There’s a Monster Inside Me

Chapter 9

People called the Thousand-Year School ‘The White Crane Castle.’

This was because the fine plaster applied under the eaves made it look like an elegant white crane. 

The White Crane Castle consisted of a 9-story main castle in the center, with 5-story directional castles at the four corners, and each directional castle was connected to three-layered wings, which were further connected to single-story structures. 

Due to this enormous scale and complex structure, the White Crane Castle looked like a towering mountain peak.

 The interior was even more complicated, making the castle itself an unsolvable maze.

 New students who first entered the academy frequently wandered, unable to either enter or exit because of the endless stairs and passages.

For some time after admission, it wasn’t uncommon for students to be rescued after getting lost and collapsing from exhaustion.

I’ve returned here again… 

THUMP! THUMP! 

My heart pounded wildly.

Beginning with the collapse of that large and beautiful castle, that impenetrable fortress, the world rushed toward its end.

 The divine beings, sorcerers, and Taoists who had gathered around the Thousand-Year School lost their support and scattered. 

On the day the White Crane Castle burned and disappeared in bright red flames, everyone connected to the Thousand-Year School wept, pounding the ground. 

I too was overwhelmed with defeat as I looked at the black ashes that remained after the fire.

However, I wasn’t even allowed time to grieve.

For I alone was blamed for all the sins of burning down the Thousand-Year School!

With an aching heart, I took in the sight of my alma mater.

I will not lose it again.

This noble place…

This sacred and precious heritage… 

I will never lose it again!

My fists trembled with determination.

 Suddenly, I lowered my gaze and saw Baek Eun-ok with its shining black eyes.

He too was looking at the White Crane Castle with obsidian-like black eyes.

After a moment, the imgui blinked and then closed its eyelids.

As if it were just a white jade bracelet, completely nonchalant.

Other new students were crossing the welcome gate one after another. 

Though I looked until my eyes nearly popped out, Gokdu was nowhere to be seen. 

It was somewhat disappointing, but apart from that, I felt deeply relieved. 

Gokdu didn’t come.

Gokdu stayed with his mother. 

…She was safe.

Gokdu’s mother who smiled gently… I remembered that fragile, delicate smile. I prayed that her delicate life force would not be extinguished.

All new students arriving at the Thousand-Year School first had their spiritual power (神力) examined. 

In one corner of the vast garden, two divine officials sat with tables set up. 

When you approached them and gave your name, the Medicine Buddha Trinity would evaluate the spiritual power possessed by the new student. 

In my previous life, I couldn’t see or feel the Medicine Buddha Trinity because my senses weren’t awakened. I only found it strange that the examination ended after standing still for a while.

The situation was different now. 

I had awakened my five senses to find wild ginseng, and I was not only training my body every day without fail, but my sixth sense was also rapidly awakening. 

Thanks to this, I could faintly perceive the Medicine Buddha Trinity with my minimal spiritual power. Though my spiritual power was still minimal, there was no need to rush. 

Compared to the outside world, the Thousand-Year School was a place where fragments of spiritual power were scattered everywhere.

It could be said that building spiritual power would begin in earnest from now on.

“Are you Bada Maru?”

“Yes, I am.”

I stood in line among the other new students, trying not to stand out.

The two divine officials each called upon three Medicine Buddhas, so a total of six Medicine Buddhas were examining me. 

Two officials were assigned to examine one person to prevent any errors.

After the confirmation, the two officials wrote the results on paper. 

…I could tell without looking. Under my name, Bada Maru, they would have written things like ‘insignificant spiritual power’ or ‘minimal ability.’

“You’re done. Next!”

 As I bowed respectfully and turned to leave, I saw Senior Usol approaching the divine officials. 

“Does this student have any precognitive abilities by any chance?”

I perked up my ears and could faintly hear the whispered words. 

There was no need to hear the answer.

It was obvious that both divine officials would raise their shoulders with incredulous looks.

This year’s new students totaled ninety-two. 

Although a similar number gathered for the entrance ceremony held every three years, the number of graduates varied each year. 

Some would give up on the Thousand-Year School midway, while others would be held back or fail. 

Rarely, some might skip grades by demonstrating exceptional spiritual power.

“Everyone, show proper respect. It’s the Grandmaster.” 

At the voice that struck like lightning, the new students froze. 

The seniors in the back knelt on one knee and placed their palms together. 

“We follow the principles of heaven, earth, and the underworld! Grandmaster, we offer our greetings!”

The disciplined greeting performed by the seniors wearing blue uniforms with purple hats was so magnificent it made my heart swell. 

How much had my heart pounded at that sight in my past life.

A sage-like old man appeared, receiving the courtesy of kneeling on one knee (胡跪). 

