The Dogahoe (Ancient Mystic Society) (Completed)

After being threatened by Half-Blank, my vision became clear.

Until now, I had been restraining myself due to the obsession that the scripture called the ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’ must never reach human ears.

But having been threatened by Half-Blank, I resolved to act without reservations.

For that reason, I approached Ho-jun with Woochi the Shaman’s Diary Volume 4 and bluntly told him:

“Read this.”

“…What is this?”

“Woochi the Shaman’s Diary, Volume 4. The ill-fated masterpiece that ended on a cliffhanger. The ending isn’t quite satisfying, but read it anyway.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. Where did you get this? You don’t have the authority to…”

“Sheesh, so many questions. Just read it, will you?”

“…You insufferable vixen. Give it here.”

Ho-jun snatched Woochi’s Diary Volume 4 from me and began reading the part I had bookmarked – the final page of Volume 4.

Looking somewhat flustered, he asked me:

“…Just what is this?”

“Can’t read it?”

“No, I can’t make any sense of it. Is it a mystic art? No, it doesn’t seem like one… Just what is this…”

As expected, he couldn’t read it.

This was just my conjecture, but it seemed the words ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’ could only be understood by yokai.

To further confirm my guess, I spoke to Ho-jun:

“God-Manifesting Talisman.”

“…What?”

“God-Manifesting Talisman.”

“What’s with that barking sound?”

“God-Manifesting Talisman.”

“…This is serious. Now you’re just spewing gibberish at me.”

Hmm.

That seems to confirm it.

Humans cannot hear the words ‘God-Manifesting Talisman’.

“Enough with the gibberish. So, did you get the information you wanted?”

“Hmm… No, I didn’t get information, but I gained certainty.”

“Certainty about what?”

“The certainty that I must destroy the goblins.”

One thing I realized from Woochi’s diary was the true nature of ‘goblins’.

Had it not been for the goblins, Woochi and Gildong could have joined forces to exterminate all the yokai in the world and ushered in an era of peace.

…In which case, I would not have been reborn, but peace is still preferable.

The goblins I encountered – not the fake ‘formless shadows’, but the real goblin in Namsan – were beings without direct offensive abilities.

However, the goblins depicted in Woochi’s diary did possess direct offensive power.

My previous assumption that all goblins lacked offensive capabilities was clearly mistaken.

Realizing goblins had offensive power was quite a significant gain.

Of course, I shared the information about goblins with Ho-jun, and planned to inform the Director as well upon returning.

Ah, yes.

With no further business at the Dogahoe, it was time to leave.

“Don’t try to stop me, Ho-jun. Keep diligently training. And ease up on the drinking.”

“I haven’t touched a drop in over a week. I can distinguish work from leisure. And how many times must I say this – I don’t want advice about alcohol from a lascivious fox yokai like you…”

“Yes, yes, Wastrel Mystic.”

“…That ‘wastrel’ remark is the last I’ll tolerate. The mystic Ho-jun you meet next time may be somewhat different from before, so look forward to it.”

“Getting plastic surgery?”

“This face is already handsome enough, why would I do that?”

“…You saying that yourself just sounds unseemly.”

“In any case, the mystic Ho-jun you meet next time…”

Pausing briefly, Ho-jun spoke to me with a self-assured tone:

“Will have become the greatest.”

---

After bidding Ho-jun farewell, before leaving the Dogahoe, I went to see the elder.

It was thanks to Ho-jun’s master, Grandmother Bijong, that I could read Woochi’s diary, so I wanted to express my gratitude.

“Come here and sit, good fox.”

Fortunately, she welcomed me without any sign of dislike.

As I sat beside her, the elder placed her hand on my head and began gently stroking it.

Pat pat.

Pat pat pat.

“Rrrrrrr.”

“Heheh. You like it that much?”

Grandmothers truly did have warm, gentle hands.

The comfort was on another level compared to anyone else’s stroking.

“So, did you read Woochi’s diary?”

“Ah…”

…The elder had known I would read Woochi’s diary, it seemed.

I answered her honestly:

“Yes.”

“Were you able to read the final page too?”

“Yes.”

“Indeed, regardless of its adorableness, a spirit creature is a spirit creature.”

“Um… Aren’t you curious about the contents?”

“No need. At my age, even lingering curiosities fade away. So, did you find your path to take?”

“Yes… I think so.”

