WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 22: Hae Unchan (2)
──────
Rumble.
The rocks that formed the island atop Gwisusan's shell collapsed in a landslide after the severed hind leg destroyed its balance.
At first glance, Woo Yu-hui's battle with Gwisusan looked like a fight between a person and a fly.
Except this was a man-eating fly that could bite a person to death.
Woo Yu-hui darted around the primordial qi Gwisusan spewed from its mouth, destroying the island piece by piece.
With Ise supporting her, she moved far more freely and hunted the creature at her leisure.
Still, a demon that had survived the harsh cultivation world through sheer size and durability before reaching the Core Formation Realm was no easy opponent.
Deciding the battle would drag on pointlessly at this rate, Woo Yu-hui wrapped herself in primordial qi and entered Gwisusan's mouth.
After wreaking havoc inside, Woo Yu-hui warned Ise to be careful, then called down lightning from the sky.
It was the lightning art she had learned during her heavenly tribulation, despite the risk that anyone who mentioned it could be killed to silence them.
Blinding lightning struck Gwisusan and scattered across the ocean waves.
Woo Yu-hui must have done something inside as well, because Gwisusan's skin split apart in jagged cracks.
The massive turtle immediately pulled in its head, then its four legs, and began sinking into the sea.
Woo Yu-hui did not miss that opening. Her Golden Blade finally severed one of its hind legs.
The lightning-infused Golden Blade pierced the turtle's flesh and bones where its soft underside had been exposed.
Woo Yu-hui relentlessly targeted the stump of the leg it had failed to pull into its shell.
The assault continued without pause.
The turtle thrashed so violently that tidal waves rose along the coast, but its movements gradually slowed. At last, it went limp.
It was a battle worthy of admiration.
Watching a direct clash between Core Formation Realm cultivators from start to finish was a new experience even for Ise.
He had only seen the end of the battle between Master Mongryeon and Bi Hyeongrang.
After clearing out the nearby demons, Ise approached Woo Yu-hui as she dealt with the aftermath.
Even though she had changed robes once already, her cultivator's robe looked like little more than rags.
Ise covered her with a spare robe and asked, “Are you all right?”
“No. I'm exhausted.”
Woo Yu-hui whined as she pointed at the enormous tree atop the shell.
Despite the violent battle, the Anbimok Wood was completely unharmed.
She must have pushed herself even harder to avoid damaging it.
After performing a spirit-sending rite for Gwisusan's vengeful resentment, Woo Yu-hui opened an enormous custom-made Demon-Sealing Talisman Book in scroll form and stored the corpse inside.
Then she let her body go limp and spoke in a fading voice.
“Hold me. I'm tired.”
“Ah... yes.”
“I'll sleep for a bit.”
The Core Formation Realm great cultivator, who had just fought an entire island, closed her eyes while cradled in both his arms like a child.
It was impossible to believe that the giant who had fought an island moments ago and the woman in his arms, so light he could barely feel her weight, were the same person.
Awkwardly holding her, Ise headed back to the Great Exorcist Order.
* * *
A peaceful stretch of time passed.
During that time, conflict broke out between a New Martial Sect cultivator and a Great Exorcist Order cultivator, leaving both seriously injured.
No one died, but seeds of discord began to sprout between the two groups.
The two sects had sprung from the same source, yet as they grew farther apart, so did their hearts.
Even if those left behind had once shared ties with them, they could not possibly feel kindly toward the traitors who had disabled the Heavenly Pearl Furnace and turned their backs on them.
They had once eaten from the same pot.
They had sweated together in the same sparring arenas, gone on missions together, and trusted one another with their backs.
Yet from the day Cheongsan City was occupied, all those ties had faded into hatred.
‘...They'll have to pay for their sins too.’
As the time for his Core Formation breakthrough approached, Ise sharpened the blade of revenge in his heart.
The marauder cultivators who had stolen his resources, the enemies who had taken his foster family and master from him, and the traitors who had turned their backs on him.
The debts he had to repay once he became stronger continued to pile up.
Then one day, Ise received a mission to travel near Halla Gwitak.
Cheoryang Thunder Gate had planted spies in the coastal cities of the Southern Sea, keeping a close watch on Halla.
The message said they might make their move while Order Lord Haeil was away. Ise was to seek out the demonic cultivators hiding in the mortal villages and, if possible, help restore relations with the dokkaebi people.
Ise first sent a Message Talisman to Gong Wol-a to request permission to visit.
“May I visit Halla Gwitak?”
“You are welcome anytime.”
The reply came at once.
