The Price of Divine Sight
Gods cannot be contained within human eyes.
If you can see one, it is not a god.
"Look down."
THUD—!
"AAAAAAARGH!"
The old woman clutched her eyes and let out a piercing scream. Dark red blood gushed out between her fingers.
She had merely gazed upon the remnants of power I had left behind, but the price for that transgression was truly merciless.
At that horrific sight, the courtyard of the shrine fell silent, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it.
The perverts, and even Jina, who had followed me with such high spirits, were frozen stiff, unable to even draw a breath.
An overwhelming disparity.
To anyone watching, the outcome of this battle seemed already decided.
However.
"Y-you wretched brat...! How dare you insult the spirits in my own shrine!"
The old woman staggered to her feet, her face a mess of bloody tears, as if to say it wasn't over yet.
"How dare you steal my babies? I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Her face, distorted by pain and fury, was the very image of a malevolent spirit.
"General! Tear that insolent mouth to shreds! Cast a curse upon him!"
As the old woman swung her blood-stained fan through the air, a black, sticky energy erupted from deep within the shrine.
VROOOOM—!
The air grew heavy and oppressive.
What blew toward me was no mere wind.
It was the karma accumulated over a lifetime of living as a shaman, combined with the curse spewed forth by the minor deity she served.
"Maggots shall boil in your entrails! Your flesh shall rot and fester!"
WHOOSH!
As the old woman slashed her fan downward, the entity standing behind her—the one she called 'General'—brought a cold, blue blade down toward my abdomen.
SLASH—
"Ugh..."
There was no sound of flesh being sliced.
My clothes remained perfectly intact.
But a sickening chill began to spread from the pit of my stomach.
It felt as if someone had poured rotten water into my gut; a horrific sensation rippled through the area where I had been struck.
Is this what a spiritual attack feels like?
I looked fine on the outside, but it felt as if I were festering from within.
"Oppa!"
I heard Jina’s scream, but I raised a hand to signal that I was alright.
To be honest, it felt exactly like being stabbed by a real blade, so it hurt like hell... but if things like this were going to keep happening, I needed to experience it at least once. That way, if I ever faced the same thing again, I’d know how to respond immediately.
I closed my eyes and read the flow of power that had burrowed into my body.
'I think I get the general idea.'
Having experienced it firsthand, I understood what it meant to 'cast a curse.'
It was about forming a spiritual wave through one's own will and imprinting it onto a designated coordinate.
'Nothing special.'
Now that I’d felt it, it wasn't all that grand or unique.
The essence of the power Oranis had granted me was omnipotence.
If I understood the principle and set my intent, I could manifest any form of power.
Even if I didn't know the principle, if it was a power I had experienced once, I could simply crush the laws governing it under the authority of Oranis.
There would be a price to pay, but it wasn't impossible to use.
'Imbuing a wave with my will and driving it in, huh...'
I would use the same method the old woman had, but with a different output.
"Kwahahaha! Do you finally know your place? With my General's sword dance, your soul will be nothing but a funeral offering today!"
The old woman laughed, her face a mask of blood, clearly convinced she had secured victory.
So, I laughed back.
"Is this really all you've got to show me?"
"...What?"
"I learned a lot. Consider this the tuition fee. I don't have any cash on me right now."
I reached out my hand, just as the old woman had. But unlike her, I didn't need a fan imbued with power, nor did I need the pure souls of infants.
I simply had to will it.
Because my will was the will of Oranis.
"Oranis, show this servant of a false god what true hierarchy is."
WHOOOOSH!
A golden wave erupted from my fingertips. It was a power on a completely different dimension from the murky, sticky energy the old woman had fired at me.
"I'll return this to you with interest."
"Wh-what is this!"
The power radiating from my hand engulfed the old woman. There was no visible change on the surface. But the minor deity she called 'General' couldn't even resist; it was instantly crushed and shattered by the force.
"Gah... cough!"
The old woman vomited blood and collapsed to the floor. With her backing gone, her very soul shriveled and withered—it was visible to the naked eye.
"Th-this is impossible..."
The old woman shook her head, unable to believe her minor deity had perished.
"This, this isn't the energy of a spirit! This isn't energy that should come from a shaman's ritual! Who are you? Are you a subordinate of those wicked ones? Were you sent by those beasts wearing human skin!"
Wicked ones?
The evil spirit at the Damyang Hospital had said the same thing, and now this old shaman knew something as well.
"I have many questions, but I'll save them for later."
Leaving the old woman behind, I stomped my foot on the courtyard floor.
