NOVPUB
Chapter 1016
The River of Souls, a vast expanse resembling a river of stars, like the Milky Way, stretched before him.
It was neither the Saint Sanctuary, nor the middle earth. At that moment, no one could enter the space without Woochi’s permission.
In a lot of ways, the space was a lot like his divine steel bunker. However, instead of being a solitary prison with nothing to do but wallow and hide, it offered more possibilities.
After all, one of his hermit bases was located there. For him, it literally felt like coming home.
"Whew. That was close." Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he shuddered.
Dealing with Davey was already a headache, but then his bad feeling had been proved right all along. He had suspected that those crazy bastards might’ve teamed up to some degree. Still, each of them had their own sense of honor and boundaries, so he had assumed there would be a limit to their cooperation.
Yet, either he had assumed wrongly, or Davey had managed to charm them all—a monstrous feat.
Whatever the case, Woochi had nonetheless come out victorious in the end.
He wasn’t going to let himself be caught off guard ever again.
Gathering his energy, Woochi infused his power into a talisman, spreading it across the entire domain.
The River of Souls—an ethereal passageway through which spirits traveled—resonated in turn as if welcoming him back.
"Good, good."
He put on a peaceful smile as he stepped forward.
Or rather, he tried to.
"Hm? This is... Davey's qi?”
He tilted his head side to side with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, right. That bastard came here once for an adjustment, didn’t he?"
It wasn’t long before Woochi froze, his entire body motionless except for the cold sweat dripping down his back..
Momentarily dazed, he snapped out of it with a start as his body went full fight-or-flight mode. He swiftly chose flight, desperately diving to the side as time seemed to stand still—unfortunately, he was simply too late to avoid his fate.
Before he could escape, nine pristine white tails coiled around him, trapping him in place.
"It's been a while," an utterly enchanting voice whispered in his ear.
But to Woochi, it was the most terrifying thing in the world.
"My dear hubby.”
"B-Bi Yeon. H-How did you get here?"
"I’ve been here from the beginning," the silver fox before him spoke with a smile, and Woochi swallowed hard.
"F-From the beginning?"
"Mhm. Your disciple told me to wait here for a day, and you’d come. But what a nice surprise! You arrived even sooner than expected."
Her large eyes curved beautifully, as if pleased.
The massive silver fox wrapping Woochi was suddenly engulfed in a dazzling light. Once the glow faded, in its place stood a breathtakingly beautiful woman dressed in pure white.
The Gumiho, Bi Yeon.
Though her kind closely resembled the Nine-Tails of Tionis, she was fundamentally different. Unlike the Nine-Tails, Gumiho were foxes that had cultivated and ascended to human form.
She was a woman from Woochi’s past, and the one he had feared the most.
"It seems a thousand years have passed since I last fell asleep. I might just be the longest-living Gumiho in history."
Her words barely registered in his ears.
The only thing that mattered was how she had gotten herself there.
"The Magpie Bridge..."
The Magpie Bridge was a mythical path said to connect two distant points. It was a bridge that merged from both ends, and just before, that was exactly what had happened.
Bi Yeon had found a special passageway to enter this place, laying a trap.
And Woochi had walked straight into it.
Once the realization seeped in, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed the signs early on. He clearly remembered them spouting nonsense about cowherders and young seamstresses.
The River of Souls was one of the spaces where Bi Yeon could enter under special conditions, and a place where Woochi couldn’t change his mind and descend to middle earth.
It was also a space where, if she wanted, she could trap him forever.
This was one of the openings of the dimension, the River of Souls.
"N-No! I have to get out of here!"
Woochi released a surge of qi in a panic.
He figured it wasn’t too late. As long as he escaped before that damned disciple of his—Davey—sealed the passage between the River of Souls and the Saint Sanctuary, he could still make it out.
But he would never get the chance.
Before he could act, Bi Yeon wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down with her.
Woochi collapsed onto the ground, trembling violently as if he had been possessed by a ghost.
"Ahhh!!!" he screamed.
"Woochi."
Contrary to his expectations, her voice was filled with sorrow, making him hesitate.
"Too much time has passed."
He could sense her inner turmoil.
"There's no one left anymore. Wu Dam, Hyun Seon, Tae Hong, In Hyeon, and even Park Seon...” she muttered, her voice trembling with emotion before Woochi violently shook his head.
‘No. She’s trying to get one over on me! She has to be tricking me!”
Repeatedly telling himself that, he squirmed like crazy, desperately trying to slip away.
But then, her next words made him freeze.
"You're all I have left now. Please, don't go. Stay by my side."
Her tearful, mournful voice made Woochi give her another glance. He looked at her in a daze for a bit, before finally looking away.
He clicked his tongue, "Tsk," letting his final shred of resistance fade away.
He couldn’t remember if he had ever seen her cry so sorrowfully before.
