Chapter 110
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: If You Have the Heart to Save
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"Fixer. The situation looks really serious. This isn't just a simple bug infestation. This is... a monster terrorist attack."
"In a situation like this, who knows how many people have already died inside..."
As we entered the entrance to Seoraksan National Park, several ambulances were rushing back and forth, and there were quite a few monks slumped on the roadside, bleeding.
Mountaineers with their skin torn by bites were also being carried out on stretchers.
They seemed to be people just rescued from Seoraksan, and they looked in very bad shape.
We parked Boongboong-i nearby at the park entrance so as not to block the ambulances' path and quickly got out.
"Stick around moderately."
After sending off Boongboong-i, who wagged his wipers in response, we headed toward the Seoraksan National Park office.
The closer we got to Seoraksan, the more Anomaly Management Department agents in hazmat suits and monks we saw. On one side, we could even see what looked like a scuffle breaking out.
"Suhyeon is still in there! Hurry... we have to go get her now!"
"Where do you think you're going in that condition! No! You'll die too, you idiot! Hey! Hold Hyojin back!"
An agent who had lost a colleague was shouting to re-enter Seoraksan, but other agents rushed over to restrain him.
The shouting agent's condition looked extremely poor. Every time he coughed, white powder poured from his mouth.
It was the result of inhaling too much dust from the tyrant shellbugs.
"Ah, Namu Amida Butsu. You've arrived, Fixer."
"Hye-ryeong Monk... your arm..."
As we surveyed the area near the Seoraksan National Park entrance, Hye-ryeong Monk approached us, his arm wrapped in bandages.
Dark blood stained the bandages. It looked like a serious injury.
"Just a minor injury. Haha. By the way, you're still wearing the Vajra Bracelet. That means you haven't committed any misdeeds. Excellent."
"Uh, well..."
Explaining why the Vajra Bracelet was in my possession would take too long, so I skipped it. Now wasn't the time for that.
The important thing right now was lifesaving, but it wasn't just the stranded hikers who were the problem.
There were over six temples inside Seoraksan alone, with around ninety monks still trapped inside. Rescuing them all would require an enormous number of personnel and resources.
Was the current group sufficient? No. It wasn't.
Even fights breaking out between monks and agents could be heard.
"What's going on with them fighting over there?"
"Well... With resources so scarce and so few people right now, opinions are divided internally. Everyone's getting impatient, so voices are raised."
Hye-ryeong Monk wore a regretful expression.
I hurried toward the direction of the shouting.
"No, over thirty agents have already gone in for rescue and lost contact. Even more have confirmed deaths. We can't just throw our agents into that hellhole recklessly. Agents' lives aren't free."
"It's impossible to save everyone amid those man-eating bugs. We need to gather key personnel and focus on destroying the bugs' nest. Trying to do everything will miss the golden hour, and it'll all be over. Once night falls, searches will be impossible."
"Agents, what are you saying? No matter what, lifesaving comes first! Does it make sense to give up on people we can save just to hunt monsters? I can't agree with that."
"No, Monk! We have to destroy the root cause first! If we use up all resources on rescues, we'll lose the means to catch the culprits. Bigger disasters will happen. You think I don't want to do rescues? This is about prioritizing and focusing."
"Listen. We don't even know where the root cause is. People come first. We can hunt monsters after saving everyone. Does it make sense to abandon everyone for monsters?"
"Right. Let's save people first, then deal with the bugs."
I understood the Anomaly Management Department's position, and the monks' sentiments as well.
The handmade incense the monks crafted could repel the tyrant shellbugs, making their support essential. But they prioritized different things.
'The desire to save people is the same, but the priorities differ.'
The department insisted on killing the monster first to prevent greater damage, while the monks were set on saving people unconditionally. They just didn't mesh.
Moreover, they had to burn hundreds of incense sticks at once and pray just to barely clear a path. Even if supplies were coming, no one knew when they'd run out.
Locating people waiting for rescue would come first. If they used up incense during searches, they'd end up in trouble as the agents said.
'Save people, or exterminate the monster.'
Both were crucial issues that couldn't be neglected.
I had a way to catch both rabbits.
Tell them a substitute for incense and provide a way to quickly find the lost stranded people.
