Chapter 67
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Uprooting the Lunar Blossom Sect's Pillar
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Once Divine Maiden Ha-un regained her senses, Mujin Mountain returned to its original state as well.
The lightning bolts crashing down on the elders' heads vanished, as did the heavenly punishment that had enveloped the Fixer and the Guardians.
Everything had finally returned to normal.
And then rain poured down from the sky.
As if to wash away the impurities of this place. Dark, inky clouds unleashed a fierce downpour so heavy it stung the skin.
"Maiden!"
"I am fine. I can stand on my own."
Staggering to her feet, the Maiden pushed away the Guardians who tried to support her.
Like a baby attempting to stand alone, she steadied herself on both legs and gazed down at her fully healed hands.
"Am I... really alive?"
Even she herself could hardly believe she had survived.
The Maiden unwound the bandages that had bound her body, revealing skin flawless and unmarred.
The curse that had gnawed at her flesh was gone, and the scars that had tormented her for so long had vanished as well.
"Mother..."
"That's... the Maiden's true form..."
The elders, seeing her healthy for the first time, couldn't hide their astonishment.
And Jeong Mi-dam, who had been cradling the cooled corpse of Elder Ok-won, reddened at the sight of the Maiden.
"Grand Elder... you've gone on ahead..."
The Maiden descended from the shrine and approached the closed-eyed Grand Elder Ok-won.
He had been a stubborn one who never listened.
A pitiful fool full of fear and inferiority.
....
Still, Ok-won had been the Maiden's child.
A child raised in her heart.
Even if he was an unlikeable one, his death was no less sorrowful.
As the saying goes, hate turns to love with time. The Maiden knelt on one knee before the closed-eyed Ok-won and stroked his face.
The child she had wanted to guide right, but who was too wounded for that.
"In the end, you stood on your own and overcame your past traumas. Well done... truly well done..."
Without Ok-won, the Divine Ritual Binding would not have reached its proper conclusion.
The Maiden recognized Ok-won's efforts.
She had seen what darkness he had overcome.
"I'm proud of you... You did well. You did so well, Won-ah."
She couldn't bring herself to say she was sorry for making him die, or thank you.
Instead, the Maiden gave him the words he had longed to hear his whole life.
In his youth, Ok-won had always craved recognition.
Aware of his own mistakes, he sought the Maiden's attention even more desperately.
Each time, she pushed him away, pointing out his flaws.
Scolding his wrongs and yelling at him to get his act together.
The rift in their relationship had begun then.
Ok-won, bearing unhealed wounds, and the Maiden, too preoccupied to properly comfort him.
Their bond was always strained, and young Ok-won couldn't comprehend the Maiden's intentions.
Perhaps her way of teaching simply didn't suit him.
Maybe Ok-won just wanted someone to hold him.
....
The Maiden silently gripped Ok-won's hand tightly.
A hand she had never held while he lived.
Holding her child's cold, rigid hand filled the Maiden with inexpressible emotions, and a single tear fell.
"Mother, you'll catch a cold..."
Jeong Mi-dam Elder removed her robe and draped it over the Maiden.
Unlike the other elders who had collapsed from exhaustion after the ritual, Jeong Mi-dam stood firm.
True to her status as one of the strongest alongside Ok-won, she shared the Maiden's grief and attended her.
The Guardians, who had endured heaven's wrath, sat slumped—all except Jo Un-gyeol—unable to rise.
They who had guarded the Maiden their whole lives now set aside that duty for a moment.
The Maiden was no longer in need of protection.
Now, she was stronger than anyone present, save the Fixer.
"Are you alright, Master Taoist?"
"Yes. And you, Fixer? No injuries?"
"Me? Same as always—perfectly fine."
Mun Seon-woo the Taoist, soaked in sweat, shed his training robes and sat on a rock to check his soles.
From walking the dulcimer, Mun Seon-woo's feet were deeply indented and bloodied.
Even without a blade, hours atop it would bruise and bleed.
"It's finally over."
"Yeah. Shame we couldn't save everyone..."
"Don't blame yourself too much, Fixer. You've more than fulfilled your role."
"No... it's not self-blame. Just regret."