Yes, he did fear her. But, to be left completely alone for over a thousand years—he could only imagine how unbearable her solitude must’ve been. For her to become so fragile.
"Damn it! Who are you trying to fool—?!"
"Woochi."
Bam!!
The moment he tried to spring to his feet, shockingly enough, Bi Yeon forcefully slammed him down with raw force.
Woochi knew he should’ve been able to shake her off with ease, yet the thought that something was wrong never even crossed his mind. Because to him, it was simply how things were.
He was caught in her never-ending enchantment, rendering him powerless against her and her alone.
Bi Yeon wasn't overwhelmingly strong, but facing him, she equated to an unbeatable force. That was one of the reasons he feared her so much.
"My dear hubby is so sharp. Even your disciple fell for it, hehe, but not you." She lifted her head, revealing her true face.
The face of a woman who had been sobbing only moments before had completely disappeared.
Instead, she wore a chilling smile.
"H-Hey. Let's just talk this out, okay?"
"Why do I smell another woman on you?"
Her eyes began to glow a deep pink, the color gradually encroaching her pupils and irises as well.
"What should I do, Woochi? No—my dear hubby. Should I conjure twenty will-o’-the-wisps and implant them inside your stomach? Set them up as cursed triggers, so I can detonate them whenever I please? Hmm? Why don't you tell me which you’d prefer?"
"B-Bi Yeon, wait! This is madness! Let's just calm down—!"
"Oh? You think I'm mad?" she interrupted with a chuckle. "You're right. I am mad."
Despite her smile, she spat out terrifying words. "Do you know what you did wrong?"
Woochi, now completely pale and speechless, trembled violently.
"Hmm? Tell me. What exactly did you do wrong?"
Her smile remained, but her hollow, colorless eyes indicated a more malicious feeling.
"I won’t lose you this time. I can stay here for five days, and I'll use it to make sure you can't escape anywhere,” she chuckled eerily. “That way, in any situation, only I will remain in your mind. All you see will be me, and me alone.”
As her words gradually sank in, Woochi came to the horrifying realization that he had truly fallen into hell.
* * *
True to her word, it took five full days before Bi Yeon finally allowed Woochi to escape.
When Davey saw her again, she was brimming with happiness. Her skin practically glowed, as if polished to a shine. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Woochi, on the other hand, was in such a pitiful state that he couldn't even move on his own.
In the end, Sword God Ares and the King of Conquest Astrea had to personally enter the River of Souls, carrying him out from the small hermitage where he'd been holed up.
"Is this really a person, or is it a mummy?"
"Wow. This is... something else,” Hypocria grimaced, looking completely lost on where to even begin treating him.
Even Bow Lord Apollo, who never missed an opportunity to spout romantic nonsense about treating women gently, had turned deathly pale and backed away.
"Damn, she drained him dry. Normally, someone would've died from exhaustion dozens of times over before reaching this point."
"Is he going to die?”
"He’ll probably stay like this for quite a while, unless we do something. I’ll try treating him—bring me some holy water."
Even the others, who had been laughing and munching on popcorn at first, recoiled in horror.
Woochi was completely shriveled up. Just looking at him made them shudder.
"P-Please. No more, Yeon. I’m gonna die," he mumbled weakly, as if lost in a hallucination.
Daphne nodded as she listened to his pleas.
"Mmm. Yeah, this one's on that monster Davey."
Hearing that, Dokgo Jun shook his head, thinking that she was just as bad.
He then confidently declared his own judgment, "Tsk, tsk. What a disgrace. How dare he reduce his master to this state...”
"Total disrespect! Utterly shameful!"
One after another, the other heroes chimed in as well.
Had Davey been there to witness it, he would’ve clicked his tongue and muttered about how much they were all full of shit. They had all conveniently erased from their memories the fact that they also gleefully sold Woochi out in the first place.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Odin observed the scene with a heavy sigh. She then looked at the short-skirted Santa costume she had prepared earlier.
With a final sigh of resignation, she gathered the outfit in her arms and pulled out a large red sack from her Pocket Plane.
* * *
Winter had arrived, but Heins Territory remained unaffected by the season’s harsh chill.
Aside from the areas where crops were cultivated, temperatures were manually adjusted periodically for the purpose of proper ventilation and conditioning. Overall, the cold had been completely warded off, ensuring no resident ever had to suffer from the winter’s bite.
"It's almost time."
"Yeah! Tomorrow! It’s finally coming tomorrow!"
Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon huddled together, whispering and giggling like devious conspirators.
Nearby, Rinne and Evangeline sat in deep thought.
"Rinne, have you done a lot of good deeds?"
"Rinne evaluates acts of kindness highly.”
"Hmm. Like what?"
"Rinne discovered a goblin settlement near the territory. Rinne punished them using the Savior of Humanity.”
Meanwhile, Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon had spent their time running all over the territory with Darian strapped to their backs, performing whatever tasks could even loosely be considered good deeds.
