Chapter 7

Unlike the nights he spent attending to the Crown Prince, Dam Yun’s days were anything but peaceful. He constantly found himself arguing with General Tae whenever they met. Elder Bok even advised him to “grow some hair on his heart,” but Dam Yun thought so intensely about the problem that his head felt ready to burst.

In the end, he decided to split the soldiers into separate units before marching out. He carefully selected only those who had worn human faces while committing the most heinous acts.

“Do not break formation!”

On the barren plain outside the Sangok Fortress, battle erupted for the first time in half a month.

If they wished to survive, the soldiers had to maintain their battle formation. Yet without a single Moonstone from the Spirit Commander to shield them from the spirit fiends, their morale could hardly rise. Meanwhile, the spirit fiends, strengthened by the Evil Spirit, charged like an enraged swarm of hornets.

“Cover the left flank! Hold your ground! Do not retreat! Maintain formation!”

Mi Seol, serving as Dam Yun’s adjutant on this rare campaign, continued issuing commands.

Meanwhile, Dam Yun drew his bow to its fullest.

An arrow tipped with a whistling bone arrowhead carved from beast bone shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

Fweee!

It let out a strange shrill whistle, like the call of the Grim Reaper, before striking the very centre of the hellish horde.

The advancing spirit fiends faltered at once, as though cold water had been poured over them.

“…The Heavenly Ghost!”

Those who recognised the sound identified him before they even saw him, crying out in terror.

“Spirit fiend” was a collective term for every corrupted and malevolent supernatural being. Their origins differed greatly. Many had once been human, so although they had lost much of their former intelligence, they still retained enough wit to speak, learn, and scheme. Their killing instincts had only become more cunning.

The Heavenly Ghost.

No one knew whether ghosts or humans had first given Dam Yun that title, but rumours of the Heavenly Ghost had spread throughout the ranks of the spirit fiends, reaching even the distant shores of Garyeom Lake.

They claimed that Heavenly Ghost Dam So-sa was more terrifying than any demon.

That he chewed the skin from living spirit fiends.

That he ate rice from their skulls.

That anyone torn apart by Paegeuk would not leave behind even a speck of dust for a memorial spirit to receive.

Such absurd rumours spread because Dam Yun delighted in waging psychological warfare.

Before he even raised his spear, he would shatter the enemy’s courage and send them fleeing.

It had begun with something trivial.

Back before he ever wielded Paegeuk, there had been a day when terror robbed him of reason. Overcome by his fear of ghosts, he slaughtered an entire group of Soul-Devouring Ghosts⁷ without restraint.

Dam Yun returned drenched in rotten blood.

His silver hair could no longer be seen beneath the crimson gore. His entire body was soaked red. As he walked back into camp with only the whites of his eyes visible, every soldier and even the general who had sent him out alone fell silent.

At the time, Dam Yun’s refined appearance had made him the target of constant unwanted advances in the all-male military camp. No matter how thoroughly he beat those men senselessly, more always appeared after enough time had passed.

But after the day he returned covered in blood…

No one ever dared harass him again.

So this is even more useful than my fists.

Killing intent.

A fearsome aura.

Overwhelming pressure.

A blood-soaked crimson figure…

Dam Yun had realised something.

Soon, that revelation expanded into another idea.

Then… What if I used the same thing against spirit fiends?

Ghosts lived even closer to instinct than humans.

Their malice ran deep, but their memories were shallow.

All that was necessary was something simple…

Something unmistakable.

One appearance.

One sound.

Repeated over and over until it became instinct.

Before every battle, Dam Yun drenched himself in fresh animal blood and tied perforated bones beneath the Moonstone mounted below his spearhead.

As thousands of ghosts perished, he repeated the same ritual countless times.

Eventually, merely seeing a crimson silhouette on the horizon was enough to make ghosts howl in terror.

The strategy truly flourished after it caught Mok Jin’s attention.

One day, while meeting within the Dream Path, Dam Yun appeared exactly as he had looked on the battlefield. Though startled by the overwhelming stench of blood, the Crown Prince listened to the explanation before exclaiming in admiration,

“Indeed! So what you said before was right. Becoming even more frightening truly works.”

He was referring to something Dam Yun had said when Mok Jin had first asked him how one should fight ghosts after noticing how afraid of them he was.

“My apologies, Your Highness. I also attached bone whistles to the Paegeuk you recently bestowed upon me. When it cuts through the wind, it lets out a whistle. The spirit fiends burst into tears whenever they hear it. It’s quite entertaining.”

Thanks to Paegeuk’s illusion-dispelling power, Dam Yun no longer saw horrifying monsters.

Instead, every spirit fiend appeared merely as a mass of black shadows.

Watching those dark figures sob pitifully was truly a remarkable sight.

“You alone surpass a thousand ghosts. ‘Heavenly Ghost’ suits you perfectly. I use similar methods when taming wild beasts. This kind of intimidation is remarkably effective.”

Chuckling as he adjusted the silk ceremonial crown upon his head, Mok Jin encouraged the strategy even further.

He suggested attaching bone whistles not only to Paegeuk, but also to arrows. Instead of fresh blood, he recommended using red clay.

Only a few days later, wagons arrived at the military camp.

Dozens of crates filled with specially crafted whistling bone arrowheads were unloaded, along with large jars packed full of bright red clay and numerous other rare gifts bestowed by the Crown Prince.

