Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 19

[The fifth level, Green ghost… extremely dangerous. At least ten or more diviners are required for exorcism. An old wandering spirit that has existed for over a hundred years. It can exert an enormous influence within a set radius and even cause auditory and visual hallucinations, inflicting pain.]

This is written in the “Synopsis of Various Philosophers: Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang.

And in the latter part of this, it is described:

A wandering spirit that has existed for over a hundred years loses its human qualities from that point onward and enters the realm of true monsters.

A true monster refers to the eerie and sinister supernatural beings (Imaemangnyang) [1] itself.

‘Ha…’

Sealing.

It literally serves the role of trapping something.

The old rosary.

The moment it was compressed and shattered, a bizarre spectacle unfolded.

-Gush gush gush!

Blood poured down like a waterfall from the entire wall of the cavity, flowing along the ceiling and filling the surroundings with blood.

The flowing blood quickly filled the floor, making it muddy.

At this, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth reached his ears.

His anticipation heightened.

‘Monster…’

This was undoubtedly a monster.

Moreover, it was an existence incomparable to the Demonic Monk.

He had hoped for something around the level of a Green ghost, but an existence beyond that unexpectedly appeared.

It was a moment when a diviner would have been perplexed.

-Thump! Thump!

‘Heartbeat.’

In the cavity that was gradually filling with blood, the sound of a beating heart could be heard.

Then, a bizarre incident occurred.

In the center of the cavity where blood was flowing from all directions, a heartbeat sound emanated, and soon, a heart was formed around it.

-Whoosh!

Blood gathered around the heart.

The blood formed into one organ, then two, then three.

And bones quickly enveloped the organs, followed by muscles attaching to the bones.

-Clack clack!

Soon, pale skin emerged on the surface of the muscles.

The entire process was awe-inspiring, as if witnessing the birth of “something.”

-Gush!

The blood gushed upwards, becoming a reverse waterfall and enveloping the being whose skin was forming.

And the moment the blood waterfall was sucked into the ceiling,

-Creak

The being revealed itself.

It was a beautiful being with a pale face and disheveled long hair hanging down, despite wearing a crown.

The being, wearing a red inner garment and a black outer garment, was holding a long pipe.

Its appearance was even more natural than the Demonic Monk.

-Phew.

The being, with its red lips, took a deep puff from the pipe and exhaled smoke.

Judging solely by its appearance, it looked to be in its late teens at most, but due to its attire, it was difficult to discern whether it was male or female.

Of course, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t care about such things.

“Quite a grandiose entrance. May I ask who…”

Before he could even finish his words,

Mok Gyeong-un was forcibly drawn towards the being by a strong pull before he could complete his sentence.

-Gush!

The surging blood had already risen up to his thighs.

The being, holding the pipe and exhaling smoke, brought its face close to Mok Gyeong-un.

And it looked at Mok Gyeong-un from top to bottom.

“What are you doing?”

-…

The being, after staring for a while, slightly raised the corners of its mouth.

Then, it erased the previous smile and put on a serious expression, waving its hand.

At that moment,

-Whoosh! Bam!

Mok Gyeong-un’s body floated up and heavily collided with the ceiling of the cavity.

Then, it fell into the cavity filled with blood.

-Splash!

Mok Gyeong-un, his entire body soaked in blood, staggered to his feet.

“Puhaa.”

Mok Gyeong-un swept his blood-soaked hair upwards.

The being, watching this sight, opened its mouth.

-Foolish mortal. Empty your soul and render your soul to me.

The voice was distinctly audible.

Unlike the Demonic Monk, whose voice was muffled and incomprehensible, the sound resonated clearly.

No, it felt more like it was echoing from various places.

Mok Gyeong-un scratched his head and said,

“Like the Demonic Monk, wandering spirits always covet the bodies of others? Can’t you do anything without someone else’s body?”

-Tsk tsk.

The being clicked its tongue and scoffed.

As the being lightly tapped the pipe in the blood,

-Gush!

The blood gushed up in several strands, then elongated like whips, binding and restraining Mok Gyeong-un’s arms and legs.

-Argh!

He exerted strength, but the restraining force was much stronger.

Mok Gyeong-un smacked his lips as if it was troublesome.

