“Hehe, a mother, you say? Oh, this is fun. I’m glad I came out.”
The Four Fairies, the beautiful Cheongmi, laughed happily while fluttering her winged outfit.
In all the time I’ve been alive, I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard pleas for mercy. People begging for their lives, showing anger, or a variety of human forms all provided me with different kinds of entertainment through their tragic ends.
But to say they want to serve as a mother?
That’s something I’ve never heard before. This unexpected delight strangely shifted the cruel heart of the Four Fairies.
Originally, I had planned to capture that young warrior and trap him in an artifact, leaving him in a state of neither life nor death.
Watching him struggle for survival would have been amusing, especially when he tried so hard to align himself with me. Keeping him captured and toying with him whenever I was bored would have been quite a show.
“Oh dear, suddenly I’ve got a son. How should I raise him?”
Of course, this family game is just an extension of my amusement.
“Shall I start by nurturing his power? Perhaps I can achieve my ambitions through him.”
I don’t need to keep him captured for research. I can always intervene if I want. In fact, since I’m curious about that supernatural power, observing him freely for the time being might not be so bad.
The Four Fairies laughed, feeling the beating of her heart.
—Saaah.
At her laughter, numerous spirits gathered around her. The spirits of the deceased.
Where do they come from, and where do they go? The Four Fairies wanted to uncover that secret.
“Hehe, how funny. It hasn’t been long since I had a son, and I’m already wanting to see him. Is this what they call a mother’s heart?”
* * *
There was a hillside.
I was there dancing around with people I knew well.
“Is that the Assassin’s Room’s Mipyeong and his underlings?”
It’s the Assassin’s Room head Yeon Mipyeong and the riffraff, Chang Sam and Oh Su-man. Looking closer, those were also the bandits I killed last time.
How are these guys here?
Their expressions were all blank.
In that moment, I realized.
This is a dream.
“It’s a dream.”
—Whoosh!
At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to me.
“Ugh, ugh!”
Crap, that startled me…!
I woke up, gasping.
Wait a minute!
“Ugh…!”
The Four Fairies!
I was attacked by the Four Fairies!
“Hey!”
I immediately propped myself up and looked around.
It was a familiar sight.
A shabby guest room.
The very place I entered.
“Ah…!”
This is definitely different from what I saw when I was tormented by the Four Fairies. It resembled the bedroom of a high-ranking official. Did a spell or some kind of magic change the space? Seeing things normalized makes me feel a bit at ease.
The Four Fairies had left.
“Haah.”
Only now could I exhale and feel relief… No, wait.
I can’t feel relieved.
I quietly recalled what happened yesterday. Right after I returned, the moment I closed my eyes, the Four Fairies showed up. She tried to kill me, and I fought for survival.
“This is insane.”
Am I really serving that Great Sorceress as a mother now?
Moreover, the Four Fairies appeared to find my vow amusing and accepted it. In the end, she treated me like a son and fed me some weird medicinal soup.
What does she plan to do with me from here on?
“Ugh!”
At that moment, I felt a surge rising in my stomach. Yes, that medicinal soup from yesterday; its energy is rampaging within my dantian!
—Whoosh!
I immediately performed breathing exercises to absorb the new energy and circulate it through my body.
The energy I had used up to the last drop had restored itself. Furthermore, because I consumed the essence of an incredibly powerful monster, the total amount of energy I had also increased. The energy has become purer.
Objectively speaking, my level has increased.
But can this be considered a fortuitous encounter?
“…!”
I took my time, steadily absorbing the energy. Thankfully, I didn’t fall into chaos or suffer any internal injuries. Rather, my physical condition was improving, and I felt invigorated.
However, this is by no means a good sign.
I don’t know what the Four Fairies will do to me from now on.
“Four Fairies…!”
The enchanting woman with the flowing hair.
I recalled her image. The translucent fairy clothes revealing her fair, smooth skin, and her breasts were quite ample.
Of course, her beauty was just skin-deep!
—Grrr!
Intense hatred and furious anger surged within me.
That damn woman! She toyed with me as she pleased and insulted me by intending to trap me in a vessel and torment me for her research. In the process, I felt overwhelming fear and sorrow.
This humiliation!
I want to kill her!
My teeth clenched tightly as my desire to end the Four Fairies’ life boiled within me. A mother? Spare me the nonsense. That was just her desperate bid for survival.
But how could I kill a monster like the Four Fairies?
Should I just give up and submit?
“…”
I don’t want that.
What should I do?
All I can do right now is appease her.
As I trembled with anger and injustice,
—Creeeak.
The door opened.
“Ugh!”
Thinking of the Four Fairies, I startled and flinched. But the one who entered wasn’t the Four Fairies.
“Geunhyeop. You’re awake?”
“Did you sleep well by yourself?”
My wives, Serin and Hayoung!
