Book 20 Chapter 10
A Tragedy at Dawn
- Waterfowl Take Flight from a Foggy Pier
Hazy dawn. Silently asleep on the pier, enveloped in mist, people began to gather one by one. Five burly men, each armed with weapons at their waists or backs. Though they looked younger than twenty, they all had a distorted or crooked impression. Their eyes were fierce, as if they had sworn to live like wild beasts.
These were men who, at their young age, had experienced everything from assault, rape, robbery, to murder. Their parents, who had earned money through the same crimes, had indulged their every whim with that money, raising them with great care. In the end, the men, who had inevitably become the dregs of humanity, could only see the woman in white and her two maids, who had appeared moments before cutting through the fog, as delectable prey.
Compared to these individuals, who had incessantly committed all sorts of evil deeds with the impatience of fearing their swords would dry, the woman in white possessed an utterly alien aura. Her clean, benevolent face seemed almost naive at first glance. They were Yeongnyeong, Mongmu, and Hwanmu.
"How are they?"
Quick telepathic messages were exchanged among the villains.
"Quite tasty."
"What should we do? We still have time."
"Making good use of our time. Great! I'm all for it!"
"I'm in too."
As the consensus was reached, someone pointed out a problem.
"But there are only three of them? Not enough."
"What’s new? Lack of resources has always been an issue, hasn't it? Let's practice the virtue of sharing."
As someone proposed a solution, the five villains quickly agreed. All were in favor.
Originally, the noble associate with the noble, and the petty with the petty. The men gathered today were all riffraff from the same region, all wearing red sashes around their waists. They were the successors to the five leaders of 'Cheolsimjang' (Iron Heart Manor), a renowned dark sect in Gangnam, commonly known as the troublesome 'Gangnam Five Ghosts'. Having lived lives of utter arrogance, shielded by their parents, they treated women as mere disposable playthings.
Then, having been too busy preparing for the Macheongak exam for the past few days, they hadn't truly tasted women. Now, beautiful women, who caught their eyes, appeared right before them. Thinking this was a gift from heaven, they stealthily began to surround Yeongnyeong and her maids. Their mouths seemed to dribble with saliva, and their eyes, burning with greed, resembled those of rutting dogs.
"Khehehehe!"
"Oh, these cuties. Ahhh!"
"Alright, stay still. I'm going to love you plenty from now on."
"I'll send you to heaven. Kekeke."
"They look so delicious. Slurp!"
They were clearly disturbing men who seemed to have lost their minds. It appeared they believed that women must be subdued by force.
"Hwanmu, what are these people?"
Yeongnyeong asked Hwanmu, her trustworthy maid who always provided objective and rational judgment.
"As you see, they are the dregs of humanity, young lady!"
Hwanmu's answer was short and precise.
"So that's how it is?"
"It really seems so, young lady. What do we do now?"
Mongmu, shrinking back in fear, said.
"Hmm, what should we do? Can this be solved through conversation?"
"A stick is the medicine for a mad dog, young lady."
The villains glared at Hwanmu's blunt and concise words.
"Look at the way this wench speaks! Girl, you should serve your husbands well!"
"That's right, you should be grateful to the elders who are about to take care of you!"
"We'll soon press down those insolent lips of yours!"
Yeongnyeong frowned and shook her head at the increasingly vulgar abuse.
"I didn't want to stain myself with their base blood… but their barking is too loud to listen to any longer!"
*Thwack!*
"Kuaaaak!"
The words "…longer!" and the sound of "Thwack!" echoed at the exact same time. With a lightning-fast strike, Yeongnyeong's scabbard shattered the first man's mouth. His screams echoed as his teeth, along with blood, flew out. The remaining men, taken aback by the sudden attack, glared in unison.
"Ugh!"
The man whose mouth was shattered doubled over at the waist and collapsed. Hwanmu's elbow, which had flown in unnoticed, had struck his abdomen sharply like a flail.
