Chapter 63

: Hedley’s Kow (2)
TL: Yoni
Edited: Myoni, Yoni
 
 
He took off a corner of the cloud.
To be exact, 1/3 of it.
Gulp!
He swallowed it without hesitation.
Muyoung shivered his whole body for a moment.
Afterwards, both his eyes were bloodshot and he was bleeding from every pore on his body.
Little Wish.
Whatever it was, if something you wished for came true it wasn’t far from calling it a ‘miracle’.
That kind of miracle, there was no way it would come true just because you used it.
The one who conducted miracles.
There was a need for the person who asks for a wish to pay a reasonable price for the wish.
The Little Wish put a burden on the user’s body to realize the wish.
Similar to the thoughts that would flash through one’s mind when they were about to die, the Little Wish could be said to use one’s soul to the fullest.
Then, a greeting passed in front of Muyoung.

What do wish for?

A beautiful woman sat on the grass.
She was naked and fluttered her pure-white wings while she looked at Muyoung.
Every inch of her resembled an angel but this was simply an illusion.
She wasn’t real and it was just set up to appear this way.
She was a fake angel, an image, which few tens of thousands of priests from the holy city, Mulalan, had made.
The Underworld was a place where only monsters and demons existed.
How could these people who called themselves priests picture a true angel when all they’ve seen were countless demons and never an angel?
Therefore, they were people who believed in things they couldn’t see and acted only on their beliefs.
Muyoung was one who thought that the ones who gave them strength weren’t angels but a different entity altogether.

I’m looking for Hedley’s Kow.


Your wish will come true.

Soon as Muyoung asked, the greeting quickly died off.
He didn’t understand why it had to progress the wish this way but he thought they made it like this to make the process of making a wish seem holy.
‘West.’
After the greeting died off, a red line which only appeared in Muyoung’s eyes stretched westward.
At the same time, Muyoung’s sight widened and ‘a scene’ passed by.
‘Dokkaebis are migrating towards the west.’
It was a mass migration.
Their numbers seemed to be well above a hundred thousand.
They were walking towards some place.
Among them, there were quite a few kings with horns. They were all leading their respective tribes towards a single location.
Muyoung remembered the words Ogar had said when they first met.
‘Advent of Oom!’
He didn’t know what kind of ceremony it was.
However, Ogar had once told Muyoung, who he assumed as a dokkaebi, that group of dokkaebis were moving west.
‘It seems like Hedley’s Kow is hiding among them.’
Why would it be among the dokkaebis out of all the locations?
However, he was certain of one thing.
All he could see were dokkaebis. No other species were apparent.
Therefore, it was most likely that Hedley’s Kow was currently in the shape of a dokkaebi.
‘The reason why Hedley’s Kow is in the shape of a dokkaebi…’
If you broadened the term, Hedley’s Kow was a fairy.
It could be doing this simply for fun or it could have something to do with the Advent of Oom.
To check, he needed to go.
However, he needed to rest for a bit.
His whole body felt hot like it was on fire and he felt dizzy and nauseous.
Muyoung leaned against a wall and closed his eyes for a moment.
He knew that there would be a side effect but never thought it would affect him so much.
‘I think I’ll feel better after a nap.’
Muyoung knew his current condition better than anyone else.
Since he knew where Hedley’s Kow was and where it was moving towards, he felt it was okay to move after he recovered his body.
 
He heard the cry of a soul that was struggling to keep its life even though it was filled with death.
Night.
In the shadows of the dark night sky, Muyoung followed the traces and searched through a desert.
‘Baltan.’
It was him.
He was dying.
The fact that he wasn’t treated immediately put him in a critical situation.
He was holding on with pure willpower.
But, Muyoung was able to instinctively find this place after he woke up from his sleep due to the Little Wish’s side effect.
He had already seen countless deaths so how was it that only this place felt different.

Lord…?


You’re barely alive.


I’m sorry about my unsightly appearance.

His voice was hoarse.
A haggard face that could be a corpse’s.
Baltan awkwardly laughed as he spoke.

