Chapter 50: Star, The Jigwi (4)

Chapter 50: Star, The Jigwi (4)

“Sit in the lotus position,” Chang-Sun instructed, turning to Baek Gyeo-Ul.

“Do you mean you’re now...?” Gyeo-Ul began, his voice trembling.

“Yeah, I’m going to cure you right here,” Chang-Sun answered.

“...!” Gyeo-Ul clenched his fists.

Finally! Gyeo-Ul could finally escape from the curse that had tormented him for more than twenty years.

“The treatment will be over more quickly than you think, but there’s more of the half-spirit curse remaining than I initially expected. That means it’ll take a long time for you to calm the remnants, and you may even lose focus,” Chang-Sun warned him.

Gyeo-Ul listened quietly to Chang-Sun, silently paying close attention so as to not miss a word. To Gyeo-Ul, Chang-Sun, who had repeatedly displayed many miracles, was practically a Guardian.

“Still, don’t faint no matter what happens. This will be a very boring fight. Even if only an hour or two passes in the outside world, you’ll feel as if dozens of hours or several months have passed. That’s how hard and painful calming this frenzied energy will be,” Chang-Sun continued.

Gyeo-Ul remained silent.

“Although you might feel as if the process will never end, it will eventually, so don’t give up. The moment you think about giving up, the process of demonization will begin. You might already know this, but if that happens...” Chang-Sun trailed off.

“I’ll become a monster or a ghost,” Gyeo-Ul finished.

“That’s right,” Chang-Sun said with a nod.

Half-spirits were technically half-monsters. Despite their human exterior, half-spirits were filled with strange energy. They were born with an innate talent that could only be called a supernatural ability, but they had to live with a curse of proportional strength to that talent.

Chang-Sun and Gyeo-Ul were about to get rid of Gyeo-Ul’s half-monster side, a process that could never be easy. If Gyeo-Ul gave into his half-monster side, his human side would disappear, and the half-monster side would run wild, which meant he would start undergoing Demonization Syndrome.

Those who underwent that process were referred to with one name: ’demonic beings’.

“If I see even the slightest sign of you becoming a monster, I’ll eliminate you without any hesitation.,” Chang-Sun said, his eyes shining coldly.

Even if Gyeo-Ul was his old colleague’s son, Chang-Sun had no other choice, as he had no intention of letting a ‘ruined’ Xerxes loose on the world. Although Gyeo-Ul was unaware of it, the half-spirit curse that bound him was so powerful that it would be difficult to find another one on its level in the entire Saha World.

If Chang-Sun let Gyeo-Ul run amok, he could become a true disaster. Compared to a Jigwi, which was a rank four disaster, Gyeo-Ul could even be classified at a higher level, a ‘Grand Disaster’.

“Don’t worry,” Gyeo-Ul answered confidently, showing no signs of hesitation despite Chang-Sun’s fearsome warning. In fact, his eyes sparkled with determination, as if to say he would go through with the process no matter what.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

After all, he had spent his whole life experiencing such awful things that he often felt dying would be a better option. He could not give up, even if he had to suffer a little.

Chang-Sun smiled faintly; it was as if he had seen traces of Xerxes in Gyeo-Ul. He reminisced, ‘Well, you may have acted like a quiet, forgettable person, but you were really stubborn, enough to leave others astonished.’

That was why Xerxes had always held his head high with a smile, even though he had been forced to endure the nightmare of wandering across hidden planes as a ‘shadow’, unwanted by anyone.

“Then let’s begin,” Chang-Sun thought. He pulled up his right sleeve, and the crest of the [Yuchang Sword] on the back of his hand shone with red light.

* * *

[The ‘Single Eon Fire’ covers your entire body!]

[The half-spirit curse is burning up.]

Whoosh!

As the treatment began, the Eon Fire coming from Chang-Sun’s fingertips instantly engulfed Gyeo-Ul. The fire reached deep within Gyeo-Ul, burning the half-spirit curse that saturated every part of his body again and again. During the process, Gyeo-Ul was overwhelmed with alternating waves of horrible pain and pleasant relief. As the half-spirit curse melted, it left behind a considerable amount of ghost energy that was absorbed into Gyeo-Ul’s mana, significantly increasing his Magic at a rapid pace.

While controlling the process, Gyeo-Ul never forgot Chang-Sun’s words.