BOOM—!
As I spread my power into the ground, dozens of jars buried in the shrine's yard shattered simultaneously.
CRASH! CLATTER!
Black smoke rose from among the shards of the jars. The prison that had been trapping the souls had been destroyed.
[Ah...]
The liberated souls of the infants rose into the sky. Like tiny, transparent beads of light turning into stars, the souls of the children embroidered the dawn sky.
"Go. To a place where you won't hurt anymore."
Following my gesture, the stars drew tails of light and poured over the horizon one by one. As they all vanished, one soul remained, its form remarkably intact.
It was Park Seon-ju's baby, tied up with a red rope.
"Found you. So that's where you were."
I reached out and severed the rope.
Snap.
[Giggle!]
"Don't laugh, I'll get attached."
Once freed from its restraints, the baby circled me for a moment before darting toward the entrance of the shrine like an arrow.
It seemed Park Seon-ju had come near the shrine.
"You've worked hard."
Even without me taking any further action, the baby's soul returned to the arms of the mother who wanted it most—the one who had carried it.
'That part is finished now.'
Only one thing remained.
I stood before the trembling old woman.
"Oh, oh! Spare me! I won't, I'll never do this again! I'll give you all the money you want, just please, spare my life!"
To think that a woman who had spent her whole life playing with the lives of others would be this pathetic when faced with her own.
"H-how much do you want? I'll make sure you're well taken care of, just say the word!"
Thump! Thump!
Watching her beg while slamming her head against the floor was mind-boggling.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."
Besides, why would I commit murder?
"R-really? Thank you! Thank you so much!"
At my words, the old woman looked genuinely grateful.
People should really learn to listen to the end of a sentence.
"Death is too easy, isn't it?"
"...Excuse me?"
"Do you really think the sins you've committed can be washed away by death?"
I stopped her begging and placed my hand on the forehead of the now-frozen old woman.
"You've spent your whole life peeking into the fates of others, seeing things you shouldn't have. And with those eyes, you've driven countless children into hell."
The most important thing for a shaman is the spiritual eye.
The eye that communicates with gods and sees ghosts.
It was the old woman's power and her authority.
"I'm taking those eyes back."
"N-no! Anything but that!"
The old woman struggled with all her might, but it was useless.
"You, sinner Park Chun-ja. In the name of Oranis, I command it: your spiritual sight is sealed forever. From this day until the day you die, you shall see nothing."
HISSS—!
"AAAAAAARGH!"
As I offered the prayer, the old woman let out a blood-curdling scream. Her physical eyes were still fine, but now, she would never be able to see any spiritual existence again.
She would have to live the rest of her life like any other ordinary person.
Though, I suppose 'ordinary' might be a stretch for her?
"What, what have you done! Just kill me! Kill me!"
Sssss...
While the old woman was thrashing about, a black shadow crawled out in front of her.
It wasn't the soul of a child.
It was the vengeful spirit of an adult woman.
Through her tangled hair, the woman, who had bloody tears streaming from hollowed-out eye sockets, glared at the old woman.
[Found you...]
"H-hieee!"
She had lost her spiritual sight, so she couldn't see it now. Her ears were blocked, so she couldn't hear it either.
But having been exposed to vengeful spirits for so long, she would be able to feel it.
She would feel the vengeful spirit—who had lost her child and given up on life because of her—pressing down on her shoulders and tightening its grip around her throat.
Until now, the strong spiritual energy had kept the spirit from even approaching, but that was no longer the case.
"Wh-who is it! Who's there! Get away! Get away, you filthy spirit! General!"
[Give me back my child! My child!]
The old woman cried out for the minor deity that had already perished, waving her hands in resistance. But the more she struggled, the more oppressive the vengeful spirit's pressure became.
Having a vengeful spirit that held a grudge against you strangling you 24 hours a day?
Of course she'd go mad.
A hell she could never escape, neither in life nor in death.
That was the price sinner Park Chun-ja had to pay.
[Ihihihihi!]
"Save me! Someone save me!"
I left the raving old woman behind and headed toward the shrine's courtyard.
Step, step.
My mind grew complicated with every step I took.
'How am I supposed to clean this up?'
It was fine when I was in the middle of it, but now that it was over, worry began to set in.
I had shown a miracle in front of too many people.
Humans are inherently weak; when they see a miracle before their eyes, they tend to cling to it blindly.
'I really don't want to be treated like a cult leader.'
I hate getting involved in troublesome business.
I'd have to make them keep their mouths shut and send them home.
