Fwoooosh—
Suddenly, a faint light shimmered at the entrance of the dark, shadowy tomb.
At the same time, the very air began to tremble.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
"The Guardian Statues…!"
The bronze statues standing in dynamic poses on either side of the entrance — one holding a vajra, the other a sword — were slowly rising to their feet.
Flash—!
The mysterious light was none other than the glow of their eyes, burning like ghostly flames.
I immediately sprang back, drawing Mujin in one smooth motion.
"Nobody said anything about there being guardians!"
What's worse, there hadn't been the slightest warning before they moved.
If they were constructs powered by magic, I should've sensed mana flowing into them. If they were animated by sorcery, there would've been a surge of power or a ripple of energy.
Even in my drained state, I'd been on high alert, spreading my senses in all directions.
Rumble... RRRUMMMBLE!
The statues moved with a fluid grace that defied their bronze forms — as if they were made not of metal, but of living flesh.
"Leave."
Fwoosh!
Their cold, inhuman voices rang out, laced with a piercing blue glow from their eyes.
The words were stilted, halting — as if dozens of voices were speaking at once, rising and falling out of sync in a strange, dissonant chorus.
But that wasn't what shocked me most.
"They're... speaking?"
And not just speaking — they were using modern Korean.
As Valeri had once told me, ancient languages were nothing like what we spoke today. Even a couple hundred years of linguistic drift would've made communication impossible.
Yet I understood these statues perfectly.
"Hu-man. Leave."
And only then — after hearing their voices buzz like a swarm of bees — did I realize.
This wasn't sound reaching my ears.
This was a direct transmission into my mind — a psychic wave.
"A thought projection…? Only high-level monsters or spirits should be able to do that. But these guardians—"
BOOM!
When I didn't retreat, one of the statues stepped forward.
Crack!
The vajra in its hand gleamed menacingly — a final warning.
It was a hair-trigger moment.
I squeezed out the last of my mana, forcing my Mystic Eye to activate.
"Nothing...?"
There was nothing.
No mana. No enchantment. No magic. No trace of ancient, incomprehensible power.
They were simply moving bronze statues.
"That can't be right!"
I sharpened my focus.
This was exactly why I'd trained so rigorously with Valeri — to perceive the imperceptible.
Crackle!
It felt like a veil was tearing across my vision — the same sensation I'd experienced long ago during my naming ceremony, before I first awakened my Mystic Eye.
And in that fleeting moment — deep within the statue — I saw it.
An indistinct cluster of light, swirling in its core.
But it vanished almost instantly, dissolving back into the statue.
I was about to push deeper—
KRAAAASH!
The vajra slammed into the ground beside me, sending shockwaves rippling out like crashing waves.
Throb...!
And just like that, the Mystic Eye shut down — my mana completely spent.
"Damn... I was so close."
"Leave."
That cold, otherworldly voice echoed again, as if crawling up from the depths of the underworld.
And the bronze statues lunged for me once more.
***
KRAAAASH!
I clenched my teeth, narrowly dodging the relentless strikes that rained down like meteorites.
I poured the last of my mana into Mujin.
KRAAAASH!
Their overwhelming size and weight alone made them formidable weapons.
"But that's all they have — they're heavy and fast. Their movements are crude and predictable!"
I focused what little mana I had left into my eyes, maximizing efficiency.
A drawn-out battle was impossible.
If I was going to win, I had to gamble.
Fwish!
I deliberately threw myself toward the farthest corner of the room.
"Leave!"
The statues roared and charged at me like enraged beasts.
Their massive fists came crashing down toward me — the perfect opening.
Thunk!
Their attack paths overlapped — and their blows stalled in midair, tangled.
Each statue was easily three times my size.
Just as I'd hoped — they had no concept of martial technique.
They simply rushed in, brute force without strategy — even getting in each other's way.
Slide—
I drew on the mana I'd saved for this moment.
Thunk!
My foot struck the ground, anchoring me.
My sword arced upward — a single, precise trajectory.
Demon Severance.
It was a technique with no retreat — too dangerous to use against human opponents.
But against something this large — there was nothing better.
CRAAASH!
The statue on the right frantically reached out a hand — and I struck.
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the chamber as its right arm was severed at the shoulder.
The loss of a limb threw its massive body off balance.
As it teetered, I lunged for the finishing blow.
Thunk!
