Subdued Soul Chronicle

There was a downpour.

The Hwarangs had no choice but to walk through the rain.

As the Yin qi increased, the spirits started moving, so everyone began to draw their swords to cut them down.

“This is it. We have run out of luck and cannot do much now.”

“Right.”

Seo Jun said while looking at the other Hwarangs.

Jae Tae, Nap Oh, Cheon Jin, and Juk Hyung.

The four of them kept touching their chests while cutting down the spirits. At first glance, it looked like they were wiping down the rain, but no—they were clearly scratching themselves.

However, they were totally unconsciously doing it.

The rain got stronger, lightning flashed, and the sky split.

Cheon Jin shouted,

“Isn’t that a hut?”

Fortunately, they still had some luck, so everyone hurriedly ran toward it.

The inside of the hut was the same as the last time Seol Young saw it.

“Hae Cheon-rang, we can sit here.”

Seo Jun sat down first.

The corners of the hut had higher places, so sitting there would give them more space.

“I think we will live now.”

After drying their clothes and filling their stomachs, they laid down.

Seo Jun also laid down.

He seemed carefree as he put his head on his arm to rest, but his eyes were constantly looking at the other Hwarangs.

“When I return to the capital, I will take a bath first.”

“I want a bowl of soup. I am sick of dry food.”

Everyone was talking about random things, but Jae Tae was silent. At first glance, it looked like he was relaxing, but that wasn’t the truth.

His body was twitching, and he would occasionally stretch out his limbs.

However, no one else noticed this except for Seo Jun.

Seo Jun looked at Hae Cheon, who was asleep.

‘Let’s just continue to watch for now.’

One by one, the voices stopped. The others began to fall asleep, and Seo Jun was the only one awake.

In the pitch-black darkness, Jae Tae suddenly got up, feeling frustrated and struggling to hold his neck.

Seo Jun also jumped up. He approached him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Look at me, Jae Tae-rang.”

At that moment, Seo Jun stiffened.

He realized that this wasn’t Jae Tae-rang.

It took his form and attacked Seo Jun right away. Then they exchanged blows.

“What are you doing?”

Seo Jun barely avoided the attack and tried to press him down. Sensing that he wouldn’t be able to subdue him, he drew his sword with one hand and stabbed him near his shoulder blade.

It was then…

“Seo Jun-rang!”

Hae Cheon woke up in shock. The other Hwarangs, who were in deep sleep, also got up.

“What happened?”

“Turn on the lights!”

And then the hut shone. At that time, Seo Jun was twisting Jae Tae’s arm from behind and suppressing him.

“Help! Jae Tae-rang is acting weird!”

But nobody even listened.

“What is that?”

“What is with his face?”

Everyone looked at Jae Tae in fear.

Face?

‘A human-faced sore gradually increases. It can be seen with the eyes.’

Random thoughts were going through Seo Jun’s head.

“Do not look!”

Cheon Jin dropped the lantern he was holding.

And then…

Puak!

There was a sound of struggle.

Jae Tae managed to pull himself out of a gap, and the hut went dark again.

In the stillness, only the sound of several people breathing heavily could be heard. Seo Jun took a deep breath and looked around. Suddenly, someone else was grabbing their neck, and they began to suffer.

“Nap Oh-rang?”

And then another,

“Juk Hyung-rang!”

No one answered. Only the sound of groaning could be heard.

Seo Jun thought,

‘Usually, a plague is transmitted through contact, but this is being transmitted through sight. If we look at it, the same thing will appear on our bodies. It will spread all over your body and soon take over your face. And then that person turns into a monster.’

The thought of it made a chill run down his spine. Then his gaze turned to a spot in the dark.

“Hae Cheon-rang. “

“Yes…”

He answered in a voice filled with fear.

“Did you see the face earlier?”

He didn’t get an answer, so he asked again,

“Answer me! Did you see Jae Tae-rang’s face!”

“It is itchy. It is so itchy.”

Hae Cheon replied, and then it was silent again.

Seo Jun felt lost.

‘This is bad. In the end, everyone looked at it except for me.’

