Chapter 34: Inhwang Chasa Taebaek
“Hwayeong gave me a name. My name is Taebaek.”
The young man answered the Jade Emperor.
It was the name given to him by Hwayeong, the woman who had transformed him into a human.
When he first heard the name from her, he had liked it.
He could sense some mysterious power within it.
And he could feel the trust Hwayeong placed in him.
“Why Taebaek?”
“Hwayeong asked me to become a great mountain that would peacefully protect both the living world and the Underworld.”
“I see....”
At Taebaek’s answer, the Jade Emperor, Yeomra, and everyone else in the hall nodded and looked at him differently.
“Do you remember what you were before becoming human?”
The Jade Emperor’s expression became serious.
“I... remember.”
Taebaek paused.
“I was the Bulgasari of the Infinite Dark Cavern.”
The hall instantly erupted into murmurs.
The Infinite Dark Cavern had been discovered at the lowest level of Hell.
It was a mysterious space said to reduce even souls to nothingness.
And at its entrance had lived the grotesque monster known as Bulgasari, which had devoured one hundred thousand evil spirits.
The creature had been so terrifying that people feared it might destroy the entire Underworld.
For that reason, it had been sealed away together with the Infinite Dark Cavern.
No one in the hall could hide their shock after learning that the terrifying monster was the heroic-looking young man standing before them.
The Jade Emperor finally asked,
“Then... what do you intend to do about the Three Evils and the evil spirits currently throwing the Underworld into chaos?”
Everyone stared tensely at Taebaek.
“I will eliminate them.”
Taebaek’s voice did not shake.
“That is the promise Hwayeong and I made.”
Everyone relaxed.
“Thank you....”
The Jade Emperor rose from his throne.
“I summoned you here because I intend to bestow upon you the position of Inhwang Chasa.”
The hall immediately erupted in murmurs once again.
The Inhwang Chasa was the only existence with authority to personally judge and punish every criminal in Heaven and the living world, with the exception of the Jade Emperor and King Yeomra themselves.
No one had ever held the position before.
There had never been anyone powerful enough to perform its duties.
For the Jade Emperor to appoint Taebaek as Inhwang Chasa meant that he acknowledged Taebaek as someone without equal across both the living world and the Underworld.
The strongest beneath Heaven.
That was the meaning carried by the title Inhwang Chasa.
“Inhwang Chasa Taebaek, kneel.”
An old man standing beside the Jade Emperor stepped forward.
It was Jangryeong, commander of the Royal Guard Chasa.
Taebaek silently knelt.
The Jade Emperor and Lady Sunhwa stood before him.
“I bestow upon you the Supreme Spirit Command Tablet, granting you authority over the life and death of every Underworld Chasa. From this day onward, all Underworld Chasa shall obey your commands. Use this power for the peace of both the living world and the Underworld.”
The Jade Emperor handed Taebaek a round tablet.
Taebaek accepted it respectfully with both hands.
Lady Sunhwa took out a white band.
“I grant you the White Spirit Band, which weakens the evil power of evil spirits. The White Spirit Band shall be the sacred symbol of the Inhwang Chasa, and every evil spirit shall tremble with fear upon seeing it.”
She tied the white band around Taebaek’s forehead.
Then the Jade Emperor’s solemn voice echoed throughout the hall.
“Inhwang Chasa Taebaek! From this moment onward, you must devote all your strength to destroying the sinners of the living world and the Underworld, so that you may protect every innocent life in existence!”
Cheers erupted throughout the great hall.
Taebaek rose.
The sight of people celebrating around him felt unfamiliar.
Until becoming human, Taebaek had lived as the Bulgasari of the Infinite Dark Cavern.
Watching people rejoice like this felt strange.
Yet he did not dislike the feeling.
Instead, something warm and peaceful seemed to spread through his chest.
Behind the Heavenly Palace stood the Phoenix Palace, the residence of Lady Sunhwa.
Behind the Phoenix Palace was a beautiful flower garden known as the Peach Blossom Garden.
Unknown flowers from Heaven bloomed everywhere, filling the air with a gentle fragrance.
Two young girls sat among the flowers.
They looked so similar they could have been twins.
Both possessed white hair, white eyebrows, and snow-white skin.
With their blue feathered robes, they almost looked like transparent figures with nothing but black eyes visible.
“Baekhee, isn’t there anything fun to do?”
One of the girls spoke to the other.
“No... I like sitting here quietly. It makes me sleepy... and if I get sleepy, I can sleep.”
Baekhee rubbed her eyes.
“How can you always be sleeping? You’re so boring.”
“Then, Mija... do you hate sleeping?”
“Don’t call me Mija! I hate that name!”
“Then what should I call you?”
Mija tilted her head for a while.
“...Call me Mija.”
“Okay... yawn... then I’m going to sleep....”
The instant she finished speaking, Baekhee lay down among the flowers and fell asleep.
“What am I supposed to do by myself?”
Mija stood and looked around.
Her expression clearly said she was searching for something fun.
Unlike the quiet, sleepy Baekhee, Mija was so energetic that she seemed as though she would develop aches if she remained still for even a moment.
