𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝟔: 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭
『Ƙɾɾɾɾɾɾɾ. . . Ƙɾყყყყყყყ!」
Kagutsuchi writhed in agony on the ground.
Crimson flames clung to his body, burning fiercely.
He could summon them at will, but the problem was that he didn’t have enough magical power and divine power to control the fire at the moment.
[Kagutsuchi] felt the fear of annihilation for the first time.
The fear that had been dulled because he had lived for a very long time without dying.
「Death.」
The scales of the spirit melted away, and its form gradually shrank.
The appearance of a spirit was always proportional to its magical power, divine power, and vessel.
He didn’t even have enough strength to maintain the form of a dragon.
Moreover, as he felt the fear of death, his mental strength was disturbed, and he didn’t even have the capacity to visualize an image.
As the spirit’s form slowly melted away,
[Myth: Ice Age]
A harsh, bone-chilling cold that seemed to freeze even the breath enveloped Kagutsuchi’s entire body.
Sizzle!
The spirit was trapped in an ice prison, as if it had been immersed in liquid nitrogen.
“The flames. . . have been extinguished.”
Min Si-joon couldn’t believe his eyes.
The fire of [Kagutsuchi], which seemed to burn without end like a hell fire, had disappeared in the extreme cold.
Siwoo approached and struck the ice block with his fist with all his might.
Crash!
Amidst the broken and shattered ice fragments, Kagutsuchi’s spirit slowly gathered and took shape.
However, its appearance was far from the majestic dragon it once was.
A small fire serpent slithered on the ground, flicking its tongue.
Siwoo grabbed it by the neck and poured his magical power into his hand.
『Ƴօմ, ყօմ’ɾҽ ɑ հմʍɑղ, ҍմե եհɑե թօաҽɾ ํs. . . !』
“Who cares what kind of power someone else has?”
As his fingertips tightened, Kagutsuchi thrashed and struggled.
“Make a choice. Do you want to be torn to shreds like paper and disappear forever, or do you want to obey me?”
In fact, Siwoo had no intention of destroying Kagutsuchi.
Thanks to it, he had managed to break the heart as he had planned, and he had regained the ability to use the power he had desired.
‘𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙃𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙧𝙞.’
『Ɠɾօɑղ. . . Ƈօմցհ. . . Ⱳհყ ҍօեհҽɾ աํեհ եհҽ ɑƒƒɑํɾs օƒ ɑղօեհҽɾ ϲƖɑղ. . .!』
“Just answer one of the two. You don’t have the right to ask questions.”
Clack!
Siwoo’s intense magical power, which was pressuring the serpent, tightened Kagutsuchi’s windpipe.
The fire serpent realized that it was not an opponent it could defeat and nodded its head.
Siwoo let go of the snake’s neck.
『Ⱳհɑե ํs ყօմɾ թմɾթօsҽ?』
“Didn’t I tell you at the beginning? I’m going to beat you up.”
Kagutsuchi stared at Siwoo with its small, yellow eyes.
Siwoo took out the Buddhist statue that he had been hiding in his arms.
『Ƭհɑե’sㅡ հօա ժํժ ყօմ!!』
“Did you perhaps intend to break your contract with Hikari and come to this mountain using this as insurance?”
The snake was not only shocked but also frustrated.
He hadn’t planned to break his contract with Hayakawa right away, but he had intended to do so later if necessary and entrust his spirit to that Buddhist statue.
『Տհմɾմɾմƙ. Ⱳհɑե ժօ ყօմ աɑղե ʍҽ եօ ժօ?』
“Renew the contract with Hikari. Instead, you will bear the burden of not consuming the ‘master’s’ life force.”
『Ƴօմ աɑղե ʍҽ եօ ʍɑƙҽ ɑ ϲօղեɾɑϲե աํեհ ɑ ʍҽɾҽ ‘ѵҽssҽƖ’!!』
Siwoo looked down at the snake with dry, cold eyes.
“Do you want me to crush you like a potato chip?”
