Chapter 50: Star, The Jigwi (4)

“Sit in the lotus position,” Chang-Sun instructed, turning to Baek Gyeo-Ul.

“Do you mean you’re now…?” Gyeo-Ul began, his voice trembling.

“Yeah, I’m going to cure you right here,” Chang-Sun answered.

“…!” Gyeo-Ul clenched his fists.

Finally! Gyeo-Ul could finally escape from the curse that had tormented him for more than twenty years.

“The treatment will be over more quickly than you think, but there’s more of the half-spirit curse remaining than I initially expected. That means it’ll take a long time for you to calm the remnants, and you may even lose focus,” Chang-Sun warned him.

Gyeo-Ul listened quietly to Chang-Sun, silently paying close attention so as to not miss a word. To Gyeo-Ul, Chang-Sun, who had repeatedly displayed many miracles, was practically a Guardian.

“Still, don’t faint no matter what happens. This will be a very boring fight. Even if only an hour or two passes in the outside world, you’ll feel as if dozens of hours or several months have passed. That’s how hard and painful calming this frenzied energy will be,” Chang-Sun continued.

Gyeo-Ul remained silent.

“Although you might feel as if the process will never end, it will eventually, so don’t give up. The moment you think about giving up, the process of demonization will begin. You might already know this, but if that happens…” Chang-Sun trailed off.

“I’ll become a monster or a ghost,” Gyeo-Ul finished.

“That’s right,” Chang-Sun said with a nod.

Half-spirits were technically half-monsters. Despite their human exterior, half-spirits were filled with strange energy. They were born with an innate talent that could only be called a supernatural ability, but they had to live with a curse of proportional strength to that talent.

Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul were about to get rid of Gyeo-Ul’s half-monster side, a process that could never be easy. If Gyeo-Ul gave into his half-monster side, his human side would disappear, and the half-monster side would run wild, which meant he would start undergoing Demonization Syndrome.

Those who underwent that process were referred to with one name: ’demonic beings’.

“If I see even the slightest sign of you becoming a monster, I’ll eliminate you without any hesitation.,” Chang-Sun said, his eyes shining coldly.

Even if Gyeo-Ul was his old colleague’s son, Chang-Sun had no other choice, as he had no intention of letting a ‘ruined’ Xerxes loose on the world. Although Gyeo-Ul was unaware of it, the half-spirit curse that bound him was so powerful that it would be difficult to find another one on its level in the entire Saha World.

If Chang-Sun let Gyeo-Ul run amok, he could become a true disaster. Compared to a Jigwi, which was a rank four disaster, Gyeo-Ul could even be classified at a higher level, a ‘Grand Disaster’.

“Don’t worry,” Gyeo-Ul answered confidently, showing no signs of hesitation despite Chang-Sun’s fearsome warning. In fact, his eyes sparkled with determination, as if to say he would go through with the process no matter what.

After all, he had spent his whole life experiencing such awful things that he often felt dying would be a better option. He could not give up, even if he had to suffer a little.

Chang-Sun smiled faintly; it was as if he had seen traces of Xerxes in Gyeo-Ul. He reminisced, ‘Well, you may have acted like a quiet, forgettable person, but you were really stubborn, enough to leave others astonished.’

That was why Xerxes had always held his head high with a smile, even though he had been forced to endure the nightmare of wandering across hidden planes as a ‘shadow’, unwanted by anyone.

“Then let’s begin,” Chang-Sun thought. He pulled up his right sleeve, and the crest of the [Yuchang Sword] on the back of his hand shone with red light.

* * *

[The ‘Single Eon Fire’ covers your entire body!]

[The half-spirit curse is burning up.]

Whoosh!

As the treatment began, the Eon Fire coming from Chang-Sun’s fingertips instantly engulfed Gyeo-Ul. The fire reached deep within Gyeo-Ul, burning the half-spirit curse that saturated every part of his body again and again. During the process, Gyeo-Ul was overwhelmed with alternating waves of horrible pain and pleasant relief. As the half-spirit curse melted, it left behind a considerable amount of ghost energy that was absorbed into Gyeo-Ul’s mana, significantly increasing his Magic at a rapid pace.

While controlling the process, Gyeo-Ul never forgot Chang-Sun’s words.

‘Don’t faint.’

‘Don’t give up.’

