“…!!”
Baek Saheon suddenly jerked his head up.
Just now, there was a thunderous roar from behind. Perhaps an even more catastrophic event was unfolding in the village….
‘Fuck, is this the time to be thinking about that?’
He bit his lip and started moving again.
He had to get as far away as possible, as fast as he could.
“Huff, huff.”
Inside the massive backpack Baek Saheon carried while running along the mountain path were water, food, and survival gear he had meticulously selected.
He had gathered them to use for a quick escape from this village someday, hiding them in a place only he knew. He couldn't believe he was finally able to use them.
However, the empty space that had been left in the backpack was now filled with….
Human remains.
The remnants left behind after the Pungmulnori troupe collapsed and vanished.
Among them were the bones of the person who was once his sister.
“…….”
They were heavy; he should have abandoned them.
Even though he knew it was a foolish thing to do, he found himself ridiculous for stubbornly bringing them along, but he couldn't bring himself to throw them on the ground now.
However, that was the only thing on his mind.
‘I wish they’d all just die.’
Actually, it was for the best.
The villagers, the outsiders who came to the village, and the agents who failed to rescue him.
I hope they all die, and this shitty village leaves no trace behind.
It was an imagination that sent a thrill to the top of his head.
But.
‘Still, that agent….’
That young agent with glasses who made him pick the ‘Special Prize.’
He was surprisingly calm and never once spoke sarcastically or got angry. Even after helping him, he never demanded anything in return.
And in the end, he kept his promise.
Both of them surviving.
Not betraying.
‘…….’
He felt a strange sensation.
It was likely a feeling he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
This peculiar feeling one gets when they inadvertently try to do something good, something they would never normally do, and achieve it.
People called it a sense of accomplishment.
‘…….’
That must have been why. Why he had impulsively left the ‘Paper Boat’ behind.
Of course, that would only mean something if that agent survived to the end and found it.
‘…I’ll think about it if he actually picks it up.’
Thinking back to the centipede and the Executioner's Sword and all that madness earlier, he might be dead by now….
At that moment.
“……!”
A bizarre pressure that made his spine tingle struck the back of his neck like a chilling stab.
Something was behind him.
It was clear that something even more bizarre was happening in the village.
‘…Fuck.’
Baek Saheon eventually couldn't resist and glanced back.
And.
“……!!”
His face turned ghostly pale as he began to sprint along the mountain path again.
He never looked back a second time.
‘Damn it.’
The sight he had just seen.
Crimson blood was pouring down from the sky.
I prostrated myself.
It happened automatically. I ended up face-down with both hands on the ground.
As if I were bowing.
I see you, I see you
I see you
Splatter.
Red blood pours over my head and the backs of my hands.
Wicked beast, plague, ancient fox spirit
A pain intense enough to make me scream burns in one of my hands. My left hand, which hadn't been severed.
I feel like I’m going to die!
I smell rot
I clawed at the ground with my hands.
“Agent Grapes!”
I heard Agent Bronze and Agent Choi bickering.
“Isn’t that the Tiger General of Daecheongbong! Have you lost your mind? A supernatural phenomenon that isn't even friendly to humans...!”
“Later! Quiet for now!”
I suppressed my groans and hurriedly looked to the side.
Director Ho, in the form of Assistant Manager Eun Haje….
Filthy and lowly thing
Let me see your face
He was smiling while being drenched in the blood.
“This person is an acquaintance of mine. Do not concern yourself, Old One, and be on your way.”
Blisters began to bubble up and boil on the back of my hand.
I see a tail
“This person is an acquaintance of mine. Old One, just stay across the threshold and shout all you want.”
The blisters burst red, and pus began to bloom. The traces of an infectious disease.
The tail has been cut
“This person is an acquaintance of mine. Old One, just sit on the wooden porch and have your meal.”
The pus burst and flowed.
Crafty tongue
Assistant Manager Eun Haje’s body floated into the air.
“……!”
Her limbs were fixed brutally as if they were being twisted, yet the gentle smile on her face remained unchanged.
“Don’t….”
“Shh.”
Agent Choi pressed down on my shoulder.
