[Grrr…]
A low, drawn-out, beast-like growl simultaneously emanated from the chests of the four individuals.
Kim Gap-su, Park Sang-cheol, Kim Tae-geon, Heo Do-yoon.
Their bodies simultaneously lowered.
Their forms were distinctly human—
but their posture and breathing were no longer human.
It was the quiet intensity that only a predator on the verge of a hunt exudes.
[Growl…]
Min-chan held his breath.
Beneath his foot, Young-beom writhed, twisting his body, trying to escape the pressure on his chest.
"Snap out of it, you idiot!"
And then—
[Rustle…]
Young-ho, whom Min-chan thought he had knocked unconscious with a kick to the instep, was getting up.
The whites of his half-rolled eyes regained their focus.
He seemed oblivious to his burst lips and broken, bleeding nose.
Min-chan's lips clamped shut.
His fists tightened again, and veins began to bulge in his forearms.
"There's no choice, is there?"
He took a short breath.
"I can't kill them, nor can I save them without a fight."
Slowly, five figures in the mist encircled Min-chan.
"I have no choice but to incapacitate them."
Min-chan bowed his head to look at Young-beom.
The simple, good-natured man who used to call him "Hyung-nim" with a silly grin was now glaring at him with pinpoint pupils in white eyes.
Min-chan looked down at Young-beom, whom he was pressing with his foot, and spoke calmly.
"All of you, come at me."
[WHAM!]
As he spoke, Min-chan's leg lashed out like a whip.
It struck Young-beom's temple squarely as he was rising, snapping his body backward.
At that moment—a killing intent lunged from behind.
[WHOOSH!] [CRASH!]
Tae-geon.
Min-chan twisted his body to avoid his grasp,
and the falling Tae-geon tangled with Young-beom, rolling on the ground.
[Tap-tap-tap!]
Min-chan didn't miss the opening, springing up as if bounced.
As his body spun in the air—
[BOOM!]
It slammed into Tae-geon's jaw as he tried to get up,
a front roundhouse kick.
He collapsed onto Young-beom, rolling into a tangled heap again.
But—
[THUD!]
Kim Gap-su.
He charged, throwing his entire body, aiming for the abdomen with his shoulder.
Min-chan lowered his center of gravity to brace himself,
and with both arms, he snatched Gap-su's elbows.
[CRUNCH!] [THWACK!] [THWACK!]
He twisted Gap-su's joints to push him away, then drove his knee deep into the abdomen.
But Gap-su was as tenacious as a specter.
He let out a growl, twisted his body, and escaped Min-chan's embrace.
"Gah!"
This time, the side.
Park Sang-cheol quickly closed in.
[SMASH!]
A short, powerful body blow typical of a boxer.
Alternating left and right strikes pounded Min-chan's abdomen.
[THUD!] [THUD!] [SMACK!]
His breath caught, and his body swayed—
Do-yoon didn't miss the opening.
[SWISH—!]
Do-yoon slid in low.
His two legs wrapped around Min-chan's knees and ankles.
"This bastard… trying to cripple me."
Min-chan instantly twisted his leg to deflect the impact and lowered his waist—
[GRAB—WHAM!]
He snatched Do-yoon by the scruff of his neck, lifted him,
and slammed him onto the ground.
However—
[WHUMP.]
A knee shot up in Min-chan's peripheral vision.
It was Young-ho, up again.
Despite his bloodied face from the kick, his eyes were still alive.
"Hmph!"
Min-chan quickly cleared his bleeding nose to secure his breathing.
And simultaneously—
[WHOOSH!]
Sang-cheol's punch shot towards the back of Min-chan's head.
Min-chan instinctively ducked his head to dodge, and—
[THWACK!]
At that moment, Young-beom's low kick came flying from behind.
It landed squarely on Min-chan's side, shaking his balance.
[THUMP!]
He pushed back with the momentum, gasping for breath.
The surroundings… still in the mist.
Within it, six shadows moved again.
Not gym colleagues, but
specters filled with killing intent.
[Step. Step.]
They slowly surrounded Min-chan, closing in.
Fallen leaves brushing against his feet,
cold sweat trickling down his neck.
Min-chan clenched his fists again and muttered.
"Guess I'm paying for my past life."
It was then.
[Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.]
A clear, sharp metallic sound rang out.
It was distinctly different from the heavy, lingering bell sound from before.
Faster, clearer—
a sound as if cutting through the darkness.
[Cough… Gasp… Aaahh—!]
Kim Gap-su clutched his eyes and staggered.
Park Sang-cheol's breathing became erratic,
and Do-yoon clutched both ears, collapsing to the ground.
Their eyes, which had been fixed white, began to shake.
Something inside them struggled as if in resistance.
[Jingle! Jingle!!]
This time, it rang shorter and faster.
Min-chan turned his head.
Beyond the mist,
a single figure slowly emerged.
Song Dam-bi.
She was walking slowly barefoot.
In her hand, a small, old bell,
and at her waist, a pouch of talismans wrapped in white cloth hung.
