Chapter 5
Jinseong was captivated by magic.
Like a gambler who struck it big on his first bet.
Like a farmer who experienced a bountiful harvest and could never forget the taste.
Or perhaps like a merchant who unexpectedly found himself with a fortune.
Thus, Jinseong decided to become a shaman.
And that oath persisted until the world erupted into war, and he dragged his near-corpse of a body, burning himself alive.
Even if time were to rewind, walking the path of a shaman would be but a given.
“There are countless faces in magic, yet it is but one body. That is called obsession.”
With a smile, Jinseong retrieved a PET bottle from the refrigerator.
Inside the PET bottle was a shimmering red liquid, reminiscent of ruby, swirling and radiating light, thick and exuding an intoxicating scent without a trace of contamination. The color was akin to a pigment melted from jewels, and the fragrance encapsulated pure life itself, utterly delightful.
Blood.
The water that composes life flows through the veins, blood.
Blood was a catalyst used in many spells.
Symbols are crucial in magic, summoning, and shamanic rites. In astrology, symbols were attached to stars and names were assigned to utilize them; magic, too, attached meanings to elements and images to perform miracles known as magic circles. In shamanism, many spells were triggered using the symbolism drawn from materials, and the purer the material, the greater its value, allowing for even stronger effects from the same quantity used.
This blood he held was also top-quality.
It was a 2+ grade blood certified by the Catalyst Cooperative. Thinking that higher-grade blood rivaled the weight of gold, it could be deemed the finest blood available to him at that moment.
However…
“I can’t use this.”
Jinseong returned the pure blood, symbolically enhanced by its virgin quality, back into the refrigerator.
* * *
“I need trash.”
The purer the catalyst, the better.
Jewels must be flawless.
Blood is best when its master is pure.
Corpses should be freshly dead.
Treasures must lack minds, and relics should have a history of having been used for their intended purposes.
Thus, what Jinseong desired as a catalyst could be said to be extremely heterogeneous.
What he sought was trash.
Things that cannot ordinarily be traded, to the point of being unable to be a trade item at all.
In terms of food, it’s the scraps of vegetables trimmed away and thrown out, and in terms of wood, it’s the sawdust that comes from cutting.
“I can’t be a mercenary yet, so I guess I’ll have to hunt for trash.”
With that thought, Jinseong clasped his hands together and stood up.
He began searching around the room for clothes to wear.
The first thing he picked up was a pair of black pants.
Crack.
Jinseong bit his pinky finger, drawing blood. Oddly, even though it was just a light bite, blood flowed without stop. Using the abundant blood that flowed from his finger, he began to draw a symbol on the back of the black pants—not a character nor a picture, but a pattern resembling childish scribbles.
It resembled the ancient script used by shamans to draw talismans, and it also bore a likeness to the form of oracle bone script used in ancient China.
At the very top and bottom, a horizontal line was engraved, and between them, a vertical line crossed. Within the vertical line was a shape resembling ‘siot’ (ᄉ).
This character was referred to as “mu” (巫), meaning a person who connects heaven and earth.
“To touch the ground, the legs must be firm, and those legs move not with sturdy bones but with bendable joints; so each step taken carries its own history.”
In ancient China, one’s gait was of great importance. Therefore, the martial arts—the study to master one’s body and transcend—taught the way of stepping before the techniques of wielding weapons, and those who learned sorcery were first taught how to step on the earth before reading the secrets of the heavens or writing talismans.
The obsession with gait may not be well documented, but according to the oldest records, it traces back to Wu Wang, the first king of the legendary Xia dynasty, who was known to be talented in sorcery and had insight into the essence of steps. His presence was said to be akin to a transcendent being.
Conversely, on the Korean peninsula, there was more obsession with the elements that composed the gait. Those seeking transcendence through their bodies focused on the rhythm of their breathing and legs, while those wishing to transcend through shamanism were fixated on the means of movement. Those practicing summoning placed importance on the role of pillars connecting heaven and earth; this became the basis and purpose of modern shamanic practices in the Republic of Korea.
