Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 282
>Chapter Title: Adventure 33-(Special) ‘Usurper Yaksha’
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The great name of the East, Khan.
New names are being added atop Khan's outdated values, setting out once more on a path of greatness.
But right now, events far more critical than dragon strife are unfolding. Events so grave they might even tarnish Khan's greatness.
Currently, ghosts and demons are swarming across all of Khan. While investigating this, you hear from a ghost that a Yaksha has broken through the barriers.
Then, before you stands a ghost wielding a strange sword.
Objective: Subdue the mysterious ghost or escape the crisis.
Warning: This adventure is extremely dangerous.
Warning: This adventure's situation changes by the moment.
Remaining time: 「Unknown」
【Aaaahhh!】
As soon as Kang Seol faced off against the Yaksha, he heard a scream. It was none other than a scream of lament.
【It huuurts! It hurts so muuuch!】
“…What?”
Whoooosh-!
Kang Seol swiftly stepped back.
Chiwu, who had been inside the carriage, also leaped out and took a stance against the foe.
“To suddenly attack the carriage... Huh? It's a ghost?”
Kang Seol checked Lament's condition.
“Lament?”
【Ah... It hurts too much... My body... won't mo...】
“Lament!”
【……】
There was no response from Lament.
It seemed he had passed out.
Lament's collapse was a problem, but the real issue was that the culprit was still standing there, eyes blazing with fury.
- It's dangerous, Kang Seol.
Jamad warned Kang Seol, and even Ur chimed in, as if that wasn't enough.
- Fall back, Kang Seol. Something's off.
‘Off?’
- Not just its aura, but that mask and sword radiate an unnatural energy. Incredibly ominous. Lament probably fell to that sword.
Crunch...
Still the same, huh.
Kang Seol recalled the mask the opponent wore and the oddly shaped red sword.
Without a doubt, this was a Yaksha.
Yaksha wasn't a name born overnight.
It was a name that had persisted for ages.
That sword and mask.
“Yaksha...”
“Grrrrr...”
Ghosts called those souls stolen by that cursed object Yaksha.
And Kang Seol was aware of the sinister power dwelling in that sword.
He had just assumed that Lament, being a demon spirit, could withstand it. That assumption proved wrong from the very first clash.
‘We found the Yaksha, but...’
Kang Seol couldn't simply rejoice.
The aura emanating from the monster before him was far vaster than he had anticipated.
‘But...’
Chiwu, tense and bracing for the Yaksha's next move, tilted his head.
“That thing's acting weird?”
The Yaksha stood in an eerie pose, its movements jerky and pained, as if stuttering.
“Ah... Aah...”
In that instant, the surrounding space warped.
Whoooong...
Suddenly, two shadowy figures appeared from thin air.
Their masks and auras made it easy to identify them as ghosts.
One was stocky with a chilling mask, while the other had tails and ears—and even a fox mask. Likely a fox spirit.
The small ghost spoke.
“Th-the aura's twisting. Y-Yaksha... let's go back...”
“We can't stay in the human realm any longer, Yaksha. Your body...”
Kang Seol and Chiwu widened their eyes.
‘No way...’
Compared to the Yaksha, the two ghosts were far weaker, but they still possessed immense power.
Power felt only from beings beyond Immortal rank.
Beings so dangerous they made his hairs stand on end.
“Enemies...? Then let's get rid of them quick.”
A bewitching energy gathered in the fox ghost's hand.
Whoooosh...
[The Bewitching Fox uses Sweet Illusion.]
[Targets hit by the projectile have a high chance of falling into Abnormal Status: Charm and cannot activate defensive mechanisms.]
But the energy wasn't aimed at Kang Seol—it targeted Chiwu.
“Chiwu! Danger—!”
At that moment, a golden aura erupted from Chiwu's body.
Fwooooosh-!
The area turned into chaos in an instant.
As if a storm had swept through.
“What the...”
Kang Seol looked at Chiwu with bewildered eyes.
What in the world was this?
Even if Chiwu could block this aura, he should have struggled far more than this.
Yet Chiwu hadn't even reacted specially, and suddenly the golden aura had risen, repelling the ghostly energy.
‘This must be...’
A familiar scent lingered in that aura.
Chiwu himself was equally stunned, but he could guess why this had happened.
- What... is this?
- Haha! You'll find out later.
- Later?
- Yeah, once your journey to distant lands ends.
