Chapter 019 – Hybrid Asaekgwi
It’s a text, you idiot!
“What was that sound? It sounded like your voice, sunbae-nim.”
“Yeah. That’s the notification sound for text messages on my phone.”
“……”
I took out my phone and checked the message.
[Detective Kang.
Thanks again for saving my girls last time.
If you have some free time this evening, why don’t you stop by?
Shouldn’t we finish the drinks we left unfinished? —Mrs. Jang]
It was a message from Madam Jang, the Witch of Rodeo and the owner of Doremi Entertainment Bar.
Judging from the fact that she had sent me something like this, she probably had another scheme in mind.
Feed me, then work me like a dog……
From what I could tell, that seemed to be Madam Jang’s favorite tactic.
I sent her a reply.
[No.]
Short and straight to the point.
That was the motto of my communication style.
It’s a text, you idiot!
Another message arrived.
After hearing the notification several times in a row, it was starting to get on my nerves.
I thought it might be a good idea to change it to something more socially acceptable later.
‘Did Madam Jang reply already? Is something going on?’
I opened the newly arrived message.
[Congratulations!
Cute~! Lively~! Bursting with adorableness~!
The seven fairies who have descended into the modern world!
You have won an invitation to the Seven Fairies Fan Meeting!
Today at 4 PM.
Location: Basement Floor 1 of XX Bookstore in Myeongdong.
Fly away into a fantasy world together with the seven fairies!
Three Seven Entertainment Agency]
‘Ugh! So that thing I applied for yesterday actually won…….’
“Oh! When did you apply for this? Wow! Sunbae-nim, I didn’t know you were this interested in Seven Fairies.”
Detective Park, who had been looking over my shoulder, asked.
He stared at me strangely, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Ahem. I just tried applying once.”
“Eheh… I don’t think that’s the whole story.”
“Anyway, Detective Park. I’m going on vacation for a while. So when you decide on the date for the samgyeopsal, contact me immediately.”
“Huh? You’re taking leave? Why all of a sudden?”
“I just have something to do.”
I went over to the old-fashioned team leader and requested three days of leave.
Since there was also the matter involving Madam Jang, the team leader didn’t try to nitpick and simply approved it.
‘Then… should I go see what this fan meeting is like……?’
I leisurely left the police station, but deep inside, I was somewhat worried.
What if they saw me as some old man more than ten years older than them and refused to even look at me?
Still, I had no other choice.
Without the Black Spirit Demon Spear, even dealing with a low-ranking Ghost-grade evil spirit would be difficult.
And if I encountered an evil spirit ranked above Ghost-grade, such as a Murderous Ghost, Mad Ghost, or Explosive Ghost, I probably wouldn’t be able to survive in my current condition.
‘But why does Eyes have the Human Emperor’s Black Spirit Demon Spear?’
I had a feeling something strange was going to happen again.
‘Whoa. Are all of these people here for the fan meeting?’
I was genuinely shocked.
The basement of the large bookstore where the Seven Fairies fan meeting was being held was packed completely full of people.
Even the hellish rush-hour subway would apologize and step aside compared to this place.
Most of them were middle school or high school students, or young men in their early twenties.
As for someone who looked a little older……
I was the only one.
Some female students were looking at me as if they were thinking,
‘Why is that old guy here?’
I immediately started wondering if coming here had been a mistake.
Still, since I was already here, I decided to endure it and meet her no matter what.
“Waaaaah! It’s Seven Fairies!”
“What do I do?! Seulgi made eye contact with me!”
“Eyes unnie, I love you!”
“Seulgi unnie, you’re so pretty!”
Suddenly, the crowd erupted into cheers.
From one end of the hall, seven girls wearing somewhat revealing outfits were walking inside while being escorted by men in black suits and sunglasses.
The girls entered the hall and gathered together.
“We are?”
“Fai-ries!”
They shouted something strange and each struck an equally strange pose.
The crowd responded with even louder screams and cheers.
“Whoa! It’s the Fairy Pose!”
“Oh my god, oh my god! They’re so cute! I think I’m going to die!”
It was absolute chaos.
This was a situation that my mental world simply could not understand.
Once the screaming and cheering finally calmed down a little, the Seven Fairies members moved toward the decorated seats prepared for them.
Immediately, people rushed toward their favorite members and began lining up.
‘Ah… Since there are seven of them, everyone lines up for the idol they like.’
Even an idiot could understand what was happening.
So I went over to Eyes and joined her line.
Out of all seven members, Eyes had the longest line.
That clearly showed she was the most popular member.
‘This is going to take about two hours…….’
Watching the idols greet every single fan, give autographs, and shake hands with them made me realize that their jobs weren’t exactly easy either.
“Uwaaah.”
I let out a yawn so wide it felt like my mouth would tear apart.
Standing in line without doing anything was boring enough to kill me.
And the line barely seemed to move.
“What’s wrong with that guy?”
“What is that ajusshi doing?”
“Isn’t that guy crazy?!”
Suddenly, people began murmuring from one side of the hall.
A man was forcing his way through the crowd, violently shoving people aside.
