< 78. Hell of Distrust (6) >
The feeling of flesh and bone being torn apart.
This was the sentiment Min-jun felt when considering the 180,000 dalant that had vanished.
'Oh no. This guy is seriously pissed off.'
Jenkinson noticed the unusually fierce energy in Min-jun's eyes. It was not surprising. The obsession of the inmates with dalant was natural.
Meanwhile, Ha-eun-seong, who was bearing the full brunt of Min-jun's murderous intent, thought in fear.
'Is this agent always this terrifying?!'
Of course, he had never thought of his opponent as an easy target, even when he was in spirit form. Not even for a moment.
However, facing Min-jun as a dragon, and especially under the influence of his anger, Ha-eun-seong felt an overwhelming sense of fear. It was like being thrown out as prey in front of a predator.
Though it might not be the case, he had a premonition that if the agent wanted, he could be turned into a mere pile of flesh and bone in an instant.
That premonition was quite accurate.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
Aaaah!
Min-jun's expression was as cold as ice. The spirits gathering behind him were writhing and screaming. There were many spirits of subordinates who had been killed by Cheongcheon and couldn't leave the lair. They were enough to restrain a spirit completely.
=Hold on, Min-jun.=
The Great Dragon suggested.
=How about we get the spirit out of the body first? Once separated from the physical form, it might show something else.=
Although the possibility was slim, it was worth a try.
Jenkinson's suggestion seemed to be influenced by his sense of responsibility as a Great Dragon.
=I can't see the soul, so I can't say. Min-jun, can you see? Has the dragon's soul, which originally belonged to that body, recovered to some extent?=
Jenkinson wanted to check the state of the nameless dragon that Ha-eun-seong had borrowed.
Min-jun responded with an irritable tone.
"It's definitely much better. Compared to when it was first rescued, it's a world of difference."
When two souls inhabit a single body, Min-jun sees them overlapping. The combined magical power of the two souls had noticeably increased, so it was clear that the nameless dragon had regained its strength.
'There's no reason for Ha-eun-seong's soul, which was just watching TV and eating, to suddenly become stronger.'
The Great Dragon then asked the spirit.
=Is he still asleep?=
The spirit, glancing at Min-jun, answered in a hesitant manner.
=Yes. I've called out several times, but there's been no response. Not once.=
The dragon tilted its head.
=That's strange. If the magical power had recovered, it should be following the process of awakening.=
"There might be something preventing him from fully waking up due to the presence of another soul in his body. He'll come to his senses once he comes out. Hey, come on out. Let's talk."
The spirits, not wanting to be seen as escaping even in their spirit forms, struggled behind.
=Yes...=
Ha-eun-seong emerged, feeling tense. He worried about a repeat of the incident from Jiseong-gyeong where he got trapped in his body, but it was unfounded. The dragon's body released the human spirit without much resistance.
Thud!
The fattened dragon collapsed on the floor. The Great Dragon sighed in telepathy once more. The sight of the dragon sprawled out and covered in fat was even more blatant than before.
=Well then, shall we wake up this poor fellow? Hey, wake up. It's time to go home. Tell me your name and the dimension you come from.=
The Great Dragon started using magic to help the nameless dragon wake up, so it was a bit late in noticing Min-jun's reaction. Ha-eun-seong, having returned to his spirit form after a long time, took a moment to notice the agent's expression.
"······!"
Min-jun's eyes locked onto the spirit's. Ha-eun-seong shrank back, fearing he had done something wrong again.
=Why... are you looking at me like that?=
The expression of surprise was different from earlier. A few seconds ago, Min-jun had looked like he was about to slice him up while alive, but now the expression was full of bewilderment as if he was seeing something impossible.
"Hey... you!"
Min-jun asked, even with a slightly trembling voice.
"Can't you feel something strange? Don't you realize you've changed?"
=?!=
Ha-eun-seong was confused. The sight of himself in spirit form appeared unchanged. The penguin costume and the fish knife around his neck were still there.
But.
"What on earth did you do in there to make the magical power increase so much?"
=Magical power?=
Ha-eun-seong realized that the difference Min-jun was referring to was not external but internal.
The spirit form was like a non-physical body that contained the soul. The spirit realized that the source filling him had become significantly heavier.
=Huh? Why is this happening?=
Min-jun stared at Ha-eun-seong's soul, or more precisely, the surging magical power within it, with disbelief.
"With that level, I'd believe it's the soul of a dragon, not a human..."
=W-What? What do you mean?!=
Min-jun couldn't finish his sentence. Jenkinson, writhing anxiously, shot a mental beam at the young dragon.
=What's happening here?! Why is this...! Min-jun! This person's vital signs are deteriorating rapidly!=
Min-jun turned his head and looked at the collapsed dragon, understanding how the situation was unfolding.
Oh no!
The agent alternated his gaze between the dragon and Ha-eun-seong's soul.
Whoosh! Whoosh! His head turned rapidly.
"You..."
A voice like the wind escaped.
