Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 207 – Karma (4)

Flinch!

‘He’s… smiling?’

The entity possessing the monk Imun-hae’s body couldn’t hide its bewilderment for a moment.

This wasn’t the kind of expression someone trying to save the owner of this body from it would show.

Rather, it was filled with nothing but malice.

‘What the hell is this bastard?’

Slap!

“Ack!”

It was painful, the searing agony every time it was slapped.

It didn’t know what technique he used, but because of the eerie energy felt from the fellow’s hand, pain was being inflicted on both the physical body and the spiritual body simultaneously.

Thanks to that, screams burst out involuntarily.

Slap!

Imun-hae’s cheek turned to the opposite side again.

It was in a state of confusion from the pain burning even the spiritual body.

‘Is, is this bastard going to keep doing this?’

Right then,

As Mok Gyeong-un tried to slap the monk Imun-hae’s cheek again, the exiled monk Ja Geum-jeong shouted,

“Stop!”

At that cry, Mok Gyeong-un slowly turned his head.

Then Ja Geum-jeong scowled fiercely and pressed,

“What the hell are you doing, you long-time courtesan bastard?”

“What am I doing?”

“You were yapping as if you could handle it, so what the hell is this?”

Ja Geum-jeong was furious.

That was understandable because the monk Imun-hae was no less than a savior to him and his only friend.

So, he thought with Mok Gyeong-un’s monastic technique skills, he could surely save him, and quietly watched.

But this wasn’t saving; it was close to unilaterally tormenting him.

He stepped in, thinking that if left alone, Imun-hae might die at that fellow’s hands.

“If you don’t take your hands off him right now…”

“If you want, you can have him.”

“What?”

Pak! Whoosh!

Mok Gyeong-un, who was about to slap him, grabbed Imun-hae’s collar and threw him towards the exiled monk Ja Geum-jeong.

Surprised by the sudden action, Ja Geum-jeong hurriedly caught the flying Imun-hae.

Ja Geum-jeong, who set him upright with a gentle force, asked,

“Hey. Mun-hae? Are you alright?”

“Drunkard bastard. Your body seems quite useful.”

“What?”

Grab!

At that moment, Imun-hae, no, the possessed entity grabbed both of Ja Geum-jeong’s arms.

The moment Mok Gyeong-un removed his hand from the shoulder, the entity felt its spiritual body become free again and tried to take this opportunity to move into Ja Geum-jeong’s body.

However,

Whoosh!

The moment it tried to pass through the point of contact, Ja Geum-jeong used the Golden Silk Hand technique to reverse-twist the arms of the entity possessing Imun-hae.

Then he immediately headbutted its face.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

The entity possessing Imun-hae’s body fell backwards from the headbutt.

Even if it didn’t feel pain, the physical body itself couldn’t withstand the impact imbued with martial power, causing this to happen.

“Damn it! Help me!”

Ja Geum-jeong looked at the fallen Imun-hae and then shouted at Mok Gyeong-un.

Then Mok Gyeong-un grinned and said,

“Didn’t you say you don’t need help?”

“Help me.”

“Well…”

“You bastard!”

Crack! Crack!

At that moment, the entity possessing Imun-hae’s body, who had fallen to the ground, slowly got up with an even more grotesque face and charged at Ja Geum-jeong.

“Kieeeek!”

Grip!

“Kuk!”

However, Ja Geum-jeong grabbed that bastard’s neck with one hand.

The bastard possessing Imun-hae’s body tried to break or shake off that hand.

Pak pak!

But Ja Geum-jeong didn’t budge at all.

The wrist of Ja Geum-jeong, who had a physique nearly twice that of ordinary people and thick muscles, was like an old tree trunk.

Even when using the physical body to exert a strength nearly two to three times that of an adult man, it couldn’t break his wrist and could only flail around while hanging.

“Stay still, you little shit.”

Squeeze!

Then Ja Geum-jeong put more strength into his hand and shook the body.

“Kuk kuk!”

From the perspective of the possessing entity, it was maddening.

It wasn’t painful, but it didn’t know what the hell this monster-like bastard was.

Are these things really human?

While it was bewildered, Ja Geum-jeong looked at Mok Gyeong-un and said,

“Hey! Please save this bastard.”

“I’m not particularly interested.”

“You bastard! Are you really going to be like this?”

“You were the one who refused first.”

“You son of a bitch!”

Ja Geum-jeong spat out rough words in disbelief, then took out a gourd bottle hanging from his waist and gulped it down.

Naturally, the gourd bottle contained liquor.

Although the situation had improved compared to before, he was someone who couldn’t live without alcohol.

Gulp gulp!

After downing the liquor in the gourd bottle in one go, Ja Geum-jeong said to Mok Gyeong-un with a flushed face,

“I really don’t like it, but if you save this bastard, this drunkard will do anything he can for you.”

