The Ghost Gate Taboos

Han Yujin selected a suitable piece of luminous green jade and immediately began crafting without any special tools, operating a spell formula on the spot.

It was a form of artifact creation, but since ordinary people would be using it, there was no reason to make it high-grade. No—he shouldn't make it high-grade.

Following the flow of the spell formula, the solid green jade melted like liquid and gradually took the shape of a palm-sized decorative ornament. It was a bird figure vaguely resembling a phoenix. The overall impression was decent, though far from refined.

He had deliberately shaped it in a somewhat crushed, crude manner. If he had crafted it with the same dignity as the deer statue treasure he once obtained from an ancient tomb in the old Kangho Murim world, how could a powerless villager possibly use it with peace of mind?

For reference, that majestic deer statue—fashioned from a harmonious blend of multicolored jades—now stood elegantly displayed in the garden of Mugeuk Manor inside the Mountain Sea Pearl.

A short while later, the piece was complete.

Barring any major accidents, it could be used almost semi-permanently. The formation sculpture possessed the power to repel ghosts and monsters while invigorating human vitality.

The effect will only reach a radius of four or five meters, but if it's too wide, maintaining it becomes difficult.

In truth, the materials were rather excessive for an object with only this level of power. It was the kind of waste only a restorer would dare commit.

Ghost Gate Festival…

After setting the sculpture down, he stroked Mu-yong absentmindedly as he fell into thought.

This world was certainly frightening and harsh, but not so much that people couldn't live in it at all. The very existence of rural villages like this served as proof that life here was at least somewhat bearable.

Attacks like the one tonight mainly occurred during the "Ghost Gate Festival," an event that struck exactly four times a year. On ordinary days outside of the festival, one could avoid most trouble simply by not violating the major taboos.

Of course, breaking those taboos meant ghost attacks could happen anytime, so it still wasn't exactly a kind world to live in.

The last major taboo is definitely chilling.

Seeing someone in red during the Ghost Gate Festival meant you were already as good as dead.

The fourth taboo also explained why the middle-aged man in this house had cut off his own finger in such an extreme reaction.

When an entity that violated every common-sense prohibition appeared claiming to be a guest, of course they would assume it was a ghost.

Beyond those, there were far too many obvious or minor taboos to list individually—things like not wandering outside after dark, never stepping on thresholds, avoiding narrow enclosed spaces, being wary of water, never playing with shadows, and always keeping one's body and surroundings clean.

Jjik-!

At that moment, Mu-yong let out a cry. She had grown bored and was now demanding Infimix.

"Sorry, Mu-yong. Unfortunately, they say you can't drink during the Ghost Gate Festival."

Jjik…?

Mu-yong's eyes widened in disbelief before her ears drooped in clear disappointment. Finding the sight adorable, he spent a moment soothing her with gentle pets and soft words.

The sky gradually began to brighten. After waiting a little longer, the middle-aged man woke with a faint groan.

"Huk…!"

He shot upright as memories of the previous night flooded back, then nearly had a heart attack upon seeing Han Yujin sitting calmly beside him. Only after remembering the man might be a Ghost Controller did his expression shift to one of relief.

"G-Ghost Controller, sir… When did I fall asleep?"

"I put you to sleep, so don't worry about it."

He gave a curt reply and handed over the finished sculpture.

"It can permanently repel ghosts, so use it well. The effect isn't particularly strong, though, so don't rely on it too heavily."

"…Is that really true?"

"You'll see once you use it."

With the compensation complete, he rose to his feet, leaving the villager—who still found it difficult to even speak to him—behind.

"Hik…!"

As he stepped out of the room, several villagers who had been spying nearby screamed and fled. It seemed they had heard the commotion during the night and come to see what had happened.

Come to think of it, the guardian wooden statue at the village entrance was broken.

It was apparently a common occurrence during the Ghost Gate Festival. Before leaving, he decided to upgrade it to a guardian stone statue. The small effort would bring them tremendous protection.

The village still lay wrapped in silence, the day not yet fully bright. He walked to the entrance.

After thoroughly analyzing the shattered guardian wooden statue, he burned it cleanly away with Red Lotus True Flame, then used the Art of Creation to produce a guardian stone statue of identical shape and structure.

Of course, that alone would be little better than propping up the broken wooden one, so he subtly infused the spell patterns inside the stone statue with a faint trace of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.

"Hm."

Despite containing only the slightest amount of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, the completed guardian stone statue radiated a clearer and stronger sense of dignity than expected. It was more than sufficient to protect the village.

No matter how ignorant these people are, they shouldn't mistake this for something ghostly and destroy it themselves.

With that thought, he walked out of the village along the fog-shrouded path.

Then, in a single instant, he vanished like a dream.

* * *

The large village he had learned about from the middle-aged man's memories was not far.

Instead of hurrying, Han Yujin wandered through nearby rice paddies and the foothills of the mountain range, examining this world's specialty products—Yellow Earth Wood and Soul Binding Wood.

