Chapter 15
"How long should I keep bringing you the coal?"
"I'll give you my contact info, so just text me before you come. I'm always at Dokkaebi Workshop, so you can bring it whenever it's convenient for you, Esteemed One."
"Then I'll bring it over as soon as I've filled the sack."
After exchanging contact information with the blacksmith.
"Now we even have each other's numbers, huh?"
"…? And?"
"It just means our connection has grown a little deeper. Something like that."
"…."
Kang Yul wondered if he'd given her his number for no reason, but…
He decided to maintain the relationship, if only because she was the rare apprentice of a dokkaebi who made supernatural artifacts—and because of the Dokkaebi Club she'd given him.
"…Well, now that the deal's done, I'll be going."
"Why don't you stay a little longer…."
"I have coal to mine."
"Then I guess it can't be helped. Take care, Esteemed One~!"
"I have something else I want to ask, so I'll stay."
"Oh, okay. …Huh? W-wait a second. Then how am I supposed to get back? This doesn't seem like a place just anyone can come and go from."
Kang Yul recalled the moment he'd first set foot in this space.
Right after he'd felt like he'd crossed some kind of threshold, he'd looked around to find the scenery had completely changed without him noticing.
It felt as though he'd entered a Gate, yet somehow it was a different kind of space.
"Oh, that's because this is the dokkaebi grounds where my master settled."
"Dokkaebi grounds…? Then is this also a type of Gate created by a supernatural phenomenon?"
"It is a supernatural phenomenon, but it's not a Gate. It's a place surrounded by a barrier that you can't enter without my or my master's permission. It's kind of like a space in reality has been cut off and stretched out, I guess?"
An ordinary person would've asked, "What does that even feel like…?"
But Kang Yul could vaguely understand what the blacksmith was getting at.
'So the dokkaebi settled here, severed this space from the rest, then used their power to stretch it out?'
Kang Yul looked around and came to that conclusion.
He didn't know why he understood it himself. He didn't even know what a dokkaebi's power was.
And yet, for some reason, he could clearly picture how it worked in his mind, and it all made sense.
As if he'd understood it by feeling this space directly against his skin.
'I don't really understand, but… could this be related to my class?'
It was possible.
The explanation was so grandiose that it was hard to grasp, but Kang Yul possessed the 'Time' and 'Space' mana circuits, either one of which could make him the world's greatest archmage.
On top of that, he also had the 'Dimension' mana circuit, a fusion of the two. Perhaps it was only natural that he was unusually sensitive to strange spaces like this.
Anyway.
As he stood there, gazing blankly around while thinking about it…
"Esteemed One, is something wrong?"
"No, I just find this space fascinating…."
The blacksmith gave Kang Yul a puzzled look and spoke to him, so he brushed off his thoughts and said it was nothing.
Now that he'd received everything he was supposed to, he was just about to get ready to leave when…
A question suddenly occurred to Kang Yul.
"…But this is a place you can only enter with permission, right?"
"That's right."
"Then what happens if someone comes in without permission?"
"Oh, that?"
The blacksmith continued as if it were nothing special.
"You know the path we came along? They wander around there until they die and turn into wraiths. Then those wraiths kill other intruders and turn them into wraiths too. That cycle becomes the security system that protects the dokkaebi grounds."
"Then what about me…?"
"Huh? Oh, you're fine because you came with Stray Cat. She has permission to bring a guest. Besides, I've already given you permission to come whenever you want, so you don't need to worry about that!"
No, that wasn't the point.
What she was saying was…
'…If Team Leader Myo hadn't been with me, I might've turned into a wraith?'
He'd nearly died without even knowing why.
Kang Yul no longer wanted to come back to this place, even aside from the blacksmith.
#####
Having decided he couldn't stay in such a sinister place any longer, Kang Yul announced that he was leaving and headed out the main gate, but…
'Ah, this is terrifying.'
Maybe it was because of what he'd just heard.
Kang Yul's feet refused to carry him across the gate.
But only for a moment.
"Esteemed One! Just follow the path you came along! You can do it!"
The blacksmith gazed at him tenderly, like someone seeing a child off on their first errand.
"Do I have to escort you?"
Team Leader Myo gave him a contemptuous look, as if thinking, 'You can't even manage that on your own?'
Kang Yul decided that embarrassment was far worse than fear of the unknown, then dashed through the gate and hurried home.
A little while later.
