𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟓
Seo Tae-hu was originally a yokai.
However, he possessed a very high level of intelligence and was able to control his instincts.
「. . . . . . .」
That’s why Seo Tae-hu knew. Humans and yokai can never mix.
The fact that their very nature is different.
That thought never changed, and it was the same even when Seo Tae-hu became a yokai who shook the world.
However, Seo Tae-hu, who had shown endless strength, also met an irresistible opponent and was defeated, and was trapped in his strange box and drifted for a very long time.
In the end, the one who met Seo Tae-hu, who had come out into the world again, was none other than a woman.
“You’re so skinny like a dried fish. Don’t you eat?”
Originally, it was a weak human being who would have been chased away or used as a daily meal, but Seo Tae-hu, who had been trapped for a long time, had no such energy.
And for some strange reason, the woman took Seo Tae-hu to her house and took care of him.
Even though she must have noticed that Seo Tae-hu was not an ordinary human being.
“Get rid of it. If you don’t want to die, you’d better get out right now.”
“Even if you say so, this is my house.”
The woman took care of Seo Tae-hu as if she was not afraid of him, and soon Seo Tae-hu regained his energy.
However, perhaps because of the years he spent in prison, Seo Tae-hu, whose mind as a yokai had receded, had no choice but to click his tongue without killing the woman in the end.
“I’m not thanking you. I just didn’t feel like doing it.”
“Then it’s okay. It doesn’t matter.”
Seo Tae-hu was a yokai, but even for Seo Tae-hu, the woman was strange.
She was too indifferent for an ordinary human being, and she had no expression of joy or sorrow.
However, if there was one thing that such a woman was obsessed with, it was gambling.
“I’ve seen human merchants a lot. But I don’t see the same greed in you.”
“Maybe so. In fact, I’m not really interested in the profits.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
To such a question from Seo Tae-hu, the woman replied.
“Just. It’s fun. A lot of people are playing with nothing but paper scraps.”
It might have been the woman’s own pleasure and value. However, it only felt strange to Seo Tae-hu.
And, attracted by that strangeness, Seo Tae-hu could not leave the woman’s side for a long time after that.
Then one day, the woman suddenly asked Seo Tae-hu.
“Will you marry me?”
“. . .Nonsense.”
“Why, it doesn’t really matter.”
The woman was certainly right. It doesn’t matter that much. That’s why Seo Tae-hu married the woman and had a child.
A day passed, and a year passed.
It was a fleeting time for Seo Tae-hu, who had half an eternal life, but it was not the same for the woman.
In the end, the woman left Seo Tae-hu’s side due to an illness and left only one last word.
“. . .Please spare the humans.”
It was a truly incongruous statement. Because the woman herself had never loved humans all her life.
However, for some reason, those words remained in his heart, and Seo Tae-hu could not leave human society.
So he succeeded Dae-jin Industries after the woman, and left the children to those who seemed promising among his subordinates and raised them in the hands of humans.
So more than a dozen years passed.
「. . . . . . .」
However, Seo Tae-hu could not love humans in the end. No matter how much time he added, it was still impossible.
All that remained for Seo Tae-hu, who had already lost the time he lived in and the person he was attracted to, was an endless emptiness.
So Seo Tae-hu decided to face the woman’s children here today.
Hoping that they would bring an end to themselves in the time they had stopped.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
In the midst of the silence, Seo Tae-hu opened his mouth quietly.
“If you really want to have Dae-jin Industries, don’t back down and finish it here.”
It was a word that was somehow filled with conviction. At least it was clear that he was answering sincerely, not falsely, for now.
Seo Do-yoon hardened his expression, and Seo Ji-an glanced at me.
“. . .I’m sorry, I never thought this would happen.”
“Who would have known, what happened couldn’t be helped.”
No one could have realized that Seo Ji-an’s father, Seo Tae-hu, was a yokai.
However, now that I know it for sure, there are parts that I understand.
「𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙚𝙤 𝙅𝙞-𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙤 𝙅𝙞-𝙝𝙖, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚-𝙩𝙮𝙥𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨.」
It could be seen as one of the characteristics of yokai, so it was not strange if they were the children of Seo Tae-hu.
「𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 1𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.」
In the sequel, the children of yokai and humans appeared as protagonists, but that was quite a long time later.
I looked at Seo Tae-hu in front of me, maintaining my composure.
「𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚.」
Rather, in terms of that level, it falls behind Yusu-bi or Jin-myeong.
After all, Seo Tae-hu must have come here at the time of the 1st Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, so it might be natural.
“Can you use magic?”
“. . .Since the watercourse is connected, there is no problem.”
Roughly looking at the traits, Seo Tae-hu was a yokai who could handle water, wind, and fire.
To confront such Seo Tae-hu, the power of Seo Ji-an next to him was essential.
“Brother, we have to fight.”
“I hate to admit it, but I guess we have to.”
Seo Do-yoon also calmly raised his spiritual power, realizing it.
Since he also possesses the power befitting a 1st-grade exorcist, he will be a considerable force if I just assist him.
「𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤. . . . . . .」
They left their seats as if they had found an opportunity when Seo Tae-hu blocked the conference room.
In the end, it meant that the three of us here had to decide the outcome.
「𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩.」
I stretched my shadow slightly and summoned a few shikigami there.
At the forefront is Do-young, my shadow who made a shikigami contract at the former residence of Cheong So-ha.
“Do whatever you want. I’ll match you.”
At my words, Do-young nodded. Then, without hesitation, he began to run straight toward Seo Tae-hu.
「𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙨. 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝘾𝙝𝙪𝙝𝙤𝙣-𝙜𝙖𝙠?」
As expected of a shadow soldier, Do-young often used close-range combat techniques that I usually avoided using, without fear.
And I matched him, and at the right time, I threw a spell at Seo Tae-hu for control and defense.
Whoo-woong!
Swaaaaah!
Zzzzeeeeng!
“. . .Who are you?”
Seo Tae-hu, who had never even paid attention to me, finally turned his gaze.
However, I did not answer and simply fired another spell.
Kwagagagag!
“It’s done. Whatever it is, it will be a good thing.”
Seo Do-yoon and Seo Ji-an, who had been waiting for an opportunity, rushed out next to Seo Tae-hu, who had cast an indifferent glance.
The water jets formed by the water spears aimed at Seo Tae-hu, and on the other side, Seo Do-yoon’s Sevenfold Strike revealed its form.
However, even in such a threatening offensive, Seo Tae-hu never backed down.
“Pathetic, those who inherited my blood are like this. This is not enough.”
“. . .We didn’t get anything from you. Don’t talk as you please.”
I don’t know much about what happened, but the resentment Seo Ji-an and Seo Do-yoon felt for Seo Tae-hu seemed to be quite deep.
Even in front of such blatant emotions, Seo Tae-hu maintained an indifferent attitude to the end.
“. . .Can you handle water? However, it’s still far from perfect.”
Seo Tae-hu’s skill was definitely a few steps ahead of Seo Ji-an’s.
Seo Ji-an continued her sharp attacks, but they were all turned into water by the water barrier that Seo Tae-hu unfolded.
However, for Seo Ji-an, it was rather a welcome development.
“I never thought there would be a day when I would feel grateful to you.”
Seo Ji-an’s water spears, which instantly changed their shape, crisscrossed the air, blurring Seo Tae-hu’s vision.
Sloshing.
Sigh
What Seo Ji-an had been absolutely lacking in all this time was experience.
However, it was rapidly growing as he absorbed Seo Tae-hu’s techniques and methods.
“. . .I’m sure I did this?”
Two of the flying water spears merged to form a huge net of water in the air.
And as it swallowed Seo Tae-hu, the other spears suddenly plunged to the floor.
Swaaaah!
Swaaaaah!
Kwagagagagag!
No matter how much Seo Tae-hu was, he couldn’t help but be damaged by it, and I could see him kneeling on one knee, hesitating.
Soon, Seo Ji-an approached such Seo Tae-hu and opened her mouth.
“. . .What the hell are you? Even hiding such a fact, how much more do you intend to mock us?”
“I never hid it on purpose. It’s just that you guys are too lacking to notice.”
“That’s what you’re saying now. . . . . . .”
Seo Ji-an calmed down her excitement and caught her breath. It’s not anything else, but it must be very embarrassing for her to be the daughter of a yokai.
“Are you just going to watch? If so, you are not qualified to fight me.”
“. . .Even in this situation, your personality is still the same.”
At Seo Tae-hu’s provocation, Seo Do-yoon also jumped into battle more actively.
3 to 1.
Simply in terms of numbers, it is a very disadvantageous situation.
Also, it was not just the numbers, but none of them were easy.
However, despite that, Seo Tae-hu felt a sense of pressure for some reason.
We fought desperately.
“Ggong-sam-yi.”
“. . .Burn it.”
Hwaruruk!
Puhwaaaaaaa!
The flames of Ggong-sam-yi, enhanced by the dark mist, attacked Seo Tae-hu, and Seo Ji-an and Seo Do-yoon resumed their attacks, taking advantage of the gap.
Even though it was the first time we met today, our breathing was surprisingly good because they were originally smart people.
At the end of the endless round-robin, Seo Tae-hu continued to be cut down.
He was strong, but as I said earlier, he wasn’t an opponent who couldn’t be defeated.
In the end, Seo Tae-hu, with his exhausted body, smiled slightly and opened his mouth again.
“Humans are humans, even if they inherit my blood, they are only this much in the end.”
“. . . . . . .”
Seo Tae-hu’s body was not so good to say such words. However, it did not seem like he was just bluffing.
Something felt different in the essence of what he wanted to convey.
As if to prove such a thought, Seo Tae-hu soon continued to speak quietly.
“You can’t survive with just this much.”
“. . .What are you talking about?”
“The upper chamber will open soon. And all humans will die.”
At those words, the expressions of everyone in the conference room trembled.
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