『. . . Ӏ աํƖƖ ʍɑƙҽ ɑ ϲօղեɾɑϲե.』
Hayakawa stared blankly as she went through the re-contracting process.
Under Siwoo’s supervision, Kagutsuchi couldn’t even think of doing anything else.
“. . . This completes the renewal of the contract.”
As Hayakawa’s declaration ended, the contract was concluded without a hitch.
Kagutsuchi grumbled and ended his manifestation, returning to Hayakawa’s heart.
“Now that he’s obedient, he won’t be able to consume Hikari’s life.”
“Thank you. . . It’s all thanks to Sir Siwoo.”
Hayakawa held Siwoo’s hand, tears streaming down her face.
“If you train your magical power control and hone your skills as a shaman, you won’t have the same problem.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Andㅡ this is a gift.”
Siwoo placed his hand on Hayakawa’s stomach.
Hayakawa gasped and blushed, but she didn’t push him away or scream like before.
Only the sound of her pounding heart betrayed her feelings.
A majestic magical power spread from Siwoo’s palm.
As if it were not of this world, complex characters appeared, creating a magic circle that flashed with golden light.
The people watched the mesmerizing spectacle in awe.
Hayakawa felt her stomach grow warm, and a hot sensation gradually rose within her.
“This isㅡ?”
The life force that had been taken away by the god she had contracted with.
Abundant energy spread through her body like flowing water.
“I am a vitalist.”
Siwoo continued, stroking her dark, calm hair.
“You’ve been through a lot, Hikari.”
Hayakawa pursed her lips,
Her eyes glistened,
She broke the dam of emotions that were about to overflow.
Believing it was the last tear of the day.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
𝐚ᴡė̇𝔟𝔰ṫ̇𝔬𝔯𝘪ė̇s.𝙘𝘰𝘮
Near the port in Qingdao, China.
The nameless back alley pub, ‘Black Signboard’, was packed with people from evening.
It was Jang Chen and his thirty or so men who had taken over the room and were drinking.
“Sir! Is it okay to ship everything?”
A middle manager sitting at the same table as Jang Chen asked cautiously.
This was because rumors had spread within the organization that the recent assassination attempt by the Ghost Corps was an ominous sign.
The death of No. 1, who had never failed before, came as a greater shock than any other.
The fact that the crazy monster was dead.
However, the organization members did not openly discuss the matter in front of Jang Chen.
Originally, the assassination squad known as the Ghost Corps was part of the organization, but the organization was not supposed to recognize its existence.
“It’s okay. ‘McJester’ in Korea said he understood, so he must have prepared for it.”
“That suspicious guy?”
“Watch your mouth. He’s our organization’s biggest customer.”
McJester.
He was a broker who sold goods on behalf of Korea and Jang Chen’s business partner.
No one in the organization had ever seen McJester’s face.
Even the name McJester was not something the broker had said, but something the organization had started calling him arbitrarily.
A suspicious guy who always wore a clown mask.
His identity, real name, occupation, nothing was ever revealed.
Despite the creepiness, the transactions had always gone smoothly.
When Awakener drugs were delivered, he gave them money.
McJester then sold the drugs in Korea and made money.
That was the end of it.
“We’ve just started to get the ball rolling by finding a broker, but those damn bugs are getting in the way.”
Jang Chen gritted his teeth, flicking his cigarette ash.
“Should we try to assassinate him again as soon as we enter Korea?”
“. . . . . . No. The deal comes first. That’s why I asked Dae-sung for help.”
“I understand. But when are they coming? It’s almost time to leave.”
At the manager’s words, Jang Chen looked at his wristwatch.
Indeed, it was almost time for the ship to leave.
“They’ll come. Dae-sung has invested a lot in this business too. He probably won’t abandon it.”
At that moment, the entrance door burst open and the men guarding the entrance flew in.
It seemed that the bloodied ones were already dead.
“What. . . what is it! Who is it!”
The men and managers inside jumped up from their seats, each preparing their weapons and skills.
Thud. Thud.
