WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Episode 3: Strange Phenomenon (4)

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“Try what you just mentioned.”

“W-what do you mean...?”

“You said you could control the anomaly and get what we want from the Manor Lord.”

For a moment, Taoist occultist Myo Shin stood dumbfounded.

Judging by the situation, he had naturally assumed Mok GyeongUn would tell him to save the Manor Lord.

He had never expected such a demand.

‘Ha!’

Guard Go Chan was equally incredulous.

He had thought Mok GyeongUn would at least order the Taoist occultist to save the Manor Lord to avoid falling out with the First Madam. Instead, he was making the very same demand as her.

Go Chan approached Mok GyeongUn and whispered,

“Young master, what are you planning?”

“You heard him.”

“Pardon?”

“He said we can hear what the First Madam wants from the Manor Lord himself.”

Go Chan frowned and parted his lips.

That was not what he was asking.

“No, young master. What are you going to do after finding that out?”

Mok GyeongUn gave a faint snort at the question.

Then he asked in return,

“What are you planning to do after finding that out?”

Go Chan was left speechless.

The meaning behind that question was simple.

Do not comment on or question what he did.

‘That madman. What is he trying to accomplish?’

What could he possibly intend by taking what the Great Lady sought?

Go Chan started to say something, then closed his mouth.

Mok GyeongUn would not listen to his opinion anyway.

Still, he worried that this could complicate matters and lead to disaster.

Ignoring him, Mok GyeongUn urged the Taoist occultist on.

“Hurry.”

“...Understood.”

Myo Shin hesitated briefly, but had no choice.

If he refused here, there was no telling what this young master, brimming with killing intent, would do to him.

Myo Shin took something from the chest set in the corner.

It was a wooden doll smaller than a fist.

Mok GyeongUn looked puzzled as Myo Shin produced a wooden doll.

“What are you planning to do with that?”

“This wooden doll will serve as a medium.”

“A medium?”

“...If the Manor Lord directly comes into contact with the anomaly again, the Manor Lord's life may be endangered, let alone any attempt at exorcism.”

That was true.

An anomaly or malign influence that had already left the body should never be brought into contact with its former host again.

No Taoist occultist knowledgeable about anomalies would ever do such a thing.

“I see. Go ahead.”

Mok GyeongUn's response was utterly indifferent.

Myo Shin clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight.

‘No one in this family cares whether the Manor Lord lives or dies. Still, it will be a disaster if I fail.’

Myo Shin stared tensely at the Manor Lord's severed arm on the floor.

The talisman had suppressed the anomaly, but at its root, it was a malign influence born from a murderous curse.

One mistake could endanger both the Manor Lord and Myo Shin himself.

‘Damn it.’

After swallowing hard, Myo Shin took out a talisman.

He attached it to his chest.

[Seven Stars Descent Talisman]

The talisman bore three sevens, then three more within a boundary, and another three within that boundary.

It was a talisman that received the protection of the Seven Stars.

It was meant to prevent the murderous curse from rebounding upon him while he performed occult arts.

Scratch, scratch.

He then dipped his brush in red ink and wrote another talisman himself.

Substitute. Connection.

Those words were written alongside strange patterns.

With a tense expression, Myo Shin attached the talisman marked Substitute to the wooden doll and wrapped red thread around its head.

Next, he attached the Connection talisman to the sleeping Manor Lord's head, then wrapped the other end of the red thread around the Manor Lord's head as well.

‘They're connected. Lastly, the Six-Person Wandering Soul Talisman.’

Myo Shin took out a talisman longer than the others.

The Six-Person Wandering Soul Talisman was used for an occult art that created a doll, infused it with a soul, and controlled it at will.

“This may be dangerous, so please step back.”

Mok GyeongUn and Go Chan retreated to the far end of the room.

Myo Shin formed a hand seal with his left hand, held the talisman in his right, and began reciting the Ghostly Soul Incantation.

