As Jinseong’s invocation flowed, an unusual atmosphere enveloped the tree.
The darkness that had settled in the night began to slowly seep into the tree, moving as if it were writhing. Although the ground wasn’t shaking, the roots of the tree began to tremble. Moreover, despite only a gentle breeze, the tree swayed as if caught in a storm, and eventually, the roots started to emerge from the ground.
Prudddurk.
The roots that had emerged moved like the legs of a spider, acting as supports to prevent the tree from falling. The roots stood firm, like stakes driven into the ground, keeping the tree stable as it moved its body and completely uprooted itself. Once all the roots were exposed, they writhed and began to cluster together, forming something akin to ropes tightly twisting. The sight resembled that of human muscles.
In this way, the roots collected soil around them, attempting to coat their surface. When the soil wouldn’t adhere properly, they fashioned small bulges to create cavities that could hold the earth, thus enlarging themselves. They grew larger as they absorbed the soil, gradually flattening and transforming into a kind of bark covering their surface.
Thus, the two branches of the roots thickened, resembling human legs.
The trunk also began to transform.
Creeak.
Creeeak.
The tree bark, splitting with strange groaning sounds, began to warp unnaturally. Blood-red, viscous liquid oozed out from the cracks before being reabsorbed into the wood. As the liquid was absorbed, veins began to form in the fissures, which eventually converged to create something resembling eyeballs.
There were four of them.
The upper branches also started to cluster together. Unlike the roots, the branches, after coming together, flowed like liquid, eventually finding their proper places. Their ends split into five sections, resembling human hands. They reached up to the thighs of the roots, approximating the human arm proportion, and there were six of them, giving the tree a monstrous appearance.
Kaahaaak.
The tree then created a mouth. It moved its six arms and tore its top portion to create a long opening, picking up nearby pebbles and fragments of wood to patch the tear. The result looked like the terrifying fangs of a savage beast, enough to make anyone’s knees quiver.
“But due to the passage of time, the tree’s wood qi has become bloated, and by taking blood as its nourishment, it has metamorphosed into a yokai. It has four horn-like protrusions, six arms, two legs, and its dried-up leaves wrapped around it look like gold. Walking on two feet, it treads the earth with unmatched strength. How rare is such a monstrosity?”
Despite the terrifying appearance, Jinseong could only smile.
“Because it bears a trace of empathy and a form nearly resembling humanity, it deserves a proper name for the ritual. I name it Seonja.”
Chreeeeak.
Ki-eek.
Jinseong concluded the ritual by giving the yokai a name.
What he had performed was the Ritual of Magic to Create a Yokai Mimicry.
Similar to Lee Jae-soon’s Ritual of Magic to Create a Fairy Mimicry, both rituals summoned creatures mimicking non-human entities that could be controlled.
However, there was a difference between what Lee Jae-soon did and what Jinseong had done. While Lee Jae-soon’s ritual focused more on creating a Divine Object rather than actually controlling a fairy, Jinseong concentrated on summoning and commanding yokai mimicries.
And there was another important difference—an especially crucial one for Jinseong.
“Hmm. Quite a splendid creation.”
This was the “Seonja Mimicry Creation Ritual,” a magic ritual Jinseong had never used before, both before and after his rewind.
It was a ritual he couldn’t use before the fall of Japan but had now successfully obtained and activated.
“Brilliant, truly brilliant. Not a bad ritual indeed…”
Jinseong gazed at the wooden yokai he had created with a sense of deep satisfaction.
The killing intent radiating from its four eyes.
The mouth seemingly ready to rip someone’s neck.
The six arms documented as wielding “astonishing strength.”
The two powerful legs, sturdy enough to effortlessly carry massive rocks.
Truly, its presence was comforting to behold.
“In close combat, it will prove to be quite useful. Tsk, it’s truly a pity that such a ritual had been lost in the past.”
Jinseong muttered and levitated his belongings into the air before dispersing them toward Seonja.
Kiaaaaaa-!
Seonja seemed to understand Jinseong’s intent, moving its arms as the items came flying.
The weapons it gathered were five in total:
One battered crescent moon blade.