Two men entered the store through the darkness of the alleyway.
“You should have gotten out of the way sooner. Isn’t that right, Liu?”
“That’s right. All the idiots have to die, Chiu.”
The giants in blue uniforms with small, round sunglasses grinned as they looked around the room.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
ᴀ𝙬𝙚𝐛𝘴𝚝𝕠𝙧ɪ𝕖𝚜.𝔠ᴏ𝐦
Siwoo returned home and collapsed into bed.
He turned off the lights and immediately covered himself with the blanket, wanting to fall asleep right away.
The power he had used was not yet fully recovered, so the recoil was enormous.
If he had squeezed out more magical power in that state, he might have fainted on the way.
It felt like he had been beaten up for three days and nights.
“It’s a good thing it’s only this much.”
In fact, [Kagutsuchi] had not fully manifested.
The form of the fire dragon did not exceed the ‘total’ capacity of the vessel, Hayakawa, and the auxiliary vessel, the Buddhist statue.
If there had been a shaman who could accommodate the spirit’s power and still have some to spare, they would have been able to draw out 100% of its power, but Hikari’s abilities weren’t sufficient for that.
It was not surprising that [Kagutsuchi] was not a minor god or a mere local god.
It was a pure spirit, the child of the Japanese god of creation.
Rather, it would be more difficult to find a shaman who could wield all of that power.
Of course, if he had fought with the intention of annihilating it, Siwoo would have dealt with it more easily.
“By the way, what’s this side effect?”
He recalled the conversation he had had with Pre on the way back after the battle.
A hazy memory, like looking at a landscape through opaque glass, as if it were a dream or reality.
At that time, Pre had clearly said.
That there would be side effects.
‘𝙋𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩. . . .’
However, he didn’t want any major side effects considering the future.
IZIZ, Pandemonium, Misteltein, and. . . .
‘𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙘𝙚.’
He hadn’t encountered them on his path as HSIU yet, but they were guys he would soon face.
If Siwoo’s existence became more prominent, the Demon Race might not be able to sit still first.
“Making a peace treaty with those things. What’s the point of fighting the Demon King?”
【𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠ㅡ! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞!】
Siwoo was startled by the sudden cry.
The guy who hadn’t even twitched when he called him over and over again after the battle was suddenly yelling, so how could he not be surprised?
“Who’s the Demon King?”
【𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲! 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫!】
Damn it.
Siwoo was relieved that Pre’s voice was intact.
Pre had mentioned something about side effects, and he had been worried that he might suddenly age or something.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be a problem of that magnitude.
“Did you sleep? You didn’t answer me when I called you a while ago.”
【𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩.】
“Then what?”
【𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.】
“. . . . . . .”
Siwoo couldn’t think of anything to say in response.
Because all he could think of was insults.
【𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦?】
“Of course I did.”
【𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞.】
“I tried to win slowly and gently at first because I was worried that I would burden Hayakawa’s body if I went too hard from the beginning?”
【𝐁𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭. 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭.】
I really want to kill him.
Siwoo felt murderous intent rising within him, despite his fatigue.
If he saw him, he would strangle him right away.
“But is the side effect you mentioned this, taking a nap every once in a while?”
【𝐍𝐨. 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬. . . 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩!】
“I know, so what is it?”
【𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬.】
“Really? So what’s the side effect?”
Siwoo was on the verge of falling asleep, but he managed to hold on with a single thread of consciousness and ask the question.
It was because it was the first time Pre had ever used the expression side effect, and it was also the first time he had fallen asleep, so he was curious.
【𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭.】
“. . . What are you talking about? I don’t know, so I’m asking.”
【𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞.】
Siwoo got up, feeling uneasy.
Fatigue was weighing down his eyelids, but the feeling was too strong.
Click.
He turned on the mood light next to him.
【𝐇𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐡𝐚. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞.】
“Ah. . . . . . .”
In front of Siwoo’s eyes.
【𝐈𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?】
A round doll the size of a palm was smiling broadly.
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