Exorcising the Flying Mummy
Sihaeseon was that monster who played a big role as Saseon-nyeo's underling during the last ghost outbreak. A flying mummy. It flew around fusing ghost spirits together and pulling all sorts of crazy shit. But after it hit the city walls, it vanished completely, so I figured it had bailed. According to Seo Saeng-won, though, it hadn't run off—it was holed up somewhere nearby.
Why the hell was it hiding? No matter how I sliced it, it looked like it was just waiting on orders from Saseon-nyeo. Saseon-nyeo, Saseon-nyeo... That name alone gave me the fucking creeps. Why did she start this whole mess? Curiosity. And in the process, she whipped up Sihaeseon because she needed it. Now that it was useless, maybe she'd sidelined it? Whatever the case, having something like that lurking nearby meant another ghost outbreak could pop off anytime. Sure, it all depended on Saseon-nyeo's whims, but I couldn't live with that thing hanging around our turf—it'd drive me nuts. Worst case, if Saseon-nyeo showed up, I'd just beat the truth out of her mouth.
"Honestly, I can't trust that rat yokai's intel, Geun-hyeop."
Serin said that, arms crossed, after hearing the story.
"Same here—I don't trust it either. But we gotta test it out. If we can squeeze info out of it reliably, it'll pay off big time in all sorts of ways."
"That's true, but I'm worried there might be some trap hidden in that information."
"You always gotta filter any intel, no matter what. How you judge it determines your skill."
"Hmmm... Alright. It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot."
I convinced Serin like that. We finished prepping and formed an expedition to take down Sihaeseon.
It wasn't a rushed call. We all knew how dangerous it was. But judging from what it showed during the wall battle, Naachalbang's forces could handle it just fine.
"Mun Do! Got the rat!"
"Yeah, good."
Mun Do-il. The most senior of the Mun Dos, and a guy who'd proven his chops so far. I'd already tapped him as the next sub-commander after Jae Mi-son.
Anyway, Mun Do-il was holding something like a birdcage, and inside was a pitch-black baby rat trapped there. This little fucker had gotten orders from Seo Saeng-won to guide us right to Sihaeseon. We could use it like a compass.
According to the explanation, it'd stay quiet if we headed the right way, but if we veered off, it'd squeak and thrash around.
"Guard that rat tight. Got it? It's gonna lead us straight to Sihaeseon."
"Mun Do! Understood!"
"Heh heh heh, perfect. Do-il, you're the man. I'm watching you close. Secretly thinking of you for sub-commander after Jae Mi-son."
"Uh, uh...!"
I clapped his shoulder and whispered it secret-like, and his eyes started welling up with emotion.
"Mun Do! I'll work hard! But this speech! How long?!"
"Keep it up for now."
"Mun Do! Got it!"
Mun Do-il went off to his squad, grinning ear to ear.
"Listen up! Today we're hunting Sihaeseon, the bastard who attacked our turf! Eyes sharp!"
"Yes sir!"
"Yes sir!"
See? The guy's great at leading his squad.
"Geun-hyeop. Aren't you being too mean? It's fun, sure, but making him yell 'Mun Do' all the time doesn't seem right."
"If it's funny, that's what matters, right? I love it."
"Even bad-tempered Wi Ha-young is saying this much, Geun-hyeop."
"Hmph, yeah, it's mostly for laughs. Planning to cut him loose as a reward later."
He'd probably miss yelling it if I stopped. Anyway, with that vibe, we headed out from the precinct.
* * *
Not sure if it was from wiping out that bat swarm last time, but the forest atmosphere had improved a bit. I'd heard yokai pay attention to rumors too. Word spreads about where something showed up or what group got exterminated, and they steer clear. Low-intelligence ones just wander in, but the smarter ones get cautious.
"Squeak squeak!"
"Not this way, huh."
We followed the caged rat's guidance, pushing forward steadily. The squad kept sharp watch while moving, but nothing jumped out, so tension started easing up bit by bit.
Time passed like that.
"Screeeeech!"
Finally, the caged rat signaled we'd reached the target spot.
"Around here, huh. Mun Do. Send your guys to scout for the cave. It's gotta be nearby."
"Mun Do! Got it!"
He immediately sent his crew to search. Having subordinates sure makes shit easy.
"Nothing special I'm sensing... Can it hide its energy that well?"
Ha-young voiced her doubt.
"Reverse Ghost Formation? Nah, it can't be."