“Puppet transformation, Heaven and Earth change their garb. Accompany me on the journey, let the divine sun make six obeisances. All I possess, gods and ghosts cannot fathom. Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law.”

At first, nothing happened.

But when Myo Shin pointed the hand seal toward the Manor Lord,

Tremble!

The Manor Lord's body convulsed strangely.

Myo Shin slowly moved the hand seal toward the wooden doll.

Then,

Wooooo!

The writing on the Substitute talisman attached to the doll darkened, releasing an uncanny energy.

It felt as though the wooden doll had come alive.

‘That gives me chills.’

Go Chan watched with a deeply furrowed brow.

He had experienced all manner of things, but anything involving anomalies or occult arts left him uneasy.

What was Myo Shin planning to do?

He watched tensely.

Tap!

Myo Shin grasped the wooden doll and carefully moved it toward the arm consumed by the anomaly.

He placed the doll directly in front of it.

The Manor Lord's severed arm, still bearing the Suppression talisman, began to react.

Though suppressed by the talisman, its veins twitched as if they would bulge out again.

Then,

Slap!

Myo Shin removed the Suppression talisman.

The instant he did, veins grotesquely burst from the Manor Lord's severed right arm. Then the arm moved as if alive and seized the wooden doll.

Clench!

“Guh!”

The Manor Lord groaned the instant the doll was gripped.

“What?”

It was strange.

The severed arm had grabbed the wooden doll, yet the Manor Lord reacted.

Clench!

“Grrr...”

As the hand gripping the doll tightened, the Manor Lord groaned as though in agony.

‘Isn't this bad?’

Go Chan looked to Mok GyeongUn.

However, Mok GyeongUn watched without looking away, his face expressionless.

It was remarkable that he could remain so unaffected by this.

Seethe...

Then something sinister flowed from the Manor Lord's severed right arm and into the wooden doll.

“...All I possess, gods and ghosts cannot fathom. Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law.”

‘It worked.’

Relief showed in Myo Shin's eyes as he recited the spell.

Fortunately, the anomaly had accepted the wooden doll as the Manor Lord.

It was a form of deception.

If the anomaly had not accepted the doll as the Manor Lord, it would have gone berserk and caused disaster.

Fortunately, the deception had worked.

But then,

Crack! Crack!

Small cracks appeared in the wooden doll that had completely taken in the anomaly.

‘!?’

Myo Shin's eyes shook.

The doll had been made from refined willow wood and was highly resistant to malign energy.

Yet cracks had appeared as soon as the anomaly entered it.

‘...The murderous curse is too strong.’

Myo Shin swallowed dryly.

Though the process had been interrupted, the anomaly had left the body it possessed, and Myo Shin had believed it had weakened somewhat during the exorcism.

But it far exceeded his expectations.

‘Damn it...’

Thinking about it, it made sense.

This was no ordinary person. An anomaly that had possessed a martial artist who cultivated ki and threatened their life had to be on an entirely different level from ordinary malign influences.

‘This is dangerous.’

Myo Shin's lips went dry.

This anomaly, filled with such a powerful murderous curse, did not seem to be something he could control.

If he forced the attempt, the wooden doll might break, freeing the anomaly that had been contained.

“Young master, I think...”

Myo Shin could not finish.

His eyes met Mok GyeongUn's.

Flinch!

No matter how he thought about it, it was utterly uncanny.

How could a living person possess eyes like those of the dead?

They were terrifying to look at.

Shing.

Mok GyeongUn idly ran his fingers along the sharp edge of his sword.

Myo Shin immediately closed his mouth.

This mad young master did not seem like the sort to believe him without seeing it firsthand.

Then again, anyone would be like that.

‘Ah!’

At that moment, an idea came to Myo Shin.

It was practically a way to save himself in this situation, and he wondered why he had not thought of it sooner.

“Young master, I will control the anomaly. But this seems rather important. Is it all right for him to hear it as well?”

Myo Shin gestured toward Go Chan.

“What? Ah...”