"Uh… uh…."
The men, who had considered the maids as mere accompaniments, widened their eyes in surprise, realizing they possessed some skill.
"Where are you looking?"
Mongmu, who had circled behind the second man, twisted his right arm and pressed his left shoulder down diagonally. The man's face slammed directly onto the ground. Before he could even scream, Mongmu kicked his face mercilessly with his knee and then, without hesitation, further broke his right arm, which he was holding twisted. It was a brutal and skilled joint lock.
"Kuaaaaaaaak!"
"You… you wenches!"
The bewildered men stumbled in confusion.
"You've got a lot of talk."
Hwanmu appeared abruptly in front of the third man and moved her hands with dazzling speed. A slender, sharp needle, three spans long, was inserted into the man's left earlobe, penetrated his neck, passed between his cervical vertebrae, and exited his right earlobe. He wasn't dead, but he was unable to move recklessly.
The man's mouth gaped open as he froze like a statue. Hwanmu, as if not wanting to touch him, kicked him over and stepped back, saying expressionlessly,
"Your breath stinks, Lee Sang!"
By now, only two men wearing red sashes around their waists remained.
"R-run!"
Only then did they grasp the situation. The 'former' friends lying on the ground were no longer in their thoughts. The 'friends' they spoke of were those who shared good times but turned a blind eye in bad times. And now, weren't the good times over!
"Where do you think you're going?"
Before the two turned men stood Yeongnyeong with a cold expression. Her scabbard-covered sword moved back and forth twelve times between the two men's heads. It happened in an instant. Stars flashed before the men's eyes.
'Is this enough?'
Just as Yeongnyeong was about to withdraw her sword, with a *thud*, the two men's eyes widened as much as humanly possible.
"Kweeeeeeek!"
As their desperate screams vibrated through the quiet dawn lakeside, startled waterfowl took flight from the water's surface. The men collapsed, foaming at the mouth. Yeongnyeong spotted Mongmu's foot between one of the men's legs and quickly understood the cause.
"Mongmu, what are you doing! A woman should be modest, why are you kicking carelessly? How unseemly!"
Hwanmu chided Mongmu instead of Yeongnyeong.
"Hmph, I don't want to hear that from you. Hwanmu, what's that club in your hand? It looked more brutal than mine earlier, like you completely destroyed something?"
Yeongnyeong cleared her throat and glanced slightly to the side. Behind the last fallen man stood Hwanmu, holding a wooden club that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"I'm fine since I didn't make direct contact. I don't want to feel such unclean sensations with a part of my precious body. The mere thought is dreadful."
Hwanmu seemed to have taken issue with the type of tool used.
"Ahem, shouldn't you both stop now?"
Yeongnyeong coughed slightly, her face reddening a little.
"Make the other three the same, young lady. We have to be fair so they don't fight with their friends."
"Do we really have to?"
Mongmu asked, with a reluctant face, pondering the possibility.
"Of course. If they're unharmed, they'll only be a nuisance."
"Indeed. We must root out the weeds before they spread."
Hwanmu's agreement left no room for reconsideration.
"That sounds terrifying today."
"Young lady, this is the path of darkness. Women are naturally in a weaker position. If you endure, you will only suffer more, and no one will pity you. Especially these sorts of trash, they don't know repentance, so we must instill a sense of caution whenever possible. Otherwise, other women will become innocent victims."
Yeongnyeong had no retort to Hwanmu's words.
"Then I'll turn my back, so finish it quickly."
"Yes, young lady."
Turning her back, the unobstructed Dongjeong Lake filled her vision. Yeongnyeong tried to focus on the pure beauty of nature, but the various noises that soon followed greatly disturbed her mind.
*Thump!*
A terrifying sound, followed by a moment of silence. The sound of something stirring and then quieting.
"Shall I lend you mine? I've used mine up."
"No, I'm already disgraced. I'll keep using this."
