INV 65

A month had passed since then.

At home, Kwon Yihyeon sleeps; outside the house, he lives his life at the company. If so, what does Chacha do to kill the boredom while Kwon Yihyeon is at work?

There is likely not a single spiritual institution in this world that hasn’t placed Jae Angshin under surveillance.

Everyone was focusing their senses on every single breath Jae Angshin took.

And Jae Angshin, as if knowing and indulging all those stares, lived his daily life with a leisurely smile. He shopped for clothes at department stores, bought limited-edition desserts at cafes, and played claw machines for dolls. Then, the next day, Kwon Yihyeon would head to work wearing those clothes. In other words, he had been wandering around to play dress-up with his lover. If so, it must be the same for the desserts and dolls he bought. Likewise, to feed Kwon Yihyeon and to give gifts to Kwon Yihyeon… a being as significant as Jae Angshin was personally mingling among humans.

Is it really acceptable for the umbilical cord of sin, who can hold and manipulate all monsters in one hand, to act like this? The observers, who had been prepared for a full-scale war with monsters from the moment Jae Angshin woke up, closed their eyes in disbelief at the fact that they had to report such trivial daily routines again today. The future of being kicked in the shins by their boss seemed to float vividly before their closed eyes.

“It’s a good thing if nothing happens, so why scold us? Why scold…”

That day was a day that seemed like it would be the same as always. Reaper Gwak came to pick up Kwon Yihyeon in time for work, and Jae Angshin, who accompanied Kwon Yihyeon to the park in front of the house—their meeting spot—waved his hand toward Kwon Yihyeon as he said, “I’ll be going now.”

The nest of Kwon Yihyeon and Jae Angshin was a sanctuary and a forbidden zone that no one could invade. It was a well-known fact that a Taoist master from the celestial realm went blind after attempting to peek inside.

Therefore, the observers tried to scrape together as much helpful information as possible before Jae Angshin returned home.

However, that day was different. As soon as Reaper Gwak disappeared with Kwon Yihyeon, a momentum as sharp as frost surged forth, and Chacha began to glare somewhere with a deeply unpleasant look. What was it? What had bothered him? At first, everyone was colored with an inexplicable sense of tension and stood on guard, but after six hours, their concentration began to scatter.

Before they knew it, it was midday, and the sun at the peak of the sky was pouring down scorching heat. Still, the wind was not yet sweltering but remained cool. A peaceful afternoon perfect for becoming drowsy.

It was just as one observer let out an involuntary yawn.

— Static! Kr-crack-le… Pop! The… the celestial realm is… Static! Run…!

Thud. Roll.

Clang, clang, tumble-tumble-tumble.

They couldn’t even draw their ritual tools. They weren’t even given that much leeway. From the one who yawned to the one who had been the most alert, every single person, without exception, had their throat cut and their head rolling across the floor.

They weren’t even given a chance to protest.

As if to say the only thing they could offer to humans was a future of rotting as miserable lumps of meat.

People died so easily. Easier and more simply than a mannequin being dismembered.

As a whirlwind blew, blood scattered in all directions. It was a canticle of slaughter. Yet, despite their monstrous instincts craving fresh blood, they did not lose their reason.

They shuddered with the urge to bury their lips in fresh meat right this instant, and yet.

Because they knew that by submitting beneath the greatest darkness, they could taste even greater destruction…

“O Master of All Evils.”

The Monster Immortals of the Great Mountains, the Great Evils of the Vast Oceans, the Great Monsters, the fallen spiritual creatures and divine beasts, and the countless swarms of monsters following beneath them, all bowed their heads as one.

“…We have come to escort you…”

Not only the supernatural beings and monsters of far-off lands, but all the vices and impurities of the universe,

Were coming to bow their heads at Jae Angshin’s feet.

⋆˙⟡

“…As you know, I’m not going to push you hard today either, so sit comfortably. Mr. Yihyeon.”

It had been about a month since the intern training began. It was enough time to understand the meaning behind Man Juhae’s words.

Man Juhae gave a bright smile, his pitch-black pupils glistening through his long bangs, and Kwon Yihyeon thought:

‘It’s definitely going to be a grueling training session again today…’

Every single day, Man Juhae would lie, saying he would give him a relaxed training session. Then he would proceed to push Kwon Yihyeon’s memory to its absolute limit.

