As Dam-bi raised her head, black veins spread across her face like a spiderweb. On her pale skin, they writhed like living snakes, and her eyes were filled with an inky blackness.
[HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEIK—]
The laugh was too sharp and deep to be a human voice.
"Arrogant and self-righteous races... and ugly, disgusting humans."
The voice was clearly Dam-bi's, but a completely different voice was layered within it. It was a jarring resonance, as if a low and high pitch were overlapping.
The black eyes scanned Min-chan's group and the Elder.
"Noona Dam-bi... is that really you?"
Do-yoon took a step back, and Min-chan asked with his arms crossed.
"...Who are you? What is inside that body right now?"
[HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEIK...] Dam-bi's lips curled up.
"Seeing that there are humans here... the ones who live on while forgetting the past and their responsibilities will perish on their own, even without me."
The Elder stepped forward.
"The past and responsibility? How important are those things that you would push us to destruction?!"
"Heh... 'Those things', you say. How typical of a self-righteous race. But..."
The black eyes bore into the Elder.
"Why didn't you turn black like the other Elves?"
The Elder's eyebrow twitched, but she didn't open her mouth.
[HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEIK—]
"As expected, you're hiding it. Blood doesn't lie. The flow inside your body... is different."
Dam-bi slowly circled the altar. With every step she took, the Dark Elves' expressions hardened.
"There's no trace of the curse on you. Did it just pass you by? Or... are you the one who brought the curse?"
The Elder's eyes wavered. Dam-bi sneered.
"Ah, now I remember. What you chose wasn't salvation. You, with your own hands, stained your race with the curse."
[WHOOSH—]
Suddenly, a black smoke and a sharp wind swirled around the altar. A few Dark Elf soldiers gripped their weapons.
"That's a lie!"
The Elder's voice was filled with fear more than denial.
"Yes, you can't say a word. The child you abandoned because she was born different from you... that existence must not be revealed. You must remain a pure and noble 'race'."
The voice was no longer Dam-bi's. It was cold, sharp—and cruel.
"No... I just... I wanted to apologize."
The Elder's trembling voice leaked out.
"An apology now? Do you think everything can be undone with just one word?"
Dam-bi's eyes flashed.
"And you don't need to apologize to me. You should have apologized—to our mother."
She took a breath and continued.
"Our mother was violated by a human, and she conceived me with a sickness. She went to you, but you turned your backs on her. When you saw that I was born black, you said even she was tainted."
Dam-bi's lips trembled.
"In the end... Mother and I died alone in the middle of a field, without any help."
Just then, the Elder staggered and said in a small voice.
"Gul-din... Noah-jein... My lost... daughter..."
Dam-bi's eyes flashed.
"...What did you say?"
The Elder's shoulders trembled slightly.
"That child's name... was Noah-jein. I... never forgot my daughter for a single moment. I was in another village for an Elder's meeting that day. When I heard that my daughter had returned, I ran back like a madwoman, but... she was nowhere to be found. The other Elders told me that they couldn't accept one who was stained by darkness."
Her voice cracked.
"After that, I left the village... I searched and searched. But it was already... too late."
Dam-bi's mouth twisted. Her black, consumed eyes pierced deep into the Elder.
"So... you're the only one who wasn't cursed. Because you had a mix of our mother's blood."
The Elder's hands trembled slightly. But she gritted her teeth and raised her head.
"Yes... that's right. Because of that blood, I'm the only one who survived. But now... that has become another curse."
She took a deep breath.
"I can't... just watch as more innocent children die. Please, break this curse."
A strange silence fell over the altar. All of the Dark Elves' gazes were on Dam-bi.
"Even if you do, the same thing will happen again."
Dam-bi's voice was icy cold.
"Especially since you're with the same ugly humans who stained our mother and turned me to darkness."
The black eyes flashed.
"I still... want you Elves to be stained by darkness and perish one by one. That would be... the best revenge I could give our mother."
The air grew heavy. The Dark Elves flinched and took a step back.
Just then—quietly, Min-chan's voice rang out.
"I'm sorry for your mother's tragedy... But."
A momentary silence. Dam-bi—no, the being inside her—whipped her head around. The black, consumed eyes pierced through Min-chan.
Meeting that gaze head-on, Min-chan spoke in a low and firm voice.
"You said all humans are ugly. Have you even met them all? We are the humans who came all this way to break your curse."
He took a step forward. His eyes became sharp.
"Your anger and revenge against those who did that to your mother—that's your right. But after the revenge is over... what will be left? The stigma of a 'tainted mother' and a 'corrupted child' will still remain."
