SDG 53

Chapter 53

That Tae-ryeok guy — just by looking at him, you could tell he had a nasty temper.

The moment he hurled Yeomwang Chaeju aside, I heard it —
his muttered words.

“That cocky little shit.”

Heh.
Now he finally looks the part.

Though he technically broke his word, this version of him was much better to watch than that constantly uptight one.

And apparently, I wasn’t the only one enjoying this scene.

At last, divine punishment upon him!

The corpse giant’s scream at the sight of Yeomwang Chaeju wasn’t even a scream anymore — it was more like a roar of joy.

Even Sa-heun, standing beside me, had a faint smile.

You think I’ll go down easy?!

Only Yeomwang Chaeju refused to accept the situation, thrashing and shouting.
The black aura around him began to ripple — he was trying to become a demon again.

But the corpse giant had no patience for another dragged-out scene.
With one hand, it seized Yeomwang Chaeju.

Let go, you filthy hand!

He resisted, but it was useless.

The giant lifted him up — and then did something completely unexpected.

It swallowed him whole, as if devouring prey.

I’d thought it might torture him first, but no — it went straight to that.
Was that really the end?
Of course not.

S-spare me!

Yeomwang Chaeju, swallowed by the corpse giant, became part of it.
But that wasn’t all.

As if cutting its own flesh apart, the countless vengeful spirits that made up the giant lunged at him — biting, tearing, and devouring.

Aaaaaagh!

Yeomwang Chaeju was shredded to pieces in agony.

And his misfortune didn’t end there.
Like regrowing flesh, every torn part regenerated, only to be ripped apart again.
Again and again — an endless cycle of pain.

As the torment continued, Yeomwang Chaeju finally broke.
Tears streamed from his eyes as the light in them faded.

His soul — the core of his being — had been severely damaged.
And at that point, even the corpse giant began to show signs of collapse.

That was when Tae-ryeok, who seemed like he’d stay silent forever, finally spoke.

Enough.

A single word — short but heavy.

The corpse giant, intoxicated by vengeance, froze instantly.

But only for a moment.

…We’ll keep playing.
…He’s ours.
…We won’t give him to anyone!

And with that, the giant’s flesh began devouring Yeomwang Chaeju again — faster and more violently than before.

It looked intent on utterly destroying his soul.

But from the moment Tae-ryeok said “enough,” he no longer sided with them.

If you won’t stop, then I’ll make you stop.

I’d been curious about Tae-ryeok’s real ability, and now I’d get to see it firsthand.

He finally took a proper stance — and a weapon appeared in his hand.

Something unusual in shape.

“A hammer?”

It was definitely a hammer — though a strangely shaped one.

I’d spent a good part of my life at the forge, so I knew one when I saw it.
The energy it gave off was no joke either.

Sa-heun confirmed my suspicion.

He’s even brought out the Soul Hammer. He’s serious this time.

A “hammer” (추, ch’u) — and with the prefix soul (혼령, honryeong), it had to be some kind of underworld weapon.

But apparently, it wasn’t just any weapon.

The Soul Hammer is a divine relic — there’s only one in all the Netherworld.

Sa-heun explained after seeing my curiosity.

I knew it looked special, but I hadn’t imagined it was a divine artifact of the underworld.

If relics were rare in the living world, they had to be even rarer down there.
Which meant Tae-ryeok was no ordinary reaper.

Let’s see if he’s as skilled as he seems.

Then it began — the fight between Tae-ryeok and the corpse giant.

The first strike came from the giant.

Whoosh!

Despite its massive size, it swung its arm with astonishing speed toward Tae-ryeok — and not just with brute force.

It was using martial techniques.

Among the souls within it, there were definitely martial artists.

But something was strange.

It’s like one person using multiple martial arts styles at once.

Normally, that was impossible — even forbidden.
A human body couldn’t withstand the clash of different internal energies.

You’d go mad and cripple yourself trying.

But the corpse giant seemed unbound by such limits, using mixed techniques wildly.

And absurdly — it worked.

Each strike had explosive power.
The martial artists devoured by Yeomwang Chaeju must’ve been strong — and together, their power multiplied.

