Chapter 47
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Endure the Pain, Only You
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The heart of the Wuyuan Heart Palace, teeming with vengeful spirits.
Until now, the black iron gate had blocked the spirits' escape, crushing all hope of leaving this place.
-I want to get out...
-Let us go now...
-Get us out of here...
The clamor of the vengeful spirits trapped in the Wuyuan Heart Palace.
As long as the black iron gate sealed by Heuk-hyeon's power remained, they couldn't take a single step.
Without Heuk-hyeon's permission, no method or means could open the door, and all entry and exit from the outside was thoroughly blocked.
No matter how much they screamed or begged, salvation would never come here.
In the end, the spirits trapped in the Wuyuan Heart Palace gave up on escape, crumbling under the pangs of hunger and loss.
Devouring their own flesh.
In long silence.
They slowly rotted away.
"Ah... light... it's light..."
A pure white light appeared in the Wuyuan Heart Palace, which had been filled only with despair and hopelessness, swarming with the dark, starving souls.
This place had surely been abandoned even by gods. How could light reach such a forsaken spot?
Before any doubts could form, the trapped spirits began moving toward the light, one by one.
It was instinct. The human instinct to head toward the light.
"No! Those are the ones I gathered!"
Spirit Medium Ma Jeong-hye screamed at the spirits gathering around the Holy City God, beginning their collective ascension, as she desperately pulled together the shattered beads.
All the malicious ghosts and vengeful spirits she had painstakingly collected over her lifetime to ascend to the Ghost Path Heavenly Seat were vanishing into eternal rest in an instant. From her position, it felt like death itself.
The tower that Spirit Medium Ma Jeong-hye had so diligently built had collapsed all too easily at the hands of the Fixer and the Holy City God.
"Do you... even realize what you've done...? Ruining our efforts and aspirations like this..."
Heavenly Assassin Hong In-na, who had been vomiting blood and spirits, wiped her mouth and glared at the Fixer.
She too had lost all the spirits that amplified her power.
When a new exit appeared, different from the black iron gate symbolizing despair, the spirits rioting in her stomach had all fled toward this new path to freedom.
"I'll kill you. I'll tear you limb from limb and make you wail eternally..."
Ma Jeong-hye yanked out her hairpin, letting her hair loose, then sliced her palm with a knife, drawing blood.
At the same time, she jumped around like a shaman in a ritual, trying to summon her body spirit.
"You've even imprisoned your body spirit. What a vicious woman."
The Fixer noticed that the entity Ma Jeong-hye was trying to summon was no different from the other vengeful spirits trapped here.
A malicious ghost, forcibly bound to Ma Jeong-hye's body and unable to escape, used only for exploitation, appeared behind the Spirit Medium, chained and restrained.
It was no longer in a state that could be called a divine spirit. It had been so brutally modified by Ma Jeong-hye that its form was unrecognizable, and its intelligence had melted away, leaving it unable to speak properly.
📛 Name:Extreme Soul Ghost
⚠️ Danger Level:Disaster-Class
🏷️ Classification:Vengeful Spirit, Curse Ghost, Tarnished Soul
🛠️ Basis:Child Spirit ruined beyond recognition by a fallen Spirit Medium
🧹 Exorcism Method:Kill the Spirit Medium binding the Extreme Soul Ghost.
How much suffering had it endured?
The 'divine spirits' that become a Spirit Medium's body spirit are generally benevolent beings that lend their power to help humans.
Such a being wouldn't willingly partake in Ma Jeong-hye's sins. In short, it meant she had forcibly suppressed the body spirit and drained its power.
No human could do such a thing.
"Kill it! Kill that interloper!"
As Ma Jeong-hye shook her head and screamed, spilling blood like in a shamanic rite, the Extreme Soul Ghost behind her reached out toward the Fixer.
To hurl malice and curses.
"Guhk!?"
However, the malice shot by the Extreme Soul Ghost didn't reach the Fixer.
It hadn't been aimed at him from the start.
"Wh... why...?"
Ma Jeong-hye glared at her body spirit behind her with eyes full of incomprehension.
Under the bloodshot gaze of the Spirit Medium, the Extreme Soul Ghost shook its head, sobbing.
-Jeong-hye... let's stop... We've come... too far...
The body spirit harmed its own shaman with its own hand.
Realizing this was the only chance to stop her, the Extreme Soul Ghost thrust its arm through Ma Jeong-hye's chest, destroying her heart.
