Chapter 340: Eighty-First Floor, Monstrous Might and Malevolent Spirits (8)

We picked up our pace even further, reaping the full benefit of the step-summoning technique Ha-Seon activated using the yokai stone.

Of course, it couldn’t be maintained indefinitely. If he recklessly drew on the stone’s power, there was a real risk that his mind would become tainted by the yokai's energy.

Still, it was far better than having nothing at all. We ran through the night and continued on into dawn. Fatigue started to creep in since I hadn’t slept for days. Despite that, I let Ha-Seon and Doppy get plenty of rest.

Well, I could sleep soundly once I returned to the waiting room.

We have made it this close to the Fourth Division by daybreak only because I didn’t rest.

We arrived around midday, and although it didn’t seem remarkable, arriving at all—and ahead of schedule—was what mattered most.

The closer we got to the Fourth Division, the more yokai we spotted.

It was to be expected. With over three hundred yokai to contend with, the garrisons had undoubtedly already fallen.

They are probably scouring the surrounding area, searching for the king.

Some yokai carried gemstones similar to Sorcerer Ichon’s. Others that resembled the high-ranking official didn’t.

I briefly considered whether to fight or not, but ultimately, we just avoided them. My sensory range was broader than theirs, and thanks to Shadow Veil, evading them wasn’t difficult.

We did encounter a magical barrier once, but we managed to get through it without much trouble thanks to the gemstone imbued with yokai’s energy.

Still, now that we were this close, I figured it would be a good idea to capture one of the yokai so that we could figure out where Starfish was.

“Ha-Seon.”

“Yes?”

“I’m thinking of grabbing a yokai and asking where Starfish is. What do you think?”

“Excuse me?” Ha-Seon, who had been sitting in his chair, jolted upright and leaned forward in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-no, it’s just... why are you suddenly bringing up Starfish?”

“Well, even if we find the king, we still have to deal with Starfish, right? He’s the real threat. Once he’s dead, the king will probably show himself.”

“Is it even possible for you to kill him?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frowned at the unexpected response.

Ha-Seon looked just as confused until realization struck, and he nodded quickly. “

Ah

, I asked something foolish. You’re from the Celestial Realm. You have to have a way. So the celestial beings have finally made their decision!”

“Wait, hold on.”

Come to think of it, I still hadn’t cleared up that misunderstanding. Not that it hadn’t been intentional on my part, but now that we had come this far, it felt like the right time to be honest.

We had built a fair amount of trust by now.

“Let’s set things straight. I’m not from the Celestial Realm. Moreover, I am not a Great General who had been imprisoned in that Heavenly Prison, either.”

“What?”

“I’m pretty sure I told you that before.”

As I spoke, I tried to recall exactly what I had said. None of the information I had shared had been false; I had just kept quiet. Therefore, my memory was a little hazy.

Right, I had described myself as an errand runner, and said that his understanding of my situation fit to a certain extent. I hadn’t exactly denied it outright, but I had made it clear there was some misunderstanding.

Ambiguous, yes, but not a lie.

I reiterated what I had said earlier, “I did say there was a misunderstanding.”

Ha-Seon tilted his head, staring at me. His expression asked why I was saying this now and to stop messing around.

I really meant it, though.

Looking him dead in the eye, I declared as seriously as I could, “I’m really not from the Celestial Realm. Someone asked me to come and take down the Great Yokai.”

Only then did Ha-Seon seem to register the sincerity behind my words.

His widened eyes blinked several times before he asked again, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t say much before, but it’s true.”

“Then, when you said you were similar to a Great Warrior, and who exactly was it that sent you?”

“Maybe the gods you believe in?” I couldn’t exactly tell him it was the Tower of Ordeal.

Ha-Seon’s mouth dropped open in shock. “This can’t be—”

“I told you from the start.”

He remained frozen for a while, slack-jawed and clearly stunned. He looked genuinely wounded, like something had been broken inside him.

“Was I wrong?”

“You didn’t exactly say it wasn’t true.”

“I said it was a misunderstanding.”

“Anyone would’ve taken that as confirmation.”

“Sorry. I had my reasons. I still can’t explain everything.”

