The First Resident of the New Heaven
Sa Jaehyuk frowned deeply as he looked up at the ridge of the mountain. Their surroundings were completely enclosed by sheer cliffs, and a narrow path barely wide enough for one person wound precariously through the deep valley. At its end stood a tall artificial barrier, clearly touched by the hand of civilization.
"Hek… I'm exhausted…"
Behind him, the short-haired woman named Chaewon braced her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
"Pathetic. Well, I guess you are getting up there in years. You're basically an old lady now…"
"…Hey. You wanna die? We're only a year apart, you know?"
"Ugh…" Chaewon immediately lifted her head and growled viciously at Ye Jin's deadpan remark. Ryu Sehwa simply let out a light sigh, as if this were everyday business, and scanned their surroundings.
They had just arrived at the farthest eastern edge of East Sakju, the very outskirts of human territory. The road had been cut off halfway, forcing them to travel on foot for a long stretch and taking far more time than expected.
This place was originally supposed to be a rear base rather than the easternmost outpost. But after the rampage of the Five Disasters, the entire eastern colonization plan had been scrapped. The pioneer villages that had already advanced this far were now forced to hide deep in the mountains, barely clinging to their tenacious lives.
Sa Jaehyuk narrowed his eyes and checked the identification code painted on the front of the barrier. Though it was rusted in places and the paint was peeling, the letters C-23A were still clearly visible.
Not long ago, a red-lettered petition from someone had flown into a local security bureau branch in the east. That information had quickly reached the Masada branch of the Intelligence Bureau, and before long, it had trickled down to Sa Jaehyuk through Mok Jinu, the branch manager.
"…"
After letting out a short sigh, Sa Jaehyuk slowly began walking toward the barrier. C-23A pioneer village. The very place where sightings of risen corpses had been reported. This was to be his final journey to shake off old regrets—the moment he would confirm the strange rumors of ghouls that had begun appearing in the spring.
"Huh, so it was soldiers after all. My apologies for that."
-Thud!
From behind came the heavy sound of the main gate slamming shut, echoing in all directions. The resident who had guided them inside the village let out a hearty laugh.
He was short, with a thick beard and long sideburns. Even the exposed parts of his face were covered in dark grime.
"Your face looked so fierce I thought you were raiders. Though come to think of it, even raiders would have to be out of their minds to crawl all the way out to a backwater like this."
As if to prove how rough their entry into the village had been, the resident still held a thick metal club that clattered in his grip.
"…Tsk."
"Pfft."
When Sa Jaehyuk clicked his tongue in clear displeasure, Chaewon, walking beside him, let out a light snort of laughter. Behind her, Ye Jin kept scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.
The pioneer village was utterly bleak and devoid of any vitality. The few residents they occasionally encountered all had the same grimy faces as their guide. At the same time, they could feel the sharp, hostile glares typical of isolated communities rejecting outsiders.
"So what brings soldiers all the way out here? You here to subjugate one of the Five Disasters or something? Doesn't look like you've brought enough people for that, though. Four's nowhere near enough."
"We're just here to investigate something. By the way, how do the people in this village make a living?"
"We barely get by mining the stellite deposits down in the valley. The quality isn't great, so we can't sell it for much. When peddlers come by occasionally, we trade it for daily necessities."
Hearing this, Sa Jaehyuk looked around. It was true that the residents' faces were covered in dark grime. There were also plenty of boxes stacked around for sorting, processing, and storing minerals. But contrary to the explanation, every single one of those boxes was completely empty.
"…"
A faint sense of unease began to creep into Sa Jaehyuk's senses.
"…By the way, old man. Do you happen to remember how many years it's been since the last of the Five Disasters rampaged?"
At Sa Jaehyuk's question, the resident walking ahead tilted his head.
"Let's see… I'd say about five years. I remember it clearly. The bastard burned down our village and ate all my friends, so I know it well."
"…I see. My condolences."
"Ah, it's fine. Looking back now, dying early might've been better. Living trapped in a valley like this doesn't exactly feel like living. Why do you ask, though?"
"It's nothing. My memory's been a bit hazy lately."
"Tsk tsk, you shouldn't be forgetting things at such a young age."
"…"
He didn't bother answering. Far from shaking off his lingering attachments, doubt was already rearing its head in his chest. Sa Jaehyuk took a deep breath to calm himself. Nothing was certain yet. But the faces of his companions had also grown cold and stiff after hearing the old man's words. They all knew very well that the rampage of the Five Disasters had happened more than ten years ago.