For a divine spirit to descend upon a shaman's body and shatter the vessel with its own hand was the gravest sin.
Thus, if displeased with the vessel, divine spirits express discontent by simply leaving the Spirit Medium.
Just as the spirit had fled Oh Se-eun's body, leaving her with spirit loss syndrome.
If a Spirit Medium is unsatisfactory, divine spirits quietly abandon the vessel and depart.
That's the custom.
However, the Extreme Soul Ghost had been unable to abandon its vessel until it became the evil spirit known as such.
Whether by force or choice. It had abetted the Spirit Medium's path into sin.
The Extreme Soul Ghost bore responsibility for failing to stop the Spirit Medium, leading to this catastrophe, and thus shattered the vessel with its own hand when the opportunity arose.
"You... why..."
Ma Jeong-hye collapsed, spilling blood and tears.
Gazing at her body spirit with eyes that refused to believe.
Toward her, the Extreme Soul Ghost whispered through tears of blood.
-Jeong-hye... let's go back... back to that time... before we met him... when we laughed together and helped people... back then...
"Wh-what are you..."
After meeting Heuk-hyeon, the Black Yao Society's leader, Ma Jeong-hye had changed.
Like someone under hypnosis, she blindly believed in Heuk-hyeon and followed him fanatically.
She should have stopped her then.
She should have left Ma Jeong-hye's body, letting her live as a powerless ordinary person.
It was too late. The once pure and naive child spirit, Uha (Rain), had worsened the situation by failing to abandon the shaman who first chose her.
The Extreme Soul Ghost shed tears filled with regret and remorse, reflecting on the karma from past choices.
"No... don't do this... Uha... please..."
-Jeong-hye... let's go... it's time...
Now fully transformed into an Extreme Soul Ghost, forever barred from ascending to the heavens, the child spirit Uha embraced the struggling Spirit Medium Ma Jeong-hye's soul and slowly sank downward.
To where they belonged.
To hell.
"Let go! Let me go! No! I can't die here! The Ghost Path Heavenly Seat is right there! I have to go there! U-Uha... please... let me go... I don't want to die..."
The flailing Spirit Medium and her body spirit firmly gripping her soul, dragging her into hell.
The Fixer felt no pity for their tragedy.
They were simply receiving the punishment they deserved.
"This is bad..."
Hong In-na, still collapsed on the floor, realized there was no hope upon seeing Ma Jeong-hye die in an instant.
She couldn't escape through the black iron gate. The Fixer wouldn't allow it.
She had only one option left.
"I-I surrender. I surrender. I don't want to fight! I have no intention of fighting a monster like you. Let's stop! Sp-spare me. I'll go out and face the world's judgment instead!"
Hong In-na begged pathetically.
She dropped to her knees, discarded her weapon, and bowed her head, pleading for her life.
Fighting a disaster-class anomaly and the monster who handled it effortlessly without Ma Jeong-hye's help was unthinkable.
"I-I'll help you kill the leader! Truth is, I never cared about the Ghost Path Heavenly Seat from the start!"
"Didn't you say you wanted to become a Living Death God?"
"Th-that was just to survive! I was threatened too! The leader took my f-family as hostages! Sniff... believe me... it's true..."
Hong In-na poured out tears and confessed the circumstances that led her to become an assassin.
The Fixer shook his head impassively at her tearful cries.
Status: Deception, Distress, Pretense
Lie if you're going to lie.
In the Fixer's eyes, where psychological states were plainly visible, Hong In-na's tears were utterly fake.
"Wait! Why are you doing this! I-I surrendered!"
The Fixer grabbed Hong In-na's head and lifted it.
An unrepentant villain to the end, thinking only of escaping alive.
The Fixer wasn't soft enough to spare such a villain.
"You heartless bastard without blood or tears!"
The Heavenly Assassin finally attacked the Fixer, trying to slash his face.
Of course, not even a scratch appeared on the Fixer's face, but he briefly released Hong In-na, who seized the moment to flee far away.
Her face slashed yet unscathed—it was an incomprehensible monstrosity to onlookers. The Heavenly Assassin, gripped by extreme terror and fear of this unprecedented foe she'd never encountered in life, attempted to escape.
The thought of escaping the Wuyuan Heart Palace vanished from her mind. She only thought of hiding from him immediately.
Hong In-na ran toward the depths of the Wuyuan Heart Palace, thinking of going to Heuk-hyeon instead, but the merciless savior had no intention of letting her go.
He silently approached and struck the fleeing assassin's back hard.
