TTHTD 11

TTHTD

Chapter 11

First Tale

A Bolt from the Blue

Su-won’s story went like this.

Over a hundred years ago, Su-won had been a young Seonang deity. Although he was inexperienced since he had only recently become a god, he was sincere about taking care of the land.

Then came the period of Japanese occupation, and the Japanese began to encroach upon Su-won’s lands.

They seized the land and took people away, and amidst the harsh conditions, cries of suffering never ceased.

The land that Su-won had nurtured with such care fell into the hands of the Japanese, and everything born and raised on that land was taken away.

It was an unbearably harsh situation for the young Seonang deity.

Enduring all of that, he finally witnessed liberation and the people’s circumstances improved somewhat.

Su-won then tried, this time, to cultivate a prosperous land. But soon, the Korean War broke out.

Due to ideological differences, brothers who were of the same blood, the same family, killed each other, and there were even deaths without reason.

The land soaked in blood.

Su-won’s eyes, buried in rage and grief, turned blood-red.

The Seonang deity eventually went mad.

Su-won didn’t elaborate much on what happened afterward.

In essence, the story was simply that, in his madness, he had swept away everything on his land that displeased him.

“…That’s how it happened,” Su-won said.

Hearing this, Cheon-yul blinked and asked,

“So that’s how you became a disaster god?”

“Yes.”

“But how are you acting as a land deity now? Once you’re cast out from the divine rank, it must have been extremely difficult to return.”

“That’s true,” Su-won replied lightly.

“Over sixty years, I entered into a slave contract to clear my karmic debt, and luckily, I became a land deity again. Though I’m a step below the Seonang deity, I can still accumulate good deeds as a land deity, and once my divine power grows enough, I’ll be promoted to Seonang deity.”

“A slave contract?”

“Yes, a slave contract. I started over, accumulating virtue from the beginning. By doing so, I also realized things I hadn’t known in the past.”

Answering that, Su-won shivered, as if thinking about it made his skin crawl.

“But I’ll never go back there again…”

That reaction only piqued Cheon-yul’s curiosity.

“Oh, then there’s hope for me too! Tell me how! If such a method exists, I wouldn’t need to accumulate virtue again…!”

“The pay is a pittance, promotion is uncertain, the workload is overwhelming, you have endless extra duties that interrupt your meals, and no bonuses or proper vacation at all,” Su-won said dryly.

“…What? Is that normal?” Cheon-yul asked, full of skepticism.

Su-won thought for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

“I was in the Underworld’s Bureau of Judges.”

“What? The Bureau of Judges in the Underworld?”

Cheon-yul’s face went from surprise to a different sort of disbelief.

It made sense—being in the Bureau of Judges in the Underworld meant only one thing:

The psychopomp.

Guides of the dead, managing spirits, and controlling malicious entities that disturb the order of the living.

But for a god, it was a menial task.

Though the psychopomps inspired fear in the living because they were sent to guide the dead, in reality, they were little more than low-level officials under divine command.

Even if corrupted, it was a somewhat degrading role for a Seonang deity.

“So, to sum up: you were a Seonang deity, fell from grace and became a psychopomp, and were then appointed again as a land deity. That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Possible, as you can see from this example. A psychopomp’s task is to help those with lingering attachments release them and move on to a higher plane. For a Seonang deity with unresolved attachments like me, it was suitable work.”

Su-won gave a bitter smile.

“Well, I was actually lucky in theory. Most never even get such a chance…”

“Ah, so that’s why you also have a death-hound with you.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Su-won replied.

With a lingering smile, he returned to his usual expression and continued.

“Anyway, you’re temperamentally unsuited to be a psychopomp.”

Cheon-yul frowned, annoyed at Su-won’s dismissive tone.

“Fine, I’ll admit that. I’m clearly not fit to be a psychopomp.”

Not a god, just a lowly divine clerk—Cheon-yul had no desire for such a position.

“Find another method. Anyway, I was reappointed as a land deity two years ago and assigned a new divine tree, so the tree is still immature compared to my experience. You could say I’m a career-level rookie.”

“So why is that human raising your tree? What’s your relationship? It doesn’t feel like he worships you as a god.”

Su-won replied casually.

“It’s just a contract. He tends the tree; I protect him.”

“Oh, I see.”

Cheon-yul nodded.

“So if anyone does anything strange to him, I won’t stay quiet.”

Cheon-yul, unafraid of the threat, replied boldly.

“I won’t do anything strange. I love that young human.”

“That’s not true love. You’re just pretending.”

“Even imitating it might turn into something real, right?”

As before, reason failed with Cheon-yul.

Su-won sighed deeply, brushing himself off and standing.

“Ha… Please, don’t do anything at all. That child’s heart is weak, despite appearances…”

“Then if I exploit that weakness, he’ll come around.”

Cheon-yul grinned, scheming in a way only he could.

Su-won panicked.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Anyway, thanks for the information. And if you get tired of being a land deity, transfer the position to me.”

Su-won jumped in shock.

“Are you crazy? Do you know what I went through to get here?”

Jin-jin growled in response.

“Then try finding another way.”

Cheon-yul spoke offhandedly, but Su-won narrowed his eyes, thinking.

“That’s not entirely impossible…”

“What? Now that we’re at it, tell me everything you know.”

“Why not try creating devout followers?”

Cheon-yul raised an eyebrow at the unexpected suggestion.

“Followers?”

“An existence created from the belief of devout worshippers gains power proportional to their faith. Even an ordinary being can become a god if belief in them is strong enough. Many gods’ origins come from belief. The Seonang deity itself came into being from humans’ faith in the land and the divine tree, which materialized into me.”

“I know that vaguely. But if it were easy, I would have done it already, wouldn’t I?”

Su-won nodded at Cheon-yul’s disappointed tone.

“True. Gaining faith is not easy, which is why its power is immense. But who knows? Perhaps someone who serves Cheon-yul might appear?”

This time, Su-won’s tone was serious, and Cheon-yul considered it carefully.

“So, basically, make a religion?”

“…You could call it that. Thinking of Cheon-yul making a religion has a bit of a cultish smell…”

“That guy?”

“You don’t need a formal religion. If you accumulate virtue without doing nonsense, faith will follow. Effort never betrays. So do good deeds. Helping people, you might even become renowned.”

“How much do I need to do to become a god?”

“Well… these days, faith in such entities is weak, so it might be difficult at first. Even at the fastest, it could take decades…”

Cheon-yul clicked his tongue.

“How can I wait that long? Doing the 108th practice would be faster.”

“Will you at least try love?”

“Of course. Did you think I’d lie? I would consider easier methods, but what can I do? Seowangmo told me to try love.”

“That statement being genuine is even scarier,” Su-won muttered, exasperated, pointing a finger at Cheon-yul’s nose.

“I warn you. Please don’t give me a reason to intervene for that child any further.”

“I’ll protect the young human too. He’s someone I love.”

“…That behavior… is the problem,” Su-won said, now too exhausted to continue arguing.

It seemed Cheon-yul was intoxicated by the concept of himself as the ardent lover of Si-ha.

Expressing love physically can be a double-edged sword.