It was said that one couldn’t see even an inch ahead, making it impossible to dare enter, and even if one forced their way up, they would wander endlessly as though trapped in a labyrinth, only to end up being chased back out and coming to their senses at the entrance. Upon hearing that all access by ordinary people had been restricted because of this, Sim Seowoo simply blinked.
“That’s the first I’m hearing of something like that…….”
He had avoided all news related to Seak Akjin Lireugyo after that incident and hadn’t even spared a glance toward the place where that facility had been — yet for a phenomenon this significant, surely he should have heard something. It was the backdrop of an incident that had shaken society, so rumors should have spread, he thought — but Do Seonhwa answered with a slight smile.
“It’s proof that Heun has been working hard, isn’t it?”
Ah, Sim Seowoo was impressed. This must be part of the work to maintain the balance of the world, then. There was nothing good about it becoming known to ordinary people, and on top of that, it shouldn’t even stir unnecessary curiosity.
While he marveled anew at Heun’s ability to cut off information, Do Seonhwa continued her explanation.
“All of Heun’s members gathered to try to break through the fog on Hoejin Mountain, but it was impossible. In the midst of struggling with the labyrinth for years like that, evil spirits said to have received the power of Hyungsin began appearing one by one and causing trouble, so things became difficult. It was then that Sojunim proposed using the Hyungok in reverse…….”
The claim was to steal the Hyungok from the Hyeong Akgui and use it to break through the mountain’s fog. Since the fog blanketing the mountain was also born from Hyungsin’s power, couldn’t one infiltrate by using the Hyungok to mask an esper’s spiritual energy?
At first, Heun dismissed that claim as utter nonsense, but in reality, it had an effect. Once it was revealed that the member who climbed the mountain with the Hyungok had gotten deeper in, the atmosphere flipped entirely.
“Just how did you come up with such a plan…….”
From then on, the way Heun hunted evil spirits changed. After killing the Hyeong Akgui, collecting the Hyungok left it chipped, so instead they shifted to stealing the bead first and then dealing with the spirit. The work became considerably more complicated, but it was the only way to break through the fog.
“In truth, it really is a strange thing. During the time of Hyeol Gok, Hyungsin roamed all over the place, but now it’s only staying on Hoejin Mountain. The fact that that terrifying calamitous energy hasn’t moved elsewhere is certain. So we’ve actually been deducing that there was some kind of problem with Hyungsin’s revival…….”
Since it had been awakened by the clumsy ritual of a cult in the first place, they suspected that Hyungsin’s revival was not complete. And so it was said to be waiting on the mountain — spreading fog so that no one could enter — until it could recover its full power.
“Heun is currently gathering its strength to deal with Hyungsin while it’s still staying on the mountain. It just so happens that recently, the Hyeong Akgui’s attacks have grown fiercer, making it harder to collect the Hyungok…….”
Whether the Hyeong Akgui had figured out Heun’s intentions and were interfering, or whether Hyungsin’s power was slowly recovering and it was trying to come out into the world — it was impossible to know, but either way it was something to be wary of.
At the end of a series of explanations, Do Seonhwa looked at Sim Seowoo carefully and asked,
“Guiin. Would it be alright if I asked about ‘that day’? Whether you saw anything suspicious during the ritual…….”
Do Seonhwa harbored doubts about whether the reason Hyungsin had gone quiet was truly just because of the cult’s clumsy summoning ritual. It felt insufficient to explain six years of quiet concealment with just that alone.
Wasn’t there some variable on that day?
But Sim Seowoo narrowed his eyes slightly before shaking his head.
“Hmm, actually, my memories of that night are hazy. My condition wasn’t good at the time, so there’s very little that comes to mind about the ritual. Just that it was all chaotic and then a fire broke out…….”
“Ah, is that so. Well, your Spiritual Sight hadn’t opened back then, after all…….”
Do Seonhwa nodded with a feeling of regret and apology. She was truly grateful just for him agreeing to address such an uncomfortable topic, and since Sim Seowoo’s Spiritual Sight had only just opened now, she had already assumed he wouldn’t have been able to see anything at the time.
However, on one hand, she also found it strange — how had a being with such powerful Purification ability, that is to say, a being with such a pure soul, survived that day?
In truth, a soul like this should have actually been devoured by Hyungsin……
“……Why is that person still here?”
At that moment, a cold voice cut sharply through the atmosphere.
The three of them, who had been focused on their conversation, hadn’t even noticed someone entering the space. Sim Seowoo turned his head to look at the new visitor. By now, his voice had become familiar to his ears, and he immediately recognized the other.
Cheon Yijae.
Without meaning to, he checked his hands first. The long fingers gripping the door handle were pale white. He looked again at the hand that stretched out smoothly without a single mark or wound, examining it with renewed wonder, before his gaze drifted to the new rings fitted onto each finger.
He was gazing at them idly when Do Seonhwa called out happily,
“Sojunim! Guiin has woken up safely! The one who washed away four of your curses in one go — the one who perfectly fits the exacting standards you’ve always been so particular about!”