Ise headed for Halla, an island in the Southern Sea.
Halla was the largest island nation near the Three Peninsula Kingdoms.
It had once suffered the misfortune of destruction, and it was now the new home of the dokkaebi people.
Mount Unhan rose high at the island's center, cradling the clouds. The garat flowers had withered, leaving only their bright yellow petals to flutter about.
Black stone walls wound around the fields, while silver grass bent and rose again in the fierce sea winds.
Even the stones underfoot were black and riddled with holes, giving the place an atmosphere entirely unlike the mainland.
Along the shore, divers gathered seafood from the sea, while smoke from evening meals rose from the villages beyond.
For a ruined island nation, it was full of the warmth of everyday life.
Ise headed for the village named in the Message Talisman.
As he entered, a dokkaebi came to greet him.
Horns rose from both sides of their head, and they held a Gold Chain Staff in one hand, but the dokkaebi's face wore a good-natured smile.
“You must have had a difficult journey, brother. The Acting Leader is waiting for you.”
The dokkaebi casually called Ise brother and cheerfully led the way.
“The dokkaebi live down in the villages?”
“Yes. Halla has strong yin qi, so demons appear often. We need dokkaebi permanently stationed here to hunt them down in time. Even now, things like Guseunsae keep popping up whenever they please.”
“How did the yin qi become so strong?”
“I heard that after Seolmundae Halmang was defeated by Eoduksini Gongmyeong's army in the war three hundred years ago, this became demon territory for a time. They say the corpses of great demons slain back then are buried deep underground...”
The dokkaebi chuckled and shrugged.
“But what corpse would keep emitting demonic qi for centuries? I figure it's just one of those old tales the dokkaebi elders like to exaggerate.”
On Halla, the dokkaebi people and humans lived together with remarkable ease.
A dokkaebi lay sprawled among mortals speaking in their distinct local accent, scratching their belly as children ran around nearby. It was strange, yet peaceful.
Those who had found it hard to mingle with mortals on the mainland were their neighbors and family here.
It was a scene that strangely soothed Ise's heart.
Following the dokkaebi warrior up Mount Unhan, Ise soon saw Halla Gwitak.
It looked almost identical to Gwisu Temple.
Having apparently received word in advance, Gong Wol-a was waiting outside with several subordinates.
“It's been a long time. Have you been well?”
“Yes. Have you been well too, Senior?”
“More or less. Let's go greet my sister first.”
Gong Wol-a headed toward the heart of Halla Gwitak, where Mongryeon's body was being kept.
Along the way, Ise's divine sense caught sight of dokkaebi training off to one side.
“In the past, we only trained volunteers as warriors. Now everyone is trained as one. They need the strength to protect themselves, at least.”
“I see.”
The damage they had suffered in the previous war must have been considerable.
Instead of engaging with the outside world, they were focusing on securing control of Halla and restoring their lost strength.
Ise stood before Mongryeon's body, which lay as if asleep while radiating cold, and silently paid his respects.
Surprisingly, his emotions were calm. Seeing his master again after so long only made him happy.
‘Please wait just a little longer.’
After making that promise in his heart, Ise turned away.
Gong Wol-a, who had been watching him, clapped twice.
“A brother has come to visit. We should hold a festival. Bring out the drinks.”
An unexpected drinking party among the dokkaebi began.
The dokkaebi people were often called a people of humor.
They loved pranks, lived freely, and enjoyed drinking and dancing.
All around them, dokkaebi gulped down liquor, exposed their bellies as they danced wildly, and paid no mind to looking ridiculous. A wrestling match even broke out on one side.
Ise traded drinks with Gong Wol-a, periodically circulating his qi to expel the turbid qi.
“This is a traditional liquor you can only taste on Halla. What do you think?”
The liquor called Pyeongji liquor was extremely bitter.
Its taste was already acrid and harsh, and it was mixed with so much turbid qi that Ise felt as though he were drinking sand stirred into water.
He did not frown, but he was deeply uncomfortable.
“It's bitter.”
“That's because you haven't grown up yet.”
“I've lived long enough... I think it's the turbid qi. Don't you have any spirit wine?”
“What? Stop complaining and drink, you brat.”
When Gong Wol-a tried to pour him another cup, Ise quietly hid his cup.
Heavily drunk, Gong Wol-a's bottle searched through the air.
Just then, Gonga returned after hearing the news while she was out in a mortal village.
Even twenty years was not a short time for the dokkaebi people. Almost nothing remained of the young dokkaebi Ise remembered.