"Keurk...!"
Hong In-na was smashed into the floor by the overwhelming violence to her back, bouncing like a basketball repeatedly.
Just one hit, and it felt like every bone in her body was shattered. She couldn't stand anymore.
"Kuheuk..."
Her vision turned red, as if all her blood vessels had burst.
The Heavenly Assassin whimpered at the sound of the Fixer's approaching footsteps, begging for mercy, but...
What returned was not compassionate words, but the merciless Fixer's fist.
Bam! Bam!
Two unreserved punches cracked the assassin's skull.
The Fixer glanced at the limp body, then turned to the Holy City God, who was still soothing the remaining spirits and guiding them out of the Wuyuan Heart Palace.
"Sowol."
"Yes, my lord..."
"Do what you need to. I'll head inside for a moment. Got it?"
"Yes... leave it to me."
The Fixer entrusted the rest to the White-Faced Bride and entered the deepest darkness.
The root of all this. The demon-like man who turned a sane Spirit Medium into a fanatic and planted dreams of becoming a Living Death God in an assassin, corrupting her.
The man who came from China to sow disaster across the Korean Peninsula, killing people to ascend to the enigmatic realm of the Ghost Path Heavenly Seat.
A villain deserving death, unfit even for hell—the Black Yao Society's leader, Heuk-hyeon. The Fixer approached him.
The dark corridor stretched endlessly.
Corpses lined the hallway, heads bowed in death.
The Black Yao Society followers had perished with heads lowered toward their leader's secluded chamber.
Passing the fools who even offered their children, deceived by the leader's sweet words, the Fixer reached a small door and kicked it open.
Beyond was a space too vast for a mere room—a Black Yao Society shrine.
The shrine's walls were densely inscribed with the society's doctrines and aspirations in blood. At the center stood an altar with offerings.
This was no simple room.
It was the deepest part of the Wuyuan Heart Palace, where blood and prayers condensed—the heart of the Black Yao Society.
Humanities Knowledge activates.
Folklore Tracing activates.
The Fixer's skills soon revealed the nature of this place to him.
It was a peculiar, rough-hewn sanctuary carved from a natural cave, evoking the Seokguram Grotto, dedicated to the Silent Sea Ghost King.
This temple itself was likely the domain of those who protected and worshipped the dormant Silent Sea Ghost King.
Heuk-hyeon had intruded, eliminated the original owners, spread strange doctrines to gather followers, and defiled it while exploiting them.
Now the Fixer understood why the Silent Sea Ghost King was suffering. It had no intention of being toyed with by the Black Yao Society or lending them power.
Heuk-hyeon had forcibly awakened the peacefully slumbering Silent Sea Ghost King, extracted its power like a parasite, and desecrated its sanctuary—for personal gain alone.
Just like the child spirit becoming an Extreme Soul Ghost. The Black Yao Society's leader had bound the Silent Sea Ghost King, sucking its power like a leech.
"You've crawled in nicely."
Heuk-hyeon, who had been praying at the altar, stood and turned to the Fixer.
He was clad head to toe in a pitch-black robe, his face veiled in black cloth.
👤 Name:Jang Cheong
💼 Occupation:High Priest
🏛️ Affiliation:Black Yao Society Leader
📝 Description:Founder of the Black Yao Society. Seeks the Ghost Path Heavenly Seat.
😌 Status:Emotionless, Apathetic, Desireless
"Hand over the Nameless Registry and the Small Earth Spirit Registry and leave."
Heuk-hyeon's voice carried no tremor, malice, or desire.
He extended his hand as if claiming what was rightfully his, and the Fixer simply stared at him.
Resisted malicious seduction.
Mental Strength decreased by 20.
A notification that mental strength had decreased.
The Fixer naturally shook off the leader's seduction.
Had there ever been anyone who endured such seduction so easily before?
No, this was the first.
Status: Bewilderment, Doubt, Tension
Finally, the leader's status changed.
To cast seduction, he probably needed to maintain emotional detachment.
When it failed, his state shifted rapidly. The Fixer mocked him.
"Surprised? Your shallow trick doesn't work, so you're panicking?"
"...You're quite the nuisance in many ways."
Heuk-hyeon pulled three orbs from his robe and threw them to the floor.
As they shattered, the shrine was engulfed in pitch-black darkness, and his spells unfolded.
"Blood Heaven Descent"
"Soul Spirit Submission"
"Nameless Domain."
Pre-cast and stored in the orbs, the spells activated instantly without preparation.
