Ch.249249. Dongrae (6)

And so, after unexpectedly gaining a second disciple.

“Elder. I’ll begin the treatment now.”

“I’m in your hands, Master…”

First, Sophia and I decided to treat Shim Bonsa, whose soul had been partially damaged due to his continuous consumption of human flesh.

Though his symptoms had currently stabilized at the point of extreme weight loss and blindness, these were merely precursors to something worse.

I wasn’t sure how long he could hold out, but if this soul wound remained untreated, I suspected with near certainty that both his body and soul would gradually transform into a crypt ghoul.

With this thought in mind, Sophia and I began to observe Shim Bonsa’s fractured soul through our “Eyes”…

“…There it is.”

“Gregory, I’ll keep watching with my ‘Eyes.'”

Sophia and I divided our roles and began repairing his broken soul.

While Sophia held his soul steady using the power of celestial magic—a realm close to the spiritual and abstract—I infused it with regenerative power derived from the Hydra’s mysteries to restore it.

The Hydra’s wondrous regenerative ability, remarkably effective not only on physical bodies but also in spiritual and non-material realms, healed the damaged, partially cracked soul as if time were rewinding.

‘…First phase, complete.’

Recognizing that Shim Bonsa’s soul had been restored to its state before the damage from unintentional cannibalism, I then calmly began restoring his physical body, which had deteriorated along with his soul.

I breathed vitality into his slow and weakened organs, channeling healing magic into damaged body parts to continue the restoration.

His digestive system, which had hardened to the point of immobility, was instantly restored to a reasonably functional state.

Through magic, I supplied nutrients to his emaciated body that had been dying from malnutrition and starvation. Color returned to his pale white skin, and his body began to fill out gradually like an inflating balloon.

His cloudy eyes, which had developed something like cataracts, also returned to their original black color thanks to this healing magic…

“Father… can you see me…?”

“Cheong-ah? Yes, I can see you!”

Having instantly recovered his sight, Shim Bonsa—who could no longer be called “bonsa” (blind man)—looked at his only family, Cheong-i, and they embraced each other with tears streaming down their faces.

“Oh my, oh my…! Cheong-ah, so this is your face!”

“Huuuuuuuuuu… hueeeeeeeng…!”

As Mr. Shim held his only daughter tightly while shedding tears like chicken droppings, Sim Cheong, overwhelmed with emotion, likewise embraced her father tightly and began to wail.

The two created a sea of tears, openly displaying their joy and relief—a testament to how much emotional suffering they must have endured until now.

“It’s touching…”

“Yes, it’s truly joyful.”

Even for us, whose emotions and sensibilities had somewhat hardened, their display left us with a certain sentiment.

After they had embraced and cried for some time…

“…Master! Thank you so much! I don’t know how I can ever repay this debt!”

Though no longer wailing to the point of fainting, Sim Cheong, still sniffling with tears and mucus, bowed deeply to Sophia and me while saying this…

“Now, it’s time for your revenge.”

“Revenge…”

All that remained was to deliver appropriate punishment to those who had dared to mess with the parent of a prospective disciple and the disciple herself—as befitting my position as a master.

※ ※ ※

Raiding the neighboring butcher shop (so-called), wiping them out, and uncovering who was behind it.

With this clear objective in mind, the first thing I did was to protect the Shim family’s thatched house, which might be attacked while I was away.

“Cretinus, Lancelot, Gretel, Wonsul. Guard this house and those two while I’m gone.”

[[[[Yes!]]]]

Since having everyone I was supposed to protect end up dead while I was away dealing with enemies was not at all to my taste, I summoned four of them to guard this mansion.

Cretinus, a defensive tank-like entity with the power to control water (especially seawater) and grow to enormous size. An aura-user combo that even higher-ranked beings couldn’t easily dismiss.

Plus Wonsul, who could demonstrate overwhelming utility through the use of Taoist arts.

“Wonsul. That child is your sister disciple. You’re responsible for protecting her.”

“Yes!”

Since Cheong was now a sister disciple to my apprentice Wonsul, I trusted that he would take good care of her as I trudged toward the neighboring butcher shop.

A butcher shop—a retail store that slaughters livestock and sells the processed carcasses. Despite requiring considerable skill, I recall that this profession was quite despised in the Joseon era.

They were called “baekjeong,” professional butchers who were among the lowest of the lower class.

Of course, in modern times, there’s a clear distinction between butcher shops and slaughterhouses, but back then, the two were essentially inseparable professions.

And from what I’ve heard, butchers aren’t particularly despised in this world.

It’s considered a specialized physical labor profession—typically hard on the body but well-paying.

However, in this world, butcher shops are strangely avoided across all cultures, rather than despised.

This is partly due to cultural reasons stemming from the fact that they essentially live by taking others’ lives, but more significantly because butcher shops have traditionally served as secret meeting places for cultists.

Cultists and human sacrifice are so intertwined they’re practically one and the same, and they often extend their reach into businesses that make it easier to obtain sacrificial victims.

And in that sense, a butcher shop provides the perfect environment.

The noise from slaughtering someone for human sacrifice can be disguised as the sound of killing livestock.

Having blades prominently displayed doesn’t arouse suspicion, and transporting or distributing dismembered “meat” can appear perfectly natural.

Additionally, it’s a profession that wouldn’t seem out of place anywhere, and for raising funds, this butcher shop is extremely—

“—We’ve arrived.”

“…Ah.”

My train of thought was interrupted when Sophia spoke to me through our mental link.

From the ceiling hung hooks with processed meat—or more precisely, processed flesh—dangling down, and there was a magic refrigerator-like stone box emitting faint magical energy, presumably for storing meat.

To anyone, it would appear to be just an ordinary, typical butcher shop of this world, but…

[Sniff… sniff sniff! It’s here! Underground is spacious! Human-corpses are there!]

‘Haa, so that’s it…’

Having sent my rat minions for simple reconnaissance, I hardened my expression at the information they relayed and gradually began to draw out my magical power.

The name of the magic I was forming was “Silent Wilderness”—a spatial formation magic that ingeniously combined several nature magics, wild magics, and barrier techniques.

Its effect was to temporarily isolate the space within the barrier, treating it as a “separate space.”

If I were to wreck the interior of that butcher shop, there would undoubtedly be loud noises and chaos, which would inevitably attract this world’s law enforcement.

Of course, mere constables couldn’t match us in terms of force, but law enforcement represents social power beyond just immediate physical confrontation.

Rather than being life-threatening, the situation would obviously become incredibly annoying. So I first sealed off the surroundings with magic that would both repel passersby and prevent sound from escaping.

Now people walking toward this area would naturally avoid the vicinity and take detours, and they wouldn’t notice anything happening inside no matter what.

Furthermore, the cultists inside wouldn’t be able to escape through any secret passages they might have, and the magic would also block any surveillance spells that might exist.

And then…

“Let’s go, my rats. Sweep away all those abominations inside!”

[[[[[Let’s go-go! Go!]]]]]

The moment I gave the order to my rats, judging the time was right, at least thousands of black rats emerged from the shadows and poured into the entrance of the butcher shop.

Thus, a wave of death surged forth and began rushing toward the cultists.