"Well, that's the chief's residence over there. I don't know what business you have with him, but I hope it goes well and you head back safely."
"…Thank you for your kind guidance."
At Sa Jaehyuk's thanks, the resident gave a friendly smile, patted his shoulder, and turned away. The unpleasant, hard, rattling sensation that brushed his shoulder vanished in an instant. It was a foul feeling that disturbed the composure he had worked so hard to regain.
They stepped into the shabby mansion at the center of the village. As if sensing their presence, an old man soon emerged from inside and looked them over.
"Who are you?"
"We're from the military. Are you Ha Seok-gu, the one who filed a report through the security bureau?"
"Ah, you've finally come. That's right. I'm Ha Seok-gu. Please, come inside."
The old man nodded and gestured for them to follow before disappearing back into the mansion. The group behind Sa Jaehyuk exchanged reluctant glances, but eventually followed him inside in single file.
"It's a humble place, so I don't have much to offer. This is rather embarrassing."
The old man brought over simple refreshments and small teacups to the narrow table where the group sat.
"You don't need to worry about that. More importantly, I understand you reported seeing corpses moving while alive. Is that true?"
At Sa Jaehyuk's words, the old man's expression hardened instantly. He walked over to the window, looked around nervously, then quickly drew the curtains to block the outside view. After repeating the process a couple more times, the room was plunged into darkness except for the faint glow of a single lamp.
The old man returned to the table with a tense expression and whispered urgently.
"It's true. You soldiers must believe me. I may be nothing but a humble villager, but I've never told a single lie in my entire life. So…"
"I believe you. That's why we're here. Calm down and explain everything step by step."
At Sa Jaehyuk's words, the old man let out a heavy sigh. Then, as if having made up his mind, he opened his mouth again.
"Do you remember the man who guided you here earlier and then left?"
The short man covered in black grime but wearing a friendly smile immediately came to mind.
"Of course I remember him."
"He… is one of the living corpses."
At the old man's confident whisper, Sa Jaehyuk unconsciously clenched his fist so tightly that his skin turned white.
"And that's not all. People who definitely died and were buried in the cemetery have come back and are walking around our village. I can't even count how many of them there are anymore."
"…Old man. Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
"It's been a few years, but I clearly remember one whose guts were torn out and spilling everywhere. I personally cleaned him up and buried him with my own hands."
At Sa Jaehyuk's question, the old man nodded with a still-confident expression.
"…Assuming that's true, why did you bury them instead of cremating them? Don't you know burial is a serious crime prohibited by law?"
"That is…"
For the first time, the old man faltered under Sa Jaehyuk's pressure. Ryu Sehwa stepped forward in his place, speaking in a gentle voice to soothe him.
"If we strictly enforced the law, we could drag every resident of this village away. But it seems there are circumstances here. If you tell us honestly, we may be able to take that into consideration."
"…I understand. The truth is, there used to be a healer who traveled around this area treating the injured. She hadn't been seen for a while, so we thought she might have had an accident and died."
At her words, the old man finally showed a more cooperative attitude.
"But then about three years ago, she suddenly returned. Of course, the villagers welcomed her as always. But… that's when the impossible, bizarre things started happening."
"Bizarre things?"
"Yes."
"Could you explain more specifically?"
After another moment of hesitation, the old man's mouth slowly opened again.
"For example… whenever she sat down and then stood up, flowers would instantly bloom and wither in that very spot."
"What…?"
Sa Jaehyuk's expression froze instantly at the old man's words.
"Let me ask one thing… Is this healer a woman?"
"She is. Quite young, too. Why do you ask?"
A grinding sound unconsciously escaped from between his tightly clenched teeth. Sa Jaehyuk could only shake his head at the old man's counter-question.
"…It's nothing. Please continue."
"Ahem, and that's not all. She made a paralyzed man walk again, restored sight to the blind… She performed all sorts of miraculous feats."
"…"
"It's been quite some time since she last visited the village and left. But before she departed, she left the residents with these words."
"…What were they?"
The next words that came from the old man's mouth caused every face in the room to freeze completely.
"Do not turn the dead to ash, but return them to the earth.
Then they shall become the first residents of the new heaven and proudly return to your embrace."