‘Don’t faint.’

‘Don’t give up.’

Gyeo-Ul would seize the opportunity Chang-Sun had created for him, and...

“Where... am I?” he murmured, suddenly realizing that his surroundings had completely changed.

Just then, Gyeo-Ul had been meditating to cure his half-spirit curse, but now, he found himself in the midst of a snowfield, surrounded by nothing but white. The raging snowstorm swirling around him obscured his vision; he could only see a meter ahead of him, making it difficult to find a way forward. He could not see the sky, and all he could hear was the wind. No matter how much he focused his senses, the only sound that filled this world was that of the cold, howling wind.

The possibility of having suddenly been kidnapped crossed his mind.

『What’s wrong?』

Looking back and forth between the shadow’s black hand and his own, Gyeo-Ul clenched his teeth.

Step!

As Gyeo-Ul turned back, his once weak footsteps were filled with vigor for the first time. He thought as he ran, ‘I don’t belong here.’

* * *

‘He’s passed the crisis,’ Chang-Sun thought.

He heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the Eon Fire that had been burning furiously slowly subside. Just then, he had seen Gyeo-Ul teetering on the brink of demonization as his half-spirit curse acted up. Chang-Sun had needed to stop himself from grabbing [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] from his waist.

If Gyeo-Ul had been demonized and become a demonic being... Chang-Sun was unsure whether he could win a fight against Gyeo-Ul with his current ability even if he used [Jigwi’s Phantom Body] to the fullest extent. That was how tenacious and powerful Gyeo-Ul’s half-spirit curse was.

‘Well, it’s completely natural for him to be like this, seeing as his father is Xerxes,’ Chang-Sun said with a nod.

Although Xerxes had almost no followers and was practically unknown in Heaven, his Divine Class was too high to be ignored. In fact, if only his Divine Class and Rank were considered, he would practically be unmatched.

Wherever there was light, there was also shadow, and that shadow was Xerxes. Even if nobody paid attention to or revered their shadow, everybody had one nonetheless.

As he had been born with the power of such a being, Gyeo-Ul’s half-spirit curse could never have been weak. Even after Chang-Sun finished curing Gyeo-Ul, he would likely need a considerable amount of time to properly integrate all its energy.

‘Of course, he’ll also gain such strong Divinity that he can aim for Exuviation and Transcendence,’ Chang-Sun thought.

At the very least, he felt that he had no need to worry any further, as Gyeo-Ul was stable enough for him to relax.

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ smiles faintly as she notices your righteousness.]

Paying little heed to the message from Minerva, whose opinion of him was still excessively high, Chang-Sun organized his thoughts.

‘Then, shall I continue my search while Gyeo-Ul catches his breath?’ he decided, his eyes shining coldly.

He stood up and carved several Concealment Runes nearby.

[A Concealment Rune has been applied!]

...

[The Skill ‘Lesser Rune Engraving’ has reached its maximum level. A higher-level skill has been created.]

[The Skill ‘Intermediate Rune Engraving’ has been created!]

...

[The current area will be concealed from surveillance!]

Pzzzz―!

Space distorted, and a fog spread through the air, obscuring Gyeo-Ul’s figure. Eventually, even his presence seemed to disappear. Additionally, as the Jigwi had wreaked havoc in the area, no other monsters would come near.

In any event, Gyeo-Ul would need a lot of time to take care of his half-spirit curse. Thus, Chang-Sun planned to visit the research facility within the Dungeon that produced the [Dream Spheres]. He had already gotten its exact location from his interrogation.

‘If I’m lucky, I might be able to obtain that strange scroll that can borrow the power of a <Forgotten Star>,’ Chang-Sun thought, his eyes shining coldly.

‘But before I do that...’ he thought, looking in a certain direction while gripping [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth]. ‘I should get rid of that unnecessary tail.’

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has been activated!]

Whoosh!

Using Heoju’s bonus reward, Chang-Sun’s senses expanded to a wider area. Within that area, he detected the faint and furtive movements of someone who was escaping quickly.

[You have located someone who is fleeing while using Skill 'Concealment'.]

Song Yoo-Jun, Executive Director Oh’s shadow whom Chang-Sun had failed to find until just then, was hurriedly trying to leave the mountain range.

1. ’Baek’ (白) means ‘white’. ☜