Living Dangerously with a 999-Year-Old Gumiho – Chapter 21

Kangtae confidently walked ahead.

Friends followed him as they strolled down the big street of the neighboring village.

The street was bustling with people, and the various stores and houses added vibrancy with their colorful hues and lights.

Kangtae shouted, looking at the library.

“Look over there! The library!”

Everyone turned their gaze towards the direction Kangtae was pointing. The massive library loomed before them.

The building harmonized classical beauty with contemporary elegance.

The red-brick exterior was lined with large windows, and welcoming wide stairs greeted them.

Yoonhwa’s eyes sparkled as she was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the structure.

“Wow… It’s so big!”

“It really is wonderful…!”

Seojin and Hyun also gazed at the library with awe.

Hyun said in admiration.

“It’s seriously amazing… There must be clues about the Darkness Demon here!”

Kangtae, with a sly grin, remarked.

“There are really a lot of books in this library.”

“I’m sure there’s information we need somewhere here.”

The friends paused for a moment, admiring the impressive building.

Inside their hearts, a new hope was blossoming.

Seojin said excitedly.

“Okay, should we go in?!”

The friends nodded at each other.

Yoonhwa spoke up, slightly anxious.

“It looks like it could be pretty expensive…”

Kangtae, smiling at Yoonhwa’s concern, replied.

“Don’t worry, Yoonhwa. Libraries are free!”

“Knowledge is the most valuable thing.”

“Borrowing or just looking. Everything is free!”

At his words, Yoonhwa seemed relieved.

The friends made their way towards the library’s grand doors.

As they opened the door and stepped inside, a comfortable space greeted them.

The air was filled with a unique scent of old paper mixed with ink, and countless books, bearing the weight of time, were neatly arranged on the shelves.

Seojin could hardly contain her excitement and started to speak loudly, but Kangtae signaled her to be quiet with a raised hand.

“Shh, Seojin. This is a library.”

“We need to keep it quiet…”

Seojin quickly closed her mouth and bowed her head in embarrassment.

They walked heavily deeper into the library.

Soft light filtered down from the high ceiling, enhancing the serene atmosphere.

Long aisles connected the shelves, and between them, people were quietly reading or choosing books.

In the center of the library were reading tables around which people sat quietly, engrossed in their books.

On the walls were classic artwork and portraits of historical figures, adding to the intellectual ambiance.

Hyun, seemingly overwhelmed by the tranquil atmosphere, whispered.

“This place is really amazing…”

“There must definitely be something about the Darkness Demon here.”

Yoonhwa looked around with a gaze mixed with fear and expectation.

“Out of all these books… where should we start…?”

Kangtae reassured Yoonhwa.

“Don’t worry, let’s take it one step at a time.”

“I’m sure the answers we seek are somewhere here.”

Seojin quietly browsed the library shelves until she spotted a familiar book cover.

It was titled ‘Korean Monsters and Myths,’ just like the book she had at home.

She hurriedly pulled it out and showed it to her friends.

“Here, this book! It’s the same as the one I have at home.”

“I’m sure it had something about the Darkness Demon when I looked at it before!”

Seojin opened the book with a sense of tension. The friends leaned over her shoulder to read with her.

Their hands flipping through the pages trembled, and their breaths quickened.

Finally, she found the chapter about the Darkness Demon.

On the respective page were mystical illustrations of the Darkness Demon along with detailed descriptions of its traits and legends.

“Here it is! The Darkness Demon…”

“This monster appears only in darkness and feeds on fear and despair.”

“It terrifies people before devouring them…”

“It said the Darkness Demon appears in dark places where someone has an unstable heart.”

The friends focused on the content of the book.

Through the explanations about the Darkness Demon, they realized Eunho’s behavior somewhat matched its characteristics.

“Right… Didn’t Eunho say he sleeps during the day…?”

Yoonhwa spoke cautiously.

“When I answered Eunho’s question this morning, he seemed scared…”

“It felt like he was getting bigger.”

“It was almost at the same eye level as me…”

“Could it be that he grew by feeding on my fear?”

Hyun nodded at Yoonhwa’s words and spoke seriously.

“So, Eunho is connected to the Darkness Demon?”

“Or… could Eunho actually be the Darkness Demon…?”

Seojin added while flipping through the pages.

“There has to be something here.”

“The Darkness Demon supposedly doesn’t like bright places…”

Kangtae seemed deep in thought over that information.

“Then, the reason he asked Yoonhwa to turn off the lights when we were alone together…!”

Yoonhwa immersed in the book, began searching for more information.

“I see here that there’s also a way to defeat the Darkness Demon.”

“Bright light and a strong heart…”

“These two things are fatal to the Darkness Demon.”

The friends felt intrigued by this new information and began sharing their thoughts.

Hyun, as if resolved, stated.

“Then, what we must do is clear. With our bond and bright light, we shall…”

“No, we must defeat the Darkness Demon.”

“We need to get Yoonhwa’s Fox Orb back!”

Seojin declared as she closed the book with determination.

“Right, if we’re all together, we can do it.”

The friends quietly contemplated how to find the Darkness Demon.

While they were silently pondering, Yoonhwa’s condition suddenly began to change.

Yoonhwa didn’t say anything, but she surely looked anxious and confused.

She cautiously reached through her hair, and at that moment, Yoonhwa’s fox ears gently revealed themselves.