Gyeo-Ul would seize the opportunity Chang-Sun had created for him, and…

“Where… am I?” he murmured, suddenly realizing that his surroundings had completely changed.

Just then, Gyeo-Ul had been meditating to cure his half-spirit curse, but now, he found himself in the midst of a snowfield, surrounded by nothing but white. The raging snowstorm swirling around him obscured his vision; he could only see a meter ahead of him, making it difficult to find a way forward. He could not see the sky, and all he could hear was the wind. No matter how much he focused his senses, the only sound that filled this world was that of the cold, howling wind.

The possibility of having suddenly been kidnapped crossed his mind.

‘No,’ Gyeo-Ul thought, shaking his head. He soon realized he was familiar with this world. ‘This is my subconscious world.’

The trauma that settled deep in his heart had created this world. Although he had always wanted to avoid recalling it, Gyeo-Ul’s memories of ‘that time’ were impossible to forget.

His earliest memory was of standing alone in the cruel, icy winter. At the time, he had not had any parents or friends by his side. However, he was unsure whether he had never had them to begin with, or if he had lost them in the past he could not remember.

If he had been an ordinary child, he would have frozen to death in that extremely cold winter, but Gyeo-Ul had survived. He had been unable to eat or drink anything, so he should have starved to death, but Gyeo-Ul had survived. He had marched through the snowfield no matter what, and eventually escaped it.

A rumor about a child who had been lost in a blizzard quickly spread among several remote mountain villages. Someone had taken him in and named him ‘Gyeo-Ul’ because he was found in winter. He had also received his surname Baek[1] from the white snow covering his hair.

Some would say—no, they had actually said that Gyeo-Ul was only alive right now because he had been rescued from a dangerous environment. However, Gyeo-Ul had always protested angrily when he heard that.

After all, Gyeo-Ul’s so-called parents had raised Gyeo-Ul only out of a temporary sense of pity. The person he once thought of as his father had left him at an orphanage one day, saying Gyeo-Ul disgusted him. The person he once thought of as his mother had abused him whenever she felt like it.

As people had always avoided him, Gyeo-Ul had been unable to finish school. To fill his hungry belly, he had needed to dig through trash. He had needed to use a wet box as a blanket because he had nowhere else to sleep. However, he had once been kicked by another homeless person while trying to sleep outside; another time, he had been beaten up by a group of homeless people due to his hideous appearance.

Was that existence truly good enough to be considered ‘living’? What hope for the future could he have? However, he could only continue to exist without a reason to live, because he had never been able to convince himself to end it.

Thus, he had asked himself multiple times. If he had just collapsed in the midst of the snowfield, the first place he remembered and where he had had been found… If he had allowed himself to disappear beneath the snow, instead of silently trudging forward… Would he have been able to avoid having those terrible memories?

Gyeo-Ul walked.

Step.

He could hear his footfalls landing on the snow.

Step.

The only marks visible across the empty snowfield were Gyeo-Ul’s deep footprints. They left a long line stretching into the distance, as if there were no one but him in this world.

Step.

Each time he took a step forward, a cold wind blew, sending a fine layer of snow flying through the air.

…

The world suddenly fell silent, because Gyeo-Ul stopped walking. His vacant-looking eyes regained their focus as he fixed his gaze on something in the distance. A vague human shadow that was shaped exactly like Gyeo-Ul stood amid the wind and snow.

『There you are.』

The shadow spoke in Gyeo-Ul’s voice. Strangely, it did not speak out loud; rather, its voice rang clearly in Gyeo-Ul’s mind.

『I found you.』

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The shadow seemed to be looking for Gyeo-Ul. As if to silently ask what it wanted, he simply stared back at the shadow. The shadow quickly seemed to realize what Gyeo-Ul was trying to say, and made an offer.

『The wind is cold, so come with me. We should leave before this blizzard becomes more severe.』

Gyeo-Ul wanted to ask why he should follow a stranger, but he could not do so for some reason. He just had a vague feeling that if he simply followed the shadow, he would no longer have to suffer, be cold, or feel lonely and sad; thus, he felt the shadow was worth listening to. It would be better to be with someone else than to remain alone.

‘I don’t want to be alone anymore,’ Gyeo-Ul thought, biting his lip.

Step…

Gyeo-Ul slowly walked forward again, approaching the shadow. The shadow reached out a hand and nodded as if to say Gyeo-Ul had done a good job.

