Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 36
Chapter 36. The Shaman King (1)
Ju Gangrim was left speechless by Yu Wolryeong’s remark, but he ultimately didn’t put down the blunderbuss.
“Let’s take a few of these and use them as a welcome greeting when we meet the Prince of Gangreung tomorrow. Would you like to try some too, Yu Wolryeong?”
“I have my own weapon.”
Yu Wolryeong patted the ‘Trust and Faith’ S&W Magnum holstered inside her coat as she spoke.
Right. She had that thing.
It was still hard to believe every time he saw it.
“By the way, have you thought about how to find out the Prince of Gangreung’s name?”
“Ah, of course.”
Ju Gangrim smiled enigmatically as he replied.
“We just need to meet the Prince of Gangreung. I’ve discussed that part with Ttaekachi. And we might have a new face joining us.”
***
The plan was simple:
- Ju Gangrim and his team move near the Prince of Gangreung’s base.
- Ttaekachi lures the Prince of Gangreung to a specific location.
- They storm in and beat the Prince of Gangreung to a pulp.
- Call the Prince of Gangreung’s name three times, and it’s over.
After hearing Ju Gangrim’s plan, Yu Wolryeong offered her candid opinion.
“Everything except step one seems problematic.”
“I expected such a harsh evaluation.”
“Let me ask three things. Do you think the Prince of Gangreung will come out as Ttaekachi says? Is the Prince of Gangreung as easy an opponent as you expect? How do you plan to find out the Prince of Gangreung’s name?”
“Ttaekachi only needs to lure out the Prince of Gangreung once. Whether it’s through lies or whatever, he just needs to get him out.”
The longer Ttaekachi stayed within the Gangreung faction, the higher the chance of double betrayal and the lower his usefulness became.
So it’s best to use him quickly and finish off the Prince of Gangreung as well. Ttaekachi can only truly be on our side once the Prince of Gangreung is dead.
“So we must finish the Prince of Gangreung on the spot. Since we’re certain the Prince of Gangreung is an immortal, as long as we’re sure it’s him, you can step in too, Yu Wolryeong.”
“I’ll grant you that. Then how do you plan to find out his name?”
“We’ll know once we storm his base.”
Ju Gangrim smiled, twisting his lips upward.
“I’ve already narrowed down the suspects with sufficient clues. He seems to have an obsession with his bloodline, so it should be easy to figure out. But we need to get close first.”
Vroom.
The car carrying Yu Wolryeong and Ju Gangrim stopped near Dongjak Station.
Although it was still 10 minutes before the appointed time, the other party had naturally arrived first and was waiting for Ju Gangrim.
“Ms. Han Mina!”
When Ju Gangrim waved, Han Mina turned her head.
She looked surprised to see the massive trailer parked by the roadside.
Ju Gangrim had brought the entire trailer lent by the informant. Despite her hesitation, she climbed into the back seat at Ju Gangrim’s gesture.
Yu Wolryeong glanced at Han Mina through the mirror but started the car without a word.
The trailer soon began crossing the Han River. The scenery along the Han River at sunset was beautiful, but the northern sky they were heading towards was strangely distorted.
Halfway across the bridge, Yu Wolryeong spoke up.
“Ms. Han Mina, since you don’t have a zombie hunter license yet, you’re accompanying us as an emergency medical technician. So please understand that you’re not allowed to carry weapons.”
“Ah, yes, yes! I understand!”
“But that’s only an issue in the lower town.”
Yu Wolryeong pulled out the ‘Trust and Faith’ revolver from inside her coat.
Whirl.
After spinning the gun lightly, she grasped the barrel and handed it to Han Mina. Han Mina took the gun with a dazed expression. Then her wrist momentarily dropped from its unexpected weight.
“In the upper town, there are no eyes to watch or people to point it out. It would be better if a situation doesn’t arise where you need to use this, but just in case, keep it with you.”
Ju Gangrim looked at Yu Wolryeong with surprise.
“I thought you were strict about rules.”
“If there’s a rule that says we have to enter an area crawling with zombies, let alone the stronghold of a gang boss with thousands of members, without a single weapon, it’s right to ignore it.”
That’s true.
Ju Gangrim worriedly watched Han Mina, wondering if she could handle the revolver’s weight and use it, but she was already making shooting gestures complete with “bang, bang” sound effects.