The Fixer gazed at Ok-won and the gathered mourners.
The Maiden and elders clustered around Ok-won, grieving his death.
Even Lee Do-gyeom, head of the Youth Council who had opposed him, sat weeping by Ok-won's side.
"Rain's coming down in buckets."
Mun Seon-woo bitterly mourned Ok-won.
The downpour washed away the Grand Elder's shed blood.
As if cleansing his sorrow.
'Go to a good place.'
The Fixer silently prayed for Ok-won's peace.
He didn't know Ok-won well enough to weep.
He simply regretted failing to save everyone.
The Fixer pulled a candy from his pocket and popped it in.
Today, his mouth felt especially bitter, like low blood sugar.
"Listen, Fixer."
"Yes, Maiden. You look healthy."
"It's all thanks to you. Your merit made the plan succeed..."
"No, what are you doing..!"
After tending to Ok-won's body, the Maiden approached the resting Fixer.
And knelt before him, bowing deeply.
"Please rise. It's troubling if you do this."
"No. This is my true heart. Truly grateful. I can't express it all."
The Maiden expressed her sincere thanks.
Through the Fixer, she and Biya had both been saved. With Biya becoming a full spirit, Mujin Mountain no longer faced destruction.
Though the Grand Elder had perished, the other elders survived.
The Guardians escaped death thanks to the Fixer sharing heaven's punishment.
Without him, the operation wouldn't have started.
His presence secured the Ghost Kings' aid and tamed the Mountain Beasts to guide the fog-lost elders here unharmed.
He sealed the entrance, blocking the Reapers.
All worked hard, but no one denied the Fixer was the operation's core.
Without him, nothing would have progressed.
Above all, at the end, he extended the Maiden's life.
The Fixer didn't just do his best—he achieved near-perfection.
"I can't guess your method. But surely... I should have died in this plan. How did you create such a miracle?"
"Just prayed a bit."
"Prayed..?"
"Yeah. I have my own reliable backup."
The Fixer vaguely spoke of borrowing some power, without detailing the coin.
Smiling, he looked up at the raining sky.
"I see. Whoever it is, a truly grateful soul."
The Maiden sensed from his smile whom he had asked.
Bound to uphold local folk faith, she couldn't name it aloud but joined him in thanking the heavens.
"Then let's head down. Have the Mountain Beast Baek-un carry the Grand Elder to the shrine—it won't be hard."
The Fixer stood.
Time to go.
As he braced for the fog again, the Maiden extended her hand toward it.
"Biya. Help me."
She asked her vessel spirit.
Previously impossible perfect communion now allowed direct requests with Biya fully divinized.
The thick fog that had trapped all entrants split open, revealing a path to the Lunar Blossom Shrine.
"No more wandering lost in this mountain."
The Maiden stepped forward.
Behind, three Mountain Beasts bore the Grand Elder's body, followed by the elders.
The seven-layered fog no longer devoured people. Anyone could come and go freely, and the Maiden could dispel it if desired.
No worries for the next 60 years. Then, she would pass Biya to the next Maiden.
The goblin once fixated on Arin now protected humans by the Maiden's will.
The Maiden no longer needed to endure lifespan limits in agony.
After the Mujin Mountain normalization project succeeded, the next few days were hectic.
To be precise, I wasn't busy, but the Lunar Blossom Shrine seemed too swamped to visit.
First, Grand Elder Ok-won's funeral.
Two elders retired from exhaustion, and the remaining three were bedridden with severe colds, so the Youth Council handled it all.
Honestly, the elders are all old; pushing them to the end felt bad. Time for the young to take over, especially with the Maiden healthy. Time to reform the elder council.
'Then I'll claim my rewards while resting.'
The Maiden said we'd discuss rewards after the funeral, so I can collect quest rewards and skills meantime.
The quest to protect the Lunar Blossom Sect completed perfectly, and I leveled up once.
Breaking a late-game quest early boosted levels fast.
World of Doom isn't easy to level in originally, so growth feels much faster than canon.
You have protected the Lunar Blossom Sect.
Rewards will be distributed.
"Whoa. How much is all this? Sowol-ah, help me count the money."