"From the looks of it, you're short on incense to repel the tyrant shellbugs. I have a solution."
"You..."
As I interjected, the monks all glanced at the Vajra Bracelet on my wrist and nodded in understanding.
"I'm Fixer Lee Do-hyun."
"Lee Do-hyun...?"
"That Fixer?"
"Yes. That's me."
The agents also knew my name from rumors.
"First, let's clarify terms. The massive swarm of man-eating bugs in Seoraksan are called tyrant shellbugs."
I shared the tyrant shellbugs' name and quickly explained their ecology from the silent Codec's information.
Their habits, survival time, the queen's existence, and substitutes for the monks' incense—everything.
"Wait, Fixer. You mean mugwort can substitute for incense?"
"Yes. And one more thing: any plant from the mugwort family, even the kind you can eat, works. But mugwort alone isn't enough. I'll now share the recipe for the tyrant shellbug repellent."
Like all bugs, tyrant shellbugs hated smoke.
They especially despised the incense handmade by the monks. The problem was the shortage. So, the plan was to make a similar repellent from easily obtainable materials.
"Mix in some mugwort and a bit of chili powder. Add a little cinnamon, then sprinkle on wood that produces a lot of smoke, like bark, and burn in large quantities?"
"Yes. This will make the tyrant shellbug repellent. Mugwort is the main ingredient, but really, just the mugwort scent works. So, burning mugwort powder with wood that produces maximum smoke should do. You get it?"
This would cover the shortage of handmade incense.
Most importantly, it was easier to obtain in bulk than the monks' handmade incense.
Mugwort could even be foraged in the mountains, so with just chili powder and cinnamon, they could make repellent on-site.
"What are you waiting for! Hurry and gather chili powder, cinnamon, and mugwort! Everyone, move!"
At my shout, the gathered people hurriedly moved to collect materials.
"Oh, and everyone. There's a tyrant shellbug queen somewhere in those mountains. I'll find and deal with it. You all focus solely on lifesaving."
"Fixer, you'll handle it alone? The interior isn't just bugs—it's swarming with barriers, formations, and mutated monsters."
"It's fine. I can break through. So, let's split into two teams."
One led by me: the monster extermination team.
The other: the rescue team for lifesaving.
"And one proposal regarding rescues."
"What is it, Fixer?"
I called out Sowol.
She wasn't in 'scary face' mode, looking no different from a human, but everyone recognized her as a monster the moment they saw her.
"Sowol will locate lost people in the mountains right away. Rescue team, working with Sowol should be very efficient."
Sowol had a very useful ability.
It was sensing the presence of people desperate to get home.
This would be a huge help in rescuing stranded hikers trapped in the mountains.
Hye-ryeong Monk called it a good idea, but the agents reacted differently.
"But having a disaster-class monster wander with us without your supervision is too risky. If she goes berserk... You know. Nothing's absolutely safe."
The agents worried Sowol might rampage without me.
With Sowol, rescues would speed up dramatically, but absolutes didn't exist.
The risk wasn't zero. But efficiency would be high.
Overcome fear and use a disaster-class monster as a lost-person detector, or abandon efficiency and go barehanded.
"Even if it's a monster. If it has the heart to save people. If it suppresses its nature to truly do good. That means the Way dwells in that heart. I approve."
At that moment, an especially elderly-looking monk approached Sowol and me with palms together.
He asked me quietly.
"Fixer. That on your wrist. It's the Lotus Sect's Vajra Bracelet, right?"
"...Yes."
"Indeed. I understand. This is fate as well."
From the moment I first spoke, the monks had noticed the Thousand-Buddha Vajra Bracelet on my wrist.
Yet none raised objections or showed displeasure.
It was clearly a precious Buddhist treasure, and I wasn't even a Buddhist. I expected some dissatisfaction, but the monks were different.
They already knew. Why the Vajra Bracelet had come to me.
"Sowol. I entrust you. Please, help save people."
"Yes..."
Sowol nodded at the monk's request.
All the monks accepted Sowol's participation, and the agents reluctantly agreed.
"Thank you for lending your companion."
"No problem. Seems the issues are resolved. I'll head into the mountain first. Sowol, good luck."
