BW C1

Note – I’m gonna use Military God and Guide instead of Gunsin and I-in bc its easier to understand if you want the og pls comment

 

 

What do you think is the most abundant mass of flesh in this land?

It is, of course, human beings.

Thus, the emergence of a species that preys upon humans was only inevitable, a matter of course in the workings of the world.

Our ancestors called these creatures that covered the earth in a flash “Manhwan” (萬患, Ten Thousand Plagues)¹,

And the people simply called them “Shikgoe”—monsters that eat what they see.

Chapter 1

Struck by Thunder

“Master, aren’t you cold?”

At those words, Hoeun, who had been gazing out the window of his hospital room, slowly turned his head. Standing at the door was his servant, Deokwoo. His frame was so large that nothing could be seen past the doorway. He truly deserved his reputation as the biggest man in the city.

“I’m fine.”

Hoeun replied in his characteristically gentle tone, before turning his gaze once more to the window.

The autumn rain that had poured since last night had only stopped in the morning. All was still cloudy and drenched; a chill was in the air as a bonus.

Dried raindrops stained the window glass in scattered streaks, but the view of the hospital’s front yard was unobstructed.

Patients in their gowns, nurses and doctors, students in school uniforms, and above all, a great many elderly people filled the yard. Hoeun gazed absently at it all.

“Still…”

Unable to stand still any longer, Deokwoo finally approached Hoeun, draping the overcoat hanging on his arm gently over Hoeun’s shoulders.

Hoeun offered him a slight smile, without a hint of annoyance; truthfully, the cold seeping from the cement walls had begun to bother him a little.

Hoeun tugged his hair, tied with a ribbon, out from under the coat. He let out a small sigh, as if uncomfortable, tightly closing then opening his eyes against the blurred view. His cheeks were flushed from the fever.

Fever was among the most frequent of Hoeun’s many minor ailments, but this time, something felt different from usual.

He had drunk several doses of herbal medicine with no sign of improvement. His father, who seemed to worry about his son’s illness as much as his meals, had brought him to the hospital at last.

Well, it wasn’t all bad. Thanks to that, he was getting a rare look at the outside world.

As Hoeun absentmindedly fiddled with the rough blanket of his hospital bed and gazed out the window, footsteps approached the doorway. A doctor, dressed in a white coat, entered.

His father, who had been making rounds in the room like dancers in a circle, rushed to greet him.

“Why are you so late?”

“My apologies, sir.”

“No need for apologies, just give us a diagnosis. Or at least prescribe some medicine.”

“Well, it’s…”

The doctor, whose glasses were smeared with handprints, hesitated, glancing at Hoeun, then Deokwoo, then back at the father, scratching the balding patch above his forehead. That caused the father’s eyes to squint anxiously.

“What? Is it serious?”

“No, it isn’t an illness.”

“Not an illness? Then what’s making my Hoeun so sick?”

“Yes, well, it’s… it appears Master Hoeun has become…”

“What is it?”

“A different one—a guide, it seems. What he’s experiencing isn’t just fever, but awakening pain.”²

At this, the already cramped one-person hospital room was pinned under a heavy silence. Only the sound of birds outside the window could be heard. The doctor, appearing as though he’d expected this, sighed deeply and again scratched his brow.

“…A different one? Did you just say, a different one?”

The father’s voice, crushed as though beneath a boulder, came out flat.

“A g-guided one? Master Hoeun?”

Deokwoo’s voice was much the same. The doctor nodded firmly, though his head shook slightly with emotion.

“…”

The father turned slowly to Hoeun. His pallid forehead, gaunt cheeks, and slightly parted lips truly made him look as if struck by lightning.

Indeed, it was no different.

Hoeun had been hit by the lightning called “guide.”³

Hoeun sat on a row of chairs lined up in the hospital corridor. His father had gone off to speak with the doctor; Deokwoo was getting fever medicine. Whatever the pain of awakening, the burning fever needed to be treated.

“…”

Hoeun stared unmoving at the opposite wall, where faded, yellowed posters hung beside recent ones.

[The Military God and Guide must head to the front to save our families.]

[Reward for reporting Military Gods and Guides who avoid service.]

[31st Fate-Matching Ceremony—Seeking partners for Military Gods and Guides. Guides required to participate]

[Five evacuation rules in case of Shikgoe sightings.]

Military Gods. Guides. Shikgoe. Of these, the word that most caught his eye, of course, was “Guide.”

“Guide…”

Guide (異人): “different” and “person.” It refers to one with exceptional abilities but, taken literally, means simply a person who is different. Not that guides are all so very different, though—the real difference lies with the Military Gods.

