Chapter 4

Act 2. Aseong Yongma.

Six years later.

Spring.

Over the course of six changing seasons, many things had changed at Gwisu.

Most of the young Dogwi had grown close to adulthood, and with the breeding season that came once every ten years, a new generation of young Dogwi was born, bursting with vitality and celebrating the joy of new life.

Amid all this, Yise accidentally found himself exposed to the Dogwi tribe's breeding season (also known as their mating season) without any protection, leaving him traumatized for quite some time—a small incident that caused quite a stir.

When he later reflected on it, he admitted it had been even more shocking than the first time he had encountered a Demon.

Although the boys around Yise's age were too young to participate, the Dogwi tribe's breeding ceremony nevertheless awakened them to thoughts of the opposite sex, and before they realized it, their gazes toward Gong-ah carried a subtle instinctive desire.

As for Gong-ah herself, she was far too busy trailing after Yise wherever he went.

"Gong-ah."

"Hm?"

"You're in the way."

"What? That's so mean! I'm just resting!"

"Resting properly is part of training too. Besides, break time is almost over."

Pouting, Gong-ah reluctantly took a step away from him.

"Hmph. Just because you've grown a little taller, you're getting cheeky with your Older Sister—"

Yise immediately sprang to his feet.

Training time and break time had to be observed to the second.

As Gong-ah looked up at him, now tall enough that she had to tilt her head, she clenched her teeth in frustration.

Yise had grown tremendously over the past six years.

Humans matured twice as fast as Dogwi to begin with...

Even taking that into account, he was so tall and well-built that anyone would believe he was already a grown man.

Despite still being a teenager who had yet to reach adulthood.

No...

Then again...

...Considering how much he ate, perhaps this size was only natural.

Sometimes Gong-ah seriously wondered if he wasn't actually some kind of starving ghost or hungry spirit.

The thought made her tilt her head in bewilderment.

"You were so gentle when you first came here."

"Maybe that just means you've become comfortable around me."

"Tch. You've become way too sly."

Yise answered Gong-ah's complaint with a light laugh.

"Don't smile like you're trying to charm someone!"

She repeatedly punched him in the chest.

"Hey! Yise!"

Three young Dogwi who had been glancing over from the opposite side of the Training Ground swaggered toward them.

The boys still felt jealous that Gong-ah favored Yise over everyone else, but in truth they had become fairly close.

That was thanks to the countless sparring matches they had exchanged during Mongryeon's lessons.

Just as people said children became friends by fighting, the once-arrogant young Dogwi had calmed down considerably after Yise had beaten them soundly several times during sparring.

After that, following their teacher's assignment to spend more time playing with children their own age, Yise even joined in their Secret Base games, bringing them even closer.

Most importantly, six years was more than enough time to turn resentment into genuine friendship.

Their attitudes were still rough around the edges, but Yise could clearly feel the camaraderie and goodwill hidden beneath them.

The one in front, with a single horn growing from the left side of his head, was Ilchwi.

He was the oldest among the young Dogwi.

Perhaps because he had secretly loved Gong-ah for so long, he always treated Yise as his greatest rival.

Behind him stood Woljang, whose lone horn grew from the right side of his head.

He was Ilchwi's twin brother, and whenever his older twin wasn't around, he acted surprisingly friendly toward Yise.

The last one, whose horn had only partially grown, was Goegeol.

He was an eccentric and endlessly curious boy who loved tagging along behind his older brothers.

At Woljang's signal, Goegeol waved toward Gong-ah.

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

"What? Why?"

"We're about to have a conversation that's just for men."

"Oh please. You're just trying to bother Yise again, aren't you?"

Seizing the opportunity, Yise added a comment of his own.

"Gong-ah, you're just as much of a distraction, so why don't you head inside too?"

"..."

Her lips puffed out in an enormous pout as Gong-ah grumbled all the way back.

Watching her leave with obvious regret, Ilchwi shook his head before speaking.

"Brother Goecheon came back from the village. He said a low-rank Demon seems to have appeared nearby."

"What?"

Yise immediately raised his head.

The appearance of a Demon was one of the things that interested him most.

"I heard you're taking the entrance examination for the Great Martial Path this year, right? Why not use this chance to gain some Demon-hunting experience?"

