Woochi the Shaman’s Diary – (Volume 4, Completed)

June 1470 (Year of Gyeongin), Clear

Even as Joseon’s king changed five times, the yokai’s vile acts continued.

The yokai grew stronger day by day, and more intelligent with time.

Countless civilians were sacrificed.

Countless mystics perished.

Joseon’s national strength waned greatly due to the yokai hordes, inviting foreign invasion.

When humans should have united, instead they fought each other – vexing indeed.

Yet the situation was not entirely hopeless.

In troubled times, a hero emerges.

A hero appeared, calling himself the ‘one destined to become the King of the Ratfolk’.

He was a daoist wielding the mystical power of ‘Battle Mystics’ to subdue yokai.

His strength was such that he could shatter the yokai’s evil techniques with mere physical force.

He was, unlike a foolish one like myself, truly worthy of being called a hero.

Peace would soon descend upon this world.

He had arrived – the progenitor of Battle Mystics, the ‘King of the Ratfolk’.

No matter how great Woochi the mystic was said to be, it would be realistically impossible for him alone to roam the eight provinces subduing yokai.

But with the powerful Battle Mystic by his side, the story would change.

July 1474 (Year of Gaboh), Very Cloudy

Conversed with Gildong.

---

“Why did you set your heart on becoming the greatest?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Exactly as I said. I’m suddenly curious why you resolved to become the greatest.”

Pondering Gildong’s question, Woochi answered:

“For a petty reason.”

“Then tell me this petty reason.”

“…Unlike you, I’m not a person with any lofty goals.”

“Well, I’ve told you countless times that I’m no lofty person either.”

“Yet you boldly declare your intent to establish your own kingdom. How can you say you’re not a lofty person?”

“…Let’s set my story aside and hear yours instead.”

In response to this rare confidant he could open his heart to as an equal after decades, Woochi began divulging his honest story.

The beginning of his ‘greatest’ aspiration stemmed from soaring self-confidence.

From birth, Woochi vaguely realized he was different from others.

Once he began formally learning mystic arts, he was certain his intuition was correct.

Having been born and raised extraordinarily, who else could become the greatest if not him?

The middle of his ‘greatest’ aspiration was a desire to save the people.

Seeing civilians cruelly killed by yokai naturally set Woochi’s heart ablaze.

It was not because Woochi was a noble person, but the mindset any decent human – not a yokai – should have.

The end of his ‘greatest’ aspiration was:

“Nothing.”

“Nothing…?”

“Yes, being the ‘greatest’ is nothing.”

To truly be the greatest would mean saving every person in the world.

While Woochi saved many, he could not save just as many.

Since saving every single person was impossible, being the ‘greatest’ amounted to nothing.

Nothingness.

This was Woochi’s conclusion about the ‘greatest’ title.

“How cynical.”

“Realistic, not cynical. You’re the overly idealistic one. Let me ask you something – establishing a nation to save the people…? I think your idea is rather arrogant.”

“Woochi, you have misunderstood my intent.”

“…Then correct me.”

“I do not aim to save the people.”

Gildong’s following words left Woochi speechless:

“But to save the future.”

…

…

…

The yokai hunt was nearing its end.

Occasionally, yokai so formidable would appear that even Woochi and Gildong were inwardly astounded.

Yet mere yokai could never stop the ‘greatest mystic’ and ‘greatest Battle Mystic’.

---

According to the diary, the contemporary ‘Woochi’ and ‘Gildong’ were truly heroes emerging in that troubled era.

A considerable number of yokai must have been ‘granted ascension qualifications’, and those qualified yokai were incomparably stronger than ordinary ones.

The ‘Blue-Furred Yoho’ that had only eaten a few dozen livers emanated a Level 2 yokki aura.

One could only imagine how powerful a yokai that devoured over 800 humans would be.

Yet Woochi and Gildong were so overwhelmingly strong they transcended even such yokai – to the yokai, they must have seemed like the Grim Reaper incarnate.