*Thump, shudder.*
The vibration of the pier could be felt underfoot. Yeongnyeong barely managed to suppress the urge to cover her ears. As the owner, she needed to show some composure.
"Ah, what about the other one?"
"Hmm, we have no choice. Let's do it at the same time."
"Okay. But don't step on my foot!"
"No problem. Don't worry unnecessarily, Lee Sang."
*Thump!*
Amidst the continuous sounds and the ensuing terrifying silence, Yeongnyeong pondered.
'But when should I turn my head back?'
As Yeongnyeong hesitated, unsure of what to do, Mongmu's cry was heard.
"Ah, a boat! It's a boat, young lady!"
With her gaze slightly raised, trying not to look down, Yeongnyeong slowly turned her head back.
A black ship emerged, cutting through the hazy fog that had been sleeping on the lake. It was a large ship with two high, wide sails and twelve oars on each side. A red flag hanging from the mast fluttered fiercely in the dawn lake breeze. Even though the fog hadn't fully cleared, the black ship, moving its twenty-four oars in perfect unison as if it had traversed the distance thousands of times, glided lightly across the lake. The black ship, approaching at a speed that made one wonder if it would collide, slowed down with practiced skill and, using subtle oar movements, docked precisely next to the pier without a single error. It was incredibly precise. However, the ship was as silent as a ghost ship.
"It's quiet, young lady."
"It is. Not a single sound, it's like a ghost ship."
The ship remained silent. Mongmu disliked such silence.
"How is it? Do you feel your martial arts have recovered much, young lady?"
After a brief moment of no activity from the ship, Mongmu, standing to Yeongnyeong's left, couldn't stand the silence and asked in a small, soft voice.
"Do you think my skills would have been unleashed against such insignificant trash? They weren't even enough for a warm-up."
Hwanmu, standing to Yeongnyeong's right, said with a doubtful tone.
"That's true."
Still, Mongmu's eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Well, as Hwanmu said, though not fully recovered, I think I've regained about fifty to sixty percent of my strength."
Mongmu said, patting her chest.
"That's a relief, young lady. You were seriously injured in the last fight, and your martial arts could have been completely lost. How hard you've worked for the past three months to recover the family's secret sword techniques."
"But the sword techniques still don't feel like they fit me, as if I'm wearing ill-fitting clothes. I must have been truly badly hurt. I need to recover quickly…"
Yeongnyeong was still not satisfied with her condition. No matter how severe the aftermath of the last fight was, the symptoms were lasting longer than expected. There were many times when she felt an uncomfortable sensation as if her body wasn't her own.
"It's all because of those 'geomgak' women."
Mongmu exclaimed, gritting her teeth.
"We can't let them go unpunished, young lady. Blood for blood. We must get revenge, young lady!"
Hwanmu chimed in.
"That…"
Just then, with a *grind*, a long wooden staircase descended and was placed between the ship and the pier.
"Let's talk about that later. We need to deal with what's in front of us now."
"Yes, my mouth must have been too loose."
Hwanmu bowed her head and apologized.
Once the wooden staircase was secured, a lantern shimmered on the ship's railing.
"Are there only three of you today?"
A man with a long scar on his cheek, who looked quite seasoned, leaned out from the misty ship's railing and asked. He didn't seem like an ordinary boatman. In response to the man's question, Yeongnyeong kept her gaze slightly upward and looked around.
"It seems it's just us."
"Very well. Get on."
"Thank you."
Yeongnyeong replied and then looked at her two maids.
"Let's get on the ship."
"Yes, young lady."
Finally, Yeongnyeong, Mongmu, and Hwanmu boarded the black ship heading to Macheongak. The five were already foaming at the mouth and collapsed, and only these three were boarding the ship.
However…
When Yeongnyeong, showing the token she had exchanged for ten gold taels with the black-robed scholar at the reception yesterday, tried to board the ship, her steps were blocked by the man. The man extended one hand.
"What is this?"
Yeongnyeong asked. The one who looked absurd was the man.