- What is it? Tell me more.
The enlightenment Hye Myeong had left for young Chiwu. Now, it was slowly emerging.
Fwoooosh...
“What was that...? Yaksha?”
As the golden aura flickered, the Yaksha growled.
“Grrr... Urrrgh...”
“Yaksha! This won't do—it's about to go berserk. Nightshine Ghost, restrain him...”
“G-Got it! I'll hold on!”
The small ghost called Nightshine Ghost clung tightly to the Yaksha's body. The Yaksha offered no resistance and yielded to it.
Crackle...
The Yaksha's body began to freeze over slowly.
“Hurry back! To the ghost realm!”
Zzzzzt...
Zzzzzzzt...
In a flash, space warped, and they vanished from sight.
The immense pressure they had exerted on Kang Seol and Chiwu lifted in an instant.
“…What were those ghosts? Yaksha? Yaksha?”
“……”
Kang Seol sighed as he looked at the limp Lament.
Then, from behind, Jin Ryeo came running with Gokbi on her back.
“Fingers! No, uh... Sir Kang Seol! Please help us!”
“You're... Jin Ryeo?”
“Gokbi's badly hurt!”
* * *
Jin Ryeo and Gokbi boarded the carriage with Kang Seol's group and headed toward the outpost.
Every time the carriage jolted, Gokbi's face twisted in pain, and everyone clenched their fists.
Jin Ryeo wiped the sweat streaming down Gokbi's face nonstop throughout the trip.
Fortunately, Kang Seol provided emergency treatment, so it wasn't life-threatening, but he'd lost too much blood regardless.
Jolt...
The carriage finally arrived at the outpost.
An outpost situated in terrain unlikely to be found on Ghost Island.
“Seolhong... you've come.”
“Brother.”
Tae Yul greeted them with a weary expression.
Without news of Jin Ryeo and Gokbi, he couldn't greet Seolhong with pure joy.
“We need to call a physician immediately.”
“…What? What do you mean?”
“Well...”
Creak...
“Heh... Hehe... Lord Tae Yul.”
“Jin Ryeo?”
When Jin Ryeo and Gokbi emerged from the carriage, Tae Yul's face lit up—only to darken again upon seeing Gokbi's blood-soaked clothes.
“Physician! Call the physician! Hurry!”
With Seolhong's group arriving, the outpost buzzed with activity once more.
The somber atmosphere lifted instantly, just like when Sin Yo and Jang Du had arrived.
While Kang Seol's group surveyed the outpost, Tae Yul headed to the sickbed with Jin Ryeo and Gokbi. There, Jin Ryeo explained everything.
“What? Is that true? A ghost so powerful you and Gokbi couldn't even fight back?”
“Yes... If we hadn't run into the carriage, we would've...”
“The carriage... You mean Seolhong's carriage?”
Nod...
Jin Ryeo nodded and continued her explanation.
“If not for Sir Kang Seol, we definitely would've been in big trouble. Kunna said this morning we'd encounter Great Fortune, and sure enough...”
Tae Yul let out a long sigh.
“Fortunate indeed. The heavens helped us.”
As they spoke, Gokbi regained consciousness.
“Ugh...”
“Gokbi! You're awake?”
“Lord Tae Yul... I must've blacked out.”
But Jin Ryeo, watching their emotional reunion, soon faced a awkward situation.
- Jin Ryeo.
‘Kunna?’
The True Being Kunna, contracted to her, spoke to her. And delivered its message.
‘What? Suddenly? W-Wait, that'll put me in a tough spot!’
- That's your human affair. Will you defy the law?
True Being contractors had to follow the True Being's laws.
Laws that were really just whims, but they had to be obeyed to maintain the contract.
‘But how am I supposed to explain this...’
- That's your problem.
‘That's too much!’
Jin Ryeo cautiously approached Tae Yul, who was gazing at the sleeping Gokbi.
“Um... Lord Tae Yul.”
“You've done well, Jin Ryeo. Thanks to you, we saved so much.”
“Hehe... Um... I have something to say...”
“You have words for me. Speak.”
Jin Ryeo squeezed her eyes shut and said it.
“Well... Kunna's law has activated.”
“…So your True Being demands something of you. What is it?”
“Well...”
Jin Ryeo pouted awkwardly before whispering quietly.
“…I have to stick with Lady Seolhong for a while.”