Because of them, Dam Yun became even stronger…

…and far more cunning.

His fame spread throughout the realm as the Heavenly Ghost, a being more sinister than the ghosts themselves.

“It’s the Heavenly Ghost!”

“The Ghost-Slayer who annihilated a thousand spirit fiends with a single strike!”

And now at Mountain Gorge Fortress

Dam Yun once again proved worthy of his fearsome reputation.

Every sweep of Paegeuk’s blade through the sky reduced dozens of spirit fiends to drifting ash.

The mournful cries of ghosts echoed across the desolate land.

The blade of Paegeuk swept through the air and shattered the waist of a fleeing spirit fiend. Since it was one of the few with a physical body, the sensation of splintering bone travelled up through Dam Yun’s palm. But whether they possessed flesh or were formless made no difference to him. Every spirit fiend he cut down or pierced crumbled into ash and was purified in an instant. The stench of rotten blood stung his nose.

“Waaaah!”

The Extermination Corps watched in awe as Dam Yun single-handedly tore through an entire army of spirit fiends. Forgetting their shortage of Moonstones, their morale surged. Their battle formation became even tighter. The tide turned completely, and the spirit fiends were swiftly driven back into the dark caverns scattered throughout the barren wasteland.

Before they realised it, everyone had entered a vast, dimly lit cave.

The cavern was damp and humid. A narrow stream, as though it had flowed there all winter long, shimmered faintly as it trickled across the stone floor.

“Form a defensive line. Begin the Purification Ritual.⁴”

At Dam Yun’s command, purification rites began throughout the cavern. Their purpose was to eradicate every remaining spirit fiend—including those without physical form, like ghosts.

Crimson ritual lines were drawn across the ground.

Incense was lit.

The soldiers chanted softly in unison.

Its familiar, earthy fragrance gradually replaced the smell of blood.

Relief spread across every face.

It’s over.

We’ve won.

Silent joy rippled through the ranks.

Dam Yun lowered Paegeuk and surveyed the surroundings.

No one had died.

No one had suffered serious injuries.

For the first time in a long while, the soldiers smiled as they checked on one another’s safety.

It was only a brief moment of peace.

“I don’t understand…”

One soldier muttered absent-mindedly.

“Commander… no souls are being detected.”

“Huh…? It’s not working here either. The ritual isn’t responding!”

Bewildered voices rose from every direction.

“They’re all gone. We didn’t even do anything…”

Then…

The incense smoke rising throughout the cavern leaned in one direction.

Towards the depths of the cave despite there not being the slightest breeze.

Dam Yun slowly raised his head.

As the confusion settled, another sensation quietly emerged.

The drifting incense…

The gentle sound of flowing water…

Between them lay a silence that was unnaturally deep.

It wasn’t merely that the air wasn’t moving.

It felt as though even the very concept that there should have been the faintest breeze had been erased.

Beyond the cave entrance, the Southern Peaks stood suspended between winter and early spring.

Patches of unmelted ice still clung to the shadows.

It should have been an ordinary landscape.

Yet…

It felt impossibly far away.

The cave itself was too black.

The contrast between the world outside and this endless darkness tightened around his chest.

Without a single breath of wind, the incense smoke continued to drift deeper into the cave.

Suddenly, Dam Yun lowered his gaze.

From the moment they had entered, a small stream had quietly flowed through the cavern.

He stared at it.

The black current…

was flowing backwards.

…No.

Was that really water?

Since when did clear water flow with such thick, sticky sluggishness?

The incense smoke…

The strange, unidentified fluid…

Everything flowed in reverse, towards the depths of the cavern.

As though obeying an invisible pressure moving beneath the hidden underside of the world.

Hoooo…

Something…

deep within the cave…

was breathing.

With every slow inhalation, it drew all things towards itself.

“Commander…”

Mi Seol instinctively stepped back and grabbed Dam Yun’s wrist.

“…Ah.”

Dam Yun let out a quiet sigh.

His vacant gaze swept across the soldiers.

When…

When did every one of us enter this cave?

No one had ever ordered them inside.

Yet somehow…

One step at a time…

Without suspicion…

Without hesitation…

They had naturally wandered into the very centre of the cavern.

The entrance…

was now so very far away.

Hoooo…

Once again, the sound echoed from deep within.

The low groan of some enormous beast.

In rhythm with that breathing, what Dam Yun had mistaken for black water slowly pooled together.

Its surface rippled sluggishly like black oil, producing thick, sticky sounds.

As though something hidden inside the darkness were pressing its lips together…

…and slowly pulling them apart.

So…

You’ve been here the entire time.

The Evil Spirit had been waiting here from the very beginning.

The instant that hopeless realization struck countless eyes emerged from the darkness.

Too dim to be ordinary eyes.

Too sinister to be stars.

It was already far too late to order a retreat.

From within an immeasurable abyss where no shape could even be perceived…

Something black flared into existence.

The wandering souls that the Purification Ritual had failed to detect gathered behind the Evil Spirit.

The soldiers stood frozen, as though paralysed by a numbing poison.

A chorus of ghostly screams swept through the cavern.

Black…

Sticky…

Living shadows engulfed Dam Yun.

The nightmare had begun.

Footnotes 

1. “Grow some hair on your heart” (심근에 털이나 기르라) – A Korean idiom meaning to become tougher, thicker-skinned, or less soft-hearted.