Chapter 30
The life of a man with a rat-like face, glimpsed through the Myeongan.
Despite the prejudices his appearance invited, the man had lived an honest and diligent life.
Fortune was added to that effort, and he amassed considerable wealth and possessions—among them, treasures unknown to the world.
It was thanks to one such treasure.
That treasure allowed him to escape being dragged away by the reapers of the underworld after his wrongful death. It prevented him from becoming a vengeful spirit.
From this, Geum Chosan thought:
“If such a treasure exists, then surely there must also be a treasure somewhere in this world that can bring me back to life?”
His death had been an unjust one, betrayed by the very subordinates he had trusted.
Truthfully, he did not even long for revenge.
But he could not bear to see his children and descendants suffer because of his death.
Believing that only some hidden treasure might hold the answer, Geum Chosan began to wander the world.
Desperately.
For a full hundred years.
Through that journey, he gained an ability—what he himself called his “sense of smell” for treasure.
Thanks to it, he discovered many treasures.
But—
“He never found the one he truly sought.”
Of course he couldn’t.
There were countless types of treasures in the world, but none that could bring the dead back to life.
Not that there were no rumors of such things—
But they were only that. Rumors.
Or worse, traps that exploited the rumors.
“Life and death belong solely to the realm of the underworld.”
To go against that natural order was to defy Heaven itself.
And defiance of Heaven carried immense consequences—not only for the one who dared it, but for everyone around them.
Even if such a treasure did exist, it was something that should never, under any circumstance, be used.
If he was truly that desperate…
“Instead of wandering the living world meaninglessly, better to go down to the underworld and cling to King Yeomra’s robes. At least then, there might be the slightest chance.”
And wasn’t the proof of that right here?
Me.
But Geum Chosan seemed deaf to my words.
“Did you… truly die and come back to life?”
He asked again.
Well, to his ears, it would sound like outrageous nonsense.
Still, being ignored so completely didn’t feel pleasant.
Perhaps noticing my displeasure—
“Did not the young master himself say so?”
Smack!
Saheun lightly struck the back of Geum Chosan’s head.
He yelped in pain, then belatedly bowed low before me.
“I—I will engrave your wise words in my heart!”
The way he cowered before Saheun was almost laughable.
If he quailed that much before her, how could he ever hope to say anything before Yeomra himself?
Even if he somehow clung to his robes—
“There’s no way Yeomra would listen.”
Even I didn’t believe that was possible.
The only reason I was granted a new life was because of a bargain.
Had there been no task requiring me, I might also have ended up wandering the world like Geum Chosan, chasing after impossibilities.
That was why I wanted to handle this gently.
But then—
“Look at this fellow…”
Perhaps because I didn’t give him the answer he wanted.
Or perhaps because he saw something of himself in me and grew bold.
Geum Chosan glanced at Gilnang with greedy eyes.
Worse—his gaze slid from Gilnang straight to my waist.
“So it’s not just treasures he’s after. He likes anything shiny.”
The Myeongan couldn’t have shown me a false past.
Which meant his original purpose had blurred over time.
Not unusual.
Even the enlightened who were called immortals sometimes strayed, becoming demon immortals or blood immortals.
Why should a mere ghost be any different?
“Saheun.”
“Yes, young master.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Meaning…”
“Take him. To the underworld.”
I had spared him out of sympathy, thinking his plight was like mine.
But if not for that, there was no reason to humor a greedy wretch like this.
“Understood!”
“Wait! S-spare me!”
Saheun could barely contain her delight.
Geum Chosan, meanwhile, turned pale and began to beg pitifully—
Then, without being told, he suddenly clutched Saheun’s robes.
Recklessly.
“You dare? You, a mere stray ghost, dare profane an underworld envoy?!”
The icy chill in Saheun’s voice made even me shiver.
Geum Chosan trembled violently, almost convulsing in terror.
But surprisingly, he still had some cunning.
Even in his panic, he quickly realized where his only hope lay, and changed tactics.
“Please, young master! Spare me! If you do, I’ll do anything!”
He turned his pleading to me instead.
Where Saheun had been met with pitiful clinging, I was bombarded with frantic appeals to his usefulness.
“I can really do anything! As you’ve seen, I can sniff out treasures like no one else—I can find them without fail!”
That much might need testing, but I acknowledged some truth in it.
Treasure’s scent?
Sniff.
“What scent could treasures possibly have?”
I subtly sniffed Gilnang and the Myeolak Sword at my waist.