The stranded people would be rescued by the agents and monks with Sowol.
I left the meeting area with Master Moon Seon-woo to prepare climbing the mountain.
"Wait! Fixer! Me too! I want to go too!"
"You plan to go with us in that state? You're injured."
"I'm fine. This injury is nothing. I won't hold you back, so let me join."
Hye-ryeong Monk looked desperate.
He didn't want to be left behind doing nothing.
His zeal to save people was palpable.
Alright. Let's take him.
"Understood. Hye-ryeong Monk, pack quickly. We need to settle this before nightfall."
"Got it! Thank you, Fixer!"
One fortunate thing: the dust was dangerous, but the tyrant shellbugs themselves didn't have high lethality. From the people carried out earlier, bites were all they did.
But when those became 660,000 strong, the emerging monster would have high lethality. They only attacked humans, born for murder.
'Gluttonous Hundred Chickens. The symbiotic monster with tyrant shellbugs. The moment it crawls out...'
Stranded hikers to monks in the mountains—all dead.
And devoured. Unlike the mountain-bound shellbugs, it would crawl out, causing massive civilian damage.
So, we had to end it before sunset.
"I brought what we discussed. This much cinnamon powder should suffice?"
"Yes. That's enough."
"Good. But aren't you two wearing hazmat suits?"
"A gas mask is enough for me."
"Same here."
Master Moon Seon-woo and I only wore gas masks.
Hazmat suits would be too cumbersome for mountain movement.
"Smoke is rising from the censer. We're entering."
Hye-ryeong Monk held a large censer, stuffed it with mugwort and ingredients, and lit it.
Thick smoke billowed, and the bugs flying around the entrance fled from us.
It definitely worked. As dramatic as burning incense.
"Others are entering too."
As Hye-ryeong Monk said, monks substituting incense with mugwort and agents began entering the mountain en masse.
Sowol stood at their front. Tyrant shellbugs naturally avoided the disaster-class Sowol. She gave me an eye-nod and entered.
When Sowol found a stranded person, the following monks and agents would rescue and extract them. With dozens entering together, they'd split teams on discoveries for immediate saves.
"Alright, then..."
I was about to ask the Thousand-Buddha Vajra Bracelet where the tyrant shellbugs' nest was.
At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened dramatically.
"What the..."
"No way."
In an instant, darkness blanketed the sky as if the sun had vanished.
A sudden solar eclipse at a time when sunset shouldn't happen.
Someone had used the hidden Eclipse Formation in the Blood Mausoleum.
Dust from the shellbugs' shells tainted even more.
Hidden formations activated, turning Seoraksan into a true maze.
As if saying nothing could be saved without sacrifice.
The darkened sky mocked the rescue teams entering the mountain.
"Think this'll stop us from entering?"
Despite the darkened sky, no one halted their climb.
Even as night fell at noon, all pressed into the mountain.
If you thought they'd flee in fear, big mistake.
No illusions. Just advance.
Total stranded in Seoraksan: 672 people.
We couldn't save all, but successfully rescued about 560 into Seolunsa Temple inside the mountain.
It was a feat, a miracle, and someone's sacrifice for the sentient beings.
"Om Aranaam Arada. Om Baro Manidani Sabaha."
Of the 36 monks who entered Seoraksan, only one survived.
Precisely, he alone hadn't died yet. Even as all comrades perished in curse-like anomalies.
Woo-hyeon endured to the end.
Was it because his vow to save people manifested?
Woo-hyeon left the rescued people with his comrades and walked the mountain path.
The sole survivor struck his wooden fish and advanced.
Tyrant shellbugs flying at him twisted away at the sound, and mutated monsters fled in fear.
A wooden fish alone couldn't repel them, but Woo-hyeon's Buddhist power made it possible.
Perhaps a miracle because he devoted his life to saving sentient beings.
This was called a living Buddha.
At death's door, Woo-hyeon attained true enlightenment.
Crunch!
A tree branch sprouted from Woo-hyeon's right shoulder.
From inhaling too much shellbug dust while saving people.
Woo-hyeon's body was abnormal.
Over half ruined, monsterization progressing, yet he endured.