『Yes, grab my hand.』

Gyeo-Ul began to follow the shadow’s instruction, as if he had fallen under a spell. If he simply grabbed that black hand, everything would come to an end and disappear like a mirage. He himself would also disappear, so he would have nothing to worry about. However…

‘Don’t faint.’

Gyeo-Ul heard someone’s voice. Although he had been sure that the only sounds he could hear were his footsteps and the loud snowstorm, those words had been engraved on his heart like a magic spell, and… they convinced him to open his eyes.

‘Don’t give up.’

The voice made Gyeo-Ul come to his senses. His blurry view cleared as his eyes regained their focus.

The shadow who had been watching him tilted its head and asked a question.

『What’s wrong?』

Looking back and forth between the shadow’s black hand and his own, Gyeo-Ul clenched his teeth.

Step!

As Gyeo-Ul turned back, his once weak footsteps were filled with vigor for the first time. He thought as he ran, ‘I don’t belong here.’

* * *

‘He’s passed the crisis,’ Chang-Sun thought.

He heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the Eon Fire that had been burning furiously slowly subside. Just then, he had seen Gyeo-Ul teetering on the brink of demonization as his half-spirit curse acted up. Chang-Sun had needed to stop himself from grabbing [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] from his waist.

If Gyeo-Ul had been demonized and become a demonic being… Chang-Sun was unsure whether he could win a fight against Gyeo-Ul with his current ability even if he used [Jigwi’s Phantom Body] to the fullest extent. That was how tenacious and powerful Gyeo-Ul’s half-spirit curse was.

‘Well, it’s completely natural for him to be like this, seeing as his father is Xerxes,’ Chang-Sun said with a nod.

Although Xerxes had almost no followers and was practically unknown in Heaven, his Divine Class was too high to be ignored. In fact, if only his Divine Class and Rank were considered, he would practically be unmatched.

Wherever there was light, there was also shadow, and that shadow was Xerxes. Even if nobody paid attention to or revered their shadow, everybody had one nonetheless.

As he had been born with the power of such a being, Gyeo-Ul’s half-spirit curse could never have been weak. Even after Chang-Sun finished curing Gyeo-Ul, he would likely need a considerable amount of time to properly integrate all its energy.

‘Of course, he’ll also gain such strong Divinity that he can aim for Exuviation and Transcendence,’ Chang-Sun thought.

At the very least, he felt that he had no need to worry any further, as Gyeo-Ul was stable enough for him to relax.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ smiles faintly as she notices your righteousness.]

Paying little heed to the message from Minerva, whose opinion of him was still excessively high, Chang-Sun organized his thoughts.

‘Then, shall I continue my search while Gyeo-Ul catches his breath?’ he decided, his eyes shining coldly.

He stood up and carved several Concealment Runes nearby.

[A Concealment Rune has been applied!]

…

[The Skill ‘Lesser Rune Engraving’ has reached its maximum level. A higher-level skill has been created.]

[The Skill ‘Intermediate Rune Engraving’ has been created!]

…

[The current area will be concealed from surveillance!]

Pzzzz―!

Space distorted, and a fog spread through the air, obscuring Gyeo-Ul’s figure. Eventually, even his presence seemed to disappear. Additionally, as the Jigwi had wreaked havoc in the area, no other monsters would come near.

In any event, Gyeo-Ul would need a lot of time to take care of his half-spirit curse. Thus, Chang-Sun planned to visit the research facility within the Dungeon that produced the [Dream Spheres]. He had already gotten its exact location from his interrogation.

‘If I’m lucky, I might be able to obtain that strange scroll that can borrow the power of a ,’ Chang-Sun thought, his eyes shining coldly.

‘But before I do that…’ he thought, looking in a certain direction while gripping [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. ‘I should get rid of that unnecessary tail.’

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has been activated!]

Whoosh!

Using Heoju’s bonus reward, Chang-Sun’s senses expanded to a wider area. Within that area, he detected the faint and furtive movements of someone who was escaping quickly.

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[You have located someone who is fleeing while using a Concealment Skill.]

Song Yoo-Jun, Executive Director Oh’s shadow whom Chang-Sun had failed to find until just then, was hurriedly trying to leave the mountain range.

1. ’Baek’ (白) means ‘white’. ☜

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