Immortals vs. Grim Reapers - chapter 43
Chapter 43. The Hunting Dogs (1)
If an ordinary person were keeping eight dogs in an apartment, they’d be suspected of animal hoarding.
But the owner of these dogs was an awakened one with the ability to enter and exit the minds of beasts.
None of the dogs looked dirty or unhealthy.
Taking care of eight dogs in exchange for turning a powerful awakened one’s soul into a beast and enslaving it for life.
At first glance, it might seem like an unbalanced condition, but none of them took this fact lightly.
“Eek, eight dogs…”
“Raising dogs isn’t something that can be done with ordinary responsibility. Eight dogs require eight times the responsibility.”
Ju Gangrim said solemnly.
Ttaekachi, perched on the apartment window sill, cawed, and Yu Wolryeong nodded as well.
“The most important issue is walking them. Should we do all eight at once, or divide them by size and breed…”
“Let’s think about that slowly and first move the dogs to the hotel. The Prince of Gangreung might send someone, or neighbors might report suspicious people.”
Ju Gangrim agreed and tried to leash the dogs. But the dogs, excited to see people after a long time, started causing a commotion.
Some dogs jumped up and down thinking it was time for a walk when they saw the leashes, while others barked and avoided the unfamiliar Ju Gangrim.
Ju Gangrim had no choice but to draw out the Death-Summoning Sword. It was to use Ttaekachi’s ability.
Caw.
However, before Ju Gangrim could use Ttaekachi’s ability, Ttaekachi cried out first.
At that, the dogs sat down right where they were.
Their tails were still wagging fiercely like propellers, but they obediently complied as if receiving their owner’s order.
Ttaekachi had voluntarily exerted her ability.
Ju Gangrim was finally able to leash the now docile dogs.
“Let’s go.”
“Like that?”
Yu Wolryeong said doubtfully, looking at Ju Gangrim clutching eight leashes.
To control eight dogs on a walk, you’d need eight hands.
But Ju Gangrim, with only two hands, soon began twisting and contorting his whole body as if he had eight arms.
Just when he felt he was struggling more than when facing the Prince of Gangreung, Yu Wolryeong and Han Mina, unable to watch anymore, took some of the leashes, finally allowing them to control the situation.
The trailer was spacious enough to accommodate eight dogs.
Of course, Ju Gangrim also rode in the trailer for safety.
The trailer drove back to Samdo Hotel, moving at a public nuisance speed of less than 30 km/h. During this process, not a single dog was injured or upset.
***
After sending Han Mina home, when Ju Gangrim returned to his hotel room, he saw staff members moving all his belongings at once.
As Ju Gangrim looked at the staff in confusion, Yu Wolryeong said,
“We’ve upgraded the hotel room. You can’t keep eight dogs in that small room.”
He hadn’t thought he’d get a room upgrade thanks to the dogs, but Ju Gangrim was relieved.
One of his biggest concerns had been living space.
The new room Yu Wolryeong guided him to was a suite about three times the size of his previous room.
“Is this the largest room?”
“No. There’s the Pacific Suite after this, then the Royal Suite, and after that, the Endless Hell Suite.”
“…Endless Hell?”
“Yeomna named it, meaning the seats of hell are very wide and deep. I heard it’s a reserved seat for immortals.”
Is it a joke? It must be a joke.
He thought it might be a joke only among death messengers, but Yu Wolryeong said it with such a serious expression that it was hard to be sure.
Anyway, the assigned suite had two rooms plus a living room, so it was quite spacious with a nice view.
It was even larger than the house Ttaekachi had lived in, so as soon as they entered, the dogs busily moved around, sniffing and looking for a place to use as a bathroom.
“Death Messenger Yu Wolryeong, we’ve moved all the luggage.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“We’ve also selected volunteers from the staff to walk the dogs. Everyone seemed enthusiastic. There’s a park nearby that should be suitable.”
Death Messenger?
Ju Gangrim looked at the staff member in surprise. The staff member calmly bowed to Ju Gangrim and left.
“Wait, didn’t he just call you Death Messenger Yu Wolryeong?”
“Yes. They know about us. Though not about the regression.”
“Are they also death messengers or something like that?”
