Why the Hell Are There Yokai in Murim?!
A few days passed after that. I worked every single day without fail, scraping together 70 wen in coins. And the one thought that hit me was simple.
"This ain't cutting it."
Yeah, no shit. Like I'd realized while scarfing down that meal last time, grinding away at manual labor wouldn't let me claim any kind of future in this Murim world. I'd busted my ass non-stop for a week straight, dawn till dusk, and all I had to show was 70 wen? That's barely enough for one day. Survival itself was iffy like this. If I kept going, I'd collapse eventually.
Wait, but was everyone living like this? Nah, probably not. Folks born and raised around here at least had family, some kind of foundation. But not me. I'd dropped in buck-naked, nothing but the clothes on my back. So what the hell did I need to do to seize a future?
"Gotta find work with fat pay."
But could a rootless outsider like me land high-paying gigs? Wasn't the grunt work I was doing already the best a guy like me could hope for? Sure, I was Kim Geun-hyeop, a modern guy with some education—maybe I could leverage that. Better at math and paperwork than most folks here who probably never even heard of school, since I'd graduated high school. Of course, no way I'd snag a desk job in this world. I'd scoped out the vibe over the week, and anything clerical needed clear status. Connections, basically. And I had jack shit.
So what now? How the fuck was I supposed to survive?
"..."
With a heavy heart, I headed to Dahoebang. They brokered all kinds of jobs. I'd been slammed at Dagumjeonjang till today, so I hadn't shopped around, but now I had to. This place was my only shot.
—Murmur murmur.
Dahoebang was packed. Instead of lining up in the usual spot, I headed straight for the bulletin board standing off to the side. I could read the writing, after all.
"Hmm... nothing appealing."
"You in a position to be picky?"
"Fair point."
I slipped through the crowd of laborers and checked the postings. All sorts of requests pinned up. Pick one, go apply, done. Alright, let's see.
[Hiring Laborers at Jiwon Manor: Daily Pay 90 Wen]
These fuckers hiring farmhands and offering just 90 wen a day? What a joke. Who'd wipe their ass with that? Pass.
[Guangyun Escort Agency Recruiting Porters: Wages Negotiable]
Porter! Classic Murim job! Escort agencies handle shipping goods to other regions. Professional armed delivery services, and in a world like this, they need tons of manpower. There's escorts protecting the cargo from bandits and thieves, coachmen driving the wagons, and porters hauling overflow baggage on foot, loading and unloading—menial shit. Porters are bottom-rung, obviously. Anyone with stamina can hump luggage.
"Porter, huh."
Worth a shot? But...
Escort runs are dangerous. Every Murim novel's got bandits or robbers jumping out. Run into that shit, and you could die for real.
"..."
Death. Sa. To survive here, I'd have to take risks. But me—a week into Murim, raised in a low-violence modern world—betting my life on a job? Honestly, it scared the shit out of me. My stomach was full, sure, but damn, felt like a coward. Whatever, pass for now. Once I scraped up cash for a weapon, maybe. But unarmed? I'd get my limbs hacked off and butchered if bandits hit. Hell, they'd probably barbecue Kim Geun-hyeop after. Ming folk were into cannibalism, right? At least need a sword to fight back. Porter's out.
Anything else?
"Huh?"
Then something weird caught my eye.
[Little Blue Ghosts Spotted at Daeil Farm—Extermination Requested: Reward 200 Wen]
What the fuck?! 200 wen?!
"No fucking way...!"
My jaw dropped at the insane sum. Crazy money—real crazy. 200 wen was two days of my ass-busting grind. If I could pull this off, I'd jump on it. But what the hell was a So Seong-gwi?
Farm got some wild animals raiding? Makes sense—pay hunters for boars or whatever. Anyway, probably some critter native to this Central Plains Murim world. Hanja names throw me off. Better ask.
"Hey, mind if I ask something?"
"Hm? What?"
"This says So Seong-gwi infestation—what's that?"
"Huh...? You don't know So Seong-gwi?"
The guy tilted his head like I was an idiot.
"I'm from out of town."
"Ah, different name elsewhere? Y'know, those little yokai. Fast little shits. Blue fur. Skull head—that one."
"Pardon?"
What?
"Yokai?!"
What bullshit was this?