What Jinseong inscribed on his pants was the function of a mediator connecting heaven and earth.
The character “mu” (巫) carries the meaning of a person who connects heaven and earth, making it an unparalleled symbol for the role of a mediator.
“ॐ-”
As he concentrated after inscribing the symbol, it gradually resonated and began to spread like veins across the fabric of the pants, ultimately leaving only a tiny hole at the knee as the symbol completely vanished.
“I can prepare the rest as I go.”
Once the pants were complete, Jinseong changed and opened the window.
Standing on the window sill, he stepped out into the void.
His leg, heading towards the void, soon plunged into a sea of air, and just as its weight threatened to pull him down…
Creeeeak.
In that instant, the space folded.
And the place where Jinseong appeared was a small hill behind the mansion.
The distance from the mansion was ten li (4 km).
“ॐ-”
With a single step, moving more than ten li.
This was an advanced spell of shamanism, developed to maximize the meaning of “means of movement,” as seen by shamans of the Korean peninsula.
Many referred to this spell as the Shortening Earth Method (축지법).
* * *
Arriving at the hillside using the Shortening Earth Method, Jinseong closed his eyes and expanded his inspiration.
With his hands clasped together, energy flowed from the ground through his legs due to the symbol inscribed on his pants, and although the bright sunlight obscured it, the stars, which surely existed, were in communion with him.
And as he stood just a bit longer…
The stars whispered to him through their shimmering light and the ground rustled in the wind.
– Here it is.
Hearing that whisper, Jinseong lightning-fast reached out and grasped the air.
Shaaak!
What came from his grasp was a snake.
A black snake with a yellow stripe twisted in the air, caught as if gripped by an invisible hand, writhing and screaming.
“Black Yellow Snake. It’s a bit disappointing that it’s not a venomous one.”
Shaaak! Shaak!
Before he knew it, the snake’s neck was caught in Jinseong’s grasp. It shrieked fiercely. Whether driven by a strong will to live or not, it moved to coil around Jinseong’s arm, yet the arms of Jinseong, who had honed his body alongside mastering shamanism during his youth, were so firm that even a boa wouldn’t feel any pressure.
Watching the snake for a moment, he twisted its neck and pulled it off.
Pop.
Even without its head, the snake’s body continued to squirm, tightening around Jinseong’s arm, but he easily broke free and brought it directly to his mouth without even skinning it.
Crunch. Crack.
The taste was not bad.
In fact, if anything, it was excellent.
It felt like a refreshing sashimi mix of chicken and fish.
Though many despised eating snakes in Korea, globally, there were several countries that consumed them, some claiming their flavor was marvelous and eating them raw was not uncommon.
In Korea of the 70s and 80s, there were folk tales stating that eating snakes raw increased vitality, so many would catch snakes in the mountains and eat them as sashimi right away, encountering frequent cases of severe parasitic infections as a result.
And that was precisely why Jinseong was now devouring the snake raw.
“This won’t do.”
After finishing the snake, Jinseong picked up the snake’s head, which lay on the ground, and put it into his pocket, then closed his eyes again.
Shaaak!
Next, he caught a brown snake exuding a spicy aroma. It had a faint scent reminiscent of acacia, typical of venomous snakes, and its dark brown body sported light brown stripes, emanating a colossal ferocity.
“Seven-Pointed Snake.”
A snake that will kill you in seven steps if bitten.
Known as Chiljeonsa, this dreadful snake held a terrifying reputation among novice warriors training deep in the mountains, and even today, it warranted caution despite the widespread availability of antidote magic artifacts.
Pop!
Jinseong twisted the snake’s neck and began to chew it raw, just like before.
In contrast to the previous snake, the spicy aroma swirled around him like seasoning, making him feel as though he were dipping sashimi into wasabi, and he devoured the sizable serpent right there.
Then, he picked up the snake’s head that had fallen to the ground and muttered.
“Bingo.”