“No. They’re people with a somewhat… unofficial contract with the afterlife. They’re ordinary civilians living normal lives with families. They just happen to know about us.”
“Is that okay?”
“There are strict confidentiality agreements in place, but yes. They won’t betray us. All the Samdo Hotel staff are trustworthy people.”
Yu Wolryeong spoke with absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubt.
Ju Gangrim was at a loss for words when she made such a definitive statement, especially considering how skeptically she had spoken about Han Mina and Ttaekachi.
Are they brainwashed or something?
But not only was it unimaginable for Yu Wolryeong to use such methods, Ju Gangrim couldn’t detect any unnaturalness in the staff’s speech or behavior.
There was an impression that they were exceptionally neat, quick, and accurate compared to other hotels.
Though he hadn’t experienced much, it was far superior to even the highest-class hotels he had visited with VIPs. For a job known for high turnover rates, their skills seemed remarkably proficient.
“Even if the army were to storm this hotel, the staff would fight to the death.”
“What kind of high salary are they getting to go that far?”
“It’s only slightly above average for this job sector. But if you think about it simply, it’s natural.”
Yu Wolryeong spoke as if it were obvious.
Only then did Ju Gangrim realize how much knowing about the existence of death messengers alone could change the lives of ordinary people.
The afterlife exists, and beyond that, there are beings who judge the errors of one’s life and give rewards and punishments?
That itself is a source of fear for some people, and salvation for others.
Ju Gangrim had only thought he had ‘seized an opportunity’ out of revenge against immortals, without deeply considering its meaning.
In reality, even Yeomna and Yu Wolryeong just spoke and acted like ordinary colleagues.
But for ordinary people, its meaning was different. Especially for those like them who were certain of the afterlife’s existence.
“They’re people who have died once, right?”
Yu Wolryeong nodded.
“People who suffered unjust deaths at the hands of immortals. We selected only those we could save before their life threads were cut, and offered them contracts.”
In a way, they were in a similar situation to Ju Gangrim.
“In exchange for avoiding immediate deadly fate, they live out their given lifespan and work within the Samdo Group. It’s an offer with little choice, admittedly.”
“…Is the entire Samdo Group made up of such people?”
“Not all of them. But I should say that all the key personnel and… all the staff of this hotel are. Still, treat them like ordinary hotel guests in normal circumstances, please be mindful.”
It seemed that Samdo Hotel was Yeomna’s key base in the mortal world.
The Samdo Group, while not among the top 10 conglomerates, is a considerable mid-sized company.
Given that there are hotels in other regions, even overseas, Yeomna’s influence in Korea was not insignificant.
***
After finishing unpacking, Ju Gangrim looked for Yu Wolryeong.
“Death Messenger Yu Wolryeong?”
Going to the opposite room, he found Yu Wolryeong buried under a pile of dogs, petting them furiously.
She was grinning broadly, but when her eyes met Ju Gangrim’s, her face instantly turned expressionless as she stood up.
“You’re here.”
She spoke as if nothing had happened, but her entire black suit was covered in dog hair to the point of looking gray, and her face was drenched in saliva. Moreover, she was still being licked in real-time.
“The dogs seem to like you, Death Messenger Yu Wolryeong?”
“I don’t like dogs.”
What a dishonest personality.
“Come to think of it, where’s Ttaekachi?”
Ju Gangrim felt Yu Wolryeong’s skill at changing the subject was poor, but he answered while rubbing the collar of the suit he was wearing.
“Here.”
Ttaekachi had melted into Ju Gangrim’s robes, or rather, the Death-Summoning Sword.
She would reveal herself and exert her abilities whenever, or whenever deemed necessary.
“You seem to have become quite familiar with handling the robes.”
“Thanks to the Prince of Gangreung.”
After the encounter with the Prince of Gangreung, Ju Gangrim now had no trouble completing the robe refinement.
He could even change the robes into a suit form like Yu Wolryeong.
He had worried what if it remained a hanbok, but fortunately, it took the form of a suit familiar to Ju Gangrim.
“Indeed, one grows significantly in life-or-death battles.”
“Yes. Um… by that logic, the Prince of Gangreung must have grown too.”
