Chapter 78
Blood and poison, and rotting corpses.
…
“…What is that?”
“…”
I asked again, but the Imugi seemed to have already said everything it had to say.
The Imugi could speak human language, but it didn’t seem to know precise vocabulary.
Blood and poison, and rotting corpses.
These must be the intuitive things it had seen.
“Hmm… I feel like I can almost remember something…”
Looking at those words that seemed to both clash and fit together, I felt a hazy sensation, as if something was on the tip of my tongue.
Even while I pondered, the Imugi trembled, perhaps recalling what had happened then.
“It was very… strong. I fought hard, but… I couldn’t win…”
Seeing it speak like that, one could tell it must have been brutally crushed.
Its outward appearance was that of a young girl, but its true form was an Imugi that had lived for hundreds of years. Even for the Heavenly Demon Cult, subduing it would have required the combat power of at least one elder.
[Could one of the Heavenly Demon Cult Elders have made a move…?]
Assuming the worst, I cross-referenced the information I knew about the Heavenly Demon Cult Elders with what the Imugi had just said.
And then…
[Blood and poison, and rotting corpses. Blood and poison, and rotting corpses…Ah.]
I quickly realized what the Imugi was talking about.
“Don’t tell me… Gangshi?”
When I first heard the words “rotting corpses”, what came to mind was zombies.
But there was no way zombies existed in a murim world. However, there was one thing similar to a zombie.
Namely, Gangshi.
Even in this world’s setting, Gangshi were dismissed as an ancient technique lost hundreds of years ago. Thanks to that, I hadn’t seen a single Gangshi since being reborn here.
But I knew because I had read the Original Novel. There was one elder in the Demonic Cult who could use the lost Gangshi Art.
[I think his name was Blood Demon Corpse King something or other…]
I had read the Original Novel up to the latter half, but not all the identities of the Heavenly Demon Cult Executives had been revealed by then.
The ones whose information was clearly revealed were the Deputy Cult Leader, the Grand Elder, and a few Elders.
The Blood Demon Corpse King was also one of the Elders whose detailed information hadn’t been revealed, other than the fact that he handled Gangshi.
I asked the Imugi, intending to confirm first if it was indeed Gangshi that had attacked it.
“Did lifeless corpses suddenly appear and attack you?”
“…Th-that’s right.”
“Among them, were there ones covered in bright red stuff, and ones that looked alive but had no vitality inside, and ones with really hard bodies?”
“That’s right…!”
“I guess I’m right.”
It seemed it really was the Blood Demon Corpse King.
Hmm… if so…
“…I’m fucked.”
In that moment, I felt sweat pouring down my back like rain.
I calmed my mind for now and asked the Imugi.
“…When were you captured by that guy?”
“Hmm… three of these.”
The Imugi spread all ten fingers, indicating it had happened three times. So, then, it was about a month.
Perhaps the Blood Demon Corpse King was nearby.
If he knew the Imugi was held captive in our Mountain Stronghold, he might take some sort of action.
[This wasn’t something I should have taken in to begin with.]
Thinking so, I put down the club and drew my Saber. Then, I formed Saber Aura and raised it high.
“Uh… why, why…!”
Seeing that, the Imugi trembled and squeezed its eyes shut.
However…
CRACK - .
Contrary to the Imugi’s expectations, my Saber was aimed not at its neck, but at the iron chains tightly binding it.
“Uh…”
“Go.”
I spoke quietly to the Imugi, who wore a bewildered expression after suddenly being freed.
“Head South from here. Go back to your hometown.”
“Why, why are you suddenly letting me go…”
“You have to run away so those bastards I hate suffer. Just consider yourself lucky.”
“…”
“However, just because I let you go doesn’t mean you can attack or kill people in my territory. If you do, I’ll come slit your throat immediately.”
“…”
There was a chance it might lunge at me the moment the chains were undone, so I kept a tense grip on my Saber hilt, staying wary of it.
But the Imugi didn’t seem to have any such intention, merely staring at me intently.
An inexplicable profound energy flowed from the eyes of its childlike appearance. No. Perhaps the expression “profound energy” was too much for a spiritual creature that wasn’t even human.
Anyway, the Imugi continued to stare at me with eyes full of something unknown.
And then…
Paat - !
As if surging into the ground, its figure vanished just like that, fleeing from my sight.
It was a movement so fast that even I lost track of it for a moment.
Only then did I sheathe my Saber and sit down.
Since we seemed to communicate fairly well just now, at least it wouldn’t harm humans around here.
If it did, well… it wouldn’t be too late to go make snake wine out of it then.
[More importantly, it’s fascinating to actually see an Imugi in my lifetime.]
It was a bizarre existence that could only be seen because this was a world inside a novel.
[Still, well… I probably won’t ever see it again.]
I went to my bed and lay down, praying that the Imugi bitch wouldn’t get caught by the Heavenly Demon Cult again.