She had become a proper adult dokkaebi, carrying the dokkaebi's distinctive, uncanny charm.
“Ise! It's been a long time!”
She greeted him with a bright smile, then snatched Gong Wol-a's cup away.
“Leader, I told you to stop drinking so much!”
“There you go nagging again. And I told you to call me Acting Leader.”
“Oh, honestly!”
Gonga tried with all her strength to take away the Acting Leader's cup and bottle, but she could not overcome the difference in their realms.
Why the Acting Leader used such an exalted realm to fend off Gonga was beyond Ise's understanding.
Gonga had become a cultivator as well.
She was in the middle stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
She was not suited for battle by nature, but her talent did not seem bad at all.
Noticing Ise's gaze at Gonga, the Acting Leader smiled.
“She grew up well, didn't she? She's the one who controls the trade throughout Halla.”
“She did.”
Embarrassed by the unexpected praise, Gonga lowered her head.
“So you came to protect us?”
“Yes. More precisely, I was assigned to root out spies. Bi Hyeongrang has apparently scattered agents through the coastal cities near the Southern Sea.”
“That sly ponytailed brat is pretending to care now?”
“You may be the only one who can call the Order Lord a sly ponytailed brat.”
“Hmph. Be quiet.”
Her words were blunt, but the affection she could not hide was clear.
“Still, since you've come all this way, drink properly for a day and rest with an easy heart before you go.”
“No, I've had enough to drink.”
“Then go over there and play together. You two keep sipping in front of me and ruining the mood. Hey, merchant. Take your childhood friend away.”
“What are you even saying?”
Gong Wol-a covered one ear with her hand and beckoned to a dokkaebi in the distance.
“Gongbo! Come drink with me.”
“Why me again?”
“Quiet. Hurry up and pour me a drink.”
A large, plump dokkaebi stomped over.
“Let's go too. The Acting Leader's drinking habits won't end even if we stay up all night.”
Gonga grabbed Ise's hand and pulled him away.
As they climbed the mountain, Gonga chattered about everything that had happened.
She told him how hard the clan had worked to restore its strength and how much effort she had put into building up its trade.
Remembering the young dokkaebi she had once been, Ise felt proud of how mature she had become.
She led him to the summit of Mount Unhan.
The peak still bore clear traces of having once been a lake.
From there, all of Halla spread out below them.
Starlight poured down from above, while clouds stretched endlessly beneath their feet.
Gonga spoke with an air of pride.
“Watch closely. We held a festival, so a beautiful sight will appear soon.”
Before long, dokkaebi flames began rising from villages across the island like sky lanterns.
The brilliant multicolored flames looked like stars flying upward into the sky.
Starlight cascaded above them, and lights bloomed below.
The two flickered toward one another with clouds between them, a sight so breathtaking that it left them speechless for a long while.
“What a view.”
“Right?”
Gonga smiled softly.
After watching the festival for some time, she carefully opened her mouth.
She said that they would always welcome him with a smile, so if he ever grew weary or exhausted, he should return home and rest, even if only for a while.
What followed that quiet murmur, almost a whisper, was much clearer.
“We believe you'll return Leader Mongryeon to the dokkaebi.”
Faced with that desperate wish, Ise silently nodded.
* * *
A demonic cultivator collapsed limply at Ise's feet.
Cheoryang Thunder Gate had planted demonic cultivators in nearly every village across the Southern Sea.
They had blended in around Halla, disguised as ordinary merchants and farmers, as though encircling it.
Ise spared no expense in using talismans that dispelled Demon-Qi Concealment Talismans, rooting out every last one who hid their demonic qi.
Like separating empty husks from grain with a sieve, he steadily picked out the husks hidden in each village.
Cultivators could not see demonic qi, so they could not identify demonic cultivators even after dispelling the Demon-Qi Concealment Talismans.
The dokkaebi were too conspicuous, so spies would hide from them like cockroaches.
It was no exaggeration to say that no one could have done this mission better than Ise.
Then he found and captured alive a Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivator who had overseen the region.
Ise pinned the demonic cultivator, whose limbs had been severed, beneath his foot and took out a talisman.
A Soul-Controlling Talisman. A talisman that subdued a target's soul and turned them into a puppet.
It was a precious talisman he had prepared to infiltrate the Essence-Draining Ghost-Demon Valley in the Northern Continent, though he had never found a reason to use it.
Without hesitation, Ise pressed the Soul-Controlling Talisman onto the forehead of the Cheoryang Thunder Gate demonic cultivator he had subdued.
The demonic cultivator's eyes gradually turned white like those of a rotten fish.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