“The Prince of Gangreung is already among the strongest of humans. Though he leans more towards sorcery… Still, it’s more dramatic for a 10-pointer to become a 20-pointer than for a 100-pointer to become a 110-pointer.”
“…Am I a 20-pointer?”
“You couldn’t have defeated the Prince of Gangreung with your own abilities alone.”
Yu Wolryeong spoke calmly.
“What you should have done was retreat and call for me or look for another opportunity. The ability to enhance power by sacrificing lifespan originally comes at a heavy price. You’re just using it as a loophole, and you shouldn’t mistake that for your own ability.”
“Hmm… I had similar thoughts, but if I’m using it as my weapon, isn’t it my ability?”
“In fact, your lifespan isn’t really yours; it’s a loophole. That alone can be a reason to diminish your ability. If you become arrogant, the Death-Summoning Sword might look down on you.”
Yu Wolryeong wasn’t checking him; she was advising him. Ju Gangrim thought he needed to listen carefully.
He had already been careless once, relying on the abilities of a death messenger. It wouldn’t do to misuse accidentally given abilities and mistake them for skill.
“Don’t rely too much on the Blood Sucker ability. Develop your own skills.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that. I can’t promise, but I did fight with some calculation. I found out the Prince of Gangreung’s name on my own, too.”
Yu Wolryeong’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Come to think of it, how did you find that out?”
“Ah, after learning the name ‘Prince of Gangreung’, I asked around here and there. Once you know how to find information, finding clues becomes easy…”
“Was that why you visited Cheonggyesan Mountain recently?”
“It seems a shaman called the Hundred-Year Boy gave the Prince of Gangreung a divine spirit. And I met the Hundred-Year Boy’s general spirit there. From what I heard, I could tell the Prince of Gangreung was something of a retro revivalist.”
“Reviving the monarchy goes beyond retro, but go on.”
“Yes. Male from the Jeonju Lee clan, someone with unclear official records, and estimating the age range, even considering he’s an immortal, I could narrow down the possibilities quite a bit.”
“Is that how you found out?”
“Yes. But the decisive clue was given by the Prince of Gangreung himself.”
“The decisive clue.”
Ju Gangrim showed a page torn from the Prince of Gangreung’s genealogy book.
There was a name neatly highlighted with a fluorescent pen at the bottom of the bookmarked page.
It was the very name that matched all the clues Ju Gangrim had been speculating about.
“…Is this the Prince of Gangreung’s name?”
“Given that the soul summoning worked, it must be. I thought someone so obsessed with lineage would definitely have a genealogy book, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Immortals are human.
Ju Gangrim was certain that the Prince of Gangreung would have a genealogy book recording his origins precisely because of this point.
In the long years of immortality, the genealogy book would have been the Prince of Gangreung’s only means of maintaining his identity.
The delusion that he was backed by a greater bloodline, a greater clan’s will.
But the Prince of Gangreung was merely chasing ghosts that had already died and disappeared.
Yu Wolryeong opened her mouth as if impressed by Ju Gangrim’s deduction.
“Impressive.”
“It’s just because the Prince of Gangreung was foolish. It’s nothing.”
“No. Even deducing that far is remarkable. Finding the name was just a matter of time.”
Ju Gangrim smiled awkwardly.
“Still, I couldn’t catch him.”
“With a bit more time and stamina, you might have been able to kill the Prince of Gangreung. Honestly, I’m surprised. I had considered the possibility of retreat.”
“Did you think I would lose?”
“If the surprise attack failed, the difference in strength would be clear. To be honest, I accompanied you with the thought of rescuing and escaping if you were defeated.”
“Weren’t you going to catch him yourself?”
“I couldn’t steal Ju Gangrim’s prey. You’re planning to fight the Prince of Gangreung again soon, and you intend to do it alone, right?”
That’s right.
Ju Gangrim was already gritting his teeth to pursue the Prince of Gangreung.
“Aren’t you afraid to face the Prince of Gangreung again?”
“Maybe if it were an opponent I was facing for the first time.”
Ju Gangrim answered with a smirk.
“I don’t cower before an opponent I’ve already beaten once. I may be weak against authoritative social elites, but I love to immediately trample anyone who has ever looked down on me.”
“You say that quite proudly.”
“Please call it a life philosophy.”