Chapter 281

‘That’s nice, good.’

Jinseong smiled contentedly as he confirmed that the ritual was properly completed.

What Jinseong had just performed was a sort of housewarming.

The reason it was expressed as a kind of housewarming, rather than simply a housewarming, was that Jinseong had distorted the event to such a degree that his original form could hardly be recognized, twisting and turning in every direction.

Typically, when conducting a traditional housewarming, one performs rituals and ceremonies. It involves moving in on an auspicious day without hands, offering prayers to the deities of heaven and earth, and providing sacrifices to the departed spirits and the God of the Kitchen. Before entering the house, one waits for a good time, moves the fire, and carries in items with good significance.

In cases where Buddhist elements are added, it’s somewhat different but the larger framework remains unchanged. When reciting blessings, instead of invoking the deities, one would pray to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, using Buddhist terminology to wish for peace and safety.

However, what Jinseong engaged in was different.

Instead of selecting an auspicious day, he chose a day rife with calamity and performed the rituals, dragging in deities from the Abrahamic faiths, and even household spirits. The blessings he recited were filled with aggressive content rather than the usual wishes for peace and safety, and he went so far as to juxtapose heaven and hell, essentially dividing the space entirely.

In such cases, the high place corresponding to heaven becomes comfortable for people to inhabit, but the low area resembling hell becomes infested with all sorts of corrupt issues, and one wrong move could lead to disaster.

Moreover, he filled the basement with various divine objects and materials, including haunted items and objects of defilement.

If it came to this, it wouldn’t be surprising for a sensitive person to faint from seeing illusions in the basement, and those with spiritual aptitude could fall victim to possession. Additionally, with the accumulated defilement, any activities conducted underground would veer off course, leading to unnecessary injuries, with healthy individuals falling ill and the sick worsening their conditions.

In short.

Jinseong had turned the basement into a dumpster filled with all manner of dirt and wickedness.

‘Originally, the underground is damp and murky, filled with dark energy, making it hard for humans to live. There, I released the defilement and let the mold flourish, throwing in all sorts of corrupt things to render it ominous. Now the basement shall become poison and sword, repelling enemies.’

The chef’s knife also held significance.

In a traditional housewarming, there are objects that are considered taboo.

Brooms, vinegar bottles, knives, and similar items were among them.

People believed that these taboo objects would bring misfortune to the household, somewhat akin to imitative magic—similar things would summon similar things.

Ancient ancestors thought that bringing a broom would sweep away luck from the house, while vinegar would sour the household like the acrid liquid, and knives would cut the growth of prosperity, leading to ruin.

There are even taboos against bringing certain large beasts or millstones, which were resolved by bringing them in on an auspicious day.

This tradition isn’t unique to Korea.

It can easily be found around the world.

In China, clocks are avoided as they symbolize death, while in Japan, items that evoke fire are shunned for conjuring thoughts of a blaze.

For various religious reasons, homophones, and associations derived from the use of the items, there are countless reasons globally for certain gifts to be deemed taboo, ceaselessly disappearing and re-emerging as culture.

However, Jinseong brought the knife anyway.

No, rather, the very fact that it was taboo made it all the more appropriate for him to bring it.

He brought a knife that couldn’t perform its intended function, giving it symbolic meaning.

If a knife implies threat, then dulling it signifies its uselessness. Even if a crisis arises, it indicates that it won’t succeed, and even if discord tries to rear its ugly head, it won’t be able to do so.

Additionally, the chef’s knife is often used in magical rites involving spirits, as someone with spiritual abilities can employ it as a compass for detecting ghosts. It can also serve as a warning signal indicating the malevolence a ghost harbors toward a person, having properties for exorcism and protection.

And the fact that all the knives Jinseong threw remained upright meant…

‘What a fine establishment.’

It signaled that the corrupt and wicked entities had successfully made their presence known in the basement and served as a warning that they harbored considerable malice that could harm people.

Jinseong used Samādhi True Fire to incinerate all the items used in the rituals.

Having confirmed the ritual was adequately carried out, they were no longer needed.

Thus, after burning everything away with Samādhi True Fire, Jinseong stood there for a moment, savoring the cold sensation rising from the floor, gauging its intensity. Once he had a good estimate, he finally moved to remove whatever was blocking the windows of the building.

