Chapter 04 …
The sharp kitchen knife pierced deep into Seon-oh’s own chest, and the yokai’s laughter abruptly stopped.
Even the man sitting on the tree branch, watching the situation unfold, raised his eyebrows in surprise. Blood streamed from the knife embedded squarely in Seon-oh’s chest, soaking the front of the shirt bright red.
Thud—
Seon-oh’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
“Huff…!”
A pained groan escaped Seon-oh’s lips, and the yokai immediately burst into delighted laughter.
“How very wise! Yes! Dying as quickly as possible is the only way to lessen the pain!”
Even at its mocking scorn, Seon-oh gritted his teeth and pushed the knife in even deeper. He could vividly feel the blade breaking bone and sinking into his heart.
“Gghh….”
It hurt so damn much. He had stabbed so deeply to avoid making a mistake that he could feel the knife tip pulsing with his heartbeat.
As Seon-oh’s head drooped forward, unable to withstand the pain, the yokai excitedly extended its tentacles again.
“You poor thing. Allow me to finish you!”
It was at that moment.
—SPLAAAASH!
A massive column of water suddenly surged up from the pond to his right, roaring violently.
Startled by the threatening sound, the yokai froze and turned toward the water pillar—only for it to instantly reshape into the form of a blade and shoot straight toward him. The long water-sword sliced through the yokai’s tentacles with razor-sharp precision.
“Aaaaargh!”
Blood sprayed like a fountain from the severed tentacles, and the yokai’s eyes rolled back. Grimacing at the shrill screech, Seon-oh calmly felt for the knife in his chest and yanked it out.
“Urgh!”
The excruciating pain surged so intensely he thought he might faint—then rapidly faded. Seon-oh sensed his wound healing at once.
“Damn… that hurts….”
Panting quietly, Seon-oh lifted his head. The yokai with the severed tentacles was charging toward him in fury.
He had worried that even if he awakened, he might not understand how to control water qi—but that worry proved unnecessary. The moment he awakened, he instinctively mastered it.
As Seon-oh coughed roughly, a terrifying roar echoed from the pond on his left—another massive water pillar erupted skyward. Even Seon-oh, who had created it, was stunned enough to momentarily hold his breath.
It’s much stronger than what I read in the novel.
This powerful water pillar shot straight through the yokai’s torso.
“Guh…ugh….”
A gaping hole opened in the yokai’s body, freezing it mid-motion as it convulsed. It stared at Seon-oh in disbelief, and Seon-oh managed a strained smile.
“Eat me? You couldn’t digest me even if you tried.”
Just like Ongang from the novel, Seon-oh had become a superhuman.
Superhumans were those who wielded yin power in this world—those who could draw upon the energy of nature and use it to slay yokai, creatures that disrupted the harmony of yin and yang.
Among them, Ongang was a superhuman who controlled water. Seon-oh had inherited that exact setting.
However, Ongang was a conditional awakener—he could awaken only by having his heart pierced. In the novel, Ongang awakened as he lay dying after being stabbed through the heart by an enemy.
Following that hint, Seon-oh had pierced his own heart and successfully awakened.
Thud—
As the leader yokai, pierced straight through the center of its body, collapsed dead, a glittering gem popped out of the hole.
One of the smaller yokai, who had been watching dumbfounded, shrieked,
“That girl! She’s a superhuman! And she handles water qi!”
“A superhuman! I’ll taste her!”
“Those who wield water qi are sweet as honey! I’m eating her!”
At the word superhuman, the yokai that had been tangled together fighting—and even those lurking in the shadows—burst out and began transforming rapidly.
To yokai, superhumans were the ultimate feast—the source of yin energy that strengthened their magical power. Yokai sought to devour superhumans at all costs, and superhumans were fated to slay them in turn.
As the transformed yokai lunged forward with outstretched tentacles, fighting over who would claim Seon-oh, her eyes hardened. There were at least twenty of them.
No wonder they hadn’t been caught yet—so many were hiding here!
Terrified, Seon-oh tried to draw more water qi, but a third pillar did not appear.
“Ah—”
Alarmed, Seon-oh looked to the side and saw the pond completely emptied, only damp soil remaining.
The pond’s water had completely evaporated.
“No… no water left….”
She remembered the setting: higher-ranked superhumans could use the power of nature without exhausting it, but lower-ranked ones who couldn’t properly control yin energy consumed whatever natural source they used.
