The Five-Foot Monster, The Jomagu Legend (3)

“What’s the situation?”

“…Its size has grown even more. Measuring it is meaningless at this point.”

“Damn it, why is this taking so long…!”

Lee Han-ul, the director of the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office, was growing impatient.

Boom.

Groooaar.

Just how enormous had it become for the tremors to be felt even thousands of meters away?

Kim Myeong-ho, the office’s ace and fox fanatic, wore a concerned expression as he spoke:

“Director, shouldn’t we assist Lady Miho too…?”

Naturally,

His concern was not for the human Lee Ha-neul, but rather the fox yokai Miho.

Regarding Kim Myeong-ho with disdain, the director responded:

“Even if combat personnel were deployed, you wouldn’t be included.”

“Huh? But why not!”

“Why not, you ask? Kim Myeong-ho, is that how you address your superiors?”

“Eep… My apologies. But still! I’m an exceptional combatant, Director! You know my marksmanship is second to none in this office. Excluding me from this operation seems rather unfair, doesn’t it?”

“Well, you are indeed formidable when it comes to marksmanship.”

“Isn’t that right? So this time…”

“But you’re equally exceptional at waveform detection.”

“…”

“Kim Myeong-ho, who else but you can measure the waveforms? Stay here and keep monitoring them. That’s an order.”

“Yes…”

‘That baldy asshole, I wanted to fight side-by-side with Lady Miho too.’

Though Kim Myeong-ho inwardly cursed the director,

Regardless, the director scratched his head, deep in thought.

The multi-tailed fox yokai ‘Miho’ was presumed to be a formidable Grade 2 great yokai.

And Ha-neul’s prowess as a Martial Artist went without saying.

Though neither was officially affiliated with the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office, their ‘collaboration’ was close enough to entrust them with Jomagu’s extermination.

However, that decision seemed to have been mistaken.

Since they had yet to defeat a mere ‘Grade 7’ yokai like Jomagu, something was clearly amiss.

At the very least, he should have deployed one of the office’s combat personnel as backup.

The possible scenarios were too numerous to list:

1. 1. Like the multi-tailed ‘Miho’, Jomagu’s grade had rapidly increased.

 

1. 1. This Jomagu was a dangerous yokai with formidable abilities despite its low yogi level.

 

1. 1. For some reason, Ha-neul and Miho were unable to use their full powers.

      Or perhaps,

      Miho had betrayed them.

No matter her status as their lifesaver, she was still a yokai, not human.

Unworthy of complete trust, and undeserving of being trusted.

“Gaaah… Lady Miho must be safe!”

…He must not allow himself to be entranced by Miho like his foolish subordinate Kim Myeong-ho.

As the commander leading the Yokai Extermination Office, Lee Han-ul regarded Miho with suspicion upon suspicion.

Yet Miho’s betrayal seemed the least plausible scenario.

For if he were to summarize his observations of this ‘Miho’ yokai over the past few days,

She was simply a regular fox.

A pet kept by the Yokai Extermination Office.

Nothing more, nothing less.

While her intellect appeared no different from a human’s,

Her every action was that of an animal fox in its purest form.

Happily wagging her tails when given food.

Perking her ears while crunching on dog food.

Purring with delight whenever Ha-neul stroked her head.

She exhibited such utter defenselessness that even as the director, Lee Han-ul found it difficult to suspect her.

‘I even bought premium dog food, so give me some too!’

Inwardly,

Lee Han-ul had begun treating Miho like a pet.

---

Crunch crunch.

Munch munch.

Chomp chomp.

It was not the sound of me eating dog food,

But of Jomagu devouring trees.

Perhaps having discovered a new taste in wood, the emboldened Jomagu began ravenously consuming the surrounding trees.

There was nothing we could do to stop it.

My yogi usage had been forcibly sealed,

And after exerting herself for so long, Ha-neul was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

Having grown by feeding on trees, Jomagu had reached such an enormous size that we had to crane our necks upwards.

If there was any consolation,

The tree-engrossed Jomagu paid us no further heed.

[Grrr… Hungry… Still, still hungry…!]

Hm?

Did that bastard just… burp…?

