704 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

I once enjoyed playing a video game with zombies. It wasn't just a simple horror game. After all, you could wield the ultimate weapon: the gun. Of course, the game's basic design included a frustratingly limited number of magazines, so you had to conserve your bullets as much as possible. Moreover, since I didn't bother looking up guides, I saved my special weapons, never knowing when a boss might suddenly appear. In the end, I cleared most of the game using basic weapons. As the ending credits rolled, a flood of mixed emotions surged through me, bursting with the joy of clearing the game and the regret over the unused ammunition. The reason I started a second playthrough was purely out of frustration. This time, I wouldn't run out of ammo. I’d unlock all the bonuses from the previous playthrough and use infinite ammo on the top-tier weapons. The results were... “Take this!” *Cough!* “Take this! Kang Yoon Ho is here!” *Cough!* “The world-reverser! My friend!” *Cough!* The game became a massacre, much like it is now. Survive in a world teeming with evil spirits? No, why should I? Let the spirits try to survive in my world, if they can. "The beat's off! Are we not friends? Take this!" Golden energy fired from his fingertips, piercing the darkness. *Screech!* Though it only left a small wound, like a coin, it brought about instant annihilation to the lesser spirits, as if they were facing quadruple damage. The reason was straightforward. "The world-reverser and the spirits. Isn't it a perfectly hierarchical relationship?" Those destined to die yet perfectly fulfilling a heavenly mission, and those spirits that evaded heaven's decree out of lingering regrets. Who's in charge here? "Honestly, this ability is useless!" A function that neutralizes formations I’d never see in an ordinary central land. The only one in the world who can tame a Hwalgangsi. Able to exterminate ghosts. I wanted to ask for something more mundane, but I couldn’t help smiling as I watched spirits disappear into the void before my eyes. "It's not rush hour on a packed train. No matter how many I eliminate, they keep coming." It's like I'm playing some kind of defense game. It's not hard; it's just demoralizing to see the sheer number of spirits filling the passage. I took a look around. The path I had walked was drenched in gold. What I thought was a black road turned out to be entirely made of spirits. The spirits before me didn't resemble the typical ghosts one would imagine. They looked more like unsettling, wretched slime—globs with eyeballs. Is it harder to maintain a human shape as a spirit? One minor ghost flinched when I stared at him. "Hey. Minor ghost. Did you just swear at me?" "...?" I pointed to the ghost that avoided my gaze. "Yeah, you. Come here. Won't come?" "...." The world-reverser called and yet a mere spirit dares not to move? The times sure have changed. Fine. There are ways to handle this. I snapped my fingers again. Golden energy twinkled toward the spirit. "Want a taste of the world-reverser?" Even with just an eyeball on this black goo, I somehow felt its thoughts. "Wow! Wait! Did you just call me a black-haired savage?" I'm feeling affronted. Come on, little ghost. The world-reverser's heart was about to break from the pain. I was dumbfounded by being insulted by none other than a mere spirit. *Shake shake.* This guy. He swore with his eyes, then fiercely denies it. "You cursed with your eyes! Isn't that right? Quickly, tell me!" Maybe because he's a kidnapper, a thief of bodies, and a violator of the Underworld King’s law, he's also a skilled liar. "What? Averted your gaze? You think looking away will end this? Quickly, speak up. Did you? Didn't you? I’ll forgive you if you confess." *Nod nod.* "You did? You admit it? Take this!" *Cough!* I sent him away immediately. *...* All eyes fix on me, filled with awe. "Why kill him when he answered?" The sight of black globs with eyeballs nodding in unison, begging for an answer, was rather amusing. "I didn’t kill him! It’s been a long time since he was dead! Your older brother helped him transition peacefully." I did good, right? *...* They may end up in paradise, or perhaps in torment. It might lead to annihilation. What does it matter? Even after death, they were criminals who lusted after others’ bodies. "Guys. The owner of the house is back. If you want to come back for incense during memorial rites, go back now." I stepped forward confidently. *...* Though the evil spirits retreated, they showed no signs of fleeing. With a treasure they couldn't give up on, retreat was never an option. That resolve was palpable. Fine. Then... "If you refuse, I'll help you move on." —— "Hey! Kang Yoon Ho!" "Heh heh!" What nonsense. What utter nonsense. "Why is this guy giggling in his sleep?" "That's just your reality." Frustrated? What can you do about it? "What is he mumbling?" "You guys are weak." "What's he babbling in his sleep?" "What can’t you forgive? Ha. Let’s see you try." "Hey! Kang Yoon Ho! Aren't you getting up?!" "Wha... What?!" Just when I was having fun, who’s shaking me? Opening my eyes was tough. What came into view was not a loving sister waking me tenderly, nor a sister subtly trying to skip chores for my sake, but a hungover Gil San with his bleary face from the night before. "It's already noon, and you’re still lazing around?" "Uh? On a bed?" Where am I? Just waking from sleep, I needed time for my thoughts to catch up. "Did you think you'd be on a courtesan's bosom?" "No. Definitely