episode_0204

Repent and consume your sins in that stone.

The hero who succeeded in sealing the fox god left some words of advice for humans.

Never touch the seal, for even a speck of dust will break the seal.

If the seal is broken due to your own mistake or insufficiencies, then you will never be involved in the affairs of the lower world.

So control and manage her. So that she doesn’t break the seal and come out of the life stone.

The hero who left behind these words of advice returned to the divine realm, and from then on, the people began to appoint representatives to manage the seal of the Murseongseok.

To prevent that evil spirit from ever appearing in the underworld again.

Meanwhile, the fox god sealed in the killing stone continued to spew out endless malice.

Why do I have to be punished?

Some people have lost the happiness they had barely managed to cling to, so was it really that wrong to not wish happiness to others?

Others must experience the pain I have experienced. Why should I be the only one to suffer like this?

The malice was so great that it broke through the seal and filled the area around the Salsengseok with poison.

If there is so much poison around the Salsaengseok, what will happen to the person who manages it?

Of course, it must have been because of that poison that he died young, right?

It is said that those who managed the seal began to die one by one.

At least a month. At most a year or so.

As brilliant lives began to die out in droves, people could not help but worry.

Are we really supposed to have to deal with this?

It’s a problem whether we manage it or not, so how can we solve this problem that has no answer?

They once again asked heaven for help.

Heaven, please send down someone to manage it, for we cannot handle this disaster on our own.

I prayed with all my heart, but this time the situation was very different.

Even without that, there was a lot of bleeding from dealing with one evil spirit, so even the gods didn’t have the capacity to help.

So they answered in a cold voice.

It’s hard to get involved in summer work any further.

It is up to you to either appease the grudge or break the seal and meet the end.

The humans were outraged by the gods’ answer, but soon had to control their emotions.

I realized that being angry and desperate didn’t change anything.

The humans began to put their heads together and think again.

How can we prevent useless deaths?

Isn’t there a better way to make managing the Salsaengseok a little easier?

While I was thinking about it, a man offered his opinion.

‘How about performing a ritual? I doubt that will appease the evil spirit, but it seems worth a try.’

People were hesitant about the man’s opinion, but they considered themselves fooled and prepared the ancestral rites table.

And then, he went to that place full of poison and started performing a ritual.

Please let go of your anger. Please find peace.

They say that they did not say anything else and only repeated what the man who gave the opinion told them to do.

I had doubts about whether it would really work, but it was really painful because of the poison that filled all around.

Nevertheless, they persevered with strong willpower and completed the ritual, which succeeded in moving the heart of the fox god sealed in the killing stone.

Isn’t it too easy to let go of hatred?

Don’t you know that the fox god wasn’t an evil being from the beginning?

If he was an evil being, he wouldn’t have held the position of ‘Abundance’ in the first place. Isn’t that right?

The fox god also knew that he was wrong. But he did not stop because of the hatred that was deeply rooted in his heart.

Anyway, she stopped spewing out her malice as she watched the people leave listlessly after the ritual.

Then he had a long time of reflection, just like he had done in the past when he was training to become human.

The end result of all the effort is so futile.

The end of hatred is so vain.

I just wanted to live a colorful life.

I just wanted a little pure love.

How did I lose everything?

How did I become such a horrible monster?

Emptiness, futility, emptiness.

She said she started to cry as she felt as if everything had become empty.

The fox goddess cried for a long time.

As if trying to erase the feeling of ‘sadness’ and turn the things he had been through into tears and let them flow away.

But the more she cried, the more the gloomy feelings did not go away and tormented her.

Loneliness ate away at her heart, and her sorrow without anyone to share made her suffer even more.

I started alone, and I’m ending alone.

I would have rather died as an ordinary fox.

The fox goddess cried sadly for a long time, and when her regret and tears were running out, she had one wish.

That’s right.

‘I want to see a truly pure love that does not betray.’

Achieving through others what you have so desperately wanted and pursued but failed to achieve.

Why didn’t the fox god himself try to achieve it?