Soft, shimmering white silk clothes. 

I alone knelt at the sight of him with his long white hair and beard. ‘Grandmaster!’ That name I couldn’t bring myself to call out was a longing deeply engraved in my lungs. 

“That person is the Grandmaster!”

“That’s the Master of All Under Heaven!” 

He is the Grandmaster, one of the highest divine humans (最高神人) who upheld the kingdom. 

Would I exist today without him? 

Because of him, I was able to avoid becoming a miserable monster devoured by a food spirit demon. 

“You are human. Without a doubt, you are human..”

The only person who believed in me when even I couldn’t be certain if I was human. 

It was all thanks to Grandmaster Cheonhajijong that I, whose body and soul had been completely swallowed, could ultimately maintain my sanity without abandoning my humanity. 

To avoid being consumed by the emotions welling up inside me, I stared at the ground.

“We follow the principles of heaven, earth, and the underworld. Welcome to the divine humans who will save this world plagued by demons and evil spirits. I bestow blessings upon you all.” 

Grandmaster Cheonhajijong looked up to the sky. 

Shortly after, clear blue-green rain fell upon the heads of the new students. 

These droplets, resembling both bubbles and clouds, stuck to the students’ bodies instead of falling to the ground. 

Numerous green raindrops also clung to my head and back as I knelt. 

The particles attached to our bodies crumbled into fine powder. It felt as if the freshness of a forest was bursting all around us. 

The world, nature, and everything dwelling in plants and trees became a subtle blessing welcoming us to the Thousand-Year School. 

Among the new students with wide eyes, I closed mine. 

The green rain whispered to me.

“Welcome. Truly… welcome.”

It was an incredibly honorable greeting.

After the introduction of the Grandmaster, professors, and officials, seniors wearing blue uniforms took the stage. 

Once all the officials disappeared, the previously neat and orderly expressions and attitudes of the seniors instantly became crooked. 

Some chewed on plucked grass, while others cracked their fingers loudly, resembling street thugs.

“Well, let’s see what this year’s newcomers can do?” 

A senior with a mountain-like build stepped forward. 

With his protruding forehead, charcoal-black eyebrows, and thick sideburns, he looked rough.

His name was Geombau. 

A man with the strength of a bull and the ferocity of a grizzly bear. 

Setting aside his innate spiritual power, he had powerful vengeful energy (怨力) obtained from mercilessly killing beasts. 

What he used was evil magic (邪術) never taught at the Thousand-Year School.

“Now, I’ll give you your first task.Show off your spiritual power to the fullest right here!”

“I’ll give a gift to newcomers who show excellent results, and for those who can’t show anything…” 

Geombau looked down at the new students, raising one corner of his lips. 

“SPIT! SPIT! Figure it out yourselves…!” 

He spat on his palm and made a gesture of breaking something. 

“EEEEK!” 

Terrified voices erupted from all around.

On the first day of the new student welcoming ceremony, displaying spiritual power had somehow become a solidified custom, like a rite of passage. 

In my past life, I had turned pale blue. 

It was only natural that my stomach suddenly hurt and my head throbbed. 

The pain became extreme each time a newcomer stepped forward to demonstrate their spiritual power, and finally, I was driven to the brink of fainting. 

This wasn’t just my story. Before entering the Thousand-Year School, not many newcomers could freely manifest spiritual power. 

In some cases, those from wealthy families or nobility had learned spiritual power from private teachers, but that was extremely rare.

“Not coming forward, huh? Not coming? I guess you think the senior’s words aren’t even funny?” 

When everyone just kept looking at each other, Geombau lost his temper. 

When he struck the large rock in front of him, surprisingly, the gray rock split in half. 

“EEEEK!” 

If one were to be hit by such a fist… The minds of the newcomers turned completely white.

“…I’ll show you first.” 

The first to step forward was a female student. 

She wore an expensive-looking crimson silk skirt with neatly braided hair. 

“Good! What’s your name?” 

With her round face and well-defined eyes, nose, and mouth… 

The name of that child who wasn’t afraid to step forward was… 

“Albam Na-eun.” 

That’s right. 

That child came from a town surrounded by forests full of chestnut trees, and I heard that all those mountains belonged to Albam Na-eun’s family. 

Her father never spared money for his daughter’s education, allowing her to train with private teachers even before admission.

“Fire!” 

CLICK. 

When Albam Na-eun struck two fingers together, flames rose in the air. 

“WOOOW…!” 

The cheers of the new students filled the air. 

But the seniors remained quiet despite seeing the fire rising from her fingertips. 

Albam Na-eun bit her lip as if her pride was hurt. 

“Blaze up!” 

