong hadn’t perceived it at all.
‘Is that what you desire most?’
Jeong’s pain was felt.
The black-eyed being watching him snapped its fingers.
-Snap!
In that instant, something bizarre occurred.
Jeong, seething with rage, couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
‘What... the hell?’
Grandfather’s form at the slope’s base had vanished without a trace.
Wondering where he went, he turned—and the burning house stood pristine as ever.
Even the ruined patch was intact.
Grandfather was there, dusting his back while picking herbs.
“Grandfather?”
Grandfather turned and said.
“You’re here—why stand there gawking instead of helping?”
Hearing Grandfather’s voice, his chest swelled with emotion.
He didn’t know what happened moments ago, but it made him realize how precious Grandfather was.
He would never lose Grandfather again.
He was the reason Jeong, who should have died, lived on alone.
The black-eyed one watching Jeong from behind.
It couldn’t hide its satisfaction.
‘Yes. Live eternally with Grandfather. Never lose what’s dear again...’
It was then.
Jeong, trembling with感動, suddenly whipped his head around.
‘!?‘
The black-eyed being scowled.
Jeong stared straight at it with eyes as ferocious as the dead’s.
Impossible.
He could never perceive it...
-Pierce!
In that instant, Jeong’s two fingers gouged into the black eyes.
“Kaaaaaaaagh!”
Jeong’s fingers dug out and crushed its eyeball.
The black-eyed being writhed in agony from the sudden eye extraction.
To it, Jeong said coldly.
“No idea what you are, but you’re seriously annoying. Toying with my late Grandfather like that.”
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