27 – Jangsan Beom Hunting #3
New spear ghosts appeared between the trees.
The ghosts sometimes appeared on the mountain, and sometimes they appeared at the bottom of the hiking trail we passed.
“They keep coming!”
“It was a good idea to build a large stone tomb.”
They were spear ghosts that were eaten by Jangsanbeom.
The ghosts moved while letting out ecstatic laughter. Of course, we were not the target of the ghosts. The ghosts were sucked into the tiger gun filled with plums.
The number was greater than the ghosts I saw in the village yesterday.
It was a time when as many as twenty ghosts were sucked into the Hosikchong.
I found a pure white dot on the mountain.
It was a dark night, but it was a pure white dot that was visible to the eye. As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was. There was only one pure white thing visible from Chilryongsan Mountain.
“…That!”
“I saw it too.”
Sera was also looking in the same direction as me. A short silence followed between us.
Before I could even say the name of the ominous monster, a pure white dot began to move.
At first, it was so far away that it looked like a dot.
The pure white thing ran towards us at high speed in the blink of an eye. What looked like a dot suddenly grew in size and became a large shape. We, who were looking ahead while holding our swords, could not help but be embarrassed.
“Quick!”
The pure white thing was too fast. The speed was so fast that the naked eye couldn’t catch up with it, so even as the distance decreased, I couldn’t even see it properly. In a moment of exhalation, the pure white thing reached the halfway point of the mountain where we were.
It didn’t stop running.
It moved at incredible speed behind the densely sprouting trees. The whitish thing was circling around us like it was biting its tail. It was like a monster that could not be dealt with by human strength.
“Sera! Fire gun!”
“Yes!”
I quickly shouted to Sarah.
Now was the time to complete the Hosik gun.
That pure white monster could not be killed using normal methods. Because it has transcendental physical abilities, if you attack it, you will only become prey. But we knew how to weaken the pure white monster.
We quickly approached the stone tomb and took out a skewer and an iron skewer. The laughter of the ghosts was constantly echoing in the stone tomb. Sera placed a blanket over the stone tomb. I stuck an iron skewer into the hole of the steamer.
━━Quick!
It was the moment when the iron skewer was driven into it.
What was just a stone tomb was finally completed with a gun. The spell to seal the ghosts was completed. The siru symbolizes Cheolongseong Fortress, the hole in the siru symbolizes the sky, and the iron skewer symbolizes lightning. The moment everything was tied together, the ghosts were sealed inside the gun.
In an instant, the surroundings became quiet. The laughter of the ghosts echoing from the mountain suddenly stopped.
Namhong, who was trembling and reciting a prayer, looked at us.
“Guys! What, what happened?”
“I sealed the ghosts. You should keep praying. It’s not over yet.”
“Ah, I understand!”
Nam Hong recited the prayer again with a frightened expression. He succeeded in sealing the spear, but the hunt was not over yet. In order to hunt easily, it would have been better for Nam Hong to pray and remain still. Because the monster we were dealing with had the ability to deceive people.
I looked around and was able to immediately confirm the effectiveness of the gun.
The pure white monster that was targeting us in the dark slowed down. The pure white monster stopped running around dizzyingly.
Only then were we able to see the true form of the monster that had emerged from among the trees.
It was a night without a single wind blowing.
I saw a strange creature covered in dazzling white fur. It had the skeleton of a tiger, and its face was strangely distorted. Bright red eyes radiated light as if they were bloodshot. The wide-open mouth had countless teeth sticking out like thorns.
It was Jang Sanbeom.
Jangsan Beom growled lowly and then let out a roar full of murder towards us.
━━aaagh!!!!
It was a roar that sounded like a human scream. The strange crying sound changed every moment. It became thick like a middle-aged person’s voice, then became higher like a woman’s voice, and then became softer like an old man’s voice. When I listened to it, I felt like my head was going crazy.
“Pfft!”
“Don’t concentrate and listen!”
Jangsan Beom let out a roar and rushed towards us. Although it was slowed down because the ghosts were sealed, it was much faster than most people. Sarah and I quickly jumped to the side. Jangsanbeom’s front paw struck the spot where we passed.
━━Boom!
Jangsan Beom’s front paw was imprinted on the ground mixed with dirt and stones. The ground sank and a hole formed. The moment I saw the hole, I knew. If I got hit by even one paw of that monster, my body would be shattered.
Sarah laughed and opened her mouth.
“Didn’t you become weak because of the tiger gun?”
“It looks like the Jangsanbeom is in a weakened state. This means that even if it is weakened, it can bite and kill at least one person.”
“You said in the note that you could be dealt with by human power.”
“I think the standard for that person’s strength is a bit high!”
The standard for human strength that my father spoke of was higher than I thought. Jangsanbeom did not miss us and continued to run on all fours. However, we were not without a way to kill Jang Sanbeom.
“The chin is the vital point! Aim for the chin!”
Jang Sanbeom’s vital spot was his chin. If you stab the jaw where the ghosts reside, the Jangsan Beom will lose all its strength. We looked at the jaws of the charging Jangsan Beom. The Jangsan tiger kicked the ground hard with his back foot and jumped high.
We quickly backed away. The Jangsanbeom jumped high and tried to attack us. We narrowly distanced ourselves and grabbed our swords. The moment Jangsanbeom fell to the ground, Sarah and I swung our swords at Jangsanbeom’s jaw.
