The Black Boatman, Part 2
Why the hell is that crazy bastard laughing like a maniac?
Choi Yeon watched Gang Do-hyeon burst into laughter and thought, These two hunters’ minds are probably on the same wavelength. His own eyes narrowed sharply.
Gang Do-hyeon didn’t care about their expressions and kept grinning.
“I’ll ask first. How did you know?”
“Our junior has great eyes,” Song Jong-in answered proudly.
Choi Yeon felt a twinge of discomfort at the proud glare, but he kept his face neutral and stared straight at the Necromancer.
“Great eyes, huh….”
“You mean squinty eyes, right?” he added after a beat. “That’s what I thought just now.”
“…You have a complex. Fox, love your body.”
Even his way of dodging questions was full of tricks.
Is mocking the dead really just because he loves his own body?
Choi Yeon shot back the question, but Gang Do-hyeon only tilted his head as if the words didn’t matter.
“So you two came alone? The one who got it wrong? The bricks?”
“The one who got it wrong?”
“I mean the horned guy.”
“Brother Seoil-ssi…? Why do you call him that?”
“Because he got it wrong.”
“……”
That evasive answer made the corner of Choi Yeon’s eyes twitch. He asked again, knowing he’d get the same pointless reply.
Guys who live only for themselves always answered like that, and Gang Do-hyeon was especially extreme in searching for some divine will.
Well, in this case I’m the normal one, so I’ll keep the conversation going.
Thinking that, Choi Yeon replied calmly.
“Brother Seoil won’t be coming here.”
“Why? Now you’re saying I’m scary?”
“That’s not it. It’s just because of your purpose.”
“……”
“The willow tree.”
“Yes, that thing. I don’t know why, but… if we stop that, the other side might stop trying to die, I think.”
Choi Yeon’s lips curled in a wide grin to show off. And sure enough, Gang Do-hyeon’s mouth tightened.
Seeing the bastard not laugh anymore made him feel a little better.
Then it hit him, and he added,
“Oh, and Nubyeok left Su-do Mountain saying it’s not their territory. The higher-ups in the city sure know how to throw tantrums.”
“……”
“I was just teaching you how to curse them.”
“So right now you’re telling me to curse the bricks?”
“I’m not? Then what?”
Choi Yeon asked in disbelief.
Even when it wasn’t their territory at Bi-hak Mountain, they had just walked right through it!
Of course he understood.
Back then the team leader had been keeping watch over a group that had kidnapped children, while now they were dealing with a billion-won criminal. The situations were completely different.
Plus, sending a bunch of people to fight a Necromancer wasn’t smart at all.
It would only increase the enemy’s numbers.
So two was better.
“Junior.”
“Yes?”
“Do what I said when you were coming up.”
While Song Jong-in fought Gang Do-hyeon, Choi Yeon had decided to handle the summoned undead. Two was the right number, he’d thought, but…
“Senior.”
“What?”
“If we defeat Gang Do-hyeon, the undead will go back underground, right?”
“That’s right. Why?”
“Just… please.”
Choi Yeon sighed.
The undead in front of him were mostly C-rank, with only a couple that looked special. But the problem was, there had to be over thirty of them.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s already too late, and we’re not about to rush this!”
Ta-ang!
A bullet’s interior exploded, and Song Jong-in charged forward.
Tang! Tang!
They used the undead’s heads as stepping stones and rushed straight at Gang Do-hyeon.
At the same time the undead swarmed toward Choi Yeon, as if they didn’t even glance at Song Jong-in. Apparently the Black Boatman thought the same.
Choi Yeon pulled out two daggers and focused on the wave of undead rushing at him.
Step.
He picked out a big undead, widened his stride, and slammed down. He’d cling like a wall and handle the crowd alone, the same way he’d done against Amhyanghoe on Mount Samcheon.
But he made one beginner mistake.
“……!”
Pu-wak!
Unlike Amhyanghoe, the undead had no living consciousness.
Another undead pierced the big one’s body and reached out with both arms. Fortunately it wasn’t fatal, and he handled it right away.
He sliced off the clinging arm and cut the obsession that hadn’t been there before.
Rest in peace. Rest well, go to heaven, achieve nirvana… wait, are those two different systems?
He hesitated for a second, then erased the thought.
Whatever. At Seon-hwa Orphanage they were connected by one barrier, so they could be happy together.
Uu, uuu!
He chopped the undead’s neck while it flailed with its missing arms, making an eerie sound.
One, eight, more?
He scanned the surroundings quickly. He’d cut eight exactly as planned, but they weren’t dead yet.
The ones missing only arms and legs from having their necks cut were still crawling and walking toward him with burning eyes.
“……I shouldn’t have prayed for their rest.”
Why bring them back to life twice?
Choi Yeon stomped on the head at his feet, muttering in annoyance.
Then he prayed for their rest again. A knife’s worth of misfortune was enough to replace a funeral feast.
Uuu!
The undead that had absorbed the most mana crashed into him. It was stronger because of the extra mana.
He pulled his waist back just enough to dodge, and the fist that missed crushed another undead’s head instead.
The creature’s arms, unable to control their strength, kept smashing Choi Yeon’s head wherever he lured them.
Thanks to that, Choi Yeon finished the undead easily and watched Song Jong-in and Gang Do-hyeon’s fight with a relaxed expression.
