DTD 8

The timing was too perfect, of course, he knew. He couldn’t possibly have done something intentionally to prevent me from returning home, right…? No, it couldn’t be that. Even though I knew he wasn’t that kind of person, I couldn’t eliminate the nagging doubt in my mind.

As I stared at my phone in disbelief, a message appeared like he’d read my thoughts.

[Don’t misunderstand, I saw it on the morning news.]

What the hell? Did it even make the news? …Wait. So, he could have told me about the news this morning, but he deliberately waited until I saw it myself? Why didn’t he tell me beforehand? I started to type a bitter message but then deleted it. I was an idiot for leaving such a volatile spirit object at home in the first place; who else was there to blame but myself?

As I sighed heavily, my landlord approached me and spoke concernedly.

“How did it go? Do you need me to find a place for you to stay?”

“N-No. I think I can rent a room from someone I know.”

“Ah! Thank goodness. It seems you have a solid friend.”

He did seem like a solid friend—just a bit mischievous. So much for my wild dreams of commuting to work at an ark. The landlord said goodbye with a smile and promised to contact me when the repairs were complete. I sent a message to Simeon.

[I’ll come back.]

[Really?]

[Really.]

Another photo arrived. Simeon continued his chess game as he texted me, and the situation on the board was now very different. The black knight was about to check the white king. It looked like there were only two moves left.

[You’re that far ahead already?]

[Yeah. So hurry up and come.]

What difference would it make if I went? No matter how hard I stared at the chessboard in the photo, there didn’t seem to be a way to turn the game around. 

At that moment, Simeon sent a more meaningful text, laced with the expectation that I do something.

[You can beat me, can’t you?]

****

It took me more than half a day to reach the ark. When I entered the office, Simeon beckoned me to sit down with a laid-back gesture, and I wasn’t sure if he’d been waiting for me to arrive. I sat down, unable to resist the silent pressure to make the next move.

The chessboard looked like the picture I saw earlier. White had a slightly larger number of surviving pieces, but black’s king was under pressure. Still, it was too early to give up. I focused on saving the king with everything I had, and then, at one point, it happened.

“Oh no, I lost.”

It looked like Simeon had failed to avoid an obvious trap, instead crawling in and declaring defeat.

“…What’s wrong with you?”

“What?”

“You lost on purpose.”

Simeon tilted his head as if he didn’t know what I was talking about, which made me feel more frustrated than delighted at the victory. As I wondered why he’d purposely lost, Simeon gestured to the iron box on the table.

“So that’s all you brought from home?”

“Yep. This is all I need.”

Oh, right. I’d better return the damn thing before I forget.

Simeon chuckled at the sight of me quietly gritting my teeth and pulling out a red flower from the box.

“I didn’t realize you had <Firebird’s Breath> at home.”

“Well, it was a gift, after all.”

“That’s… surprising. I thought Mr. Hajae would’ve sold it straight to the auction.”

I know. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, so I sighed heavily and put <Firebird’s Breath> on the table.

“Anyway, you can have this back.”

“Yes, I’ll ask Justino to ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

Simeon stroked the red petals as if he were petting a young bird. Whether it was losing the game for some unknown reason, the warmth in his eyes as he looked at <Firebird’s Breath>, or his unusually bright complexion today, I realized that something was different about him.

“Did something good happen?”

“Why?”

“You look like you’re in a good mood.”

“Well, of course I am. You’re back by my side.”

“…I don’t think that’s the only reason.”

I shook my head firmly, and Simeon narrowed his eyes. The dark eyes that stared back at me instantly turned cold. I was worried that I’d said something wrong for a moment, but then Simeon spoke again his tone calm.

“Do you remember what I told you the other day when we had breakfast together? I mentioned that one of our spirit items had been shipped overseas. If everything worked out as planned, it was supposed to be brought back into the country.”

“Oh, that…! I guess it’s coming back here?”

“Yes. It’ll be here in a week.”

When I saw Simeon’s interest, I knew it was no ordinary spirit. I coyly asked him what it was but was met with silence. Today, though, I had a hunch he might answer, so I tried again.

“What’s the spirit object?”

“…Have you ever heard of the Four Tiger Sword?”

The Four Tiger Sword? I’d never heard of it. Shaking my head, Simeon walked over to his desk and explained.

“It’s a sword forged during the year, month, day, and hour corresponding to the tiger. Using the tiger’s energy, it could defend against chaos and evil. Of course, even though it’s a sword, it’s infused with shamanic spirit, so actual generals don’t use it.”

Back at the table, Simeon handed over a tablet. It contained pictures of the spirit object, similar to when we looked at the <Codex Gigas>.

The Four Tiger Sword. True to its name, the spirit object took the shape of a proper sword. The top of the hilt resembled a lotus flower before extending out into a sleek handle underneath. But one glance at the sword’s body revealed that it was no ordinary weapon. Along its silver blade was a mysterious pattern carved in rows, forming an astronomical map of the Big Dipper. It was as if a round night sky embroidered with constellations had been stretched vertically and melted onto the iron.

On top of that, the other side of the blade was inked densely with obscure Chinese characters.

[乾降精 坤援靈日月象 岡澶形 捐雷電運 玄坐推山惡玄斬貞]

The Chinese characters were kindly accompanied by a note underneath, but there was no way I could understand any of it.

“What does that mean?”

“It says,

[May the powers of Heaven and Earth inhabit this sword to cut down the wicked and….. ward off calamity.]

After hearing the explanation, I was even more puzzled. I thought Simeon was waiting for cursed spirits, so the fact that the sword was supposed to exorcise ghosts didn’t make sense.

“Do you really think it’s the final chapter of <Divine Comedy>?”

He nodded slightly, and I frowned inwardly.

The spirits hidden in the chapters of <Divine Comedy> are often associated with sin; <Blue Hope> alone was said to be a cursed diamond that had devoured countless lives. However, the Four Tiger Sword seemed different from the other spirits Simeon has collected, both in its origin and purpose.

“But this is not….”

“Not cursed?”

Simeon said with a thin smile.

“Of course, it’s no ordinary Four Tiger Sword that’s coming in.”

He swiped left on the screen, and another image appeared. It was similar in shape to the Four Tiger Sword, except that the spell inked on the blade in Chinese characters was cut off in the middle. The astronomical engravings on the back were also rusted and incomplete, making it look ominous.

“The Four Tiger Sword was made every year of the tiger, but if that year’s harvest was poor or the economy was struggling, they didn’t make the sword. That’s what happened the year ‘it’ was made. There was a sudden political coup during production, and they had to stop making it.”

It wasn’t my imagination. The inked Chinese characters in the photo were definitely incomplete.

“But someone stole the unfinished sword and fled.”

“Why would someone steal it?”

“I guess they thought they’d make money selling it, but none of the rich folk wanted to buy it.”

“I see…”

That was probably the same reason jewelers didn’t buy jewelry stolen from museums. The thief was probably afraid he’d become an accomplice. It turned out the sword was so rare that the state solely controlled its production. So, naturally, anyone who stole it would be executed immediately, and anyone who bought the stolen sword would also be considered a traitor.

“In the end, the sword ended up in the hands of a butcher.”

“A butcher? How did he get it?”

“The thief couldn’t sell it… and he was only going to get hunted down if he held onto it, so he sold it for cheap to feed himself. Sadly, the butcher didn’t even know what the sword was, but it looked expensive, so he bought it.”

The thief’s vicious nature was frightening, as he deliberately took advantage of someone’s ignorance. The butcher, who would’ve been delighted to get such a valuable item, didn’t know it was stolen and that he’d have his work cut out for him.

“The butcher, who knew nothing, showed off the Four Tiger Sword to the villagers, and amongst them, a man who’d once been a potter recognized it.”

“Did he report it to the government office?”

“No, he didn’t. He was worried it would create chaos for their small community… but word quickly got around in that little town.”

Simeon looked down at the rusted sword and muttered to himself.

“This is a cursed, unfinished sword that brought evil to the country. It was stolen and ended up falling into the hands of a lowly butcher… The sword was sure to bring disaster.”

His words, spoken in a cold voice that sounded more like a curse than a prophecy, sent chills down my spine.

“That’s when the drought started, and everyone blamed the butcher’s sword.”

“Was it really because of the sword?”

“No, it was a natural phenomenon, but I don’t think people knew that at the time.”

Nowadays, we know the scientific reasons for droughts, but back then, superstitions ran high, and people would even pray to bring about the rainy season. So, it wasn’t unreasonable then to blame the Four Tiger Sword and, by extension, the butcher, the sword’s wielder.

“Besides, blaming others is always convenient, right?”

Simeon said with a sneer.

“The villagers stormed his house to take the sword away from him, but he wouldn’t give it up easily, and eventually…”

There was a long silence, and my ominous sense of foreboding was spot on.

“They killed him. Along with his wife, his son, and his young daughter, who’d just turned a year old.”

The behavior that lacked any common sense stopped me in my tracks.

“If the sword was ominous, why didn’t they destroy it? Why did they kill innocent people… children, no less?”

“Well, the record says that ‘hatred spread like fire and scorched the village’.”

Just as dry branches caught fire quickly, so did the anger of those whose hearts had shriveled. Funnily enough, however, they didn’t burn themselves. They instead used the marginalized and weakest of their herd as firewood to fan the flames of their anger.

I’d seen it so many times that I’d hoped it would be different this time. But it wasn’t. I sighed heavily in frustration, and Simeon shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“What’s even more ridiculous is that they didn’t even end up destroying the sword.”

“They couldn’t… destroy it?”

“Yes. It seemed like the villagers feared that if they broke the ominous sword, its bad luck would be unleashed on them.

Were they more afraid of destroying a sword than killing someone? I was bewildered at the brilliant hypocrisy.

“So what did they do with the sword?”

“They buried it with the son’s body.”

My jaw dropped as the story went beyond my expectations.

“What? Why?”

“I think they were trying to infuse the energy of the Four Tiger Sword with the kid’s body.”

It was like a shield—no, it’s more like a sheath—to keep the vicious sword from going on a vengeful rampage. The villagers built a tomb for the butcher’s only son and threw the rest of his family to the wild beasts.

I couldn’t even manage a bitter smile at that. By now, it was easy to see why Simeon could’ve suspected the Four Tiger Sword as the spirit needed to complete the final chapter of <Divine Comedy>, but the tragedy didn’t end there.

“A few days after the family members were killed, it miraculously rained.”

In that sense, it seemed like the villagers who’d killed these innocent people got a free pass.

Without a hint of guilt, they could easily have argued that the family ‘needed to die.’ 

I had nothing more to say about the bittersweet ending. If I, someone who had no connection to the family, was upset by the story, I couldn’t have imagined how they would’ve felt. I suddenly remembered Countess Winston’s resentment, and <Blue Hope> came to mind.

“Then is that why the Four Tiger Sword became a spirit, out of resentment and a long-held grudge?”

“Sort of, but not entirely.”

Simeon shook his head slowly.

“It rained, but… It didn’t stop for days. The rain washed away the soil in the hills behind the village, trees were uprooted, people were busy pumping water out of their homes at night, and even the storehouses stockpiled with food were destroyed by the rain.”

Nevertheless, the townspeople attributed the torrential rains to their failure to destroy the sword, not their witch hunt. Weirdly, I almost admired them for their refusal to repent until the end.

“Then, one day, a woman went to the mountains behind the village and found a dead body.”

“Whose body was it?”

“The potter who’d started the ominous rumor in town. No one had seen him for a while, and then his dead body appeared.”

I thought he’d died because of the heavy rain. However, according to the woman’s testimony, the potter hadn’t drowned or been crushed by a landslide. The potter’s eyes were wide open as if he’d seen something horrifying; someone had sliced his body with what looked like a knife, and he was bleeding from all sorts of wounds.

The woman who’d found the body had described the scene in a voice filled with fear.

“The butcher’s son killed him.”

That was what she’d said.