"Of course, it's the fare, what else would it be?"
"Do I have to pay again? Wasn't the fare included in yesterday's reception fee?"
Yeongnyeong, who had lost ten gold taels yesterday, asked in bewilderment.
"Hoo, young lady, you speak strangely. Look here, young lady. Did you think you could ride this boat for free? Do you know how many people are up this early, sacrificing their sleep to operate this boat? At least thirty people are working tirelessly from before dawn to carry you. And do you think a boat is made by simply cutting wood and floating it? How much does it cost to maintain this large ship in its current state? If you have any conscience, you wouldn't say you'd ride for free."
The man's eloquence was fluent, as if he had done this many times.
"Th-that…"
Faced with such an argument, Yeongnyeong could no longer press the issue.
"Fine. I'll pay, if I have to. How much is it?"
The man glanced at Monghwan Shuangwu behind Yeongnyeong's shoulder and said.
"One gold tael per person, so three people is three gold taels."
Yeongnyeong's eyes widened. She had just spent a considerable sum of ten gold taels yesterday. And now they were demanding another three gold taels.
"Isn't that a rip-off?"
"You can get off if you don't like it. However, be aware that there are no other boats to the 'island' besides this one."
The man replied curtly. His tone suggested he had nothing to fear or regret. In fact, they had no choice but to use this boat, like crying over boiled mustard seeds. This was the tyranny of the so-called 'Monopoly Trade Company'.
"These are my maids. And you're charging one gold tael each for them?"
"Hoo, you say strange things, young lady. Whether man or woman, noble or slave, the pressure on the boat is the same per unit of weight on the water."
The man, who was a thorough egalitarian in a way, gestured around again and said.
"Look around you. Everyone else has paid without complaint, and only you are left. They are waiting for you, so we can't depart. Don't you feel guilty? Will you pay or get off?"
She didn't want to habitually accept reality without question, but she lacked the strength to change it.
Something felt strange. She looked around as instructed. She was relieved to find no one there. She had been worried she might have been mistaken.
"Um… there's no one else on board but us?"
The man slapped his palm with his fist.
"Ah, that's right. My apologies! It's just a habit."
"Habit…"
Yeongnyeong's mouth dropped open. Was it a manner of speaking? If such words were ingrained, it seemed such things happened more than once.
"So, have you ever failed?"
She asked if he had ever not received the money.
"No. And there won't be in the future."
The man's will was clear. Further argument seemed like a waste of time.
"Alright. I'll pay, I'll pay."
Finally, Yeongnyeong surrendered.
"You've made a good decision. If you waste time over such trivial matters, how will you handle future affairs? Pay quickly."
"Are there still more payments to be made?"
Yeongnyeong asked, sensing a hidden ominous feeling in the man's words.
"You'll see when we get there. You'll know soon enough."
The man replied gruffly.
"Ah, but aren't you taking them? They must have paid the examination fee?"
Yeongnyeong asked, pointing with her finger at the things that were still wriggling and twitching on the cold dawn pier floor.
"What, they're still alive?"
A single remark, as if bored.
"It's nothing. The defeated are not needed in this academy."
Two cold remarks.
"Tch, we'll find out when we get there… Young lady, what did that man mean by those unsettling words?"
Mongmu, with the man's words lingering in her heart, poked her head back halfway, glanced at the man again, and asked.
"You don't know that? It means you'll keep having to spend money. Lee Sang."
Hwanmu replied curtly in a cold tone.
"I have nothing more to add."
That was all Yeongnyeong could say.
"Depart!"
At the man's command, the legs were raised and the oars moved backward, and the boat moved away from the pier towards the deep water that would support it.
"Hey, Hwanmu! Why are you still holding that club? Isn't that the one from earlier?"
"Hm? Come to think of it, that's right."
Hwanmu said, as if noticing it then.
The captain suddenly flinched at the strange conversation. It was an instinctive fear.
