Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Strange Forces and Turbulent Spirits (1)

Brushing the stone fragments from my hands, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘I know my own special origin well enough. I thought I would have outstanding talent for martial arts...’

Isn’t this too extreme?

Focusing my consciousness on the dantian that had just formed—larger than a fist—the internal energy moved naturally, as if it were part of my body.

‘For some reason, I can move it.’

The internal energy that responded to my will flowed along the meridians.

When that flowing internal energy settled in my two eyes, on this moonless dark night of the waning moon, faint starlight smaller than grains of sand beyond the clouds became clearly visible.

I also discovered an eagle flying beneath the clouds; the small mouse it held in its beak shook its tail and struggled.

When I kicked off the ground, the scenery stretched long, and the sense of speed like racing down a highway in a car brought a deep nostalgia.

Occasionally lightly avoiding obstacles blocking the way and stomping the ground hard, I leapt far over walls and the like, capturing the entire village in one glance from a dizzying height where fierce winds blew.

‘How far can I go?’

Arriving at the village entrance, I drove my fist into a rock with full strength, and with a roar the rock shattered into fine dust.

‘The world feels different.’

I feel the energy carried on the wind.

My consciousness is not limited to the interior; it spreads widely following the energy and imprints the surroundings in my mind.

‘Is this qi sense?’

A mouse chewing insects in the bushes.

An owl on a tree watching that mouse.

Leaves swaying in the breeze, ants crawling on the ground, and even a squirrel sleeping soundly inside a knot hole.

“Ha!”

They say that even after forming a dantian, if you do not handle it through training and temper the body, it is useless.

Even with such training one cannot display abilities of this level, yet every single thing has gone beyond common sense.

‘Did I get born into an orthodox martial arts world by mistake when I was supposed to be born into a munchkin martial arts novel world?’

Even in munchkin martial arts novels, there aren’t cases of becoming this strong right after forming a dantian...

“Ah, whatever. Having strength is a good thing.”

What’s the point of worrying about something that has no answer? It would only waste time.

If the culprit of the missing children incident is human, I can save the children with this strength, and even if it’s a ghost I won’t go down easily!

‘If a ghost appears, let’s try the method I thought of during the day!’

Returning home, I sat in the lotus position and expanded my qi sense.

The situation outside the door was imprinted in my mind as I waited for a long while.

Then, suddenly, a shadow fell on the window paper.

『Son, open the door for me.』

It was a moonless night of the waning moon, so the shadow cast was without moonlight.

According to qi sense, there was no one outside.

Only something faint and wavering was barely captured, floating in midair.

『The weather is cold and my hands are frozen, so I cannot open the door.』

So there really was a ghost.

“Yes, Father.”

This is just pure bullshit season.

“I will open it now.”

* * *

“But Father, is the weather that cold? It’s not even early winter yet?”

『The cold wind is strong, so my hands are frozen.』

“Even if your hands are frozen, the door isn’t locked—why can’t you open it?”

With the appearance of the ghost I had been waiting for, I started a conversation to confirm the method I had thought of during the day.

“All you have to do is put your finger in the door ring and pull—what’s so hard that you need me to open it?”

『It’s not just frozen; I have frostbite. Even touching metal stings and hurts, so I’m asking you to open it.』

“Frostbite? Then instead of coming home, you should go see a doctor! Quickly go to Grandpa Hwang’s house!”

『I can endure this much. So open the door.』

“If you can endure it, then open the door as I said earlier.”

『Please, son! Open the door!』

It really cannot open it.

Just as the monsters that appear in ghost stories, legends, and folktales cannot open a door without the homeowner’s permission, this thing was the same.

“Father, I am worried about you. Please go to Grandpa Hwang and get treatment. It’s late, but if you say the injury is severe he will surely treat you.”

『I like home, I like home!』

『Son, why won’t you open the door?』

『Just open it!』

Listening to the thing’s voice that seemed to echo, I felt a strange joy that my prediction had been correct.

-From the very beginning, strange forces and turbulent spirits are illusions born of human fear.

As the schoolmaster said, strange forces and turbulent spirits are illusions born of human fear.

Because strange forces and turbulent spirits are born from fear, they use all sorts of bizarre powers, but in order to cast off fear there must exist a great weakness.

『Shin-ah, ah! My son Shin-ah! I cared for you with utmost sincerity, so why won’t you open the door?』

『Even crows fulfill filial piety toward their parents—how can a human like you act this way!』

『Why won’t you open it? Something’s strange?』

Jiangshi cannot move if the talisman on the forehead is removed.

Vampires lose strength or even die upon contact with sunlight, garlic, crosses, or holy water.