"Did you eat it?"
=Huh?=
=Min-jun, what are you talking about?!=
Min-jun felt a headache coming on.
"I was wondering where the 180,000 dalant went."
In a state where two souls overlapped, magical power couldn't be distinguished. It was like trying to classify light from two bulbs close together by the light source.
So, Min-jun had naturally assumed it was part of the dragon's recovery process.
But in reality, it was the opposite.
The dragon was in the same condition as when rescued, but surprisingly, it was only the human spirit's magical power that had skyrocketed.
"So, Ha-eun-seong couldn't come to his senses because he was..."
The cause of the situation was also apparent. Min-jun recalled what Cheongcheon had said.
Dalant can interfere with the soul in various ways. It can extract a soul from a living body or insert it into another body. It can fuse or separate different souls, and even annihilate a soul completely, or weaken it slightly to cause the soul to collapse and divide.
"So this might be considered a kind of fusion? Siphoning magical power from another soul..."
Jenkinson, who could only hear Min-jun's voice, realized the truth of the situation a beat too late.
And he was horrified.
=So that spirit not only ate human food in the dragon's body but also absorbed dragon magical power?!=
Ha-eun-seong, now enraging both the agent and the dragon, trembled in confusion.
=I'm... innocent! I swear I didn't do anything!=
Min-jun was able to reconstruct what had happened inside that obese dragon's body.
When released from Cheongcheon's magic circle, the nameless dragon's soul would have started to recover. Very slowly. But before the recovered magical power could settle properly, Ha-eun-seong absorbed it entirely.
The secret was undoubtedly the dalant.
'It's similar to the phenomenon where one twin absorbs the other in the same womb... though at least it didn't get completely consumed.'
Min-jun spoke to Ha-eun-seong in a cold voice.
"The dalant itself has no free will. So it must have acted according to your will. What were you thinking for a whole month? Were you hoping to slowly extinguish that dragon's soul while watching TV and living comfortably?"
Grrrr!
In response to Min-jun's words, the dragon's aura spread everywhere.
"Thanks to you, the soul's rank has risen tremendously. Was that your goal? Did you want to become like a dragon?"
=Of course not! I don't want to be like a dragon...=
Ha-eun-seong tried to argue against being like a dragon but barely managed to cut off the mental transmission.
It was because of the Great Dragon's glaring expression, which seemed like it wanted to bite him if possible.
Though the Great Dragon couldn't hear the spirit's voice, Min-jun could relay it.
"Then what's this situation?"
=Th-That!=
At that moment, a thought came to Ha-eun-seong's mind.
=Could it be?!=
"What is it!"
The spirit murmured internally, 'We're screwed! Could it be that?'
Facing the agent glaring like Yama, the King of the Underworld, the spirit dared not lie and confessed the truth.
Not knowing how far Min-jun's abilities extended, the spirit feared that its falsehoods might be exposed.
The man who could kill the Great Dragon and manipulate spirits could certainly harass a single ghost. Unless one was prepared to remain hidden in the void outside the atmosphere, making that agent angry was not an option.
=I had been dreaming the same dream frequently while in that old man's body.=
Further listening revealed that "frequently" actually meant almost daily similar dreams.
What was this about?
"You dreamed about eating every day?"
=Yes...=
After listening to the full account, Min-jun speculated:
It was understandable that the three basic desires lost in death would revive the moment Ha-eun-seong possessed another body and that this would also affect his soul.
As his body began to feel 'hunger,' that sensation seeped into his soul. Thanks to the extraordinary cooking of the frying pan, the desire to eat something was projected even into his dreams. Perhaps his subconscious mind was projected into the chaos of that confusion.
'Spirits don't dream. Spirits can't eat anything. That's how it should be. But if that spirit is residing in a body and the "food" to be absorbed was intriguingly close...'
Though it was a leap to assume it was because of the frying pan, the subconscious that made him dream might have stimulated the dalant. Not as intensely as when destroying Jiseong-gyeong, but very slowly... seeping in.
So subtly that he might not even notice it.
=This is dangerous! Min-jun, tell the spirit to return to the dragon's body right away!=
Min-jun conveyed this, and Ha-eun-seong complied.
Now understanding the full story, Min-jun coldly addressed the spirit in the obese dragon's body.
"Though it was unintentional, like stealing the dalant, it was unintentional this time as well, but you used up the dalant. I won't mention the unavoidable 100,000 dalant used before. But this additional 180,000..."
The word was chilling.
Very.
Min-jun spoke softly.
"How are you going to make amends?"
Of course, Min-jun also bore some fault for allowing Ha-eun-seong to stay in the dragon's body for a month. However, he wouldn't bring it up here.
Ha-eun-seong hesitated.
=Sh-should I... pay it back? But how...=
Min-jun was not the kind of person to just laugh off an accident and let it go.
Nor did he have any intention of seeking meaningless revenge driven by anger, as it wouldn't restore the vanished dalant.
