705 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

The end of the day's routine. As the sun set and darkness enveloped the night, it was the time for those lurking in seething negative energies to stealthily surface. I closed my eyes, ready to embark on yet another routine. Consciousness slowly descends. Perhaps due to worry, or maybe a hangover. Was it merely a ghostly dream? “No way.” 一 Clatter-clatter. A brief moment of worry before sleep, but I was relieved to see the familiar sight, bringing a smile to my face. “Why, happy to meet again?” 一 Roarrrr! Though it was only the second day, the despairing voices of wraiths sounded more exhilarating than any game background music. “Why are you yelling if you're happy to see me? Want to play like yesterday?” 一 Growl. “I'm not one to dislike cheating for some fun, but I don’t have much time today.” I snap my fingers. As the sound echoes through the corridor, I sense the spirits shudder. The black wraiths hold their breath, facing their natural enemy. Golden light spreads along my arm. 一 Growl. Growl. The aura of the Reverser. “Shall we begin the cleanup?” ---- I advance. Eliminating significant threats, while tossing aside the smaller ones. Today is not about a defense game against wraiths. I create a path. A passage of consciousness must open between Kang Yoon Ho and Hwalgangswi. “It's ghost sweeper duty, you could say.” Ghost cleaner coming through. Please clear the way. No, really, clear it. 一 Squeeeaaak! A passage packed like the subway during rush hour. Quickly ejecting the freeloaders. Dear wraiths, here is the seat for the living. You thought it was a seat for the old and weak? Nope, it’s the NO-weak-seat. A golden fist cuts through the darkness. “Die! Already dead? Then cross over!” Continuing onward, moving forward. A person's footsteps create a path, and their hands bring forth light in the darkness. Eventually, when an unapproachable golden path was made in a once wraith-filled passage. Beyond the corridor. A corner of the dark. “There you are.” Rather than wild beasts targeting me, a tiny, trembling silvery light desperately tries to hide its body. In a passage once filled solely with deathly aura, I finally found her. 一 Time has come. “Oh no.” The entire passage resonates. 一 Return. Though it's unfortunate, this is as far as I go. It matters not; a path created once can always be made again. “I'll be back.” I'm on your opposite side. In a place I can always return to. Leaving my regrets behind, I waved towards the silvery light. It was our first greeting and first promise. —— “Stop, get up.” Alert! Alert! Emergency escape! On the other side of consciousness. My mind forcibly surfaced, leaving me feeling like I was making an emergency escape from a submarine. “Oooh! Elder.” Where I awakened was not on a bed, but within an array prepared by Siwang Elder for emergencies. 'Right. Yesterday, I suggested trying once more after explaining.' I quickly organized my dizzy thoughts. “What... happened?” Siwang Elder asked hesitantly, as if it was hard to speak. He reminded me of an old lord anxiously awaiting the outcome of a battle determining a nation's fate. Alright. I should inform him. “The passage was quite filthy. But...” Casually, like a general who just captured the enemy leader's head, I jested while looking at the old lord. “......” “It was shining.” I boldly announced the victory. “You saw it. You met. Such a thing was indeed possible...” Connecting a passage of consciousness and reaching out. Shock and awe. Siwang Elder’s expression shifted between myriad emotions, then he finally fell into his seat as if the tension released. “Elder?” “It's not the time for this. A day like this calls for a drink, even a small toast. Care for a drink?” TGloWlBtWUkwZWhUWHNtSC9RL1BOdmUwdFAxVmF3VzJZT0hySDVYM0ZkVlpkZXR1WGhjK0xtYWkvdVZwMFlaTg Siwang Elder suddenly stood up, then rummaged through the cupboards as if it was the wrong time to hesitate. “I learned to never refuse a drink offered by you, Elder.” “A scotch whiskey specially procured for me by a family warrior. Its peaty aroma is exquisite.” “I didn’t realize. You must be quite the connoisseur.” Elder, though I appreciate the gesture of offering fine drink, my heart aches even before taking a sip. “I prefer it on the rocks. How would you like yours?” “Having just woken up, I’d prefer it diluted with water.” “Hmm, you know how to drink. Here you go.” “Thank you.” As Siwang Elder handed me the drink, he carefully observed my state. “You truly seem to be fine.” “Didn’t I say I have experience?” Siwang Elder. You’re remarkably perceptive. Did I encourage you to worry for nothing? I’m a man who’s already conversed with fiancées inside the Inner World of Shanmara’s Path. Though I’m a proper young man brought up to respect the elderly, I did feel a bit frustrated when you found it hard to believe. “As a son-in-law of the Jeogalse family, leaving a fiancée at home, and having an apprentice courtesan as one, isn't something easy to believe.” “Haha...” “If not for your friend’s guarantee, I might’ve thought you were just unable to sober up from a hangover.” The elder’s mindset is understandably rigid with age. But three fiancées aren't much in today's trend among the young folks. “I've walked a