Yoonhwa felt no pain as her ears appeared, but she was terrified they might expose her identity. Seojin was the first to notice Yoonhwa’s change, staring at her in shock.

“Yoonhwa, you…?”

Yoonhwa, following Seojin’s gaze, discovered her ears and hurriedly tried to cover them with her hair.

Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice trembled.

“No, this is… this is nothing…”

Feeling Yoonhwa’s confusion and fear, Seojin immediately took off her hat to cover Yoonhwa’s ears.

She then suggested they leave the library, holding Yoonhwa’s hand.

“There are too many people right now. Let’s get out for a bit…!”

Hyun and Kangtae understood the situation and looked at her with supportive eyes.

The four of them leaned on each other as they quietly exited the library.

Outside the library, they paused for a moment, catching their breath while looking at one another.

Yoonhwa stopped crying, comforted by her friends’ warm help.

“Thank you…!”

Yoonhwa recalled what Eunho had said and pulled out the necklace the Darkness Demon had given her from her pocket.

“Eunho said if I wear this necklace… I won’t turn into a fox…!”

Yoonhwa cautiously tried putting the dark-colored necklace around her neck.

It seemed to swallow the surrounding light.

Yoonhwa’s fox ears gradually retreated inward and disappeared completely.

“!!…”

Yoonhwa felt the sensation of her ears retracting and had a look of astonishment.

She touched the necklace, muttering in disbelief.

“It really… vanished…!”

Seojin’s eyes widened as she witnessed Yoonhwa’s transformation.

“Wow, it really is! Yoonhwa, are you not in pain?!”

Yoonhwa cautiously nodded her head.

“Yeah, I… think I’m okay. This necklace really stopped me from turning into a fox.”

Kangtae scrutinized the necklace and spoke.

“Did you really get this from Eunho?”

“If it came from someone we should be suspicious of…”

Hyun said with a serious expression.

“Right, Kangtae’s right. We still don’t know Eunho’s true intentions.”

“There might be some side effects from this necklace.”

Yoonhwa pondered for a moment but then seemed resolved as she clutched the necklace.

“Still… if this is something that helped me, then maybe Eunho isn’t fully deceiving us…!”

Seojin gently patted Yoonhwa’s shoulder in encouragement.

“I still can’t believe it… that Eunho would betray us!”

At this moment, at the edge of the village, there stood a beautiful mansion.

Inside that darkened mansion, a woman sat in a huge chair, her cold gaze fixed on a flickering entity hovering next to her.

Her eyes were calculating and icy, radiating an unapproachable charisma.

The flickering entity delivered news to her.

“The Nine-Tailed Fox has arrived in this village–.”

She felt satisfaction at that statement and smiled cruelly.

“Then, what we were looking for has come right to us.”

She gazed at the two children kneeling before her, their eyes lacking focus and light, and commanded.

“Go find that orb.”

“I won’t tolerate failure.”

The children replied expressionlessly, bowing their heads, and quietly exited the mansion.

Even after they left, the woman remained seated, smiling coldly as she envisioned the scene that would unfold before her.

Her smile grew increasingly cruel.

“Now only three remain…”

“How many have I had to use because of that Nine-Tailed Fox…?”

The flickering entity beside her opened its mouth.

“May I eat these three?”

“Now that the Fox Orb is so close, I’m constantly starving.”

The woman seemed to ponder that for a moment but soon replied in a cold voice.

“Eat just one.”

“The rest are necessary for the plan, so don’t touch them.”

The flickering entity obediently bowed its head at her words.

…But its inner self was far from obedient.

The woman stood up, appearing irritated, and approached the person before her.

The person looked up at her, tears streaming down their face. Yet, they didn’t move. They made no sound.

She took a thread of a coin in front of the prey and shook it back and forth several times. The coin made a strange sound as it collided with the thread.

“Cut it nicely for eating.”

The man pulled his own arms to cut them off. His expression was blank, but tears continued to flow from his eyes.

He bent one arm and severed it. Then he repeatedly slammed his head against the ground.

The meal was prepared, and the flickering entity indulged in the feast.

It made a sound that was either a bizarre laugh or a cry, seemingly satisfied as it consumed.

The woman looked at the whole scene coldly, her eyes glinting with cruel delight.

The friends were sitting on a bench near the library, chatting.

Seojin spoke as if she had come up with a good idea.

“They said a person experiencing fear appears in the dark!”

“Then can’t we possibly lure Eunho out??”

Kangtae nodded in agreement with Seojin’s words.

“That could be feasible.”

“But, the Darkness Demon… no, Eunho could really be dangerous.”

“Right now, Yoonhwa can’t use her powers well either…”

Yoonhwa cautiously spoke.

“What if Eunho really is the Darkness Demon…?”

“Wouldn’t he not listen to us…? ”

Hyun said, looking serious.

“Still, it’s worth a try.”

“There’s no other way…”

Seojin recalled the book again.

“The book mentioned the Darkness Demon dislikes bright light.”

“If we prepare enough, we might be able to control the Darkness Demon.”

Kangtae made a decisive statement.

“Then, the best we can do is lure Eunho to us.”

“If it gets dangerous, we just turn on the lights!”

The friends decided to prepare what they needed to call Eunho, no, the Darkness Demon.

Seojin tried to lighten the mood, saying cheerfully.

“Yoonhwa, let’s go buy some clothes to change our minds for a bit.”

“You’ll feel better, and I’ll treat you!”