WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 64: Senior Pastor Park (2)

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"You're going there to clean up? What's gotten into you? You're even doing volunteer work now."

"There's something I need to find there."

Mrs. Park tilted her head at Pastor Park's answer.

"Then why did you call me?"

"To get the Association's verification and some manpower support."

"You really expect to get all that for free."

Unable to follow their conversation, I cautiously asked.

"What do you mean? I can't keep up."

"You went vampire hunting last time, didn't you?"

I nodded at Mrs. Park's words.

The Association had issued a summons and made a huge fuss when several vampires entered Korea.

"This time, think of it as werewolves. Actually, werewolves have been settling here for a while."

"Werewolves?"

"Yeah, werewolves. You've heard of them, right?"

They were as famous as vampires, weren't they?

Stories about people transforming into werewolves under moonlight showed up in countless works of pop culture.

"Recently, more beastkin, including werewolves, have been settling in Korea. The reason isn't much. This land is unfavorable to vampires."

"I think I've heard something like that."

Why was that?

After thinking it over, something came to mind.

"Because of crosses? There are tons of church crosses all over the country."

"Only crosses made of silver. Those glowing LED signboard crosses aren't very useful."

Then what was it?

As I sank into thought, Mrs. Park answered for me.

"Garlic."

"Garlic?"

"Garlic has antibacterial and antiviral properties, so it has been used as medicine since ancient times. Those properties are the exact opposite of vampires, who symbolize decay and death."

I see.

Koreans loved garlic enough to get called fucking garlic men as an insult.

We loved it so much that there were people getting garlic injections.

"But isn't China the same? They must use plenty of garlic too."

The vampires who came over last time had come from China, hadn't they?

"Vampires of East Asian origin are already used to garlic, so they don't see it as something that repels evil. Vampires born from immigrant vampires become accustomed to it over generations."

Apparently, it was an irony caused by objects carrying different meanings in different cultures.

Still, most vampires were of Western descent, so they usually hated garlic.

"Old Man Park and Pastor Kim wiped out the lot in Korea, so no new vampire clans could form here."

"Pastor Go did say something like that."

"China's landmass is so huge that it's difficult. Korea and Japan barely have any vampires, though."

Anyway.

"So with no vampires around, their rival species, werewolves, have found it easier to live here."

"That's right. It wasn't like this until recently, but word seems to have spread that Korea is easy territory these days."

The conflict between vampires and Lycanthropes had apparently been a long-standing tradition throughout Western history.

"Their numbers have increased lately, so it's a headache, right? They need some internal discipline too. Think of this as taking care of that."

"Why are you so naturally trying to put Association civil servants to work? My services are expensive."

"The Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner. I'll return it."

"······!"

The Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner?

I wasn't the only one startled by a national treasure suddenly coming up.

"If you help with this, I'll return it."

"You fucking old bastard···!"

Wasn't that in a museum?

I was confused, while Mrs. Park swore at him in fury.

"You 'borrowed' it to catch a Dueoksini, then dragged your feet and quietly refused to return it. And now what? 'Return it'? You crazy old man. Have you started thinking differently after hanging around artifact thieves?"

"Ho ho, Bokrye. I told you, I didn't hide it all this time."

"If you didn't, then why are you only saying you'll return it now!?"

Mrs. Park seemed to realize something and opened her eyes wide.

"You found it? The Gilt-bronze Incense Burner's location?"

"It just happens to be in the doggies' territory."

"······."

Mrs. Park's expression turned serious. Was recovering a national treasure a civil servant's duty?

"Um, just to ask, isn't the Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner a national treasure? The one that's still in the museum?"

"That's a fake. The real one was taken out of the country. Until now, we didn't know where it was."

Pastor Park stressed that they could find it this time.

"Isn't it about time we got rid of the fake at the National Palace Museum and put the real thing in its place? Or the Association can make use of it if you want."

"Hoo···."

After letting out several deep sighs, Mrs. Park finally made her decision.

* * *

"The most prominent nonhuman races in this field are vampires and werewolves. They're well-known, and they've existed in the world for a very long time."

A street near Shingye-dong in Yongsan District.

The sun had set, and the moon hung in the night sky.

"That means they're powerful races, right?"

"You've faced vampires, so you should have a sense of it. Unless someone's trained or working in a group, they're a species people can't deal with in the first place."

Definitely.

Even moderately high-ranking vampires were beyond what humans could handle.

Eight-Foot Sister had struggled against high-ranking vampires too.

