35 Mysterious Woman

“What is a Nefi? Hurry up and tell me.”

Ko Byeong-gap rushed Dorma.

After licking his lips, Dorma replied.

“I’m not sure if my memory is correct, but a Nefi is some kind of Spirit.”

“Spirit? What’s a Spirit?”

“They are people who live in the Spirit realm, which is between the terrestrial and celestial realms. They are so scarce and precious that it would be rare to see one in a lifetime. I’ve only heard of them, but I’ve never seen one.”

Byeong-gap furrowed his eyebrows. What was the terrestrial world, and what was the celestial world?

“But it’s strange. Spirits don’t really look like that.”

“How do you know what it looks like when you say you’ve never seen one?”

“There are stories that have been passed down through word of mouth.”

“What do you think they look like?”

“I heard that they’re only as big as a fist, and their appearance is so beautiful that it matches their soul. They also have a mysterious power.”

“She certainly doesn’t look like your description. I don’t know about the mysterious power, though.”

“Lord, here you are.”

“Well, thank you.”

As Byeong-gap scratched his chin in thought, Gobung held out the plate full of meat. He accepted it and said.

“Well, let’s go see it together.”

“Let’s do that.”

“I’m going to get ready for work. I’ll get going.”

Gobung let him know.

“Okay, you can go.”

“Yes!”

Byeong-gap and Dorma went to where Ea was bound.

She was staring wistfully at the chickens around her. It was unclear if the chickens would still be alive if her arms and legs were free.

“Ah!”

Ea exclaimed when she caught sight of Byeong-gap. When she saw the plate he was holding; a bright red color rose on her face. But a few seconds later, her face distorted again when she saw Dorma standing next to him.

“Who is he? Is he human too?”

“He’s a Goblin.”

“Goblin? Oh my God.”

Byeong-gap ignored her words and crouched on his feet, placing a piece of meat in her mouth. She ate like a baby bird.

“Ahhh…”

Halfway through her meal, she frowned. Chewing the meat seemed to be a struggle because her body was in pretty bad shape.

“What kind of meat is this? It’s really good.”

“…Don’t try to know. By the way, you said you were a Spirit or something.”

“Yes, that’s right. How do you know that?”

Byeong-gap turned his head and looked at Dorma.

“I heard it from somewhere.”

“Hmm. Do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Dorma crouched down on one knee next to Byeong-gap, and he and Ea seemed to have a staring contest.

After a moment of silence, Dorma took a break and opened his mouth.

“Why is a Spirit like you in the earthly realm? And if you are a Spirit, how is it possible to look like that?”

Ea answered after chewing all the meat in her mouth.

“You must know about the physiology of Spirits.”

“I know enough. So what’s your answer?”

“Why am I on Earth? Because I can no longer stay in the Spirit world. Why am I like this? To survive.”

“I think I need an explanation.”

“Can’t I eat that first? I haven’t eaten for a long time.”

Dorma turned his head towards Byeong-gap, and he threw her another piece of meat.

“Thank you. To be honest, I was so hungry that I wanted to eat my legs off, but I couldn’t. I needed my legs to get away from them. So I thought about eating my arms off. I actually bit it, but it hurt so much…”

“You’re too noisy. Please just eat quietly.”

“Okay, I didn’t mean to be loud. I’m sorry.”

Ea focused on eating for a while. The amount of meat on the plate was quite large, but she ate it all. She probably was really hungry.

“Thank you, but is that all?”

“What? You’ve eaten that much, and you still haven’t had enough?”

“I’m ashamed, but I haven’t eaten for a long time.”

“Stop saying that!”

Byeong-gap stared at Ea with tired eyes. She grew pale and lowered her head.

“We’re done talking about the meat. Now it’s time to answer the question.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“I’ll have to hear your explanation first.”

“That’s good. Shall we start with the story of the Spirits being kicked out of the Spirit world? Actually, there’s no big reason. It’s because the devil entered the Spirit world.”

“Devil? Are you referring to the parasites that live in the underworld?”

“’The parasites that live in the underworld.’ I like that expression. Personally, I think the term ‘dog’ is more appropriate than ‘parasite.’”

“…..”

Dorma smacked his lips and asked.

“Parasite or dog, what skills did they have to drive out the Spirits and settle in the Spirit world?”

“Did I say they were weak? Oh, no. They’re strong, strong enough to make you vomit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to turn the earthly and the celestial worlds into their home turf.”

Dorma was shocked. Ea went on calmly.

“The demons ravaged the earthly realm and invaded the Spirit realm. They killed or corrupted our Spirits. The few surviving Spirits managed to escape to the surface world, but the terrestrial world is already a den of gruesome people.”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“The monsters of gluttony, the Grugles. They’re the servants of the demons. They eat whatever they want, even their own.”

“Huh… That’s an incredible story.”

Dorma sighed quietly as Ea continued talking.

“The Spirits came down to the ground. As you may know, the terrestrial world is not a good environment for Spirits. Besides, everything on the Earth has already been devastated. We became useless as Spirits and had to change in many ways to survive, resulting in this weird look.”

She turned her head around, stretching her neck until her head had made a full turn. She had a panoramic view of Ashvilam.

“I never thought there was a place like this. I thought this was the land of death. I should have come sooner if I had known it would be this good. There is a saying that ignorance can sometimes be a sin, and it seems to be referring to this kind of situation.”