“But didn’t you say the butcher’s son was dead? They were the ones who dragged him into the grave they dug.”

“Exactly. So, at first, the villagers dismissed her as crazy, but soon enough, when her body appeared at the entrance to the village, everyone had no choice but to believe.”

“…Why’s that?”

“She was dead, and her body looked exactly like how the potters had.”

A series of deaths, two bodies similarly mutilated and murdered with a sword. I felt a chill down my spine as the clues all pointed to the same thing. Perhaps the townspeople at the time thought the same thing I was thinking now.

“The restless people went straight to the back pass, but the long heavy rains had dug up his grave, and there was no sign of him… the body was missing. There was nothing left.”

“S-So?”

“That was it.”

My mouth dropped open at the hollow ending. Simeon’s reluctance was evident on his face as he continued once more.

“After that, everyone in the village died.”

…What? I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“There was speculation that it was a landslide or a flood… But as time went on and new evidence was discovered, it turned out that their bodies showed no sign of suffocation or drowning.”

A wicked grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Instead, there were only stab wounds and cuts.”

Naturally, none of the scholars believed that the dead came back to life to take revenge. In those days, bandits often raided villages, so many thought that the tragedy could’ve been from looting and pillaging after widespread starvation from the droughts and floods.

However, in the past, people gave more weight to rumors and local legends, eventually leading to the birth of the spirit object.

“So the awakened spirit isn’t the Four Tiger Sword that chased away disaster, but the <Bloodletting Sword> that summoned evil spirits.”

An auspicious treasure quickly became something more sinister. It had devoured at least dozens of lives. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of power it possessed.

“Its abilities must be amazing.”

“Of course, it’s one of the few S-class spirits in existence.”

Simeon spoke, eyeing <Bloodletting Sword> on the screen.

“<Bloodletting Sword> significantly enhances the wielder’s physical abilities; their swordsmanship, especially, becomes unrivaled. I’ve heard that it can rival an S-class hunter’s abilities, so most people who’ve previously wielded the <Bloodletting Sword> have been active hunters.”

“If it’s that valuable, I don’t think the owner would want to give it up.”

“That’s right. That’s why I waited… until the previous owner died.”

Simeon was kind enough to explain. If the owner died unexpectedly and left no will, the artifact was returned to the country of origin to avoid any possible disputes between countries over ownership.

“Does that mean the Hunter’s Association owns it?”

“Technically, it’s in storage since you need specific qualifications to own <Bloodletting Sword>.

“What kind of qualifications?”

Until now, no artifact had ever required prior qualifications. It was either given as a gift, like <Firebird’s Breath> or auctioned off, like <Blue Hope>. Or even acquired in exchange for something else, as Enoch experienced with <Fine Pattern Mirror> after he granted its owner’s wish. But <Bloodletting Sword> was different.

“A powerful spirit is like a ferocious beast. It might seem calm, but you never know when it’ll go on a rampage.”

“I’ve also heard that sometimes if a spirit’s power is too great, its gate may never open again.”

“Yes. <Bloodletting Sword> has opened rifts many times in the past, but it isn’t like other spirits.”

Simeon tapped the screen of his tablet as he spoke.

“<Bloodletting Sword> only grants its powers to those who enter its rift and come out alive.”

It was an unexpected condition. It was as if the spirit was testing you to see if you were worthy of being its master. It seemed like a wild beast that was difficult to tame. Based on that, I couldn’t help but wonder how <Bloodletting Sword> would act in the presence of its owner.

“And the rift won’t open while the current owner is still alive?”

“That’s right. No exceptions.”

Should I call him unruly or picky? Being the master of an S-class creature seemed like hard work.

“So when the rift opens, the potential owner would somehow have to be the first one in.”

If someone else enters <Bloodletting Sword>‘s rift first and returns alive, ownership passes to them, whether you like it or not. Alternatively, if you rush into the rift and fail the test, you remain in the rift… Your body will eventually decompose and become a part of the blade.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the previous owner died suddenly in an accident. As a result, <Bloodletting Sword> was now nothing more than a piece of iron that no one could use. And the struggle to acquire it would begin as soon as the next crack opened.

It could be an unknown awakened person, maybe one of the apostles, or… perhaps the man in front of me. 

“I am convinced that <Bloodletting Sword> is the spirit that will complete the final chapter of <Divine Comedy>, Anger.”

Simeon wanted to be the new owner of the sword of disaster.

“So if the spirit comes into the country, can you take a peek at its abilities, Mr Hajae?”

I stared at the sword on the screen in a daze and then realized that I was angry.

“Me? Look at <Bloodletting Sword>?”

“Yes. I’ve already asked the association to cooperate with us.”

Simeon added, unable to resist.

“You can’t do it?”

“Uh, no. That’s not it…”

It was easy to use my ability anyway, as all I had to do was look at it to see if a part of <Divine Comedy> was hidden inside. It shouldn’t be too hard to tell since I’d be able to see the awakening conditions just like <Blue Hope>. I was just worried about how he’d react if the results weren’t what he expected.

“What if the sword doesn’t have <Divine Comedy> hiding in it?”

Simeon glanced at me to gauge my expression, but I stayed nonchalant.

“We’d have no choice but to look for another spirit.”

“You’re not thinking of getting <Bloodletting Sword>?

“Why?”

Inwardly, I was relieved that he didn’t seem to mind. His nonchalant demeanor was understandable. He’d been collecting spirits for a long time, and he’d surely had his expectations defied time and time again on full moon nights.

“Then I’ll ask you again next week when <Bloodletting Sword> comes in.”

As I stood up to leave, a disturbing thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Surely it’s not going to dissipate before I can take a look at it…?”

In order to use the ability, the spirit object must be tangible. But when the gate bursts open, the real thing disappears, so we’d have to close the rift first. I wish he would’ve immediately told me it was a useless worry but Simeon was already rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he muttered. 

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since it stepped foot on its home soil, the land it resented so much… so I don’t know how it’ll behave.”

Simeon’s thoughtful voice didn’t dispel my sense of foreboding but only intensified it.

The story of <Bloodletting Sword> was all over the news that week. Some people rejoiced at the news of the S-class object’s return to Korea, while others protested against the arrival of such an ominous thing. In the end, the international agreement won over and the sword who’d lost its owner was returned home. 

Early morning. The airplane carrying <Bloodletting Sword> was broadcasted live on multiple media platforms as it entered the airport. <Bloodletting Sword> received even more attention than any foreign leaders coming to Korea. As soon as I woke up, I, too, turned on the live stream on my cell phone and watched the arrival of <Bloodletting Sword>.

Contrary to a lot of people’s concerns, the plane landed safely on the runway. A cargo truck approached, and dozens of employees from the Hunter’s Association worked in unison to unload <Bloodletting Sword>. And finally, the iron crate containing the sword touched down on its home soil.

“What… is that?”

The space around the box seemed to become strangely distorted. At first, I thought it was just a picture quality issue, but suddenly, many of the employees motioned for their colleagues to step back. 

You could feel the urgent tension, even beyond the screen.

And in just 10 seconds, it happened.

“Oh, this is crazy…”

As if gravity was exerting its will on the object, the solid iron box bent and rapidly transformed into a black dot the size of a fingernail. Soon, everything in the vicinity began to be sucked into the small opening, including the ladder and the truck.

Finally, after swallowing the airplane, the dot contracted slightly before exploding with violent force. The noisy broadcast screen faded in and out as the airwaves were affected. When the screen returned a few moments later, it revealed the claw marks of a beast that had torn through space and time.

A crack so large that the camera couldn’t capture it all had opened up on the screen.

The broadcast was cut short. I immediately started searching the Internet to find out exactly what happened, but baseless conclusions and conspiracy theories were already flying. Public discourse was intense, citing that <Bloodletting Sword> had killed all of the Association’s employees and that a disaster was about to befall the country.

In the end, I went to the most trusted source.

“Simeon!”

In my haste, I forgot to knock and simply barged straight into the office. Simeon was on the phone with someone, looking serious as if he’d seen it live. He glanced over at me and gestured for me to sit down.

It wasn’t until his call ended that I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Sorry to barge in on you, but… were there really casualties?”

“Uh, no. No fatalities, thankfully, though I think there are a few seriously injured.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my heart refused to stop pounding. I’d seen rifts before, but I’d never seen them in such detail before. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt a sense of dread as if we were facing a cosmic entity.

I instinctively clasped my trembling hands together and took a slow breath. Simeon, sensing my nervousness, served me a cup of hot tea without a word. That helped me calm down enough to ask him about his plans for the future.

“Then… are you going to the rift?”

“Well… even though I plan on going, it’s probably going to take some time.”

Since The Apostles were talented hunters who usually took the lead in closing the gate, I wasn’t sure why this time was different. As I tilted my head, Simeon leisurely sipped his tea and opened his mouth to explain. 

“Outside of cases like <Blue Hope>, where the owner specifically requests a and designates a guild to that rift, most gate management is done by The Hunter’s Association. The Association determines the time and order that each guild can enter the rift.”

If multiple guilds entered the rift at the same time to subdue the spirit, it could become difficult to determine who should get the credit. Since that was also closely tied to the ownership of the spirit, it was the association organized the order to prevent disputes from happening in the first place.

“Guilds who are friendly with the association will probably be given priority for <Bloodletting Sword>. We’re ranked last.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have a great relationship with them.”

His smirk turned sarcastic. 

“And I told you, didn’t I? I don’t want <Bloodletting Sword>. When I used to have to view them under the full moon,  I had no choice but to get my hands on every spirit I suspected, but now I have your eyes.”

His black eyes gently turned toward me.

“So there’s no need to be impatient, and if another hunter can handle the rift, we’re good.”

Simeon said we could just sit back and wait.

However, a few days later, something unexpected happened. The Hunter’s Association gave The Apostles priority to enter <Bloodletting Sword>‘s rift before other guilds. The Apostles held a late-night meeting over the unknown decision.

I asked if I could join the meeting, and Simeon agreed. I expected the atmosphere to be similar to when we prepared for <Blue Hope>, but S-class spirits were different. The conference room I found myself in for the first time was different in scale. There was a huge oval table with a hole in the center, with a 3D projected image of <Bloodletting Sword> floating in the air. It seemed that technology was also the work of Midas.

I had just stepped into the conference room and was already feeling overwhelmed and lost when I heard a familiar voice call to me.

“It’s been a while. Mr. Hajae.”

I bowed politely to Shinhwan, who smiled thinly.

“Oh, hello.”

I took a quick look around. To my surprise, all the apostles I’d ever met were there. Enoch waved at me enthusiastically when our eyes met, and Yulia nodded her head wordlessly. When we finished greeting each other, Raphael, who happened to be sitting near me, pulled up a chair next to him and gestured for me to sit down.

“Have a seat here, hyung.”

“Thank you.”

So we gathered – Yulia, Enoch, Raphael, Justino, and me. After a few moments of awkward greetings and silence, the door opened, and Simeon entered.

“I apologize for calling you all so late, but as you may’ve heard, I have some exciting news.”

As soon as Simeon took his seat, Yulia spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“The Association is so anxious, they can’t leave us alone.”

Tsk. 

She clicked her tongue, and Justino, next to her, politely commented.

“The way we were collecting spirit objects, it probably looked like we were trying to monopolize them.”

“Why is that selfish? We’re working hard and doing a good job.”

Yulia frowned and shook her head as if she didn’t understand at all. Justino laughed at her exasperated face until she had nothing more to say. Enoch, who had been watching their conversation, turned to Simeon.

“So are you going, On-ah?”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t.”

Simeon looked at <Bloodletting Sword>; floating in the center of the table and cut straight to what he wanted to say.

“To close the rift in <Bloodletting Sword>, we have to complete the ritual within a set two-hour timeframe.”

“What exactly’s the time frame?”

Enoch answered my question.

“It’s from 3 to 5 in the morning.”