But it’s amazing. I thought the God of Death would appear but you showed up.


There is no hope. What’s your reason for holding on?

Baltan painfully opened his mouth.

Because of this child.

And he stroked Irene’s head who fell asleep beside him.
Considering how she didn’t wake even after this commotion, it seemed like she wasn’t able to sleep for the past few days.

Either way, it would be hard for me to endure past today. At most, half a day… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.


I never had any expectations from the start.


I know. To be honest, I was grasping at straws. We are weak and we will never be able to survive the Demon God’s territory like this.:
Cough! Cough!
Baltan painfully coughed out loud.
Then, he got to the point.

I was originally planning to leave quietly but, a favor. Can I ask you for a favor? It’s really a simple one.

Baltan’s eyes were full of desperation.
Then, Muyoung was able to understand the reason why he came to this place.
The ruler of Death.
It was definitely due to his influence.
He was able to naturally understand what he needed to do.

To ask me for a favor, I need your life.

Baltan probably understood what Muyoung meant by these words.
It was because he continuously saw Muyoung controlling undead.
Even so, Baltan nodded his head.

I’m gonna die. I’m not afraid of death. Instead, I feel my mind gets clearer as death approaches.

That moment.
 
<Authority of the Death Lord, the ‘Contract of Death’ has been activated.>
<the ‘Contract of death’ is a contract with their life as collateral. It activates when the subject is desperate enough to put their lives on the line. After the contract has been executed, depending on the content, a score will be added. When the subject dies and the user makes an undead out of the subject, a more powerful strength will be displayed.>
 
Yes. It was this.
After Suzy’s father, the authority activated for Baltan.
He instinctively felt the traces of death and his body automatically moved because he knew it was a golden opportunity to use this authority.

Speak. What is it.

Would he ask to be saved?
Or ask to protect Irene?
Baltan forcefully raised his injured body up and kneeled.

Use me as Lord’s knight. So that I can protect this place even after I die.

It was unexpected.
He was aware of his approaching dead and volunteered to become an undead.
‘A knight.’
Muyoung inwardly mocked him.
To be honest, Baltan’s physical stats were lousy. He was too lacking to become a sword that could protect Muyoung and he probably already knew this.
To become a knight was just an excuse and what he truly wanted was to be allowed to protect this territory.
Baltan wanted to protect the people left behind even like this.

A useless sacrifice.


I thought that myself. That the Underworld was a malicious place where only the selfish survive and the good die. Even now, my thoughts haven’t changed. But.

Baltan clenched his teeth.

We can’t just sit here and accept it. I understood that it had to start with myself when I came to this place. To be exact, it was Irene who showed me this.


Do you believe your death will change this place?


Yes.

He didn’t have a slightest hesitation.
It was arrogance.
But it was worth complimenting the fact he wanted to stand up for himself without hiding behind others.
In the very least, he couldn’t mock that.
Muyoung turned his body.

When the Sun rises, you will be born again.

Like a prophecy, he spoke those words before he left.
And the next day.
Baltan, the Guardian of a Territory, was born.
 

 
<His will transcended even death.>
<A noble death! He walked towards death himself and finally became the Guardian of a Territory.>
<The authority of Death Lord, ‘Contract of Death’ has been completed. Due to the power of authority, his stats have greatly increased.>
<Art score is 84.>
<The protector. Guardian knight has been created!>
<Name: Baltan
Level: 101
Type: Guardian Knight
Strength 112 (92 + 20)   Agility 115 (95 + 20)   Stamina 160 (140 + 20)
Intelligence 94 (74 + 20)   Wisdom 92 (72 + 20)   Indomitable 80 (60 + 20) >
 
+ Guardian of the Territory (Within the designated territory, all stats +20)
+ Cry of the Guardian (Within the territory, toughness of ‘allies’ increases slightly)
+ Strengthening Potential (You will become stronger when you fight to protect.)
+ High Conservation Rate (High autonomous will)
 