Die
Thunder struck.
Leave only your hide
And burn to death
“I don’t want to.”
Director Ho’s expression was revealed amidst the lightning.
“It is tigers who die and leave their hides. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
He was still smiling.
“They say a half-baked mudang can kill a person, and it’s truly terrifying. I am not a fox spirit. Is there any proof that I am a fox? Is there any proof that I am a ghost? How about something like this? Begone, evil spirit; Namu Amita Bul Gwanse-eum Bosal; Geup-geup-yeo-yul-ryeong; May the Kingdom of God the Father come; I’ll even sprinkle salt and red beans.”
The lightning struck again.
“But it’s not working.”
A tearing sound.
“What to do. You must have been mistaken. How unfortunate….”
A serene voice came from the one suspended in the air.
“You can’t burn me.”
Amidst the blood falling from the sky, a massive eye was revealed.
You are noisy
Director Ho’s limbs were twisted.
Ancient and stubborn
You filthy thing
Begone at once
“Oh dear.”
I shall grab you by the tail
And you shall flee
“You are truly tyrannical. To forcibly separate my acquaintance and me like this.”
The smiling face looked back at me.
“What a pity. Soleum-nim.”
“…!”
And in the next moment.
He vanished.
The body of Assistant Manager Eun Haje, which had been bound in the air and bizarrely twisted, no longer existed, as if she had never been there.
Along with Director Ho, who had been dwelling in that body.
“…….”
“…….”
Did he… flee?
My mind began to race with complex deductions about how he was controlling Assistant Manager Eun Haje, what kind of binding restriction was placed on her, and whether she was okay now.
But at the same time, I found myself looking up at the sky.
The raining blood had stopped.
And then I looked down at the back of my hand again.
The blisters and pus had vanished cleanly.
As if they had been washed away by the blood.
The filth
I have removed it
As promised
“…….”
“No, General! You said you’d make that fellow beg for mercy and pay his respects! But he fled just fine!”
Silence, you insolent thing
Agent Choi was grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air.
“Agent!”
“Ugh, haha….”
I hurriedly looked at the sky and shouted.
“I apologize. And thank you!”
…….
A child who knows manners
From the sky.
Something looked down at me.
Good
It examined me.
And declared.
Serve me
Wait.
Offer your bows
I shall allow it
A strange power began to press down on my shoulders and back….
“You cannot.”
“…….”
Agent Choi raised his arm.
“This one already has someone they serve. See? It’s the Goblin Old One.”
At the end of that arm, the Old One’s Goblin Lantern flickered.
“Now that your procession is over, you should have a magnificent feast. Please return before it gets cold, Tiger General!”
A bold one
A sound like a feline predator snorting erupted.
Prepare the
Royal Feast Table as promised
And then.
Everything became still.
The blood raining from the sky and the striking lightning all vanished as if they had been a lie.
“Phew…….”
With deep sighs, all three agents collapsed onto the ground.
I managed to open my mouth.
“…That being.”
“Ah, the master of Seoraksan Daecheongbong, Tiger General King Bodhisattva… it’s a bit complicated, but you can think of it like that. That’s what he wants to be called.”
Ah.
At that moment, I realized what kind of ghost story his true identity was.
[Tiger General of Daecheongbong]
A tiger ghost story derived from [White Tiger Great Killing], which signifies a great misfortune and a celestial clash that brings disaster in one’s destiny (Saju).
However, the Supernatural Disaster Management Bureau discovered a way to make this ghost story devour misfortune or ill luck, noting that this particular 'Sal' (killing energy) can actually act advantageously when one is engaged in work related to blades, blood, or punishment.
Refer here for more detailed [Exploration Records].
And that meant….
First of all, one must carry the sacrifice entirely on their own strength and climb to Daecheongbong on Seoraksan.
Agent Choi had done that.
“…….”
I struggled to avoid asking about that and painfully changed the subject.
“…According to Agent Bronze, it didn’t seem like a supernatural phenomenon that was friendly to humans.”
“Ah, that.”
Agent Choi shrugged his shoulders.