One sword that looked like it had been salvaged from a junkyard.
One knife so rusted it was barely usable.
A massive club roughly carved from logs.
And one chainsaw.
The sight of Seonja wielding all five weapons was both formidable and grotesque.
Were boss monsters in games to come to life in reality, they would undoubtedly look like this.
“Seonja, Seonja.”
Jinseong faced Seonja and moved the taiji within him. Drawing the coldness stored within his body, he transferred it to his fingertips, gathering it into one point. This concentrated cold began emitting an unnaturally frigid aura that didn’t fit the season, dropping the surrounding temperature.
Haaah.
So much so that Jinseong’s breath visibly turned white.
“In the name of the one who gave you life, you are obligated to heed my words. It is your duty to protect this mountain’s prosperity by guarding against those who seek to steal it, during spring and autumn. To uphold this, you must stand at the start of the path, blocking all who attempt to enter. In doing so, you ensure the saplings that bloom in spring flourish throughout the year, even through the winter.”
Saying this, Jinseong moved his cold-laden hand as though punching through water, slow and deliberate. And when his hand struck the empty air…
Paang!
A sound akin to bursting a balloon echoed around.
The coldness that had gathered at his fingertips dispersed, freezing nearby plants and creating a chilling sound.
Seonja, startled by this sight, rose abruptly, and its bulky body began to move slowly toward somewhere.
It was heading down the mountain, to the start of the hiking trail.
‘Hmm. According to the records, the cost of creating this thing involves taxing the wood qi, which corresponds to the liver. But…’
Smiling to himself, Jinseong considered the upcoming price he’d pay.
‘The liver recovers quickly, so creating a few more shouldn’t be a problem.’
Jinseong’s mind raced with an abundance of ritual ideas.
The many rituals he had had Rise in Japan collect.
‘There were several tree-related ones, too.’
Wood qi corresponds to the liver, which recovers relatively quickly and has resilient life force, especially in someone youthful like Jinseong.
Given his condition, he could probably experiment with creating a few more without overexerting himself.
‘Let’s see. What rituals should I try next?’
—
Title: Something Strange Has Appeared on the Yellow Long Mountain Trail.
Content: I came to hike today, but there’s something strange on the trail.
(Image1)
(Image2)
(Image3)
From a distance, it seemed like some wooden sculpture or artwork.
However, when I approached…
(Video1)
Did you see that? It moved.
I thought it was some kind of robot at first, but it rolled its eyes, and it was holding weapons!
Is this even a real summon creature?
It’s terrifying!
Title: What is this thing at Yellow Long Mountain??
Content: What in the world is this?
(Video 1)
Some guy tried to hike and almost got killed by this thing.
It doesn’t chase anyone, but it seems to block access to the trail.
What is* this thing?
Is this a summon creature?
…
…
…
Title: The Gatekeeper of Yellow Long Mountain.jpg
Content: Something strange has appeared on Yellow Long Mountain.
(Image1)
(Image2)
(Image3)
(Image4)
Because of this guy, I can’t go through this trail anymore.
It seems I might be able to use a different trail though…
If I encounter this creature while hiking, I swear I’ll wet myself on the spot.
Title: So Even Yellow Long Mountain Too? Isn’t There Something Similar at Moon Peak Mountain?
Content: Some kind of seaweed-like thing made of wood has appeared on Moon Peak Mountain.
(Image1)
(Video1)
If you don’t want to deal with tentacles, don’t come here.
Title: What is This? Another One Has Appeared at Dragon Head Mountain.
Content: Can you see it?
(Image1)
It looks like a human face growing from the trees.
And they’re all leering in a creepy way, which makes me feel disoriented just by looking at them.
This doesn’t feel like a summon creature; it might be some kind of evil spirit or ghost instead.
Title: A Strange Appearance at Knife Peak Mountain!!!
Content: First, the pictures.
(Image1)
(Image2)
(Image3)
There’s a massive catfish wearing monk’s robes blocking the way!
No tourists or Buddhists can pass through.
I reported this, but they said there’s chaos nationwide, so they can’t immediately respond!!!