Of course, they posed no real danger or detriment to others with whatever they did.
The people of the territory also weren’t reckless enough to assign actual work to the daughters of their lord, so they mostly humored them, fabricating simple requests for their help.
Still, Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon were quite popular among the people, and their efforts were warmly welcomed wherever they went.
Beyond the two who near-religiously believed in the existence of Santa, even Evangeline and Rinne had started contemplating what gifts they might receive when Santa arrived.
"Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon were really good this year, so Santa’s gonna bring lots of presents!"
"Yup! We’ll get two presents!"
Excited, the two girls beamed.
But then, Rinne tilted her head. "Rinne determines that according to data, Santa only delivers a single present per person.”
"Huh? Just one?"
"Rinne evaluates this as highly likely. Rinne analyzes that no one has ever received more than one gift at a time."
The three children were visibly deflated.
"No way... We worked so hard."
"Blue Ribbon too! Blue Ribbon worked really hard."
To them, the idea that doing more good deeds didn’t result in more presents was nothing short of a blasphemous disaster.
"I wanted two...”
Facing the two girls slumped in disappointment, Rinne closed her eyes.
Her neural circuits resonated fiercely with the God of Machinery that served as her heart, processing calculations at a blinding speed.
Then, she snapped her eyes open.
"Rinne states that there is a solution.”
"A solution?"
"Rinne determines there to be a solution for obtaining not just one, but a large quantity of presents. Rinne states that the possibility of success is high.”
Evangeline, Red Ribbon, and Blue Ribbon all sat upright at attention, their eyes sparkling.
"Really?! How?! Linne, tell us!"
"Hurry! Tell us now!"
Rinne remained silent for a moment before lifting her small hand.
Whuuummm.
A strange device materialized on the back of her hand, and within an instant, she had summoned a rapidly pulsing lightsaber.
"Kidnap Santa and seize everything in his sack."
Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon’s eyes widened in shock.
"T-That’s genius! What a great solution!!"
"Amazing!"
They clapped their hands in awe.
Meanwhile, Evangeline furrowed her brows. "But that’s bad! Santa doesn’t give presents to bad kids...”
"Rinne confirms alternative options exist. Rinne subdues Santa, and everyone else rushes to secure the presents. One present per year through good deeds... versus over ten presents each through a single night’s raid. Rinne determines it to be far more efficient to gut the goose that lays the annual golden eggs!!”
Her blue eyes gleamed with determination.
"Rinne requests strategy formulation."
"Hmm."
"B-But we’d become bad kids."
The three hesitated.
Yet, the sheer temptation of having loads of presents began to sway them.
"Rinne subdues Santa. The rest swiftly retrieve gifts. Rinne reports the success rate to be considerable.”
"But if we do this, all the good things Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon did won’t matter,” Red Ribbon commented.
"Yeah, yeah!" Blue Ribbon added.
The two girls clung to their last shred of righteousness.
But Rinne then delivered the final blow with her expressionless face.
"So? Rinne questions if you want many presents or not. Rinne proceeds with the plan anyways. Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon get one gift each. Rinne collects ten. Rinne claims ten years' worth of presents in advance."
Her expressionless face carried an air of smugness.
Red Ribbon puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
"Linne, that’s so unfair!"
"That's right! Blue Ribbon is gonna get lots of presents too!"
In the end, the two girls had completely fallen for the scheme.
At the same time, though not in Tionis, Davey had been listening to the reports about Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon running around the territory performing good deeds for Santa.
So, he had been making his own preparations.
"Is this how it’s supposed to look?"
Wearing a red outfit and hat similar to Santa’s, complete with a long fake beard, Davey moved around, adjusting his costume.
Illyna, Aeria, and Perserque exchanged glances.
"Yeah. We’re gonna need it."
"Agreed."
The three sprang into action in perfect sync.
Aeria perked up her ears and shoved a mirror in front of Davey, while Illyna and Perserque dug out some makeup tools from Earth, ready to get to work.
"Davey, close your eyes and count to one hundred. It’ll all be over by then."
"That sounds oddly suspicious,” he said skeptically.
"If you're planning to spread this tradition and wander all over the territory, someone might recognize you if you don’t do this."
His face was well-known, so it was best to be cautious.
"But do we really need to introduce this tradition to the whole territory?"
"Santa isn’t necessarily tied to religion—he’s more like a fairy. Anyways, the children of the territory are its future, so this is an investment."
Of course, after he finished this year, he already had people in mind to take over the nonsense for him.
The Dark Elves, led by Aina Helishana, were the perfect candidates for working in secrecy.
But for now, he was setting the foundation and precedent.
They hurried to finish his Santa disguise, making sure Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Meanwhile, night began to fall.
The four of them, completely unaware of Rinne’s persuasive discussion, had no idea about the little plan the children were cooking up.