Ask yourself, would you want to go through such a difficult experience again?

Back to the story.

Unfortunately, the fox god’s small wish was something that could not be fulfilled.

Because I had already committed a sin and was sealed in the stone of life, my existence was gradually disappearing, even if it was at a very weak level.

A desperate situation where not even the slightest hope exists.

The fox god gave up everything and began to wait for himself to disappear, and so an eternity of time passed.

A lot has changed.

The story of the fox god who brought about the end of the world has become an absurd legend, and people no longer even perform rituals to the Salseongseok.

Unlike their ancestors who desperately tried to protect the seal, their descendants simply thought of the Salsaengseok as a large stone with a legend.

As a result, no maintenance was done at all, and cracks developed in the nearly perfect seal.

A small hope that has been waited for hundreds of years.

The fox god simply could not let go of this ray of hope.

Even though so much has already been cut down, I still wanted to fulfill the last wish I had in my heart.

So she started pouring everything she had into that tiny gap.

From the divinity that was running out, to the despair I had felt for hundreds of years.

A being who was once a god, no matter how much he lost.

Her desperate attempts eventually succeeded in breaking the seal, and she was able to emerge from the Stone of Life after hundreds of years of sealing.

But the conditions weren’t very good for leisurely enjoying the outside air.

If it went on like this, with most of the strength lost in breaking the seal, it would probably disappear in a year, and even if I conserve my strength, it would take about two years.

You need to find an agent who will grant your wish, but hundreds of years have passed and the world has changed too much.

Feeling helpless, she sat down and sighed deeply.

But perhaps the heavens had completely abandoned her? No, perhaps it was compensation for having been so harsh to her up until now.

They say that another hope appeared before her, who was just sighing.

That was the Hwanjaeng who came to investigate the legend of the Fox God.

The fox god realized this while watching the illusionist drawing something on paper while leaning against the stone of life.

If we use this trick well, we can easily find candidates.

She followed the illusionist as if possessed, and when he entered his quarters and fell asleep, she appeared in his dream.

And then he asked.

Draw me, nameless illusionist. If you do so, I will reward you handsomely.

Then the magician answered.

If you let me touch that thick, luscious tail, I will draw it with all my heart.

The reward was too paltry, but it wasn’t something that would wear out if touched, so the fox god readily agreed.

And then the fool woke up from his dream after fiddling with his tail and began to draw the image of the fox god.

Although several pictures were produced with rather masculine characteristics, the effect was said to be outstanding.

I was able to find a candidate right away.

The fox god went to find the candidate to express his gratitude to the magician, and used up what little energy he had left to see his future.

The results were surprisingly perfect.

Although she didn’t like his vulgarity, she appointed him as her agent for the time being.

By risking everything he has left.

—–

“…What happened after that?”

“What happened? Everything happened just as the fox god had seen. The agent faithfully carried out what she had wished.”

“No, I’m talking about the fox god. Did the fox god leave happily?”

“Well, I don’t remember hearing anything about what happened after that. But since you got what you wanted, didn’t you leave happily?”

As I caressed the young gumiho’s head and smiled broadly, the young gumiho glared at me with a pointed expression.

“What is that, if you don’t know the ending, then it’s not a happy ending.”

“Hehehe… Still, it’s the story with the happiest ending among the stories I know, but was it not fun?”

“Rather than saying it wasn’t fun… In the end, the fox god didn’t gain anything. She only fulfilled other people’s love and got nothing herself, so how is that a happy story?”

I feel so sorry for the fox god.

I smiled bitterly and answered the young gumiho’s words.

“Didn’t you achieve the last small wish you had? I think that alone would make me happy enough.”

I’m happier now than when I loved him, so I guess I’m happy anyway.

However, it’s a bit sad that there isn’t much time left to enjoy this soft happiness.

At most 20 years.

Thinking about the time remaining, I pointed to my watch with my finger to stop this conversation that seemed like it would be a turning point.

“That was a long story. It’s already lunchtime. I’m starting to feel hungry, so let’s go get some lunch.”