A grave expression appeared on everyone’s faces at that truth. Though this was a village full of ghosts, no Hyeong Akgui had ever been discovered here before. Since this was the first place where Hyungsin had arrived, it wouldn’t be strange for evil spirits that received that god’s energy to come here as well…
“But why on earth would a Hyeong Akgui steal the Dangmok Spirit’s key…?”
Jin Gwangmin muttered in confusion. Generally, Hyeong Akgui caused incidents everywhere as if trying to widely spread Hyungsin’s power and advertise to the world that He had been resurrected. They instinctively tormented humans and spread fear.
But those things came to a village where not a single human lived and stole a spirit’s key? Do Seonhwa asked the spirit with a tense look.
“What happens if they steal that key?”
[That… I don’t know either.]
“…Huh?”
[Nothing comes to mind. But I’m certain something very terrible will happen!]
At the absurd answer, Cheon Yijae scowled sharply.
“If you don’t know anything, what ‘terrible thing’ are you talking about? Isn’t this also a lie?”
[It’s not! I’m the guardian spirit of a thousand-year-old tree! My intuition is clearly telling me. If that key is stolen, something very, very, very terrible will happen…!]
“Then you should at least roughly explain what that terrible thing is. Ha, maybe you’re even misremembering the thousand years in the first place.”
Feeling it was pointless to continue conversing with the spirit, Cheon Yijae shook his head with a sigh. The other members seemed to agree somewhat, but soon Kim Myeongyeon, the leader of Team 5, presented a serious-faced speculation.
“Hyungsin has only stayed at Hoejin Mountain since its resurrection. In the past it traveled across the country, but this time it hasn’t moved at all. So maybe the Hyeong Akgui also came to Gwiraechon to find the reason? Since the memory of a thousand-year-old Dangmok Spirit would include what happened on ‘that day’ several hundred years ago, perhaps their purpose is to analyze the differences…”
The catalyst for Hyungsin awakening again this time was a ritual performed six years ago by a cult group called Seak Akjin Lireugyo. The despair, fear, and helplessness embedded in that ritual awakened Hyungsin, and hundreds of people trapped in flames died there, announcing the resurrection of the calamity.
However, since then, Hyungsin had remained quietly on the mountain. They believed it was because the god had been resurrected incompletely, awakened by the cult’s crude ritual, and so was instead giving Hyungok to evil spirits to rampage across the country, buying time. Waiting with bated breath until it fully regained all its power.
“The reason the Hyeong Akgui’s offensives have intensified recently might also be to deliberately keep Heun’s attention focused there. To secretly come to Gwiraechon and precisely identify what was lacking in the resurrection six years ago.”
As Kim Myeongyeon spoke carefully, she kept glancing at Sim Seowoo. She seemed somewhat concerned that a victim and sole survivor of the Seak Akjin Lireugyo mass fire incident happened to be here.
But Sim Seowoo just nodded calmly and said.
“That’s the most likely scenario. Compared to the past, they must have targeted the spirit’s memory to properly raise Hyungsin. Since this Dangmok Spirit is the only being that witnessed the moment Hyungsin arrived several hundred years ago and is still alive today.”
A kind of mistake analysis notebook. The purpose of clearly identifying and supplementing the errors of the second attempt by comparing it with the first correct answer.
The puzzle pieces seemed to fit together neatly. Of course, this was speculation premised on the spirit’s words being true, but at the point where it described a ‘pitch-black orb,’ it became difficult to dismiss as complete lies.
If this spirit truly was an ancient tree’s guardian spirit that witnessed the moment Hyungsin awakened in the past and also truly stored that memory in a key, then the ‘very, very, very terrible thing’ that would happen if it was stolen would be Hyungsin’s true resurrection.
While a determined light appeared on everyone’s faces, Cheon Yijae looked at the spirit with an odd expression.
“I didn’t expect this…”
Whether still doubting the spirit’s existence or pondering after encountering such a huge variable, Cheon Yijae questioned after a brief silence. In a calm tone, as if deciding to respond to the problem rather than continue interrogating the spirit about truth and falsehood.
“Then, when was that key stolen? Has it been quite a while since it left the village?”
[Ah, that’s not the case. That key is still in this village!]