At that moment—
Min-chan saw her differently.
Overlapping Dam-bi's body,
was a faint figure of light and smoke.
Eyes visible through her fluttering hair.
They were clearly not Song Dam-bi's.
'…Hwansa.'
Min-chan inhaled, instinctively recognizing her.
He lifted his eyes.
"I told you to wait there. Why did you come?"
But Dam-bi shook her head.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly—
but it was more resignation than a smile.
"I can't…
bear the sorrow of those left behind alone again."
Her fingertips trembled.
But there was no hesitation in her eyes.
"So this time…
if we die, we die together."
At those words—
Min-chan's eyes wavered slightly.
But soon, between his tightly clenched lips,
a single word escaped.
"…Who said anything about dying?"
He clenched his fist tightly and slowly turned his head.
Reflected in his eyes were his comrades, writhing in pain.
"Every single one of them—
I'll save them all and bring them back."
[CLANG! CLANG!!]
At that moment, the metal bells on the thread bracelet wrapped around her wrist
sounded and shattered.
[Cackle! Cackle! Cackle! Cackle!]
"A touching family reunion story—
I can't listen to any more of that."
A voice came from somewhere.
It was female, but mixed with an indescribably twisted malice.
Her tone was mockery,
and her timbre was eerily of something "too old."
And—
The language…
was neither Chinese nor Korean.
But Min-chan knew.
As if by instinct,
from somewhere beyond distant memory.
'…The language of Chiyoo's era.'
It was then—
The mist tore open,
and she reappeared.
The shamaness in the black qipao.
But this time—
in her two eyes,
there was no white, no black.
Just empty darkness,
buried like dead stars.
At the sight of that figure, a subconscious word escaped Dam-bi's lips.
"…You are…
the Black Shamaness, Hyun-nyeo (玄女)…"
Dam-bi's fingertips trembled.
That name was a being that had appeared repeatedly in Dam-bi's dreams for a long time.
"Hyun-nyeo?"
Min-chan asked, and Dam-bi replied.
"The one who taught military strategy to Huangdi, and his direct shaman!"
She laughed.
[Cackle…]
Her laughter was like emotionless machinery,
yet her tone was excessively familiar.
"It's truly been a long time, Hwansa (還祀).
To still—
remember me.
To call me without forgetting…"
She slowly stretched the corners of her lips, saying,
"I'm truly so moved, it brings tears to my eyes."
Dam-bi's eyes wavered.
She bowed her head, then
soon raised her eyes again.
"…Why did you appear again?
I thought you had disappeared…"
Hyun-nyeo took a step closer to Dam-bi.
Where her foot touched, the mist swirled.
"Why…?"
She whispered quietly.
"Because I haven't forgotten.
You—are trying to summon Chiyoo again.
Isn't it my job—
to break that again?"
Hyun-nyeo suddenly bent her upper body as if clutching her stomach.
[Cackle, cackle, cackle!]
"Haa… It's too funny. Really… I'm about to cry."
She threw her head back, laughing.
But her laughter was hollow and eerie.
"A mere forgotten minor deity—
to advertise such a grand 'resurrection,'
how could I not know."
She held a sneer, looking at Min-chan.
"Champion Chiyoo Cheonwang? Hahahaha!"
[Tap. Tap. Tap.]
Her foot tapped the ground, taking on a mocking rhythm.
"Feng Bo, rotting underground,
and Yu Shi must be weeping.
Saying, 'Was this the lord we served?'"
Min-chan's eyes hardened firmly.
He stared at her silently.
Then Hyun-nyeo tilted her head.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You claim to be the 'body of Chiyoo,' don't you?"
"Keep blabbing."
Min-chan uttered lowly and briefly.
Hyun-nyeo's lips slowly—curled up again.
"Yes, I remember you… in Korea, muttering 'Chiyoo, Chiyoo.'"
She folded her fingers one by one, slowly continuing.
"During the thousands of years you slept…
From Chinese political and economic figures to ordinary people—
everyone came to worship 'Huangdi' as a god.
And they will continue to live as Huangdi's followers (從).
I manipulated them to call you here."
She tilted her head slightly, smiling meaningfully.
"Of course, I thought you bastards would come straight to Hebei.
But—I didn't expect you to take this roundabout route through Baekdu Mountain.
Still… you couldn't escape my eyes."
At that moment, her eyes narrowed thinly.
"The driver of the bus you were on,
the SUV you encountered in front of the tunnel—
they were all my 'eyes.'"
Dam-bi's eyes wavered slightly.
Hyun-nyeo again curled her lips into a sneer.
"The world's principle is simple.
The moment you resurrect Chiyoo,
I am the being born to stop it."
At those words—
Min-chan let out a small laugh and took a step forward.
But his eyes were chillingly cold.
"So what… what do you want to say?
Since he's a forgotten existence anyway,
are you telling him to quietly die now?"
He tilted his head slightly in derision,
then raised the corners of his lips again and said,
"A minor deity, you said?
Mocking him as a mere minor deity—
why did you search for me with such blazing eyes?"