not! I was supposed to be breaking through hell as a guy having the time of his life... Ugh!" My head felt like it might split open. My throat was parched. My insides were twisting, my whole body felt heavy. What’s happening? "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Gil San’s words echoed in my head. "I don’t think I’m quite alright. Call for Siwang Elder." I struggled to speak and closed my eyes again. My head throbbed, and my insides felt like they were being twisted. Enduring the sunlight streaming through the window was too much. Was it because I was overwhelmed by spirits yesterday? Was it because I played the role of a ghost sweeper, gleefully helping spirits move on? It felt as if each of my cells was in pain. Clearly, something wasn’t right. "It's a hangover." Despite rushing over, the Siwang Elder's diagnosis was surprisingly simple. "What…?" "It's not sleep paralysis—it's a hangover." I was sure the sensation I felt while sleeping was of my insides twisting and churning... Ah! That's right, I drank a lot at the tavern last night and fell asleep. The worst part was the drinks they offered were particularly strong. "How much did you drink?" "While entertaining, it was hard to refuse. Haha." "I will ask the physician to prepare some medicine for you. Take the day off." The Siwang Elder let out a small sigh toward my youthful ignorance and offered his advice. 'Did I really mistake a hangover for being attacked by spirits and go on a spirit hunt?' I felt a twinge of self-disgust, but there was something I needed to say. "Elder." "Hmm?" "I've found the way." —— "Do not attempt this again!" The Siwang Elder’s roar resounded around me. "It's definitely connected." "Yes, it can connect. But didn’t I explicitly tell you not to respond!" Did I make a mistake? The elder was looking at me as if I were a child who had wandered into a mountain full of ravenous beasts and somehow returned unscathed. "The spirits couldn't exert their power." "That's because you're a living being full of Yang energy. If you had found an escape route, you should have fled. Why did you move forward?" "Don't I have the power of Yeo-wha?" Elder. Aren't I a bit special? "It doesn’t matter. No matter what weapon you wield, walking that pathway is ultimately about the strength of your will." "Even so..." "Have I not told you? Even I failed at it. If connecting living souls were easy, I would have done it long ago." Right. The Siwang Elder had tried and failed at this all his life. He must have been keenly aware of its peril. "I thought if I used Yeo-wha's power, I could open the path to the other side." "It's impossible through sheer numbers. Didn't you feel oddly drained the further you walked? The spirits might have been waiting for you to tire to swallow you whole!" The elder’s voice was becoming increasingly heated, but it felt more like a reproach than mere anger, akin to a grandparent warning a grandchild about the dangers of an easy path. I understood the elder's concerns too. Unending darkness. A path where the other side was invisible. Spirits filling the corridors endlessly. I had witnessed the situation myself. "Hwalgangsi asked for my help." Let’s calm the elder's anger first. I subtly brought up the unavoidable circumstances. “Did that child tell you...” The elder's face fell. It was a look of guilt, yearning to save someone but unable to do so. "He asked for help. It was clearly too much for him to endure alone." "Both must endure... You’ve returned, and that’s enough." The elder seemed pained as he took a deep breath, then examined me once more, finally letting out a sigh of relief. "Is traversing the conscious path that dangerous?" "It took everything from that child just to speak a few words to you. Didn’t I tell you that it required all my life's worth of effort just for him to talk to you and move once?" "I recall that." "The task you must accomplish alone is something that requires my life's work and that child's entire strength. It's about a living person walking the conscious path to converse with living souls. From the start, it’s a futile task! Cease any attempts!" The Siwang Elder drew a line, indicating no further discussion was necessary. Surely, if the Siwang Elder was so adamant, then giving up was the right choice. But to forgo a shortcut right before my eyes felt like a waste. Moreover, I had one more point where my thoughts differed from the elder. 'I didn’t feel the least bit exhausted.' If Gil San hadn't woken me, I would have continued that infinite ammo playthrough. After a brief mental debate, I reached a decision. Alright. I’ll try to persuade the Siwang Elder. Ultimately, I needed his support and permission to continue this endeavor. "Elder, you protected me from Jin Family's grasp, did you not? So this time..." "It's something I could do easily." "If it's something I can do easily, wouldn’t it be acceptable?" From what I experienced today, there was one thing I could say with certainty. I spoke with confidence and a smile in my voice. "What?" "Elder, I have a fact I'd like to share." A fact even the Siwang Elder would find undeniable. "......?" I knew it was a dangerous task. An unprecedented challenge, the outcome of which no one could predict. Even if the Siwang Elder himself had failed. "If I’ve already walked the conscious path and communicated with living souls before. If I've done it multiple times, would it then be acceptable for me to continue trying?" "What... what are you saying?" If it's something only I can do, then the story changes, doesn’t it?