Since my duties as the Leader were done, I planned to enjoy an afternoon nap.
* * *
A week later.
“Ugh…”
When I woke up in the morning, my head felt like it was splitting and my whole body ached.
For the past few days, I had been having nightmares whenever I went to bed.
A giant snake the size of an anaconda would slither into my bed, tightly coil around my entire body, and swallow me whole in one gulp. It was incredibly horrifying…
“My body just hurts every time I wake up lately…”
Thanks to that, I had been tossing and turning restlessly at night recently.
They say the three great human desires are appetite, sleep, and sex, and being unable to satisfy one of them felt like it was driving me insane.
But my suffering didn’t end there.
Even when I ate…
Rustle - .
“…?”
Even when I took a walk…
Swish - .
“…”
Even when I went to the bathroom…
Rustle, rustle - .
“Ugh, fuck - !”
Something stealthy kept getting caught in my senses, getting on my nerves so much that I couldn’t live comfortably at all.
I had even deliberately stepped out to catch the culprit, but…
Swoosh, swoosh - .
…Whenever I tried to find it, that stealthy something would always turn tail and hide.
There was definitely a cockroach living in my house. But I couldn’t find hide or hair of it.
The stress coming from this was beyond words.
Because of this, I maintained a dazed state all day, repeatedly lying on my bed and rolling around.
I looked like a jobless slacker, but it was an unavoidable choice since this was the only way to keep my senses reduced to a minimum.
However…
Knock, knock - .
“What.”
“Leader, it’s Jeokyeom. I’ve collected all the tolls for this month.”
“Yeah, come in.”
…Since I was the Leader of this Green Forest, there were things I inevitably had to do.
When I granted permission to enter, Jeokyeom came into my room with a few Subordinates carrying several massive chests.
Since we only accepted silver for the Mountain Path tolls, the chests Jeokyeom brought were filled exclusively with silver.
That was the money our Green Forest had earned in a month just from the Mountain Path tolls.
Besides that, our Green Forest earned even more from the subsidiary income from the Pavilion Rest Stops, the tributes received from the Underworld Factions, and the dividends from our businesses in Hunan Province.
It was truly a situation where money was rolling right into my lap.
Of course, expenses had also increased since there were more Subordinates to take care of, but even so, it could be considered a remarkable success compared to the past.
Forgetting my recent stress, I examined the chests they brought in with a pleased heart.
“Right, you all worked hard this month too…”
And the moment I opened a chest…, I immediately sensed something was wrong.
“…Wait, everyone except Jeokyeom, get out.”
“…”
When I ordered in a chilling voice, the rest of the Subordinates sent Jeokyeom looks of condolence before immediately leaving the room.
Left alone, Jeokyeom trembled and asked me cautiously.
“Leader… is there perhaps a problem…?”
“…From where I’m standing, there seems to be a fucking huge problem, but didn’t it look that way to you? These chests… why are they so empty?”
Normally, all these chests should be packed tight without a single gap. But I could tell the moment I opened them.
The silver coins inside the chests right now… are about twenty percent less than usual.
“Jeokyeom, did you perhaps pocket some on the side? If so, tell me. I’ll make sure you eat your meals through your backdoor for the rest of your life.”
When I spoke with absolute sincerity, Jeokyeom freaked out and waved his hands in denial.
“N-No, sir - ! Leader! How could I ever do such a thing, p-pocketing on the side…! The reason the tolls are lower than usual is… because the number of Merchants using the Mountain Path has decreased since the end of last month…”
“The number of Merchants decreased? Why?”
When I interrogated him, Jeokyeom scratched the back of his head with a troubled look and answered.
“Well… I thought it was such a trivial matter that I didn’t report it to you, Leader, but… we’ve been getting a lot of complaints from the Merchants lately.”
“Man, just because I act like a gentleman, do those folks think this is actually run by the state? What do you mean, complaints? …So what are they about?”
“…They say a monster has been appearing on the road lately, and they’re too scared to pass through.”
“…A monster?”
Normally, I would have asked what kind of nonsense this was and hit Jeokyeom with a swift blow.
But a certain monster I knew came to mind.
And at that moment… - ROAAAAAAR - !
…I heard that Imugi brat, who usually scurried around hiding like a cockroach, howling like an invisible dragon.
“I can’t take this anymore, you fucking bitch.”
Actually, I had already figured out that all the recent disturbances were because of this Imugi bitch.
Still, I had been holding it in, thinking she would leave on her own and that there was no point in provoking her unnecessarily, but I couldn’t do it anymore.
“I told you to go back to your damn hometown, so why are you throwing a fit in someone else’s place of business, fuck.”
If you can’t walk back to your hometown on your own two feet, I’ll help you ascend to heaven instead.
I immediately grabbed my Saber and headed toward the source of the howling.