“Kyaaa!”
“Uwaaak!”
The screams grew louder.
Suddenly, something flew over my head and smashed into the wall.
It was a person.
A girl who looked like she was no older than a high school student.
After slamming into the wall, the girl lost consciousness and collapsed with blood running from the corner of her mouth.
More people began flying through the air.
The man was grabbing people and throwing them around like bricks.
His strength was monstrous.
“Uwaaak!”
“My arm…! I think my arm is broken!”
Within seconds, the fan meeting turned into complete chaos filled with screams and cries.
People panicked and began running away.
Those who fell while trying to escape were trampled underfoot, causing even more injuries.
The Seven Fairies members were also hurriedly retreating with their bodyguards.
‘That bastard… Isn’t he the convenience store employee?!’
There was no mistake.
He was the convenience store employee who had kidnapped the girls from Doremi Entertainment Bar.
‘Then is that the Agwi……?’
—No. It’s an Asaekgwi.
Arang’s voice rang in my head.
‘An Asaekgwi?!’
—Yes. Use your Ghost Eye and check.
Following Arang’s instruction, I activated the Ghost Eye.
[Type of Soul: Evil Spirit]
[Type of Evil Spirit: Asaekgwi (餓鬼)]
[Evil Spirit Grade: Mad Ghost (狂鬼) Grade]
[Hybrid Status: Hybrid of Agwi and Saekgwi]
[Previous Life Karma: High-ranking official who committed corruption and abuse of power, devoured a Saekgwi]
‘That bastard ate a Saekgwi… And now he’s Mad Ghost grade.’
It seemed the Agwi had devoured a Saekgwi and evolved into a Mad Ghost, two entire grades higher.
‘Huh…? But why is my hand like this……?’
My hand was trembling faintly.
I tried to stop it, but the trembling wouldn’t go away.
—It’s because of the memory of being killed by the Asaekgwi before your regression.
‘You’re saying… I’m afraid of that bastard?’
—That’s probably the best way to describe it.
“Kyaaaak!”
“What is that?! Disgusting!”
“Is that really a human? Isn’t it some kind of monster?!”
The employee—or rather, the Asaekgwi—was pulling off its own wrist.
As its hand came away, a dark blue blade emerged from inside.
‘Demon Soul Hand Blade…….’
It was the exact blade that had cut off my head before my regression.
The special ability the creature had gained after evolving into an Asaekgwi was the Demon Soul Hand Blade.
—People could die. Hurry and deploy the Ghost Domain.
Arang’s voice sounded urgent.
‘Got it.’
‘Ghost Domain!’
I activated Ghost Domain for the first time.
Ziiiiing—
The moment I activated it, a thin black membrane spread outward from my body in every direction.
The people touched by the endlessly expanding black membrane began disappearing.
In an instant, everyone around us vanished.
Only the Asaekgwi and I remained inside the bookstore hall.
‘This is amazing. Arang, what happened to everyone?’
I asked Arang while looking around the empty hall.
—Because Ghost Domain was activated, this place has become an intermediate zone between the living world and the afterlife. The humans are safely remaining in the living world.
‘That’s a relief. So humans can’t exist in here, which means I can fight as much as I want, right?’
—Yes. Transform first. At Human Emperor-nim’s current level, you don’t stand a chance otherwise.
‘Human Emperor Reaper Transformation!’
Following Arang’s advice, I activated my transformation into the Human Emperor.
Black Spirit energy wrapped around my body, and I returned to my original appearance as the Human Emperor Reaper.
—Human Emperor-nim’s Human Emperor Reaper Robe is made from Black Spirit energy. The Asaekgwi’s Demon Soul Hand Blade is made by sharpening human bones with an evil spirit’s soul, so it probably won’t be able to cut through the robe easily.
‘That’s really good news… But how am I supposed to attack? Am I supposed to just keep getting hit by his sword?’
—…That’s something Human Emperor-nim will have to figure out yourself.
“……”
“Grrrrrrr.”
The Asaekgwi slowly approached me while holding the Demon Soul Hand Blade.
However, something about it looked strange.
Its eyes were completely white without pupils, and foam was gathering around its mouth.
Even while walking, its whole body jerked and twitched as though it were having a seizure.
‘Arang. Something’s wrong with that guy.’
—It seems the Agwi failed to completely succeed in its hybrid evolution after eating the Saekgwi.
‘You mean he’s not in his right mind?’
—Yes. It looks like he came here because he’s acting entirely according to the instincts of both the Agwi and Saekgwi. He probably became obsessed with the Seven Fairies girls.
‘So that’s why that bastard wasn’t even looking at the other girls and was only targeting the Fairies…….’
Suddenly, the Asaekgwi stopped trembling.
Then it swung the Demon Soul Hand Blade toward me.
Flash!
The sword light from the Demon Soul Hand Blade reflected in my eyes.
Before my regression, all I had seen was a flash before my head went flying.
But this time, thanks to the power of the Ghost Eye, I could clearly see the path of the Demon Soul Hand Blade.
