Daldal: Main story

Chapter 140

"Haa..."

Eun-oh sighed deeply, scanning his surroundings. The place, surrounded by massive rocks, took the form of a gorge.

There were about three makeshift huts, but what stood out were weapons like swords and arrows scattered on the ground. Ropes and wooden planks formed ladders hanging from high rocks. Rather than a village formed for living, it seemed more like a base prepared for some kind of activity.

Eun-oh was tied to a log in the open area.

The situation didn't bode well for him. Luckily, Yeoul hadn't been captured with him in the rush to escape.

In this moment of uncertainty, Eun-oh's thoughts drifted to the words of the shaman.
She said that he was like a stubborn weed, inevitably stepped on here and there. Despite having been stepped on quite a bit until now, it seemed he still needed to endure more being stepped on.

As Yokai passed by, their resentful glances bore into Eun-oh with a palpable hostility. To understand the source of their animosity, one must rewind time to the events of yesterday.

When Eun-oh was unenthusiastically brought here yesterday, he had the chance to learn why they had lured him. It was the Yokai who kidnapped him, and their goal was revenge, targeting none other than Chae Yoon-sa.

The beast named Yaskha, as mentioned by Goi Hyeong, was referred to Chae Yoon-sa.

Hyeong confessed that he recognized Eun-oh from the beginning and approached him on purpose. Furthermore, he wasn't blind. Although one eye was missing, he had no trouble seeing ahead. Covering one eye with fabric was not to hide a scar but rather to conceal the eye's color.

The revelation of the guide's identity also shocked Eun-oh. One of them was the man he encountered in the field last summer when Cha Ga-won was attacked. The one who made him aware of this was none other than the person himself.

'It's been a while. We went through a lot looking for you, kid. Back then, we should've taken you with us instead of leaving you to Brother Yoon Kang. Anyway, seeing you now, it feels even more welcoming, doesn't it?'

The man spoke with a mixture of emotions.

Yoon Kang was Kang Hee's real name.

As Eun-oh pieced together the identity of the guide, he also unraveled the mystery surrounding the Yokai who had abducted him.

A collective of Yokai, gathering with hostile intent towards humans-the very creatures Kang Hee had spoken of from Gilsagol-undoubtedly comprised this group.

From late at night until dawn, tirelessly walking without a moment's rest while being pursued, they arrived at a place where about ten Yokai were present. The one who introduced himself as the leader of the group spoke

'Yoon Kang informed us. That Yaksha is completely obsessed with you.'

At this point, Eun-oh finally understood the entirety of his situation.

'He also told us that you're our brother'

Here, an unavoidable sense of reluctance arose.

Brother? Me? Since when? What?

Eun-oh was already aware of the Yokai considering each other as brothers and helping one another, a kinship he heard from Kang Hee. However, he had never shared their mindset, and he hadn't fully accepted himself as a Yokai. It was natural for him to feel reluctance at the term 'brother'

However, the leader merely stated they were brothers. Similarly, he bluntly revealed that he didn't feel any kinship with Eun-oh.

'Honestly, it's hard to tell by looking. You just seem like an ordinary human. But my brother wouldn't lie, so I believe him. You're like us.'