Go Chan understood after a moment.

What they intended to hear from the Manor Lord was the location of the martial arts book and the Manor Lord's official seal.

Myo Shin was asking whether it was all right for a subordinate to hear that.

“I'll step outside for a moment.”

He was not truly a mere subordinate, but Go Chan thought it best to remove himself rather than needlessly offend Mok GyeongUn.

Mok GyeongUn nodded lightly, as though that had been his intention.

Creak.

Go Chan left the room, and Myo Shin recited the Ghostly Soul Incantation again.

“Puppet transformation, Heaven and Earth change their garb. Accompany me on the journey, let the divine sun make six obeisances. All I possess, gods and ghosts cannot fathom. Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law!”

Tremble!

“Grrr...!”

The wooden doll shook violently as the Manor Lord groaned in pain.

Crack!

Another crack formed in the doll.

It was not going to endure.

Knowing that, Myo Shin did not hesitate. He formed the Tiger Finger Hand Seal with one hand and said,

“Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law. Ghostly soul, answer the summons!”

“Grrr... Wh... who... calls... me...?”

A rough voice emerged from the suffering Manor Lord's mouth.

The voice echoed strangely, as though it came from the world beyond.

Crack!

A crack ran across the wooden doll's chest.

Sweat beaded across Myo Shin's forehead as he watched.

“Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law. Ghostly soul, answer my question!”

“Wh... at... do... you... wish... to... know...?”

“Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law. Tell me where the Manor Lord's martial arts book and official seal are!”

Tremble!

At the question, the Manor Lord's head convulsed just like the wooden doll.

The Manor Lord's head shook violently, and the Manor Lord's eyelids fluttered of their own accord.

Crack! Crack!

At the same time, cracks appeared around the doll's eyes and neck.

It looked ready to break apart at any moment.

Then the Manor Lord opened his mouth.

“Med... icine house... underground... inside... the stone door marked Ding...”

‘The Medicine house... underground... stone door marked Ding?’

That was clearly what he had heard.

The Manor Lord was about to continue when,

Crunch!

The wooden doll suddenly crumpled and shattered into a grotesque shape.

Then something undulating and horrifying tried to travel along the red thread toward the Manor Lord.

Myo Shin cried out in alarm.

“Young master! Cut the thread!”

‘The thread?’

Mok GyeongUn realized something had gone wrong as soon as the wooden doll broke.

He swung his sword at the thread carrying the undulating thing.

Slash!

The thread was cut with perfect timing, and the undulating, horrifying thing lost its way.

‘Did that work?’

Just as he wondered whether he had stopped it,

Wooooong!

The undulating thing raced up the sword at tremendous speed.

Mok GyeongUn noticed and tried to release the hilt.

But unlike the long red thread tangled like a maze, the sword was exceedingly short.

Thwack!

A freezing sensation flowed into his hand.

It raced up his arm and burrowed into his body.

Mok GyeongUn's body jolted and shook as though struck by lightning.

‘It worked!’

The corner of Myo Shin's mouth lifted.

Everything had gone as intended.

The wooden doll had never been able to endure an anomaly so full of murderous curse.

He had expected it to escape suppression while he performed the Six-Person Wandering Soul Art.

That was why Myo Shin had intended for the anomaly to transfer to Mok GyeongUn.

And it had succeeded.

Slap!

Myo Shin pulled the Suppression talisman from his robe and attached it to the forehead of the convulsing Mok GyeongUn.

‘Two birds with one stone.’

He had learned, at least roughly, the location of the secret manual and official seal from the Manor Lord.

On top of that, he had passed the anomaly onto this man.

Anomalies possessed will and could learn.

Having endured both an exorcism and the Six-Person Wandering Soul Art, there was no longer any way to remove this anomaly through occult arts.

‘It is unfortunate, but this happened because you forced my hand.’

If anyone tried to forcibly remove the anomaly, the possessed person might die or become a cripple.

But either outcome was irrelevant.

His only duty was to fulfill the First Madam's request.