Still, Kwon Yihyeon was in no position to be picky. Kwon Yihyeon smiled back.

“I ask for your much-needed guidance.”

Kwon Yihyeon had learned quite a lot during that time.

Setting aside the various sexual acts he learned from Chacha, he had accumulated a truly diverse range of knowledge about the underworld.

First of all, he had become certain that he had a unique spiritual constitution. This was thanks to his seniors who made him try this and that, since a proper examination was impossible due to Chacha’s strict orders; Kwon Yihyeon could use monster power, he could use cursed power, and he could use Taoist power. Despite the fact that he couldn’t actually perform monster arts, curses, or Taoist arts because his output was so low, the researchers had been practically drooling with the desire to kidnap him.

And for good reason—since spiritual power refers to spiritual energy, the ability to manifest multiple traits simultaneously was something unheard of even in ancient texts.

Kwon Yihyeon let out a soulless laugh as he dismissed Ma Sukbun, the head of the research center who had been sending him lingering, obsessive gazes, into the back of his mind.

‘I’m glad I didn’t tell them.’

They are this fired up over just this much, but if I told them I could draw out and use the power of the person I’m in contact with…

‘I might have been imprisoned in an underworld dungeon by now.’

To be used as a test subject, that is. Haha.

In other words, today was a day no different from the ones before.

Kwon Yihyeon was receiving his intern training normally, asked questions immediately whenever he encountered something he didn’t know in his homework, and his seniors helped him carefully, even while grumbling.

But then, with a Bang!, the door opened as if it were being half-torn off, and everything became strange.

“What’s this? What kind of rude jerk kicks the door?”

Unlike Kwon Yihyeon, his seniors were the type to respond to a provocation with an immediate counter-provocation. Furthermore, the person sticking their face through the doorway was Geom Biyeon. Though he didn’t know the exact reason, Geom Biyeon did not get along with Gwak Deukcheon, and the team members seemed to know why. A sensitive tension rushed in amidst the sound of teeth grinding.

“The doors to our office already have garbage durability as it is!”

“Exactly! What do you think you’re doing!”

“Are you going to pay for the repair costs?”

“Pay up! Pay up!”

…Though the lines weren’t even slightly threatening—looking more like a Pomeranian yapping at a wolf.

At least their momentum was the real deal.

However, Geom Biyeon radiated a formidable momentum as well.

But instead of focusing on Geom Biyeon here, Kwon Yihyeon chose to scan the faces of the warriors standing behind him. And he discovered something peculiar.

They were all warriors belonging to the ‘Banya-roe’, rather than the outer halls of Samra.

Banya, it is one of the fundamental doctrines of Buddhism, meaning ‘wisdom’. However, the wisdom spoken of here is not the same as what the language of the secular world refers to.

This concept, called prajna in Sanskrit, refers to primordial wisdom. The ultimate wisdom humans can possess when they realize the truth of life.

If one realizes that ‘Banya-paramita’, the original title of the Heart Sutra, refers to the supreme, unsurpassed wisdom (Banya) that reaches the other shore, we can get closer to the truth a bit faster.

If Banya is the primordial wisdom required to reach the other shore, there’s no way such a name would be attached to just any organization.

At that point, Kwon Yihyeon swallowed hard.

‘The Thunder (Roe) of Banya…’

The underworld, partitioned under the planning of the current Great King Yama, provides infinite services according to religion. The current system of the underworld is that spaces are separated to provide distinct services based on the deceased’s religious views and the location of their death.

The floating island Samra is the island of Reapers in charge of the East Asian region, specifically Korea.

As such, it is deeply imbued with a sense of “K-nostalgia.”

However, the Banya-roe was different. The Banya-roe was an investigative agency and armed group that oversaw all of the underworld.

They all wore masks like malevolent ghosts and did not project any momentum. They were simply silent.

The prestige of being Yama’s direct armed group was far too great for them to be swarming here for child’s play.

Perhaps…

‘Something has truly happened…’

It was just as Kwon Yihyeon, feeling a strange sense of exaltation, was about to sink into a daze. Yank! His arm was pulled. When he turned around, Gwak Deukcheon was there. Having grabbed and pulled Kwon Yihyeon’s elbow, he was glaring forward, the corner of his lip twisted crookedly in displeasure.