An unexpected complication.
Then, a low voice whispered above her head.
“Groundwater.”
Startled, Seon-oh looked up sharply. Sitting on a large branch was a man—an exceptionally handsome man with gently tousled hair, wearing a black bamboo hat. He smiled faintly at her.
Groundwater…? But how—…
Seon-oh stared blankly at him, her fingers twitching.
Groundwater… groundwater…!
This was a mountain. And every mountain had streams. Which meant groundwater existed here. She needed to focus on drawing up that hidden water.
A yokai with its mouth split open wide was rushing toward her.
Please…!
Then—
—BOOOOOM!
“Gwaaargh!”
With an earthquake-like tremor, the ground beneath the charging yokai exploded, and an enormous, razor-sharp water pillar erupted upward—far larger than any of the previous ones.
—KRRRRRSH!
A massive circular wall of water soared high enough to surround dozens of yokai. Seon-oh’s breath caught.
The water pillar instantly split into dozens of blades, brutally slicing apart every yokai trapped inside.
“Ghhk!”
“S-spare me!”
Screams of horror echoed throughout Bujingak’s garden, followed by the thud of shredded bodies falling everywhere.
“…”
Seon-oh stared in disbelief.
The entire Bujingak was drenched in water, the yokai corpses scattered in pieces.
She had actually wiped out all of them.
Realizing this overwhelming truth, an electrifying thrill rang through her head. It was a euphoria she had never felt before.
“…Hah…”
Her vision spun, and Seon-oh collapsed flat onto her back.
I… I lived…
Through her fading vision, she saw the man still sitting on the tree, watching her with interest.
“…”
Black bamboo hat, black martial robes—he was an unbelievable beauty, more striking than any man she had ever seen. His gentle smile and subtly chilling features were impossibly captivating.
But that wasn’t important.
If she collapsed like this… what about everything that needed to come next…?
“Seon-oh!”
Her mother’s voice echoed from a distance. Her parents had finally freed themselves from the ropes and escaped.
The man glanced briefly toward the approaching parents—and vanished in an instant. Like magic.
He’s a superhuman too…?
Superhumans had to regularly hunt yokai to replenish their yin power or their bodies and qi would malfunction. If he was a superhuman, he must have come to hunt yokai and witnessed what happened.
Whatever the case, it was fortunate. Without him, she wouldn’t have thought of groundwater.
Letting out a shaky breath, Seon-oh forced herself up. Her parents screamed when they saw her drenched in blood and water, rushing to her and clutching her without caring about their clothes.
“Seon-oh!”
“Mom…”
“Heavens! These yokai—! Are you hurt?! You’ve lost so much blood!”
Seon-oh instinctively touched her left chest. Her clothes were soaked, but the wound near her heart had vanished cleanly.
Just like the original.
In the original story, Ongang’s heart had also fully healed—the hidden healing power that made him a protagonist had saved its owner.
Realizing she possessed the same ability made Seon-oh’s heart thrum.
Though recovery from a fatal wound like this probably only works during awakening…
Clutching the area over her heart, she reassured her parents.
“Dad, I’m fine. It’s not my blood…”
“What in the world—!”
Suddenly, she felt tears welling up.
She had saved her parents. Yoon-han lived, Ji-woon lived, and her parents lived.
Everyone she loved was here.
Seon-oh hugged her mother and father tightly. Her trembling breath echoed softly through the now-empty Bujingak.
“Mom…”
“Yes, yes, Seon-oh…”
“Dad…!”
“Say it. Go on, say it, sweetheart.”
Still clinging to her parents, shoulders shaking, Seon-oh spoke firmly.
“Pick up the yin stones.”
At that, her mother’s and father’s tears stopped instantly.
They looked around. Among the yokai corpses, glittering stones gleamed in various colors.
Yin stones were the only objects in this world that contained refined yin energy—trophies obtainable only by killing yokai.
Such yin stones were used to defeat more yokai or crafted into mystic items, making them extremely valuable. Prices varied depending on the yin energy inside, but the yokai in Bujingak had been high-grade—capable of human form and even growing tentacles—so even the lowest price would be enough to take a luxury carriage round-trip several times.
And such precious stones were scattered everywhere.
“…”
Quietly wiping their tears, the family of three stood up and immediately began picking up the yin stones.