So, he responded:
"You should. If you have no money, pay it back with your body... No, you'll need to return that body, so pay it back with your soul. 180,000 dalant."
=Huh?!=
Thus, following the Great Dragon, another victim fell into the hell of debt presided over by the meticulous creditor Min-jun.
This time, it was a ghost.
Ha-eun-seong continued to reside in the basement, possessed by the dragon. The dragon's soul had not fully recovered, resulting in almost no resistance from the body, and with no dalant, there was no longer concern about one side being drained.
Min-jun had threatened him to stay closely bound to the body rather than wandering around in spirit form. This was to prevent him from being lured by dalant and absorbing it again while roaming, as happened before.
Woo-ooh!
'Hmm, it's not easy after all.'
Lately, Min-jun had been engrossed in various experiments using dalants.
He still hadn't found a way to transfer 720,000 dalants into an account without gift tax. He was researching how to use this money to recover lost memories. Fortunately, his past was gradually coming back to him.
Since it was still the early stages, he was approaching the task by minimizing dalant consumption, which meant progress was slow.
=Min-jun, are you free for a moment?=
While deeply focused on his work, Jenkins contacted him via magical communication. Min-jun, guessing the purpose of the call, responded immediately.
"There's no sign of recovery yet. It seems we'll need to wait a bit longer."
=No, it's not about the dragon.=
"Then?"
The dragon shared recent information. It was about how the Dreamland Grand Synod had demanded the delivery of an alien corpse to the Earth diocese and what happened afterward.
Min-jun was taken aback upon hearing the details.
"Yohaim ran off with the corpse of the Grand Archbishop?!"
He recalled the last time he had seen him: the clergyman sitting down with the head of his adoptive father clutched tightly in his arms.
"So he fled with the head because he didn't want to return it?"
=I can't guess his motives either. In any case, the enraged Grand Synod—that is, the 'Ecumenical Council'—has excommunicated Yohaim Steinmeier and declared him a heretic. They've also demanded his extradition from the German government on charges of corpse theft. But...=
"Of course they refused."
=Exactly. Since it's a dimension that's been diplomatically isolated for a long time, there's no extradition treaty with Earth.=
"So how did those three-eyed ones come into play? Did they request mediation from the Council?"
=Everyone expected that, but it was incorrect. Instead of involving the Council, that race seems to be handling the matter directly. They've notified the German government that they will be dispatching a heresy judge to Earth in a few days. Since there are no disqualifying factors, a temporary stay permit will be issued.=
The reason Jenkins contacted Min-jun was because of these visitors.
=If they track Yohaim's whereabouts, they will find out he visited Korea in the past. If the heresy judges come looking for you...=
Jenkins was not contacting Min-jun out of concern for him.
=...Please don't kill them recklessly. It could become a diplomatic issue. Even if they display behavior that annoys you, please contact me first. I'll handle everything.=
"Alright. That's not a problem."
After ending the communication, Min-jun fell into thought.
'The natives from dimension #77-102 are coming out of their home? The Council won't miss the opportunity.'
Although the mission was now terminated, the Council had once placed a 610,000 dalant bounty for internal information. If those residents were wandering outside, they wouldn't miss a chance for contact.
'Given this, the Council's regular staff might get directly involved instead of leaving it to irregulars like prisoners.'
In other words, the Council's full-time staff could come to Earth.
'That's not good. Especially in the current situation.'
However, Min-jun's predictions and concerns turned out to be off in several ways.
A few days later, he received a message from the Council.
This time, it was delivered directly into his mind.
Special mission notice for all prisoners dispatched to dimension #22-189 (Extreme Zone Class 4). Please review the details and take action.
'What now?'
Dimension #22-189 was the Council's designation for the dimension Earth was in. Min-jun opened the message with a strange premonition and immediately widened his eyes.
((Confidential)) Special mission for prisoners dispatched to dimension #22-189. Secure and provide the body of the #22-189 diocese Grand Archbishop of the 'Elahu-Praga' sect to the Council. Reward: 400,000 dalants.
'What's this?!'
The bounty for Theo Christiansen, who had killed prisoners and attacked the terminal, was 100,000 dalants.
Yet this task of retrieving a single corpse was worth 400,000!
Min-jun's heart raced as he read the next line of instructions.
Instructions: Ensure the head of the corpse remains undamaged and intact. Note that payment will not be made if the head is missing.
Min-jun's thoughts deepened.
A heretical priest who rejected the Council's orders and fled. Heresy judges chasing after him. And the Council manipulating prisoners to intervene.
Their collective interest... is the 'severed head' of the Grand Archbishop.
'There's definitely something going on!'
But he could delve into the details after receiving the dalants.
This mission was distributed to all prisoners on Earth at the current time. Since such an apparently easy task had a reward of 400,000, they would surely abandon all other matters and rush into it with fierce determination.
Min-jun immediately called Cash.
"Hey, it's me. Stop everything you're doing and pack up right away. Come pick me up. It's been a while since I had an overseas business trip!"
< 78. 불신지옥 (6) > End