Nothing. Not the faintest fragrance.
It wasn’t an actual smell, but more of a unique sense.
“If it’s not limited to treasures, it could actually be quite useful.”
I had heard that some groups trained dogs’ keen sense of smell for tracking.
Geum Chosan wasn’t a dog, but perhaps he could be used similarly.
“Having someone skilled at tracking wouldn’t be bad.”
It could definitely help with my future plans—
If his ability was genuine.
So I made a decision.
“Very well. I’ll give you a chance.”
“Th-thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll give you a test. If you pass, we’ll talk again.”
I then looked to Saheun.
“I want to test him. Will you help?”
“At your command.”
With her agreement, I explained the test to Geum Chosan.
“From now, I’ll entrust one item to the reaper. She will hide it. Your task is to find it.”
Now, what to use as the hidden item…
“Not a treasure.”
Testing a treasure-sniffer with treasure would prove nothing.
My eyes landed on the perfect candidate.
“Gilnang.”
“Ready!”
Gilnang immediately piped up, sounding more excited than reluctant.
“My first game of hide-and-seek in the human world is with a treasure-ghost? Fun!”
Of course, after being cooped up underground for so long, everything must seem entertaining.
But Gilnang wasn’t who I had in mind.
“Sorry, but could I borrow Geumdu?”
Piiik?
Geumdu’s tiny bead-like eyes blinked rapidly at being chosen.
He didn’t look thrilled.
But Gilnang quickly solved the problem.
“Geumdu, lucky you!”
Piiik?
“You want to swap? Can’t. Young master chose you. But let’s share senses! Just like we used to play! That way it’ll be like we’re together!”
Piiiik!
Hearing that, Geumdu brightened immediately.
“It’s fine if we’re two working as one, as long as we don’t actually stick together, right?”
No reason to refuse.
In fact, it was even better.
“Together, they even gave Saheun trouble.”
The difficulty of the test shot up.
Geum Chosan was bound to struggle.
But he didn’t seem to realize.
“So you’ve seen through it! It’s not just treasures—I’m skilled at finding anything!”
“Fine. It won’t leave this town. You have one day. Enough?”
“Plenty.”
He looked utterly confident.
Whether he could keep that up, we’d soon see.
“Then let’s begin.”
“Wait, just a moment!”
He flared his nostrils toward Geumdu, twitching like a dog.
I almost suspected he really was just a hound.
But as long as he could find things, it didn’t matter.
He finished his “preparations.”
“Ready.”
“Then let’s start, Saheun.”
“Before that, young master, one request. If he fails, may I escort him to the underworld?”
“Do as you wish.”
No sooner had I spoken than Saheun appeared before Geumdu, snatched him up, and disappeared.
Geumdu didn’t even flinch—his nerves were as stout as ever.
Soon, they were gone.
Geum Chosan asked me:
“Should I wait about two hours before moving?”
Even after seeing Saheun’s icy aura, he was still brimming with confidence.
I gave him the same answer I gave Saheun.
“Do as you wish.”
If he wanted to impose restrictions on himself, I wouldn’t stop him.
But in my eyes, this wouldn’t be easy.
Not with Geumdu.
And especially not with Saheun, whose will to drag him to the underworld was almost palpable.
“It’s not two against one. It’s three against one.”
If he failed—
“Serves him right.”
Then I’d give him up without hesitation.
My bond with Saheun mattered more than some stray ghost I’d just met.
And I had no fondness for baseless overconfidence.
Call it arrogance.
If judgment fell that way, then the punishment was only fair.
“We’ll see soon enough.”
I muttered, then picked up Gilnang.
With Geumdu gone, the little one was left alone on the floor.
“Thank you!”
Gilnang chirped happily. That much I expected.
What I didn’t expect was what came next.
“Would you like to watch together?”
…Watch together?
“You mean—you can share Geumdu’s vision with me too?”
I hadn’t even considered it possible.
Instead of answering, Gilnang sent his energy into me.
I felt it flow through my fingers, up into my head.
No ill intent—so I let it in.
A new vision opened before me.
Through it, I saw—
“They’ve already arrived at the hiding place.”
Saheun had reached her destination.
But what was no longer visible was—
“How’s he supposed to find that?”
The possibility of Geum Chosan succeeding.
Even if he did…
“How could he even enter there?”
Because the place Saheun had chosen—
Was none other than Cheonmun Temple, the largest monastery in Hunan Province.
In other words—
She had hidden Geumdu inside a stronghold specializing in capturing stray ghosts.