Military God (軍神): “military” and “god.” It means the god of war. Once used for soldiers of great achievement, now it means, quite literally, supernatural warriors.

Stronger, faster, harder to injure than ordinary people. Some rumors spoke of immortal soldiers who could not die—only fitting that “god” would be used to describe them.

Yet even the power of Military Gods was not infinite. Once they reached their limit, the consequences of strength became unbearable: burning organs, melting eyeballs, coughing blood.

And that was where guides were needed. Not as strong as Military Gods, but the only ones who could relieve their suffering; those who let the Military Gods remain who they are.

In short, an essential existence for the military gods.

Hoeun had become just such a guide.

“An essential existence…”

Hoeun couldn’t believe it. After living his whole life frail and useless, he was suddenly a guide? Staring at his pale palms in disbelief—

Somewhere, he felt a gaze. Hoeun turned his head.

Down the corridor, a few nurses stood smoking by the window, glancing his way.

“That young master’s back again?”

“He looks pretty well this time, compared to last. Wasn’t he carried in by his servant the last time?”

“Really? How could a man be so sickly?”

“No wonder he hasn’t married at twenty.”

“It’s shocking regardless. For the youngest son of the Choi family to remain unmarried…”

The corridor was far, yet their voices reached him clear as if spoken nearby—the bare cement walls let nothing block the sound.

But Hoeun betrayed nothing, turning his head forward again.

“I do find it odd. He’s got a pretty face, doesn’t he? It’s hard to pull off that ribboned hair at his age.”

“A pretty face’s no use if the body’s weak.”

“So what? There are plenty of sick people nowadays. Every able-bodied man’s off to the war—look at us, our fingernails never free of blood from patching up torn bodies.”

“Hey. Better to go to the front lines than die slowly in bed. Even women are out fighting monsters with stones. Look at us, always scrubbing bloodied laundry.”

Right, right. Doing blood-soaked laundry gets so tedious too. The nurses, affirming, nodded vigorously before their conversation drifted to laundry, fabric, and soap—and then circled back to Hoeun.

“That young master has it hard, born to such a great family yet always sick…”

“What’s so bad about being sick at home these days? Seems lucky to me.”

“Lucky? To be sick? You’re impossible.”

Their laughter rang high and shrill, echoing down the corridor. Eventually, noticing Hoeun’s presence, they disappeared somewhere out of sight.

“…”

Hoeun continued acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing. He was used to these remarks each time he stepped outside. Pretending not to hear had become second nature.

He recalled one nurse’s comment:

“How could a man be so sickly?”

It was true. Born frail, plagued by endless minor ailments, a body too delicate for a man—a disposition unsuited to heroics, and cared for so openly by his parents that he never attracted matrimonial prospects.

Yet he did not mind. Because today he’d been struck by the lightning called “guide.”

“Guide…”

Hoeun absentmindedly stroked the ribboned hair draped over his shoulder, mouthing the word again and again, then biting his lower lip, unable to conceal the smile rising up. He hurriedly covered his mouth lest anyone see, but a childish chuckle slipped out regardless.

At that moment, a gleaming silk hem appeared at the edge of his vision.

“Eun-ah, let’s go.”

It was his father.

“Yes, Father.”

Startled enough to shiver, Hoeun quickly rose and followed with hurried steps.

Without much conversation, the two left the hospital and crossed the wide garden. Each step on the rain-soaked earth made a silent, sucking sound.

Hoeun glanced at his father’s back; his hands clasped behind him gave his figure an oddly shadowed air, though Hoeun couldn’t tell if it was real or imagined.

Then—

Buuuuuuung.

A large car barreled straight toward the hospital. Each black tire struck the puddles, sending water shooting up with a hiss. The force sent those in the garden scattering in alarm. Hoeun’s father shielded him behind his own back, stepping away.

The vehicle had the look of a military truck, common enough these days, except the tarp that covered it was white instead of green. Painted on its side was the cross sign of the hospital.

The truck slammed to a halt; someone sprang from the driver’s seat. Nurses and doctors rushed out, swarming around the back of the truck. As the rear door opened—

Shhhrushhh…

A torrent of dark, murky blood poured out like a waterfall—as if someone had turned on a faucet inside. The ground was instantly clotted with vivid red.

¹ Manhwan (萬患): Literary term meaning “ten thousand afflictions,” used here to refer to the sudden, widespread appearance of monstrous threats.

² Awakening pain (발현통): In speculative fiction, refers to physical symptoms associated with the emergence of supernatural abilities; not an ordinary fever but a sign of transformation.

³ “Guide” (이인): Literally “different person,” used here for those with the rare ability to support and stabilize warriors battling supernatural threats.