“An existence of miraculous Purification ability, the likes of which has never been seen in all of Heun’s history!”
Jin Gwangmin enthusiastically added his part too. The intent behind both of their theatrics was clear, but Cheon Yijae was not swept up by it. He simply gripped the door handle tightly, then covered his face with that same hand, and after roughly brushing his hair back, spoke with a mocking edge.
His gaze as he scanned Sim Seowoo up and down where he sat on the bed was decidedly indifferent.
“Hmm. A ‘miracle,’ really. I wonder if that word can even be used on someone so clumsy as that.”
“What? Not even a word of thanks, and what on earth is that supposed to mean!”
“Why would I? Did I ask to be purified? It was that one over there who just dumped all their energy out and bled from the nose and passed out.”
Do Seonhwa and Jin Gwangmin were left with their mouths hanging open at Cheon Yijae’s attitude. They were stunned by a brazenness that was shameless — no, one that seemed to have never possessed the concept of shame in the first place.
“That happened because they didn’t know how to channel their Purification ability! And the fact that they washed away your curses even without knowing Purification techniques is just how remarkable——”
“Isn’t the problem precisely that they poured it out without even knowing Purification techniques? That means they don’t have even the slightest sense of how to manage their spiritual energy. And besides, receiving Purification that’s been dumped out like that actually feels disgusting. Shit, I thought my insides were being turned inside out.”
Cheon Yijae even let a curse slip out, and the two of them flinched and quickly checked Sim Seowoo’s expression. Even to them, who had grown accustomed to Sojunim’s personality, it was a shocking display — and they worried it would feel even more unpleasant to Guiin.
But in truth, Sim Seowoo found it roughly understandable. It was something like pouring an entire bottle of disinfectant onto a wound that only needed to be lightly disinfected. And conveniently, the other person was an esper who harbored an evil spirit in his body, wasn’t he? Of course, on his end, he had bled from the nose and even fainted, so it did feel absurd — but it truly was, just as the other claimed, a one-sided act that he hadn’t wanted.
“Ah, yeah. It could have been uncomfortable, you’re right.”
When Sim Seowoo nodded and said that, Cheon Yijae hesitated for a moment. He moved his lips a couple of times before sharply turning his head away and saying,
“Anyway, now that you’re awake, let him go. I have no intention of receiving Purification that’s mindlessly dumped out like that.”
“The Purification techniques can be learned from now on, little by little……!”
“Aa. So you want to teach someone who has never even seen a ghost, someone who didn’t even know Heun existed — a total newcomer — and then take them out to the field? And pick them up every time they collapse? The field must be really leisurely, huh?”
Cheon Yijae scoffed, saying they should talk sense. Originally, Purification was a form of treatment that Purifiers received during combat. So how were they supposed to bring along someone who bled from the nose and fainted every time they Purified at a scene already chaotic with Hyeong Akgui, he demanded — and he made it clear, with sharp edges, that he had absolutely no intention of taking on such a burden.
“Hmm, it’s basically like telling a newbie who just started the tutorial to go on a raid, isn’t it. Though the newbie is a jumping character, so.”
“You, be quiet.”
Do Seonhwa cut Jin Gwangmin’s low murmur coldly.
She truly couldn’t understand Cheon Yijae’s reaction. Weren’t the problems he pointed out things that Heun could resolve through training? All this time, he had pushed away Purifiers by insisting on the absurd standard of ‘nothing less than a Purification that washes away the curse in one go,’ and now he was even rejecting the existence that had fulfilled that condition by a truly rare chance.
It might be uncomfortable that their Purification abilities are polar opposites, but the pain of being stained by the curse should be far worse than that. Do Seonhwa, who had been tilting her head with a confused expression, suddenly burst out,
“Ah, right! You didn’t notice either? Guiin is a survivor of ‘that incident’……!”
“So what.”
But at Do Seonhwa’s cry, Cheon Yijae’s voice dropped in an instant. His eyes turning toward her became ice cold beyond measure, and even Jin Gwangmin, who was not even the person in question, flinched and trembled all over.
Do Seonhwa stammered out her answer.
“Since Guiin was present at the place where Hyungsin awoke, couldn’t we seek help in finding the way…….”
“Ah, so you want to go into the mountain where you nearly died, and you want to invite them to come along? Conveniently, since their ability is also needed, kill two birds with one stone?”
“That, well, so…….”
Their mouths snapped shut when he pointed out that they were trying to deploy a victim of the incident for a mission.
In truth, that was the reason that weighed on both of them the most. No matter how much time had passed, it was absolutely not a light incident, and even if he appeared calm now, telling him to go to that place could trigger trauma. That was precisely why they had first been carefully talking about the truth of the incident while watching his reactions — and it was in the middle of that when Cheon Yijae had walked in.
Do Seonhwa stammered out an explanation. It truly was not the case that they had been trying to recruit him solely for Heun’s benefit.
“Guiin’s Spiritual Sight has opened now, so Hyeong Akgui could be drawn to him, you know. If they were to come rushing in again, like at the movie theater, insisting on recreating that day perfectly…….”