Hyun-nyeo's lips twisted.
Seeing her expression, Min-chan
shrugged one shoulder and smiled savagely.
"It can't be…
You're afraid, aren't you?
Afraid that the name 'Chiyoo'—which you thought was forgotten—
might rise again.
Might reverberate through the world again."
As those words hit,
Hyun-nyeo's face twisted like a demon.
Min-chan smiled coldly and continued.
"During those thousands of years,
the ones who truly couldn't forget were you.
And the ones who were afraid—
then and now, it was always you, in the end.
That's why you followed us all this way.
Isn't that right?"
At Min-chan's words—
Black mist rose from Hyun-nyeo's eyes, and the corners of her mouth, no longer smiling but grinding in hatred, spoke.
"A mere minor deity… with nothing but his mouth."
[Click!]
She twisted the hexagonal wooden box in her hand and said.
"Then…
shall we directly test
how long a mere minor deity,
with nothing but his mouth, can last?"
[SCREEEEECH—!]
Space trembled.
Black smoke spewed from the wooden box in her hand, covering the sky.
From within the smoke, a bizarre sound, like the cry of a bird with torn wings, spread.
[Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!]
Suddenly, black feathers began to rain down from the sky.
All of them gleamed like blades.
"Min-chan, get down!!"
[FLAME!]
Dam-bi stretched one hand out over Min-chan's head, and a crescent-shaped blue barrier appeared.
From her fingertips, a talisman burned with blue flames, charring to ash.
[Thud-thud-thud-thud]
The black feathers hit the blue barrier with a thud and melted stickily.
"A mere minor spirit belonging to a minor deity—
Daring to oppose me?
Don't make me laugh, Hwansa!"
Hyun-nyeo, still seething with unvented anger, irritably twisted the wooden box again.
[Click! Click! Click!]
Each time—
The color of the sky grew darker, and scarlet lightning began to flash amidst the black clouds.
[RUMBLE!] [CRACK!]
The sky roared, and from within the black clouds, scarlet lightning, accompanied by a deafening roar, instantly struck the blue barrier.
As the blue barrier shattered,
fragments of the burnt talisman fluttered in the wind and disappeared.
Dam-bi's fingertips were swollen and red.
Her skin was slightly split, and blood began to bead.
"Min-chan… I'm sorry.
I don't think… I can stop the next one…"
Her voice was quiet,
but within it seeped unbearable pain and resignation.
Min-chan's eyes wavered.
He looked at Dam-bi's fingertips for a moment, then
slowly turned his gaze forward.
"Rest. From now on, it's my role."
[Grab.]
Min-chan bent at the waist, placed both hands on the ground, and
lowered his body like a sprinter.
As if a beast sleeping on the ground was rising—
Suddenly, his eyes flashed.
[WHOOSH—!]
He sprang towards Hyun-nyeo,
kicking off the ground.
"As for minor generals like you…
I'll kill them before they even get here."
Hyun-nyeo, with a step approaching Min-chan,
curled her lips as if finding him amusing.
And just as she gripped the hexagonal wooden box with both hands and was about to twist it—
[WHOOM!]
[SMACK!!]
Something flew and directly struck the wooden box.
With that impact, the wooden box flew from her hand,
bouncing into the air.
[THUD—THUMP!]
What fell was—
just a common, fist-sized stone.
"What…?"
Hyun-nyeo's expression twisted.
[GRAB!]
At that moment—
Min-chan instantly plunged in front of her,
digging his shoulder into her abdomen, pushing her away.
[THUMP!]
Her slender body cut through the mist,
instantly moving far from the wooden box.
Min-chan raised his head and said with a sneer.
"In moments like these,
even a single stone is strategy."
Hyun-nyeo, who had rolled into the bushes,
brushed off the leaves on her clothes and glared at Min-chan with blazing eyes.
"Now! Get the wooden box!"
Dam-bi shouted.
"That woman is also possessed! Killing her won't do any good!"
Min-chan was about to charge again—
but at her words, he unhesitatingly changed direction.
The fallen wooden box was glowing with a shimmering light.
[Clink…]
It was then.
Hyun-nyeo raised a palm-sized bell and said,
"A mere minor deity—
To make me… this angry."
[Clink… Clink…]
As her fingertips cut through the air,
a metallic sound reverberated from afar like a vibration.
And—
[Grrrrrrrrrr…]
Behind him, in the mist.
The gym members who had become specters—
Gap-su, Sang-cheol, Do-yoon, the Twin Tigers, and Tae-geon.
All of them, once again,
lifted their heads towards Min-chan with pure white eyes.
"Damn it…"
Min-chan gritted his teeth as he snatched the wooden box.
"Min-chan! Lure them towards the shrine!
There's still a little bit of Chiyoo's energy left there!"
Dam-bi said to Min-chan.
Before her eyes, the distorted faces of her comrades,
and behind them, the Black Shamaness walking closer.
Dam-bi quietly murmured.
'…Let's go.
To save them all, we have to go there.'