The Weight of an Ancient Debt
Several centuries had passed since their last meeting, yet Shin-wol showed no interest whatsoever. He simply returned his attention to the game board and began setting down the next piece.
"If your greeting is finished, begone."
Despite Shin-wol's frigid tone, Mu-ho merely snorted as if he had expected nothing less.
"Why so cold? You're wounding my feelings here."
His serpentine tail swayed lazily from side to side before his entire form began to shift.
The ears and tail vanished. The sharp snout flattened into a human shape. His hair retained the dark orange hue of a tiger's coat, though in the modern world it hardly seemed unusual.
In the blink of an eye, Mu-ho had transformed into a refreshingly handsome young man. He settled naturally into the seat across from Shin-wol and continued speaking with a grin.
"The Great Gumiho of Mount Inwol has finally awakened. How could I not come pay my respects in person?"
Compared to Shin-wol, Mu-ho's hairstyle and clothing were neatly styled in perfect accordance with modern fashion. His appearance was so youthful that he could easily pass for someone in his early twenties.
This was simply a reflection of Mu-ho's personality—he had always preferred living among humans.
"Mount Gonok must be quite peaceful these days. It seems the mountain manages just fine without its god."
"Well, no one's been recklessly hunting animals lately, and no one performs the mountain god rituals anymore, so it's been pretty quiet."
Even in the face of Shin-wol's mocking tone, Mu-ho continued without concern.
"More importantly, you still live such a boring life. Still playing that old-man game of long baduk after all this time?"
"And you still talk too much."
Shin-wol frowned ever so slightly in warning. Mu-ho hadn't changed at all—neither centuries ago nor now. And certainly not for the better.
"Your speech too. The Western calendar changed ages ago—why are you still stuck in the Joseon era?"
"It seems you have never once considered how utterly lacking in dignity you are."
Mu-ho burst into loud laughter. The mountain god's booming voice made every small creature in the vicinity freeze in terror.
"I call it being progressive. Why are all you spirits so stuck in your ways? It's a wonderful world out there, but none of you know how to enjoy it."
"Enough of your pointless chatter. If you have no real business here, leave. My patience is not boundless."
Even after the low warning, Shin-wol's voice remained utterly unchanged. Instead of playing along, he only offered colder words, causing Mu-ho to pout in clear dissatisfaction.
"How heartless. Fine. As you probably already guessed, I've come with a message from Cheon-sin. Since Mount Inwol has been without a mountain god for a long time, she wishes for you to take up the position."
Normally, every mountain and its surrounding region had its own governing deity. However, Mount Inwol had lacked a mountain god for centuries.
A mountain without its god would typically fall into ruin, yet Inwol had endured solely because of Shin-wol.
Even without his marble, he possessed spiritual power rivaling that of a mountain god. No ordinary spirit or disaster deity dared encroach upon Inwol.
Occasionally, ignorant lesser ghosts would trespass into his territory without understanding their place. Each time, Shin-wol would tear them apart without the slightest warning.
While this resembled the duties of a mountain god, Shin-wol's case was slightly different. The issue was that his actions stemmed not from a sense of responsibility to protect the creatures under his care, but purely from vengeful retaliation against those who invaded his domain.
"You recently cleaned up the lesser ghosts on Mount Inwol again, didn't you? Though wiping out even the wandering spirits and earthbound ghosts was a bit excessive, Cheon-sin has decided to overlook it."
Shin-wol's methods were undeniably rough, but becoming a mountain god would resolve such issues.
The real problem was his attitude.
"I told you before. I have no interest."
At Shin-wol's dry response, Mu-ho furrowed his brow.
Shin-wol's very existence was already an anomaly. While mountain gods ranked among the lower deities, not every spirit could ascend to such a position.
Mountain gods were exceptional even among spirits. They required mastery of sorcery and the power to command all lesser creatures.
No matter how powerful a Great Gumiho he might be, a nine-tailed fox without his marble was little more than a tiger with its fangs pulled.
Yet the offer of the mountain god position came precisely because no one could match his command of sorcery, even after losing his power.
"Shin-wol. If you keep acting however you please, even Cheon-sin won't continue indulging you. No matter how great a Great Gumiho you are, you've lost your marble. Shouldn't you show a little restraint?"
"Restraint?"
He let out a scornful laugh. It was the first change of expression he had shown since their reunion.
"How amusing."
His gaze, which had remained fixed on the game board the entire time, finally lifted to Mu-ho for the first time.
The moment their eyes met, Mu-ho swallowed hard.
As if this space alone had become disconnected from the world, the temperature and air pressure plummeted in an instant.
"Indeed. A mere fox without his marble must look quite pathetic."
Shin-wol tilted his head languidly and chuckled as though he found the situation entertaining.
When moonlight was swallowed by the clouds, darkness descended.
Even within that pitch-black void, Shin-wol's eyes glowed with an eerie brilliance. Yet they felt as cold and inorganic as gemstones, sending an involuntary shiver down Mu-ho's spine.
"It seems you're trying to measure my strength."