It wasn’t one plus one equals two — it was one plus one equals four.

Of course, it wasn’t flawless.

Boom!

Sometimes, the mixed energies backfired, blowing parts of its body apart — even half its torso.
But it just regenerated instantly, like Yeomwang Chaeju had before.

Then it attacked again, even more violently.

Even I might’ve struggled against such a foe.

But Tae-ryeok — he fought back with astonishing skill, far beyond what I expected.

Not only that, but he also used martial arts — genuine martial techniques.

A reaper… using human martial arts?

That alone was shocking.

When he first pulled out that hammer, I hadn’t expected him to move with such grace and precision.

By Kangho standards, that’s master-level skill.

Since he wasn’t human, I couldn’t judge his cultivation realm, but…
at the very least, he’d match a grand elder or great lord in the known sects.

And through it all, he fought calmly, without a hint of strain —
which made me suspect he wasn’t even using his full strength.

But that wasn’t what truly shocked me.

I know those techniques.

The moves Tae-ryeok used were familiar.

Then it clicked.

One Finger Zen… Vajra Fist… and that next one — could it be Hundred Step Divine Fist?

These were unmistakable Shaolin techniques.

How the hell does a reaper know Shaolin martial arts?

The only explanation I could think of was that maybe… a Shaolin monk had died and become a reaper.

It wasn’t impossible — especially since Tae-ryeok was bald.

He didn’t have the Shaolin branding mark, but still…

Maybe he erased it after becoming a reaper.

After all, you couldn’t exactly go around the afterlife advertising you were once a Shaolin monk.

But my theory was wrong.

Surprised to see Shaolin arts from a reaper? One of the reapers was a Shaolin monk in life. He taught Tae-ryeok those techniques.

Sa-heun read my thoughts and explained.

So Tae-ryeok himself wasn’t the monk — he’d learned it from one.
Still, that was incredible.

So there’s an actual Shaolin monk among the reapers?

That was something I’d never imagined.
It made me curious about something else.

“Then… are there any from the Mount Hua Sect in the underworld?”

That was my next question.

Because while Shaolin was mighty, Mount Hua (Hwasan) was no less.

Not just because I was once their sacred sword, but because of what Mount Hua had accomplished throughout history.

Just think — within the last century, if Mount Hua hadn’t existed…
If Jincheon hadn’t repelled the Heavenly Demon, what would’ve become of the world?

Even Shaolin had sealed its gates during that chaos, overwhelmed by the demonic army.

Mount Hua quite literally saved the realm.

So I couldn’t help but wonder—

Could Jincheon, like that Shaolin monk, have become a reaper too? Maybe he’s down there holding a high post.

If Shaolin could have one, then surely Mount Hua could too.

Even if it wasn’t Jincheon himself, I hoped someone from Mount Hua was there.

If I ever met them, I’d remember them — we could reminisce about the old days.

But Sa-heun crushed that hope quickly.

I’m sorry. As far as I know, there’s no one like that.

I sighed.

Disappointing — but I didn’t take it too hard.

Then Sa-heun added,

Of course, I don’t know everything about the Netherworld. There might be people I’ve never met.

Which, in other words, meant — it’s still possible.

Should I look into it for you?

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was kinder than most living humans I’d met.

What a soft-hearted reaper.

“Just the thought is enough. I appreciate it.”

I declined politely, but the gesture was touching.

So I offered a bit of encouragement in return.

“You could probably catch up to him soon.”

Meaning Tae-ryeok, of course.

Sa-heun had wanted to learn Zihashin Gong, and I’d already started teaching him the basics.
He hadn’t truly begun training yet — just memorized the formulas and basic forms —
but I was confident.

He could surpass Tae-ryeok.

It wasn’t just pride talking.
I genuinely believed Sa-heun had the talent to master human martial arts.

Then I’ll put my trust in you, Gongja-nim.
“You shouldn’t trust people so easily. Didn’t they teach you that in the afterlife?”
But you’re not an ordinary person, are you?

Even in flattery, Sa-heun outdid most humans — and that only strengthened my belief.
He was better than most people I knew.
So surely he’d learn martial arts just as well.