You’re allowed a total of 72 hours in the rift, so we’d have three chances. Three chances seemed pretty generous, but it’s too soon to tell since we don’t know what this “ritual” involves, so we needed to stay vigilant.

“As you can see, since the production of <Bloodletting Sword> was interrupted, only half of the inscriptions are visible.”

Simeon tapped the table, and another 3D image appeared: a similarly shaped Four Tiger Sword, the same size as the Blood Sword. As Simeon had said, the Four Tiger Sword had a total of 24 Chinese characters engraved on it, whereas the incomplete one had only 12.

“So, find <Bloodletting Sword> in the rift, recite the uninscribed incantation, and the ritual is over.”

“Simpler than expected.”

“Yes, but the problem is getting our hands on <Bloodletting Sword>.”

He knocked on the table again, and this time, an old painting appeared, the kind of painting you’d see in museums. It was of a hulking, goblin-like man wearing a four-eyed mask, a black collar, and a red fluttering coat.

The more you looked at it, the creepier it became. The four carved eyes are vacant, the waist-length hair extends in all directions like a lion’s mane, and the figure is in a bizarre pose with its left leg raised as if dancing. Add to that the rough brushstrokes, and the figure seems to come alive.

Simeon paused for a moment, then spoke with a serious expression.

“It’s called a Bangsangsi, and it’s said that during rituals to exorcise demons, they wear a Bangsangsi mask and a red robe like that picture.”

“Why is that suddenly…?”

“It’s also what the son buried with <Bloodletting Sword> was wearing.”

A nervous sigh escaped me.

At the time, the villagers buried the body of the butcher’s son to sheath the incomplete <Bloodletting Sword>. As if that weren’t enough, they dressed him in the clothes of a demon hunter instead of a normal shirt to create the perfect sword sheath.

As I shuddered at the villagers’ ferocity, I suddenly had an ominous premonition.

“Are we really supposed to take <Bloodletting Sword> from someone who looks like that?”

Simeon nodded wordlessly. His eyes seemed to glaze over as he realized the many hardships that lay ahead.

A spirit object possesses abilities related to its origin. Since the owner of <Bloodletting Sword>; would have superior physical abilities and swordsmanship, that meant that the butcher’s son too, would be a tremendously skilled swordsman. Additionally, <Bloodletting Sword>‘s power would have accumulated even more over the decades since awakening as a spirit.

“…It’s not going to be easy.”

To complete the ritual, you must first take the sword from him. The mission sounded simple enough, but a giant gateway worthy of an S-class spirit object awaited them.

“Even if you don’t complete the ritual, there’s still a way to pass <Bloodletting Sword>‘s test.”

For a moment, I was hopeful, but then I doubted my ears at Simeon’s next words.

“If you sacrifice four lives.”

“Sacrifice… four live?”

“A long time ago, five hunters entered the rift, and four of them were killed by <Bloodletting Sword>. It’s said that the butcher’s son didn’t kill the last one but gave him the sword instead. Of course, that hunter wasn’t able to use <Bloodletting Sword> when he returned to reality due to the guilt he felt.”

Of course, it was four lives. It seemed like the butcher’s son was reenacting the tragedy of his own family, who were unjustly killed. In any case, even if he was a difficult opponent, there was no way they’d use the second method. The anecdote about the deaths of four hunters that led to the acquisition of <Bloodletting Sword> was just an unintentional coincidence.

“I couldn’t use that method without going insane.”

“There’s nothing it can’t be used for. I actually knew someone who intentionally sacrificed four people to get the sword.”

There are more crazy people in the world than I thought. Did <Bloodletting Sword> recognize someone who wanted to gain power that badly for its master? …No, maybe the son was just that kind of person, and that’s why it made him his master. It’s a sword born of madness, so it would always be drawn to madness.

Simeon, who’d been lost in thought as he stared at the sword, suddenly spoke up.

“I think that’s why they gave our guild priority.”

“…What? Are you asking us to become sacrifices?”

Simeon laughed quietly, neither denying nor affirming. Then Yulia snorted and answered as if she’d been waiting for that.

“Then I guess that could be good or bad… right? I just hope they don’t intervene and steal it from us like they did before.”

I feel like I was starting to understand why Yulia’s temper flared up every time the association was mentioned. Simeon tapped on the table once more, and the image of <Bloodletting Sword>; and the painting of the Bangsangsi vanished into thin air.

“It’s going to be tough, but they gave the job to us, and we’re going to get that sword.”

It was Yulia, Enoch, and Raphael who Simeon asked to enter the rift with them. They nodded readily, even though their lives were at stake. Afterward, he asked Justino to take care of the gate. It was as if he was hoping for a barrier, like the one they’d used during <Blue Hope>.

“Then the exact date will be announced later…”

Thinking the meeting would end at this point, I interrupted.

“Hey.”

As soon as I spoke, all eyes turned to me. I felt like I was muddying the water, but I didn’t want to stand still, especially since I’d offered to help with their future plans.

“Let me join you in <Bloodletting Sword>‘s rift.”

Simeon’s face visibly stiffened as soon as I finished speaking. In the past, I was pretty sure we’d discussed using me like this before, but now Simeon seemed to be having second thoughts about using me as a shield. At this rate, I was sure he’d reject the idea, so I took my chances and continued speaking.

“Simeon, you have to close your eyes when you use your abilities, right? You know better than I do how defenseless and dangerous that can be. ….It was the same inside <Blue Hope>‘s rift.”

The corners of Simeon’s eyes twitched at the mention of <Blue Hope>. Seeing his oddly contorted face, he seemed to be recalling that moment. It hadn’t been a pleasant memory, so although I didn’t want to bring it up again, I had no choice if I wanted to convince Simeon.

“So… I’ll be your shield again this time.”

The black eyes that stared down at me were filled with mixed emotions. Deeply troubled, Simeon could neither say yes nor no. As the silence stretched on and on, Yulia snuck a glance at Simeon and spoke.

“I don’t see any reason to refuse, Boss. And if you’re safe, I’m sure I’ll be able to fight.”

Simeon’s brow furrowed slightly, puzzled as to why.

“Yulia, have you been too busy worrying about me to fight?”

“Oh my, you didn’t know?”

Yulia covered her mouth with her hand and giggled.

“Of course we should care, chess is a game where you lose if your king falls.”

Simeon rolled his eyes silently as if unexpectedly realizing how true that was. Enoch, who had been watching the situation in silence, also spoke up.

“I think it’s a good idea. I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to protect you like Hajae.”

Simeon’s brow furrowed even deeper at Enoch’s agreement. His dark eyes, which had been lingering on the table in thought for some time, turned to me once more, their resolute gaze finally coming to a conclusion.

“Okay.”

“……!”

“But rather than my shield, be my eyes.”

**** 

The date to enter the gate was sooner than expected. It’d been four days since we convened in the meeting room. Even though it’d only been a few days, we made the most of it. I learned self-defense and the location of vital points on the body from Yulia, and I learned first aid from Raphael. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be much help in an emergency, but I heeded Enoch’s advice that you never know what could happen and when you might need those skills.

So that day, we arrived at the airport where the crack had been opened. 

This airport wasn’t a particularly busy one usually, but since it was temporarily closed after the gate incident, there were very few people inside. It looked like a scene from an apocalyptic movie, with only a few stranded airplanes on the vast runway.

The finishing touch on the apocalyptic landscape was the crack. True to its reputation as an S-class spirit item, the rift that warped space and time was enormous in size and strength. The closer I got to it, the more I felt a shiver run down my spine from the chill it emitted.

“Please open the rift.”

Simeon said once we were out of sight of the association. 

Then, in front of the rift, Shinhwan’s solo began. What came out with the blue smoke was a piece of music that even I, who had no knowledge of music, knew. The Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem. Although it was meant to be a conclusion, I gradually relaxed as I listened to the melancholy melody.

When he finished playing, a blue haze had enveloped their surroundings, making it difficult to see beyond the strings.

“Then I’ll pray that you have a safe trip.”

We stepped through the gate, escorted by Shinhwan. As if under anesthesia, feeling slowly faded from my fingertips. My surroundings rapidly started going dark, and just as I couldn’t remember what my body was actually like, I heard the sound of rain pouring relentlessly in the distance.

One by one, my senses returned. The smell of rain-soaked earth passed strongly through my nostrils, and a chill seeped through my layers of clothing. I opened my eyes and saw the town, foggy, cloudy, and being pelted by countless raindrops.

“This is….”

No matter where you looked, you couldn’t see any tall buildings, just thatched huts. Instead of asphalt, there were puddles of rain on the dirt streets, and torches were placed under the eaves instead of streetlights. It felt like I was on a well-made set, and I couldn’t help but gaze at the scenery in awe.

Then I heard a voice from behind me.

“Clock.”

I immediately pressed the button on my watch. It was only when the timer started to count down from the 72-hour mark that I noticed it. Looking down, I saw my attire had completely changed. The wide-armed white robe I wore reached down to my ankles and looked like garments I’d only seen in textbooks. The feeling of my hair being pulled up inside the cloak and covered by a hood was uncomfortable. 

But apparently, I was the only one who felt awkward.

“Is everyone okay? Does anyone feel dizzy or nauseous?”

“Yep. We’re good. More importantly, it looks like it’s a little after midnight, according to our data.”

“That’s right. There’s still time before our two-hour window begins.”

Between Raphael, who familiarly checked the condition of his companions, to Enoch and Yulia, who were quickly recapping the plan, all of them who’d entered the crack were now dressed in clothes that looked like something out of a historical drama. Yet, they blended in like they’d been here for ages.

Enoch wore a green robe that matched his eyes, Raphael wore a light blue that suited his boyish looks, and Yulia had a mysterious air about her thanks to the purple headdress over her head, typical of women’s attire at that time. 

Among them all, Simeon stood out the most.

“We’ll split up and investigate like we planned. If we find anything, we’ll meet back here.”

Even though the hat was awkward, it looked great on his slender face. The dark navy blue coloring and the red tasseled sash made him look as refined and handsome as any nobleman’s son. I stared at him for a moment, forgetting my place, and then our eyes met. I nodded hesitantly.

“Ah, yes, yes. Let’s go.”

It was a shame we were so preoccupied with this mission that I couldn’t take a longer look at him. 

We split into three teams centered around combat level, just in case. Enoch and Raphael, Simeon and myself, and Yulia, who decided she felt more comfortable on her own. We agreed to spend two hours scouring the town and then meet back up before our two-hour window started.

Simeon and I wandered through the streets in the rain, but we never saw another person, let alone any other signs of life. It was past midnight, and the rain was pouring down, so it was unlikely anyone would be out.

At that moment, a ramshackle gate opened in the distance, and a gray-haired old man shuffled out at a slow pace. Urgently, I called out to him. 

“Excuse me, sir!”

Fortunately, the old man heard our voices and froze in place. His shoulders tensed at the sight of us as he glanced warily in our direction. As we approached, he clasped his hands together politely and ruffled his hair, looking nervous.

“What happens to precious people in a village like this…?”

“May I ask you something?”

“Yes, yes.”

The desperate, averted eye contact made me feel a little uneasy, so I tried my best to sound casual. 

“How long have you lived here?”

“I have lived here since I was born.”

“Then, by any chance… does a man named ‘Muswi’ live in this town?”

The old man’s head snapped up as soon as he heard the name. The man who’d seemed apologetic at the mere sight of us stared at us with wide, bloodshot eyes. His parched lips trembled like withered aspens, and his complexion became dull. The old man stroked his skinny hand across his protruding cheekbones.

“I-I do not know anyone by that name.”

The old man then ran into the house without a chance to catch him. Judging from his shriveled form, it would be useless to try and question him at the gate. I sheltered from the rain under a tree for a while, wiping my damp face with my sleeve.

“It’s like they never existed.”

“They’re afraid of getting involved.”

Simeon was nonchalant, as if he expected this reaction.

It’s been two hours already. I kept walking around, but I didn’t meet anyone except the old man. I gave up looking for clues in the village and thought about going to the back mountains where the butcher’s son was buried. But not only did I not know where the grave was, but it was too dangerous to go up the mountain in bad weather and without knowing the way. I could only hope that others had found something.