At his words, Seop Chun looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ja Geum-jeong was famous for committing all sorts of eccentric acts like a madman, true to his nickname “Three Madmen.”

But he’s acting like this just to save one acquaintance?

It was truly unexpected, seeing a different side of him from the rumors.

Then Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth.

“Can you keep that promise to do anything you can?”

“Even if I lived as I pleased, I have never once broken my word.”

“Hmm.”

“You son of a bitch! As long as it’s not an absurd request like asking me to die, there’s absolutely no way I’ll break it.”

“I see. Then it piques my interest.”

“Interest?”

Swish!

Mok Gyeong-un reached out his hand towards Imun-hae, whose neck Ja Geum-jeong was grabbing.

Then a strong pulling force was felt.

This was one of the techniques of the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques, the Art of Binding technique.

Of course, to Ja Geum-un who didn’t know this, it seemed like a Void Grasping technique.

‘He’s truly a monster-like fellow. How can such a young lad who hasn’t even reached his prime possess such profound internal energy?’

Ja Geum-jun, who had been clicking his tongue, soon removed his hand from Imun-hae’s neck.

Whoosh!

At that moment, his body flew and was caught again by Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

‘Th-this bastard is too dangerous.’

The entity possessing Imun-hae was startled with fear and hurriedly pleaded in a begging tone.

“Hey. Human. I’ll leave this monk’s body. So please, let’s stop this.”

“Who are you to decide?”

“Aren’t you trying to save this bastard?”

It clearly heard that damn drunkard and this monster-like fellow negotiating with each other.

If that’s the case, their goal should be to save this fellow in some way, so why are they being so aggressive?

To the puzzled entity, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Your rank is low.”

“What?”

“You’re just a mere Yellow Spirit rank, but seeing you enter a monk’s body, you must have received help from another being, right?”

‘!?’

The entity was quite surprised by Mok Gyeong-un’s words accurately grasping its rank.

Regardless, Mok Gyeong-un continued speaking.

“Well, each one isn’t much, but to be able to move this many evil spirits and low-ranked resentful souls like you, the one behind it doesn’t seem to be an ordinary monster.”

“…You’re no ordinary human.”

The resentful soul possessing Imun-hae clicked its tongue and said.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

“I don’t think we need to argue about that, and I’m quite busy, you see.”

“Then just go. Why are you trying to help them? This is something these family members brought upon themselves.”

‘Brought upon themselves?’

Mok Gyeong-un was puzzled by the resentful soul’s words.

He thought there must be some reason, but did they really do something to provoke the resentful souls?

Come to think of it, the old woman who owned the inn said something similar.

[That boatman living over there… In other words, the elder of that household committed evil deeds and is dying from heavenly punishment.]

Heavenly punishment.

Usually, such words don’t come out well without some kind of cause and effect.

Isn’t it no different from saying that they provided a bad cause and are paying the price for it?

“What did they bring upon themselves?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s direct question, the resentful soul possessing Imun-hae’s body glared at Woo-hyang, the estate owner’s daughter, who was trembling in fear with a pale face.

“That wench knows very well.”

“You’re saying she knows well?”

“Yes. This is the punishment and karma they must receive.”

“Hmm.”

Mok Gyeong-un looked at Woo-hyang.

She was trembling in fear with a pale face.

What on earth did they do to gather this many resentful souls and evil spirits around here?

While he was puzzled, the resentful soul said in a loud voice,

“Leave, guests. We do not resent you.”

“Get out of that bastard’s body!”

Ja Geum-jeong lashed out with a lion’s roar in an angry voice.

It was so resounding that it pierced through the heavy rain and made the surroundings echo.

The resentful soul clicked its tongue and said,

“I can see that you are no ordinary humans. But when he arrives soon, even you will not be able to save your lives.”

“He?”

“Yes. So leave. Then you can live.”

Rumble rumble crash!

Right then, thunder roared in the sky.

Along with it, even blue lightning flashed.

It was as if the sky was angry and expressing its rage.

The resentful soul revealed its yellow teeth and said in a crazed voice,

“Hehehe. He is enraged. When he comes, that rage will reach even you. Right now…”

Slap!

“Ack!”

Before it could finish speaking, the resentful soul’s head turned.

The resentful soul quickly turned its head, glared at Mok Gyeong-un, and shouted,

“This has nothing to do with you, so I’m graciously showing mercy…”

“Let me say the opposite.”

“What?”

“I need the owner of this estate. So if you and the ‘he’ you speak of quietly leave, I’ll spare your souls.”

“You really…”

“I don’t care about what happened. Count to five.”

“Five?”