“……”
“I-It must be shocking, but this has nothing to do with my personal feelings—not even ant guts' worth—it's purely Kunna's arbitrary...”
“So be it.”
“Huh?”
“I said, so be it.”
“Eh? You're not stopping me? Are we not that close? W-Was I the only one overthinking it...”
Tae Yul smiled faintly.
“It's not that. What can forced loyalty achieve? Don't worry too much.”
“Lord Tae Yul...”
“True Beings advise for the world and their contractors. Time with Seolhong will likely help you more.”
“But Lady Seolhong is definitely your rival?”
“True, a rival. But there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends. Crisis looms over Khan. My power alone can't overcome it. We must unite.”
Jin Ryeo looked convinced by Tae Yul's words.
“Don't be bound, Jin Ryeo. If it confines you.”
“I'll keep that in mind—truly! Um... but...”
Ignoring his touching advice, she got to her point.
“I don't have to promise to come back, right?”
“Kh... Khukuku... Do as you will.”
“And my pay...”
“I know. I'll be generous.”
“As expected, Lord Tae Yul is the best. If Kunna allows it, I'd return anytime!”
“Empty words.”
“Lord Tae Yul even sees through that!”
* * *
Jin Ryeo scurried off to tell Kang Seol right away. She figured Kang Seol, whose name she at least knew, was better than the unfamiliar Seolhong.
Though free now, to stay by Seolhong's side, she needed Kang Seol's connection.
Kang Seol, hearing her out, asked incredulously.
“So... what did you say?”
“Kunna says I have to follow Fingers... er, Sir Kang Seol for a while.”
“Who's Kunna?”
“A True Being! The one contracted to me.”
“……”
“Lord Tae Yul approved. Okay?”
When she told Seolhong, the response was, “Do so.”
Thus, Jin Ryeo would travel with Seolhong for the time being.
That evening, in one of the outpost's tents, Seolhong, Sin Yo, and Tae Yul gathered.
Naturally, their followers joined them.
“Puhahaha! Jin Ryeo, you're as scatterbrained as ever. Mistaking where you even stand now.”
“Jang Du! I'm standing properly right now!”
“…Huh?”
Sin Yo pinched Jang Du's thigh to tell him to behave, but his solid muscles made it feel like poking a rock. Still, Jang Du got the message, pouted, and looked away.
Sin Yo spoke lightly.
“I never imagined we'd all three meet like this.”
“Nor I. I'm grateful you heeded my humble request and came. You're the only two who've normalized cities nearby, and I needed help.”
Tae Yul nodded to Jin Ryeo.
She soon explained Ghost Island's situation.
“Ghosts and demons are packed in. The enemy's scale is beyond imagination. A head-on clash would cause massive casualties.”
“How does it compare to the outpost's forces?”
“At least ten times greater. That's a conservative estimate. Facing them with untrained folk is impossible.”
“……”
Tae Yul closed his eyes briefly, pondered, then spoke.
“Ghost Island is just a city of stone and wood at best. Ideally, I'd wait for siege reinforcements and raze it. But...”
He bit his lip.
“Imperial citizens are still inside.”
“Is that true?”
“Jin Ryeo and Gokbi confirmed it. They're hiding in burrows, evading ghosts and demons.”
“It's urgent...”
Even Sin Yo furrowed her brow at the dire situation.
Tae Yul spread his fingers.
“Five days.”
“Five days?”
“In five days, some central forces dispatched to reclaimed cities will join us, including siege units. That'll even our strength with the enemy, minimizing our losses in retaking the city.”
Jin Ryeo shook her head vigorously.
“We can't hold five days. The burrows' food ran out long ago—they've been starving for days.”
“……”
“And worst of all... Suspected plague. More and more are showing unknown symptoms inside.”
Tae Yul glanced at Gyujin beside him.
Gyujin, a master sorcerer eyeing the next Grand Sorcerer position, was currently Tae Yul's subordinate.
“Where ghosts gather, plague always follows. Burrows are especially vulnerable. Jin Ryeo's words are likely true.”
Seolhong, Sin Yo, and Tae Yul discussed revised strategies late into the night.
Finally, they reached a conclusion.
Tae Yul drew everyone's attention and spoke.
“Normally, we wouldn't resort to this. Those who undertake it risk their lives without exception, and success odds are at best fifty-fifty. Or rather, they were.”
“……”
“But now, it's better than expected.”
He grinned.
“Because you all are here.”