Chapter 141
Sun-Woo had drawn some sort of painting on the floor with his own blood.
It wasn’t a spell array, but it seemed to be a symbol that represented something. It was impossible to tell what it symbolized. Just the fact that it had been painted with blood gave it a dark and eerie atmosphere.
After Sun-Woo finished the painting, he used a Voodoo spell to heal the wound on his palm. Obviously, there would be drawbacks if he used a restoration spell to heal his own injuries. Additionally, the pain would still remain even if the wound was healed, but Sun-Woo's expression remained ridiculously calm. It was as if he couldn’t feel any pain at all.
"What is this supposed to be?" Soo-Yeong asked with a trembling voice.
Her hands and feet, which had gone cold after seeing the blood, still hadn't regained their warmth.
Sun-Woo didn't answer. Instead, he sat in front of the painting he had drawn and began muttering something. He wasn't muttering in Korean. It was not English either. It was impossible to tell what language it was. But judging by how Sun-Woo had his hands clasped together and his eyes closed, she vaguely understood that it was prayer.
Eventually, the prayer ended. However, nothing happened. Had he really gone through all that trouble of taking off his clothes, harming himself, and causing a ruckus all for nothing? For a moment, she felt so flabbergasted that she was about to say something, but then the wind began to blow.
It was not a mountain breeze or blades made out of wind, but a strange breeze that contained a mysterious resonance. The resonance of the wind was preventing her mouth from opening.
Flutter.
The wind made her collar sway and her bangs flutter. And then, everything went dark in an instant. Within the darkness, dozens of stars appeared. A thread that shone white tied together all the haphazardly scattered stars in the sky. The light that radiated out from the stars and the thread cut through the darkness. The light swallowed up the darkness, and the view in front of them shone brightly.
The light that shined so brightly that it would shine forever gradually faded. Soon, once it became possible to properly see the world, the dying tree in the corner of the wasteland disappeared. Only faint char marks remained as if faintly declaring that life once occupied that spot.
The moment she belatedly realized that the shining thread that had tied all the stars together was actually a single streak of lightning, Sun-Woo said, “You saw that, right?”
Soo-Yeong gazed back and forth between the tree that had turned to ashes and Sun-Woo's nonchalant face.
"Sobo...?"
"Correct. You’re smarter than I thought."
It was the Loa of Thunder and Lightning, Sobo. He was capricious and noisy, but he was known to be occasionally kind or cute in some aspects. That was why Soo-Yeong found it difficult to believe that the lightning she saw was Sobo's power.
The lightning was too calm to have been triggered by Sobo’s power. It was intense, as if dozens or hundreds of lightning bolts had been condensed into one point, but it wasn’t noisy. It came down silently, and after leaving a slight breeze, it quietly disappeared.
It was calm and elegant, which was why it couldn't have been Sobo's power.
"I heard that Sobo was extremely fickle and noisy."
"That's true, but it's different if you use vévé."
Vévé was a symbol that represented each of the Loa. It appeared that the picture Sun-Woo had drawn with his own blood was the vévé. Sun-Woo continued his explanation. He explained that if one prayed after drawing the vévé, the power would be much stronger than normal and that it would also be possible to manipulate the intensity or form of the power as needed.
"You don't necessarily have to draw it with blood like I did. You can make it with animal bone dust, leaves, or something similar to that."
"Ah... but do you have to take off your clothes?"
"You don't have to take them off. But..."
Drip.
Before Sun-Woo could finish his sentence, blood started flowing out his nose. The blood poured out like a waterfall and dripped down his chest.
Soo-Yeong had just barely managed to regain warmth in her limbs when she once again felt her hands and feet go cold.
Sun-Woo wiped away the blood that was flowing out of his nose with the back of his hand and said, "I took off my clothes because of the drawbacks. I didn’t want to leave bloodstains on my clothes."
"Wh-why are the drawbacks so severe?”
"I didn't expect it to be this bad either. It must be because my stamina weakened while I was at the hospital... Ugh. It smells like batteries in my head," Sun-Woo said while grimacing and pinching his temples.
She had no idea what he meant when he said that his head smelled like batteries, but that wasn’t important at the moment. Soo-Yeong quickly took off her outerwear and handed it to Sun-Woo.
"Use this to wipe the blood. Why on earth did you do something like that...."
"I can just wipe it off with my own clothes, can't I?"
"Argh, if you get blood all over your clothes, Dad and Mr. Yeom Man-Gun might think that I hit you!" Soo-Yeong shouted before handing over her clothes to Sun-Woo.
Sun-Woo reluctantly accepted the clothes, but he didn't use them to wipe his blood. The expression on his face seemed to indicate that he didn’t really want to do so.
"Isn't it also strange if there's blood on your clothes?"
"We just have to throw them away somewhere before we leave. The clothes are not expensive, and since it’s summer, I don’t really need outerwear. On the other hand, if you throw away those clothes, you won’t have anything to wear.”
"That's true... Wait, now that I think about it, I can just wipe away the blood using rainwater."