To be honest, even if I could go back in time, I would do the same thing again. It had earned his trust quickly, saving me from a lot of hassle.

Sure, I could have used this excuse earlier, but at the time, it hadn’t occurred to me.

Ha-Seon, now very quiet, asked, “Then if the gods sent you and you aren’t from the Celestial Realm... where are you from originally?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“

Hmm.

So that’s why you didn’t know much about this world, not because you were trapped in Heavenly Prison.”

I steered the conversation back. “Anyway, why is it impossible for Starfish to be killed?”

“Starfish[1] is the greatest among the Great Yokai. He’s the oldest of them all. His name comes from ‘

bulgasal

’, meaning ‘undying.’ The name itself means he can’t be killed.”

“Not even by the gods?”

“That, I don’t know. Maybe it’s possible, but I think they’ve simply chosen to leave him alone. That’s what the ancient texts suggest. Even back in the days when the gods descended, they only drove him away.”

Ah!

Something clicked in my memory. Was it back in elementary school? I had read something similar in a Korean literature textbook. It was some kind of folktale.

Even if similar myths existed in other worlds, hearing this still felt oddly familiar and comforting. Regardless, I didn’t linger on the nostalgia.

Bulgasal, the undying.

That was a problem. Such a name wasn’t thrown around lightly, especially not if even the gods had acknowledged it.

A chill ran through me. The trial had tasked me with killing the Great Yokai.

Of course, Starfish wasn’t the only one. According to Ha-Seon, however, the other Great Yokai were mostly located in the borderlands.

I don’t have much time.

If Starfish truly couldn’t be killed, then I had to forget the hidden missions. I had to head to the border. There was still a little time left, although something occurred to me.

Another memory surfaced. The monster or villain from that folktale was ultimately slain by heroes. There had been a solution.

What was it? Ah!

Fire. I remembered it now. Though

bulgasal

meant “undying,” I had read an interpretation that with fire, it becomes “bul[2]” and “gasal[3]”—meaning “killable by fire.”

I wasn’t entirely sure if that would be possible, however. Even if the memory was clear, there was no guarantee it applied in this world.

Still, I doubt it would work.

He was said to be the oldest of all yokai. The idea that no celestial being, monk, or soldier had ever tried using fire against him simply didn’t make sense.

Simply judging his abilities on the gemstone alone, his energy was clearly formidable. It was equally hard to believe that such a being could be slain by something as ordinary as fire.

Hmm.

As I mulled over the thought, Ha-Seon cautiously chose his words and remarked, “I assumed the celestials had made their decision. But if you didn’t know anything about it, doesn’t that mean you have no way of killing him?”

“I don’t know since I haven’t met him yet. Maybe I can kill him. But regardless, won’t we have to face Starfish eventually, even if we do find the king?”

That brought a new question to mind. “So what were you planning to do originally?”

“Me? I was going to follow you, Mr. Kwon. I thought the Celestial Realm sent you.”

So he didn’t really have a plan either.

As I silently looked into his eyes, Ha-Seon hesitated, a little embarrassed, then continued, “The prophecy is brief. It says, ‘When malevolent spirits flood the world, offer a ritual with the Celestial Bell atop Mountain Suchal within the Fourth Division. Then, the gates of the Celestial Realm shall open, and the celestials will descend.’”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. So I believed that once you claimed the Celestial Bell, the gates would open. I assumed that the Great Warrior descended due to the severity of the situation...” he trailed off.

Still, something didn’t quite add up.

“If Starfish is as powerful as you say, why hasn’t he attacked your people until now?”

“I’m not sure. I thought that maybe the celestials were keeping him at bay.”

“He is attacking now, isn’t he?”

Ha-Seon faltered, unable to find an answer.

So many things didn’t add up.

Why has Starfish remained passive for so long? Why have the celestials never managed to kill him?

Perhaps the tower had simply designed it that way, just to add another layer of narrative.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it all tied back to the small yokai Sorcerer Ichon had mentioned.

Let me think more about this later. I still have to decide what to do next.

I stayed quiet as I ran through possibilities in my head.