“Hey. Where do you think you’re taking my subordinate?”

“Haha…”

When Kwon Yihyeon looked forward again, the tip of the scimitar Geom Biyeon had drawn was aimed at the front of Kwon Yihyeon’s Adam’s apple.

If Gwak Deukcheon hadn’t pulled Kwon Yihyeon back, he would have been struck in the back of the neck and knocked unconscious.

Thinking about it now made his skin crawl. He wondered what was suddenly happening while he was peacefully receiving his intern training.

“…Sunbae, sunbae. Can’t you just consider that this hoobae has his own circumstances?”

“Bullshit. What are you talking about while you’re running wild with a sword?”

The other seniors seemed to feel similarly, cracking their necks and preparing their fists, though they wore rather uncomfortable expressions.

But then, the tip of Geom Biyeon’s sword began to shake in a sinister way. Kwon Yihyeon felt his vision becoming dizzy as he followed the tip of the sword with his eyes. Letting out an involuntary groan, Kwon Yihyeon covered his eyes with his palms and staggered.

“Mr. Yihyeon!”

Myo Woon supported Kwon Yihyeon in a panic.

However, because Gwak Deukcheon knew the truth of what had just happened, he stood his ground and glared at Geom Biyeon.

What just happened wasn’t Geom Biyeon playing a trick, but rather something that occurred because Kwon Yihyeon was excessively sharp.

Shaking the tip of a blade to bewitch an opponent is a trick that any swordsman can do. Though, how effectively one can apply such a trick in actual combat varies immensely depending on individual skill.

And Kwon Yihyeon, despite having received martial arts training for only a month, saw the master’s feint and read the offensive. From a simple tremor, dozens of attack routes flashed. The amount of information poured in at once was excessive. His optic nerves or brain cells had likely suffered an overload. For someone without much spiritual power, how on earth are his senses so sharp?

Still, now was not the time for admiration. Gwak Deukcheon bared his teeth and laughed.

“If you have something to ask, start by blabbing an explanation of the situation. You bastard. Did you trade your manners for candy?”

Geom Biyeon decided he couldn’t drag this out any longer and sheathed his sword. Then he brought his hands together in a martial salute and bowed his head deeply.

“…I apologize for the rudeness caused by the urgency of the situation. However, we need Mr. Kwon Yihyeon. Right now.”

Kwon Yihyeon shook his head to bury the dizziness and managed to ask a question.

“What kind of help do you expect from me that you are being this rude?”

“You’ve probably heard that monsters are mutually exclusive. Those monsters are currently congregating in one place.”

“Pardon?”

“Dammit. The higher-ups were idiots for letting their guard down just because Jae Angshin was being quiet. If nothing happened just because he stayed still, would you even call that a disaster? Everyone from the ten-thousand-year-old Monster Immortals who were secluded in their territories to the Great Monsters has woken up from hibernation and is rushing out. Those things—despite being territorial animals—aren’t attacking each other, but are bowing their heads beneath a single ruler!”

Kwon Yihyeon felt goosebumps against his will, while simultaneously feeling as though he could understand the hearts of the monsters.

‘Even if it were me, even if I were a monster, if he didn’t call for me, I would be so anxious that I’d go find him first.’

Why did I only realize this now? Why did I vaguely assume there wouldn’t be any major problems as long as Chacha stayed quiet?

Chacha is a collection of ruin and void. He is the incarnation of vice and impurity. Therefore, to a slaughter-maniac who refused to accumulate merit and practice the Way to become an immortal and instead took the path of corruption, Jae Angshin cannot help but feel like the most brilliant utopia. Like a moth jumping into a flame, they have no choice but to do whatever he commands.

How could they resist him? If what they want is destruction, he is ruin itself.

“…”

At that moment, Kwon Yihyeon saw Geom Biyeon’s face. And he saw his fear hidden behind his anger.

Kwon Yihyeon once again recalled the expression of the grandmother he had seen on the first day he contracted with Jae Angshin.

“…”

Now, he felt like he understood why Park Seongjun’s noona pointed her knife back then. He felt like he finally understood.