"Come hunt it with us."

"It'll be fun, won't it?"

The three boys chimed in one after another as though singing in chorus.

Dogwi were forbidden from hunting Demons before reaching adulthood.

But after spending nearly forty years doing nothing but training, they were itching for some excitement.

Especially since the Dogwi were naturally curious about anything remotely interesting.

Yise could understand that much.

"What kind of Demon is it?"

"Not sure. I only heard it cries like a baby. Maybe it's a Child Ghost."

A Child Ghost.

One of the weakest low-rank Demons, classified as Rank Nine.

Ordinary people who couldn't even use spiritual energy could hunt one with enough training.

"Any other information?"

"No."

"Then no."

He had never intended to join them.

Lately he had been keenly aware of the need for real combat experience, but disobeying the adults and putting themselves in danger was another matter entirely.

"What, are you scared?"

"I suppose you could say that. Don't do anything reckless. You're all about to become adult Dogwi anyway. You'll have more than enough chances to hunt later."

"Well, even if you're amazing at hand-to-hand combat and weapon techniques, you're still human, so I guess it's natural to be scared. But listen, Yise. Dogwi can hunt low-rank Demons with our eyes closed from the time we're children."

"Then once you're adults, go catch as many as you like with your eyes open."

"Y-You coward! If you're too scared, we'll just go without you."

"If you act recklessly, I'll report everything to Master."

"Tch... You dirty rat!"

The three boys stormed off in frustration.

Strangely enough, they usually acted as though they wanted nothing more than to beat him up.

Yet whenever they were about to get themselves into trouble, they always tried to drag him along.

***

"Slow down while you eat."

As usual, Yise devoured his food with astonishing speed.

To him, mealtime was nothing more or less than replenishing nutrition.

That said, he always ate as much as physically possible.

As long as there was room left in his stomach, his rule was to squeeze in even one more grain of food.

The adult Dogwi always praised his healthy appetite, but even this was less a pleasure and more another form of training to Yise.

"Why do you always eat so fast? You're going to choke."

After swallowing another mouthful and washing it down with water, Yise replied,

"Thank you. I've never choked before."

"Honestly, you're so stubborn. Dogwi are famous for being stubborn, but you're even worse."

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

Without intending it, the young Dogwi had gradually made a habit of joining him for meals every day.

When he noticed their usual seats were empty, he tilted his head.

"Gong-ah went to deliver lunchboxes to the guards. As for the others... I'm not sure. Maybe they went with her?"

"They're not the type to volunteer for errands no one asked them to do."

Yise scraped every last grain from his bowl into his mouth before standing.

"Where is Master?"

"You didn't know? Today's the regular territory patrol."

"..."

A chill ran down Yise's spine.

The regular territory patrol.

A routine ceremony during which nearly all of Gwisu's fighting force left to inspect the vast territory under their protection.

The patrol reached far beyond their borders and continued throughout the night.

In other words...

It was the perfect opportunity for the young Dogwi to get themselves into trouble.

"Lady Chanmo, could you send a message to Master? I think the boys may have gone looking for trouble."

"What?"

After quickly explaining what had happened earlier that day, Yise rushed out of the kitchen.

This felt bad.

The young Dogwi often got into trouble, but it was usually harmless—scaring the adults, breaking cursed objects while playing, or injuring one another during sparring.

Nothing as serious as this.

Demon Hunting was dangerous.

Even veteran Demon Hunters risked their lives every single time they took another cautious step while hunting Demons.

If it truly was a Child Ghost, Yise could probably handle it alone.

But was that really the only Demon that cried like a baby?

He could list more than ten different kinds off the top of his head.

"Goecheon!"

Yise sprinted toward the Main Hall and immediately questioned the source of the problem.

"Did you tell the children about a Child Ghost after returning from the village today?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? A Child Ghost?"

Just as he thought.

There was no way the adults would deliberately tell the young Dogwi about something so exciting.

The truth was that Goecheon, who had been on village watch duty, had been reporting news of a Demon's appearance to the others, while the boys had secretly overheard the conversation and mistakenly concluded it was a Child Ghost.

"Damn those little brats... We need to find them immediately."

The problem was that today happened to be the territory patrol.