“Hey, you two! Serin, Hayoung!”
“U, um?”
“Ugh.”
I immediately ran over and embraced them tightly.
I really missed you guys…!
“Geunhyeop…? What’s with the sweat? Did you have a rough sleep? That’s right, that’s right.”
“What’s up? Did you have a tough time yesterday?”
The two girls gently hugged me. The warmth melted my heart. This overwhelming warmth washed away my anxiety, and I felt calm.
“Sniff! I really missed you!”
“Hehe, are you trying to act spoiled? I’ll indulge you today.”
“Hey, come to me instead of standing over there?”
They’re so caring toward me.
I can clearly feel their affection and love.
“Oh, but we don’t have time. You need to get up to the ramparts quickly. The spirits are still attacking.”
“Spirits?”
“Yes. We came to switch guards. I want to play a bit, but… ugh, I’m really tired, and if you don’t hurry, who knows what you’ll hear?”
“Oh.”
Right, it’s still a wartime situation. They’re here to switch out. They surely must be exhausted. I shouldn’t hold them back.
“Alright… then I should go. Rest well. I’ll achieve something and return.”
“I’ll be expecting it.”
Knowing they both need to rest, I gently pushed them into the room and stepped outside.
“Alright.”
I don’t need to drag my heart into hell.
I have Serin and Hayoung with me.
Wait a second.
—Saaah.
In an instant, an overwhelming fear and anxiety gripped my heart.
“Oh, no.”
If the Four Fairies has targeted me,
Naturally, my wives, Serin and Hayoung, would also be in danger…?!
“Ah!”
No!
That can’t happen!
No matter if she’s a daughter of the Namgoong Clan or a master of the Mosan Sect, the Four Fairies cannot be underestimated! This being is a master of Hua-Kyung, someone even Ming Taizu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, feared!
Should I tell them what happened yesterday?
No, I can’t!
I absolutely cannot!
She clearly told me to keep it a secret!
I don’t know what will happen if I break that rule…!
—Shivering.
My body trembled as my teeth chattered. I was in a frenzy of anxiety. If I die, I can handle it. But I can’t bear the thought of Serin and Hayoung, the ones who love me, suffering a terrible fate…!
I can never accept that!
“Haah, haah!”
It’s hard to gather my thoughts.
At times like this, I want to empty my mind and forget everything.
—Whoosh.
I dashed forward.
* * *
—Slash!
With a swing of my sword, the spirit that had just climbed the ramparts was split in two. Then I took another step, stabbing the next one in the forehead, quite literally blowing their top off. A rapid strike.
In that state, just as I started to turn around and extend my sword,
—Bam!
Three spirits that fell within my trajectory were cleaved in half.
“Whoa! Cry of the Butcher!”
“Whoa!”
“Cry of the Butcher! Cry of the Butcher!”
Cheers erupted along with chants of my name.
Is this what they call a state of bliss? I paid no heed to anything else and continued cutting down spirits.
—Goooh.
The energy within me spread throughout my body, drastically enhancing my physical abilities.
In the midst of that, my vision suddenly shifted.
“Ah.”
The red background. Suddenly the world began to appear like hell. The soldiers on the ramparts looked like the guards of hell, while the rising spirits were all ghouls.
Beyond the ramparts lay a blood-red land and a burning river, with a giant demonic eye rising above, gazing down upon the earth.
Where’s the Bodhisattva to save us?
“Grraaar!”
“Kiieeee!”
I continued to slash the ghouls charging at me.
“Cry of the Butcher! Amazing!”
Just then, some monstrous figure approached and praised me. I blinked and looked again; this wasn’t hell but the mortal realm. That monster was a leader of a certain sect.
“Head of the Focused Enclave!”
“You’re so strong…!”
Other sect leaders gathered around, gazing at me with envy. The soldiers nearby felt the same way.
No wonder, I’ve been the one cutting down all the spirits that have climbed the walls.
“You’re quite a fighter. The Head of the Sect is impressive. I’ll remember you.”
Even a subordinate from the Golden Guard complimented me.
“Thank you.”
I said those words, but it hasn’t sunk in at all. My body, mind, and spirit felt completely out of whack. Was it the medicinal soup’s essence? Or did the Four Fairies pull some tricks?
Whatever the case, it all leads back to the Four Fairies. After crossing paths with that madwoman, an immense sense of anxiety and fear has carved itself into my heart.
I can’t regain my composure.
I just want to forget everything right now.
“Ughhh!”
“Hey! Over there!”
At that moment, I heard a sound.
“Ma-sun! A Ma-sun!”
The soldiers pointed at the sky in horror. Looking up… I saw what looked like a mummy clothed in a robe flying in the sky.
Flames of spirits burned in its hands.
“Who is that guy?”
Is he a subordinate of the Four Fairies?
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