"Yes..! Honey..!"
An absurd pile of cash bundles rained from the air.
Enough to bury me in money?
'How much is this even?'
Even a rough glance shows billions.
Historically huge quest reward.
'Money is the best.'
The more money, the better. That's life's truth.
With money, pay rent, feed kids, buy needs without worry.
Of course, rewards didn't end there.
This one was unusual? No, bizarre.
"What the hell is this?"
Unexpected reward.
Less book, more red organic mass...
A tool-type anomaly and Department containment itself. Organic external memory?
Pry the slit, and it counts as opened—forcing knowledge absorption.
'Anomaly Management Department...'
Past rewards aided next quests or eased situations.
This Department-linked item suggests trouble ahead there...
Headache already.
The Department seems incompetent, but without them, government collapses.
Like gallery mods tirelessly deleting grandma memes 24/7, they shield our internet from mental pollutants.
Without them, city-wide issues: TV broadcasting contamination nationwide, radio suicide commands, video platforms inducing murders.
Just imagining is horrific.
'Mental Power! Gotta raise Mental Power.'
Lunar Blossom quests involve physical toil and HP loss; Department ones hit mental hard.
Stats must prioritize Mental Power. I'm tanky on HP, but zero Mental Power means death.
Better raise it now.
'Take the Silent Codex to the office to read.'
I'll open it eventually, but not now.
Funeral prep is busy; unfolding a potential problem-maker isn't smart.
Still, mission reward—must have great effects.
====
You may select only one.
[Subconscious Preservation]
[Store and load your subconscious by consuming Mental Power.]
[Combat Sense Boost]
[Handle your body more systematically.]
[Poker Face Maintenance]
[Hide your emotions and mood more easily.]
====
'Must pick Subconscious Preservation.'
Combat Sense Boost and Poker Face were past options.
Both useful in spots, but not over this.
'This skill is basically save-load for mental state...'
High Mental Power cost, but blocks 'concept pollution' or 'ego collapse'.
E.g., if 'cucumber' warps to 'duck' widespread, I retain sanity.
Department scrap as reward means prep with this for next event.
Knock knock.
"Fixer, ready?"
"Yes! One moment!"
Master Mun Seon-woo came to the lodging.
Time flies. Grand Elder Ok-won's funeral starts.
I donned the pre-provided attire and stepped out.
"The Grand Elder's spirit lingers in Mujin. In all our breaths. His legacy endures. Send him off properly, without shame."
The chief mourner announced the funeral's start loudly.
Few liked Ok-won, but all knew his service to Mujin City.
Hence, the most traditional, grand funeral in Mujin.
"Hey! Di-ya! Let's go. Scatter flowers on the Grand Elder's path!"
People wore white mourning clothes, scattering paper flowers along the road.
No black attire. All in white, lining streets to mourn Ok-won, whose colorful coffin rode a flower bier.
Parade through Mujin, past his haunts and friends' homes, then up Mujin Mountain.
Usually not this grand for elders, but to honor his sacrifice and lifelong efforts.
"Look here, look here! Mujin roads, walk briskly. Tuck by the roots. Bless us! Bless us!"
"Twelve bier bearers! Step in sync, carry the bier! Pull front folk, push rear!"
"In all heaven and earth, is there better than man? Who among us was born unjustly!"
The 12 bier bearers and followers chanted "bier songs" to musicians' play.
Kids, unaware of funerals, giggled like at a festival, trailing adults.
Some sobbed, but most smiled. To send him off warmly, not lonely.
"First time seeing this?"
"Yes. Traditional, huh?"
"Yeah. Rare even here, this grand."
Master Mun Seon-woo said it's been ages, except childhood.
Modern funerals: black suits at halls, no processions.
"They'll cremate on Mujin Mountain. Burn the bier whole—ride the flower palanquin to heaven."
Mun Seon-woo explained, then went to soothe a fallen child.
He oversaw the flow.
Youth Council runs it, with him on details—generational shift.
New winds finally blow in Mujin.
After Ok-won's funeral, I headed to the Lunar Blossom Shrine at the Maiden's call.
Finally, reward time. Wonder what they prepared. Exciting.