Mu-ho flinched. The thought he had kept only in his mind had just been spoken aloud by Shin-wol.
Though they were already surrounded by darkness, an even deeper shadow writhed around him. Something that twisted like dozens of snakes brushed against Mu-ho's cheek.
"I believe I warned you once before."
Yellow pillars of flame erupted around Mu-ho. Even before becoming a mountain god, he had seen this fire many times. It was the same flame that had incinerated countless spirits who had offended Shin-wol, leaving not even ashes behind.
"A mouth is much like a disaster. One must be careful with it."
The scorching heat that pierced straight to the bone made Mu-ho desperately try to summon his own power, but his spiritual energy scattered uselessly.
A black snake slithered up from the floor and coiled around his throat.
"Now, what should I do with you?"
He clawed at his neck to pry off the slowly tightening black snake, but his fingers found nothing there.
Mu-ho choked and gasped in agony, yet Shin-wol watched him with the relaxed air of someone appreciating a scenic view.
Just as Mu-ho began to fear he might truly die, the dark presence that had enveloped his entire body vanished in an instant.
He collapsed forward, gasping violently for air.
The terror of death—something he had not felt in hundreds of years—washed over him, accompanied by an overwhelming wave of humiliation.
Mu-ho clenched his teeth so hard they felt ready to shatter and balled his hands into fists.
He had become a mountain god, yet for a moment he had been completely helpless before a nine-tailed fox who had lost half his power along with his marble. The shame was unbearable.
Even so, he had to swallow his anger. There was nothing to gain from fighting Shin-wol.
He barely managed to compose his expression before looking back at Shin-wol, only to find him staring out the window with an inscrutable look.
It was an expression completely different from the one he had worn moments ago.
“……?”
Mu-ho turned to follow his gaze, but saw only an empty garden. He inhaled deeply and focused his senses.
A faint, sweet scent reached him—the fragrance of delicate human skin.
"……A human?"
Now that he thought about it, he had caught the very faint trace of a human scent upon his arrival. But he had dismissed it as the lingering scent of someone who had climbed the mountain and left, paying it no mind.
Following the faint presence, he detected the sound of a tiny human heartbeat.
It was fragile, slow, and incredibly weak—the heartbeat of an ordinary human.
Whoever it was had hidden so thoroughly that any mediocre ghost would have burned away without a trace before even getting close.
Yet even that presence had been completely blocked by Shin-wol's power.
When Mu-ho turned his head, Shin-wol was staring at him with an icy expression. The look in his eyes seemed to ask why he was still there. Mu-ho suppressed the rage boiling inside him and forced a smile.
"Calm down, Shin-wol. I didn't come here to fight you. More importantly—why is there a human here?"
"Go and see for yourself. I have no desire to stain my dwelling with the smell of blood today."
As if nothing had happened, Shin-wol resumed playing his game.
Mu-ho wanted nothing more than to smash the damned game board to pieces, but the memory of Cheon-sin's face urging him to handle this peacefully made him hold back.
He rubbed his throbbing neck and spoke in a deliberately casual tone.
"Bringing a human here… are you feeling hungry after such a long sleep?"
Gumiho were spirits that sustained themselves by consuming human jeong-gi.
Shin-wol had always possessed such overwhelming power that he had no need to feed on humans. Still, after centuries of slumber, it was possible he had awakened with an appetite.
"It is not food."
Shin-wol toyed with a round game piece before placing it on the board.
The enemy’s palace had been captured. The game was over.
"It is the descendant of the human who stole my marble."
At Shin-wol's answer, Mu-ho's expression hardened into something fierce. His sharp gaze turned southward.
"Descendant? Then you're saying that human's body currently holds your marble?"
"Yes. Though it has grown somewhat cloudy."
"……It's a miracle they're still alive. What kind of human is it?"
There was an old saying that whoever obtained a fox marble would gain the world. If a human possessed a marble containing a gumiho's spiritual essence, they could attain not only wealth and power, but even enlightenment regarding the laws of the universe.
Some among them even gained the ability to wield sorcery.
That was why, since ancient times, fox marbles had been regarded as either elixirs of immortality or monstrous objects capable of granting profound insight.
Long ago, one king had ordered the stomachs of hundreds of foxes cut open in his quest to obtain one.
The stronger the owner, the greater their spiritual power, the more the marble would allow them to grasp.
And this was Shin-wol's marble. There was no need to elaborate.
Yet nothing came without a price. Every advantage carried its disadvantage.
Those who held a fox marble were certain to pay a toll. It might cost them part of their body, or it might bring about a cruel karmic retribution.
Still, human greed knew no bounds. Many sought enlightenment even at the cost of such suffering.
Of course, a human mind could never fully contain such truths, so they usually ended up half-mad or living out their lives as fools.
Since this was Shin-wol's marble, the price would undoubtedly be even more merciless.
Mu-ho felt a flicker of pity for the unknown human. Though after being dragged here by Shin-wol, there was probably nothing left to pity.
Shin-wol, still idly turning a game piece between his fingers, offered a faint smile.
"She is nothing more than an utterly ordinary, insignificant girl."