Thinking that, I approached the frozen perverts...
Thump.
"...What are you doing?"
The moment our eyes met, one of the men in the front row knelt down.
Whether that was the signal or not, others followed: some collapsed because their trembling legs couldn't hold them up, others clasped their hands together, their chins quivering with overwhelming emotion.
There was even one guy bowing his head to the ground.
"...Why are you all acting like this?"
There was no answer to my question.
"Hweeeing..."
They were just sniffling.
'Are they actually insane?'
I frowned and spat out:
"You perverted bastards."
At that, Jina, who was standing to the side, jumped.
"S-sorry! I'm sorry! My oppa only finished elementary school! H-he’s self-taught in manners, so his mouth is a bit foul! You know he doesn't mean any harm, right? Okay?"
My younger sister was desperately bowing her head while broadcasting my academic background to the whole neighborhood.
But the reaction of the guys who had just been insulted was completely different.
"Kuh..."
"A reward."
"As expected of our Gallery Master."
They were actually shivering and nodding in agreement.
'They really are hopeless.'
I shook my head as if to say there was no helping them, and clapped my hands.
CLAP!
"Get a grip."
Only then did the focus return to their dazed eyes.
"Everything you saw today, bury it right here."
"Huh? But this amazing thing? We should tell the world so the Gallery Master's status—"
"Tell them what? That you broke into someone's place of business in the middle of the night and smashed it up?"
"Ah."
"Go ahead and blab if you want to eat prison food."
At the mention of prison food, they glanced at each other, then immediately went silent and nodded.
"It's a promise. And your eyes—they'll close soon. Do something useful before the effect wears off."
"Huh? Already?"
"Search every inch of the shrine. If there's anything worth money, or rather, anything strange, bring it all. Talismans, ledgers, whatever."
"Yes, sir!"
The perverts moved without a word of complaint. Their movements were so sharp it made Jina's apology seem pointless.
"You guys with some bulk, come here. Juttak, you too."
When I beckoned, Juttak and a few of the larger guys approached.
"What would you like us to do?"
I pointed my chin toward the shards of the broken jars.
"Clean it up. Respectfully."
They looked at the shards scattered on the floor with puzzled expressions.
"The jars? Haven't the babies' souls all ascended? So aren't these just empty shells?"
"Empty shells?"
I carefully picked up a shard of a jar scattered on the floor.
"These are the bodies of little ones who never even saw the light of the world. Even if their souls have gone, we must take care of the shells and handle them respectfully. That is the proper way."
At those words, Juttak's eyes widened.
The big guys standing behind him also gasped and covered their mouths.
Of course, strictly speaking, they weren't real bodies.
But what is a body, really?
If a soul has dwelled there, that is a body.
"We will take responsibility and clean it up. Just leave it to us."
"I'm counting on you."
Juttak and the big guys silently took off their outer jackets, spread them on the floor, and began picking up the jar fragments with careful hands.
[I will help as well.]
"Are you sure? Didn't you overexert yourself protecting Jina?"
[Haha, this much is fine.]
Choi, who had approached at some point, joined them.
Just as the situation was being settled.
Buzz. Buzz.
My pocket vibrated noisily.
The caller was Park Seon-ju.
After checking my phone, I slipped away to a corner of the shrine.
"Hello."
"Teacher? It's, it's Park Seon-ju."
"I'm not a teacher, and how is the baby?"
"Thank you, thank you so much..."
From the sound of it, the baby had found its mother well.
"How can I ever repay this kindness..."
Park Seon-ju kept thanking me and offered to pay me, but I cut her off firmly.
"Don't get it twisted. From now on, you have to pay for your sins."
"...I will live my life atoning every time I look at my child. I truly will."
"Good."
I was about to hang up, but Park Seon-ju grabbed the line urgently.
"W-wait! What about the... payment?"
Money is good.
But if I took that money, the weight of the judgment would lighten. So I looked over at Juttak, who was busy cleaning up the jars in the distance.
"Use that money to raise your child properly. That is the only atonement you can make."
Click.
I hung up and looked up at the sky.
The dawn air was cold.
It was a dawn with an unusually high number of stars.
"...Goodbye."
I muttered softly to the sky and walked back to the middle of the courtyard where the perverts were. Juttak stopped what he was doing and jumped to his feet.
"Gallery Master! We're almost done cleaning up."
"You've worked hard."
As I spoke, I held out my palm.
"?"
"If you've seen it, you should show some sincerity, right?"
Wicked or not, I had to do my job.