Chapter 01.
[A Mysterious String of Murders in the Capital of the Arkea Empire—The Identity of the Culprit Remains Unknown]
Another case of what’s being called the “Death Sleepwalker” killings has occurred. According to testimonies from recent witnesses, the victims were last seen mostly inside their homes late at night.
It is also said that the victims behaved as though they were being lured by something shortly before their deaths—almost as if they were sleepwalking.
Meanwhile, the victim’s body was once again found horribly mutilated, causing shock throughout the city. With gruesome reports coming day after day, people express fear and anxiety, while criticizing the incompetence of the Capital Guard…
A man in a navy-blue uniform gave the discarded newspaper on the ground a brief glance. Among the many printed words, the one that stood out most was “incompetent.” He pressed his boot down on the paper, unable to hide his annoyance. All the sleepless nights he spent investigating the case suddenly felt like they meant nothing.
A moment later, he stopped in front of an old wooden house. Raising his head, he surveyed the surroundings. Even though the sun was high in the sky, there wasn’t a single passerby—no voices, no movement.
Knock, knock, knock—
“This is the Capital Guard.”
He raised his voice, announcing his visit. As expected, there was no reply. It was as though the entire house had been swallowed by silence.
Creeeak—
After a long while, a woman with a haggard face finally opened the door. She was wrapped tightly in a brown shawl and sighed softly. The Guard’s frequent visits were clearly unwelcome.
“…What is it this time.”
Suzanna Olga. Head maid of the Muntra Count’s household—and a witness to the recent murder.
“If it’s about the investigation, I already answered your questions.”
She didn’t bother to hide her displeasure. The guard continued speaking anyway; he was used to witnesses becoming irritable after encountering such horrific scenes.
“…Like I said before, I don’t remember very well. It all happened so fast, and I was terrified.”
After a long moment of silence, Suzanna forced out the words. Sweat dampened her hands as she clutched her shawl tightly. She had never imagined she would become a witness to the kind of serial killing she had only ever read about in newspapers.
“It was a large, four-legged beast. I think I saw long, white fur. And… Well, I’m not completely certain about this part. But I think the creature spoke. No, I’m sure it did.”
She touched her cracked lips with trembling fingers. The sight she had witnessed that night was too horrific for words.
At dawn, the third-floor corridor steeped in darkness—
It began with a stillness so deep it made her ears ring.
—Mo… ther…
A woman in her nightgown dragged her bare feet along the floor. Merilda Rens. Her loose, light brunette hair swayed as she walked—she was one of the Countess’s maids.
Noticing something was off, Suzanna cautiously called out to her, worried something might be wrong.
—Mo… ther… mo… ther…
Merilda didn’t respond, continuing forward as though she hadn’t heard anything.
—Meril—
Just as Suzanna called her name again—
Beeeeeep—
A strange ringing sound echoed instead. Suzanna felt the ground tilt beneath her feet and barely steadied herself against the wall.
—Child, come here.
—Merilda, this way—!
An unfamiliar woman’s voice echoed through the empty corridor. Instinctively holding her breath, Suzanna hid behind a large decoration.
—Mo… ther…
Merilda, staggering like a drunk, reached her hand toward the empty air. Under the moonlight, her thin arm was starkly exposed.
Shweeeek—!
A streak of white light flashed past. With a dull thud, a pale hand dropped to the floor. Merilda stared blankly at her severed wrist—jagged and blunt.
—U… u…! Aaaaaaah!
A scream of agony burst out, accompanied by a fountain of blood. Then a massive creature lurking in the shadows lunged forward and swallowed her head whole.
—Kreeeee!
The monster’s jaws snapped shut around her small skull. Her body, now missing its head, toppled lifelessly to the ground. Suzanna clamped her hand over her mouth, suppressing the rising nausea.
—Kaak, kaak. Aah—
The creature, chewing through bone and flesh, cleared its throat.
—My lady is always beautiful. Beau… beau… beautiful.
Through its blood-soaked maw came a delicate, gentle voice—Merilda’s voice.
—Wh… at…
Startled, Suzanna inhaled sharply.
—Who’s there?
The creature raised its head high, scanning its surroundings. Long fur brushed the floor with a soft rustle. Terrified, Suzanna squeezed her eyes shut.
…
After some time, silence returned to the corridor. Suzanna slowly opened her eyes. The monster was gone at last. Her tense body slackened.
Rustle—
It was only a faint sound, barely a moment long. Suzanna’s body stiffened all over again. A horrible metallic scent flooded her nose.
Rustle—
Her neck creaked as she slowly turned her head. Droplets of saliva mixed with blood fell onto her shoulder.
—Who’s there, I said!
At the edge of her vision, she saw rows of blood-clotted teeth—hundreds of them.
“H-hck.”
She staggered, overwhelmed by the terror etched into her memory.
“Seriously, shouldn’t cases like this be handled by the senior guards?”
“Right? I heard the body was so mangled they almost fainted on sight.”
A young voice called out from near the gate. The guard supporting Suzanna turned to look. A group of teens—maybe a dozen—stood there, grimacing.
[Hellorn Imperial Academy]
Luxurious cloaks, winged-horse crests embroidered in gold thread, and crisp black uniforms. They were academy students assigned to the Guard for field practice.
“So if it has white fur and looks like a beast, isn’t it a yeti?”