My contemplation was interrupted by Ha-neul:

“Mi, Miho, don’t you have any good ideas?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Then hurry and try something! At this rate, that lunatic will devour every tree in Jirisan!”

“Request backup.”

“…Huh?”

“Grenades, guns, bazookas, tanks. Anything with heavy firepower will do. You received a radio earlier, didn’t you? Use it to call for support.”

Physical force was undoubtedly effective.

A realization from Ha-neul’s tearful sacrifice.

What was needed to exterminate that yokai was not yogi or martial force, but sheer destructive firepower.

For some reason, however,

Instead of retrieving the radio, Ha-neul scratched her head and continued:

“That’s… Heh… Hehehe… It broke…”

“…”

“D, Don’t give me that look! It broke when you told me to strike Jomagu with pure physical force!”

What a predicament.

Having grasped the situation, we devised a plan.

The swifter Ha-neul would run to the office and directly request backup.

Meanwhile, I would prevent Jomagu from devouring any more trees.

“Can you manage that?”

“Yeah. Probably.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back, so hang in there. And don’t overdo it!”

After speaking, Ha-neul vanished from my sight.

Good.

With that distraction gone,

I briefly recalled the earlier scene.

It had burped.

Unless I was mistaken, Jomagu had definitely burped after consuming those trees.

Burping implied the trees it had swallowed were not properly digested.

Evidence of this was how its tree consumption rate had not noticeably slowed.

Chomp chomp.

Chomp chomp chomp.

I concentrated yogi into my tails.

Whereupon the tree-fixated Jomagu finally turned its attention towards me.

[Food… Food. Trees, not tasty.]

[Fox yokai, forced to eat, trees.]

[Fox yokai, tasty.]

[Haven’t actually eaten one though.]

[But seems tasty.]

[Give me, tasty food.]

…Just look at this bastard.

I had thought it was brainless, but it seemed rather intelligent.

So by voraciously devouring those flavorless trees,

It was simply building an appetite to consume me, something it deemed delectable – was that it?

If you want to eat me so badly,

Then so be it.

[Fox Sorcery]

Fox Fire – Fox Spirit (Fox Ling)

My six tails ignited in a brilliant azure blaze.

Countless azure Fox Fires emerged from my tails one by one,

Coalescing behind me into a distinct form –

Identical to the blue-furred demonic fox Wol-ya,

Who had bestowed her yogi upon me before becoming my kin.

The Fox Fire construct in Wol-ya’s image had grown to rival even Jomagu’s immense size.

Visibly unnerved, Jomagu opened its beak:

[That… Can’t eat, that…]

[Not tasty…]

“How would you know without even trying?”

For a yokai tormented by insatiable hunger like you, Jomagu,

This was a special dish I had personally prepared.

So please, enjoy your meal.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Glurp… Grrrrr…

After gulping down the Fox Fire in Wol-ya’s form, Jomagu seemed unable to fully digest my yogi, vomiting everything from its belly.

When it vomited the trees, its size shrank to around two elephants combined.

After vomiting the rotten corpses, it was finally reduced to the size of a single elephant.

As if determined to purge everything it had ever consumed,

Jomagu proceeded to vomit what appeared to be human ribs,

Then a pair of straw sandals that looked ancient,

Followed by an old-fashioned cooking pot.

The antiquated objects spewing from its belly suggested this Jomagu was surprisingly an ancient yokai who had lived for quite some time, much like Old Monk Bangta.

I could only speculate that due to its peculiarity of growing in size instead of yogi from consuming things, it had managed to survive until now.

Next, it vomited a horn.

…A horn?

It was unmistakably not a cow’s horn.

At a glance, it was clearly not an animal’s horn, bearing an unsettling otherworldliness.

Could it be from another yokai Jomagu had devoured in the past?

Upon the ‘something’ Jomagu vomited next,

I could only gape in shock.

It was

The cover of an ancient book titled [Taejasinggi].

As if entranced, I reached out towards the Taejasinggi.

An irresistible temptation.

An impulse I could not refuse.

Soon as the Taejasinggi made contact with my hand,

Someone’s memories began flooding into my mind.