"Rainwater? But it's not raining now."
"We can just summon rain with the power of the Loa," Sun-Woo said nonchalantly.
Soo-Yeong raised her voice in frustration and said, “...You’re crazy! No wonder you’re saying such nonsense about life and death. What are we going to do if you faint? I don't want to carry someone like you."
"It's okay. I won't faint that easily."
"Yeah, whatever. Just wipe it off with my clothes," Soo-Yeong said with a deep sigh as if she was sick of Sun-Woo’s antics.
Sun-Woo stared blankly at the outerwear Soo-Yeong gave him and said, “I’m seriously going to wipe my face with this, alright?”
“I said it’s fine. Why do you keep hesitating? It’s completely fine.”
"No, it's just that there’s a saying that you need to ask people from the Chungcheong province three times to see their true intentions."
Soo-Yeong glared at Sun-Woo with narrowed eyes.
“...You’re insulting everyone from Chungcheong right now.”
"Sorry. Anyway, I’ll make good use of it."
Sun-Woo chuckled and then wiped away the blood. At first glance, he seemed to have spilled a lot of blood, but when he actually wiped it off, it turned out that it wasn't as much blood as he first thought. Since this was the case, he didn’t really feel that it was necessary to discard the clothes, so he just rolled it up and held it in his arms. He could smell the faint scent of blood coming from the clothes.
After finally getting dressed, Sun-Woo asked as if he was confused, “What the... Didn’t you say that you were going to throw it away earlier?”
Soo-Yeong tightly held the rolled-up clothes in her arms. While walking with Sun-Woo, she bluntly said, "Whether I throw it away or not, it's my decision. They’re my clothes."
"Your dad might misunderstand."
“If I bundle up my clothes like this, he won’t notice,” Soo-Yeong said while dropping her head.
"...Dad doesn't care about me anyway," she subconsciously confessed.
Soo-Yeong abruptly looked at Sun-Woo as if she was startled by her own words. Sun-Woo just continued to look ahead while remaining silent. It was impossible for her to tell whether he was already aware of her family situation or if he simply didn’t care.
There was a moment of silence. It was when Yeom Man-Gun's container could be seen in the distance that Sun-Woo said, "But why did you follow me?"
Soo-Yeong hesitated for a moment as if she was searching for the appropriate answer.
"...I have something related to Voodoo spells to ask you about. You know the homework you gave me last time? I finished it all."
"Really? That was fast. What do you want to ask?"
“If I ask you, will you answer?”
“Of course. Even if I die, I need to pass on my knowledge to the next Cult Leader before I do so,” Sun-Woo said while laughing in a playful manner.
For some reason, Soo-Yeong felt her mood worsen, so she glared at Sun-Woo. What he said wasn't something to joke about. Two years ago, when she first saw Sun-Woo, he was short, small-framed, and above all, he lacked strength in his eyes. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't believe that he was supposed to be the Cult Leader. It was then that Soo-Yeong vowed to become the Cult Leader herself.
When she saw Sun-Woo at the recent executives’ meeting, he had completely changed beyond recognition. He had grown taller, his physique had significantly improved, and his personality had also changed to be more like the Cult Leader. It was then that Soo-Yeong gave up on becoming the Cult Leader.
Today, Sun-Woo seemed to have changed once again. She couldn't quite put her finger on how he had changed, but she could intuitively sense that something significant had happened. She couldn't tell if it was a good change or a bad change. Watching him change day by day, Soo-Yeong couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
"I’ll just ask you next time."
"Just ask me now. I'll sincerely explain whatever you want to know."
"I don't want to. I'll ask during the next executives meeting."
All the previous leaders of the Voodoo Cult changed after going through a certain event. And not long after that, they died. As if following their predetermined fate, both the First Cult Leader and the Second Cult Leader ended up abruptly leaving the world. It also seemed like Sun-Woo was heading in that direction too. Based on the way he casually mentioned death, he might just casually die.
"So, until then, don't die. Finish teaching me everything I need to know before you die."
And that was why she decided to leave a reason for him to meet her again. Sun-Woo smirked as if he understood her intentions.
“Based on your attitude, it looks like it’ll take another hundred years to teach you everything you need to know.”
"Yes, yes. That's right. Then, all you have to do is live long,” Soo-Yeong deliberately replied sarcastically because she felt annoyed.
She wondered why she had to worry about someone like him. She had other things to worry about.
When they arrived, Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok were leaning against the container and smoking cigarettes. Sun-Woo directly went to wake up Jin-Sung, and Soo-Yeong approached her father while covering her nose due to the smell of cigarettes.
Ha Pan-Seok looked at the bundle of clothes in Soo-Yeong's arms and started complaining.
"Wait, aren't these the clothes that you really like? How did they get so stained?"
Soo-Yeong suppressed her desire not to answer and reluctantly replied, "It just happened. Somehow."
Ha Pan-Seok clicked his tongue. "I knew this would happen. I told you not to wear it because it’s hot, and yet you stubbornly insisted on wearing it.”