"Om Mani Padme Hum... Just a bit more... Hold on."
Woo-hyeon stubbornly pressed forward.
Again, he alone survived.
He who endured 20 years alone at Cursed Mountain Lodge now wandered Seoraksan alone.
A tragic fate.
A lifetime of wandering.
"Full of delusions, perhaps."
That's why he wandered and wandered.
But no more wandering. Now he found his path.
No doubt, attachment, or delusion left in his heart.
No regrets. Only the heart to save others remained.
Reflecting on his life, Woo-hyeon put palms together.
So many yet to save.
His body at limit, lifespan under 30 minutes.
"Hey there. You. Still alive?"
Woo-hyeon called to a man collapsed in the brush.
Kang Sanjung, Seoraksan's mountain master, laboriously lifted his torso at the call.
"Who... Stay away... I'll kill you..."
Kang Sanjung's state was awful too.
He fought to reclaim Seoraksan.
And broke.
Blinded Kang Sanjung couldn't properly identify the approaching presence.
Just shouting to hide fear.
"This... This is my mountain... My home... My hometown... My friends... Those who defiled my treasures... I won't forgive... All... All die."
Kang Sanjung was out of his mind.
He poured hatred on everything around, rationality snapped by his defiled Seoraksan.
Mountain beasts he cherished massacred.
Valleys he loved dyed in blood, polluted.
Trails he walked littered with corpses.
Mountain crawling with monsters and bugs breeding.
Impermissible. Rage piled, hatred melted his mind.
Monsterizing.
Hermit Kang Sanjung was turning into a monster.
"I see. You've lost something precious too."
Woo-hyeon approached the monsterizing mountain master.
Non-human spirits dwelled in Kang Sanjung's body.
Beasts he loved clung, unable to pass on.
Avenging them? Killing tormentors?
No. The beasts' spirits weren't clinging for that.
"You're so loved."
Woo-hyeon stroked Kang Sanjung's back, soothed wounds.
Countless beast spirits on his shoulder prevented his fall.
They didn't want revenge. Didn't want him surrendered to hate.
Seoraksan's spirit he loved wept, holding the monsterizing Kang Sanjung, begging help.
As a living Buddha at death's threshold, Woo-hyeon saw it. Heard it. That's why the dying he reached here.
Their clamor. The pleas for help.
How could he die hearing such desperate cries?
"Listen, mountain master. My life is nearly gone. Soon I'll transform like departed friends. But that's fine. Entered knowing death. This is my will. My choice."
Woo-hyeon struck the wooden fish, believing his choice right.
Dust on Kang Sanjung's body soon blew away in wind.
Noise tormenting him quieted; only Woo-hyeon's wooden fish remained, engraving peace.
Darkness blinding Kang Sanjung faded; a Buddha appeared before him.
"Death holds no fear. But one regret lingers."
"What... nonsense..."
Woo-hyeon stroked the bloodied head of Kang Sanjung.
Wounds covering his body healed cleanly, all pain transferring to Woo-hyeon.
"Kuhuk..."
Woo-hyeon vomited blood but didn't stop.
Squeezing remaining strength, he restored ruined Kang Sanjung.
Beast spirits shrieking for help on his shoulder vanished in thanks.
Soon, Kang Sanjung realized and understood everything before the dying Buddha, putting palms together.
"You... saved me."
"Not I. I just extended a hand. You saved yourself."
"Anything you desire?"
"No desires. But a request."
"Speak. I'll hear."
"The mountain... hasn't lost its spirit yet. Much still lives. So. Don't give up. Endure. Light will reach here soon. Shine till end. And save... them..."
All sorts of plants began sprouting from Woo-hyeon's body.
He breathed his last without finishing.
He never became a monster. Just bloomed flowers on his body.
At the end, Woo-hyeon's body became part of nature, rejecting monsterhood, entering nirvana.
Kang Sanjung realized Woo-hyeon's unfinished words.
"I'll save them. As you willed."
Kang Sanjung buried hands in soil, reading the mountain's spirit.
Thus located the gathered people.
Seolunsa. Where 560 rescued by Woo-hyeon and 35 other monks were trapped.
Protect them till light arrives.
Kang Sanjung headed to Seolunsa.