Fulfilling Regrets
Drip.
Drip.
Water droplets fell to the floor.
There was quite a lot of it dripping down.
The problem was that it was all running off the tip of my chin.
It's seriously hot as hell in here.
How much time had passed? I hadn't been keeping track, but it definitely wasn't a short while.
"...I'm dying of thirst."
My throat was parched from how much I had sweated.
An endless thirst welled up inside me, but even so, I remained standing in my spot.
I couldn't move.
How could anyone move after seeing that?
Sssssss!
In front of me, Dang Ye-ran had her hair tied back tightly, repeating the same motions amid the sweltering heat.
Despite the sweat pouring down her, she showed not a single hint of fatigue or loss of composure.
Just how focused was she?
Fascinating.
It was my first time watching a sword being forged or repaired from this close.
Filling the forge with charcoal, stoking the fire.
Then adding something else inside.
It was a repetition of incomprehensible actions.
I glanced next to the furnace.
I saw a pile of black ore. That had to be the dark iron.
...The Dang Clan really is filthy rich.
To think they had a pile of dark iron, which was supposed to be incredibly rare.
Though it wasn't a massive amount, just that pile alone could buy several houses in Henan.
But to think they'd just hand it over without a second thought.
Even if it was a request, they were using dark iron for a repair.
Even if the Poison King had given permission to use any materials, it was still strange no matter how I looked at it.
I accepted it because they offered, but I hope they don't try to pull something later.
There was a chance they might use the dark iron as leverage to make some absurd demand.
Given the Poison King's personality, he probably wouldn't resort to such petty tricks, but you could never be too sure with people.
Well, I already have a countermeasure in mind for that.
I had already formulated a plan.
If the Poison King tried to make an issue out of it, I would use it.
And if he didn't...
I'll just squeeze something else out of them.
I intended to use this to my advantage.
What else can I get from them?
I wondered what else I could take, though I had already gained more than enough in Sichuan.
But profit is always better the more you have.
As long as it wasn't because of some ghost, it was only right to take whatever I could get, whenever I could get it.
As I was plotting my next move...
Sizzle.
I heard the sound of something melting.
Looking ahead, I saw Dang Ye-ran pouring something onto a hard surface.
...Is that?
Had she melted the dark iron? It seemed so.
She poured the liquefied dark iron into a mold.
Her movements were incredibly delicate, without even the slightest tremor.
So she's going to use that to repair it.
After pouring the dark iron, Dang Ye-ran examined the Sacred Sword resting beside her.
The hilt and the blade had already been separated.
She was staring intently at the blade.
What was she looking at so closely? As I tilted my head in curiosity...
[She is examining the strength and thickness of the blade,] Dok-jon explained, appearing by my side.
[It is impossible to simply weld or patch a broken blade. Thus, she must forge a new one. She is studying the original blade for that purpose.]
"...To make an exact replica?" I asked.
[No, not that.]
"Then what?"
[There is no such thing as an exact replica. When it comes to repairs, what matters is how closely it resembles the original.]
"Isn't that basically the same thing?"
[Well, if you understood the difference, you would have been a blacksmith yourself.]
Dok-jon chuckled softly.
"Hmm."
I looked from Dok-jon back to Dang Ye-ran.
Then, I spoke to Dok-jon.
"Old man."
[What is it?]
Dang Ye-ran was so focused she couldn't hear us anyway.
So, I asked him directly.
"Is Lady Dang your lingering regret?"
[...]
Dok-jon fell silent at my question.
"I was wondering if the regret keeping you bound to this world was that woman. Am I right?"
[...Heh, heh, heh...]
A dry chuckle was his only answer.
That was enough.
"At first, I thought the Sacred Sword was your regret, but I guess I was wrong."
[...What makes you think that?]
"Well, for starters, you've never once gone near the Sacred Sword."
[...]
If the sword had been his regret, he should have stayed close to it, not Dang Ye-ran.
Had Dok-jon done that? No.
"You've only stayed by Lady Dang's side. As if you couldn't care less about the sword."
Saying he had no interest in it might be an exaggeration.
To put it more accurately...
A lower priority.
It was more correct to say that Dang Ye-ran ranked higher in priority than the sword.
That was why I thought this way.
Dok-jon's regret isn't the sword.
It was Dang Ye-ran.
[Let me ask you, does that change anything?]
"No, not really..."
Whether it was the Thousand Demon Sword.
Or Dang Ye-ran.
That didn't matter.
What mattered was...
"Ultimately, I'm just curious why Lady Dang has to repair that sword."
Whatever his regret was, I couldn't understand the method he chose to resolve it.
"What is it that you want?"
I raised my head to look at Dok-jon.
[...You are already certain,] Dok-jon said, meeting my gaze.
[Certain that this is to resolve my lingering regret.]
"Of course," I replied.
How could I not be?
"Ghosts exist solely to resolve their regrets. That is their very nature."
[...Oh?]
"Ghosts instinctively desire to pass on."
An action to fulfill a regret.
Ultimately, it was a step toward ascension.
"Since whatever they do is directly linked to their regret, this must be the same."
[...]
"That's why I'm curious. If restoring the sword was your regret, I would have let it go."
But that wasn't the case for him.
"I want to know why you insisted on leaving this task to your granddaughter."
[You acted as if you would only do what you were told. Why the sudden curiosity?]
He had a point. I had wanted to just do my job cleanly and avoid any further involvement.
But...
"Just in case."
[Hmm?]
"I suddenly wondered if your regret might bring harm to Lady Dang."
[Oh? And what if it does?]
"If it does..."
I tilted my head.
"I'll have to exorcise you. Since you'd be a shitty evil spirit."