He was lost in thought until he made a decision. The Hwarangs were silent.

Was it because Seo Jun couldn’t be seen in the dark? Or were they planning something together?

Among the raspy breathing of the monsters, Seo Jun fumbled in the darkness. Then he grabbed something that seemed to be a long piece of cloth.

He immediately covered his eyes with it and stood with his back to the door.

He looked around for a moment at the various figures standing in the dark.

“They were all such good friends.”

His voice trembled.

“We have been together for many days and have never once fought. We had fun without raising our voices. Thanks to that, the mission was fun even though we had some difficulties.”

Seo Jun raised his sword.

“But it cannot be helped. I am sorry.”

He stabbed the closest person in the chest. And as if he had been waiting, that person raised his sword and faced him.

A bloody battle ensued in the dark. Seo Geom just looked at them blankly.

“Hyung cannot fight them…”

Right.

His older brother was the sensitive type, so it was impossible for him to draw his sword seriously. He would always leave gaps for others to attack.

As a result, he couldn’t last long. And soon, his blue clothes were stained red.

But…

There was something stronger than skill.

‘When I fall, it is the end. However, if they get out, the land would turn into a mess.’

Seo Jun fought stubbornly, repeating that thought in his head. If the opponent tried to run away, he would stick to them like a leech and wouldn’t mind getting stabbed. If he couldn’t reach the opponent, he threw a talisman at them.

Seeing what Seo Jun was doing, his opponents also did the same.

All sorts of objects were being thrown and hitting his body.

But he didn’t know how to avoid them.

“If only I had learned it correctly… If only I worked a little harder!”

Seo Jun mumbled.

Still, he gritted his teeth and fought. Considering his skills and physical condition, he looked like a superhuman.

Eventually, the Hwarangs fell one by one.

Hae Cheon was the last.

“Sorry. Sorry.”

Seo Jun had stabbed him enough times to prevent him from escaping. Soon, Hae Cheon’s body went limp.

Seo Jun slowly got up. During the fight, he was cut and stabbed in dozens of places. And there wasn’t a single part of his body that wasn’t hurt.

“…”

He sat there for a long time in the dark and then sighed.

He struggled to raise his severely injured body and fumbled around the floor. Seo Geom asked,

“What are you doing?”

“He is trying to check the faces of the corpses. He cannot see them with his eyes, so he is trying to feel them.”

Zaha said,

Right.

When they die, the human-faced sores will vanish.

Seo Jun carefully touched the corpses, and after checking them, he removed the cloth. Everyone was back to normal.

He touched the ground.

Ritual items and their other belongings were all strewn on the ground. Among them, he found the lantern and lit it.

And then the hut shone.

A horrific sight was revealed, with blood splattered everywhere. It was as if someone had painted the walls and floors with blood.

“Ha…”

Seo Jun stood still for a long time, as if stunned. He had a horrified expression on his face as he looked at his allies. And he soon said,

“I will head back to the capital and bring more people.”

Seol Young looked at Seo Jun.

Right now, he couldn’t say anything because he was playing the pipa to maintain the vision. But if he could speak, he would have asked him,

‘Why?’

The more he saw it, the more he questioned it.

Seo Jun was injured to the extent that his body was terribly hurt. However, he wanted to call the people from the capital to help his dead comrades.

‘So why did he kill himself?’

It felt so stupid.

It was the same with the other two who were watching.

At that time, Seo Jun, who was looking at his dead colleagues, stiffened.

His gaze was nailed to one spot on the bloody floor—the place strewn with ritual items. There were signs of a struggle. But there was one thing that stood out.

Paper.

The moment Seol Young saw it, his blood went cold.

He couldn’t see what was written, but he knew what it was.

“That…”

Zaha mumbled,

“The report that Cheon Jin-rang and Juk Hyung-rang drew. The report they drew to bring back to the capital.”

“What?”

Seo Geom was shocked.

“Ah! No…!”

His complexion turned pale. He looked at his older brother with trembling eyes.

“NO! DON’T LOOK!!”