"Why the hell yokai?!"
The guy looked at me like "yokai" was no big deal. What the—did yokai actually exist here? For real? Yokai in Murim...?!
"Argh!!!"
I clawed at my hair.
"This ain't Murim!!!"
Why the fuck yokai in Murim?!
"Hey! Shut the fuck up!"
"Crazy bastard?"
"Quiet down!"
Sorry! I clamped my mouth shut. But yokai? How could anyone not freak? Even modern Earthlings would pass out seeing real yokai. Can't help it.
"..."
Wait. Were yokai really real? I'd read Murim stuff, but never with yokai. Oh, spirit beasts or man-faced spiders popped up sometimes—maybe that? But those were rare specials. This So Seong-gwi sounded everyday, like common pests. Maybe they lumped dangerous animals as "yokai"? That'd make sense.
"Nah."
This wasn't the world I knew. Could be real yokai Murim. Unearthed this gem in just a week—guess being a shut-in paid off.
"Tell me more about these So Seong-gwi yokai."
"Huh?"
"Just curious."
"Ain't like yokai are new..."
Yeah, yokai were totally normal here.
"Blue fur, skull head?"
"Yup. Bit bigger than a cat, blue fur. Head like a rat skull—seen one? Long tail, monkey-agile. Oh, blue gui hwa flames in the eyes sometimes. That enough?"
I pictured it: blue-furred monkey, cat-sized, rodent skull head, blue ghostfire eyes. No normal animal. Even psycho beasts couldn't do that. Real yokai vibes.
"Thanks, dae-hyeop!"
"Dae-hyeop? Sheesh..."
The guy scratched his head sheepishly. I bowed and left the board.
"So Seong-gwi, huh."
Exterminate 'em for 200 wen? Porter gig scared me shitless, but these sounded like weak yokai. Cat-sized? Nuff said. Doable? Worth trying.
To change my fate here, ditch grunt work. And yokai hunting paid 200 wen a pop. Save some, buy essentials, clothes. Opponent: cat-sized yokai. If folks treat it casual, not too tough. Time to risk it. Challenge accepted. Got 70 wen saved—enough for a day. Treat it as experience. No risk, no escape from labor forever! And I'm Kim Geun-hyeop—no fear of new shit!
"I wanna know about the So Seong-gwi extermination!"
"Oh, you taking it?"
"Yeah. Any penalty if I fail?"
"Nah, just show up that day."
No penalty. Worst case, bail. Never killed so much as a stray dog—need an out.
"I'll do it. Any tips?"
"Sure... Got a weapon?"
Nope.
"Trained some kwon gak beop."
Taekwondo 3rd dan—Murim wise, 3-star fist-and-kick master. Not total noob.
"Wait, you're a martial artist? Kinda low for one."
Too menial for armed pros? 200 wen'd tempt 'em. Probably annoying, tiring—not deadly. Martialists skip it.
"Just trained for fitness."
"Fair. Kwon gak beop should handle it. They're fast, though. Annoying pests. Oh, show up after dark—exhausting."
"Night job, got it."
"So Seong-gwi come out at night."
Makes sense. Fist skills enough—bare hands viable. Fast, nocturnal—explains low popularity.
"Here's your tag. Head to Daeil Farm around yu-si."
"Got it."
Pocketed the tag. Yu-si—quitting time, dusk. Job starts then.
"..."
Night work. Morning now—time to kill. Skipped Dagumjeonjang; had a day's pay saved. Conserve stamina for yokai. Waste energy, lose to cat-yokai? Fucked.
"Alright."
Time to research yokai. And grab a decent weapon. Ta-gu-bong—beggar's dog-beater stick. Perfect. Seen guys with 'em.
Hit the market streets. Jackpot—nice stick right away.
"Boss, how much for this ta-gu-bong?"
"40 wen."
"40 for a dog stick? C'mon, 20."
"Thief! Fine, 30."
Saved 10! Score.
"Deal."
"What?"
"Quick trade, thanks."
Handed over 30 wen, snagged it.
—Thwack!
"Nice!"
Fits perfect. Guys love weapons, kids or adults. Solid stick. From now on, you're Sil-jang-gon-bong!
"Heh heh heh!"
So Seong-gwi, you fucker—you're dead!
"I'll bash you till you drop!"