"Could you discard that dreadful thing? Or rather, throw it away. As far as possible."
The captain, approaching defensively, politely requested. That seemingly ordinary club held something that provoked unconscious fear.
"Alright. Though I'm concerned about water pollution, I can't keep it."
Hwanmu nodded readily. Suddenly, Mongmu's eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Hmm. Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be thrown away. It looks sturdy, so you could use it to prevent molestation, or perhaps carve a date on it and keep it as a souvenir…"
Mongmu had taken the club from Hwanmu and was pretending to carve numbers on it playfully.
"Throw that darn thing away quickly!"
The captain shouted.
"Yes, throw it away quickly!"
A sailor, appearing like a ghost from somewhere, chimed in. Come to think of it, there were quite a few sailors on deck.
"Why? It's a waste."
Mongmu asked, swinging the club back and forth. The men flinched and stepped back.
*Clack!*
"Stop it, you!"
Hwanmu said, smacking Mongmu on the head.
"Throw that into the water quickly. It's unclean."
"I agree."
Yeongnyeong, who had been feigning indifference, seized the opportunity and added.
"Tch, it would have been fun…"
Mongmu reluctantly threw the club far into the lake. As sighs of relief echoed from various places, Mongmu pouted with regret.
The boat glided through the blue waters of Dongjeong Lake. As the morning sun hanging over the lake dispersed the fog, the view widened, and the blurry images, enhanced by the overlaid fog, became clearer. Whether out of confidence or curiosity about their destination, people kept looking around. However, Dongjeong Lake was so vast that those unfamiliar with the waterways couldn't pinpoint their direction. Yeongnyeong was no exception.
After rowing for about half a *ban-gak*, patrol boats with small flags planted on their sterns began to appear here and there. The patrols, organized in groups of three, were all armed with various weapons at their waists. One of them wore a tight-fitting black diving suit that protected them from water and made swimming easier. It was a thorough formation, prepared for any contingency.
"That is the nest of Macheongak, where you wish to enter, 'Jajukdo' (Purple Bamboo Island)."
"Jajukdo? Purple bamboo island…"
At that moment, a shadow of a small island appeared through the thinning fog.
"Oh? It's smaller than I thought."
The shadow of the island that appeared was surprisingly small. It wasn't too small, but it wasn't very large either.
"Yes. It's so tiny, young lady."
Mongmu chimed in with great disappointment.
It seemed difficult to fit many facilities inside. It looked like it would be full with about three buildings.
"I agree. It's too small, Lee Sang."
Hwanmu nodded in agreement, showing no objection.
Then the man shrugged and said,
"What are you looking at? What you're seeing is just one of the four small islands attached to the main island. Look behind it. It was hidden by the fog, but it will appear soon."
The shadow that appeared behind was easily ten times the size of the previous one. It looked like a mountain had suddenly sprung up on the lake. As the morning sun rose higher and pushed away the fog, the shape of the island became clearer.
The island was entirely surrounded by bamboo. The top and bottom of the island were covered in green bamboo. Bamboo even grew on the water. Furthermore, the island was surrounded by a green barrier. Upon closer inspection, it was a bamboo fence woven from raw bamboo. The long bamboo stalks, ten *jang* or more, had their fine branches and leaves removed, the tops were cut sharply, and then they were placed side by side without gaps. The bamboo appeared to be growing naturally, suggesting multiple layers of such bamboo fences.
"That is the main base of Macheongak, 'Jajukdo'."
The man explained.
"There's really a lot of bamboo."
"Here, bamboo is everything. You'll learn that its uses are endless, for weapons, city walls, traps, furnishings, etc."
A bamboo fence made of green bamboo, a hidden fortress behind it, and medium-sized islands attached to the side. The places with wooden pillars indicated submerged rocks.
"Don't even think about jumping in. You'll be skewered immediately."
The man said curtly. To prevent enemy intrusion, sharp bamboo ends were inserted into the shallow water everywhere.