Trolls turn to stone in sunlight, nine-tailed foxes are weak to love with humans, and Medusa has no immunity to her own gaze so reflecting it in a mirror turns her to stone.

“Now I am suspicious. Father was someone who exaggerated pain and immediately went to the doctor if anything hurt—are you really Father?”

『...What are you saying? How many times have I endured even while in pain because there was no money?』

『You are the one I am suspicious of being Shin.』

『Why won’t you open the door? Do I not feel like your father to you?』

This thing is the same.

Even though it has the ability to erase people from memory, it cannot open a single door.

Just as fictional strange forces and turbulent spirits have all sorts of weaknesses.

If real strange forces and turbulent spirits are the same, they might also have weaknesses that humans can exploit to exterminate them.

“If you are truly Father, please answer the questions I ask.”

『Alright, I will answer.』

“Where is Father returning from right now?”

『I am returning from the gambling den.』

“What is Father’s name, and what is my name?”

『My name is Lee Juhwang, and your name is Lee Shin.』

“What does Father like?”

『The child’s wine I first tasted on my wedding day, you my child, and gambling as a hobby.』

It matches exactly with the Father I know.

“Then what does Father dislike?”

『You getting hurt, and snowy days.』

It doesn’t work.

I wondered if the ghost might accidentally reveal its own weakness...

『I dislike the morning sun rising. The morning sun has too strong yang energy and melts the body.』

『Shut up!』

『Foolish thing! Do you want to be stitched up again!?』

...The voice wasn’t echoing?

From the way it is startled, it doesn’t seem to be a lie either?

『Damn it! Drag him out by force!』

『Come out! I am your father! Open the door quickly!』

“Why are you acting like this? You’re making a fuss as if there will be a big problem if I don’t come out before the morning sun rises.”

『We do not change a prey once we have decided on it. Therefore, if you do not come out before the morning sun rises, it will truly become troublesome.』

『After this matter is over, I will stitch you up again!』

『The weakness is nothing else—it is you! Your very existence is our weakness!』

The form felt is one, but at least three seem to be stuck together.

Listening to the story, there is a friend who frequently causes accidents, so thanks to that it became clear what I need to do.

“No matter what happens, I will not open the door.”

One is to endure until morning.

The other is to use the loose-mouthed one until then to find out where the thing’s hideout is.

『Foolish thing!』

『Do not get cocky!』

With the ghost’s shout, the surroundings shook.

An unpleasant energy swirled around, and I felt part of it seeping into my mind.

‘So this is how it is.’

Along with that, the ghost began to feel like Father.

The desire to follow its words also welled up—this seems to be the spell I had only heard of.

At the physiological unpleasantness I reflexively raised internal energy, and the insect-like energy crawling inside my head vanished as if evaporating.

‘I can erase spells with internal energy?’

Was my body originally immune to spells thanks to the innate energy I was born with?

And that power has seeped into the internal energy, erasing spells?

I don’t know for sure, but if so, enduring will be easier?

“Father, do you know where the disappeared children went?”

『Don’t speak!』

『Cover that one’s mouth!』

『They are all in my hideout. In a cave on a remote mountain 20 li from here, I buried them with only their heads left out—young ones really do taste good.』

I just need to keep enduring.

I just need to endure, but...

“...Do the children taste that good?”

『They do. If you bury them and slowly suck their life force, you can eat for up to half a month. Because they are put to sleep with a spell, they do not wake until death, but when bored I sometimes wake them. The screams are noisy, but sometimes they are sweet and not bad as entertainment.』

『It is truly lamentable that I am one body with you!』

『Your mouth is so light that if I put you in water only your mouth would float!』

When I came to my senses, I had already opened the door wide.

“Ha, I need to fix this temper of mine.”

Even though I didn’t know if I could hit a ghost or not, this time too my body went out first.

『Opened! You opened it!』

『I don’t know what method you used, but you finally opened it!』

In front of the door, a ghost in white mourning clothes floated in midair and rejoiced.

There were no eyes, nose, ears, or even hair, but three mouths were pierced in different directions.

『I will eat you more painfully than anyone!』

『I promise a death so tormenting and painful that you will regret being born!』

『Do not erase the consciousness! Only control it! That way it will be more tormenting, won’t it?』

Even if I cannot hit a ghost, I felt that driving a punch would at least put my mind at ease, so I reflexively raised internal energy, kicked off the ground, leapt up, and drove my fist toward its face.

『!?』

A heavy sensation was transmitted to my fist, and the ghost tumbled.

“I can hit it?”

Then the story changes again.

“First, take a few hits.”