Muyoung newly reanimated the dead Baltan and placed the restraints of the Guardian of the Territory on him.
He was able to receive an art score of 84 as his story was good and because of the power of authority.
Even though he was strengthened, his stats were only at this level because he wasn’t good material but even this was amazing.
There was also no way for undead Baltan to betray him.
He thought that Baltan would do well in protecting this place as his memories were still intact.
‘Strengthening Potential and High autonomous will.’
And even though he was now an undead, he had the two things that were both hard to obtain.
This was the power of authority.
Normally, even if he was strengthened, since he was weaker than Heidegger, it would be a waste to make him the Guardian of the Territory as there could only be one per territory.
However, the story would change if he could think on his own and grow.
Not only that but he was able to recover his whole body, even his foot had regenerated. He had no problem moving.

Baltan will replace me as a substitute Lord for a while.

Muyoung announced quietly.
Everyone here trusted Baltan.
And just in case, he also set the Prince and the Avengers here.
It would be helpful if few tens of undead were there.

Baltan has been born again as my knight. While I’m gone, follow Baltan and develop the dungeon and the surroundings.


I will follow your order.

The very first to respond was Baltan.
Amazingly he didn’t speak awkwardly.
Even his eyes shined as if he was still alive.

Lord, may I ask where you are going?

The old man couldn’t hide his nervousness and asked.
Muyoung looked towards the red line in the air and gave a short reply.

I’m going to the Soul Mountains.

The Soul Mountains. It was the place where the dokkaebis were conducting their ceremony.
And Hedley’s Kow was well-hidden in that place…
Muyoung was planning to join in as the hunter.
 

 
The red line pointed towards the west.
However, as time passed, it became fainter.
‘Did I arrive there already?’
Over a hundred thousand were in a line.
It seemed like everyone had already arrived at the destination.
In fact, it had been quite a while since he had first heard about the dokkaebi’s movements from Ogar.
‘There is a need for the Hellhorse.’
Muyoung knitted his brows.
It was a bit expected but he wasn’t able to sense the Hellhorse at all.
It seemed like the Hellhorse stayed at the location when he used the Long-distance Teleportation Magical Item.
However, the Hellhorse’s mobility might be needed to catch the Hedley’s Kow.
As a Hellhorse, it would definitely be able to pressure Hedley’s Kow who turned into a phoenix.
‘I guess I need to try it out first.’
He had no choice.
He needed to try on his own even without the Hellhorse’s help.
Muyoung diligently moved towards the west.
 
The huge Soul Mountains.
Over a hundred thousand dokkaebis were gathered.

A-oom! A-hoom! A-oom! A-hoom!


A-oom! A-hoom! A-oom! A-hoom!

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
They sang while they stomped the ground.
It was so loud that it sounded out all over the mountains.
Few thousands of tribes were gathered and different types of dokkaebis were here.

If you have white hair and a horn, aren’t you an ice dokkaebi king? Why are you here on the fire dokkaebi’s side? Get lost. I’m letting you off easy since we’re in the middle of the Advent of Oom.

Someone grabbed Muyoung’s shoulder.
It was a dokkaebi king with his blazing red hair.
An enormous figure.
The ice dokkaebis and the fire dokkaebis were on bad terms.

Where are the ice dokkaebis gathered?


Ha, so there are even kings as foolish as you running around. It’s that way.


Thank you.


Wha, what?

He was confused as if he didn’t expect to hear thanks.
But Muyoung didn’t care and diligently headed towards the location the fire dokkaebi pointed.
‘Among these dokkaebis, there is Hedley’s Kow.’
Muyoung was certain.
He didn’t know what the ceremony of Advent of Oom for but it seemed to be out of the ordinary.
The land and magic were shaking.
Just by being nearby, he felt like his soul could be sucked in.
It was the reason why only dokkaebis were here in this wide mountain range.
And it didn’t seem like Hedley’s Kow would have joined this kind of ceremony for fun.
There must be something it wanted to accomplish through the Advent of Oom.
‘Wait for me.’
Who, among the over 100,000 dokkaebis, could be Hedley’s Kow?
Muyoung’s eyes became serious.