"Don't worry. I grew up in the mountains, so I have no particular interest in swimming."
"For someone who…"
The man trailed off.
"Why?"
"No. It's just that you seem accustomed to riding boats. You don't get seasick. It was just a feeling. Don't mind it."
It bothered her.
As they moved along the bamboo fence encircling the island, an entrance appeared. It was a peculiar gate with two large pillars supporting a massive lintel. How could iron pillars, as thick and enormous as centuries-old trees, be made and planted on the water? It would be strange not to be curious. The structure possessed a power that naturally overwhelmed with its immense history. They could have been made of iron. Letters were carved on both sides of the pillars, which read as follows:
Even if the Dongjeong Lake were stained red, you cannot pass through this gate.
The boat stopped at the entrance.
Watchtowers were set up above both pillars, manned by guards.
"What opens the green bamboo?"
A voice came from the watchtower. It was Hwa-hwa.
"Only the red sunset that stains the lakeside."
The man replied, looking up. A voice came from above again.
"Open the gate!"
As the entrance to the 'Jajukchuk' opened, the boat slipped inside. Inside, a wide cove carved in a crescent moon shape appeared. The entire cove was surprisingly surrounded by a high stone wall. The entrance was a single iron gate in the center. The iron gate was enormous and visible from afar. On either side, huge bronze Gwi-myeon (ghost faces), as if laughing, were hung. They had a chilling and ominous appearance, convincing enough to be mistaken for guardians of the gates of hell. At that moment, Mongmu's eyes widened as she spotted something.
"Ah! Young lady, look there. A person is floating on the water!"
Mongmu pointed excitedly, jumping up and down.
"Does it live up to its name, dreaming since dawn? How can a person float on water… it's true."
Hwanmu, who had assumed Mongmu was mistaken, widened her eyes. There was indeed a person with a long spear-like weapon on their back, floating on the water. There was no boat. Moreover, there wasn't just one. Ten black-robed figures, with their black cloaks fluttering, stood as if fixed on the water, at regular intervals of about five *jang*.
"Ah, those are the ten gatekeepers of Macheongak's entrance, the 'Gwi-mun Sip-jang' (Ten Generals of the Ghost Gate). They are masters of water combat, unmatched by anyone in or under the water. No one can enter the entrance without their permission."
The captain explained kindly.
"So, they can float on water with their internal energy even in normal times?"
Mongmu asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Well… I don't know about that. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you."
There was no benefit in speaking too much. He knew how to restrain himself.
"That can't be true. Even if they are masters, it's impossible to float on water all day using only internal energy. There must be countless invisible stakes planted below. They are just beneath the surface, so they're not visible from here."
The man marveled at Yeongnyeong's explanation.
"Ho ho, you have a great eye! To grasp that at a single glance."
The captain did not deny it, but rather marveled.
"You don't deny it?"
"Why would I deny it? Even if that fact is revealed, they will still be invincible in the water."
Although there were stakes planted beneath the surface, only they knew their locations. They were the only ones who had figured out all their positions. Furthermore, it would require considerable training to run and fight on top of them.
"That is the entrance to Macheongak, commonly known as 'Gwi-mun' (Ghost Gate)."
The man said, pointing to the ominous-looking iron gate.
"Whoever built this has terrible taste."
Could this be the northeast direction? Although she couldn't tell without a compass, the faint position of the sun suggested it was close.
'Does it mean only those who are prepared to become ghosts can enter here?'
The black iron gate, with its eerie ghost patterns shrouded in fog and smoke, truly looked like the entrance to hell. The cove was not shallow. Even the area directly adjacent to the stone wall looked quite deep. Therefore, there was no suitable place to dock the boat.
'Surely they're not going to dock right next to that eerie gate with the patterns on it?'
Even though there were no obstacles visible between the entrance of the bamboo fence and the Gwi-mun except for the blue lake, the boat did not sail straight but took a diagonal course.
