LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 55
Jinseong, who declared the start of the ritual, climbed onto the altar made of hastily stacked wood inside the tent.
*Crackle.*
As Jinseong stepped up, the wood, unable to bear his weight, splintered with a loud noise, causing the hastily piled-up wooden pieces to tumble down and scatter across the floor. However, Jinseong stood tall as if he owned the place, looking down at the mercenaries gazing at him.
Then, as if reading from an incantation, he took out some roughly tanned leather from his pocket and began to recite. Oddly enough, despite the tanning, only droplets of blood were scattered all over; not a single letter could be found, no matter how hard one looked. Instead, a rancid smell stabbed at his nose, mingled with the scent of blood.
“I declare! O King of the Forest! The master of the winds flowing between the branches of trees, the rightful owner of all the trembling leaves. You are the ancient lord residing in the great Earth, the one who holds all that is above the ground in your hands. I commence this ritual in your name, truly sacred and profound, and thus we shout praises!”
As soon as Jinseong’s words ended, the mercenaries prostrated themselves on the ground and shouted as previously instructed.
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Your power shall be eternal!”
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Your power shall be eternal!”
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Your power shall be eternal!”
When their cries stopped, Jinseong opened his mouth once more.
“Evil being. Monster that smells like sand from the gray land. More dreadful than bloodsucking beasts, there exists a more malicious monster that hides among people and reaps benefits. Whispers forth this wickedness, the one who leads astray, the one who kills with honeyed words, a monster of inflated arrogance. I call it Whispering.”
As he spoke, Jinseong raised his left hand.
“Behold! The terror of a monster that drives men mad with its claws! We must remember that monster with pain and bloodstains!”
*Crunch!*
Without blinking, he ripped off a fingernail from his left pinky finger and let it fall toward the altar beneath his feet. Blood dripped from the severed nail onto the ground, but he looked at the mercenaries as if it were nothing.
The mercenaries, perhaps feeling the pressure from Jinseong’s action or realizing they were witnessing an unsettling ritual firsthand, shouted even louder than before.
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Save your pitiful followers!”
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Save your pitiful followers!”
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain! Save your pitiful followers!”
Amidst their cries, Jinseong continued the ritual.
The next part of the ceremony unfolded as if a storyteller were narrating an old tale, like a sage of the forest sharing legends with gathered children.
“King of the Forest! Great Being! We who lived upon the ground had all in your grasp, and all that sprouts in the sunlight belongs as your property.”
“King of the Forest! Lord of the Mountain!”
“The grace of the King of the Forest was profound and vast, ensuring that the wanderers went unhungry, and gave leaves and stems to those who could not even cover their bodies, enabling them to hide themselves! Such graciousness transforms beasts into humans; how could one not be awed and reverent?”
“Such graciousness is like the vast sky, with no end in sight!”
“But there existed an envious being; a monster that came from the far land of infidels! A sinister beast that uses wicked magic, shapeshifting endlessly to torment humans! When it burns, it tosses its claws to drive men insane, and it is said that it revives if sliced twice! The offshoot of that evil being has arrived!”
“O great Being! Save us!”
*Crunch!*
Jinseong plucked another fingernail.
“This Whispering! The cursed offspring of a monster born from a fate deviating from nature! O monster that burrows into ears, whispering sweet words and leading people astray! Many have suffered untold ruin, falling prey to this creature’s deceit, meeting a tragic end! Thus, the sage of the forest earnestly requests, there is a wicked monster that is hard to find! Please grant peace to these humble followers!”
“King of the Forest! Dragon of Mercy!”
“The King of the Forest speaks, ‘O you humans, my followers! Here are grass and wood. Hence, you shall burn them with the rites you must observe, creating smoke! Then, this smoke shall drive away and slay the monster, bringing you peace.'”
With those words, Jinseong stepped down from the altar.
*Crunch.*
As he descended, the altar wobbled once more, and wooden pieces tumbled down, but he paid no mind, carefully placing the grass that was barely holding its form on top of the altar.
The grass he placed was what they called herbs.
“And so, the sage, having received the herbs with the rites to be observed, lit the fire. Though the flames ignited, they did not spread, only releasing thick smoke. The scent was sweet, doing no harm to humans, but it became poison to the hidden monster within the ears! Oh! King of the Forest, great dragon! You must be worshiped!”
“Worshiped!”
“With the fruits you bestow, we drink wine to offer joy, and with the grains you provide, we make bread to nourish ourselves in fulfilling our duties. Oh great dragon! You, the rightful owner of all, from root to the last remaining fruit at the top! Bless us!”
With his final words, Jinseong tossed the lit match onto the altar.
*Fwoosh!*
The altar, made of dried wood and freshly picked herbs, caught fire in an instant, blazing fiercely as if it had been soaked in oil. The fingernail Jinseong had dropped began to crawl away like it had a life of its own, lighting up unburned spots evenly.
In no time, the altar was engulfed in flames. But moments later, as if it were extinguishing itself, the flames rapidly disappeared, leaving behind a pile of charred herbs and firewood that began to emit an enormous amount of smoke, like a smoke bomb going off.
“Wow!”
One of the mercenaries, taken aback, instinctively reached for the gas mask strapped to his waist, such was the density of the smoke. Yet, despite the thick smoke, no one found it hard to breathe. Instead, a fragrant herb scent brushed through their lungs, invigorating them.
The smoke filled the tent, sweeping over everyone, then seeped through the cracks and began to spread outside. It resembled a mass of smoke scattering like multiple serpents slithering away.
“It’s done. Tonight, no one shall know what occurs in this shrine.”
* * *
Once upon a time in Europe, there was a monster known as Whispering. Originating from a transcendent being called Ghoul in the Middle East, this monster was said to be so small it was hardly visible, unlike other ghouls of human size, and possessed wings like a fairy that allowed it to fly in the sky.
Whispering had moved to Europe for wicked reasons, committing horrific acts among the people. This monster considered the warm brain of a freshly deceased person a delicacy and harmed many.
Its method for obtaining prey was truly malevolent. Whispering would crawl into the body of a person it aimed to prey upon using its tiny form. Then it would block the ear canal with its body, constantly whispering sweet words to the host. Those who heard these whispers would transform from somber individuals into lively ones, seemingly vibrant.
But how could someone who only heard sweet words lead a proper life? Ultimately, they all met miserable ends. Once the host died, the Whispering, nestled in their ear, would crawl deeper and devour the host’s brain before seeking out another.
Naturally, people in Europe recoiled in horror at the existence of this dreadful monster and sought wisdom from the transcendent being known as the King of the Forest to safely drive it away.
Through oral tradition, this became a cautionary tale about how hearing only ‘good words’ could lead to devastation in life.
As time passed, the story of Whispering became a trivial bedtime story for children. From this tale, a shaman created a magical ritual.
However, this ritual remained largely unknown. The shaman lost his life shortly after creating it, leaving behind only a festival format that had been distorted. Furthermore, even that was eventually destroyed during the extreme anti-superstition witch hunts, rendering the original ritual untraceable.
Thus, only the records etched in caves remained, buried with the passage of time.
In the distant future, after the third world war broke out, Europe moaned under the weight of destruction and bombardments revealed the long-hidden caves, leading to the discovery of this ritual.
And now, transcending time, it has been recreated by Jinseong.