“Let’s just get back to the meeting place.”

I started walking back to the place we first arrived at when I noticed a figure crouched under the fence. It was so dwarfed that, at first glance, I almost mistook it for a small jar. I peered through the pouring rain and realized it was a child. His tattered pants were black from knee to hem, as if he’d fallen in the mud.

Simeon grabbed my wrist just as I was about to reach out to my worried heart.

“Why?”

Simeon gestured silently to the floor. The shadows cast by the torches under the eaves flickered, but only at the child’s feet were there any shadows. I turned around, frowning, and Simeon nodded wordlessly as if he already knew what I was going to ask.

Is this really the butcher’s son? If so, there was no need to hesitate. I took a step forward, but Simeon grabbed my arm again, stopping me.

“It could be a trap.”

“Or it could be a clue.”

An hour had almost passed. At this rate, we’ll find nothing and miss our chance.

“Besides, isn’t it good if it’s a trap since he’s at least here in front of us?”

Simeon hesitated for a moment, then let go of my wrist with a word of caution.

Breathlessly, I approached the child. 

Tap, tap, tap—.

I could hear my footsteps in the puddles, but the child didn’t move, so I got down on one knee in front of the fence. Up close, the child’s condition was even worse. His clothes were tattered in places, and his straw shoes were torn and poking his tiny feet. On his face, I could see a string tied behind his head.

The strangest thing was that the boy didn’t seem to have any life in him.

“Are you okay?”

His slumped shoulders twitched as I spoke, but he didn’t answer.

“Where are your parents?”

Fortunately, this time, there was a response. He shook his head slowly, and I spoke once more.

“Where’s your home?”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence.

….What? If he was going to attack in the first place, he had a chance. But the kid didn’t seem to have any intentions of killing me. He didn’t run away, not even when I asked him questions. I wondered if he was just wary of strangers like any other child, so I approached him again.

“I’m worried about you. I can take you home.”

“I do not wish to go home….”

The child crawled away, whimpering.

“Nobody is there anyway.”

“What about the other adults, won’t they be worried about you?”

“All the people in town hate me.”

“…Why?”

Another silence descended. Just as I was wondering if I had asked the wrong question, he slowly raised his head.

“It is in my blood.”

Beneath the half-mask, the wood grain still intact, I could see wary eyes. Small, crudely pierced eye sockets with a knife, their gaze intense. But not scary. The eyes, darker than the night sky with the rain pouring down, somehow resembled someone.

“That’s a nice mask.”

His dark eyes wavered slightly as if he was shaken. I spoke with a soft smile, hoping he would listen to me now.

“Well… Do you want to go inside somewhere? You’ll catch a cold out here.”

The child stared at me, neither affirming nor denying. His cheeks were damp with drops of water and dirt I wasn’t sure were rain or tears. I felt compelled to wipe his face with the sleeve of my shirt, but he swatted my hand away.

“Sorry. You have dirt on my face.”

“…Your clothes will get dirty, My Lord.”

It wasn’t my touch, but my clothes. They were so similar, weren’t they? I couldn’t help but smile at the memories of those days.

“But your face will be clean.”

I wrinkled my nose and laughed mischievously, and he just stared at me wordlessly. Taking advantage of his momentary stupor, I pulled down my sleeve and wiped the dirt from his face. Luckily, he didn’t shy away from my touch. His wariness of me seemed to have eased a bit.

But only for a moment, as I saw him glance over my shoulder and stiffen. I turned my head to follow his startled gaze and saw a black silhouette behind me. Simeon, standing there in the rain, staring impassively at me, looked like the Grim Reaper. The child was terrified and hid in my arms. Simeon’s expression only grew more terrifying as I continued to stare at him.

“W-Who is that?”

“Just my coworker. No, my friend, rather.”

“…Friend?”

I thought he was afraid of Simeon because he was still so close to me, but the eyes beneath the mask were nothing like I expected. They looked like those of a wild beast lurking in the bushes, waiting for an opportunity. Does he instinctively feel threatened by Simeon, unlike me, who had no ability to subdue him?

“It’s okay. He’s not a bad person, and you can treat him like an older brother.”

“Really…?”

“Sure! Feel free to call him that.”

The child quickly calmed down and nodded.

It doesn’t matter if what he was showing me now was an act or not. The important thing was that he had no intention of killing me. Maybe this kid could help me figure out where the sword was. If I could just keep my guard up a little longer…..

“What’s your name?”

The child was about to answer when he suddenly jerked his head away. His fierce eyes peered into the alley. He’d realized that three of the apostles were hiding there. Simeon, who knew immediately, motioned with his hand below his waist for them not to approach.

I spoke quickly, not wanting him to mistake it for an ambush.

“Oh, those are also our….”

“You seem to have a lot of friends.”

The chill in his voice raised the hairs on the back of my neck. Before I knew it, he was right up to my nose, staring me in the eye. His black eyes flashed eerily through the tiny slits in his mask.

“Hyung. It doesn’t matter what my name is.”

The corners of his mouth curled upward, and Simeon grabbed my shoulder and yanked me backward, swinging his arm toward him, but he was gone in the blink of an eye. As I looked around, not knowing where he’d gone, I heard a voice overhead.

“More than that, you wanna know where the sword is, don’t you?”

I looked up and there he was, standing on top of a high fence. He was looking down at me with his back straight and his pack on his back. He was so imposing that I couldn’t recognize him as the same person who was huddled in the cold.

The child lifted his chin slightly and spoke.

“Let’s play tag.”

“…What?”

“You’re it, hyung. Okay?”

Slowly, the air around us grew chilly. Like when we stood at the entrance to <Bloodletting Sword>’s rift. No, it actually felt even colder than that. It was like a sharp chill cutting through your skin. I was too tense to answer, but the child must have seen that I was thinking about it. He spoke in a softer tone.

“If you catch me, I’ll tell you anything you want. So run like hell.”

A gust of wind snuffed out the torch. The only light was gone, swallowed up by the pitch-blackness around us. The boy’s face, however, was clearly visible, a deep shadowy grin spreading across his weathered features.

“Hajae-hyung.”

This wasn’t the time to sit around. If we wanted to live, if we wanted to get out of this crack, we had to go after him. As these thoughts circled through my head, the boy climbed up to the roof in a single bound. His lean body seemed to be completely unaffected by gravity.

While everyone else was frozen in bewilderment, only one of our team members reacted quickly.

“Leave it to me.”

Yulia leaped unassisted onto the roof. As the wind picked up, her silver prosthetic leg glistened beneath her flowing skirt. Pure joy shone in the boy’s sparkling eyes, perhaps because he’d finally met his match.

“Not bad, noona.”

“You’re not intentionally going easy on me, are you?”

Yulia’s taunts didn’t seem to faze the boy, who smiled lazily. He then leaped into the air and fled to the opposite roof with Yulia on his heels. Hopping from roof to roof, the two quickly disappeared from view.

I also watched the frantic chase in fascination before realizing I also should’ve made a move.

“How are we supposed to go after them?”

“Don’t worry. I have a way.”

Enoch rolled up his sleeve and placed his palm over the wristwatch, which he’d told us earlier was ‘Midas’s work.’ The screen quickly changed. A moment ago, the digital watch showed the time remaining in the rift. But now, twelve numbers were painted along the bezel like an analog watch. The red needle in the center rotated steadily, like a compass.

“What… is that?”

“A tracker. It was originally for if one of us went missing in the rift, but I never thought I’d end up using it like this.”

Clink, clink—.

With each clockwise rotation of the bezel, the cheerful sound of metal chinking rang out. 

Clink, clink—.

After four beeps, Enoch took his hand off the watch face. At that moment, the spinning red hand stopped, pointing southeast.

“They went this way.”

Enoch’s green eyes were locked onto the mountain behind the village, where the villagers had buried the sword and the butcher’s son’s body. Simeon was the first to start running toward the mountain as soon as Enoch had finished speaking. I ran after him, not bothering to ask about the watch.

The rain grew heavier as soon as we left the village and entered the mountains. It was like walking through a fog; I couldn’t see an inch ahead. The squishy ground threatened to swallow my feet like a swamp, and I slipped on the water that flowed through the cracks in the stones.

I was out of breath when, thankfully, Raphael suggested we take a break. It was when we were in the shade of a tree, out of the rain, and I was wiping off a wetness I wasn’t sure was sweat or rainwater when I suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes.

“…What’s that?”

I thought I’d heard wrong, but everyone’s gaze was fixed in the same direction. Simeon quickly put his index finger to his lips and motioned for us to stop moving. Soon, a figure staggered out of the bushes. The blurry silhouette was neither a boar nor an elk.

A person. Somehow, the silhouette seemed familiar.

“Wait, that’s…”

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could make out a face poking out of the bushes. It was the old man from earlier on the road.

“Sir?”

But… there was something wrong with him. The man’s black pupils were surrounded by a white membrane as if he had cataracts, and the skin from his face to his neck was burnt and half-melted away. His muscles and bones were clearly visible beneath his mucus-covered skin, but he just stood there, not showing any signs of pain.

The lifeless figure looked more like a corpse than a living person.

“……!”

At that moment, the old man lunged at me like a ferocious bullfighter, leaving me no time to dodge him. However, a vine flashed before my eyes before his skeletal hand could reach me. 

Thwack—!

The thick vines hit the old man, throwing him into the mud, where he writhed and wriggled.

Enoch approached me as I tried to calm my pounding heart.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m okay, thanks to you. But what… happened to the old man?”

“He’s been tainted by <Bloodletting Sword>’s curse.”

That wasn’t the end of it. 

One by one, they startled, crawling out of the undergrowth, seemingly dozens of them, and the stench of rotting skin wafted on the humid breeze as they started closing in on us. 

Simeon glanced around, then whispered in a low voice.

“Stay behind Enoch and I; we’ll take care of this.”

“Can you guys handle that many? Maybe we should make a run for it….”

“It’s too late for that now.”

He was right. Surrounded by the mountain creatures, we were unable to escape. 

Simeon squeezed his eyes shut.

“Give me directions; prioritize the ones closest.”

I guess he meant this when he asked me to be his eyes. I immediately looked around and quickly reported the situation.

“Three at twelve o’clock. Two at three o’clock…”

They fell limply, one by one, in the order I called out. Simeon’s concentration and speed were incredible, but there was no end in sight for now. When one fell, two would pop up out of nowhere. It was crazy.

What’s worse is that they weren’t dying. Even when Simeon used his abilities, they’d collapse, but after some time, they’d get back up again. A prolonged battle with these undead creatures we couldn’t kill would soon turn the odds rapidly against us.

We had to run away. If there was no way out, we had to create one.

“Enoch!”

As the momentum started to wane, I called out to Enoch.

“After they fall, can you tie them down with vines?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Enoch dropped to his knees and planted his hands on the floor. 

Rumble—!

The earth moved, and roots shot up from the surrounding trees, pinning the animated corpses to the dirt. Shaken awake, they struggled to free themselves from the roots. But the more they tried, the deeper they sank into the mud. It was like watching a swarm of flies clinging to a sticky trap.

“Okay…!”

Finally, an exit appeared. Relieved we passed the most critical moment, Enoch spoke up.

“It won’t last long. Run!”

I grabbed Simeon’s wrist and ran. Over the crashing rain, only the sound of our pounding feet and ragged breathing could be heard. How far up the slope did they go? The four of us huddled together behind a large boulder and finally took a breather.

“It’s this way. Those two moved quickly, wow.”

Enoch looked at his watch and smiled weakly. Just as we were about to start moving again, I felt a stirring in the air. I looked around cautiously, but my vision was too blurry to see anything. But I could hear it—the sound of footsteps rushing through the bushes.

…Damn. Which way was it? Where on earth was it coming from?

