Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
50. Set piece (6)
At Heuk-ma’s words, the eyes of Hwang-ho, who sat facing her, and Jeok-ho, who stood in the corner, shined sharply.
The Demons’ ‘Eyes’ were impossible to see through with the Detection category or Insight category skills, and even among the Jin people, they were possible to detect only by some people, who were extremely sensitive to the gazes.
For the current moment, there was no way to block those ‘Eyes’, besides protecting the target area with the barrier of the Eungwang School divine realm’s standard, or cutting off the communication and satellite signal reception.
In such a situation, he could do nothing but be wary, even though there was no way to judge for certain what was the meaning of Huek-ma’s words.
‘… transfer ‘Eyes’, you say?’
The suppressed by kotodama priest of Avaritia rolling both of his eyeballs as if in last ditch effort hung on his mind.
Hwang-ho, who experienced wars and suppressed numerous foes, saw captives make such eyes countless times.
Such guys almost always left a possibility for future plans even if they died.
Hwang-ho put a question in his mouth.
“What do you mean by ‘transfer the ‘Eyes’’?”
“I guess you don’t know that.”
Heuk-ma grinned and tilted her tea cup.
It seemed she was judging how much information the Ho tribe has, while beating around the bush drinking tea.
Although Heuk-ma entered the center of the tiger den without subordinates and was sprinkling information, it didn’t seem like she was moving thoughtlessly.
Instead of urging her for a reply, Hwang-ho reheated the tea.
It was an expression meaning that until Heuk-ma opens her mouth, he also wouldn’t open his.
Heuk-ma, who quietly observed Hwang-ho gracefully prepare tea again, put down a tea cup and opened her mouth, as if she organized her thoughts.
“After the Clash of Different Worlds, because our world and human’s mortal world[1] overlapped, the Ma tribe secured a land on Korean Peninsula, and since then we have been ceaselessly fighting with Demons. From those who got into cute arguments through jokes to insolent ones who tried to exterminate us. We faced numerous Demons for over 100 years.”
Heuk-ma didn’t easily cut to the point.
Unlike Hwang-ho, who listened attentively, while elegantly drinking tea, Jeok-ho looked at Heuk-ma with an impatient[2] face.
Heuk-ma’s words continued.
“They didn’t have any kind of center and had backgrounds as numerous as humans. But they had a thing in common.”
“Is it related to those ‘eyes’?”
Jeok-ho unknowingly opened his mouth and spoke.
“Their common point was that they are obsessed with ‘seeing’. They show symptoms of voyeurism to the point of perversion. When restricting to seeing, the beings who match with Demons are exceptionally rare. Unless someone has a Gwangrim specialized in seeing.”
“That obsession led them to invent a technology to shift the ‘Eyes’, eh?”
At Hwang-ho’s words, Heuk-ma nodded.
Heuk-ma continued to speak with a slightly bowed head.
Her black hair covered half of her face and they couldn’t clearly see what kind of expression she was making right now.
“Yeah. At one time, to prevent information from leaking, we lured Demons inside of our divine realm and captured them.”
Heuk-ma calmly told the story of events of that time.
After dozens of attacks, Heuk-ma realized the attackers’ ‘Eyes’ were observing around her divine realm.
When she realized that those ‘Eyes’ couldn’t see the deepest parts of the divine realm protected by the 12 Zodiac Alliance’s barrier, she made a plan and resolved to luring them inside and capturing them alive.
It was to dig for information about the attackers, and not to give any information about this side.
“But that was a mistake. We underestimated their obsession.”
Without a kotodama skill it wasn’t easy to capture those Demon priests and interrogate them.
When the Demon priests regained even a little bit of their energy, they resisted straight away, and only laughed slyly, without plans to open their mouths.
The Divine Beast had to draw on the Power of Earth to use it to tie the Demon priests’ feet, and Heuk-ma had to personally step out to nail the Demon priests to the border between life and death, and forcibly read the memories brushing past like in a kaleidoscope[3].
And the instant she found a clue related to the transfer[4] of ‘Eyes’, the Demons attacked.
The Demons, who attacked, clearly figured out the familiars’ weaknesses and location of the divine realm.
All the information was already transferred.
“The priests of Demon God made an altar in the Demon World to serve the god. If they don’t die, they can pray to the Demon God.”
“… That prayer would be related to the transfer of ‘Eyes’, eh?”
“Yeah, they can transfer everything they saw until now. While they serve the Demon God, the superpower wave and magic power[5] is accumulated in the altar, and the Demon God bestows divinity and blessings. And as a price for their vision, they can transfer the ‘Eyes’ remembering everything they saw to the altar.”
