Woochi the Shaman’s Diary – Volume 2

January, the year of Jeongmi (1427), Slightly Cloudy.

As the saying goes, ‘Even in June, frost falls when a woman harbors resentment’ – those words proved true.

Yesterday afternoon, I engaged in a pleasant tryst with the youngest daughter of a miller.

Yesterday evening, I became intimate with the second daughter of a merchant family.

This afternoon, the two women brought their fathers to confront me in outrage.

The fathers interrogated me: “Just what makes you, a mere wastrel, qualified to make my daughter pregnant?”

Pressuring me to clarify which was the concubine and which the wife.

But it was a meaningless conversation born of misunderstanding.

For I am one who rationally plans out my ‘bedroom entries’.

I explained to them that I could use my self-developed ‘defensive spell’ to prevent pregnancy.

Yet they scoffed, calling it nonsense, with none believing my words.

In the end, I had to part ways with my two loves and leave town.

The heavens are so unjust, failing to recognize the overwhelming talent of a mystic destined for greatness…

“What the actual fuck?”

Isn’t this Volume 1?

This is supposed to be Volume 2, right?

Even in Volume 2, this guy still hasn’t gotten his act together.

The early parts of Volume 2 were quite ordinary – meeting women, subduing yokai, training.

While Woochi’s womanizing didn’t paint him in the best light, the diary depicted him as relentlessly training combat spells with the single-minded goal of becoming the greatest mystic.

Perhaps it was his way of relieving stress from training.

I could understand his mentality to some degree.

Since the powerful yokai he faced in Volume 1, Woochi hadn’t encountered any major crises.

The yokai of this era were certainly vicious beasts, but lacked overwhelming power – easily no match for the immensely developed ‘Mystic Woochi’ through his training.

January, the year of Gisa (1449)

Of late, I’ve begun to question the value of ‘mystic arts’.

After the ‘Hunminjeongeum’ scripture was promulgated nationwide, our nation entered an unprecedented era of stability.

With the creation of Korea’s own writing system, the people could freely express their will.

The literate began excelling in various fields, inevitably leading to the demise of yokai.

Humans no longer feared yokai.

Bloodshed was unavoidable, yet they could exterminate yokai without my aid.

With a benevolent king and wise people upholding the nation, the yokai would likely soon be wiped out entirely.

I began questioning the very purpose of my existence.

Of course, the yokai’s demise was welcome.

Yet my determination to become the greatest combat mystic and make my name while saving the people from yokai… wavered despite my efforts.

---

It seems during the reign of one of Joseon’s greatest kings, an unprecedented era of peace was ushered in, understandably deflating Woochi’s spirit after his relentless pursuit of becoming the greatest.

According to Woochi’s depiction, with yokai facing imminent ‘extinction’, the value of someone obsessed solely with combat spells like himself would plummet.

…However, if all yokai had gone extinct, I would not have been reborn as a fox spirit in this world.

Old Man Mangtae said that alongside the benevolent king’s emergence, a being of chaos – the [Goblin] – also appeared.

June, the year of Gisa (1449)

Encountered the Sage Hwangdaesan.

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“Phew.”

Woochi let out a sigh.

The 40-odd years he had devoted singlemindedly to becoming the greatest mystic seemed futile.

For the past 6 months, Woochi had not encountered a single yokai.

The people no longer sought him out, nor did he happen upon yokai by chance.

Yokai had begun walking the path of extinction.

Woochi was honest about his feelings. As the yokai’s extinction approached, he was torn between joy and emptiness.

No, emptiness outweighed the joy.

‘What should I do now?’

With no need to train combat spells, he soon spent 6 long months secluded in the mountains, abstaining even from his beloved ladies.

One day, he happened to encounter an elderly white-haired old man in the mountains.

The man introduced himself as Hwangdaesan, neither a mystic like Woochi nor an extraordinary being, yet possessed of remarkable wisdom.

Before long, Woochi became entranced by this Hwangdaesan.

“Venerable Sage, do you advise that I should forsake combat spells?”

“Heheheh. Indeed. The world no longer needs heroes, so it would be wiser for you to abandon combat spells and cultivate the Way like other mystics.”

“Thank you for your guidance, Sage. Certainly, from this day forth, I shall forsake all combat spells and…”

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Dammit.

This reeks of a goblin con job from a mile away.

Some ancient, decrepit old man randomly encountering Woochi in those perilous mountains? Unbelievable.

Moreover, claiming to be neither mystic nor battle mystic?

It could only be a goblin.

…The goblins likely aimed to render the obstructive Woochi irrelevant through their powers of persuasion.

Probably using their Language of Command to beguile him.

But how did Woochi break free from the goblins’ snares?

September, the year of Gisa (1449)

Killed the horned demon Hwangdaesan.

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After meeting the ‘Sage Hwangdaesan’, Woochi was able to shed a great burden from his mind.

As the sage said, since the world no longer needed him, it was time to finally let go of his useless combat spells.

For over 40 years, Woochi had not slacked in training for a single day – even his womanizing came after training. No matter how much one disliked Woochi, they could not deny his grueling efforts.

Yet after meeting Hwangdaesan, for three whole months, Woochi set aside his combat spells.

Despite his pathological obsession, letting go brought Woochi an exhilarating feeling he had never known:

Freedom.

Complete freedom from all shackles.

Today, sometime after 1pm, Woochi had promised to meet the Sage Hwangdaesan again.

‘Now that you have regained your freedom, you no longer need my counsel. Thus, I shall depart to meet others in need of guidance.’

It was to be their final meeting.

Leaving regret behind, Woochi resolved to make their last meeting beautiful – by proving to Hwangdaesan that he had truly abandoned combat spells.

Yes, Woochi intended to permanently seal away his combat spells.

Without the slightest hesitation, he began casting a sealing spell upon himself – one that would last until his dying breath, unbreakable by any means.

This was true freedom…

Freedom…

“…”

Ah…

…

…

…

Woochi and ‘Hwangdaesan’ faced each other.

Stroking his beard, the sage asked Woochi:

“So, great Mystic Woochi. Have you finally forsaken all combat spells?”

“…Sage Hwangdaesan. I have a question.”

“Heheheheh. Speak.”

“Sage Hwangdaesan, just what are you… No.”

Bang!

Without warning, Woochi deployed a wide-ranging barrier spell spanning a 15 pace radius, preventing the ‘sage’ from leaving.

He then asked that being:

“Just what are you?”

“…”

“Now I can finally behold your true form. An infinitely spiraling vortex… Chaos… You are chaos itself.”

“…”

“A being that is neither human nor yokai. Just what are you?”

The reason Woochi saw through ‘Hwangdaesan’s’ identity was simple – he was a genius eccentric.

Long fearing he might go insane or fall victim to yokai trickery, Woochi had developed an outlandish mental protection spell to cast on himself.

The trigger for activating this spell was ‘permanently sealing away his combat spells’ – in other words, the worst-case scenario Woochi could conceive.

Of course, no one could have predicted Woochi’s mental protection spell would be potent enough to free him from the goblin’s Language of Command, transcending all common sense.

Flustered by Woochi’s question, the demon responded:

[…Impossible.]

[Impossible. For a mere human to break free of my Language of Command is impossible. And for a human to discern my true form is likewise impossible.]

“It is possible, vile demon. For I am…”

With a wave of his hand, Woochi summoned a gigantic brush over 10 feet long.

Catching it with one hand, he declared to the demon:

“Destined to become the greatest mystic under heaven.”