“……A Necromancer, huh?”
A surprised voice came out.
Their battle wasn’t going at all according to plan.
He’d expected the Necromancer to fire a necromantic bullet and Song Jong-in to dodge it while stabbing with Cham-hon, but…
Song Jong-in’s fierce slashes were being parried by Gang Do-hyeon swinging an old oar as if it were nothing.
With that emaciated body, how…?
His eyes landed on the black ferry floating above the Necromancer’s head.
Black threads connected the ferry and the Necromancer’s body. He must be getting his power from that. The nickname “Black Boatman” was probably thanks to this skill.
If he cut that…
Choi Yeon quickly analyzed the situation and paused. Those black threads had shot out dark energy.
“No way….”
The threads stuck to the undead and made them stand up again, piecing together their shattered bodies.
Even for undead, resurrecting is too much, isn’t it?
Choi Yeon showed his displeasure, but the ferry kept playing with the black threads, as if saying the job wasn’t finished yet.
Just as the threads finished and began retreating,
“……Golem?”
The over thirty undead had merged into one.
Maybe because of its almost five-meter height, or because it was black. It looked like the black-iron golem that was famous as a B-rank dungeon boss.
Of course, unlike that golem made of chunks of meat, this one reacted to mana and hardened.
“Just as well. Fighting one big one is better than several small ones.”
Choi Yeon muttered and stepped back. It was because of the marking on his body. After all, it wasn’t a monster he’d seen before.
Large size, mana volume exceeding C-rank, material was the same, so attacks should work.
It was probably the right difficulty for a C-rank dungeon boss or a mid-level B-rank one.
Choi Yeon analyzed the undead golem quickly and decided on a strategy.
Normally large monsters were hunted by making them bleed and tiring them out, but the one in front was undead—
Uu!
Maybe he’d broken the thought. The undead golem slammed a huge fist down.
Choi Yeon twisted his waist to dodge and swung a dagger lightly. Pit! The skin was sliced.
Just as he’d expected.
The wound only cut the outer layer of skin because it was so hard, so it had no effect.
Uuuu!
The undead golem raised both arms high. It was a new attack, but he’d seen it before.
Slamming an opponent with a large monster’s arm was a very common move.
“Hoo….”
Choi Yeon exhaled slowly.
The moment mana filled the dagger, the two fists of the undead golem crashed into the ground with a thud!
The missed fists turned into stepping stones.
Choi Yeon leaped lightly and shouted,
“Pa-dan.”
He drew a single trajectory on the golem’s neck.
Thuk….
The neck split open and the head fell. He watched the empty space on the neck for a moment.
It stood there motionless, as if saying the fight wasn’t over. Maybe the severed head would reattach?
…Luckily it ended.
No mana came from the ferry, and the undead golem stopped.
“Cham-hon!”
He looked back at the shout and saw Song Jong-in’s stab was about to hit Gang Do-hyeon.
No, the clothes and skin had already been torn in several places.
Unlike before, he wasn’t perfectly blocking attacks, and Song Jong-in’s speed and ferocity had increased as if he’d climbed on something.
Choi Yeon glanced at the black ferry floating above the Black Boatman.
“……It wasn’t completely stopped?”
The undead golem would move again the moment mana was poured into the ferry.
But it couldn’t because Song Jong-in was pouring out a torrent of attacks, making Gang Do-hyeon hurry.
Meaning the ferry moved according to the shaman’s will.
Choi Yeon decided to try what he’d planned earlier. If he cut the black ferry and the lines below, Gang Do-hyeon would go crazy with joy.
Step!
After deciding, Choi Yeon moved quickly. He couldn’t just watch leisurely anyway.
The torn skin on Song Jong-in’s body was already healing. Even the hem of the robe was recovered.
That was probably the ferry’s ability too…
If he dragged it out too long, Song Jong-in might tire out before Gang Do-hyeon fell.
“Oh, God! This trial is indeed tough! But it’s fine! I trust you, I don’t doubt!”
Gang Do-hyeon had noticed the situation.
He knew those threads coming from the ferry were his lifeline more than anyone.
Boo-woong!
The old oar passed Song Jong-in’s sword without blocking it. It was to cast a spell at Choi Yeon’s feet.
“Let the dead become a river!”
Blood sprayed from Gang Do-hyeon’s mouth as he shouted.
Because Song Jong-in’s sword had cut a bloody diagonal across his body,
“Heu-heu-heu…!”
He was looking at the black river he’d drawn high and laughing like he was sobbing in delight. He seemed satisfied.
Choi Yeon’s foot stopped right in front of the wall where the rotten dead were flailing with their arms.
If he took one more step, the withered hands of the dead would have pulled him in.
Why a river? Everything around was just a wall.
“Can you cross a river? The river of the dead that curses all living things? Die! Your fox won’t resist even a little and will fall!”
It was the moment Gang Do-hyeon was enjoying his rambling.
Song Jong-in glanced back. He couldn’t see because of the black wall, but somehow he felt the same gaze Choi Yeon was sending. The voice must have been a mistake.
“Look ahead.”
Song Jong-in swung his sword again to follow the advice. At the same time, behind the wall, Choi Yeon poured his will into his dagger.
And he stepped his right foot onto the black river.