My nerves were on edge as I glanced around at our surroundings. A sinister shadow suddenly leaped out from behind Raphael. I instinctively grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me. We’d be in a lot of trouble if the only healer on our team got hurt.

Just as I was about to become a willing shield, a gust of wind blew and pulled at the hem of my green robe.

“So this is where you guys were.”

The figure was none other than Yulia. In an instant, I relaxed, and my whole body went limp.

“Y-You scared me.”

“Oh my, did you think I was the enemy?”

Yulia giggled, covering her mouth at my pale face. The others had already realized she was nearby by the time they looked at their watches. As my raging heart was starting to calm down, Simeon spoke.

“What about the child?”

“I lost him, unfortunately. But I did notice something strange.”

Yulia motioned for us to follow her and walked ahead. It wasn’t long before we encountered a strange scene. Several long stones were driven into the ground like stakes at regular intervals along the path, with twisted straw ropes woven between them. A piece of blank, rain-soaked paper was tucked into the string, making it difficult to get past. 

“Is it… warning us not to approach anymore?”

Raphael inquired with a serious face as I wandered near the stakes.

“It’s a golden rope, so I think so.”

“A golden rope…?”

“Tying things up with golden rope was an ancient method they used for protection, to keep unsavory things out.”

Protection? Was there something here? Something to protect? This wasn’t where <Bloodletting Sword> and its keeper were buried, was it? As I was pondering that, I heard footsteps in the distance, racing through the rain.

This time, I wasn’t mistaken. The wind carried the stench of rotting flesh.

It wasn’t long before the approaching figures from earlier showed themselves once more. The already hideous skeletons had become even more terrifying. Most of their arms were missing or flayed off after struggling to free themselves from the vines. Despite the gruesome sight, Enoch, Yulia, and Simeon immediately assumed a fighting stance.

“Get back.”

Simeon took Raphael by the arm and pulled him behind him, and a breathless confrontation began. Yulia and Simeon didn’t want to be the first ones to attack.

But even as we waited, they didn’t come running.

“Why are they doing that?”

A moment ago, one of the creatures had lunged at me, not caring if his flesh or arm was torn by roots or blown off. But now, they weren’t doing anything; they just waited a distance away. They even appeared afraid of something as their hollow eyes rolled back and forth.

No way…

“This might be the reason.”

Raphael stared down at the golden rope behind us and muttered. Then he bent down and touched it, and the white paper on the cord rustled. The creatures flinched and backed away in unison. It was eerie.

That was it. They were afraid of the golden rope.

“Did someone put this up to keep them out?”

Simeon shook his head in disbelief.

“No. They were the ones who put up the golden rope.”

“What? Why on earth would…?”

It’s unlikely that the selfish villagers would’ve strung up the rope to seal themselves in, which left only one reason. 

“It was keeping ‘him’ from coming out.”

It was hard to make light of the situation now that we’d fallen victim to the bonds placed to seal away <Bloodletting Sword>. But we were at least thankful that the creatures couldn’t come any closer.

As I watched the corpses loitering in the short distance away from us, a good idea suddenly occurred to me.

“Couldn’t we use the golden rope to subdue him?”

“Well.”

Enoch shrugged his shoulders and raised a question.

“Think about it. Where did we meet him?”

“In the village, right?”

“Yes. Which means he managed to get past the rope.”

Ah… A sigh escaped me. At that time, Simeon, who’d been listening quietly, offered up a new possibility.

“Maybe the golden rope is why he appears as a child.”

“You mean, like it weakens his power?”

“That could certainly be the case.”

If you think about it, he could’ve appeared and attacked us from the beginning in the form depicted in the folk painting. However, he took the form of a child and dared to lure us into the mountains. There was no way to know whether it was a deliberate trap or his only option because of the gold string.

Simeon checked his watch and spoke quietly.

“Let’s head up there first. The witching hour will end soon.”

At last, the timeframe was starting. We had to find the butcher’s son’s body and <Bloodletting Sword> within two hours.

We followed Simeon, who was up ahead, as he bowed down and crossed the golden rope. At that moment, a sharp frost penetrated my bones like we were walking into a freezer. As my body curled inwards at the chill and I exhaled, my breath came out in puffs of cold mist. Soon, even the raindrops that had been steadily falling froze and turned into snow.

“Wow, it’s a grand welcome ceremony.”

Enoch bitterly smiled as he looked around at the mountain that’d turned white instantly.

How far had we gone through the blowing snow? The summit of the mountain appeared in the distance, and there was a single bare old tree in the field. Despite there being no small wildflowers or weeds, the space didn’t feel empty at all. The old tree was so majestic and grand that, for a moment, I forgot about the events unfolding around us.

“What is that…?”

A long red cloth was hanging down from the branches that twisted in every direction. No. On closer inspection, the fabric was pure white; it was colored red with blood. 

A torrential downpour had washed away the puddle of blood underneath, leaving a dark stain that formed a shadow around the base of the tree trunk. With the snow piling gently on top of the stains, it looked like thousands of camellias had been buried in a winter snowfield. 

However, the scent carried by the cold wind was not the sweet scent of flowers but the raw odor of blood.

“Hey, look at that.”

I turned to where Raphael was pointing and saw a mound of stones in the red snow. It was shaped like a wide, gentle hill, hardly a stone pagoda built for prayer. Right. That had to be the tomb we’d been seeking, the resting place of <Bloodletting Sword>. 

Unlike me, who couldn’t sum up the nerve to approach, Enoch clicked his tongue and immediately walked up to the tomb with great strides.

“Wow, this is incredible. It’s no wonder the villagers are receiving their divine punishment.”

“I know, right? Seonang’s tree isn’t supposed to be like this…”

Raphael, who was walking with them, sighed and shook his head. Yulia also frowned in disapproval. Everyone was showing signs of displeasure, but I couldn’t understand why.

“Seonang’s tree…?”

I muttered with a puzzled expression.

Simeon spoke from beside me.

“In ancient times, old trees like this were thought to bring prosperity and good fortune, and it was believed that the God Seonang, who protected the village, lived there. Ancestral rites were even held under this tree to pray for peace.”

“So, <Bloodletting Sword> is…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Wasn’t his true blasphemy? They went to great lengths to suppress the evil energy of <Bloodletting Sword>. It wasn’t enough to bury an innocent person to contain the power of the unfinished sword. They also dressed him in the clothes of a demon hunter instead of a shroud, deliberately created a tomb under a sacred, auspicious tree, and twisted a golden rope around it to create a barrier.

However, in the end, all their efforts only increased <Bloodletting Sword>’s power… Unfortunately.

“It’s in there, right? <Bloodletting Sword>.”

“No. According to the records, the tomb should’ve already collapsed.”

Right. Something was strange. As Simeon said, the grave should’ve been washed away long ago due to heavy rain. But the stone tomb in front of us was not disturbed. In the end, you had to dig up the tomb yourself to check if <Bloodletting Sword> was under that stone…

Unlike me, who hesitated, Simeon quickly began tearing down the pile of stones without any hesitation.

“Is this… okay?”

“What?”

Indifferent black eyes stared at me. It seemed like he didn’t understand my anxiety that he could be harmed by digging up the grave. Ultimately, I couldn’t just watch, so I squatted beside him, and we removed the rocks together. I also silently prayed to ease my guilt a little.

But no matter how much we tore down the grave, there was nothing but dirt.

“This is somehow…”

That was when I instinctively noticed something strange.

“My Lord.”

An eerily cold voice was heard from somewhere above us.

“What should I do when you destroy someone’s precious home like that?”

When I suddenly looked up, I saw the child sitting on a high tree. Through the hole in the rough mask, I glimpsed his all-seeing eyes. The moment my gaze met his, the raining ice crystals halted and floated in the air like time had stopped.

“If you want my grave, I shall gladly give it up.”

From his higher vantage point, the figure looking down at us seemed like a god.

Just as Yulia was about to jump up to catch him, a gust of wind blew, sending ice crystals scattering through the air. It became impossible for me to open my eyes, let alone move my head. 

A few moments later, the wind died down. I quickly raised my head, but the child on the tree had already disappeared.

“What…?”

A low laugh came from behind me as if laughing at my embarrassment. I immediately looked to where the sound was coming from and saw a tall young man standing on the cliff.

“Now I can finally greet you properly.”

His straight black hair, which fell down to his waist, was tied into a half-bun, and his red coat was neatly tied to the top of his traditional long-sleeved black garment.

It was a far cry from the bizarre folk tales depicting grotesque goblins, but it was definitely him. It was clear from the Bangsangshi mask with the four eyes cut out and the hand that clutched the legendary <Bloodletting Sword>.

The real <Bloodletting Sword> itself was amazing. It was mostly just hilt, but the fighting spirit emanating from it was indescribably sharp. Blood was pooled in the Chinese characters that’d been incanted through magic, making it look like the red liquid had been painted across the blade several times.

“You’re…”

“Are you still curious about the name of this lowly body? My Lord.”

I was so nervous I couldn’t continue speaking; he bowed his head and greeted me lightly.

“My name is Mujeong, and I am the son of the butcher Muswi.”

The combination of the characters in his name spelled out the Korean word for ‘heartless.’ In other words, the meaning of his name translated to ‘person without a heart.’ I didn’t know who created it, but it was an extremely cruel name.

Mujeong readily introduced himself, but no one responded. In the first place, their interest was not in him. They only cared about the blade, and there was no way Mujeong wasn’t aware of that.

“Now, since you have caught this Mujeong…”

Mujeong dropped the tip of his sword on the floor as he spoke.

“It is my turn to chase you.”

With that one phrase, everyone was put on high alert. Mujeong stepped back on his right foot a moment later, bent down, and rushed straight toward me. 

Yulia lept in front of me and violently blocked the incoming sword. 

Clang—!

The two opposing pieces of metal clashed together, sending blue sparks flying. They competed for strength without giving up an inch and simultaneously drew back in a parabolic motion.

Mujeong tilted his head and looked down at his sword as if something was strange. After cutting Yulia’s leg, he seemed surprised at the absence of blood. Indeed, if it’d been a regular leg, it would’ve been cut off immediately. But, there was not a single flaw in the solid silver revealed under her dark green skirt.

Mujeong, who was stroking the sword as if it were his child, spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone.

“You again?”

“Why? Am I a boring opponent?”

“No. But I’m using the body of a child to beat a woman.”

Yulia snorted as if it was funny and let out a voice full of playfulness.

“Then, why don’t you just obediently give up your sword for this weak woman?”

“Haha!”

The sound of boisterous laughter echoed throughout the heavens. Mujeong, who’d been laughing with his head thrown back, suddenly stopped laughing. Soon, there was a heavy silence. The chill passing by my cheek was not the wind but murderous intent.

After a short moment of calculation, Mujeong rushed in first. 

Whoosh—!

The sound of a blade slicing through the air was quite sharp. Once again, it was Yulia who blocked the sword. She raised herself on her tiptoes before leaping and spinning her body in the air, raising her sword as she aimed for Mujeong’s right arm. It seemed she first planned to break the hand holding the sword. However, Mujeong quickly determined her intentions and took a hasty step back.

Chasing and being chased over and over again. A fierce battle ensued between the two, with Yulia aiming for the sword and Mujeong aiming for her vital points. It was akin to the movements of wild beasts trying to bite each other’s necks. It was so quick that it was difficult even to follow them with my eyes.

At that time, a soft, barely audible voice called my name.

“Mr. Hajae.”

Looking back, I saw Simeon sitting cross-legged next to Seonang’s tree. The downcast eyes were as calm as a serene lake. When his neat hand moved to pick up a small stone, I realized what he was trying to do.

He was trying to use his abilities against Mujeong.

“If anything dangerous happens, tell me. Don’t even think about jumping in front of the sword like last time.”

“……….”

“Well, are you going to answer?”

Unable to resist his piercing gaze, I calmly nodded my head.

“I’ll try my best.”