What should I do? Will the celestials descend once I obtain the Celestial Bell and defeat Starfish for me?

It was possible. Even locating the king amidst a swarm of yokai was already a difficult enough challenge. Simply avoiding Starfish, the so-called undying one, could be part of the trial.

I can’t be certain, though.

Something could happen the moment I got my hands on the Celestial Bell, or nothing at all. If it didn’t, I would be forced to head to Mountain Suchal to perform the ritual. That would mean I would have to Starfish without any celestial assistance. If he truly couldn’t be killed, that would make things far more complicated.

After all, killing the Great Yokai was the floor’s required objective. Maybe the tower had anticipated this scenario and built the prophecy as a kind of forked path.

The tower never added a hint simply due to kindness, however. It was forcing me to weigh my options, to either take the high-risk route chasing a hidden mission, or opt for the safer one and slay a lesser Great Yokai.

My head felt heavy from all the possibilities.

Still, isn’t it strange that he can’t be killed at all?

I didn’t know if something like

bulgasal

was even possible, unless Starfish was a god. The only gods I had seen during a normal trial were either exiled or imprisoned, though.

Even so, I couldn’t let myself relax. Ha Hee-Jeong had warned me that the trials grew far more punishing after the eightieth floor. It was entirely plausible that Starfish was one of the tower’s creations.

No. I don’t have to figure it all out right now.

Despite my tangled thoughts, I reached a clear conclusion. I didn’t have to face Starfish yet. Finding the king and the Celestial Bell had to be the priority. Once I acquired it, I could reassess the situation.

I will see him for myself and decide then.

Ha-Seon was stealing glances at me, clearly reading the depth of my thoughts.

“Ha-Seon. Just in case, do we need monkly energy to locate the king?”

“Yes. The only reason His Majesty hasn’t been found yet is because of the Head Monk. Unless a Great Yokai approaches them, they will remain undetected. Well, unless His Majesty reveals himself, or the Head Monk’s energy runs. But you’ll be able to find him, Mr. Kwon. You found me, after all.”

“

Huh

? But you said the Head Monk is protecting the king. And well, you lack the energy to—”

“Don’t worry. The Head Monk once told me that when it comes to concealment, I’m on par with him.”

Just like that, the last piece fell into place.

I had always found it odd that Ha-Seon’s monkly abilities seemed different, based on the way he had hidden himself when we first met.

“If you just focus a little, I’m sure you’ll be able to find him.”

Hmm. Is that so?

Last time, I had struggled because it was my first time encountering that kind of energy. Now that I had grown far more attuned to this world, it would be easier.

“Ha-Seon. Let’s ditch the gemstone.”

“What? All of a sudden?”

“You said it could give away our location.”

“Yes, but you already knew that.”

“I’m changing the way we search.”

With time now my most pressing constraint, moving together wasn’t ideal.

Splitting up would be the better option. Since Ha-Seon took pride in his concealment abilities, I would leave him and Doppy to hide somewhere. While they did that, I would turn into lightning to scour the area, using Shadow Veil to hide myself. If I found the king, Two-Way Portal would allow me to instantly reconnect with Ha-Seon and Doppy.

I wasn’t worried. Even if Starfish approached them, Doppy had a signal flare.

I should have done this from the start.

Maybe I had been too complacent, thinking that I could handle Starfish no matter what.

Then again, I hadn’t known about Ha-Seon’s talent for concealment. Moreover, I couldn’t exactly abandon someone with one arm to travel alone with Doppy.

Ha-Seon looked at me with a bewildered expression. I snatched the stone imbued with Starfish’s power from his hand and hurled it far into the distance.

“Alright, let’s move. I’ll explain on the way.”

***

I found the king six hours and forty minutes later, with just about two days left before the floor ended.

1. The Korean word “불가사리” usually refers to a starfish, which can regenerate limbs and is sometimes metaphorically seen as hard to kill. In this scene, the author plays on the similar-sounding term “불가살 (不可殺),” meaning “cannot be killed,” introducing a layered wordplay that adds deeper nuance to the name. ☜

2. “Fire” in Korean. ☜

3. “Killable” in Korean. ☜