“This is possible…!?”
Jeok-ho exclaimed in shock.
Their obsession about ‘seeing’ was beyond imagination.
While despising that dirty obsession, Hwang-ho ruminated over what Heuk-ma said.
Hwang-ho opened his mouth straight away.
“I’ll check.”
“The Myth category Ho are quick-witted.”
Heuk-ma informed about the evidence of the ‘Eyes’ being transferred.
It would be clear if it was true or not if they examined the priest of Avaritia.
* * *
Eungwang School’s Research zone, Gwangrim research building no. 4, Silver Shadow (Eunyeong) Building, the underground floor that wasn’t marked on the building’s map in any place.
Behind the unshakable barrier made by the Ho tribe’s head and chief shaman was a naraka[6].
Once one was dragged into the naraka, even death wouldn’t be forgiven.
The death would be only allowed when one exhausted their natural lifespan through aging.
But unlike humans, the Jin people and descendants didn’t die from old age, so the eternally young beings had to be locked up in this place for eternity.
Among the people who were dragged here for the sins they’ve committed, the only one to see the light again when alive was Jeok-ho.
Baek-ho was walking into that naraka.
Grrrr….!
“Calm down.”
An enormous shadow followed at Baek-ho’s side.
That was the Divine Beast in its true form.
As if the Divine Beast didn’t like the naraka’s air, it growled a few times, and Baek-ho had to occasionally raise his hands to smooth out the raised hair.
“Even though you don’t like the air here, endure. I’ll take you on a walk.”
At those words, the Divine Beast growled discontentedly, while bumping its nose against Baek-ho’s shoulder.
It seemed that it wanted to go on a walk right now.
The Divine Beast didn’t hide the dissatisfaction in its low and thick roar, which terrified even the Ho tribe members, who stood guard far away, but Baek-ho petted the Divine Beast as if it was a sweet child throwing a tantrum.
“Hwang-ho is facing Heuk-ma right now. If there is something to use Power of Earth for, you will have to step out.”
At Baek-ho’s words, the Divine Beast growled as if in understanding, but it swung its tail wide, as if expecting something.
Because of the Divine Beast’s size, the swinging tail was like a swung weapon, and seemed like a dangerous thing.
“Got it. I won’t tell Jo Uisin.”
Krung.
The Divine Beast barked shortly as if acting cute.
Unlike when it borrowed the appearance of the Gyeon[7], it didn’t come out as cute, but Baek-ho raised his hand and scratched the Divine Beast’s neck, as if praising it.
Baek-ho, who was walking through the naraka with the Divine Beast, which mood drastically improved, stopped in front of a golden rope[8] with the triple layer barrier.
It was the place where the priest of Avaritia was sealed.
The priest of Avaritia seen beyond the golden rope was stiff, without even twitching.
After he was knocked out at Hwang-ho’s hands in the Eungwang Stadium, the priest of Avaritia didn’t open his eyes even once.
“Wait here. If there is a problem, draw on the Power of Earth and tie up that guy’s movements.”
Grrrr!
After the Divine Beast’s roar, Baek-ho crossed the golden rope and approached the priest of Avaritia.
Without hesitation, Baek-ho lifted the eyelids of the priest of Avaritia.
Because the eyeballs didn’t move, the sclera was much more visible than the purple irises, making it look bizarre.
Paaat!
Baek-ho gathered light in his eyes, and examined those eyes with the ‘Brilliant Gaze’.
Baek-ho’s eyes changed like those of a beast, and he thoroughly examined the eyeballs of the Demon.
A white superpower wave filled the prison behind the golden rope and then died down, as Baek-ho withdrew the Brilliant Gaze.
Baek-ho stood up, and contacted Hwang-ho straight away.
“Hwang-ho, that guy lost his vision.”
* * *
“… Then everything ‘Priest of Avaritia’ saw was brought to the Demon World, huh?”
“That’s right.”
I looked back at the events that day.
The priest of Avaritia witnessed my usage of Gwangrim.
The most difficult was that he saw the scene of me using ‘kotodama’ skill.
Among the Players of Eungwang School, there were two people, who used the kotodama skill, Jegal Jaegeol and Gong Cheong-hwon, but as they didn’t know that the Demons’ weakness is kotodama, the need of wariness against them was low.
But I clearly used the kotodama skill knowing it’s their weakness, and anyone who saw that scene would know it.
Because it was me instead of Hwang Jiho, who faced and restrained the priest of Avaritia, who attempted to self-implode.
‘In the future, the Demon who obtains the information from those ‘Eyes’ will actively target me and Ho tribe.’