“…Is it lighter than it looks?”
“Ah, no. It’s heavy. But I’m stronger than I look.”
“I see. That’s unexpected.”
“Nurses have to do a lot of heavy lifting. When you’re moving drunk patients or elderly patients from bed to bed in the hospital, you naturally build up strength. There were times I wanted to shoot them.”
He thought it was a joke, but seeing Han Mina’s stance with the revolver, it didn’t seem like one. After practicing her shooting for a while, Han Mina suddenly spoke up.
“By the way, where are we going? I thought we were going to hunt zombies, but a gang boss?”
“Yes.”
Ju Gangrim answered.
“You don’t have much to do, Ms. Han Mina. Given who we’re dealing with, you’re just coming along in case of unforeseen circumstances. For now, just stay in the car, and if any of us get injured and come to you, please treat us.”
Ju Gangrim was worried about the unknown abilities the Prince of Gangreung might possess.
While it was certain that the Prince of Gangreung was immortal, it was unclear how much knowledge he had about spirit summoning or Taoist magic.
Although they hadn’t encountered any significant obstacles yet, like the Hundred-Year Boy or the afterlife, there was still much they didn’t know about this world, and consequently, much to prepare for.
In such circumstances, having Han Mina with her ability to heal souls nearby would be reassuring.
“But why are we going after a gang boss?”
“…”
Ju Gangrim briefly pondered where to begin his explanation. Certainly, Han Mina only knew him as a zombie hunter, and it was odd for a zombie hunter to go after a gang boss.
“He’s a very bad person. He spreads drugs, deliberately turns people into zombies, and kills people indiscriminately.”
“My goodness, why would he do such things?”
“It seems he was born with a rotten nature. But such evil deeds can’t last long. He’s made so many enemies that if it’s not me, someone else will kill him.”
Ju Gangrim quickly added an explanation, fearing Han Mina might say, “But still, killing someone…” However, he couldn’t prevent Han Mina from adding her thoughts.
“Then, couldn’t we gently persuade this gang boss that if he continues these evil deeds, he’ll eventually face serious consequences? Wouldn’t that make him stop his wrongdoings?”
Ju Gangrim was silent for a moment, then nodded.
“That might work.”
“Then why don’t we try that?”
“But if we quietly persuade him and he accidentally gets convinced, we’d have to let him live, right?”
“Huh? Uh… yes?”
“But we can’t do that. So let’s quickly storm in and kill him before he gets persuaded.”
“Eck, ugh, ah. I guess he must be killed.”
Han Mina muttered as if troubled. Ju Gangrim nodded firmly.
Ju Gangrim wanted to kill the immortal, not hold hands and live happily ever after.
“He’s done so many bad things, so he deserves whatever happens to him.”
“That’s true… but it’s not right to try to solve everything with violence.”
“Then what should we do?”
“How about we try to persuade him to take his own life?”
There was a nurse beside him making insane suggestions with a bright expression.
Ju Gangrim was about to not answer at all, but then thought it might not be a bad idea.
First, they could mutilate him to the brink of death, then make him say his name.
Then perform the soul-summoning ritual twice to make him want to die.
But by then, he’d want to die but be unable to.
Naturally, he would come to regret being immortal.
Then, the only way to salvation would be through Ju Gangrim.
Thinking of an immortal begging him to kill them, Ju Gangrim felt slightly better.
“Hmm, indeed. Such an end might be fitting.”
“Right? I heard that in some religions, if you commit suicide, you can’t be forgiven and go to hell. Then maybe that person could fall into hell and have a long time to reflect on his wrongdoings.”
She was saying terrifying things with a bright expression.
“If not that, we could break his lumbar vertebrae and insert steel rods. I’ve seen a few patients who became quadriplegic from motorcycle accidents, so I know exactly where to break to leave them only able to blink for the rest of their lives. Inserting steel rods makes it certain.”
“…Nurse Han Mina, you’re scarier than I thought.”
“It’s just something I think about sometimes while nursing patients.”
Just how extreme of a job is hospital work? Even a zombie hunter would find it hard to come up with such ideas.
But they couldn’t do as she suggested. Ju Gangrim’s goal was to clean up immortals, not torment them.