"Why are you navigating like this when there are no visible reefs or obstacles?"
Yeongnyeong couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked. The man replied casually,
"It's just my hobby."
"It's not a hobby, is it?"
The answer that he couldn't tell her was enough of an answer.
"Does it mean that even though there seems to be nothing visible, there is something invisible?"
The man let out a soft gasp at Yeongnyeong's question.
"Young lady, your eyes are truly extraordinary. So much so that I don't want to send you back. Don't things often happen when one knows too many secrets? That's right. In Macheongak, only those who want to capsize the boat sail straight."
Indeed, meticulous arrangements for combat were laid out everywhere. It seemed even Yangshanbao wouldn't be as formidable as this.
"Are you planning to wage war? Against the officials?"
"It's purely for defense, not attack. We are preparing for the inconvenience if the government troops suddenly raid."
It was an unbelievable answer. Just as she was thinking that, the boat stopped.
On either side of Macheongak's entrance were two faces of demons cast in iron, with long horns on their foreheads. Both their eyes and mouths were wide open into the darkness, making them even more terrifying.
"Who seeks to enter this hell?"
"Kiiiaaaak!"
Startled by the rumbling voice emanating from the Gwi-myeon, Mongmu whimpered and clung to Yeongnyeong. It sounded as if a ghost were screaming.
"Calm down. They're doing it to scare you. Someone above is speaking through a metal pipe. That terrible rumbling is because of it."
It was clearly an intentional staging to intimidate visitors, especially aspiring candidates.
"Those who seek power in exchange for blood."
The man replied, speaking into the open mouth of the Gwi-myeon.
That was the agreed-upon code.
"Your affiliation?"
"I am Hae Dae-gyeong, captain of the Jeil Gwilyeongseon, who has just returned with applicants for Macheongak."
"Please wait a moment."
Then, a shout came from above the wall.
"Raise the pier!"
'No, raise the pier?'
In response, a confirmatory shout echoed from below.
"Raise the pier! Ascend!"
"Ascend!"
As Mongmu and everyone else looked on in confusion, the pier actually rose. The sound of chains winding around a giant pulley echoed, and it slowly revealed itself, breaking through the water's surface.
"It's really going up!"
Mongmu exclaimed, her mouth agape.
"It's truly amazing."
Yeongnyeong was equally surprised.
"A waste of effort."
Only Hwanmu scoffed cynially.
"This is also one of the devices to prevent government troops from docking their boats carelessly. It can also be used as a trap in emergencies and is very useful."
As Hae Dae-gyeong's kind explanation ended, the boat came to a complete halt. With a *grind*, the stairs descended. He led the way down, followed by Yeongnyeong, Mongmu, and Hwanmu.
He walked to the front of the giant iron gate and then stopped. A terrifying form, as if a horde of ghosts were about to burst out, was carved into the iron gate. It looked like the gate to hell itself. It seemed they still had to be examined and pass through here.
"Who seeks this hell?"
A chilling voice emanated from a bronze Gwi-myeon attached to the right side of the gate.
"Those who seek power in exchange for blood, those who do not fear becoming ghosts and walk the path of Asura, wishing to shed blood."
Hae Dae-gyeong replied.
"How much blood do you intend to shed?"
"We wish to shed one drop of blood and two drops of water."
This meant one applicant and two maids.
"The procedure is so complicated."
"Be quiet. Be silent."
Hwanmu chided Mongmu's grumbling telepathic message.
*Grind-grind-grind!*
Finally, with a heavy sound, the ghost gate opened. It was the kind of sound hell's gates would make if they opened. Hae Dae-gyeong turned around and spread his arms wide.
"Welcome to this earthly hell! Hell welcomes you."
Yeongnyeong, having prepared herself, stepped forward without hesitation.
"Let's go!"
Yeongnyeong walked first, followed by her two maids. Soon, darkness completely engulfed them.
*Grind-grind-grind!*
The iron gate let out another loud roar and closed shut.