Indeed, he could understand why the “Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang” stated that it was extremely dangerous and required at least ten diviners.

‘What should I do?’

Although he had read the “Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang,” he wasn’t well-versed in sorcery yet.

At that moment, the being made a gesture of drawing a vertical line (一) with the pipe towards Mok Gyeong-un.

Then,

-Slash!

Along with a burning pain in his chest, his clothes turned red in a vertical line (一) shape.

It seemed like he had been cut, and the pain was considerable.

Nevertheless, Mok Gyeong-un’s expression didn’t change much.

As if expecting a scream of pain to burst out, one of the being’s eyebrows raised.

-You’re a child with strong endurance.

“I’m used to it.”

-Used to it? Then can you endure this as well?

With those words, the being raised the pipe upwards.

It happened in an instant.

-Gush!

The blood that had risen up to the lower half of the body in the cavity surged upwards.

Then, in an instant, it completely filled the entire cavity with blood.

Inside the blood-filled cavity, Mok Gyeong-un’s body floated.

‘Ugh.’

Mok Gyeong-un held his breath.

It was no different from being submerged in water.

The being watched Mok Gyeong-un, who was unable to move, with a gleeful and smirking expression.

Its eerie eyes reminded one of the fact that this being was a ghost.

-Swoosh!

The being approached Mok Gyeong-un.

Then, it grabbed Mok Gyeong-un’s chin, who was unable to move, and said,

-The emotion you’re feeling now is fear…

The being couldn’t finish its sentence.

What the being wanted to see was a face filled with fear, suffocating from the blood and unable to breathe.

In a confined space, unable to move, and in a situation where one couldn’t even breathe, anyone would be afraid.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes were staring at the being without a hint of wavering.

-You… You’re peculiar. For a living human to have such eyes.

The being showed curiosity.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un, who had been holding his breath, flicked his tongue.

‘This taste…’

The taste he felt on the tip of his tongue was definitely blood.

The blood that filled this cavity was much redder than crushed, ripe cornus fruits.

The sticky sensation was also the very essence of blood’s stickiness.

All five senses told him that this was indeed blood.

However,

‘It’s different. This is nothing but death.’

Mok Gyeong-un snorted.

How much blood had he seen from those who were called concurrent killing demons?

When he touched that blood, he could feel something alive, but what he saw now felt nothing but death.

‘It’s not real.’

Therefore, even if it was perceived by the five senses, everything was false.

Then,

-Swoosh!

All the blood that was reflected in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes disappeared as if it had never existed in the first place.

In sorcery, this is called Enlightenment[2].

By denying the perceived recognition itself, one breaks free from all hallucinations that deceive one’s own senses.

The theory or words are easy.

However, even highly trained diviners found it difficult to escape from this.

It was because nothing was easier to deceive than human senses.

-!?

The being’s eyes flickered with interest.

As time passed, it expected Mok Gyeong-un to struggle, unable to hold his breath, and show an appearance no different from other living beings.

However, he had freed himself from the hallucination on his own.

-You’re more interesting than you look.

The corners of the being’s red lips rose.

Then, it approached Mok Gyeong-un and tapped his shoulder with the pipe.

At that moment,

-Thud!

Mok Gyeong-un was forced to kneel on one knee on the floor.

It felt like a single tap, but judging by how his right knee had dug into the floor, one could imagine how much force was applied.

The being took a deep puff from the pipe and exhaled smoke towards Mok Gyeong-un, saying,

-Mortal. If you offer your soul to me of your own accord, I shall grant your wish.

“Wish?”

-Yes. For a boy not even in his prime to have such eyes, you must not have lived an ordinary life. Hand over your soul to me. Then, I shall dismember your enemies and make even their souls disappear.

“…You’re overflowing with confidence.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the being let out a mad laughter.

-Hahahahahahahahaha!

-Rumble rumble!

The being merely laughed, but the entire cavity was shaking.

It was a being on a completely different level from the Demonic Monk.

The Green ghost level was the realm where one had gone beyond ordinary wandering spirits and entered the domain of Imaemangnyang.

The being, who had been laughing for a while, said with a sneer,

-The only reason you can utter impudent words to me and remain unscathed is because I want to take your soul. So be grateful for the mercy I bestow upon you.

