Chapter 25
The moment Saheon’s hand touched the lucky pouch.
Whoosh!
The knot wrapping the mouth of the pouch unraveled, and from within, a golden aura shot out like lightning, snatching Saheon’s wrist.
Startled, Saheon hurriedly tried to pull his hand back.
His movement was quick but lacked strength, so it wasn’t difficult in itself.
However, in the process, he lost both the mole and the pouch from his grasp.
And as if waiting for the moment, the mole grabbed the pouch and attempted to escape.
“That little…!”
Saheon chased after them, flustered.
I observed the scene with interest.
Although Saheon had lost them due to a moment of distraction, I thought he could catch the mole easily.
But the mole moved so deftly, dodging Saheon at every turn, that the chase became completely unpredictable.
In fact, Saheon was struggling the entire time.
“You little…! If I catch you, I’ll drag you straight to hell!”
He seemed genuinely angry at the mole that wouldn’t be caught so easily.
Even a death god can get frustrated when tricked by a mole.
I decided not to interfere.
If I tried to help, it would only hurt Saheon’s pride.
So, while internally cheering for him, I kept my eyes on the mole and the pouch it held tightly.
“A mole and a lucky pouch.”
Even seeing it again, it was quite an interesting combination.
They seemed to complement each other perfectly.
The mole acted as the limbs of the pouch, while the pouch infused golden energy into the mole, helping it fend off Saheon.
It was clearly divine power, though the color and form differed from mine.
“In short, it’s a combination of a spirit beast and a divine object.”
Even so, against a death god, it was an unexpectedly spirited fight.
While the mole’s effort was impressive, the pouch’s contribution was undoubtedly the main factor.
“The real core is actually that one.”
At first, I thought the mole was fleeing to protect the pouch from being taken.
But watching closely, it was the opposite.
From start to finish, the pouch was directing the mole.
From using divine power to support it, to determining its exact movements, everything was orchestrated by the pouch.
How do I know?
Because it spoke.
“Pretend to go right up ahead, then shift left! A little more, Geumdu! Even a death god is no match! If we hold until noon, it’ll escape on its own!”
Something like that.
By the way, the pouch was mistaken about one thing.
“I’ve never heard that death gods can’t move during the day.”
It wasn’t as if they were unnecessary during the day, when humans weren’t dying.
Apparently, the pouch knew of death gods but had little actual experience with them.
Still, it was undeniably a powerful divine object.
“I never expected to find another like this so close by, besides the Life-and-Death Needle Container.”
Judging by how it spoke, its consciousness was comparable to that of the Life-and-Death Needle Container, a truly sentient divine artifact.
It controlled divine power so freely that it was visible to the eye.
Judging purely by ability, it could surpass the Life-and-Death Needle Container.
Which raised the question of its value.
“That might need a bit more observation.”
The mole’s name was Geumdu, right?
Anyway, the pouch helping Geumdu and using divine power so effectively was impressive beyond expectations.
“Even I didn’t master the ability to divide divine power like that until after 300 years of living.”
That the pouch did it effortlessly alone made it worthy of being called a divine object.
Still, compared to the Life-and-Death Needle Container, it was slightly lacking.
That artifact could not only share divine power but also heal, going one step further.
“Of course, if the pouch has other abilities, that would change things.”
I had a hunch it might.
That was why I coveted it the moment I saw it.
Well, that would become clear in time.
“It seems the end is near.”
The pouch, which had seemed intent on surviving until noon, had now devised a new plan: a tunnel.
“If we go around there, there’s a tunnel under the display case! If we escape through that, even the death god won’t follow!”
The pouch was confident in its escape, but I shook my head.
It sounded plausible but was a very poor judgment.
“It seemed smart and capable enough…”
But one slight miscalculation made all the difference.
Swish!
The mole darted into the hidden tunnel beneath the display case.
Just as success seemed within reach…
Snap!
Saheon, waiting in advance, snatched the mole by the scruff.
“Did it really think I didn’t know about the tunnel?”
That tiny misstep was the critical difference.
If you plan to use a tunnel, you must account for worst-case scenarios.
For example, if the pouch assumed Saheon didn’t know about it, it shouldn’t have given him any hint of the plan.
