Screaming pierced the air!
As Jinseong struck the divine object, rather than a dull sound, a thunderous noise akin to a water balloon bursting echoed widely.
Jinseong grimaced at the noise but continued to swing his staff. Each time he swung, the sounds gradually transformed, shifting into something resembling the wailing cries of a pig.
“Oooiieeek!”
“Ooieeek!”
The sound was akin to that of a pig getting hit by a club—alive, its leather being beaten, not merely slapped but struck as if it were truly alive.
It was as though the ankou, symbolizing ‘life,’ was infusing its vitality into the object, bringing breath into the head of the divine item. Each strike seemed to gather impurities within the body instead of expelling them, evoking a delusion that an evil spirit had possessed a wild boar in the underworld.
“He, hiiiiik!”
The shamanic evil spirit retreated in fear at the sight.
Instead of emitting impurities, the object appeared to be collecting them, using them as materials for its body and veins. Using these as resources, the object constructed muscles, causing its leather to wriggle and move. Its initially stubby legs stretched, rising to stand on the ground. The neck twisted, its head tilted upward, fixing the evil spirit with a gaze.
The shamanic evil spirit could do nothing but watch as the divine object gained life.
“Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!”
And finally, the divine object had used the gathered impurities to form large fangs, swelling into a monstrous form the size of the second floor of a building.
The shamanic evil spirit collapsed into a five-body posture, crying out.
“Ahgoh! Great Mountain God, by what fate have you descended here!?”
The shaman who, moments ago, had been rolling her eyes and tearing evil spirits apart, now trembled in terror. Afraid of meeting the object’s eyes, she bowed her head until her neck nearly snapped. Not satisfied with that, she reached up to claw her own eyeballs out with her sharpened fingernails.
“Great Mountain God, Great Mountain God! Show mercy to this insignificant woman and spare my life! This old body, hardened and flavorless from living in the lower valleys, should not be chewed by your teeth—nor should it pierce your fangs! And since I’ve gouged out my impudent eyes, please let this blind old woman await her end unseen! This aged and talentless creature begs thus! Spare my life! Please, spare my life!”
The shaman’s pleading was heart-wrenching.
It was as desperate as a living person begging for their life, so much so that her cries echoed as if she were a young man with many years left to live, struggling with all his strength to survive.
“Chiiiiiiiiick!”
The divine object stared at the shaman while standing still.
As the shaman continued to beg, the wild boar-like figure swelled further with each cry. Impurities spewed from the shaman were inhaled through its snout, completing its monstrous form.
Once made of straw, its fur now gleamed black, each strand transforming into sharp spikes. These spikes appeared more dangerous than those piercing the body of a mountain madman, with their serrated edges promising no removal once embedded in the flesh.
The leather, which once gave off ominous vibes, had become harder than steel. The fangs, made from impurities, gleamed with a dark sheen, resembling a spear. Its eyes were completely engulfed in black, their gaze causing the air around to grow moist, sprouting mold. The mouth below exuded a venomous black saliva that, upon touching the ground, caused it to blacken and rot.
Around its body, protruding veins pulsed like snakes, their tentacle-like movements unnatural. Tiny holes in the veins emitted impurities as steam, gradually turning the air black.
‘What a splendid monster you’ve become.’
Jinseong smiled with satisfaction at the sight.
‘You’ve done wonderfully.’
Jinseong observed the shamanic evil spirit frantically begging for her life.
‘Thanks to you, such a powerful monster has been created.’
Evil spirits varied in appearance depending on the country.
Just as the ‘gourd ghost,’ with its long-stretched mouth, was something seen in Korea, the form of evil spirits changed according to culture and lifestyles. In France, the ‘night laundrywomen,’ known as “Les lavandieres de nuit,” could appear as ordinary women or wisps of smoke. In Thailand, the ‘Phii Tai Hong’ remained forever in the image in which they died.
But regardless of their appearances, behaviors, or abilities, these evil spirits had a single purpose: to possess humans and drive them to commit terrible acts.
While their manifestations might differ based on nation or ethnicity, the goal of harming humans was clear.
Evil spirits did not hesitate to use their powers to harm humans. Some of the more unique entities even devoured their peers to grow stronger, a process the scholars called ‘sucking souls,’ or ‘Shinp-Hon.’
And the shamanic evil spirit before Jinseong now was exactly this kind of unique specimen.
When a shaman, once possessing spiritual abilities, died and became an evil spirit, they gained immense spiritual power. As they had before in life, they could repel other evil spirits and absorb their impurities. Even as their own souls rotted and their bellies burst, they hoarded this darkness, repeating their rituals endlessly in order to ascend to the status of a Great Evil Spirit.
Jinseong utilized these inherent traits of the shamanic evil spirit.
‘By performing rituals, she wiped out others similar to her—thus serving as both a sacrifice and an offering. The impurities she devoured endlessly and stored within her now made her a perfect offering, a body transformed into a ritual offering. And now, just as she once obeyed great spirits in life, she submits her authority to the mountain god.’
In the end, the shamanic evil spirit’s actions were little more than foolishness, leading herself straight to the fiery depths of hell.
Even now, she unknowingly continued her descent into ruin.
Her frail body was drained of vitality, still being consumed by the wild boar. Her flesh, torn by the object’s spikes, continued to regenerate through her pleas for mercy. She had lived her life serving spirits, and so now she could not bring herself to rebel against what she perceived as a mountain god.
Thus, the shamanic evil spirit remained obedient, foolishly surrendering her body to the boar, until the cycle finally ended.
“Kueeuhhh… The mountain god is angered. The mountain god… is angered…”
The shamanic evil spirit, prostrated in the same position, had her impurities completely drained and her soul violently torn apart.
With the shaman dispatched, Jinseong retrieved a lump of charcoal from the carrying pole, piled it in one spot, and selected a long piece to construct a makeshift torch by wrapping fabric around its end and igniting it with Samādhi True Fire.
He created a campfire by throwing the torch onto the charcoal pile, then reshaped the dented ankou at the end of his golden staff into a flat platter. Jinseong manipulated the charcoal in the air, collecting ash and scattering it upon the ground before cooling it with a breath of cold air. He then smeared the cooled ash across his skin, using the golden platter as a mirror.
The face reflected in the golden platter appeared feral, and as Jinseong covered his skin with ash, he seemed to regress from civilization back to a more primal state.
Finally, Jinseong completed the process, ensuring that all exposed skin was camouflaged to blend into the darkness. The ash-covered skin no longer carried the scent of humanity but exuded the natural aroma of burnt wood instead.
Satisfied with his reflection in the golden platter, Jinseong twisted it into a spiraled sharp spear, then discarded the tattered garment he wore, turning to face the boar.
“By the grace of our great ancestors and the earth, I shall become human once more! Under the watchful eye of the great mother moon, may I endure this trial! Grant me the bounty of the forest to encounter beasts, and endow me with the courage of fire to sever their fearsome throats without hesitation!”
Thus, he declared his intentions.