"It's spouting Reverse Ghost Formation nonsense. You think that's easy? If Sihaeseon was that skilled, it wouldn't have acted like that during the wall assault."
True enough. Still, no energy at all felt suspicious. Better stay cautious.
"Here! Found it!"
Then the underlings came running, yelling.
"Let's go. Where?"
"This way!"
Following the guy, there it was—a hidden cave.
"This the place. Mun Do. Set up camp around here and stand guard. We'll handle going in."
"Mun Do! Got it!"
The guys pitched camp right away.
"Alright, let's head in."
"Yes."
"Yeah."
I took the core protectors and entered the cave.
Whoosh!
Once inside, Ha-young cast a spell, creating floating fire orbs. With those, no worries in a dark cave. I drew my Thunder Dragon Sword and advanced carefully, probing for energy.
"Nothing special. You guys feel anything?"
"I sense nothing."
"Yeah, me neither."
Sihaeseon must be hiding its energy well. Anyway, we proceeded with max caution. It was pretty deep, starting to worry me, when the cave end appeared.
"What's that?"
Up ahead, something like a coffin sat there. Was Sihaeseon inside?
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, I approached.
"...!"
Holy shit—Sihaeseon was really lying in the coffin! The withered mummy was asleep!
What now? Carry the coffin out? Nah, no need. Our goal was extermination!
"Ha-young!"
"Got it!"
Ha-young yanked a bundle of talismans from between her tits and scattered them like confetti, then swung her stone staff fast.
Whoosh!
Flame spell activated, igniting the talismans. They turned into fiery projectiles, plastering Sihaeseon's body like patches.
Boom!
The explosion rocked it.
"Serin! Combo attack!"
"Understood!"
I cleared the smoke with Serin, slashing and stabbing the coffin and Sihaeseon wildly. Brutal, no-holds-barred swordplay. Sword arts are for fighting enemies, not coffins with corpses inside—no fancy moves for this, just reckless hacks.
Then.
"Kraaaaaah!"
Light burst from the tattered mummy's eyes and mouth, and it floated up!
"Aaaahhh!"
"Th-this fucker! It's awake!"
"But it's in bad shape!"
Sihaeseon. It wasn't normal anymore. Clothes burned or shredded, arms and legs half gone from our barrage. Just the torso floated grotesquely, spewing light from eyes and mouth.
"Sihaeseon! Your evil ambitions end here! Sleep now!"
"I can't sleep!!!"
Kraaaaaah!
A roar.
"Ah, aaaah! I can't go back there! Infinite terror! Despair! Nihility! I can never go back!!!"
Sihaeseon thrashed, muttering madly, like its mind was shattered by unimaginable pain.
"What the hell's that mean? Go back and find peace!"
"No place to go back to!!! You don't know what the afterlife is like!!!"
The afterlife?
"Bullshit! Don't listen! It's sorcery!"
Ha-young fired fireballs, smashing Sihaeseon again.
Boom!
Damn, no choice!
"Serin! Finish it!"
"Yes!"
We charged straight at it. It tried some spell, but its wrecked body couldn't cope. Just screams.
"Aaah! Saseon-nyeo! You deceived me!"
Saseon-nyeo!
"What do you mean?!"
"Said it'd transcend life and death! But you sent me this...!"
Sent? Did this bastard read Saseon-nyeo's traces on me?
"Haaah!"
Slash!
Serin's Jade Flower Sword Dance exploded. Sihaeseon shattered, all power gone, dropping with a thud.
"Whew... It's done."
"Good work, Serin."
"Geun-hyeop. Didn't Wi Ha-young say it was sorcery mid-fight? No need for chit-chat in battle. You could fall for the enemy's tricks. Especially a yokai sorcerer like this."
"..."
"Don't engage in talk. Got it?"
"Sorry. Saseon-nyeo came up, so I slipped. I'll be more careful next time."
"Yes."
How could I stay quiet when she got mentioned? But Serin's right. A monster like this wouldn't spout normal shit. Probably just ravings.
Still, the afterlife talk and Saseon-nyeo's goals piqued my interest. What the hell was her deal?
"Yeah, Namgung-ssi is right. Evil bastards like this are extra dangerous. One word can corrupt your mind."
"I'll watch it more. Let's grab this and head out."
"Do that. Oh, the yodan? Got one?"
"Even you wouldn't take Sihaeseon's yodan!"
Who'd snag something from a human corpse!
"But there it is?!"
Thought that, but a dull marble rolled out from the corpse bits.
Insane!