"Ah, what do you want from me? Whether there are stains or not, they’re my clothes. I'll take care of it myself!"
"...What's with your attitude? You don't talk like that to even the Cult Leader, right? I’m saying all this for your own good, but how you speak has more influence on people's impression than you think..."
Ha Pan-Seok's nagging continued.
Soo-Yeong turned her head. The words went through one ear and out the other. She saw Sun-Woo getting into Executive Jin-Sung’s car.
* * *
While I was at the Crossroads, I had many thoughts, and of course, I thought about In-Ah's sister, Yoon-Ah.
Han Su-Yeop had created a ridiculous cult called the Voodoo Revival Church, and he gained influence by utilizing the Altar that he had stolen from the underground chapel. As a result, Yoon-Ah became a zombie. It was something that occurred due to my mistake, and thus I had to take responsibility for it.
In order to revert Yoon-Ah back into a human, I had to use the reverse spell technique. And to use the reverse spell technique, I needed the Staff of Reversal. And in order to obtain the Staff of Reversal, I had to go to the Saudi Arabian History Museum.
Yun Chang-Su's letter allowed me to receive cooperation from the museum staff, but I still had to commit theft. It was a different level of risk compared to stealing junk food from a convenience store. To prepare for any potential danger, I had to find a method to use the Loa's power more calmly and precisely.
That was why I conducted a simple experiment with vévé and prayers, and the results were successful. Through this experiment, I discovered that by using vévé and prayers, I could manipulate the Loa's power as I desired to a certain extent.
The drawbacks were stronger than I thought, but that was because I had recently been discharged from the hospital. If I maintained a healthy diet and exercised diligently, the drawbacks would naturally decrease.
I also had an idea on how to reach the state of acquirement that Legba previously mentioned. It was an idea that came to mind during the battle with Jun-Hyuk, and I was planning to immediately experiment with this idea once I returned to the underground chapel.
[You’re a monster!]
At that moment, I heard a voice in my head. It was not from Legba but from another Loa. It was Granbwa.
"What’s up?"
[To kill a perfectly healthy tree just for the sake of an experiment... I'm really disappointed in you, Prophet!]
"It was a tree that was going to wither and die soon anyway. I just put an end to its suffering."
[Unbelievable...!]
Granbwa let out a gasp as if she was astonished by my cruelty. I continued speaking without hesitation. "And strictly speaking, that was Sobo's doing."
[But it was you who prayed!]
"I wasn’t the one that prayed, but my hands and mouth."
[Do you think that's a reasonable excuse? You monster, you trash!]
"Legba, please cut off Granbwa's voice."
[All the plants in the world won't forgive you—]
[Alright, I've cut it off.]
Finally, it was quiet.
My uncle glanced at me with a puzzled look from the driver’s seat. He seemed very tired earlier, but he now had a refreshed look on his face. Perhaps it was because he took a nap not too long ago.
When the car exited the unpaved road and entered the highway, my uncle said, "What was that just now? Were you talking to those what-you-ma-call-its? The Loa?"
I nodded.
My uncle continued, "What were you talking about? The car’s not going to break down like before, right?”
"There was this strange person, and we had a little argument."
"A strange person?"
"Yes. Someone who really hates vegetarians..."
"Oh dear. So, is that person a carnivore?"
"Hmm, I wonder... I'm not really sure."
It was a question I had never thought about. Was Granbwa a carnivore? Of course, she obviously wasn’t a vegetarian...
By the time I came to the conclusion that she was a fasting enthusiast, Legba said, [Granbwa says that she will curse you. What are you going to do?]
“Will she calm down if we console her?”
[I'm not sure if that will work. She seems extremely angry.]
"Please let them know that I will prepare something very nice for the next offering."
[She says she doesn’t need it.]
"One less mouth to feed. I’d say that's a win."
[Oh... Granbwa seems to be screaming. This is a truly rare sight,] Legba said before chuckling happily.
It looked like I needed to apologize to Granbwa later. I could also give her an apple as an offering while doing so. It would be a truly symbolic and ambiguous apology. [1]
[Oh dear, has she lost her mind?] Legba said.
I ignored Legba’s words and checked my phone. There were a few messages from Ji-Ah asking about my well-being and a message from Florence Academy announcing an extended school closure. Other than that, there were no other messages. No messages from In-Ah, Jin-Seo, or Jun-Hyuk.
Ah, that’s right. I killed Jun-Hyuk. Anyway, it seemed like everyone was busy. Just as I was about to reply to Ji-Ah to tell her that I might return earlier than planned, my phone vibrated.
[Please call once you check this message.]
It was an unknown number, but I had a feeling I knew who the caller was. It was because the intention behind the message was all too clear.
"It must be voice phishing."
"What? Scammers are still doing voice phishing these days?"
"Seems like it."
After sending another text to Ji-Ah, I put my phone in my pocket.
1. Apple and apology are homophones in Korean. ?
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