**Chapter 3: Skull Water**
I regained my senses and witnessed the tragedy that had unfolded before my eyes.
An energy bar wrapper abandoned in the playground. In other words, trash.
A pollutant contaminating the playground of innocent children.
That’s right. I was the one who threw it away.
It was an evil deed I had committed.
"This can't be. Black Heron, you scoundrel! How dare you corrupt me!!"
【I’m going to go insane...】
Black Heron muttered as if it were absurd, but I didn't care.
"Hoo..."
Right, throwing away trash?
It’s not exactly a massive sin.
But knowing it’s wrong and not fixing it is an even worse act.
I strode toward the playground, reached out toward the trash I had discarded, and—
Swish. A perfect shot into the nearby trash can.
Now, that’s a relief.
·········
······
···
"Gasp!"
I opened my eyes.
A familiar ceiling.
My humble abode with a 500,000 won deposit and 450,000 won monthly rent.
When did I get here?
I was at the neighborhood playground just a moment ago.
Before I could even feel bewildered, my back felt scorching hot.
The heat was radiating through my entire body, and sweat was pouring down in streams.
Yet, my face felt freezing cold. What on earth was going on?
"Ugh..."
When I stood up, my sweat-drenched clothes clung to my back.
What is this? Did I crank the heating to the max?
*Whirrr~*
At the same time, I felt a cold breeze.
My whole body was shivering, cold as ice.
The room was sweltering, yet there was a cold draft?
I threw off the blankets I had been bundled in and checked the air conditioner remote. It was set to a staggering 18 degrees Celsius.
"Crazy..."
I jumped to my feet, and this time, I could see the night sky.
I should have closed the windows, so why could I see outside?
"The window is wide open, too?"
Heating on, air conditioning on, and the window open?
Was I trying to destroy the planet?
Since when? When did I commit such an evil act?
I grabbed the Cursed Object, Black Heron, which was sprawled on the floor.
【It, it’s melting. This body is going to roast...】
"What the hell happened!"
【Hu, huh... I’m speechless now. You call this... destroying the environment? And this counts as an evil deed?】
What on earth was going on?
I turned off the heater and closed the window, then pondered deeply.
"Could it be... because I reversed the causality?"
I had committed the evil deed of littering, induced by the Cursed Object.
By doing so, I had fulfilled the quota of evil I needed to commit, but by picking it up, I had reversed the causality.
Did that mean the feedback forced me to commit an even greater evil?
"Terrifying."
To think there was such a frightening Cursed Object.
Team Leader Park Do-kyung was wrong.
This Cursed Object was a demon beyond imagination.
***
Three more days passed.
It had already been ten days since I first held the Cursed Object.
I was beginning to understand the mechanism of this thing to some extent.
First, the Cursed Object, Black Heron, induces me to commit evil deeds.
If I don't, it forces me to do so by driving me to the brink of insanity by midnight.
I still remember it vividly. The self-justification I made while throwing trash in the playground.
Surprisingly, I was extremely vulnerable to the Cursed Object's temptations.
And one more thing.
Once causality is set, you shouldn't try to take it back.
Picking up the trash I had thrown away not only destroyed the planet, but the heating and electricity bills would lead to a miserable conclusion.
Hmm, I’m already worried about next month’s heating bill.
So, the secret to preventing an explosion is to commit small evil deeds on a regular basis.
"That aside, is there really no way to get this sword off me?"
It keeps sticking to me, so I can't even enter the job market.
When I complained about this, Black Heron scoffed.
【Feed it blood. Cut down lives and accumulate karma. If you do, wealth and glory will follow!】
"It’s still on about that."
In the end, I had no choice but to walk around with the sword.
Since I didn't have a scabbard, I wrapped it in bandages and carried it around.
Fortunately, it seemed to be fine as long as it didn't stray too far from my body.
The allowed distance was about 3 meters.
I used this to leave it in a corner while I went for job interviews, but I failed every time because I’d have to return to it while receiving instructions.
Having returned empty-handed again today, I went grocery shopping.
"Hey, what is that person carrying?"
"Isn't that a sword? A sword?"
"Hoo..."
Carrying a sword at my waist drew so much attention I couldn't walk around.
I sighed, wondering what to cook today, when someone who looked like a security guard approached me.
"Excuse me? It’s problematic to carry a sword around in the supermarket."
"I’m sorry..."
"Even if you’re a Hunter, you should leave it at home."
"Sorry... wait, what?"
"Anyway, I’ll let it slide this time, so be careful next time."
The guard walked off to attend to his business.
I stared blankly at his back, then recalled what he had said.
"A Hunter?"
Come to think of it, there was a profession where you could carry a sword.
【Blood! Blood...! Give me blood!!!】
I finished my shopping while still carrying the noisy Cursed Object.
When it came time to pay for the milk, eggs, and pork neck, the cashier lady looked at me with a strange expression.
"A self-reliance youth meal voucher?"
It was a food voucher card provided by the government to help children who have aged out of the foster care system prepare for independence.
It’s a good system that provides up to 217,000 won per month, calculated at 7,000 won per day, specifically for groceries or daily necessities.
Without this, I wouldn't even be able to beg for food.
Of course, ever since I started using things like the meal card for children from low-income families, the gazes of people around me haven't always been kind...
'Ah.'
Now I see, the cashier's gaze was directed at Black Heron.
She processed the payment as if she were too annoyed to argue, but now I understood that look.
The lady must have thought I was a Hunter, too.
Hunters are famous for making good money.
It’s only natural she’d find it strange for someone like that to use a meal voucher.