I said that the danger risk of Jegal Jaegeol and Gong Cheong-hwon was low, but they were teachers of the Eungwang School, which was operated by the Ho tribe.
The other side might be on guard.
Moreover, there was one thing on my mind.
I also ran into a Demon with the appearance of Jo Uisin.
— Hello, I’m Eungwang School’s Newspaper Club’s Jo Uisin. Can I request a picture and an interview?
While saying that, I also showed a staff necklace.
‘I think I acted naturally, but it bothers me that I revealed both the name and the face.’
I felt somehow uneasy about Jo Uisin’s face, name and affiliation entering into the hands of Demons, who would aim at me.
If I was a Demon, and there existed a kotodama user, who knew that kotodama is my weakness, but there were no clues, I probably would kill all beings that made noticeable movements that day.
No, I might have just aimed at all humans that came to the opening ceremony that day.
“Stop wearing that crow mask in the future.”
At Hwang Jiho’s words, my thoughts halted.
That point was a problem.
The Demons’ ‘Eyes’ manifested in numerous forms, so the ‘Eyes’ used by the group the guy of Avaritia belonged to and the ‘Eyes’ used by the Crow Demon King were a bit different types.
It seemed they were both obsessed with ‘seeing’, but the manifestation was completely different.
It was like in the past martial arts were treated as the same discipline, but with the division of factions and schools, and after a long passage of time, they became completely different disciplines with even the basic motions being different.
The Crow Demon King, or the Demon King of Silence and Bastards Sillentium’s ‘Eyes’ activated through crows.
It meant that without using the crow mask, I wouldn’t give him sight in the future.
‘I still have to wear the mask.’
I didn’t reply.
After I didn’t reply straight away, Hwang Jiho clicked his tongue.
“Looks like you’re planning on continuing to wear it, eh?”
“Yeah, I’ll use it at least until the next year.”
“… At least until the next year? What happens next year? Also are you going to put up with the Demons, who use their eyes to stare outside of the divine realm, aiming at your life?”
Hwang Jiho’s voice gradually became stiff.
Rather than the next year, I certainly had to use the crow mask until the end of this year.
At the end of this year, the scenario called by the PMH users the ‘Concrete Collapse’, will occur.
But of course, that scenario’s official name wasn’t Concrete Collapse.
“Uh, I have to use it until it snows[9].”
“What sound are you making?”
In the Eungwang School covered by heavy snow, that scenario progressed.
I thought right now it was time to inform Hwang Jiho about that fact.
“Do you remember Pungbaek, Usa and Unsa?”
There were three officials who managed the weather in the Gaecheon Myth.
Those three, who volunteered to follow Sinin, threw away much power and descended on this land, were said to be greatly weakened, but while Sinin ruled the Korean Peninsula, with Sinin they blocked famine and floods, and brought prosperity.
“… I remember. There is no way I would forget dead battle comrades, right?”
Hwang Jiho showed signs of being clearly flustered as if he couldn’t imagine the three being mentioned.
“Those three aren’t dead. At the end of the year, they will bring snow over the Eungwang School and… If not defended against, Jeok-ho and Yong Jegeon will die, and numerous Players, without distinction between Jin people, descendants and humans, will die.”
*~*~*
[1] mortal world — literally ‘present world’, ‘mundane world’.
[2] impatient — or anxious, nervous.
[3] kaleidoscope — in Korean it’s literally called a running horse lamp.
[4] transfer — or change/evolve. Different word for ‘transfer’ from before and after.
[5] magic power — so magic power is ‘마력 maryeok’, and ‘마 ma’ can stand for demonic or magic… so I’m not actually sure if it’s a magic power.
[6] naraka — Buddhist hell, in Korean this word has two homonyms, one ‘old way of saying rice (plant)’ and ‘locked up and trapped’. There is a chance I’ll translate it just as ‘hell’ if I forget I chose to translate it as naraka, so keep that in mind please.
[7] Gyeon — ‘dog’.
[8] golden rope — ‘인줄 injul’ a rope hung at the entrance to prevent evil things from approaching (or leaving). The name used in raws literally translates to a human rope, but I’m using another name ‘golden rope’ for it, as human rope sounds a bit too macabre in English.
[9] until it snows — a funny thing to say because ‘snow’ is a homonym of ‘eyes’, so it could also mean until ‘eyes drop’.
Translator’s note: Jeok-ho, I’m so happy that you’re in this room to serve us only two sentences and have no obvious reasons to be in that scene. Yes, I’m sure you’re in this scene for completely pointless reasons.
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