“If you don’t get lost within five counts, I’ll indiscriminately exorcise all the resentful souls in this area that I see. Just a warning in case, but threatening me with the lives of the estate owner and the villagers will be meaningless to me.”

“What?”

“If it becomes a hindrance to me, I’ll kill everything alive and dead in this area.”

‘!!!!!!!!’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, the resentful soul’s white eyes trembled.

What kind of bastard is this?

It was going to possess all the people in this estate and curse them if things went wrong.

But this bastard was threatening it in reverse.

Killing everything alive and dead?

‘Empty threat?… No.’

This bastard was definitely not like that.

Seeing him filled with nothing but malice, it was hard to find such extremely biased emotions even among resentful souls.

That’s why it didn’t seem human.

“…Are you really in your right mind?”

“I’m not particularly interested in things that aren’t mine.”

“What?”

Right then,

“There’s no time, so shall we begin? Five.”

“What?”

“Four.”

No, is he really going to do it?

It was utterly bewildering.

In front of the baffled resentful soul, Mok Gyeong-un counted the numbers with an expressionless face.

“Three.”

Rumble rumble crash!

The thunder became even more intense.

At this, the resentful soul possessing Imun-hae’s body clicked its tongue and said,

“This is something you brought upon yourself. If you had just left, it would have ended with their karma, but you…”

“Two.”

“…”

“One…”

It was right after those words ended.

Flash! Boom!

At that moment, lightning struck from the sky and precisely hit the main hall building.

Then, despite the heavy rain, the main hall building burst into blue flames and was engulfed in fire in an instant.

Whoosh! Crackle!

Everyone couldn’t hide their surprise at the extremely bizarre sight.

How can a building burn like this when it’s raining so heavily?

But then, a human figure was seen from the burning main hall building.

Someone who saw this shouted,

“Father!”

The one who cried out was none other than Woo-hyang, the estate owner’s daughter.

‘Father?’

Seop Chun and Mong Mu-yak frowned and looked at the person who came out of the burning building.

He appeared to be a middle-aged man in his late fifties.

Unlike his haggard face that looked almost emaciated, his skin was filled with bulging black blood vessels, and his eyes were dyed blue.

‘Is that person also possessed by something?’

No matter how you look at it, it seemed that way.

But the emanating atmosphere was clearly different from that monk named Imun-hae.

It was spine-chilling enough to overwhelm everyone present.

Right then,

The resentful soul possessing the monk Imun-hae’s body shouted in a crazed voice,

“Guests who have lost fear. All of this is something you brought upon yourselves. His wrath has reached the heavens, so all living things tonight…”

“I thought it would be quite impressive with all that buildup, but it’s just this level, huh.”

‘!?’

For a moment, the resentful soul glared at Mok Gyeong-un with a dumbfounded expression.

He’s saying it’s just this level after seeing a resentful soul that has reached a tremendous rank capable of dyeing this village area with blood?

It had reached the rank of Blue Spirit[1].

To say he has lost fear while facing a resentful soul that can only be reached after its resentment surpasses a hundred years and can be compared to a dreadful evil spirit?

It seemed Mok Gyeong-un’s words angered not only this resentful soul.

Swish!

The Blue Spirit-ranked resentful soul dwelling in the estate owner’s body pointed a finger at Mok Gyeong-un.

Foolish human. Die.

Then, the raindrops from all directions turned into sharp thorns and rushed to pierce Mok Gyeong-un’s entire body.

But right at that moment,

The thorn-turned raindrops stopped as if blocked by something.

Then they turned back into rainwater and fell to the ground.

Swish!

The Blue Spirit-ranked resentful soul dwelling in the estate owner raised an eyebrow upon seeing this.

What just happened wasn’t done by that living being.

A high spiritual power had blocked its power.

What on earth is going on…

Whoosh!

Right then,

The color of the pouring rain suddenly changed.

The normal rainwater had turned crimson at some point, dyeing everything in blood.

“Eek! Wh-what the hell is this?”

“Blood… Blood?”

Everyone in the main courtyard couldn’t hide their horror at this spine-chilling situation.

‘!?’

At this, the resentful soul possessing Imun-hae looked at the higher-ranked resentful soul dwelling in the estate owner.

In response to that gaze, the higher-ranked resentful soul shook its head with narrowed eyes.

This wasn’t something it had done.

Then,

Slither!

From the ground where the blood began to pool, a dignified woman wearing a crown and holding a long pipe slowly started to rise.

‘!!!!!!!!!’

Even among resentful souls, there exists a rank.

And the older the resentful souls, the more clearly they could recognize that rank.

In… Indigo Spirit[2].

It was a rank that one dared not encroach upon.

The Blue Spirit-ranked resentful soul dwelling in the estate owner was so startled that it unconsciously took a step back for a moment.