My blade sheared through its neck.
"That's one down."
Huff...
I exhaled a searing breath and turned to face the remaining threat.
"UOOOHHHHH—!"
The last remaining Guardian Statue let out a strange, echoing wail as it charged straight at me.
"Creating distance would only put me at a disadvantage!"
Instead of retreating, I lunged forward.
BOOM!
Its attack grazed past me — barely a sheet of paper's width away.
It hadn't even touched me properly, yet the sheer force of the wind pressure left my right ear ringing with a sharp whiiine.
Another follow-up strike came crashing down.
I shifted Mujin's form.
"Deflect it with a shield. Even without mana, my body can hold out. I'll close the gap, bind it with Enra using what little mana I have left — then finish it with Cheokma!"
In an instant, Mujin transformed into a massive shield.
KRANG!
Like a cannonball, the Guardian Statue's blow came hurtling toward me — but I twisted the shield at the perfect angle, letting the attack glance off harmlessly.
Every bone in my body screamed from the impact, the pressure crushing down on me — but I managed to deflect the strike.
Tap!
I leapt again.
Mujin shifted once more — this time into a giant greatsword.
—…!
The Guardian Statue raised its arms to strike again.
But it was already too late — it had been caught within my aura skill, Enra, its movements sluggish and delayed.
KRANG!
My greatsword sliced clean through its neck.
With a heavy thud, its severed head hit the ground, shaking the earth beneath it.
"Huff… Huff…"
My vision spun for a moment.
Mana depletion.
I forced my breathing steady and circulated what little mana I could.
It had been close — one misstep, and I would've suffered serious internal damage. Luckily, I managed to calm the surging flow within my body.
"What the hell was here… that they needed guardians like this?"
The memorial stone that should've contained the records of the dead bore only a warning — directed at the living.
And these bronze statues — they moved naturally, without consuming mana or any other visible energy.
"And not a speck of rust… Even though I can breathe in here, meaning air flows through this place… they haven't corroded at all, not even after a thousand years."
Bronze, before it oxidizes, has a golden hue.
The fact that these statues were completely untarnished — in a space where air circulated — was unnatural enough. And the entrance to the tomb itself looked as though it had been carved out only days ago.
"Whatever's inside… I'm not looking forward to it."
Fresh from battle, unease crept up my spine.
First, I needed to recover my mana. Then I'd scan the area with Evil Eye. Even though I hadn't seen anything in my first attempt, persistence might reveal something.
"Light up the surroundings… grab a bite to eat…"
I reached for my pack, where I'd stored various supplies, and got to my feet.
And then—
CREAK! SCRAPE SCRAAAPE!
I froze.
My eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing.
The Guardian Statue I'd just defeated — its severed parts were moving on their own, reattaching piece by piece.
FWOOOSH!
Its eyes flared open once again, a terrifying, ghostly light burning within them.
Leave. Now.
Two Guardian Statues once more blocked my path.
***
A bead of cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
Clutching Mujin tightly, I swallowed hard.
"…This is bad."
I retreated quickly, restoring as much mana as I could while putting distance between me and the statues.
My mana was recovering — but not nearly enough to launch another fight.
"What are those things?"
Grrrk…
The sickening grind of metal scraping against metal echoed in the air.
The broken parts of the statues squirmed and fused together once more.
It didn't take long for them to fully restore themselves.
THUD. THUD.
The statues, once collapsed, staggered back to their feet.
Staring at them, I bit my lip hard.
"I need to know. My mana's running low… but if I don't figure out what they are, this will just keep happening."
I focused my Evil Eye.
I recalled my training with Valeria.
—I still haven't figured out everything about your eyes, but if I had to guess… nothing can truly hide from your sight.
—You know this too. The Evil Eye is absolute. It's the user who isn't.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The Guardian Statues approached.
My vision ached. My mana was nearing its limit.
But all I could see with my Evil Eye was the physical forms of the statues.
"Focus."
Like chanting a spell to myself, I clenched my teeth and concentrated harder.
And then— it happened.
A strange light bled into my vision.
"There it is!"
Within the statues — countless clusters of unknown lights shimmered, gathered like stars.
"Could it be…?"
Guarding this tomb.
Moving without any source of power.
Sending out thought-waves.
Self-restoring…
"No way… But it has to be."
Why were they here?
And even stranger — they had no reason to attack me. If anything, they'd speak before raising their hands.
