A crossroads was before her.
One path was to continue the battle with an opponent whose victory was not assured. However, her current state was not good, and she had no confidence that she would win.
The other option was to seek help from a Gumiho. Though she had never met one, she had an intuition that the Gumiho could easily overpower the PaGyeSeung. Giving up control of her body “just for a moment” could guarantee her survival.
– Think about it. If you’re caught by PaGyeSeung, it won’t be as simple as dying. You’ll become a marionette providing spirit power for hundreds or even thousands of years.
– You’ll never see your beloved master again, will you?
Lin flinched at the words. More than anything, the thought of not being able to be with Carami struck a chord within her.
Still, accepting the Gumiho’s offer outright made her hesitant. The notion of giving up control of her body wasn’t an easy pill to swallow.
The Gumiho had said “just for a moment,” but Lin didn’t fully trust those words. She knew better than anyone what a Gumiho truly was.
“I don’t like it.”
-Why? You trust your master but not me?
“Yeah. Why should Lin trust you? It’s inconvenient for both of us if Lin gets hurt, right? If you want to help, just tell me how to use this power. Stop trying to confuse me with unnecessary things.”
-Hmm….
There was a sharp exchange of glances between the two foxes.
Meanwhile, PaGyeSeung was preparing his sorcery.
The Gumiho relented first.
-I was really offering this for your sake. Well, if there’s no trust, it needs to be built, I guess.
Lin stood up, regaining her stance. She calmed her breathing; thanks to the healing foxfire, she’d recovered minimally. Though not fully restored, it was enough for now.
The Gumiho, who had agreed to cooperate, offered another piece of advice.
-You know that you can use the One-eyed Orb as a medium for sorcery, right?
The sentence was brief this time, but it was easier to understand than before.
Magic fueled by mana.
Sorcery powered by spirit energy.
Blessings brought by divine power.
The fox beads Lin had absorbed in the past not only strengthened the One-eyed Orb but also granted the possessor immense power.
The warm energy of the sun that resided in Lin’s fox bead was drawn out. The method was the same as manipulating spirit energy.
Whoosh.
A tender golden flame, reminiscent of spring sunlight, rose in Lin’s hand. Despite its usual power compared to regular foxfires, it wasn’t enough to break through PaGyeSeung’s defenses.
Lin caressed the flame, shaping it.
She molded it into the desired form.
She crafted an attack that PaGyeSeung could not evade.
The flame soon took on the form of a sun wheel (or “ilryun”), resembling a chariot wheel of the sun.
Ki-iiiing!
The central-dented disk emitted a sharp screech as it spun at high speed. The faster it spun, the larger it grew.
The fiery sparks it threw off in all directions looked like a flood of red flames.
Kuuuung!
Lin rooted herself firmly. Harnessing her entire body, she twisted at her waist, using her left leg as a pivot, and launched the rapidly spinning disk with all her might from her palm.
The sun wheel soared into the sky at a slant.
Paaabababak!
The razor-sharp edge cut cleanly through the restraints of the circle. That wasn’t all.
Like the sun itself, the sun wheel settled into the sky, brightly illuminating the barrier. It seemed to rotate in all directions before descending toward PaGyeSeung on the ground.
PaGyeSeung widened his eyes, resolute that he wouldn’t give up this position as he thrust forth his staff.
“Su-Myeong-Pa (Water Bright Wave).”
Tink tink tink…
A clear bell-like sound rang out.
Ripples spread through the air as if water droplets fell onto a surface. Circular waves layered upon each other, forming a protective barrier.
Ka-aang!
The sun wheel clashed against the intangible barrier. The wheel spun fiercely, emitting flames and heat.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
In a rhythm that exuded PaGyeSeung’s impatience, he tapped on his staff. Each time, more waves were added to the barrier, and each wave slowly decelerated the sun wheel’s momentum.
Repeating this process several times significantly reduced the speed of the sun wheel’s rotation. PaGyeSeung exhaled sharply, surprised that Lin could wield yang qi (positive energy).
He muttered something under his breath, then suddenly seemed to awaken. Was there an ancient fox deity nearby? He’d have to capture and confirm.
“Hmmm?”
PaGyeSeung blinked, realizing too late that Lin had disappeared from the edge of the barrier while he was focused on countering the sun wheel.
Then Lin appeared.
“Move aside, you spirit of the earth.”
She emerged from beneath the sun wheel, with golden flames wreathing her right fist.
With just an arm’s length between them, Lin had no limitations compared to the long staff-wielding PaGyeSeung. Lin’s fire punch struck the ascetic’s gut.
“Kghk!”
PaGyeSeung was sent flying after spitting out purple blood.
“Huff.”
Lin exhaled deeply, finally securing her position. The barrier was still draining her power, but she decided not to break it.
The Gumiho had said that the Ten-Net Barrier trapped both the opponent and the user within. If she stayed put and guarded this place, PaGyeSeung couldn’t escape so long as the seal remained unbroken.
The power drain?
She was willing to bear that penalty. But so were you—before you die, you won’t leave here.
Squelch.
Ka-ang!
As always, it was nothing particularly new or surprising when the Ten-Net Barrier dissolved into nothingness. Since it had originated underground, no light emerged from its destruction.