The moment Kang Yul's figure had grown smaller and finally disappeared from view…
"Sigh… He really left. If I'd kept him here for about three days and absorbed some of his energy, I could've made an incredible artifact… Should I have found a way to keep him here after all?"
"You're being shameless. It's unbecoming."
"That's because you don't know how incredible he is. You stayed behind on purpose to ask me about him, didn't you?"
The two of them stopped pretending and revealed their true selves.
The blacksmith dropped all the politeness she'd shown a moment ago and spoke in her usual unrestrained manner.
And Team Leader Myo relaxed, as if she no longer had to watch out for a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
"Explain."
"You think I'm on call to explain things to you or something…? Ugh, never mind. What's the point of talking to a shameless stray cat like you? Come on. I'm thirsty, so I'll make some tea while we talk."
"That's what you get for acting coy when it's not like you."
"I know, so shut up and follow me, okay?"
They followed the blacksmith to the guest reception room… no.
As soon as they entered the reception room (storage room), Team Leader Myo scowled and demanded,
"How is this a reception room? Did you perhaps not get enough elementary education?"
"Stray Cat, I don't entertain guests. I'm the one making things, so I'm the one with the upper hand. Why should I entertain them? Naturally, I use the reception room as a storage room."
"That's an abuse of power."
"If they're so jealous, they can become dokkaebi apprentices and blacksmiths themselves."
Then she hastily brewed some tea leaves from the cupboard, who knew how long they'd been sitting there…
She set a cup down in front of herself and Team Leader Myo, then began to talk.
"So, you want to know who the Esteemed One really is, right?"
"That's right."
"Hmm… If I start going on about this and that, we could talk all day and still run out of time…"
"You can just give me the short version."
"Of course. I have no intention of wasting my precious time on you, either. So, to get right to the point, he's a To-ryong (土龍)."
"A dragon of the earth… Are you saying he's the same kind as the supernatural life-form 'Behemoth' that appeared overseas?"
Team Leader Myo, her face gone pale, recalled something she'd once read.
<International Hunter Gallery - Information Archive>
※ Viewing access: Rank 1 or higher
※ Unauthorized viewing or external disclosure may be punishable under the 「Hunter Confidentiality Management Act」.
───────────────────
【Supernatural Life-Form
- Great Earth Dragon Behemoth】
───────────────────
【Danger Rating: S】
▪ A supernatural life-form deemed impossible to deal with, even if all of humanity's military and supernatural forces were brought to bear.
※ Danger Rating S is the highest danger rating, given not for an individual's combat ability, but only to an entity 'that current civilization cannot independently control or eliminate.'
【Observed Information】
▪ A supernatural life-form in the form of a gigantic beast with four legs.
The area it occupies is estimated to be approximately 3.39 million ㎢ (about 44% of the Australian continent, roughly the size of India).
▪ The International Supernatural Life-Form Research Committee (ISRC), after comprehensively analyzing its outward appearance and the history and folklore of the region where it first appeared, classified the entity as most likely the same being as, or the original form of, the mythological 「Behemoth」.
.
.
.
…If that were true, she couldn't leave him alone like this.
As she wondered whether she should take action before he caused trouble, or at least seal him inside another Gate…
"H-hey. Don't jump to conclusions on your own. That's a Ji-ryong (地龍), isn't it?"
The blacksmith waved a hand at Team Leader Myo as if to calm her down, then continued explaining.
"Well, if you just look at the meanings, To-ryong and Ji-ryong aren't all that different, but this is a little different. You know how lots of supernatural phenomena are influenced by the culture of the country they're in? When you hear 'To-ryong' in Korea, what comes to mind?"
"I know it's a word that means earthworm."
"Right. Esteemed One is that sort."
"Then you're saying he's a type of Worm?"
"That's about it."
Team Leader Myo looked at the blacksmith with a puzzled expression.
Compared to Behemoth, Worm certainly wasn't that dangerous.
But if you asked whether Worm was safe…
"…Do you know Worm is called the 'Gate Cleaner' or the 'Gate Devourer'?"
Team Leader Myo couldn't confidently say no.
Worm was still one of the supernatural life-forms that humanity struggled to handle.
And yet…
"Do you think I don't know that? I told you, Esteemed One is that 'sort.' To be precise, he's a little different."
The blacksmith continued explaining as if it were no big deal, watching Team Leader Myo.
"Have you ever gotten a good look at the Esteemed One's right palm?"
"I haven't looked closely. I did confirm that there's an orange gemstone there, though."