Byeong-gap was lost in thought. Dorma and Ea—the conversation between the two characters was difficult to understand, but the gist of their topic was clearly communicated.

It meant that it was not safe outside the fog.

“Let me ask you a question. How dangerous are those guys?”

“It depends on the individual. Some are incredibly strong, and some are weak enough for us to eat. Although, their meat tastes terrible.”

“Why are you alone? Where are the other Spirits?”

When Byeong-gap asked her that, Ea’s expression became depressed. She bit her lower lip tightly.

“I lived in a small village where Nefis gathered. The village was attacked by a Grugle fifteen days ago, and everyone is probably dead except me.”

“So you’re the last Spirit?”

“Oh, it’s not like that. There must be other Spirits living somewhere I don’t know. I’ve heard that there was a kingdom of Spirits far from the Grugle’s reach, but I don’t know if it’s true.”

Byeong-gap nodded slowly. It was not something that was easy to accept, but it was not something to doubt. In the first place, most of the things he’s been through lately didn’t make sense, anyway.

“By the way, what do you mean that humans went extinct a long time ago?”

“It’s not just humans. All the races that used to live on Earth disappeared overnight hundreds of years ago.”

“Hundreds of years ago?”

“Yes. In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a creature that’s not a Spirit or a Grugle. To be honest, I still feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Dorma, what do you think?”

“I do not know. It’s very different from what I know.”

Their conversation was slowly coming to an end. Byeong-gap pulled out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth. Ea looked at it with curious eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Cigarette.”

“What’s a cigarette? Is it edible? Can I have some if it’s food? I haven’t eaten for a long time. I’m still very hungry.”

“You’re driving me crazy.”

Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop and bought a bone dumpling. He then put it in Ea’s mouth.

She ate it enthusiastically as if she were born to do nothing but eat.

He didn’t give it to her because she was pretty. He was trying to find out the effectiveness of the bone dumpling.

“How do you feel? Is the pain going away?”

“What? …Hmm? What? The pain suddenly went away!”

“Dorma, loosen the splint on her arm.”

“Okay.”

Dorma followed his orders and removed the splint on Ea’s arm.

“Move your arms. What do you think?”

Ea swung her arm around and gasped in surprise.

“It doesn’t hurt. This is amazing!”

They spun her around and took off all the rest of the splints. She rose carefully, a smile blooming on her face.

‘That’s amazing. I didn’t expect it to be this effective. Would this be comparable to an advanced potion?’

Byeong-gap also bought a flesh dumpling and a blood dumpling. Ea took and ate them both, and after a while, her whole body was fully healed.

“Thank you so much for treating me. How are you so kind? I like kind people like you.”

“I didn’t do it for free.”

“What?”

“The meat you ate and the dumplings aren’t free. Plus, it’s natural for you to pay to eat and sleep here in the future. Don’t you know that nothing is free in this world?”

“Yeah, that’s right, but I don’t have anything right now.”

“Why don’t you have anything? You have a body.”

Byeong-gap scrutinized Ea from head to toe, and she took a step back, her face turning blue.

“Don’t tell me…?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’ll have to work in the future.”

“Work?”

‘If I could give her a pickaxe, I would let her dig crystals, a piece or two a day.’

He had no place to use Ea.

“Don’t you have a talent for doing something? Tell me why you’re worth it. Oh, yeah, didn’t you say you could ignore the laws of the world?”

“Yes, that’s right, but I don’t want to use that ability.”

“What? Why?”

“The more I ignore the laws, the less I live. The bigger the law, the shorter my lifespan becomes.”

“That’s none of my business.”

He said casually, and Ea freaked out again.

“I’m just kidding. I’m scared, anyway.”

Byeong-gap clicked his tongue and thought.

‘Her lifespan would decrease? Then I can’t use that.’

He was not a cold-blooded man without emotions. Using another’s life as a tool didn’t fit his personality.

“Can you cook well?”

“Cook? Of course!”

She answered with confidence. To be honest, it was a bit of a surprise.

“Every Spirit is a gourmet chef. It’s no exaggeration to say that I devoted my life to cooking delicious grilled meat.”

“Alright, then you’ll be responsible for the meals of the Goblins from now on. And make sure the Goblins clean their living quarters while they work.”

“I don’t know what it is, but I get it. I am not unscrupulous. I know grace, and I know responsibility. I’ll work hard.”

She showed her will.

Byeong-gap brought his mouth close to Dorma’s ear and whispered.

“If you see anything suspicious or weird, take her down immediately. If she seems dangerous, you can kill her.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ea had no way of knowing what their secret conversation had been about.

Byeong-gap dusted off his cigarette and turned around.

“Take her and teach her what to do. Also, introduce her to the Goblins. I’m leaving.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back later in the evening.”

“Alright. Then I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.”

Byeong-gap left Ashvilam.

A hot car welcomed him in the summer sun.

“There are monsters beyond the fog. It would have been a disaster if I didn’t know.”

First impressions…

Anyway, he was lucky to have met Ea. Thanks to her, he was now aware of the situation beyond the fog.

‘The Goblins need more systematic combat training.’

Byeong-gap went back to Seoul with a lot of thoughts weighing on his mind.