‘Black Spirit Movement Art—Whirling Step!’
I immediately used the Whirling Step of the Black Spirit Movement Art.
My body spun like a whirlwind.
During my previous level-up, the First Form of the Black Spirit Demon Spear Art and the footwork techniques of the Black Spirit Movement Art had already been engraved into my mind.
In other words, they were practically mastered.
That made using Whirling Step surprisingly easy.
The blade of the Demon Soul Hand Blade barely brushed past my face.
I somehow managed to dodge.
Rumble—
Kukukuku!
The sword light extended behind me, slicing through a long row of bookshelves before smashing into the wall.
The wall collapsed as books and clouds of stone dust filled the air.
The Asaekgwi was firing sword light from the Demon Soul Hand Blade like some kind of laser beam.
‘Arang… My face isn’t covered by the Reaper Robe. What happens if that thing hits me?’
—Your face probably won’t remain intact……
“……”
I was speechless at Arang’s irresponsible response.
‘Then what happens if I die here?’
—You’ll fall into the Infinite Dark Cave and your existence will disappear forever.
“……”
At this point, she didn’t just sound irresponsible.
It felt like she wasn’t thinking at all.
‘And when that guy was still an Agwi, he ran away just from seeing me as the Human Emperor. Why is he attacking me without hesitation now?’
—That’s because low-level Ghost-grade evil spirits are naturally terrified of the anti-demonic energy released by the Black Spirit Order. Evil spirits of Murderous Ghost grade or higher will attack you regardless of that energy.
“Whoa! Here it comes again!”
As expected of a creature that had lost its mind, the Asaekgwi wildly swung the Demon Soul Hand Blade.
Once again, I desperately used Whirling Step, moving like a man possessed as I dodged the laser-like sword lights.
Rumble!
Kwa-kwa-boom!
The sword winds passed around me, eventually causing the wall behind me to collapse completely.
The situation was getting difficult since I didn’t have any offensive techniques.
‘Still, I have to try something.’
Since I had no weapon, I decided to use my bare fists.
‘Black Spirit Movement Art—Fierce Dragon Step!’
My body shot forward with the momentum of a ferocious dragon.
In an instant, I appeared directly in front of the Asaekgwi.
“Take this!”
I slammed my right fist straight into the Asaekgwi’s jaw.
“Keeeeek!”
Kwa-boom!
With a tremendous explosion, the Asaekgwi screamed and shot across the hall like an arrow.
It crashed into the opposite wall and became embedded inside it, twitching.
“Wow. I only threw one punch and it did that much damage. Maybe this is actually doable.”
I looked down at my fist.
If I properly combined Fierce Dragon Step with my punches, I thought I might have a chance of winning.
—Human Emperor-nim! Watch out!
Arang suddenly shouted urgently.
The Asaekgwi was still stuck inside the wall, but it swung the Demon Soul Hand Blade and launched another wave of sword light.
“Ugh!”
Before I could use Whirling Step, the sword light brushed across my neck.
A sharp, burning pain spread through me.
And the place where I had been cut was terrible.
It seemed to be directly over the carotid artery.
I pressed my hand against the wound, but blood sprayed out like water from a fountain.
—Use Black Spirit energy to stop the bleeding for now. If you’re too late, you could die.
Following Arang’s urgent warning, I used Black Spirit energy to restrict the blood flow toward my neck as much as possible.
The bleeding seemed to slow somewhat, but I had already lost a lot of blood.
My head began spinning.
Worse, if I kept stopping the blood flow like this, my heart might stop as well.
I had made the mistake of letting my guard down for a single moment.
I had certainly learned a lesson from this fight.
Unfortunately, it might already be too late.
‘Ahaha… My head wasn’t cut off like before the regression, but this is still pretty bad…….’
My body staggered.
It was becoming difficult just to remain standing.
If the Asaekgwi started firing the Demon Soul Hand Blade wildly again, I probably wouldn’t be able to dodge.
Flash!
Five sword lights from the Demon Soul Hand Blade came flying toward me at once.
‘Hey… At least give me a little time to rest…….’
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Uwaaak!”
All five sword lights struck my chest one after another.
A scream tore from my throat.
I trusted the Reaper Robe, which was supposedly made from Black Spirit energy, and simply took the attacks directly with my body.
The impact of the sword lights sent me flying.
My body hadn’t been sliced apart, but it hurt like hell.
It felt like half my ribs had shattered.
“Haa… Haa… Haa……”
I collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.
“Wow… That thing is only Mad Ghost grade? And I’m supposed to hunt things like that? Chicken Grandpa really was insane……”
I didn’t even have the strength to stand anymore.
Just like before my regression, it felt like I was going to die to the Asaekgwi.
Back then, at least I had gone to the afterlife.
But if I died inside the Ghost Domain, I would fall into the Infinite Dark Cave and my existence itself would disappear……
‘Should I just cancel the Ghost Domain? No. If I do that, everyone who was here in the living world will die.’
I had no idea what I was supposed to do.
“Taebaek-nim……?”
At that moment, I heard a woman’s voice.