Simeon gently closed his eyes and sat quietly as if in meditation. After much deliberation, his delicate hand made the first move. His fingers moved slightly larger, flatter pieces than those found in chess or baduk; the game he was playing was none other than Janggi.

Meanwhile, the tense battle continued. No, surprisingly, the one who seemed to be winning was Yulia. Mujeong had been driven to the cliff’s edge by her constant attacks. When he finally lost his balance and stumbled, Yulia flew up into the air and aimed at Mujeong’s arm with the tip of her silver leg’s sword-sharpened toes. 

But, the upper hand Yulia thought she’d had was actually a trap set by Mujeong.

“Where are you swinging?”

Mujeong immediately ducked low to avoid her sharp toes. The next moment, he drew his sword in a stance that blocked Yulia from moving right as she touched back down onto the ground. 

Whoosh—!

The moment the sword cut through the air, there was a sound of something ripping.

“No…!”

Fortunately, the blade missed Yulia by a hair, only cutting the hem of her skirt. It was truly a close call. If it’d been less than a second later, it would’ve been blood, not thread, flying in the wind, and it would’ve been her right ankle sliced off, not the hem of the dress.

Her smooth legs were revealed beneath the diagonally torn skirt as the wind blew. Unlike her scratch-covered right leg, her left leg, which gleamed silver, didn’t have the slightest mark. But what was more noticeable than that was Yulia’s posture. Even though she was sweating profusely, she stood with her toes en pointe.

Standing there, her appearance was truly worthy of her ‘Silver Ballerina’ nickname.

“Oh my… what a waste.”

As Yulia looked down at her skirt and pursed her lips, Mujeong nodded at her leg and asked.

“What is that thing?”

“Hm… We women like to keep a lot of secrets.”

When she replied playfully, Mujeong laughed and dragged the tip of his sword onto the floor.

“If you do not wish to tell me, I guess I will have to cut it off and take a look myself.”

“Oh my, so violent.”

Yulia covered her mouth and glanced at Enoch, smiling. The dirt beneath them rose, and a vine entangled Mujeong’s feet. Now was the perfect opportunity to strike. Yulia immediately leaped from her spot, bent her knees, and descended upon Mujeong’s head.

Bang—! 

There was a loud noise as a large cloud of dust engulfed the pair.

“What happened…?”

Silence followed. Even the wind died down in the tense silence. I swallowed dry saliva and continued watching. The blade of a sword suddenly shot out from the thick cloud of dust. It was a surprise attack. As Yulia urgently leaned back, Mujeong’s sword grazed the tip of her nose, and her brown hair separated and fluttered like leaves as it made contact with the blade.

After that, the relentless onslaught of attacks rained down on her, leaving no time for her to catch her breath. Yulia having the upper hand just a moment ago had been an illusion, an exploratory battle to measure her skills. 

Throat, heart, stomach. 

Yulia hurriedly blocked the sword that persistently targeted her vital points.

Occasionally, a vine would shoot up and interrupt Mujeong, but that soon stopped, too. Mujeong must’ve figured out Enoch’s ability by now as he deliberately stepped on rocks instead of dirt,  preventing roots from pushing up through the earth and binding his feet.

Yulia’s breathing became increasingly heavy due to the overwhelming difference in their skills. If things continued like this, our front-line team would collapse. I looked back at Simeon urgently, but he was still focused on the game. The loud noise and the dust pouring in hadn’t shaken his expression or concentration in the slightest.

“Simeo—”

I was about to suggest retreating but quickly clamped my mouth shut.

Simeon couldn’t see right now, but he could hear everything with his ears. However, even in this strange world, Simeon focuses entirely on the Janggi board. It must be because he trusted his colleagues. He didn’t retreat because he was confident that Yulia and Enoch would endure.

As Simeon had expected, they lasted a pretty long time. But it was clear that Yulia was gradually getting tired. Once again, Enoch shot up a vine to catch Mujeong, but Mujeong used the vine as a springboard to hurl himself into the air instead. His slender body blocked out the round moon, casting an elongated shadow over Yulia’s head. The hem of Mujeong’s cape flapped in the wind, mimicking the appearance of a black hawk gliding across the sky.

It was then.

“Yulia!”

Whoosh, whoosh—!

The sword Mujeong wielded sliced Yulia’s waist. Yulia quickly took a step back and covered the wound with her hand. But it wasn’t enough. The blood flowing between her fingers was already staining the hem of her dark green skirt red, like the cloth hanging from Seonang’s tree.

“Unfortunately, you are no match for me.”

Mujeong clicked his tongue. From behind his mask, I felt as if I could feel the indifferent and cold-blooded eyes befitting of his name. Soon, Mujeong raised his sword and lightly slashed the air. The fresh blood on the blade suddenly splashed onto the pure white snow field.

I had to get his attention somehow. Otherwise, he could strike her again, somewhere even more dangerous than her waist.

But in that instant, Mujeong suddenly turned towards me. When my eyes met the sunken eyes behind the mask, my whole body stiffened. The fierce intent to kill was directed at me. 

…No, not at me. Those eyes were directed behind me towards Sang. The next moment, Mujeong was racing through the snow, headed this way. Enoch immediately sent up another vine, but Mujeong was one step ahead.

Ultimately, I jumped in front of Sang, my promise to him on the back burner for now. My eyes were wide open, swimming with fear and a sense of responsibility to protect him. 

But, just now… it seemed like the sword stopped mid-air just short of my nose, hadn’t it?

“Oh my, I almost ruined your beautiful face.”

Mujeong’s tone was briefly flirtatious as he pointed his sword at me.

“Please step aside for a moment, My Lord.”

With a nod, he gestured to Sang, sitting behind me.

“I’d like to have a quick conversation with the nobleman behind you.”

“Conversation…?”

When I looked at him suspiciously, Mujeong silently withdrew his sword. He immediately placed his hand on his chest and spoke.

“I promise that I shall not swing my sword recklessly.”

….What is this? Why did the sword stop without cutting me? And why was Mujeong asking to have a conversation with Sang?

During a situation where Mujeong had seemed like the ticking time bomb, I was confused to see that he was the one to cut the bomb’s fuse suddenly. Meanwhile, Raphael, hiding in the bushes, quickly approached Yulia and started to give her first aid.

While I was relieved to see that, I couldn’t fully relax. In front of me was Mujeong holding <Bloodletting Sword>, and behind me was Sang, defenseless. When I felt like my head would explode because of my current dilemma, I heard a calm voice behind me.

“It’s okay; you can move out of the way, Mr. Hajae.”

“But…”

Sang, sitting upright on the floor, kept his eyes closed, ready to make the next move at any time.

“If he’d intended to kill us, he would’ve swung his sword at us already.”

I guess so. Even an entire country of immortal bodies couldn’t stop Mujeong when he was at this level of swordsmanship, and Mujeong must’ve long ago realized how superior his skills were. But seeing as he didn’t attack, he may have really had other intentions for Sang.

Although I was skeptical, I had no choice but to step aside. Then, as if he’d been waiting, Mujeong stuck his sword in the ground and squatted in front of Sang. What Mujeong was staring at was none other than Sang’s hand.

“I have been observing you the whole time, noble sir, and it looked like you were playing a game of Janggi.”

Wait. Mujeong… saw that? There was no way. Although Mujeong was stronger than Yulia, her strength was incredible. Their quick and intense sparring had been challenging to follow with my eyes, and yet, while Mujeong was blocking and counterattacking, he’d also been watching what Sang was doing from so far away.

Sang must’ve been quite surprised, too, as his closed eyelids twitched.

“Watching me during a melee, it seems like you were quite relaxed.”

“Haha! Was it not you, noble sir, who was truly relaxed? Playing chess leisurely in the middle of the battlefield.”

“…What did you want to say to me?”

Mujeong, who was caressing his mask with his calloused hands, whispered excitedly.

“If it is alright, may I ask you to play a game with me, noble sir?”

What is this? Is that what you wanted to do…? I was speechless at the utterly unexpected proposal. Fortunately or unfortunately, it didn’t seem like a joke since the murderous intent that had just been fiercely blowing about had disappeared like melted snow.

After a moment of silence, Sang slowly nodded.

“Okay. But… if I win, you hand over the sword.”

“Oooh.”

As if agreeing to the unexpected offer wasn’t enough, Sang made an even bigger offer, which was just like him. 

Mujeong quietly rubbed <Bloodletting Sword>’s cloth-wrapped handle and spoke.

“Then, if I win, what will you give me?”

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’ll lose.”

I sensed confidence in Sang’s calm yet firm tone. Although it may have seemed like he was being dismissed, Mujeong spoke with a hearty smile, as if those words made him more interested.

“There is no way you will lose…?”

“Yes. But still, let me offer you something to spice up the game a bit.”

With his eyes still closed, a faint smile appeared on Sang’s neat face.

“If I lose… okay. I’ll give you the only thing I have.”

“What’s that?”

Sang slowly opened his eyes, finally revealing the black eyes that his thin eyelids had hidden. With his eyes closed, he looked like a quiet student who’d never fought anyone in his life, but the moment he opened his eyes, the atmosphere changed significantly.

His dark, shining blue eyes, which looked like those of an innocent child, also looked like those of a hungry animal or a general on the battlefield. His determination to win must have created that momentum, but there was another reason why you could feel his overwhelming personality.

It was definitely…

“…My life.”

A crazed madness for victory.

****

He was willing to risk his life for just one game of Janggi, or ‘Korean chess.’ No matter how confident he was that he wouldn’t be defeated, wasn’t that too rash a choice? More than that, I couldn’t help but be embarrassed that he told me to cherish my immortal body and yet offered up his own life more easily than offering up a house deed on a gambling table.

But, without any time to stop him, Mujeong smiled brightly and agreed.

“Hahaha! How refreshing; that is really nice of you, noble sir.”

Mujeong cleared the accumulated snow with his feet and drew a chessboard on the dirt floor. He picked up rough pieces of stone that were rolling around and crudely carved Chinese characters into them with his sword. Creating 32 game pieces in an instant wasn’t a skill I’d ever practiced.

As soon as preparations were completed, Sang took 16 pieces from the ‘Han’ side.

“Hmm?”

Mujeong slowly tilted his head.

Like in traditional chess, the player order was usually determined by color. Blue was known as ‘Chu’ and had the advantage of starting the game with the first move, while the red pieces were known as ‘Han’ and got to move second. In the past, whoever was older would take blue and leave red for the younger player. In more modern times, though, the colors were decided by drawing lots. But Sang took the color red as if it were natural, so it made sense that Mujeong was surprised to see him create unfavorable conditions for himself.

“Are you letting me play Chu?”

“That’s right.”

“Ah, I do not know what to do with your kind consideration.”

Sang laughed at the words, not knowing whether they were sincere or mocking. Soon, Sang placed the piece on the chessboard. Unlike regular chess, I heard that in Janggi, pieces had freedom in their starting positions. 

“Then I will make my move.”

The game finally began with Mujeong moving his first piece. They both shifted their horses around on the board as if exploring each other’s skills, probably since it was still early in the game. I wished it was chess, but as someone who only knows the basic rules of Shogi, I needed help figuring out what strategy they were using.

Soon, Sang moved his cannon in front of his king and spoke.

“Who did you learn Janggi from?”

“My father. Even before I was born, he liked playing Janggi. But the village people laughed at him, asking what sort of butcher plays chess.”

Mujeong lightly shrugged his shoulders and moved his soldier from the front of his chariot to the side.

“Well, it is a noble hobby for a lowly citizen… but even for that, my father was a laughing stock. Therefore, he never had anyone to play against and always played it alone in the backyard.”

“Then he must’ve been happy when you were born.”

“Haha, that is correct. My father boasted that he would raise me to become a Janggi player.”

I thought he was so blinded by revenge that <Bloodletting Sword> had consumed him, but it seemed he still had some humanity. The longing for his father was evident in his lonely laughter. I completely understood that feeling, too. When I played chess, I thought of my dad, who taught me how to play.