[...]
Dok-jon's eyes narrowed at my words.
I watched with interest, wondering if he would fly into a rage at my harsh language.
[Hahaha...]
But what escaped his lips was laughter.
[You made it so obvious that you didn't want to get involved. Why? Are you worried about the girl?]
"I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm worried. It's just that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
We had become acquaintances.
I knew her name, and we had spoken.
That was the problem.
This is why I try not to get involved.
Even a tiny connection makes you start caring.
The cursed habits of my past life still remained.
How many evil spirits had I erased and burned, and how much had my karma been stained in the process?
I wanted to avoid dealing with evil spirits in this life, but...
Still.
This was better than leaving things unresolved and feeling uneasy.
As I thought about this while looking at Dok-jon...
[...Harm, you say?]
The old man looked at his granddaughter with contemplative eyes.
Clang!
Dang Ye-ran was currently hammering the hot dark iron she had taken out of the mold.
Watching her, the corners of Dok-jon's eyes softened.
[I cannot say for certain. However...]
Clang!
[I only pray that it does not.]
"..."
I stared at Dok-jon. After watching him quietly for a moment, I let out a sigh.
"Whew..."
Sighing, I scratched the back of my head.
"...Does your regret change depending on whether Lady Dang succeeds or fails?"
[Why do you ask?]
"If it does, I was thinking of meddling a bit."
[...What?]
Dok-jon stared at me with wide eyes.
Feeling burdened by his sudden expectation, I quickly added,
"Just to be clear, I'm not letting you possess my body like that other damn old man did."
Could another ghost even enter my body besides Yoo Chun-gil in the first place? I had never tried, and I had no desire to.
What I could do for Dok-jon wasn't anything like that.
"I'm just offering to meddle a little. Will you accept?"
[...]
A look of hesitation crossed Dok-jon's face.
But the answer was already decided.
I left the Cheolgang and returned to my quarters.
Absurdly enough, it was already night outside.
Not late at night, but the sun had completely set.
I knew a lot of time had passed, but I hadn't expected the sun to be down already.
I ruffled my hair in frustration.
"Ah, damn it."
It wasn't because I regretted wasting time.
I was just annoyed at myself for meddling.
"...I said I wouldn't do this."
In this life.
I had sworn that even if I died, I wouldn't pull this kind of crap again.
Yet I couldn't help myself and blurted it out.
"I should have just stayed quiet."
Whether Dang Ye-ran did well or failed.
I should have just stayed out of it and watched the results.
Dok-jon's request was only to urge Dang Ye-ran to repair the sword.
He never asked me to help her succeed.
"Dumbass..."
I had stuck my nose where it didn't belong.
Curses naturally spilled from my mouth.
Why on earth did I do that?
I could have just stayed quiet. Why did I do it?
When I thought about the reason, it was nothing major.
She just looked so desperate.
The way she focused, the way she spoke to the Cheolgangju.
Her desperate struggle to achieve something was admirable.
It was commendable how she didn't show a single trace of exhaustion despite sweating so much.
There was that reason, but...
Perhaps the biggest reason of all was...
"...It's that old man Dok-jon's fault."
It was Dok-jon.
"Why did he have to look at her with those eyes?"
The way he looked at the focused Dang Ye-ran was the problem.
It was just like...
It reminded me of my grandmother looking at me right before she died in my past life.
Because I had to go and think of that.
That was why I did it.
Like an absolute idiot.
I clicked my tongue and bit my lip.
"Sigh."
Whatever. I don't care anymore.
I did everything I could.
I wanted to watch until the end, but I had no idea when she would finish.
And staying there would only get in her way.
It was best to step aside for now.
Besides, I had my own work to do.
Normally—no, even just this morning—it was something I absolutely detested doing.
"...She had to go and motivate me."
Seeing Dang Ye-ran work so fiercely made me feel like I needed to work hard too, for no good reason.
No matter what it was.
"Whew."
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes.
My body slowly relaxed.
And when I opened my eyes again...
I was standing in a pure white world.
"..."
A wave of annoyance washed over me the moment I saw it.
It was even worse because I could already picture what was about to happen.
As soon as I turned my head, I saw a sword stuck in the ground before me.
"Right."
I walked over and pulled it out.
"...Let's do this."
The moment I drew the sword, a boulder and a man appeared in front of me.
My heart thumped.
That was how my heart reacted to the man's gaze.
Fear washed over me.
Every muscle in my body tensed up, from my back to my ass.
Gripping the sword tightly, I asked,
"...Let me ask. How old are you this—"
I couldn't finish my sentence.
"—time?"
Because I died while speaking.
"Fuck."
A curse burst out of me.
I hadn't even realized when I died.
By the time I noticed, my perspective had reset.
Once again, I saw the boulder and the man.
"...Talk about a short temper."
At least last time we could talk.
This time, it seemed he had gone through a shitty puberty, because even talking was out of the question.
"...Sigh."
I let out a breath, certain of one thing.
"This is going to be a long night."
It felt like it would take a very long time before I could wake up from this Yeongmong.
With that thought, I pointed my sword at the man and said,
"Come at me."
As always...
I was quite confident in my ability to endure and memorize, even if it wasn't by choice.
And so.
In the midst of the white night, I faced countless deaths.
Chirp! Chirp!
I heard the sound of birds chirping.
Hearing that sound, I opened my eyes.
"..."
I stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Ah—"
I touched my throat after speaking. It felt awkward to talk.
"Ah, ah."
After trying to speak a couple more times...
"Ha."
I couldn't help but chuckle as I spoke.
"I woke up. Fucking hell."
I won.