"Right. That gemstone is the fundamental difference between Worm and him. It's a supernatural artifact that distinguishes the relatively benevolent from the malevolent among the supernatural life-forms with 'dragon' in their names."
"A dragon and a gemstone… Could that be a Dragon Pearl?"
"As expected of a representative Hunter, you know a lot. That's right. It's not complete yet, but that was definitely a Dragon Pearl. His mother, the To-ryong, probably gave him a piece of hers. And that's probably thanks to the Dragon Pearl that he's able to take human form."
"…."
Thus, the dragon, the Dragon Pearl, and even the mother To-ryong who cared for him.
As Team Leader Myo, having learned a little about the being who called itself [Kang Yul], organized the information in her head…
The blacksmith watched her, took a sip of tea to wet her dry throat, and warned her,
"So, Stray Cat. If you plan to use the Esteemed One's interest in you, at least treat him with the utmost respect. If you try to use him in some half-assed way, it won't end with just you getting caught up in it."
"I'll handle it myself."
"Oh, you think I'm warning you because I like you? I'm telling you to know your place if you want your poor little sister cured."
And at that moment…
"Shut up. Don't you dare bring up my little sister."
Team Leader Myo released shadows filled with killing intent and threatened the blacksmith, as if she'd mentioned something forbidden.
"Stray Cat, do you think you can do anything to me on the dokkaebi grounds? That laughable threat won't work, so cut it out."
The shadows couldn't reach the blacksmith.
It was as if some enormous, invisible force was blocking the attack.
Then the blacksmith clicked her tongue and continued.
"Cat, I only have one thing to say. Don't you dare lay a hand on the Esteemed One. If you do, it won't be just you. Everyone you've formed a connection with will get dragged into it too."
Then she added in a quiet voice, "Who knows? If you serve him devotedly, he might even cure your little sister."
But once her little sister had been brought up, the conversation could go no further with Team Leader Myo, whose eyes had gone half-mad.
"…."
"What are you glaring at? If you're done listening, get out. I have work to do before the Esteemed One's energy fades."
And the next moment…
Creak—! Thud—!
Team Leader Myo, who'd been told to leave, was no longer inside the workshop.
In the blink of an eye, she'd been moved outside the main gate.
"…."
Only after being kicked out did Team Leader Myo come to her senses. She looked up at the sign for [Dokkaebi Workshop] and thought of what the blacksmith had quietly muttered.
"Who knows? If you serve him devotedly, he might even cure your little sister."
Ding-!
[Skill 'Myo's Eye' activated.]
[This action will work in your favor as a masterstroke.]
Perhaps what she'd said was true after all.
Perhaps the being calling itself [Kang Yul], who'd been picking up and eating dirt, could save her little sister.
#####
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
After Kang Yul, deciding the embarrassment of being cheered on (and insulted) by two women was worse than fear of the unknown, had dashed through the gate and hurried home…
"Worm… So much has happened to me… I'm exhausted, really…."
Wriggle-?
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels deep affection for you?
"…No, it's nothing. I was just venting. More importantly, how's the new soil taste?"
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It's happy to have found tasty soil!
"Really? That's good."
Kang Yul soothed his wounded heart as he blankly watched Worm's soil-eating show.
Though it had cost him three sacks of premium potting soil worth over one million won each.
He decided to enjoy the present, thinking he could always earn more money.
"Eat plenty and grow big… No, wait, you shouldn't grow, should you? Just stay small like you are now."
Wriggle-?
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels deep affection for you?
"It's nothing."
Kang Yul couldn't bring himself to say out loud that he wasn't sure he could love a Worm bigger than a person.
If he did, he had no idea what kind of revenge Worm might take after getting its feelings hurt.
Anyway, as he thought about it…
Wriggle-?
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It feels deep affection for you?
: It wonders about the strange soil?
After finishing its soil-eating show, Worm looked around…
Then it suddenly pointed at the club he'd received as a gift from the blacksmith and tilted its body to one side.
"Oh, this? The workshop owner gave it to me as a gift, but I don't really know much about it either. I heard it's a Dokkaebi Club, but she said it was unfinished."
Wriggle…?
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It thinks deeply about the strange soil.
For a while after that, Worm kept tilting its body from side to side as it pondered.
Then, at some point…
Wriggle…!
It straightened up as if it had realized something.
But what exactly had it realized…?
Wriggle-!
﹝Anomaly﹞
: It thinks it can complete the strange soil!
"What? You think you can finish the Dokkaebi Club?"
…Wait, was that even possible?
How on earth could Worm complete something made by a dokkaebi?
.