Chapter 126
Sahoon told me that.
The Jaho King and Geumchosan were returning, but it would take a little longer than expected.
“It will take time to completely detox from the poison, and measures are needed to safely return while avoiding any potential pursuers.”
“Did he say there’s nothing I can do to help?”
“He didn’t mention that. But since the Dangga forces have retreated, I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
I wondered who had targeted Mandokhwang’s secret repository.
“Of course, it seems it’s the Sacheon Dangga side.”
The Grim Reaper Go-Wol, who had told me about Mandokhwang’s secrets, had requested that a few secret manuscripts be sent to Sacheon Dangga. I had suspected some connection, but I never expected to actually run into it like this.
“Still, it’s good that they avoided it successfully.”
That wasn’t the only good news.
“Unexpected variables did occur, but thanks to the pouch that Your Excellency gave to Jaho King, most of the items in Mandokhwang’s secret repository could be secured.”
It seemed the initial goal could be smoothly achieved. My decision to create the “New Gilnang” using the Golden Divine Book before leaving had not been wrong. Only then could I finally feel some relief.
There was now a way to save Mujin.
“It was destined to survive after all.”
From the safe return of Jaho King and Geumchosan to confirming whether Mandokhwang’s legacy would have an effect on Mujin, the task wouldn’t truly be over until then. Still, it felt like a huge mountain had already been crossed.
“You’ve worked hard. Without you, a bigger disaster could have occurred, and we wouldn’t even know what happened to Jaho King and Geumchosan’s side.”
“It’s nothing. If you need me, I’m always at your service.”
Either way, it was a moment of relief.
“Then I won’t make a request, but I will ask just one thing.”
Now it was time to address the new question I had been facing. I took the Gilnang from my side and added:
“Before that, there’s something I want to show you. Follow me.”
The house was narrow, so I led Sahoon outside. Fortunately, it was after sunset, so there were no passersby. Once I judged it was safe, I said:
“Gilnang, summon the stele first.”
“Yes, Master!”
Gilnang summoned a massive stele from within.
Boom!
Since there wasn’t a separate space, the stele couldn’t stand upright and toppled over. But that didn’t diminish its grand presence.
“It’s an enormous stele.”
That was Sahoon’s first impression upon seeing the massive monument. His next reaction was:
“Where did this stele come from?”
“Why do you ask?”
“At first I doubted, but it’s certain. This stele is made of the rocks of the Underworld.”
He had accurately identified the origin. The problem was, that was all the reaction he gave about the stele. There wasn’t a single mention of the inscriptions I had hoped to see. Sahoon’s reaction was understandable.
“All the inscriptions… vanished without a trace.”
When did it happen? Every inscription on the stele had disappeared. It was clear that, from the moment Gilnang summoned it, no inscriptions were visible. When I first prepared it, there had been quite a few carved texts. Still, I was not surprised.
“I expected this to some degree.”
I had anticipated such a situation. And although the inscriptions weren’t visible on the stele, I still had them safely stored in my mind.
“Could you look at this for a moment?”
I recalled the strange characters I had obtained deep within Jaho King’s residence—ninety-three characters imprinted with divine power.
“I don’t need to show all of them; even a few will be enough for recognition.”
I selected ten characters from the ninety-three—ones that had been friendly to me from the start, not too flashy, and easy to remember visually.
Ssshh…
I gathered a faint divine power at my fingertips and began tracing the shapes in the air. Purple divine energy danced and embroidered the air as the ten strange characters appeared as if alive.
“Even just mimicking the form…”
I could feel a slight ripple in the surrounding air. Simultaneously, Sahoon, who rarely lost composure, froze in shock. His eyes widened, colored with astonishment, and he even stepped back.
“Sahoon?”
At my call, he regained focus and asked urgently, still unable to hide his amazement.
“Master, are you alright?”
I tilted my head.
“Why are you asking if I’m alright?”
