Chapter 4 - Act 2. Wailing Dragon Demon (1)

Six years later.

Spring.

Much had changed at Gwisu Temple over those six turns of the seasons. Most of the Dokkaebi boys were nearing adulthood, and the breeding season that came once every ten years had brought another generation of little Dokkaebi into the world, brimming with vitality and reveling in the joy of birth.

One minor incident involved Yise, who had been exposed without protection to the Dokkaebi breeding season (also known as their rut) and spent some time in shock. Reflecting on it later, he said it had been more shocking than his first encounter with a Demon.

The boys around Yise's age had been too young to participate, but the Dokkaebi breeding festivities had awakened their sexuality. Whether they realized it or not, a subtle, instinctive desire began to color the way they looked at Gong-ah. Gong-ah herself, meanwhile, was too busy trailing after Yise.

"Gong-ah."

"Yes?"

"You're in the way."

"What? That's so mean! You're taking a break!"

"Resting properly is part of training. And my break's almost over."

Gong-ah shot him a glare and stepped away.

"You've grown a little, and now you think you can get cheeky with your big sister—"

Yise sprang to his feet. Training time and rest time had to be observed to the second. Finding herself having to look up to meet his eyes, Gong-ah clenched her teeth.

Yise had grown so much in six years. Humans might grow twice as fast as Dokkaebi, but even allowing for that... he was tall enough to pass for a grown man. And he was still a teenager, not even twenty yet.

No. Hold on.

... Considering how much he stuffed his face, perhaps it was only natural he'd grown this much? Sometimes she wondered whether he was a ravenous spirit or a Hungry Ghost.

Gong-ah tilted her head.

"You were so sweet and nice when you first came."

"Doesn't that just mean I'm more comfortable around you now?"

"Hmph. You've turned into such a smooth talker."

Yise answered her complaint with a light laugh. Gong-ah pounded his chest, telling him not to smile at her as though he were trying to win her over.

"Hey! Yise!"

Three Dokkaebi boys who had been stealing glances at Yise and Gong-ah from across the training grounds swaggered over.

The boys still envied Yise for monopolizing Gong-ah's affection, but in truth, they had grown fairly close. They had sparred countless times during Mongryeon's lessons. As the saying went, children became friends through fighting; after Yise had thrashed them several times in sparring, the once-cocky Dokkaebi boys had become somewhat more subdued.

Afterward, his teacher had assigned him to try playing games appropriate for his age, and joining their secret-base games had brought them closer still. Above all, six years was enough for even grudging attachment to turn into genuine affection. Their manner was still surly, but Yise could sense the friendship and goodwill beneath it.

Leading them was Gong Ilchwi, a one-horned Dokkaebi whose horn grew only on the left. He was the oldest of the boys. Perhaps because of his long-standing, unrequited crush on Gong-ah, he was fiercely competitive with Yise.

Behind him was Gong Woljang, whose single horn grew on the right. He was Gong Ilchwi's twin, and acted quite friendly with Yise whenever his older brother was absent. Bringing up the rear was Goegeol, whose horns had barely started growing—a curious, eccentric boy who loved following the older boys around.

At a meaningful glance from Gong Woljang, Goegeol waved Gong-ah away.

"Hey, Gong-ah. Go somewhere else."

"What? Why?"

"We're going to have a talk. Just us guys."

"What are you talking about? You're going to pester Yise again, aren't you?"

Seizing his chance, Yise chimed in.

"Gong-ah, you're just as much of a nuisance. Go on inside."

"..."

Gong-ah trudged back, grumbling with her lips thrust out in an enormous pout. Gong Ilchwi watched her go, plainly reluctant to see her leave, then shook his head and spoke.

"Gwaecheon went down to the village and came back. He says a low-grade Demon seems to have appeared nearby."

"What?"

Yise's head snapped up toward Gong Ilchwi. Demon sightings were among the things that interested him most.

"You're taking Daemudo's entrance exam this year, right? Why not get some Demon-hunting experience while you have the chance?"

"Come hunt it with us."

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

The three boys each added their piece, like singers taking turns in a round.