After that, Mujeong, who was deep in thought while holding one of his Janggi pieces, muttered quietly.

“Of course, it was too big a dream for a lowly butcher.”

“You think so?”

“I wonder if there is a law that says lowly people should not play chess since they all refused to play against me.”

Sang responded to the self-mocking tone by firmly shaking his head.

“How can there be such a law? There’s no place for status or class amongst these 90 intersecting lines.”

Sang moved his chariot and caught Mujeong’s chariot, which was on the same vertical line.

“There are only wins and losses.”

“That is a wise statement, noble sir.”

Although it was his first win, I shouldn’t be too happy. Especially since, right after that, Mujeong’s other chariot on the opposite side ate Sang’s chariot without warning. The chariot was a piece worth a whopping 13 points, comparable to a queen in chess.

Ultimately, each team lost only two chariots, resulting in a tie. Even though nothing had improved, Sang continued with a relaxed smile. Then, Mujeong, who was about to move a Janggi piece, glanced behind him. He didn’t say anything, but Sang calmly spoke as if reading his mind.

“Don’t worry. We won’t attack you while you’re playing Janggi.”

“…What about an ambush?”

“This is everyone here. If I’m lying, we’ll agree all bets are off.”

“I am certain I do not need to say so, but I loathe interruptions more than death.”

“I bet my hand I’m not lying to you.”

His eyes, blacker than the night sky, didn’t waver. Only then did Mujeong focus on Janggi again. No, more than that, Mujeong seemed to be more curious about Sang and started asking various questions.

“Noble sir, who did you learn Janggi from?”

“From books. But someone taught me something similar to Janggi when I was young.”

“Something similar?”

“It’s called ‘chess’. It has similar pieces, but the rules for moving them differ.”

Mujeong nodded slowly and said.

“Then may I ask who taught you chess?”

“…Someone I fell in love with at first sight.”

At the sudden confession, Mujeong’s hand, which had been moving his soldier, suddenly stopped. Seated beside him, I also stopped breathing.

What? Love at first sight? It’s my first time hearing that… No. I felt like I was sitting on a cushion of thorns as the urge to get up and run out of there struck me immediately. But Mujeong pressed him further with an expectant tone, like an adolescent boy listening to his teacher talk about his first love.

“Ohh, how pretty were they?”

“The prettiest person I’ve ever seen.”

I almost burst out in a coughing fit. Sang blurted out such embarrassing words without hesitation in the middle of a life-threatening bet. Of course, there was no way either of them could know that I was burning inside. The one who seemed particularly happy was Mujeong. He laughed louder than ever and slapped his thighs.

“Haha! I almost regret not being able to see such a beauty with my own eyes.”

I clenched my teeth and tried to act calm, but suddenly, Mujeong turned to me and asked.

“Isn’t that right, My Lord?”

“Haha….. Yes….”

I didn’t have anything to say, so I just laughed awkwardly.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the joke ended there. They didn’t exchange a single word or glance as the game progressed to the middle. A fierce battle of wits to outsmart the other player began silently.

Unlike Mujeong, who gradually became more aggressive in his attack strategy, Sang moved his horse diligently. Like this, the number of long-term pairs surviving on the 90 intersecting lines rapidly decreased. If this continues, won’t we end up losing by points? I wondered why Sang, who had such an aggressive opening in chess, used such a defensive strategy.

However, after a few moments, I realized the real purpose. Han’s red-clad horses surrounded Chu’s general. It was as if I were seeing a castle surrounded by enemies and about to fall. And finally, Sang pushed his cannon into the innermost line of the opposing camp and said,

“Check.”

Mujeong’s hand on his knee trembled. There was still room to escape. Mujeong was not embarrassed and moved his guard to block the front of the general. However, the results didn’t change. When Mujeong was soon cornered again, he sighed and muttered.

“…Checkmate.”

This time, it was a complete victory for Han, with no room for Chu’s general to escape.

“I lost.”

Mujeong readily admitted defeat. Although disappointing, he seemed satisfied that he had enjoyed playing against someone other than his father for the first time. So would he finally hand over the <Bloodletting Sword> now? It was a time when I finally felt at ease.

Mujeong quickly turned to look somewhere, and a vacant smile came across his face.

“…..Huh.”

The air quickly froze, and the murderous intent that had disappeared was felt again. The feeling of momentum was unusual. The next moment, Mujeong pulled out the sword stuck in the ground. He pointed the blade’s tip at the back of Sang’s hand.

Shluk—! 

My whole body became stiff as I heard the sound of a blade tearing flesh and digging into muscle muscles. I’d seen more than my fair share of terrible things, but my mind went blank when the target wasn’t me but Sang. I barely managed to stave off the shock as I pushed away Mujeong with all my might.

“What the hell is this!”

“That is what I should say. My Lord.”

Mujeong indifferently drew his sword and stood up. Blood spurted out from the pure white hand that the sharp blade had pierced. Even Sang, who was accustomed to pain, couldn’t hold back his groans at that moment and let out a rough breath. I desperately tried to close the wound, but my trembling hands had no strength at all.

“How do I…? What should I…?”

“Mr. Hajae. …Calm down.”

“The blood, your hand… Quickly, Raphael….”

No matter how much I blocked it with my hands, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. At that time, Mujeong shook the blood off his sword and spoke.

“The noble master bet his hand; I’m just collecting as promised.”

“What are you talking about!”

“Did you not say there would be no ambush?”

……What? An ambush?

Mujeong gestured behind Sang with a nod. I immediately looked back, but nothing was at the bottom of the slope. At that moment, I heard the sound of the cold wind mixed with rustling bushes. A moment later, I noticed a silhouette quietly moving in the shadow of a tree.

“That’s….”

There seemed to be more than five of them. Were they from the village? No, the residents couldn’t pass beyond the gold rope. Only those who weren’t contaminated by the curse of <Bloodletting Sword> could reach Seonang’s tree. Then, that pointed to one thing only. 

They were strangers, hunters, who’d crossed the rift just like us.

Why were there other hunters in the rift? How long had they been hiding in there? I wanted to capture and question them, but they moved in unison when their position was discovered. Their retreat into the woods was like a tidal stream ducking behind a rocky outcropping.

But Mujeong’s speed was unrivaled. In a flash, he closed the distance and mercilessly slit the throat of the person lagging at the back of the group without a second thought. Blood poured out and splashed along the sword. Mujeong then grabbed the limp corpse by the back of the head and threw it toward the fleeing group. 

Whoosh—!

Thud—!

With a sound like a heavy sack of artillery falling, a cold corpse lay on the slope.

“It is hurtful to abandon your friends and run away.”

The death of a coworker in the blink of an eye shook the group. Cut off from leaving, they eventually camped around Mujeong. There were six of them. It was dark all around, so it was hard to make out their faces, but it was clear they were all new.

The oldest of them, the man who looked the most senior, spoke with a wariness in his voice.

“So it’s you.”

“Yes. I am Mujeong. I am the son of a lowly butcher and a swordsman who drank the blood of countless animals.”

Mujeong raised his clenched hand. The smart members of the group were scared and flinched at the slightest movement, but Mujeong stood still and looked down at his clenched fist. 

Eventually, he opened his blood-stained hands and muttered.

“For the first time in a long time, I thought I could choose a master peacefully… but I was foolish for attempting to trust humans again.”

There was no way to know what was in his hand. However, when Mujeong let his hand fall weakly, a small stone fell to the floor. What he was holding was a game piece from Janggi. Sang Heo’s cannon that had captured Mujeong’s general at the very end. 

“This petty betrayal no longer surprises me, for prejudice has killed me, and contempt has revived me.”

There was no hatred or animosity in his low voice. His words were as emotionless as a sword dulled by dozens of throat slashes.

“I scarcely mind if several of you hit me at once, therefore….”

Mujeong spoke, straightening his mask.

“Do not expect me to take mercy on you either.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mujeong charged into the enemy camp. His swordsmanship is a sight to behold, even against many, but now wasn’t the time for idle spectatorship. Yulia and Simeon were wounded. With half of their team down, hesitation would only invite death.

We quickly hurried Simeon to his feet and set off together. We could see the golden rope in the distance as we traveled down the slope. But somehow, all the corpses that’d been loitering around, unable to cross the rope, had disappeared.

“Hmmm, what is this?”

Enoch, leading the way, glanced around and tilted his head in question.

“Did those other guys take care of them when they came up?”

“Then, I’m not complaining but…. I feel like something’s off.”

Anxiety flashed in Raphael’s eyes as he held Yulia’s hand. The creatures could jump out at us at any moment. But right now, the bigger problem was back there, right behind us.

“Let’s go down to the village first.”

“But, the villagers….”

“It’s a lot better than dealing with Mujeong.”

Raphael was silent, for it was undeniably true.

We all agreed to cross the golden rope and head for the village. But it wasn’t long until we encountered a group of corpses at the entrance of the village. They were in a much different state than when we’d fought on the mountainside. Some of them were crawling frantically on the ground with their legs cut off, and others were howling in pain with their eyes cut open.

“…A splendid display.”

Enoch’s muttering to himself made me realize it was the other hunters, and although it’d slowed down their pace, they were somehow even more ferocious than when their limbs were intact. It began biting at whatever it could get its hands on, even if it were one of its companions.

Eventually, Enoch blocked our path and spoke softly.

“You go ahead and clear the way; I’ll catch up.”

“What? There’s too many for you to fight alone, Enoch-hyung.”

“Well, perhaps.”

Raphael’s face contorted into a sulk at the casual answer. Then Yulia joined in.

“I can still… I can fight.”

“What are you talking about when you can’t even walk properly?”

Raphael tried to stop her, but it was no use. Yulia wrapped her arms around her waist, took a deep breath, and immediately ran towards the creatures. Like dealing with Mujeong, when Enoch bound their feet with vines, Yulia struck. She blew off their heads, which initially seemed quite effective until she soon lost momentum.

“Ugh…!”

Yulia wrapped her arms around her waist and squirmed in place. With each ragged gasp, a drop of blood dripped down her torn skirt. Her violent movements caused the wound that’d just stopped bleeding to burst open again.

“Yulia!”

Raphael rushed toward Yulia, but his cry caused one of the creatures to react. The corpse, which was crying out in pain with its eye gouged out, recognized Raphael as prey. There was no way to stop him rushing at Raphael at breakneck speed like an angry bull.

A rotten, gnarled hand was about to close in on Raphael.

“Raphael! Beside you…!”

The corpse suddenly collapsed. It wasn’t Enoch or Yulia, so it couldn’t be… I glanced to the side and saw Simeon with his eyes still closed.

“Are you okay?”

Simeon nodded slowly. But his face didn’t look good at all. His complexion looked pale and bloodless, as if he were only holding on by sheer willpower. The cause of all of this was his injured hand. We should’ve tried to stop the bleeding, but in our rush to get away, we hadn’t been paying attention, and he’d lost too much blood.

“Hang in there.”

First, we needed to get them both to a safe place. Something grabbed me by the ankle as I was about to drag Simeon away. I bent my head in surprise and saw one of the creatures who’d lost its leg holding my ankle. As I instinctively tried to kick it away, it suddenly spoke amidst bloody tears.

“Kill……. me…….. please…..”

My body instantly stiffened at the sound of the grave voice.

What? Why… was it pleading for death…? Why with that sorrowful face…? 

Wait. 

Had we misunderstood? 

They weren’t trying to kill us. They wanted us to kill them. To end their immortal lives of suffering.

If they were hoping for peace…

“Mr… Hajae?”

A possibility flashed through my mind. If it worked, this horrible mess could take a different course. Instead of taking Simeon with me, I stopped, reached into the air, and called out.

“…Michael.”

The moonlight flowing down through the swirling snow formed three pairs of wings. Tightly closed eyes and red marks resembling tear stains could be seen beyond the long tail feathers. Finally, the bird of rest appeared.

“Please.”