"A Hunter, huh..."
Back home, I searched for information about Hunters on the phone Team Leader Park Do-kyung had given me.
Hunters are those who explore the Dark World beyond the Gates.
Other than that, no specific information was public.
Just rumors that there are an unusually high number of "psychopaths" among Hunters?
What’s inside the Dark World, or how to close a Gate.
They say you can find detailed information on the Hunter Web, but the registration process seemed extremely strict.
Apparently, you have to get a Hunter license first.
"A Hunter, huh..."
They say you have to take an aptitude test to get a Hunter license.
You have to apply and go to the Bureau, but there’s a long waiting list, probably because it’s a profession famous for earning good money.
It seems they make a lot of money, though...
I’d heard of the profession of Hunter since I was young.
That there were the Defense Command, the Special Task Force of the Bureau, and civilian Hunters who stop the monsters of the Dark World from crossing over.
However, only the fact that there were monsters beyond the Gates was known; detailed information was censored, so I had just vaguely assumed it was a high-paying job.
【Blood! Feed it blood! Bloooood!!】
Does this noisy Cursed Object eat monster blood, too?
I can't exactly go around stabbing people or neighborhood cats just to feed it, can I?
Besides, this thing is so pathetic it can't even cut through a gun; I wonder if it can even slice up a monster.
"Can you stop whining about blood? What have you even done to deserve blood?"
【To possess this Black Heron and not even have the will to fulfill your ambitions! Why are the youngsters these days so lacking in spirit and perseverance! In my day, I drenched the whole world in blood to become the ruler of the heavens!】
"Mister! Your last owner got shot by a pistol and died! These days, guns are king!"
【That is only because that fool did not accumulate enough blood and karma!】
It sure has a lot of excuses.
Anyway, the way it keeps screaming "Blood! Blood!" even in the middle of the night is exhausting.
Even if I toss it into the living room while I’m half-asleep, it crawls right back into my blankets.
"Blood... wait?"
Blood?
Black Heron said it eats blood.
If that meant the literal definition?
"Does it really have to be blood?"
【······!】
The moment I asked, its voice brightened instantly.
【Yes! Blood! Blood! Give me blood!】
At this point, I wondered if it was showing withdrawal symptoms like an addict.
"Hmm..."
I went to the bathroom, clutching Black Heron.
*Clack!*
I lifted the toilet seat and placed Black Heron on top of it.
Since the sword doesn't have eyes, it wouldn't be able to see what I was about to do.
*Pssssssss!*
【You wretch, what on earth are you──Ohhh...!】
Black Heron reacted.
Then, an amazing thing happened.
The golden liquid flowing onto its blade was being absorbed directly.
【A bit... hmm, uh... it’s salty. And the smell is a bit... strange, too?】
It actually ate it.
Black Heron was consuming the fresh, warm waste I had just produced on the spot.
I had heard that urine is waste consisting of excess water and electrolytes from the plasma filtered out by the kidneys.
In other words, it could be considered a refined form of blood, so I had wondered if it would eat urine if it ate blood.
【Hoo~ That was a meal after a long time.】
I don't know by what principle it absorbed the urine, but it was smacking its lips in satisfaction.
Well, that’s good. That’s good.
【Where on earth did you get this?】
"Hehe, I stabbed a handsome young man who was passing by."
【That is truly worthy of my host... is what you thought I’d say! Don't lie to me!!】
"How did you know?!"
To think it saw through my perfect lie; is it truly a Cursed Object that bewitches people with a deceitful tongue?
【A dimwit who thinks throwing trash in a playground is an evil deed would never be able to stab a person! Do you think I’m a fool?!】
"Ah~ you caught me."
【You scoundrel! What on earth did you feed me!!】
"······."
I couldn't bring myself to answer. That I had fed it urine.
【Why, why are you silent? You scoundrel! What on earth did you feed me?!】
"Is that... really important?"
【What?】
I rinsed the slightly urine-scented Cursed Object under the showerhead as I spoke.
"In our history, there was a monk named Wonhyo. One night, he had to spend the night in a cave, and because he was thirsty, he drank some water from a gourd nearby."
I wiped the moisture off with a towel. I did feel a little bit sorry.
"But that water was incredibly refreshing and delicious. Do you know what that water actually was when he woke up in the morning?"
【How should I know? ...So, what was it?】
"It was rainwater pooled in a skull. It was water filled with insect carcasses and all sorts of filth."
Wonhyo vomited and retched, but he soon realized the truth.
At night, because he couldn't see, he perceived it as clear, refreshing water; in the day, once he saw it, it became dirty and repulsive.
What is the difference that divides these two?
"That all suffering and joy are created by the mind. In other words, everything originates from the 'One Mind'."
Perhaps what you drank wasn't blood, but merely the thirst of life?
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
What is visible is emptiness, and only when emptiness borrows a form does it become color.
Blood, too, is emptiness in its essence; if you accept that, then blood and urine are one and the same.
【······.】
Did it realize my intentions?
The Cursed Object seemed lost in thought. I could see the practice of Zen meditation in it—
【Stop spouting nonsense and tell me what you fed me. Answer me right now!!】
"······."
You poor, misguided soul.
Why must you be so obsessed with emptiness?
After its relentless interrogation, I finally told the truth, and the shrieks of Black Heron grew even more bizarre.
The resentment sounded like sorrowful, sobbing tears, so I had to make a promise to appease it.
Fine. Fine.
I’ll feed you blood, so stop crying already.
I applied for the issuance of my Hunter license.
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