* * *

Light filled Jeong's vision.

Jeong looked around.

The sound of trickling water and birds chirping reached Jeong at once.

This refreshing mineral spring was where Jeong came every morning to fetch water.

‘What?’

It felt as though something had just happened.

But Jeong could not remember what.

It felt as though he had dreamed for a moment, or perhaps simply stared blankly into space.

‘This feels unpleasant.’

It felt like he had forgotten something, but he could not recall what it was.

After sitting on a rock and pondering it for a while, Jeong finally rose.

Then Jeong hoisted the water A-frame carrier that had been set down.

‘I need to hurry.’

Otherwise, Grandfather would scold him for being late.

Jeong ran up the steep mountain path with the water carrier on his back.

Jeong traveled this path every day. It was familiar enough that Jeong could walk it with eyes closed.

Slosh, slosh.

The water in the buckets hanging from the carrier swayed.

Despite that, not a drop spilled over.

Grandfather had always warned him never to spill the water. After following that warning for so long, Jeong no longer spilled even a single drop.

Jeong continued to run.

Just as he neared the mountaintop,

‘!?’

Jeong frowned.

Black smoke rose in the distance.

It was coming from where Jeong's home stood.

Jeong threw down the water carrier and ran toward it like mad.

Soon, Jeong arrived.

Crackle!

Heat washed over Jeong.

The house was ablaze.

Jeong's face went rigid.

Jeong hurriedly looked around, then ran behind the burning house.

There was a small vegetable garden in the rear yard.

Grandfather grew the medical herbs he could raise himself.

Normally, Grandfather would rise early in the morning to pick herbs there.

‘Please... Please...’

Jeong ran to the garden, then stopped.

Jeong's wide eyes found something stained with blood.

Things that should have remained inside a body were scattered across the garden.

Grit.

Jeong clenched his teeth.

Then Jeong followed the trail of blood and torn pieces.

Looking down the slope, Jeong cried out.

“Grandfather!”

Grandfather was there.

The lower half of Grandfather's body had been torn away, leaving only the upper body. The sight was horrific.

Grandfather appeared to be barely clinging to life, lifting his head with great difficulty.

The moment Jeong saw that, it felt as though all reason would flee.

Someone stood beside Jeong.

A being with a pale face and black eyes devoid of whites.

Jeong did not perceive the being at all.

‘Is that what you desire most?’

The being could feel Jeong's pain.

As it watched Jeong, the black-eyed being snapped its fingers.

Snap!

Something strange happened.

Jeong, who had been consumed by rage, could not hide his bewilderment.

‘What... is this?’

Grandfather, who had been below the slope, had vanished without a trace.

Jeong turned to see where Grandfather had gone, only to find the house standing as it always had, as though it had never burned.

Even the ruined garden was whole.

Grandfather was there, rubbing his lower back as he picked medical herbs.

“Grandfather?”

Grandfather turned and said,

“If you're here, why are you just standing there instead of helping?”

At the sound of Grandfather's voice, Jeong's chest tightened.

Jeong did not know what had happened moments before, but now he understood how precious Grandfather was.

Jeong would never lose Grandfather again.

Grandfather was the only reason someone who should have died had continued living.

The black-eyed being watched Jeong from behind.

It could not hide its satisfaction.

‘Yes. Stay with your grandfather forever. Never lose what you hold dear again...’

That was when it happened.

Jeong, trembling with emotion, suddenly turned around.

‘!?’

The black-eyed being frowned.

Jeong was staring directly at it with vicious eyes like those of the dead.

That was impossible.

There was no way Jeong could perceive it...

Thrust!

Jeong's two fingers plunged into the black-eyed being's eyes.

‘Aaargh!’

Jeong's fingers gouged out its eyeballs.

The black-eyed being writhed in pain after having its eyes suddenly torn out.

Jeong spoke in a cold voice.

“I don't know what you are, but you're quite irritating. Using my late grandfather for such a cheap trick.”

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