“To be precise… he’s just disinterested. If you sincerely prepare and offer the Royal Feast Table, he’ll listen when he’s in a good mood.”
“The problem is that he’ll even accept a human on that Royal Feast Table!”
Fire sparked in Agent Bronze’s eyes. Agent Choi grinned.
“Hey, the Bureau is coaxing and soothing him just fine. He’s living a vegan lifestyle.”
And in the next moment, Agent Choi’s eyes immediately turned back to me.
“Wait, this isn't the time for such talk.”
Specifically, at the back of my hand, which had been washed clean by the blood.
Though he tried to hide it, a slight tension lingered in his eyes.
“It’s gone… right?”
“…….”
Agent Bronze’s eyes also moved toward the back of my hand.
Since they had seen what happened earlier, they could easily guess that the being dwelling in the Assistant Manager’s body had placed some foul curse or misfortune on the back of my hand.
“Agent Grapes, what on earth…….”
“We’ll talk in detail once we’re back. First, let’s just confirm. …Grapes-ie. Say anything.”
I hesitated before opening my mouth.
“…I am a roe deer.”
“……!”
I could do it.
Without any resistance.
It worked.
“It worked!”
The binding restriction was broken.
‘My god.’
I looked down at the back of my hand with dazed eyes.
And right on time, the sound of a bicycle bell began to ring from outside the village.
“The Jujak Team is here.”
Like a signal of the conclusion.
“This Jisan Village… still has many suspicious corners. They’ll start a full-scale search from now on. They’ll look for people too. The well, as well.”
Agent Choi, who lightly tapped the side of the well site, spoke in a cheerful tone.
“Other peculiarities might pop up, but not right away. Let’s head back for today.”
“…Yes.”
A strange sense of relief spread from my chest.
Yes. Now the binding restriction is broken.
Dying within a month is over too. I am free…….
…….
Wait a minute.
—What a pity. Soleum-nim.
“…Agent Grapes?”
I was mistaken.
I had been swept up in the moment and felt an absurd sense of relief. This was not the time to be happy or lighthearted at all.
I needed to cool my blood.
‘I’m fucked.’
I couldn't afford to fall out with Director Ho here.
Dying in a month because I failed the mission? That’s a big problem, but more important than that is successfully completing the mission and getting the Wish Ticket.
But isn't this too clear a betrayal? To carry out Director Ho’s mission, this can’t be…….
Wait.
I turned back to Agent Choi.
Was even this… my complete fallout with Director Ho, what he was aiming for?
“…….”
“Grapes-ie.”
Agent Choi didn't meet my gaze.
Instead, with that same smiling face, he took out his Executioner's Sword and checked the blade.
As he spoke.
“But… on the way back. According to Disaster Management Bureau procedure, there’s a place Grapes has to go.”
“…Pardon?”
The Executioner's Sword spun smoothly once in the agent’s hand.
“You were under a binding restriction that the Disaster Management Bureau didn't know about.”
“……!”
“Since an agent was under some strange binding restriction, we have to properly investigate how it happened. That’s procedure. Safely, …in the Containment Zone.”
What he was holding along with the Executioner's Sword was revealed to my sight.
A small glass bead.
“Let’s go in.”
The same thing I had seen a few days ago.
A Glass Prison Portable Containment Unit.
No.
“Wait….”
Tap.
“……!!”
Before I could even finish my sentence, numerous hands sprouted from the void created by Agent Choi’s bead and grabbed me.
“Agent….”
“Shh.”
Because of the sudden situation, there wasn't even anything to grab onto and hold out, so I was quickly restrained.
“If you’re cooperative with the interrogation process, you’ll be out in no time. Don’t worry.”
I grit my teeth and looked at him.
Agent Choi blocked Agent Bronze, who was about to rush over in surprise, with his Executioner's Sword.
“We took a bit of a detour, but it’ll be fine.”
“Agent Choi, what is the meaning of this….”
“Just a moment.”
Agent Choi looked back at me and said quietly.
“Get some rest. …Grapes-ie.”
I was sucked into the void.
And just like that, I was transported to the Glass Prison.
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