Dokkaebi were forbidden to practice the Demon-Exorcizing Arts before adulthood. Still, after nearly forty years spent doing nothing but training, it was only natural they were restless. It was particularly understandable for Dokkaebi, whose curiosity flared at even the slightest diversion.

"What kind of Demon?"

"Don't know the details. They said it makes the sound of a child crying. Maybe a Child Ghost?"

A Child Ghost. A Risk Level Nine Demon—the lowest of the low-grade Demons. In fact, even ordinary people unable to wield spiritual energy could hunt one with a little training.

"Any other information?"

"No."

"Then no."

His questions certainly hadn't meant he intended to join them. He was beginning to feel an acute need for actual combat experience, but he was concerned about defying the adults only to land himself in danger and trouble.

"Why? Scared?"

"You could say that. Don't do anything dangerous. You'll be adult Dokkaebi soon enough. You'll get sick of seeing Demons then, so why bother now?"

"Well, no matter how good you are with your fists, feet, and weapons, you're still human. I suppose you'd be scared. But Yise, we Dokkaebi can hunt low-grade Demons with our eyes closed, even as kids."

"Then keep your eyes open and hunt all you want once you're adults."

"You... coward. If you're that scared, we'll go without you."

"And if you do anything rash, I'll tell my teacher right away."

"Y-you dirty rat!"

The three boys stalked off, fuming. Funny how they were always so eager to give him a hard time, yet insisted on including him whenever they were about to get into trouble.

* * *

"Eat slowly, dear."

As always, Yise was wolfing down his food. Mealtimes meant nothing more or less to him than replenishing his nutrients. But he packed in as much as he could. His rule was to eat even one more grain for as long as there was room in his stomach.

The adult Dokkaebi praised his hearty appetite, saying it was a pleasure to watch him eat, but for Yise, this too was a form of training rather than enjoyment.

"Why do you always rush your meals like that? You'll give yourself indigestion."

Yise swallowed his mouthful and gulped down some water before answering.

"Thank you for worrying. I've never had indigestion, though."

"There's no getting through that stubborn head of yours. Dokkaebi are famous for being stubborn, but you're even worse."

"I'm sorry. By the way, where are the others?"

He hadn't planned it, but at some point the Dokkaebi boys had started sticking to him and eating with him. Finding their usual seats empty, he tilted his head.

"Gong-ah went to deliver packed meals to the sentries. I'm not sure about the others. Did they go with her?"

"They're not the sort to run errands without being told."

Yise scraped up the last of his mixed grains, tipped them into his mouth, and stood.

"Where's my teacher?"

"Didn't you know? Today's the regular territorial patrol."

"..."

An ominous premonition suddenly prickled down his spine. The regular territorial patrol. It was a routine undertaking in which most of Gwisu Temple's fighting forces accompanied Mongryeon on a sweep of the Dokkaebi's entire, vast territory. They traveled quite far, and the patrol continued through the predawn hours.

In other words... the perfect opportunity for the boys to cause trouble.

"Ma'am, could you send a message to my teacher? I'm afraid the boys may have gone out to do something reckless."

"What?"

Yise quickly explained what had happened that afternoon and rushed out of the kitchen. This felt wrong. The boys had caused trouble before, but only things like startling the adults, breaking supernatural artifacts while playing with them, or injuring each other while sparring. Nothing truly serious like this.

The Demon-Exorcizing Arts were dangerous. Even seasoned exorcists approached every Demon hunt one careful step at a time, their lives hanging in the balance. Yise could handle a Child Ghost alone, but was that the only Demon in the world that cried like a baby? He could name more than a dozen off the top of his head.

"Gwaecheon, sir!"

Yise raced to the central main hall as though flying and immediately questioned the man at the root of the problem.

"Did you tell the boys about a Child Ghost after you came back from the village today?"

"What on earth are you talking about? A Child Ghost?"

Just as he'd thought. The adults wouldn't deliberately blab about something that would excite the boys. Apparently, the boys had eavesdropped as Gwaecheon, the Dokkaebi on patrol duty at Gwisu Temple, relayed the village's report of a Demon sighting to his colleagues. They had then jumped to the mistaken conclusion that it was a Child Ghost.