“Is this something to be grateful for?”

-You have no fear at all.

-Tap!

The being lifted Mok Gyeong-un’s chin with the pipe.

Then, as if appraising him, it said,

-At least your face is to my liking. It wouldn’t be bad since your soul is beautiful.

“You’re quite eager to covet my body.”

-Once I have decided, your soul is mine.

“And if I refuse?”

At those words, the being showed a sneer.

-Although your soul may be slightly damaged, I will take it by force.

“Someone other than you tried to do that, but there’s a failed monster right above, you know?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the being chuckled.

-You dare compare me to such a lowly ghost? If I put my mind to it, it wouldn’t be too difficult to extinguish your soul and seize your soul.

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you try taking it?”

-You’re impudent. If that’s what you desire, I shall take it by force.

As soon as it finished speaking, the being removed the pipe from Mok Gyeong-un’s chin and tried to raise it above his head.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un, who had lowered his head, shrugged his shoulders.

Seeing that, the being said with the corners of its mouth raised,

-Have you suddenly become afraid?

“No. I just remembered something interesting.”

-Something interesting?

In response to the being’s puzzled question, Mok Gyeong-un lifted something with both hands.

The moment it saw that, the being’s eyes wavered.

It was because it recognized what Mok Gyeong-un was holding without even looking.

It was the book made of human skin.

The book, soaked in the blood of the dead Jo Il-sang, seemed to have a glossy sheen unlike before.

-You…

“According to the Basic Writings of the School of Yin and Yang, the older the monster, the more it has a medium that it is connected to and dwells in. This book must be it, right?”

-…You’re doing a foolish thing.

“It doesn’t seem like a foolish thing, judging by your cautious behavior.”

-You’re really making me angry.

As soon as the being finished speaking, Mok Gyeong-un’s body floated in the air and crashed into the ceiling.

-Bam! Bam!

But it didn’t end there.

Mok Gyeong-un’s body fell heavily to the floor.

As the being flicked its hand, he rose again and this time, his head smashed into the ceiling.

-Bam!

Blood flowed from his impacted head.

The being, as if having no intention of stopping here, consecutively slammed Mok Gyeong-un against the cavity wall.

-Bam bam bam bam!

“Kuh-huk!”

Fresh blood burst out of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth as he collided with the wall.

After a few more collisions, Mok Gyeong-un’s half-limp body floated in the air.

The being reached out its hand towards Mok Gyeong-un and said,

-Put that down immediately.

“…Cough cough… Why don’t you just take it? Why go through the trouble?”

-Foolish mortal. I’m giving you a chance.

“A chance?”

-Yes.

“…It’s not that you can’t touch it directly, is it?”

-…

The being didn’t answer Mok Gyeong-un’s meaningful question.

From its reaction, Mok Gyeong-un could be certain.

This old wandering spirit seemed unable to directly touch the book made of human skin.

If that was the case, it could have just snatched the book from the beginning, but instead, it tried to make him let go of it by inflicting pain on him.

-You’re really asking for death. Even if you have that, you can’t do anything with it. What can someone who is neither a Taoist nor a diviner do? Fine. I’ll give up on your soul. I’ll just kill you like this…

Just as the being was about to reach out its hand to do something,

Something completely unexpected happened.

–Crunch!

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un bit into the cover of the book.

-!!!!!!!

The Green ghost being couldn’t hide its perplexity upon seeing this.

Until now, it had encountered countless diviners, Taoists, and monks, but none of them had ever done such a thing as sealing or burning the book.

-You! You!

It was because the evil energy of the book was so strong that it couldn’t be damaged by ordinary means.

This was the same for Mok Gyeong-un.

While his body was being slammed against the cavity, he had tried to tear the book apart with brute force, but to no avail.

Then, by chance, he discovered that only the outer cover of the book was made of human skin.

‘In that case…’

Mok Gyeong-un’s choice was very simple.

-Chomp chomp!

Mok Gyeong-un tore off only the outer part of the book made of human skin and chewed on it in his mouth.

-Gasp!

At that moment, the Green ghost being clutched its chest, distorting its pale and delicate brows.