Under the shattered barrier, PaGyeSeung lay like rags on the floor. As the spellcaster died, the opaque water turned clear again.
Even a circus performer couldn’t match Lin’s incredible frisbee skills; PaGyeSeung’s limbs had long been severed.
He looked wretched and pitiable, probably able to earn rice simply by stringing himself up and begging.
Of course, Lin had no intention of doing that. If anything, she preferred being led rather than leading—though that only applied when it came to her master.
This was also an opportunity to gain a large amount of essence…
“Absorb it. Stop overthinking unnecessarily.”
The Gumiho, who had sensed Lin’s hesitation, urged her on.
“I really don’t feel like absorbing it…”
Lin glanced disdainfully at the prone PaGyeSeung on the ground, resembling a worm stuck to dry asphalt.
He looked dirty, probably tasted awful, and the thought of his essence lingering within her made her feel quite uncomfortable.
The Gumiho was astonished by Lin’s attitude—this was unprecedented for a youkai.
“You’re completely full, huh? Do you even realize how rare it is for someone to absorb a youkai of this caliber? Others yearn for what they can’t have.”
“I know that, too, but…”
“If you know, then absorb it. Otherwise, you won’t grow.”
Despite her deep contemplation, Lin had no choice. The amount of energy she would gain by absorbing the PaGyeSeung would surely be immense given how substantial the power had been when she absorbed the Bear Ghost’s. It would bring her much closer to being a full-fledged Gumiho.
Lin extended her hand toward PaGyeSeung. The energy emanating from him flowed through her palm, gradually being absorbed.
“Lord Spirit, please grant mercy upon this humble monk….”
PaGyeSeung extended his severed arm toward Lin in a desperate plea for mercy, but Lin paid him no heed. Silently, she absorbed his essence until his body ceased all movement.
The sheer volume of absorbed essence from PaGyeSeung was vast. More notably, contrary to Lin’s expectations, the essence was surprisingly delectable.
A savory aftertaste that’s hard to describe simply with words. The more she consumed, the more she craved, creating an almost addictive sensation.
“Did you know? The stronger the link of destiny with your opponent, the tastier their essence.”
“Strongly linked in destiny?”
“Yeah. From my experience, it was always the tastiest thing ever. Probably, even the essence from this PaGyeSeung would pale in comparison to essence from someone you’re strongly fated with. It’d be dozens of times tastier.”
Dozens of times tastier than this?
What exactly could be that delicious? Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin asked the question without much thought.
“What does it taste like?”
At this, the corner of the Gumiho’s mouth momentarily stretched into a grin before disappearing. Moving freely as a spirit, the Gumiho hovered elegantly in front of Lin. An expression of ecstasy spread across her face.
-It’s an intense thrill that engulfs your entire body, your heart beats so wildly it feels ready to burst, tremors wash over you, spreading through your mind, like flames igniting… Haa….
The Gumiho exhaled a warm breath near Lin’s ear despite being an incorporeal spirit with no ability to physically interfere with the real world. Still, Lin felt an illusion of heat.
-The ultimate feeling comes when you can feel your opponent’s essence flowing through your body. How does that sound? It’s incredibly pleasurable, isn’t it?
“…”
Lin, lost in thought, realized the person most strongly tied by destiny had to be Carami.
Carami’s essence flowing through her body…
At the thought, Lin unconsciously swallowed her saliva without realizing it.
“Did you capture PaGyeSeung?”
Lin returned home and nodded slowly.
It seemed to take longer than expected, but she had indeed returned with PaGyeSeung. However, the torn shoulder of her clothes hinted that the battle hadn’t been easy.
“Did you get injured?”
“It was a momentary lapse in focus. I’ve healed, so I’m fine now.”
“Shouldn’t you have just located PaGyeSeung and come back? Just like with the Bear Ghost, I had planned to inform you about his weaknesses.”
Even though Lin was knowledgeable about such things, he preferred this over her getting hurt. But the Gumiho might suspect him of knowing such tactics, so he refrained from saying anything.
“Lin?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Are you thinking about something? Are you even listening to me?”
Am I listening or not? It seemed Lin was daydreaming, and her response was quite delayed.
“Yeah. I’m listening. Sorry for not paying attention.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s commendable you did such a great job. I was just concerned.”
From Lin’s perspective, it could’ve seemed a bit frustrating. She had gone through all this effort to capture PaGyeSeung and save the city, but then got scolded for not listening.
Sorry for that, and she gave her a pat on the head, intending it as a sign of approval. Normally, Lin would happily wag her tail as a response, but this time, the reaction was lukewarm.
The gaze Lin directed back at her was inexplicable.
*
That night…
Even after growing into a full-fledged adult after her tail extensions and significant growth, Lin still slept snugly beside Carami. Though unable to perch atop her stomach as when she was small, she instead chose a position of full body contact.
Because of this, Carami frequently endured difficulty falling asleep. She genuinely considered undergoing a magic ritual to suppress her own urges.
Eventually, she refrained from going through with it.
Just when Carami finally managed to fall asleep, Lin lay awake. Gently raising her body, Lin intently began to stare at the sleeping figure of Carami.