"Lycanthropes are another prominent nonhuman race on par with vampires. Yohan, have you seen any other beastkin?"

"Ah, I saw some at the Ghost Market. A cat, I think?"

"Right. There are surprisingly many races of animals that take human form, like raccoons, rats, dogs, and cats. Surprisingly, they're all races you can communicate with."

Pastor Park added a "but" to the end of that.

"Werewolves and foxkin are different."

"Different?"

"Because their origins lie in creatures that harm people. Wolves are beasts that devour humans, while foxkin trace their roots to Daji, the wicked woman. Their foundations are evil."

Werewolves had begun with man-eating wolves, and foxkin with Daji, the wicked woman said to have brought down an ancient Chinese kingdom.

Their origins had begun with beings that harmed humans, and that evil nature had remained into the modern era.

"Though intelligent beings competing with humans for the same territory tend to be hostile to humans in general."

We soon entered the back alleys of Shingye-dong.

The redevelopment and reconstruction had created a fine residential area, but like any neighborhood, its back alleys were creepy and bleak.

It felt like something might leap out at any moment.

"The full moon is pretty."

"Yes, it is a full moon."

"······You crazy old bastard. Of all nights to bring him here, you brought him on a full-moon night?"

Mrs. Park cursed, but I couldn't understand what she meant.

"Yohan. When do you think werewolves become their most ferocious?"

"······Going by the atmosphere, during a full moon?"

"Correct. They're canines, so their sense of smell is incredible too."

Pastor Park took out a rosary, put a drop of holy water on it, and began reciting a prayer.

Pop!

A faint wave seemed to sweep past us.

It was a presence difficult to detect unless you possessed spiritual power.

"They should be coming soon."

Before Pastor Park had even finished speaking, I began to hear some kind of beastly sound.

"Grrr!"

"Uh··· Pastor?"

Judging by the situation, a werewolf had come, right?

I hurriedly took out the Gutenberg Bible, Seventh Edition from Gari's mouth.

"Oh, Yohan has that? I thought the Association was keeping it."

Pastor Park gave Mrs. Park a sideways glance, but she only shrugged.

"That's a werewolf······."

It soon appeared.

A giant nearly two meters tall, with a muscular body covered in fur.

A savage maw that made anyone who saw it want to look away approached us with a growl.

"No, it came this quickly?"

"They have a good sense of smell. Humans with high spirituality like us are nutritious prey."

"And with it being a full moon, its eyes have probably gone completely wild."

The two elders remained relaxed despite that monster appearing before us.

I had Gari and Eight-Foot Sister, so I wasn't that threatened either, but those two were far too calm.

Fwoosh!

First, I opened the Gutenberg Bible and formed a barrier around us.

I wasn't sure whether werewolves counted as evil beings, but if they did, they wouldn't be able to enter.

"Well done. Even if it runs away, it won't be able to harm innocent people."

"Excuse me? A house-sized werewolf just showed up, but aren't you all being way too relaxed?"

"All right, let's catch a werewolf now. Ah, don't use the angel or your familiar."

"What?!"

At that moment, the werewolf charged at me.

Startled, I retreated with spatial movement, and its massive sharp claws swept through the spot where I had been standing.

If I had been even a little slower, wouldn't my body have been split in half?

Also, maybe because I wasn't inside the sanctuary, my spiritual power consumption seemed several times higher.

Even for short-range movements, I probably couldn't use it more than ten times······.

"Angel, please don't interfere and simply watch. It's all to make the child stronger."

Clack, clack!

"Gari?"

Whose side were you on right now?

"Grrr!"

The werewolf lunged again.

Its sharp claws cut through the air as they came at me.

I used spatial movement to get behind it and punched it, but only my fist hurt.

"Ow!"

"Hm, add strength training."

Pastor? What were you calmly writing down?

"Yohan, if you're lacking strength, use a tool!"

I used the Gutenberg Bible's shape-shifting ability to create a sword.

It was the power of the new holy paper Pastor Go had supplied me with.

I hurled the sword, which had taken the form of a sharp blade, with all my strength and struck its abdomen.

Thud!

The blade sank in, but it didn't seem very effective.

"Roooar!"

I rolled aside to avoid the charging werewolf.

Whenever I felt a chilling presence, I retreated with spatial movement.

"His reflexes are··· worse than Pastor Go's, but better than Pastor Kim's. Pastor Kim couldn't dodge bullets no matter how much he trained."