"Damn it, those little brats... We need to find them right now."

The problem was that, with the regular patrol underway, only three combat Dokkaebi remained. How were three of them supposed to search this enormous plateau?

"I'll help."

Gwaecheon looked at him for a moment, then agreed as though he had little choice. He handed Yise a bunch of keys.

"Stop by the Treasure Hall before you cross the boundary and take some night flares. You've learned how to use them, haven't you? Signal us if you find the boys or the Demon. Don't try fighting recklessly."

"Yes, sir. May I take a few things to protect myself as well?"

Gwaecheon seemed to consider it for a moment before granting permission. There were some quite precious items in the Treasure Hall, but judging by what he'd seen of Yise's character, the boy wouldn't touch anything he didn't need.

"All right. I'll report it to the Head later. But only take things you know how to handle. There are plenty of dangerous objects in there."

"Understood."

As Gwaecheon darted away, Yise headed straight for the Treasure Hall. First, he tucked two signal flares inside his clothes. Then he hesitated before the medicinal pills in a golden wooden case at the very back of the hall.

These pills were said to be extraordinarily precious. Could he really take them on his own authority? After some deliberation, Yise tucked away both of the only two pills there.

Now for weapons and armor.

'What should I take...?'

He didn't even know what the enemy was. He had only one clue: a child's cry.

A dozen or so kinds of Demons came to mind. He eliminated the lowest-grade Demons from consideration. Those instinctively avoided Dokkaebi territory. Nine kinds remained.

He eliminated the Demons whose habitats were too far from here. Four kinds remained.

He ruled out the high-grade Demons. Against one of those, nothing he did would let him prevail—or even survive. In such a crisis, every Dokkaebi in Gwisu Temple except Mongryeon would be slaughtered. Before that could happen, though, Mongryeon would have gone out to smash the high-grade Demon to pieces the moment it appeared.

That left two mid-grade Demons. Either was a daunting enemy to face, but Yise decisively tucked five supernatural treasures inside his clothes. Fully prepared, he ran toward the red swamp at Gwisu Temple's outer boundary.

* * *

The three Dokkaebi boys—Goegeol, Gong Ilchwi, and Gong Woljang—nimbly raced along a mountain trail beneath the fading sunset. Their red eyes gleamed in the gathering gloom. They usually looked like innocent boys, but they were Dokkaebi Demons, after all. Insects and birds sensed their ominous presence and fluttered into the air wherever the three passed.

Gong Ilchwi's lips curled upward. He felt the exhilaration of becoming a tiger, the predator that ruled the mountain. His heart was pounding, too. His first Demon hunt.

Dokkaebi weren't called Demons that hunted Demons for nothing. The thought of the hunt set his blue blood boiling and his fighting spirit ablaze. He would kill the insolent low-grade Demon that had dared set foot near Dokkaebi territory, swallow its Demon core, and surpass Yise, his friend and rival. Yise was a good fellow, but losing a fight to a mere human had wounded Ilchwi more than he let on.

"Where is it, Ilchwi?"

But even after they had roamed for some time, there was still no sign of the Child Ghost. Searching the vast mountain range had nearly cooled the excitement that had kept them fidgeting. The sun was setting, too. By now, someone would be noticing their absence.

"I doubt we've got more than two to four hours. Let's look a little longer, then head back."

"Aw, it'd be such a shame to go back empty-handed."

The Dokkaebi boys smacked their lips in disappointment.

How much longer did they wander? Just as they were beginning to wonder whether they should give up, they finally heard the sound they'd been hoping for.

WAAAH! WAAAH!

A child's cry—a sound that had no place in the mountains at sundown.

"Get ready. Let's go."

Gong Ilchwi bared his teeth and tightened his grip on his spiked iron club. Then he kicked off toward the source of the sound. Any moment now, the Child Ghost would come into view, and his club would smash its skull and kill it.

'Nothing personal. Don't hold it against me.'

He pushed through the undergrowth into a clearing, revealing a crouching Demon.

'...?'

The instant the Demon rose, all three boys instinctively knew something was wrong.

SHLCK!

A grotesque sound of severing flesh.

Then came a scream of agony.