passage of consciousness within the world of Shanmara’s Path before. So I thought it possible.” Looking back, the last path I walked within the Inner World seemed both an escape route and a passage of consciousness. “Listening to you, it occasionally feels like everything I've learned is in vain.” Siwang Elder gazed at me for a while and then muttered with a wry smile, just before taking a sip of his drink. "Because you've spent your entire life preparing and waiting earnestly, you're able to handle someone like me." "Hmm. Yes, that's true." Siwang Elder seemed pleased with the words of a well-mannered youth, a small smile creeping onto his face. "What about her... how was she?" "She felt more like a light than a person. In previous similar experiences, they eventually took on a human form. But when I approached, it was just a round bundle of light." "Her soul is torn and wounded. The fact that it has regained even its own light is nothing short of a miracle." Siwang Elder nodded knowingly, as if he expected this. "What should I do now?" The image of the silvery light trembling like a small child lingered in my mind. "Speak to her." "What should I say?" "Anything will do. Just give her a will to live. Give her the courage to awaken. Even external stimuli alone will help her soul to continue growing." "It's similar to talking to a patient in a coma." Seems like the content of the words isn't that important. "Yes. Perhaps..." "Yes?" "The day might come sooner than I anticipated." Siwang Elder's cup touched the table, the clink of ice echoing through the room. It was like the crow of a rooster welcoming the dawn after a long night waiting. "Let's all share a drink then." Siwang Elder laughed silently. —— "Do you guys just keep coming despite being cleaned up once?" Cleaning must be done diligently every day. 一 Groan! "No matter how much you want to be reborn as a cute girl in a different world, didn’t your friends tell you there's a scary person guarding here?" 一 Growl! "Alright, you’re asking for it." The wraiths were relentless, even after one path was cleared. Breaking through the passage in my sleep became part of the daily routine. "I didn’t display much creativity yesterday because of the chaos, but now… Oh, it's working." 一 Huh? Exuding the energy of the Reverser comes naturally. Had this been yesterday, I might have released it immediately, but this time I fondled it a bit in my palm. A golden disk rapidly formed. Its name was already decided. "Heaven-Severing Slash!" 一 Groooaaann! "Look at that effectiveness." Clear and crisp. Good. I've confirmed it can be bundled and fired. "Let's go, you pesky spirits. Do we have enough evil spirit reserves for this?" 一 ……! "Reverser Attack Blitz!" "Reverser Shuriken!" "Reverser Energy Wave!" Breaking through was easier than yesterday. "I'm here." Approaching the silvery light I had greeted the day before, I spoke. "Hello. Nice to meet you again. We've met before, haven't we?" 一 Hum. I could feel only joy from its subtle tremble. I carefully examined Hwalgangswi's soul. It resembled winter's chill, silvery in its hue. When I reached out, it leapt into my arms like a small puppy. "Can you not speak? I was told to talk to you." 一 Anything will do. Give her a will to live. Give her the courage to awaken. What should I say? What should I say to Hwalgangswi? How can I help her awaken? I had already decided in my heart. "I am your one and only master." 一 Huh? "Your master is a man worthy of serving." You're a maid, after all. Specifically, one who wakes up at dawn, neatly changes into a uniform, tidies the house, finishes preparing breakfast, and wakes up the master—a man worthy of service. "You shouldn’t bite the master just because you're hungry." Don’t pass out and bite me. That would violate the maid code. "The master's joy is the maid’s fulfillment. It must be felt more than anything else." 一 Hum. Yes. Yes. You understand now, right? This is why early education is important. —— *Yaaaawn.* On an early morning with spring slowly approaching, I yawned languidly while stamping documents at the Akryang branch. "Are you okay? You seem out of it in the mornings lately." "Well, parenting doesn’t recognize day or night." "What?" "If it's because of fatigue, should I prepare some herbal medicine?" Un Yeop cautiously suggested, but I politely declined. "It’s something time will solve. By the way, have you completed the tasks I assigned?" There was a more important matter at hand. "Kang Gongja, as per your orders, we've distributed to the branches of Man-Geum Bookstore in Hubei Province and the newly opened branches in Hunan Province." "Excellent." "So, has that time finally arrived?" The issues at the Akryang branch were resolved. The other Man-Geum Bookstore branches in Hunan Province successfully transformed into thriving Dyseogak branches. With the first step towards business expansion underway, what's next on the agenda? "Time to announce the reactivation of Hwahngsi's activities." Uplifting the reputation of the Reverser, I placed the item from Hubei Province onto the table for my next objective. [Zegal Seollok.] Born in the cold winter, a brand new work, warmer than any other of Hawhngsi's novels. "Zegal Seollok. It's finally time to present it to the world."