“What? Wasn’t it stolen at least several days ago? You said you’d been waiting all this time for a medium to enter.”
Cheon Yijae raised one eyebrow. When the Dangmok Spirit first asked Sim Seowoo for help, the spirit had definitely rejoiced at ‘finally’ meeting a medium.
[I was waiting for humans to enter. Since mediums with mysterious powers sometimes visit this place, I waited only for when I could meet them, and finally! At last!]
Judging by that attitude, it seemed the key had been stolen by the Hyeong Akgui quite some time ago, so it was strange to hear the key was still in the village. As Sim Seowoo also grew puzzled and tilted his head, the spirit cleared its throat and placed both hands on its hips again.
While sitting on Sim Seowoo’s lap, it shouted triumphantly as if telling a very proud story. Its round cheeks rose along with the corners of its mouth, swelling cutely.
[That’s precisely because my ‘rank’ is high, so the key is also a sublime sacred object! Having stayed in this village for a thousand years, how could it leave easily! In other words, that wretched evil spirit that stole my key is in the midst of trying to dig up a giant tree by its roots and take it outside! Keukkeukkeuk!]
The roots of an old tree spread widely underground and were also solid. If one tried to forcibly uproot and take the tree, those roots would break and be damaged, so to completely possess the key of memories, they had no choice but to take time.
[Though I’m currently separated from the key, I definitely sense that it’s still in this village. Very faintly, but lingering somewhere in the village.]
“Oh, then we just need to locate its position! We should quickly request support from Heun…!”
[The problem is that the connection with that key seems about to be severed soon….]
Just as Jin Gwangmin rejoiced that they’d bought time, the spirit set a deadline. Even if they requested support from Heun for exorcism right now, it would take a long time to enter this village.
In other words, they needed to go hunt the Hyeong Akgui with their current personnel. Five people from Field Team 5, called the trainee team at Heun, and four from Field Team 2.
“Since it was a simple field investigation mission, we only brought minimal protective Jugu…”
Even Kim Myeongyeon, Team 5’s leader who had a long career as a combat officer, was flustered that she hadn’t brought proper weapons, and her subordinates were the same. Do Seonhwa also looked troubled as she turned to Cheon Yijae and said.
“What should we do, Sojunim? The Vice-Leader said if you remove the restraints without permission one more time, you’ll receive severe punishment. That he’ll increase the pain of the punishment hall several times…”
Recently, Cheon Yijae had removed his restraints without higher approval twice in a row. Originally he often removed his restraints without permission anyway, but he’d been sternly warned by the Vice-Leader after nearly attacking allies when poisoned by a yokai after drawing out a huge Jaegui in the last campaign.
Also, pointing out that the reason Cheon Yijae could so easily cast aside his restraints was because the punishment hall wasn’t serious enough, the Vice-Leader declared that if he defied orders again, the level of punishment hall would be increased. That power that couldn’t be properly controlled was a calamity.
“Of course I’ll report it as an emergency situation, but honestly, I’ve said this every time…”
Do Seonhwa touched the back of her neck as if troubled. She’d always cleaned up after Cheon Yijae’s misconduct, and each time used the excuse ‘it was an emergency, so it couldn’t be helped,’ so credibility must have dropped. Even if Field Team 5 testified together, of all times, this problem occurred on the very day he received the Vice-Leader’s warning.
However, Cheon Yijae just nodded nonchalantly.
“It doesn’t matter. If this spirit’s story is really all true… whether the punishment hall gets worse or additional restraints are added doesn’t matter at all. Right now, let’s go catch that thief first.”
His voice had become quite serious before long. Whether it was a determined resolve to stop Hyungsin, or will for something else.
Cheon Yijae decisively decided to sortie immediately with this personnel, and following the Young Master’s order, everyone nodded. Right now in this place, he was the actual decision-maker.
Eventually he looked straight down at the spirit and said.
“Guide us in as much detail as possible where you sense your key.”
***
The mission to investigate Gwiraechon had changed in an unexpected direction.
It had been a leisurely task of touring the ghosts’ festival grounds and gathering information, but they’d suddenly faced a situation where they had to fight Hyeong Akgui. Jin Gwangmin lamented while fiddling with his bag strap.
“I might have raised a flag…”