“I’m sorry, but persuasion seems difficult. We have no choice but to kill him.”
“Ah… if that’s the case, it can’t be helped.”
Is that all?
Han Mina accepted it surprisingly easily. It seems her suggestion to persuade was really just offering an opinion.
Ju Gangrim felt the urge to question her further, precisely because she accepted it so easily.
If he wanted to keep her by his side, he needed to know how much she would accept and how far she would allow.
“Are you okay with me killing the Prince of Gangreung?”
“Is that gang boss’s name the Prince of Gangreung? It’s not that I don’t care, but…”
Han Mina thought for a moment before speaking.
“I think it’s better to save moral and salvageable people rather than waste effort trying to save immoral and irredeemable ones. If the world were a bit more peaceful and I had more leisure, I might have tried to persuade you, Ju Gangrim.”
The Prince of Gangreung was doomed to die because the world was harsh and Han Mina had no time to spare. The Prince of Gangreung could blame the world that made Han Mina this way.
And since the Prince of Gangreung had a hand in creating such a world, he no longer had the right to blame it again.
Then Han Mina, eyes sparkling as she held the revolver, added:
“If killing the Prince of Gangreung quickly can save more people faster, then we should kill him quickly. Come on, let’s go save the world!”
“I told you she didn’t seem normal,” Yu Wolryeong muttered.
***
Screech. The car stopped near a place where countless piles of scrapped cars were stacked.
South of Sungnyemun Gate.
An enormous pile of scrapped cars formed a fortress there.
Beyond this fortress, zombies were swarming. They had run over quite a few zombies on their way here, but from this point on, it was a different level.
“We have to walk from here.”
This was as far as a car could go in Gangbuk.
The road along the Han River was kept clear for the movement of zombie hunters and the military, but from here on, it was an area directly affected by the North Han Mountain Gate.
Beyond this point, they couldn’t drive due to the countless scrapped cars and debris.
“It’s about a 10-minute walk from here, but Han Mina, you stay in the car.”
“What? Alone?”
“I’ll make sure there’s no problem.”
Yu Wolryeong muttered something and stuck what looked like a talisman on the trailer.
The trailer instantly corroded, transforming into what looked like an old scrapped car. The inside of the windows became opaque, completely obscuring the view.
“It’s a simple camouflage spell. It mimics the surroundings, but you can see clearly from the inside.”
“Is it okay to use ‘spell’ and ‘camouflage’ in the same sentence?”
“The car itself is sturdy, so unless Han Mina deliberately opens the door and comes out, nothing should happen. Use the Magnum if needed, and if it’s really urgent, there are plenty of weapons in the trailer you can use.”
Yu Wolryeong spoke as if to say, ‘If anything happens, it’s your fault, so remember that.’
She still seemed displeased about involving Han Mina, who was close to being a civilian.
Ju Gangrim turned to look at Han Mina. She nodded resolutely.
“Don’t worry. I’ll hide tight as instructed so you don’t have to worry about me.”
“…Please do.”
Han Mina wasn’t a civilian to be protected, but a potential comrade. She needed to take responsibility for her own safety to some extent.
If she was to work as a zombie hunter rather than a nurse in the future, she had to accept some level of risk.
If she couldn’t even look after herself, Han Mina wouldn’t survive long anyway.
“I survived while taking care of patients in the hospital. Don’t worry.”
“You know how to preserve your life, right? Then, I’ll see you shortly.”
But to make Han Mina part of the team, he needed to let her shine.
‘To do that, I might have to allow for a bit of danger.’
Before moving forward to hunt the Prince of Gangreung, Ju Gangrim checked his spirit phone one more time to confirm the mission details. A mission with an ominous title had arrived early in the morning.
「Mission: Kill the Boss」
「Objective: Capture the Prince of Gangreung」
「Reward 1: Death-Summoning Sword Enhancement Ticket (1 use)」
「Reward 2: Guaranteed Minimum Luxury Grade ‘Today’s Fortune’」
‘This is the first proper encounter with an immortal, but the rewards seem quite generous.’
A Death-Summoning Sword enhancement ticket and a guaranteed luxury grade fortune ticket, no less.
Ju Gangrim resolved to take the Prince of Gangreung’s life no matter what tear-jerking story or history he might have.