Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 104 – Lord of the Western Sea (1)

“Human. Open the wooden box. If you do so, I, the ruler of the seas, shall grant your wish.”

‘!?’

At the voice coming from the wooden box, Mok Gyeong-un scoffed and muttered,

“You’re really blatantly peddling the bait.”

“…”

This was an enticement.

It was no different from openly asking him to open the wooden box.

Cheong-ryeong spoke in an astonished tone,

-How can someone who can’t even take care of their own body grant wishes?

“I agree with those words. But what could it be?”

-It seems they sealed away an evil creature. However, to think its voice can be heard even while sealed. This is the first time I’ve seen such a case.

She had lived as a vengeful spirit for a hundred years.

And she had also been sealed away like the wicked thing in this wooden box.

But this was the first time she encountered such a case.

Usually, once sealed, all energy and everything else is blocked, so the inside and outside are meant to be isolated.

Yet the fact that this thing’s voice could be heard meant…

“Ah. There’s a crack.”

-A crack?

There was a partial crack on the upper part of the wooden box that Mok Gyeong-un pointed to.

-I see. But this wooden box…

“It’s strange that there’s no talisman or anything.”

-You noticed it too.

It was a peculiar situation.

As Cheong-ryeong said, there was no talisman or anything to seal the demonic energy on the wooden box.

Then by what means was this ominous being trapped in this wooden box?

It was incomprehensible.

While he was perplexed, a voice was heard.

“Damn it. I thought it was some luck that you could hear my voice, but judging from your mention of talismans, you must be a Taoist who has mastered sorcery.”

“A Taoist? What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t pretend otherwise. Do you think you can deceive me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you can think of me as a diviner who is learning sorcery.”

“A diviner? Ah. You must be the same kind as that human wearing diviner’s robes who came last time.”

‘The same kind?’

Based on the way it spoke, it seemed someone had come before.

Indeed, there was no way a diviner who had mastered sorcery would fail to detect such ominous demonic energy.

In the first place, the red line was a technique that only a diviner could create.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked,

“Who came before?”

“Someone did come. It was an ominous fellow with three eyes. It was the first time I saw someone with those eyes that were said to have disappeared after the ancient times.”

“Three eyes? What is that? Cheong-ryeong, do you know?”

-Do you think I know all the principles of the world?

At Cheong-ryeong’s words, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head.

If you literally interpret “three eyes,” it means having three eyes.

Such a deformed being had come here before?

While he was puzzled, a voice came from the wooden box.

“How would the likes of you evil spirits and lowly humans know about matters from the ancient times?”

-..You’ve been calling us evil spirits, you evil creature.

“Wait a moment.”

-What?

Mok Gyeong-un stopped her anger and said,

“So what exactly are these ‘three eyes’?”

-It’s literally a three-eyed being. It is a deformed creature born from a human womb. There is a saying that misfortune arrives when it is born.=

“Misfortune?”

-But it’s quite interesting. Even in ancient times, a three-eyed being would barely survive a day after birth before being killed.

It was difficult to understand what it was talking about.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un summarized,

“I don’t quite understand what you mean, but are you saying that diviner wearing robes who had three eyes put you here?”

“That’s right. I don’t know what that person did, but after he came, no one could perceive me.”

“Not being able to perceive means…”

“From the beginning, they treat it as if it doesn’t exist.”

“As if it doesn’t exist?”

At the words that flowed from the wooden box, Cheong-ryeong strongly denied,

-That can’t be. No matter how much human sorcery has advanced over time, erasing perception goes against the principles of the world.

“Oh-ho. For an evil spirit, you seem to know quite a bit.”

-Evil spirit? You damned evil creature!

Cracks appeared on the wooden puppet that sealed Cheong-ryeong.

She seemed ready to break out and smash the wooden box at any moment.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un dissuaded her.

“Cheong-ryeong. Endure it.”

-If I were you…

“Rather than continuing like this, wouldn’t everything work out if we make it mine first?”

-Yours? Hmm.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s whisper, Cheong-ryeong muttered as if tempted.

The expression of making it his own ultimately meant turning it into a servant spirit.

Mok Gyeong-un had the ability to turn even high-ranking vengeful spirits into servant spirit.

If it was a weakened malevolent spirit trapped in a wooden box, he might be able to turn it into a servant spirit.

He had already confirmed this being’s potential through absorbing resentment.

-Still, be careful. It’s best to reduce the demonic energy without disturbing the seal as much as possible.

“That’s what I was thinking.”

Mok Gyeong-un had the same thought as her.

In the case of demonic energy, it was condensed evil energy, so absorbing it would be helpful.

While doing so, a voice came from the wooden box.

“Hey. Human.”

“Yes.”

“Being trapped here, do I seem insignificant in your eyes? I am the lord who rules over the Western Sea.”

“And?”

“If you just free me from here, I will grant any wish you desire. Did you mention a grandfather earlier?”

“…”

“Don’t you miss that grandfather?”

At this voice, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes sharpened, unlike before.

He disliked pranks in general, but he really disliked anyone bringing up his grandfather.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un approached the wooden box without answering.

And he picked it up and placed it on the floor.

“That’s right. Break the wooden box.”

“That’s what I intend to do. Ah. Of course, before that…”

Mok Gyeong-un placed his palm on the cracked part of the wooden box.

And he inwardly recited the Ritual of Binding incantation.

Then, the ominous demonic energy that had been flowing out from the crack began to flow into Mok Gyeong-un’s palm.

“Shuuu!”

‘!?’

Sensing this, the voice didn’t hide its bewilderment.