"Come in. Been waiting."
The bright-faced Maiden—no longer pained—and elders awaited.
"Where are Elders Han Ju-seong and Hye-gang?"
"Han Ju-seong retired. Spending time with daughter and grandkids. Same for Hye-gang."
"Aha."
Only No Gyu-myeong, Dam-heon, and Jeong Mi-dam remained; shrine felt quieter.
"Guardians all gone?"
"Yes. With me healthy, no need to guard."
Guardians left post-duty to hunt external anomalies.
Makes sense; healthy Maiden looks untouchable.
Especially inside Mujin Mountain—no one could touch her.
"I called you today for rewards."
Lee Do-gyeom wheeled in a box, filling elder vacancies.
"First, monetary. Open it."
Opening the box at her urging...
"How much is all this?"
"Max cash we could muster now. Impressive, right?"
"...."
How much exactly?
They really uprooted the Lunar Blossom Sect's pillar—cash-wise.
"This is just the start. With the Maiden back, funding floods next year. Take it worry-free. Should've opened an account? Do-gyeom said physical impact better. Hard to carry, huh."
"Whoa."
"We'll ensure you live money-free. No house in your name?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Building one in Mujin, your name."
Dam-heon handed documents.
"Settle here anytime. Three-story mansion."
"...."
"Rent it out or vacation home. Your call. It's yours."
"Whoa."
"Wait, not done, Fixer."
Jeong Mi-dam showed a document.
"This building—yours, right?"
"Yes. Third floor's our office."
"Now fully yours."
"....Pardon?"
This my building? From manager rights to owner?
No more rent?
Owner was a sorcerer; built for ill purposes.
Lunar Blossom tweaked to transfer ownership to me.
Explains the anomalies. Makes sense.
"Next reward..."
"More?"
"Of course. I know your efforts, Fixer. Can't end with material. Right?"
Not ungrateful, but won't refuse.
"Gyu-myeong. Give it."
"Yes, Maiden."
No Gyu-myeong opened a wooden case before me.
Silver plaque inside.
"This is the Moonwhite Badge, for Guardians only."
"I'm not a Guardian..."
"Appointing you Lunar Blossom Protector. Beyond merit—perfect. Take it. Maiden approved; use anywhere, unaffiliated."
Me holding it means equal or above Guardians.
Highly symbolic.
"Much more prepared. Proper merit distribution, yes?"
"Too much? What'll be left?"
"What's left? You, Fixer. That's most precious—our bond."
Showering to bind me closer.
Marking me as theirs.
"Oh. Fixer, like liquor?"
"Liquor? Occasionally."
"Do-gyeom. Oldest vintage."
"Yes, Maiden."
"...."
Just say, and it appears.
"Heroes love liquor and women. Oh, Biya has words."
"Mujin Spirit?"
"Yes. Chat?"
"Uh.. sure."
While Do-gyeom fetched, I followed Maiden inward.
"Must we talk in this cramped secret room?"
"Closer the better."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind. Sit."
I sat as directed.
Her sickroom days ago, now bedroom.
"Biya's shy. Forgive the closeness."
She whispered to the ring, not me.
Like calling Sowol monitoring inside.
"Now..."
Maiden took my hand; soon a small voice from her.
-Thank you. For protecting Arin..
Girl's voice.
Goblin Biya female?
"Biya has no fixed gender. Takes desired form."
"Then..."
"Girl form's cute, no?"
True.
"So, thought of taking a concubine?"
"Concubine?"
"Yes. We're both women now. Win-win?"
"What?! Love each other! Extended your lives for that! No concubine plans."
"Aw. Ghost Kings too."
"What?! Just allies..."
About to say colleagues, but necklace and bracelet soured.
Avoid soothing sulky Ghost Kings. Silence best.
"Huhu. Fun reaction. Fine if no. Thought it'd ward off others, assuming fact. Focus if you want. We're open anytime. Return with Moonwhite Badge—always welcome."
"Uh.. yes. Got it."
"Remember. Me and Biya here. Huhuhu...."
Maiden grinned, patting my back.
Good she's human, not clinging like anomalies.
Truly... fortunate.