This was why the Fixer hadn't brought companions.
Within this barrier, everyone's blood and life connected, blurring names and existences. Only the leader, blessed by the Silent Sea Ghost King, could move freely.
This meant that if the leader harmed himself, someone else's blood would be taken instead, and attacks on him could transfer fully to another.
Forced, unconditional sacrifice.
With allies, he'd have to kill them to drain the leader's blood forcibly. But now, only the Fixer and Jang Cheong remained.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to carve out your own flesh."
Jang Cheong laughed.
In this barrier, he was unkillable. Precisely, the enemy would die first.
Even if injured, it transferred to the Fixer. The more attacks, the more the attacker harmed themselves. He expected the Fixer wouldn't dare rush in.
As long as he endured the pain, all real damage burdened the enemy. In here, the leader was invincible.
Indeed, breaking this barrier and capturing the leader normally required extensive preparation and sturdy allies.
Leader Jang Cheong and his Blood Heaven Descent were a barrier and boss impossible to defeat alone, no matter the method.
"Hand over the Nameless Registry and die."
Full of confidence, Jang Cheong drew his sword and stabbed his own heart.
Sustained severe wound.
Vitality decreased by 22.
The near-fatal wound and shock should have fully transferred to the Fixer.
He wouldn't die immediately, but couldn't move properly.
Jang Cheong just needed to endure the pain.
As long as he swallowed the agony, he could kill anyone...
"So, I take the damage, and you feel the pain. Right?"
To be precise, pain was shared, but damage fully borne by the Fixer.
The Fixer laughed, unangered by this absurdly unfair effect.
"Pain is shared. Actual wounds go to the enemy. Impressive spell."
The Fixer even nodded and clapped.
As if very satisfied.
Something was off. Why wasn't the Fixer collapsing? Why the satisfaction?
The leader's mind went blank at the incomprehensible situation.
"No, wait. It means either you break first from the pain, or I die first. One or the other. Right?"
"Wait... you're not in pain?"
"Not at all? Seems like only you're hurting."
The leader finally realized something was gravely wrong.
Heart stabbed by a sword, yet walking fine could be superhuman endurance, but feeling no pain at all was bizarre.
He should feel pain. The spell had clearly enveloped the Fixer. Why...
Why didn't it seem to work?
"Actually, lucky for you, leader. Since you used your ultimate move, don't die or give up too easily. You don't deserve an easy death."
The Fixer mercilessly smashed the leader's face.
The leader instinctively tried to dodge, but the Fixer's fist shattered his face first, sending him flying back into the shrine wall.
Damage transferred to the Fixer. But the pain couldn't be fully erased...
"Kuaaaah!"
The leader writhed in agony.
Still, such an impact must have dealt significant damage to the Fixer, he judged.
That was enough.
Endure a little longer, and the Fixer would collapse on his own. Clinging to that hope, the leader stood again.
"..."
Jang Cheong couldn't continue speaking.
The Fixer was unscathed. His hope shattered.
"Sorry to Sowol."
Having shared damage with the White-Faced Bride, the Fixer approached the leader, stomped his leg, tore off the black cloth, and gouged out both eyes.
The surprisingly handsome-faced leader screamed and thrashed in pain.
A battle where the Fixer took damage but felt no pain, and the leader took no wounds but felt only pain.
The Fixer, disregarding his body's destruction, relentlessly inflicted violence on the leader.
Jang Cheong, in uncomprehending torment melting his brain, struggled to escape, but to no avail.
'When the hell does that monster die? Why won't he die?'
Any normal person would have died long ago. Yet the monster before him methodically demolished the flesh without a hint of strain.
It was merely a 'task.' Gradually, the leader grew afraid of the Fixer's actions.
Staying like this would truly break his brain from the pain.
[Blood Heaven Descent • Soul Spirit Submission • Nameless Domain]
In truth, the leader had used his ultimate from the start.
No survivors had ever faced this thoroughly hidden forbidden art.
Yet the enemy somehow knew of Blood Heaven Descent and had countered it.
The trump card pulled for a quick victory failed completely against the Fixer for the first time.
In the end, the leader had to play his last card.
"Heh... Phantom God... Phantom God Descent... Heart Soul Altar..."
The leader activated the forbidden spell used by the sorcerer Ju Hyo-yeon, one of the Four Evils of Slaughter—offering his body to the Silent Sea Ghost King to seize a new vessel and power.
Convinced this would land a critical hit on the Fixer.