Leave. Now.
The Guardian Statue's voice rumbled through the air.
I stared at the lights swirling within them, my eyes gleaming.
When humans grouped together the non-human races and called them "species" — and called dragonkind the "supreme race" — beings like these were given a different name altogether.
They were known as the Mystic Race — the Shinhwajong.
Among them, a certain kind — playful beings who liked to frolic with animals and children… who loved harmless pranks and mischief…
"Fairies...?"
It all made sense now.
The fairy race — spirits known to phase through physical objects, soaring through the air unbound by obstacles. They could merge with objects imbued with human thought or emotion, making them move as though alive.
That was why my Mystic Eye hadn't seen anything at first.
Fairies didn't just hide — they became the object.
"But why would fairies...?"
Unlike other mystical beings like goblins, fairies were known for their vague sense of self.
They liked to prank humans, sure — but they weren't the type to radiate killing intent or charge into battle like this.
"I don't know what's going on here..."
Throb.
I cut off the flow of mana toward my Mystic Eye.
"...But knowing they're fairies is enough."
I also stopped sending mana to Mujin, then reached for another sword hanging at my waist.
The Ancestral Blade — Heugya.
A sword that could erase mana itself. If anything could cut a fairy, it was this.
"The problem is, I have to cut through the exterior of the guardian statue and reach the fairies inside."
Gritting my teeth, I steadied my control over my waning mana.
A wave of dizziness hit me — probably a sign of mana depletion.
This was it.
I had enough for one last shot.
I gathered the scraps of my mana, squeezing out every drop for a final charge.
"...Just a little closer."
Boom!
The guardian statue charged at me.
There was no time for me to close the distance myself.
I needed it — wanted it — to come closer.
"One more step!"
Boom!
But then, the statue suddenly halted.
After all that mindless rushing... it chose now, of all times, to act cautiously?
"...Damn it."
It was still a little too far. But I had no choice.
I had to move.
That was when it happened.
From within the guardian statue, which had frozen as if observing me—
—"Ah! Ah! Wh-What's going on!?"
A childlike voice echoed out.
—"Waitwaitwait! Hold on!"
—"It's a black sword! A pitch-black sword!"
—"Friends! Our friends are here!"
—"Sorry! We're sorry!"
Fwoooosh!
A blinding white light burst out of the guardian statue.
Like dandelion seeds scattering in the wind, countless fairies enveloped in light poured out from within.
"...Hah."
I wasn't sure if it was because I'd wrung my mana dry or because I was just that exhausted, but my brain struggled to process what I was seeing.
They'd been ready to kill me just moments ago — now they were revealing their true forms?
—"Sorry sorry soooorry!"
—"Heehee! I'm not sorry tho!"
—"You're hurt! Our friend is hurt!"
The fairies fluttered toward me, chattering noisily.
Thud.
Without the fairies inside, the guardian statue lost its balance and collapsed to the ground.
Tiny, glowing fluffballs floated around me.
Their faces weren't distinct — just clusters of light vaguely shaped like tiny people with wings.
"What the hell are you doing? You were trying to kill me a second ago."
I raised Heugya with an exasperated glare.
—"Eek! Nooo! Not that!"
—"That's a scary sword... the black sword..."
—"Sorry! We're really sorry!"
The fairies flinched and backed away, then cautiously fluttered back toward me.
—"We'll heal you instead!"
—"Everyone, come on!"
And then, without warning, the fairies dove straight into my body.
"...!"
I flinched instinctively, but then my eyes widened in surprise.
A soothing warmth coursed through my battered muscles and joints, the pain melting away like snow under sunlight.
The ache from battle faded, replaced by a refreshing coolness.
My mana hadn't recovered, but the strain on my mana circuits eased rapidly, stabilizing me.
—"We thought you were a bad person!"
—"Please accept our apology! We healed you, so accept it!"
—"Ac-cept-it! Heeheehee!"
The fairies popped out from my body, giggling and zooming around me like a noisy swarm.
I still had no idea what exactly had happened...
But one thing was certain.
"...Hah."
At least it seemed like things had ended peacefully.
The tension left my body all at once, and I slumped to the ground.
—"Heeheehee! Heehee!"
—"Tired? Whyyy?"
—"But we healed you!"
The fairies continued to flutter around me, chattering noisily like overexcited children.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]