Only three battle-ready Dogwi remained behind.

How were just three of them supposed to search an area this vast?

"I'll help."

Goecheon looked at him for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

He tossed Yise a ring of keys.

"Stop by the Treasury before leaving the boundary and take a pair of luminous signal flares. You know how to use them, don't you? If you find the children or the Demon, fire one immediately. Under no circumstances are you to fight recklessly."

"Yes. May I also take a few items to protect myself?"

Goecheon hesitated briefly before giving permission.

The Treasury contained many valuable treasures.

However, knowing Yise's character after all these years, he trusted the boy not to touch anything unnecessary.

"Go ahead. I'll report it to the Chief later. But only take things you actually know how to use. There are plenty of dangerous items inside."

"Understood."

Watching Goecheon dash away at full speed, Yise immediately headed for the Treasury.

The first things he took were two signal flares.

Then he stopped before a golden box hidden deep within the Treasury.

Inside rested several precious medicinal pills.

They were incredibly valuable.

Was it really acceptable to take them without permission?

After a brief hesitation, Yise pocketed the only two pills inside.

Now came the weapons.

What should I bring...

He didn't even know what his enemy was.

There was only one clue.

The crying of a child.

More than ten different Demons came to mind.

First, he eliminated the weakest low-rank Demons.

Those creatures instinctively avoided Dogwi territory.

Nine species remained.

Next, he ruled out those that never inhabited this region.

Four remained.

Finally, he eliminated the high-rank Demons.

If it were a high-rank Demon, nothing he did would matter.

He couldn't defeat one.

He couldn't even survive one.

If such a monster had truly appeared, every Dogwi in Gwisu except Mongryeon would already be dead.

In fact, Mongryeon herself would have gone out and destroyed it the moment it appeared.

That left only two possible mid-rank Demons.

Even facing one would be terrifying.

Nevertheless, Yise boldly gathered five spiritual treasures from the Treasury.

After making every possible preparation, he ran toward the Crimson Marsh beyond Gwisu's outer boundary.

***

The three young Dogwi—Goegeol, Ilchwi, and Woljang—swiftly raced along a mountain path as the evening sun slowly sank below the horizon.

Within the growing darkness, their crimson eyes gleamed brilliantly.

Though they usually looked like carefree children, they were still, by nature, Dokkaebi Demons.

As the three Dogwi passed, insects and birds sensing their ominous aura scattered in panic.

Ilchwi curled the corner of his lips into a grin.

He felt as though he had become the true predator ruling these mountains.

His heart pounded with excitement.

His first Demon hunt.

The Dogwi were not called "Demons who hunt Demons" for nothing.

The prospect of the hunt made his blue blood boil with excitement and filled him with fighting spirit.

He would kill the arrogant low-rank Demon that had dared enter Dogwi territory, devour its Demon Core, and finally surpass Yise—his friend and rival.

Yise was a good guy.

But losing to a mere human in combat had wounded Ilchwi's pride more deeply than he cared to admit.

"Brother, where is it?"

Yet after searching for quite some time, there wasn't even a glimpse of the Child Ghost.

Their enthusiasm, once burning hot as they searched the vast mountains, was beginning to cool.

The sun was setting.

By now, someone had probably realized they were missing.

"We've only got another two to four hours at most. Let's search a little longer, then head back."

"Aw... it'd be a shame to leave empty-handed."

The young Dogwi clicked their tongues in disappointment.

How much longer had they wandered?

Just as they were beginning to think it was time to give up...

At last, they heard the sound they had been waiting for.

"Waaah...! Waaah...!"

The crying of a baby.

A sound that should never echo through the mountains at dusk.

"Get ready. Let's go."

Grinning broadly, Ilchwi tightened his grip around the Golden Iron Staff.

Then he charged toward the source of the sound.

Soon, the Child Ghost would reveal itself.

And its skull would be crushed beneath his Golden Iron Staff.

I bear you no ill will. Don't resent me.

They burst through the bushes into an open clearing where the crouching Demon came into view.

"...?"

The instant the Demon stood up, all three young Dogwi instinctively realized something was terribly wrong.

Slash—!

A grotesque sound of flesh being severed.

A heartbeat later came a scream filled with agony.