With the two joining forces to subdue every yokai in the world, an era of peace would soon arrive.

…Had the goblins not interfered, that is.

Ah, yes.

It was about time the Goblin King Half-Blank made his appearance, along with the yokai scripture ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’, the spirit creature, and finally, Half-Blank’s vile counterpart Eodeuksini.

Yet…there was nothing.

Only a single page remained in the diary – Woochi’s diary ended at Volume 4.

With so many stories left to tell, why was there only one page left?

Perplexed, I read the remaining page.

March 1492 (Year of Gaboh), Very Cloudy

Encountered the Goblin King with Gildong.

I had repeatedly told Gildong that the ‘goblins’ were the root of all evil, so if we ever faced them, we must exterminate them without mercy.

Gildong heeded my words, training a special Battle Mystic technique based on my memories and experiences to confront the goblins.

Today, a being introducing himself as the ‘King of Goblins’ approached us of his own accord.

I immediately unleashed mystic arts upon him, and Gildong attacked with his Battle Mystics, yet that being’s spiral did not cease rotating.

It seemed he had no intention of fighting us.

The Goblin King spoke:

We were obstructive presences in his plans, so he wished to tear us apart right then, but the shackles and causality did not desire our deaths, which we should consider fortunate.

He boasted of authoring the ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’ scripture and distributing it to the yokai.

Gildong and I repeatedly asked the name of this scripture, but that being only uttered the incomprehensible words ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’, never revealing its true name.

…What?

The diary clearly states ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’, so why couldn’t Woochi and Gildong understand Half-Blank’s words?

I continued reading the diary.

Gildong asked that being why he had come to meet us – not to fight, but seemingly with some other motive, providing us so much information unprompted.

I shared the same doubt.

Eventually, that being answered, but with words my limited intellect still cannot comprehend.

So for the sake of whoever reads this diary in the future, I shall transcribe that being’s full words:

[Fox yokai.]

[Miho.]

…Madness.

What is this?

[The appearance of Woochi and Gildong to obstruct me was part of my plan.]

[Eodeuksini awakening to halt the yokai’s ascension was also part of my plan.]

[The tiger spirit named Sангун]

[and his yokai legion]

[were all part of my plan.]

[Miho.]

[You are]

[an existence outside my plan.]

[A fox yokai with multiple tails, clearly deviating from the shackles.]

[Dalgi was also an existence outside my plan.]

[I tried to stop her, but she was a being without weaknesses.]

[However.]

[Unlike Dalgi,]

[Miho, you are]

[a weak being with weaknesses.]

[You are neither the greatest like Woochi,]

[nor a hero of troubled times like Gildong,]

[nor a uniquely powerful existence like Dalgi.]

[You cannot possibly defy my will.]

[There will be no second mistake.]

[Cease pursuing the God-Manifesting Talisman.]

[Cease hunting goblins.]

[Otherwise,]

[I will thoroughly defile all you hold dear.]

This was the end of Woochi’s diary.

“…”

Since being reborn as a fox yokai, many incomprehensible events had occurred over the past two years.

But this diary’s final page surpassed that level of incomprehension.

It seemed Half-Blank intentionally approached Woochi and Gildong to leave a message for my future self.

How he predicted the future was beside the point.

He had declared that if I did not stop, he would ‘defile all I held dear’ – a blatant threat.

I pondered briefly, then:

“…Pfft.”

I laughed.

Yes.

I did not cower in fear, nor fret over the safety of those around me.

I laughed at that supposedly noble half-human making such a crass threat – he must have been utterly humiliated by the fox yokai Dalgi in ages past.

Indeed, the multi-tailed fox yokai did seem the goblins’ only natural enemy.

Far from feeling threatened by Half-Blank’s words, I found them laughable – an uncharacteristic mentality even I found perplexing.

If a herbivore cowered, fine, but a predator threatening a herbivore? Utterly absurd.

Thanks to Half-Blank’s threat, I regained my resolve.

I had a new goal:

To unleash all nine tails and utterly exterminate the goblins.