“A yeti? Seriously? I knew you were sleeping during monsterology class. Yeti only live in the northern snow mountains!”
“There are snow mountains in the central region too.”
“Only in winter! And do you know how huge a yeti is? Someone would’ve seen it.”
Students scribbled in notebooks, throwing out theories left and right. A thousand-year-old witch from the snow mountains. A white minotaur that accidentally ate hair-loss medicine. Not a monster at all, but a dark sorcerer using illusions. Nonsense piled upon nonsense.
“I don’t think any of that is right.”
A languid, melodic voice cut through the noise. The chatter died instantly as every head turned.
“A four-legged beast with white fur. And it mimics the voices of the dead. That sounds familiar.”
A girl walked forward—waist-length silver-violet hair, crimson eyes like fresh blood, and a lollipop in her mouth.
“…Valus!”
“That Valus?!”
“No way—Lady Valus is here!”
“Don’t make eye contact!”
Their excitement was warranted. The girl was Calicia Valus.
Hellorn Academy gathered the brightest minds and noblest bloodlines of the empire, but even among them, Calicia stood out—for a reason tied deeply to the empire’s founding myth.
Long ago, Arkea had been a demon-infested wasteland worshipping an evil god. On the Day of Liberation, four heroes defeated the darkness and planted their swords into the earth—forming the birth of the empire.
Nesiris of the East, guardian of nature—
Valus of the West, guardian of fire—
Perterium of the South, guardian of prophecy—
Rakies of the North, guardian of light—
That was the legacy carried by the name Valus.
“Quiet.”
The assistant instructor raised a hand, calming the students.
“You all heard Madam Olga’s testimony. As you know, the most important part of this practicum is your report. Using witness accounts and tomorrow’s on-site investigation, you will analyze evidence and write a full report.”
“Aaahhh…”
Groans filled the air. To energetic teenagers, pen and paper were the most boring tools imaginable.
“You will be evaluated on how well you use the testimonies to form hypotheses, how you gather forensic evidence, and how you narrow down suspects. Tomorrow at 8 a.m., meet in front of the Muntra estate. Dismissed.”
“Yes ma’am—”
The class replied weakly, already envisioning the scolding awaiting them from their professor.
That night.
Shhhhh—
Rain that had begun in the early evening poured steadily over the quiet Entrezé Street. Shops had shut early, and every home bolted their doors tight—fear lingering from the recent murders.
Step… step…
A figure in an oversized raincoat walked through the downpour and entered the Muntra estate. The grand house was empty, abandoned after the killings.
Dripping wet, the figure climbed the staircase toward the third-floor corridor—the scene of the murder.
Hwoooo—
At the start of the corridor, they stopped and exhaled through pursed lips. A whistle. Clear and high—a sound said to summon unclean spirits.
Hweeee—
The whistle echoed down the entire hall like an invisible fishing line cast across the mansion. Now all that remained was to wait for something to bite.
Rustle… rustle…
Soon something brushed along the floor in the distance. Something like the fur of a beast.
“Got you.”
Beneath the raincoat, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed.
Beeeeeeep—
The suffocating silence Suzanna described swept over the corridor like a heavy blanket.
—Merilda, come here, krrk, who’s there, krrk, my lady where are you, I’m right here, krrrk, keeee—
Voices of the dead melded with bestial cries, swirling through the air. Reality wavered. The ground seemed to sink.
Boom!
Lightning exploded outside the window, revealing the creature that had taken the bait. A hulking beast with the face of a mountain tiger and long, elegant silver-white fur. A Korean ghostly creature that lures humans with voices: the Jangsanbeom.
“Hey. Illegal immigrant.”
The figure removed the raincoat and stepped into the moonlight—foxlike eyes and a lollipop between her lips.
It was Calicia Valus—who had completely ignored the instructor’s orders and come early for her own private investigation.
“Wow. I wasn’t sure, but it really is a Jangsanbeom.”
She was also a reincarnator, in her third year of living in this world.
And who had she been?
A healthy Korean twenty-something with a government-sanctioned, near-minister-level title—
a disciple of the National Shamanic Court,
and a successor to a General-Spirit–bearing shaman.
In short: a high-ranking Korean shaman.
“A real Jangsanbeom… unbelievable.”
Calicia stared at it, almost speechless. Since the day she had been dropped without warning into Arkea, she had never met another Korean. And yet here it was—a creature straight out of her homeland standing inside a foreign empire’s mansion.
A Korean tiger-spirit from Jangsan Mountain in Haeundae, Busan.
“…You! Why did it take you so long to show up? No—whatever. I mean, damn, it’s good to see someone from home, even if you’re a ghost!”
She extended a hand for a handshake, overflowing with sudden patriotic warmth.
Naturally, the beast did not extend one back.
Beeeeeep—
Instead, it opened its jagged, ear-to-ear jaws.
—Yuha, Yuha, krrk do something, krrk hurry grab it, krrrk sis, sis, krrrk help help help, krrk—
Familiar voices spilled chaotically from between its teeth. Calicia jabbed a finger into her ear in irritation.
This was the problem with Jangsanbeoms—they imitated voices anywhere, anytime, without shame or context.
“It’s been forever since I heard Korean. Anyway, comrade. Enough talent show. Let me ask you one thing.”
Her smile vanished. Her eyes turned cold.
“How did you get here?”
A question she had asked herself countless times—one she still had no answer for.