With those words, Michael sang a beautiful song as he circled over the heads of the corpses. All of them, whether struggling against Enoch’s vines or scratching their faces until they bled in agony, stopped dead in their tracks at the sound of the bird’s song. As if mesmerized by something, they lifted their heads in unison and gazed up at the white bird as it flew across the sky, and then, smiling softly, they fell to the ground.

Their lonely souls were finally at rest.

“…….It’s over.”

Only then did I feel able to breathe. Unlike me, who was greatly relieved, the rest of the group was perplexed and had no idea what was happening. Raphael looked at the sky blankly, as if he was dreaming, and then turned to me.

“This is… What just happened?”

“I’ll explain it to you later.”

We didn’t know for sure if they’d wake up again, so we had to hide for now. Most villagers were asleep on the streets or wandering the mountains anyway, so there were many empty houses we could take refuge in. We deliberately headed to a house far away from the mountain.

As soon as we entered the room, we stopped Simeon’s bleeding. Raphael seemed familiar with that kind of wound and started treating it himself. Thanks to that, I could take a breather and see how Yulia was doing.

How much time had passed? Fortunately, Yulia had already completely healed. The problem was Simeon. None of Raphael’s gems emitted the proper resonance to heal him. Raphael wrapped Simeon’s injured hand in a clean cloth.

“I’ve given him first aid with the medicine I brought, but he won’t be able to move because his muscles and nerves are severed.”

“What? From now on…?”

“No, we can heal him once we return to reality.”

My heart relaxed at that. I was worried that Simeon would lose his hand forever, but thank goodness. Raphael would surely find a gem with the correct wavelength and heal Simeon. 

But the person who should’ve been reassured said something else.

“I can use my other hand for my ability.”

“Nope. Guild Leader, you can’t do it in that condition.”

“Thank you for the treatment, Raphael.”

“Guild Laster!”

Simeon responded no further. At that moment, I intervened because I knew clearly what would happen if things continued like this.

“There’s no use trying to use your abilities.”

All eyes turned to me as I spoke.

“Mujeong has already died once. What brought him back was <Bloodletting Sword>, so as long as the sword is intact, he can’t die. Even if you knock him down, he’ll get back up just like the rest of the villagers.”

“It’ll be enough if we can stall him.”

“And what if Mujeong attacks us first?”

Mujeong already knew Enoch and Yulia’s abilities. If the second fierce battle occurred as is, it would be different from the first time when we had the luxury of stalling to gather intel. He could subdue Yulia and Enoch immediately and kill our commander, Simeon. Simeon, too, seemed to have already considered that possibility as he fell into quiet thought.

Raphael, who’d been listening to the conversation in silence, spoke up cautiously.

“Then what if we use that thing from earlier?”

“What thing…?”

“That thing you summoned, Hajae-hyung.”

He was talking about Michael. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t work either.

“That probably won’t work on Mujeong.”

“Why?”

“The hymn works only on ‘those who wish to rest.'”

The next moment, we heard a rooster crowing outside the window. Our first allotted timeframe was over.

****

Is it because he died unjustly at a young age? Unlike the villagers, Mujeong had a will to live. Like Simeon and I, who fell asleep listening to the song, he didn’t seem to want to escape from reality. So Michael’s power probably wouldn’t work on him like it had the creatures.

I reached my own conclusion and raised my head, locking eyes with the bewildered Enoch.

“What does that mean?”

“Hmm…..”

I didn’t know where to begin, but Simeon spoke up.

“It looked familiar somehow. I realized it was the demon from <Codex Gigas>.”

Six wings covered in pure white feathers. Phenex had changed significantly since he became Michael, but he still looked similar enough that Simeon recognized him at first sight. Raphael nodded obediently, and then his eyes widened in surprise and contemplation.

“Ah, it’s a demon?”

“Don’t worry, Phenex listens to me.”

“So you’re saying… You’re in liaison with the devil?”

It sounded really strange when he put it like that, but I couldn’t deny it. Enoch’s mouth twitched at the corners like a reporter who’d gotten a scoop, and even Yulia, who remained steadfast despite her injuries, widened her eyes.

In the end, I finally explained myself and what’d happened after obtaining the pages of <Codex Gigas>. Of course, the story was a bit disjointed as I tried to keep my unique abilities a secret, but luckily, no one questioned me since the focus was on the incident with the demon.

As soon as I finished, Enoch laughed heartily and spoke.

“You’re pretty bold, you know. Baptizing the devil.”

“Haha, ha…..”

I let out an awkward laugh and turned away.

“Anyway, the village is probably sleeping now.”

“How long does the effect last?”

“I don’t know, but when night falls again, they’ll be woken up by the curse of <Bloodletting Sword>.”

At least we were relatively safe while the sun was out. Enoch, who’d been staring out the window the whole time, seemed relieved. He sat down in a more comfortable position and spoke.

“More than that, the guys who interrupted earlier, do we know which guild they’re from?”

“I don’t know. It was too dark to get a proper glimpse of them. The Association probably let them in on purpose, though.”

Yulia shook her head in disbelief. Was this what they’d planned all along by giving the Apostles priority to enter the rift? Raphael gave Simeon a complex look as things turned out just as he’d predicted.

“Did they really mean to sacrifice us like the Guild Leader said?”

“That or they were trying to steal the sword while we were dealing with Mujeong.”

“It would be nice to have some proof, but ….it’s all just speculation for now.”

Enoch nodded vigorously at Raphael’s words.

“That’s right, even if it was true, The Association would deny it and likely blame the other guild. If it truly was a mistake, though, they’d just give a rough apology and say those managing the gate were just inexperienced.”

I was new to the world of hunters, so I didn’t know much, but it seemed pretty clear that the public institutions involved tried to avoid responsibility. Simeon smiled with satisfaction, even though he’d been hurt due to either The Association’s intentional or unintentional actions.

“On the contrary, it’s a good thing. Since we’ve identified The Association’s weaknesses through this.”

“No matter what, when we return to the real world, let’s make them pay for disturbing us.”

I could understand why Yulia was angry, but to make them pay, we needed to first return to reality alive. I suddenly remembered the nameless hunter lying dead on the hillside.

“Are those people… still alive?”

“Well. I’m sure they’re not all dead.”

“How do you know?”

“They said the rift would close with the sacrifice of four lives.”

A sigh accompanied Enoch’s words. Whether the six hunters overpowered Mujeong or Mujeong killed them all, the rift would’ve closed. The fact that we haven’t been thrown out of the crack yet suggested that the owner of <Bloodletting Sword> had still yet to be determined.

With his arms crossed, thinking about something, Enoch turned to Yulia and spoke.

“What do you think their chances are of beating Mujeong?”

“Hm…. five percent?”

“What? That’s higher than what I was expecting.”

“Because he’s an S-grade spirit and not a particularly threatening one at that.”

No sooner had Yulia finished speaking than Enoch burst out laughing.

“It’s kinda funny to say that he wasn’t a threat when you were the one who almost died.”

Yulia glared at Enoch, annoyed at his mischievous sarcasm.

“If you let me finish, he was aiming for a vital point, but right when he had the opportunity to deliver the final blow, he went for my waist instead.”

My eyes widened at the unexpected story.

“So that wasn’t you dodging?”

“It wasn’t. If Mujeong had just stabbed me in the heart or slit my throat, I’d probably have died before Raphael could even get to me. But he didn’t do that; he just ignored me after that while I was getting first aid. And then strangely, he suddenly asked the boss for a showdown… something’s not right.”

Come to think of it, it was strange from the first meeting. Despite the notoriety of <Bloodletting Sword>, Mujeong didn’t seem to have any life in him. If he’d intended to kill everyone, he would’ve attacked as soon as we entered the rift, but he didn’t even bother to hide his attack.

“So you’re saying that Mujeong has no intention of killing people?”

“To be precise, I don’t think he ‘has’ to kill if it isn’t necessary. He seemed more interested in the competition itself rather than killing his opponent. I mean, he did kill one of the guys who ambushed him with a single blow, so I could be mistaken.”

After hearing Yulia’s thoughts, I think I could finally understand Mujeong’s puzzling behavior. Suddenly suggesting a game of tag to me, keeping Yulia and Enoch alive despite him winning the fight, and then challenging Simeon to a match… All along, Mujeong had been searching for someone stronger than him to determine the owner of <Bloodletting Sword>.

‘For the first time in a long time, I thought I could choose a master peacefully… but I was foolish for attempting to trust humans again.’

Maybe I misunderstood him… But by the time I realized that it was already too late. 

Mujeong seemed to have an extreme aversion to betrayal and lies. Perhaps it’s because he lost his family because of them. Unfortunately, now that he thinks we’ve deceived him, his desire to spare us is gone.

“Oh, that’s right. There was something else… that was strange.”

When I suddenly opened my mouth, their eyes all snapped to me. 

“What was that?” Enoch asked.

“He knew my name.”

“Name?”

“Yeah. When Mujeong saw me, he called me ‘Hajae-hyung.'”

I heard it clearly. His voice called my name, and while the situation was too urgent to question it then, I was too anxious now to just let it go.

Raphael tilted his head with a dubious expression and spoke.

“Maybe he overheard the Guild Leader calling for you?”

“It wasn’t that. The first time I met him was by the wall, and Simeon hadn’t said a word then.”

Raphael’s face hardened as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Huh…? Then how did he know? Not anything else, but something as specific as your name.”

“Yeah, maybe if he were eavesdropping on our conversation, he could’ve heard…”

I blurted it out without thinking, and then I got goosebumps. We fell silent as we exchanged glances to ensure we were all thinking the same thing. It wasn’t impossible. Rather, it was impossible to have known my name without eavesdropping.

Simeon then wrote on the floor with his index finger.

[We share all important information in writing].

It couldn’t hurt to be cautious, so we nodded meekly.

Since it was getting late, I decided to take a break. Luckily, we didn’t have to satisfy our needs inside the rift, but running up the mountain in the rain still took its toll. I was exhausted, and it went without saying that Yulia also felt that way after her fierce battle with Mujeong.

Yulia patrolled the perimeter with Enoch after resting her eyes. Contrary to our fears, the villagers didn’t wake up, even when morning came. I went out and stared at the rising sky, momentarily forgetting all about the fight against Mujeong. It was our first day in the crack.

When I re-entered the house a short time later, Raphael had changed Simeon’s bandages.

“How’s your hand?”

“It doesn’t hurt when I move it a little bit.”

Simeon’s words were reassuring momentarily, and then Raphael shook his head emphatically.

“He’s lying. The fingers don’t move at all.”

“Ah…”

“It’s best to get back and treat it as soon as possible.”

Looking at his wounded hand, I wanted to give up, but the gate back to reality wouldn’t open until an owner for <Bloodletting Sword> was chosen.

We had two chances left. We had to complete the ritual within them. To do that, we had to first steal <Bloodletting Sword> from Mujeong, but the intervention by the other hunters had thrown all our plans out of whack. Not only was Simeon injured, but now that Mujeong knew what Yulia and Enoch could do, he’d be able to take out our front line much more quickly.

We needed to think of another solution quickly. Mujeong was full of tricks we couldn’t anticipate.

“If there was a way we could stop that sword, even for a moment…”

After a long moment of silent contemplation, Raphael mumbled.

Before we stepped through the rift… That’s right. Even though he was someone who’d reached that level of swordsmanship, I was sure he’d let down his guard at least once. However, after witnessing Mujeong’s swordsmanship firsthand, I realized just how complacent I was.

Mujeong never let his guard down and never let his sword fall. The only time the sword ever stopped was when…

“….Uh?”

That’s when a scene flashed across my mind like a ray of light.

“…There is a way.”

“What?”

“No matter how perfect the swordsmanship, no matter how swift the sword… there is a moment when it has to stop.”

“When?”

I was unconsciously about to answer Raphael’s question when I clamped my mouth shut. I realized that Mujeong could still be listening somewhere, so I slowly wrote the answer down on the floor. The moment I finished, Raphael’s expression hardened in confusion.

“Hyung. Are you serious?”