It was right then.
Jangsanbeom fell to the ground and twisted its hideous head. The swords we swung at the same time grazed Jangsan Beom’s fur. However, even Jangsan Beom, who twisted his head, could not attack safely. Jangsan Tiger’s front paw swung did not hit us.
Both attacks missed.
The pure white fur that had been cut off by the military knife fell to the floor. It was just a shame that it was hair and not chin. However, there was at least something that was learned through the attack.
“I think he’s avoiding hurting his jaw?”
“I guess you know it’s a critical point!”
I got a feeling.
Jangsan Beom was avoiding hurting his jaw. The moment we tried to aim for the chin, we reflexively made an excessive movement.
Wood! The sound of bones rang out, and Jangsan Beom’s twisted head returned to its original state. As the head turned, a gap was visible, albeit briefly.
I ran to Jang Sanbeom and swung my sword once again. Jangsan Beom lowered his head to avoid his sword. However, even if my attack missed, there was no risk of serious injury. Sarah, who was following behind, silently swung her sword at Jangsanbeom, who had his head down.
It was possible because Jang San-beom was nervously avoiding hurting his jaw. If Jang San-beom had risked the injury and rushed in, we would have had to change our strategy.
When I swung the sword, Sarah swung the sword again, and this was repeated. It was a series of dangerous knife cuts. Jang Sanbeom was always looking for an opportunity to bite us. It was hard to tell how long the fight had continued with his entire body soaked in sweat.
“Ha, ha…”
My breathing gradually became irregular and my stamina began to decline.
It was right then.
It was the moment when I, disheveled, looked at the white fur of the Jangsanbeom.
For some reason, the pure white fur felt very beautiful.
When I thought of unnecessary sentiments, my consciousness became blurred, as if I was falling asleep.
━━aaa!!
The Jangsan tiger lunged at me with his mouth open.
It was a very brief moment, but I ended up dreaming while standing.
*
Classroom.
I was sitting in a classroom at school, having been fighting a monster just a moment ago.
At first, it felt like it was real that I was in the classroom.
Fighting with a monster in the middle of the night felt more like a dream.
It felt like I had woken up from a fantastic dream.
[Everyone take your seats.]
The teacher came into the classroom and said. The students who were talking noisily around them sat down. I was sitting by the window and stared blankly at the classroom.
This was the high school I started attending not long ago. It’s only been a week since the new semester started. In the classroom, there was a mix of students I didn’t know well and students whose faces I was getting familiar with. Ayoung, who graduated from the same elementary school, was also seen.
[Stop talking and let’s go to class.]
Students wearing school uniforms sat down and began listening to class. I also felt a strange feeling while trying to open my textbook. For some reason, the seat next to me was empty. The person who should always be there was nowhere to be seen.
Sera was not there.
I raised my hand and spoke to the teacher.
[Teacher, there is no Sarah?]
[Sera? Who is that?]
[Don’t you know it’s strong? This is the girl sitting next to me.]
I said Sarah wasn’t there, but the teacher didn’t even know who it was.
Even the students in her class didn’t seem to know anything about Sarah.
[Strong Sera? Was there a kid like that in our class?]
[I don’t know either.]
Whispering voices rang out.
Only then did I realize that this was not reality. Everyone said they didn’t know the girl who was always hanging out with me. When I looked closely, I saw that Sarah was not the only one in the classroom. The seats where students were originally supposed to be were empty.
If it were a dream, it was possible.
Things seen in dreams were unstable. There were parts that were exaggerated or lacking compared to reality.
I spoke to the teacher and students.
[Ah, this was a dream.]
[A dream?]
[I was dreaming.]
Everyone in the classroom looked at me. Before I knew it, the teacher and students were looking at me with expressionless faces. It was time to wake up from this dream.
The way to escape from the dream was simple. I had to stimulate myself. If something very exciting happened, I would wake up from my dream.
[Growl!]
I got up from my seat and opened the classroom window.
If there was something to be very excited about, jumping out of the classroom was perfect. Teachers and students stood up from their seats.
I threw myself out the window before they could catch me.
It was a classroom on the 4th floor.
My body fell head first. The moment I opened my eyes and looked down, an exhilarating sensation rushed through my entire body. The solid concrete ground was approaching at high speed. I didn’t close my eyes until the end.
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[Boom!]
This was the moment my head hit the ground.
I woke up from a dream.
“Whoa…!”
When I came to my senses, the scenery I saw changed in an instant.
My body, which I thought was upside down, was standing straight on the ground.
It was reality.
A dark mountain landscape came into my field of vision. It was the mountain that had been fighting to the death with Jangsanbeom just moments ago. It was a very brief moment, but I dreamed while standing.
“Jinwoo!”
I heard Sarah’s voice calling me urgently from next to me. There was no doubt that this place was real. I looked ahead while holding my sword. I realized why Sarah was calling me so urgently.
━━aaa!!
The running tiger opened its mouth right in front of me.
I could see teeth sticking out like thorns.
It was the moment when Jangsanbeom was about to swallow my head.
I came to my senses and bowed down.
Jang Sanbeom’s mouth bit into the air.
I plunged the military sword that was in his hand into the jaw of the Jangsan tiger.
━━Quad!
The military knife penetrated between the jawbones and entered Jangsanbeom’s jaw.
Blood poured out from the jaw of the Jangsan tiger where his sword was deeply inserted.