She raised her left hand, and the flames surged up following her hand.

Only after a huge flame about three feet tall rose did some seniors comment that it was ‘pretty good.’

“EXPLODE!” 

When Na-eun gathered her fingers and then spread them, the blazing flames exploded everywhere, emitting white smoke. 

I heard later that this was a technique she developed from watching chestnuts being roasted, roasting them faster, and seeing them jump up.

“Oh, that’s interesting. Good. Who’s next?” 

Not bad skills. Actually, it could be said to be an impressive level for a newcomer. 

“Then, I will…” 

Following Na-eun, students who could present even a little evidence of their abilities began to stand up one by one.

Finally, when no one else stood up, Geombau lost his temper. 

“What’s this? Won’t you stand up right now! Fine then, you! That girl, stand up!” 

Just as I was about to rise, shifting my weight, Geombau pointed to a female student. 

“Me, me?” 

She was a girl with unusually bushy bright red hair. 

Her patched clothes revealed her circumstances. 

‘Was there such a girl?’ 

I couldn’t remember. 

Perhaps she was someone who dropped out later? 

Among students who had cleaned up to enter the Thousand-Year School, her shabby appearance stood out, yet I couldn’t remember her at all.

“…Senior, I can tell fortunes.” 

“Whaaaaat?” 

Geombau looked at the female student with an intrigued expression. 

The hesitant redhead seemed to make up her mind and spoke. 

“I’ll predict your near future.” 

“Go ahead, try it.” 

The girl brought her hands together and mumbled something. 

Despite perking up my ears and paying close attention, I couldn’t understand what she was saying. 

To be clear… it’s not that I couldn’t hear her. The sound came through my awakened senses, but I simply couldn’t understand what she was babbling about. 

In other words, she was just spouting complete nonsense…

“Ah!” 

“What is it?” 

When the red-haired girl showed a startled face, Geombau’s eyes widened along with hers. 

“This is terrible!” 

“What?” 

“You might face great misfortune soon. If you harbor ill intentions and harm someone, misfortune will swallow you whole. Don’t act rashly and show kindness to those around you.”

“Share when you have food, give away even what you desire to keep. Stroke what you want to hit, soothe what you want to defile. Then you will avoid misfortune and overcome great trouble.”

“PFFT!”

I used all my strength to suppress the laughter bubbling up from deep within me. 

I saw through her instantly!

This child is absolutely, absolutely not a fortune-teller! 

Even when I focused my sixth sense on her, I could see no deity near the girl who was rattling off predictions. 

In other words, the girl was just making things up as she went.

“Damn, misfortune… that doesn’t sound good!” 

Poor Geombau, lacking sufficient training, had no way to measure her spiritual power. Some seniors caught on and giggled, but the dull-witted Geombau didn’t even notice that. 

“Oh right, what was your name again?” 

“Dol Jin-dallae.” 

“Hmph, someone like you calling yourself a flower…” 

As Geombau muttered under his breath, Jin-dallae quickly stuck out her tongue at him.

And then I saw it. 

The ice-cold gaze directed at the girl! 

The golden hair that had been lazily observing the situation until now shook slightly. 

Geum Tae-min.

He, who sat at the highest seat among the seniors, slightly furrowed his brow. 

His golden hair shimmered over eyes tinged with gold. 

People would say when looking at him, Is he a celestial being descended from heaven, or a sage risen from earth? 

Why does God particularly cherish and favor only one person?

The wind brushed past him. 

His golden hair made Tae-min shine as if he had a halo. 

Not knowing that it belonged to a wicked master. 

In my past life, that man’s tongue condemned me to hell. 

He pointed to me as the culprit who burned down the Thousand-Year School and testified that I was the incarnation of a demon. 

I, who had tried my hardest to protect the Thousand-Year School, suddenly became the demon of destruction who brought the school to ruin. And I had to live the rest of my life as a fugitive.

Only I know what lies beneath his beautiful exterior. 

The moment I saw Geum Tae-min’s eyes fill with displeasure, I suddenly realized. 

The red-haired girl would pay for offending Geum Tae-min! 

That must be why I didn’t remember her at all.

GRIND. 

I unconsciously bit the inside of my mouth. A strange taste of blood went down my throat. 

“Hey, you next!” 

It seemed Geombau had now decided to point at anyone. 

A young man caught at his fingertip asked,

 “Me?” 

Navy blue hair. 

A white band tightly wrapped around his forehead. 

I knew him well, wearing white clothes with a blue waistband. 

‘Bada Gurumi!’

As he stood up unsteadily, I jumped up from my seat as if struck by lightning.

Absolutely not… Absolutely… I cannot let Bada Gurumi stand there!

That thought alone filled my head.