"Pastor Kim was the type who fought with his brains and equipment."

If you could dodge bullets, were you even human?

I had plenty to protest about, but I was too busy avoiding the werewolf to say anything.

I stabbed it several times with the Gutenberg holy sword, but the blade had only sunk in shallowly.

Because of its physical prowess, it closed the distance in no time.

If not for spatial movement, I would have died several times already.

"A werewolf's physical abilities are faster and stronger than a grizzly bear's. An ordinary human can't catch one barehanded. Don't think about facing it head-on. Use your head."

"The sword won't even go in! Shouldn't you at least give me a gun?!"

As I rolled and ran to avoid the werewolf's attacks, Pastor Park began chattering beside me.

"Equipment is the surest option, of course. But you don't have any right now, do you? If you don't have something, you have to find a way without it."

"You won't let me use what I do have!"

"If you only use overpowered items for easy wins, your own skills won't improve. People need to suffer a little and build experience. What was it, Super Saiyans? They get stronger after nearly dying, don't they?"

People worked that way too.

It sounded plausible, which made it even more annoying!

"Werewolves' weaknesses have been known for a long time. The best-known is silver. Like vampires, they're unclean beings, so they're weak to metal that symbolizes purification and repels evil."

"I don't have silver right now!"

"Silver isn't the only thing. Werewolf legends began with France's loup-garou and Germany's werewolves. Since ancient times, a potent poison was cultivated to fight those savage, violent beast-men."

I was fighting for my life against a werewolf, and he was calmly explaining things!

Still, he seemed to be explaining a weakness, so I listened closely.

"It's called wolfsbane. It's used as a poison that suppresses a werewolf's transformation. Its main ingredient is monkshood."

"Oh? You're giving me some?"

"I didn't bring any."

"What?!"

Then why did you explain it?!

"Now, you have neither a silver weapon nor wolfsbane. Your opponent is more savage and stronger because of the full moon. How will you catch it?"

"Ugh···!"

What could I use right now?

Silver bullets? I did have some, actually. I could take them out of Gari, but I didn't have time.

The Gutenberg Bible.

Holy paper that could turn into barriers and blades.

Holy water and holy oil probably wouldn't work······.

All I could use was magic······.

"Gugu! Go!"

With an idea in mind, I ordered the Gugus around us.

Coo coo coo coo!

The pigeon spirits charged in all at once.

I was using my familiar, so that should be fine, right?

"······."

Pastor Park said nothing. Apparently, Gugu was allowed.

"Grrk! Raargh!"

The werewolf was flustered by the sudden swarm of Gugus.

Hundreds of pigeon spirits rushed it, but they could do little more than limit its vision and movement.

That was enough.

While the werewolf's feet were pinned down, I transformed several Gutenberg holy swords and planted them upright in the ground like spikes.

Using the holy paper's adhesion function, I could fix them to the ground like this.

Now all that remained was...

"Rrk?"

I touched the werewolf and used spatial movement.

Into the sky, higher into the sky, then higher once more.

Once we had risen fifty meters into the air, I waved down at the flailing creature.

"Roooooar!"

The werewolf fell toward the ground.

No matter how good its physical abilities were, there was nothing it could do while falling through the air.

The werewolf crashed down onto the ground where I had planted the Gutenberg holy swords.

Stab, stab, stab!

Like an animal caught in a trap, the werewolf was impaled on the blades.

Its thick hide, which human strength couldn't pierce, was easily punctured with the force of gravity and its own weight.

"Rrrgh······."

"Wow··· It's still alive."

Maybe because the blades weren't silver.

I considered finishing it off, but I felt a little sorry for it.

No, wait. Hadn't this thing tried to eat me?

Was it really right to pity something like this?

"Add strength training. Reflexes are··· passing. Is he the type who fights with his head like Pastor Kim? He shouldn't develop bad habits."

Pastor Park wrote something down.

Then something rushed at him.

Another werewolf.

"Pastor! Behind you!"

At that moment, Pastor Park twisted at the waist and drove his fist into the charging werewolf's abdomen.

Thump!

There was a sickening sound, followed by the sound of breaking bones.

The werewolf that had attacked Pastor Park spat blood and went limp.

It was done for.

Its internal organs had probably been crushed.

"······You said I couldn't beat one head-on."

"I can."

"······."

When I looked to the side, Mrs. Park was dragging a werewolf along by the hair as well.

Um··· What happened to the silver weapons and wolfsbane?

Footnotes:

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