Squeak.

Whoosh.

Sticky, fluttering, heavy things…

With his hands, Jinseong cleared everything that had blocked the windows, and the building began to bask in bright light again. Unlike the cold air that had enveloped it before, this light spread warmth, filling the space with a comforting, gentle heat that settled pleasantly in people’s hearts.

As this warmth began to flow here and there, it began to rise slowly, as if in accordance with Jinseong’s earlier blessing of, ‘May the light and excellent things rise above.’

In this flow, Jinseong took out his smartphone and contacted someone.

‘Are you awake?’

‘Yes, Deity. I am awake. What is your command?’

It was the shamaness, Saigo Rise.

Rise replied as if she was waiting for Jinseong’s message, sending a response in less than a minute.

But perhaps she was too hasty?

There was a typo in her message.

Seeing this, Jinseong decided to call Rise instead.

‘Yes. Deity, I’ve picked up your call.’

“It’s good to hear your voice after so long.”

‘Yes, I am so very happy as well.’

Of course, he didn’t point out the typo.

It would be awkward to bring it up given the haste with which it had been sent.

“I was thinking of stirring things up a bit and expanding our influence. Is there anything unusual to note?”

‘What kind of unusual thing do you mean?’

“Like blessed ones being pursued, or people continuously being killed or kidnapped by miscreants, or major political issues popping up causing them to lose power, or perhaps individuals developing ulterior motives, things of that nature.”

‘There is nothing like that. They are all fully aware that they are walking on the path outside human norms. If their actions or past were to be exposed, they would surely be ostracized. Thus, they are banding together to avoid that outcome.’

“Just because you say so, it doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed. The world is unpredictable, and it’s possible to get bitten by a snake in an empty sand lot! Unexpected events can unfold at any time, and there are always those lurking to wield the venom of a snake.”

‘There was one scoundrel who attempted betrayal. However, the punishment you rendered has become a cautionary tale, keeping others in line, making them think twice about betraying. As you said, while it’s not possible to guarantee no betrayal will occur, at least during this time of fear, they will find it challenging to commit such acts.’

“That’s a good thing. Then how are our strength and connections faring?”

‘As it stands, they are on par with the main faction. Moreover, there have been those awakening spiritual abilities after engaging in ghost contact, and they are extending their ties even to capable individuals using those abilities.’

“That is joyous news. However, just as a long tail gets stepped on and a large body cannot hide, aimless expansion should cease, and we must solidify our foundation. Furthermore, when the actions I undertake emerge into the open, they should be made to take action to seize the power.”

Jinseong sat down on the landing of the stairs.

“Currently, Japan is in a state of internal turmoil upon turmoil. The once glorious prosperity has faded into a memory, and after the bubble economy burst, they have merely wallowed in self-pity, referring to it as ‘the lost years.’ Thus, anxiety and discontent are brewing steadily within the hearts of the people.”

‘What you say is correct. Many are expressing that the economy is in dire straits.’

“And historically, there has always been a method to resolve such grievances, which involves redirecting the outpouring of discontent outward.”

Redirecting grievances and anger outward—this had been a traditional approach employed by Japan.

Moreover, if this traditional method were combined with a sense of nostalgia for the glorious past that once ruled the world, what could be more effective?

“It’s likely that this current sentiment was brewing even before an incident occurs…. If I instigate something, I should be able to easily ascertain that current sentiment.”

‘Current sentiment…?’

“Indeed. A sentiment born from the desire for war, craving the wealth gained from it, and the thirst for the power acquired through that wealth.”

Before the rewind, Unified Korea and Japan aimed their weapons at each other.

In that process, Japan had been thoroughly devastated, and all precious records on magic had vanished.

Moreover, the artificially created environment known as the Energy Dome had been damaged in the process, reverting to an environment akin to that of other countries.

From Jinseong’s perspective, this was a lamentable matter.

A land filled with magic, and the ability to wield it, was shattered!

Wasn’t it an horrifying tragedy?

Jinseong did not wish for this tragedy to repeat itself.

Tragedies should not occur, and even if they were destined to, it should only happen after he had acquired all of Japan’s magic.

Isn’t that the right thing to do?