Yellow Earth Wood could be processed into yellow talisman paper, while Soul Binding Wood bore the Soul Binding Fruit, the key ingredient for red ink.

What stood out most was the Soul Binding Wood.

They use butchered beast byproducts as the main fertilizer.

Including the brain-containing head was supposedly best. The fruit from a well-nurtured Soul Binding Wood was said to carry properties resembling a human soul.

When ground with several other materials to create red ink and used to draw spell patterns, even an ordinary person could produce talismans with supernatural effects.

If ordinary people can do it, machines certainly can.

In other words, talismans could be mass-produced in a factory.

Considering applications for modern Earth, it might be possible to manufacture special bullets with similar effects on a massive scale.

Earth raises an enormous number of livestock, so growing Soul Binding Wood shouldn't be too difficult.

There was, however, one critical warning.

Human corpses must never be used as fertilizer. Doing so could birth a ghost that was extremely difficult to exorcise and possessed terrifying aggression.

I should acquire quality seeds from the capital.

Finished with his inspection, he headed toward the nearby large village.

A short time later, he arrived.

The sizable settlement showed signs of life with people moving about, yet many huddled together whispering in clear anxiety.

He first assumed it was due to the Ghost Gate Festival, but after eavesdropping with his expanded senses, he learned there was another major cause.

The newly dispatched local magistrate at the government office is dead…?

Not only the official but his entire family and over ten servants had been slaughtered. Even the two Ghost Controllers assigned to guard them had perished.

As a result, the village men were now busily handling the sudden influx of corpses.

I seem to have arrived at an unlucky time.

He had planned to meet a Ghost Controller and extract information using the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art, but the targets were all dead. A wasted trip.

He could simply move on to another village, but after spreading his senses across the government office, he shook his head inwardly.

If I leave now, this village might not survive the night.

It wasn't a difficult task, and he couldn't simply ignore people he knew would die. Clicking his tongue at his own soft-heartedness, he headed straight for the government office without hesitation.

The clearing of corpses was well underway there.

The bodies scattered outside the building had mostly been gathered, but none of the strong men dared enter the interior. They hesitated at the threshold.

An unnatural darkness and silence had settled inside.

Bloody drag marks suggested corpses had been pulled along the floor. Even with lanterns fueled by special oil, fear had frozen them in place.

"…Let's find our courage. If we keep hesitating until night falls, it'll become truly dangerous."

The well-dressed middle-aged man at the front tried to rally the others, then gritted his teeth and prepared to step inside.

At that exact moment—

"Ugh…!"

Han Yujin appeared directly before them. Everyone recoiled in terror. One man dropped his lantern and fell, nearly setting his own clothes ablaze.

"All of you have admirable courage, knowing the danger yet still trying to enter."

At his calm tone, the middle-aged man who had been encouraging the group spoke first.

"By any chance… are you a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ghost Controller?"

"Something like that. I happened to be passing through, so I'll handle this."

"T-Thank you, my lord!"

The middle-aged man bowed so deeply he nearly prostrated himself, while the other men quickly followed suit, offering loud words of gratitude.

The sudden commotion drew glances from people outside the government office walls.

Leaving them behind, Han Yujin stepped into the building.

He had not gone far before the view darkened dramatically and outside sounds grew faint, as if coming from a great distance.

Thick ghost energy permeated everything so thoroughly that its source was impossible to pinpoint. A normal person entering unprepared would likely suffer hallucinations immediately.

This is clearly the work of a ghost, not a mere spiritual phenomenon.

Just how special were the ghosts of this world?

As he advanced deeper, he suddenly felt the sense of space distort and glanced behind him.

He had not even turned a corner, yet the entrance was now gone—replaced by a solid wall.

Jjik-!

"Yeah. These ghost bastards are creepy no matter whether they're stronger or weaker than me."

Muttering softly, he examined the rapidly darkening surroundings and retrieved an item from his Spacer Ring.

It was an antique black flag. Silver and ash-colored spell patterns densely engraved along the pole seemed almost hypnotic.

"Come out."

He gave the Tongcheon Spirit Flag a light shake and commanded it. A fleeting image of a screaming face flashed across the black surface, and then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a figure rose like surging shadow from the front.

- Aaaaah…!

The manifested ghost stood quietly, swaying unsteadily while letting out faint groans. Yet its slight staggering caused the walls, floor, and ceiling of the government building to warp and twist in unnatural ways.

Crack…!

Snap…!

Ominous sounds echoed as if the structure might collapse at any moment.

"Lead the way. Find the bastard who's causing trouble here."

The formally dressed ghost suddenly twisted its head one hundred and eighty degrees at blinding speed, fixing Han Yujin with blood-soaked black eyes. He met the gaze without flinching and issued a domineering command.

"Now. Right now. Move."

- …Ugh…!

With a panting groan, the ghost turned its head forward once more.

And so the ghost—whose spatial abilities rivaled decisive techniques—began to advance, its head and torso twisting at grotesque angles with every step.