“I was worried you may have wasted your steps at the Dogahoe. That’s a relief.”

“Thanks to you, grandmother. Sincerely, thank you.”

“For what? I didn’t do anything special.”

Feeling the elder’s gentle strokes continue, I asked her a question:

“Grandmother, why are you so kind to me, a complete stranger?”

“Heheh. We elderly folk just like cute things. That wastrel Ho-jun has no cute qualities as a disciple, so how could I dislike you?”

“…Somehow I feel there’s another reason.”

“Good fox.”

“Yes?”

The elder’s following words brought tears to my eyes:

“There need not be any particular reason for a person to like another person.”

“Ah…”

For some reason, my eyes welled up with tears, and:

“Yip…”

A fox’s cry inadvertently escaped my lips.

Unbeknownst to me, it seemed I naturally let out fox sounds when deeply moved.

“Why the sudden yipping?”

…It was a bit embarrassing.

---

One week after the Seoul meeting, the world remained peaceful.

No yokai or goblins had appeared during my brief absence.

Upon arriving at Jirisan, I shared the goblin information with the Director and Yi Haneul.

I then naturally took a seat in the Jirisan Yokai Subjugation Office’s break room and began pouring milk into a bowl.

As for cola, well, milk tasted so delicious somehow.

Especially when soaking cereal in it – it felt as filling as eating a whole bowl of soup rice.

Before long, I began adding dry kibble to the milk as well.

“Uurgghhh…”

Watching from the side, Yi Haneul recoiled in disgust.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I feel like throwing up…”

“Why, exactly?”

“The smell… the visuals… Urghh, it’s awful!”

“The smell is good, the taste is good, and the visuals are top-notch. Try a bite, on the assumption you’re joking.”

“Absolutely not, not even if I’m dying! Who in their right mind eats dog food soaked in milk?!”

“I’m not human, you know.”

“That’s something to brag about?!”

Pitiful, so pitiful.

Milk and dog food mixed together is so delicious.

Soon, I scooped up a large spoonful of the milk-soaked kibble and popped it straight into my mouth.

Waahhhng.

Wag-jak.

Wag-jak.

The combination of still-crispy dry kibble and softened, milk-soaked kibble was heavenly.

“Urghhhh…”

Really now.

Disrupting a yokai’s meal like that.

In any case, as I ate the milk and dog food mix, I became lost in thought.

Half-Blank was a being capable of predicting the future and twisting causality – a true ‘half-deity’ befitting the name.

If he could foresee the future, he should have realized this was the perfect opportunity to shake the world.

So why was everything still so peaceful?

The Dogahoe had yet to fall under Ho-jun’s control.

The Battle Mystics had also failed to awaken the method of confronting goblins left by the ‘King of the Ratfolk’.

Was this not the ideal time for the goblins to run rampant?

If there was a reason, it was me – the fox yokai.

Though uncertain what exactly Half-Blank did to Dalgi, he seemed to be extremely wary of me.

He had clearly stated I was an ‘existence outside his plans’.

As a fox yokai, I represented a major variable for him.

Thus, my path forward had become quite clear:

Grow even stronger.

Increase the value of this variable.

In other words, I needed to unleash more tails.

However, unlike the vile fox Dalgi, I had no intention of devouring human essence or livers.

I had no idea how to grow more tails.

Asking the fellow spirit creature Sангун seemed futile, as he likely wouldn’t answer me.

It seemed I would have to devise a method alone.

“…Kku-ung.”

I was utterly clueless.

If only a tail would just pop out with sheer willpower, how convenient that would be.

Watching me, Yi Haneul remarked:

“Don’t worry too much, Miho. After all, you’re the goblins’ natural enemy, right?”

“I guess…?”

“Have you ever seen a natural enemy get devoured by its prey?”

“No, never.”

“A natural enemy is a natural enemy, no matter what. Even a fully-grown ant could be stepped on and killed by a newborn baby.”

Hmm.

An ant, huh?

Calling goblins ‘ants’ seemed an understatement given their formidable power.

Of course, I was confident I could defeat them, but I mustn’t forget – I was only two years old, essentially a newborn fox yokai.

…Well, as Yi Haneul said, there was no point worrying prematurely.

If I waited calmly, they would make the first move eventually.

…

…

…

And so, peaceful days continued, until:

“Ms. Miho, a yokai has appeared!”

A yokai manifested a whopping 10 days after the Seoul meeting.