“Human… What are you doing…”

“Despite being trapped for a long time, your energy is quite substantial. Share some with me.”

“Stop!”

“Too late.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un absorbed the flowing demonic energy as it was.

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flickered with interest at the considerably vast amount.

‘So much.’

There was far more energy than he expected.

He didn’t anticipate the energy flowing out through the cracks to be this much.

By absorbing just a little, he had already absorbed the equivalent of twenty people’s worth of evil energy.

Just what level of malevolent spirit was it to possess such strong demonic energy even while trapped?

“S… Stop it. You lowly human dares to absorb my energy…”

“It’s almost done, so wait just a bit longer.”

The energy flowing out through the cracks was almost completely absorbed.

It was demonic energy amounting to nearly fifty people’s worth of evil energy.

There was already a certain amount of evil energy consumed and needed from creating undead using the Six Yin Strengthening Technique, so it seemed his luck was good.

The demonic energy stopped flowing out.

Based on this, it seemed he had absorbed most of the energy of the being trapped inside.

“You… bast… ard…”

Hearing the being’s voice, its strength had significantly diminished.

It seemed to lack the energy to even get angry.

“It seems weakened. Now, make it your servant spirit.”

“Yes.”

Mok Gyeong-un brought his blade finger toward the cracked part of the wooden box.

The air around his blade finger trembled.

He had invoked aura.

As it didn’t seem like an ordinary wooden box, he intended to cut it with aura.

Mok Gyeong-un placed his blade finger, imbued with aura, against the wooden box.

Right at that moment,

“Paang!”

“Ugh!”

Along with a strong repulsive force, Mok Gyeong-un’s body was pushed back nearly five steps.

‘What is this?’

-What happened?

Cheong-ryeong also asked in surprise.

Mok Gyeong-un looked at his blade finger.

Fortunately, his finger was unharmed, but the moment he tried to pierce the wooden box with aura, he was pushed back by an unknown force.

‘What?’

He was certain that he had absorbed all the demonic energy flowing out from the crack in the wooden box.

But what was going on?

While he was puzzled, a voice was heard.

“Did you think the wood made from sacred spirit trees would break so easily?”

“Sacred spirit trees?”

“Seeing that you don’t even know that, it seems the Immortals no longer remain in the afterlife.”

“Immortals? What are you talking about?”

“If you don’t know, forget it. Rather, the method to break the sacred spirit wood…”

At that very moment,

The area around the crack in the wooden box split apart before the voice could finish speaking.

“What?”

Then, starting from the split area, the wooden box began to rot and crumble like ashes.

It was a strange occurrence, as it had been perfectly fine until just a moment ago.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un looked at his blade finger.

‘Is it because of the evil energy?’

His aura wasn’t formed from ordinary inner energy but from the evil energy of death itself.

Evil energy was the opposite of the energy of life, so it caused it to scatter.

It was difficult to accurately predict whether it was due to that or if the crack had already existed and the force added to it caused it to break.

However, regardless of the reason, the wooden box was shattered.

“Isn’t that a scroll?”

-It seems so.

Something buried in the ashes of the shattered wooden box caught his eye.

It was a rolled-up scroll.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un approached and picked it up.

It was a considerably old scroll, and based on its length, it seemed to have poems or paintings drawn inside.

“The scroll… Open the scroll.”

The voice was heard then.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un smirked and tried to put the scroll into his mouth while reciting the Ritual of Binding incantation with the hand holding the scroll.

-…What are you trying to do now?

“I’m going to eat it.”

-What?

He had no intention of playing along with the evil creature’s tune.

If this scroll was the main body related to the malevolent spirit, he intended to eat it and make it his servant spirit.

Just as he was about to put the end of the scroll into his mouth,

“You fool!”

Blue flames erupted from the scroll like lightning.

Along with that, the scroll bounced out of Mok Gyeong-un’s hand, rolled on the floor, and began to unfold on its own.

“Catch it!”

Mok Gyeong-un reached out with his burned hand toward the scroll and unleashed the Ritual of Binding incantation.

He thought it would be pulled over, but it resisted in midair.

Then, the fully unfolded scroll floated in the air.

‘Ah!’

Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes flickered with interest as he looked at it.

That was because a landscape painting was drawn on the scroll, and it was so beautiful that it seemed like looking at a paradise.

Mist shrouded the majestic mountain peaks, and flower-bearing trees were scattered there.

‘Beautiful.’

However, there was one uniquely disturbing part.

It was because a white-haired middle-aged man was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed on top of the peak in the center of the landscape painting.

‘Why did they have to draw a person here…’

At that moment,

The white-haired middle-aged man in the painting opened his closed eyes.

Then,

He stepped on the mist and walked out from within the painting.

‘!?’

The moment it came out, Mok Gyeong-un felt a chill down his spine for the first time in his life.

As the white-haired middle-aged man passed through the painting, an immense demonic energy emanated, which seemed like countless death energies gathered into one.

-Impossible.

Cheong-ryeong muttered in a perplexed tone.

She had never shown any fear or unease no matter what kind of malevolent spirit or vengeful ghost appeared.

But why was she reacting like this? While he was puzzled, she spoke with difficulty.

-…How can there be a malevolent spirit at the level of a Spirit Beast?

‘Spirit Beast?’

The Classic of Mountains and Seas describes it like this:

In the world, there are countless malevolent spirits that humans cannot see.

Among such malevolent spirits, there are those that reside in a higher realm that not only humans but even those spirits cannot dare to approach.

They are the Spirit Beasts that have lived for an incredibly long time.