“Honestly, if it were such a perfect divine object, it would already be famous.”
Indeed, I had never heard of a lucky pouch divine object before.
Watching Saheon display such emotion, it was clear he had been quite vexed.
“Surely, it knew the risk of attacking a death god?”
Saheon reached for the pouch, still held by the mole.
The knot on the pouch unraveled again, but Saheon wasn’t careless enough to be fooled twice.
Not yet.
Before the pouch’s opening could fully widen, Saheon grabbed it.
And then, as if to repay the previous humiliation, he yanked the pouch sharply.
“Argh!”
The simple action caused the pouch to scream.
The soul within it had been dragged out by Saheon’s hand.
For a death god, whose duty is to reclaim souls, it was effortless.
The pouch couldn’t hold out and surrendered.
“I’m sorry, death god! Please, just this once!”
If it had continued, the soul might have been entirely extracted.
Saheon, however, let go, clearly intending only to intimidate, not harm.
After all, his eyes were filled with curiosity as he watched the pouch and the mole.
“A pouch and a mole, what a unique pair, isn’t it?”
Saheon spoke my thoughts aloud, making me chuckle.
Indeed, it was a peculiar combination.
Seeing the mole anxiously watching the still-recovering pouch only reinforced that impression.
I also grew curious about their relationship.
Perhaps reading my mind, the pouch spoke while still in pain:
“Geumdu is my one and only friend.”
The mole Geumdu let out a short cry.
“Geumdu says I’m the only friend it has, too.”
Seeing the mole nod in agreement made both Saheon and me laugh.
“Accidentally attacking the death god was unintended, and I sincerely apologize.”
The pouch’s demeanor wasn’t bad at all.
Apologizing first softened Saheon’s expression.
Despite a poor first impression, conversation could continue in a relatively good atmosphere.
“My name is Gilnang (吉囊). As you can guess, it means ‘lucky pouch.’”
The pouch—Gilnang—began telling its story.
“I’m about 500 years old. I was made less than a hundred years before coming here, and I’ve been here ever since.”
Older than I expected—I had guessed around 300 years.
Gilnang’s story also explained the tiny miscalculation I had sensed.
“Living only in such a place, it was inevitable that I lacked in many things.”
Be it knowledge or experience.
I felt some pity for Gilnang.
“Spending 100 years in a small room felt suffocating.”
400 years underground? Just imagining it was suffocating.
Naturally, I asked:
“Have you ever thought of leaving? It should have been possible if you wanted.”
I looked at Geumdu as I asked Gilnang.
Anyone could tell Geumdu was a spirit beast of the mole family.
It would have easily dug its own tunnel if it wanted to escape.
The answer, surprisingly honest, came back:
“I was actually waiting.”
“For what?”
“For someone to take me out of here.”
“But weren’t you hiding in a space where no one could find you?”
“I didn’t want just anyone to be my new owner.”
I nodded.
It wasn’t a hard concept to understand.
Most divine objects don’t accept just anyone as a master.
The better the object, the stronger this tendency—it tests and chooses its master.
Gilnang was the same.
From the perspective of Zaha Divine Sword rather than Geumja Gate, it was even more understandable.
Spending 400 years finding a suitable master? I wouldn’t have begrudged that.
“I should have done the same.”
I realized I had accepted everything for the Volcanic Sect, even when some didn’t deserve it.
“So, do you like your new master?”
I turned my gaze to Saheon, who had captured Gilnang and Geumdu.
He flinched and vehemently denied it:
“If it weren’t for Gongja, I would never have found them. Remember? I couldn’t find them during my first search.”
Plausible enough.
Ultimately, the choice was up to Gilnang.
“I like my new master very much! You’re the best!”
The words were directed at me.
And the reason for such enthusiasm became clear:
“I never imagined having a master I could talk to!”
Indeed.
Among all the masters of divine objects in the world, how many could converse so effortlessly with them?
“Since you recognize me as your master, I hereby accept you as my possession. If you object, speak now; later refusal will not be accepted.”
The reply came immediately:
“I, Gilnang, pledge loyalty to my new master.”
In an instant, I became the master of a new divine object.
“Well then. Tell me specifically what you can and cannot do from now on.”
Time to find out what talents my new subordinate possessed.