“I was concerned if your head might be splitting or if you felt other pain.”
“If that were the case, could I be calmly conversing with you like this?”
For a moment, Sahoon looked as if he were facing something non-human. Normally, he might have scolded me, but today he had fulfilled my request and held the key to my curiosity. I decided to let it slide this once, but Sahoon’s astonished expression wouldn’t fade.
“Sahoon.”
Only after I called him again did he finally explain why he reacted that way.
“It’s a relief. These characters are beyond human memory, violating the laws of the living world. If a mortal attempts to forcibly memorize their form and meaning, the very framework of memory distorts and collapses, eventually turning the person insane.”
“So you’re saying I could have gone insane?”
Finally, it made sense. That explained why my head throbbed when I first tried to memorize the stele’s inscriptions, why the characters seemed to resist each other. It was a natural rejection reaction for a mortal body like mine.
“That’s also one reason I was so astonished. How can you remember these characters perfectly and even show them to me?”
I chuckled and shrugged.
“Looks like on the outside I’m human, but not quite on the inside.”
Changing outward appearances doesn’t easily change one’s essence. Sahoon’s face showed a mix of understanding and embarrassment.
“Apologies. That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Don’t worry about it. Instead, tell me more about these characters.”
I first shared what I knew.
“Of course, these characters aren’t from the living world. I saw them once when I met King Yama.”
Sahoon’s eyes widened further. I wasn’t sure why, but one thing was certain: Sahoon knew something about these characters.
“Your Excellency is half right, half wrong.”
“Half wrong?”
“Explain in detail.”
After a moment of hesitation, Sahoon began to explain.
“These aren’t simply Underworld characters; they are the Yama Script, permitted only for King Yama.”
In short, they were like a divine record I already possessed. Even before me, only Yama could use them. They clearly existed subtly in the Underworld.
What was more amusing, however, was Sahoon’s reaction:
“…Could it be that you are a hidden child of King Yama?”
Sahoon asked nervously. I laughed and replied:
“Is that how I look to you?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t say so.”
“Then why ask?”
“I didn’t want to, but nothing else explains the situation. After Myung-an, now the Yama Script. What exactly are you?”
“Well, I don’t know myself.”
It had always been in my hands whenever I regained composure—how could I know? But one thing I could assure:
“If your guess is wrong and I truly am Yama’s child, then I’ll promote you beyond the Grim Reapers to the rank of Five Directions General.”
“…I appreciate that.”
Sahoon finally relaxed, smiling for the first time. Only then did he realize that, incredible as it seemed, all of this was just coincidence—for now.
I decided to make my point clear.
“If you think I’m joking, I’m serious. Alright, if you don’t want to be a Five Directions General, I’ll give you the position of Judge instead.”
“Before that, I’ll stake my monthly pay on the side where King Yama sends you to the Underworld.”
“Monthly pay exists in the afterlife?”
“Does it?”
No further joking was needed; the tension had fully dissipated.
“If it turns out I really am Yama’s child later, and you promise not to touch a finger against me, I’ll reveal more about the Yama Script.”
After making that final promise, Sahoon explained the rest about the Yama Script:
“Despite the name, no one knows who created the Yama Script, when, or how. Some say it predates the history of the Underworld itself. Only King Yama could fully read and handle them, hence the name. At least until Your Excellency appeared.”
He took a short breath and continued:
“Originally, around fifty Yama Scripts were known. That’s not all, as new characters occasionally appear in the Underworld. How do I know this? Naturally, because I was once tasked with it professionally.”
This was an answer I hadn’t expected. Then he added:
“In that sense, Your Excellency is very lucky.”
“Why am I lucky?”
“Because, aside from King Yama, I might be the one who knows them best.”
Sahoon’s confident tone carried weight. His certainty proved he had reason to be confident. Indeed, my prediction hadn’t been wrong.
“If I show you ten out of the fifty I found, would you believe me, Your Excellency?”