"Human, what are you trying to say?"
"The best revenge... shouldn't end like that. What your mother truly wanted—was for the Dark Elves to be acknowledged by the other Elves again, and for you to be remembered not as a 'filthy lineage' but as a 'special being'."
Min-chan's lips slowly curled up. His canine teeth were revealed like a beast about to fight.
"That revenge—I'll make it happen for you."
"How?"
Instead of answering, Min-chan clenched his fist. He thrust it forward and said as if giving an order.
"Come—and see for yourself."
At that moment, the vengeful spirit, as if drawn to something, reached out its hand toward Min-chan's fist. Black smoke stretched out from Dam-bi's body and connected with Min-chan. In an instant, the spirit was sucked into Min-chan's memories.
Blood flowed like a river. Piles of corpses with foreign symbols carved on them were stacked like mountains. On the red-stained earth—a red figure wearing a mask was on his knees.
Holding a broken sword, he slowly raised his head like a blood-soaked demon. And... their eyes met.
At that moment, an overwhelming terror that crushed the spirit rushed in. Even the air trembled, and the smell of blood choked the very breath out of it.
'Hoo-won! For the sake of my fallen brothers—even if I have to become a demon, I will tear you into a thousand pieces, chew you, and swallow you whole!!'
A thunderous roar echoed.
The spirit's vision shattered as if it had exploded. It was forcibly ejected from the memory, and it returned to Dam-bi's body, gasping for air.
The altar fell into a silence so deep you couldn't even hear a breath. Everyone was unable to put the scene they had just witnessed into words.
Min-chan slowly raised the corners of his lips and said.
"Revenge—is my specialty. The strongest nation in this world, that's one of the revenges I must prioritize. Put your name on it."
The vengeful spirit was silent for a moment. But its energy had changed, and its black eyes were wavering.
"What do you want?"
"The Elder will give it to you. Just watch while you're alive. It will just take a little time."
Min-chan said indifferently, as if he no longer cared.
"I've endured for hundreds of years for revenge, so that's nothing."
"Then... now, please break the tribe's curse."
The Elder said, patting her chest. Dam-bi looked at her intently and asked briefly.
"What is your name?"
"...Noa-prel. Gul-din Noa-prel."
"I see. That's enough."
Dam-bi bowed her head. A moment of silence passed, and then her clear yet cold voice echoed over the altar.
"O' memory of the blood-bound roots. O' ancient souls tied by the curse. I engrave your names in these clay dolls and place your blood in this hair—now, through this body as a medium, come forth."
At that moment, a misty black smoke rose from Dam-bi's body. The smoke split into hundreds of strands and seeped into the clay dolls held by the Dark Elves around the altar.
"I command you, by the name of Chi-woo, who presides over the life and death of ghosts and goblins—Arise!"
As the shout rang out, the dolls trembled slightly. The chestnut-sized clumps fell off and came together, gradually taking on a human form.
Dam-bi took out a talisman and put it on its chest. Black hair rose like a mist, instantly growing to its waist, and clear features appeared on its pale face. The cracked clay shell, like scales, scattered to the ground.
Its eyelids slowly opened. At the same time, the air on the altar rippled.
Black hair, pale skin, and eyes that held a darkness so deep it seemed to swallow even starlight. His shadow enveloped the ground and settled heavily.
Dam-bi, as if all her strength had left her, sat down with a thud. Cold sweat beaded on her pale face.
"...It's done. The first Dark Elf, the Spirit of Darkness."
The man slowly raised his head and looked at Dam-bi and Min-chan.
"Thank you. As promised... I, Gul-din Cartel, will watch over you."
His voice was low and cold. Like an echo from the darkness, it permeated the entire space.
At that moment, some of the Dark Elves around the altar suddenly trembled. The color of their hair gradually lightened, turning into a golden hue that held the sunlight. Their skin also returned from pitch black to a clear, white jade, and the traces of the curse, etched like tattoos, disappeared one by one. They let out a deep breath as if they had shed a heavy burden.
But—that change did not happen to everyone. The majority of the Dark Elves still stood unchanged, with their pitch-black hair and eyes. Arden also showed no change.
"...The curse hasn't been broken?"
Noa-prel muttered in a low voice.
Just then, Gul-din slowly shifted his gaze and spoke.
"No. They... are the ones who chose to remain. Those who wanted to reclaim their past form have reclaimed it, and those who want to prove their existence only through battle... have remained as they are."
At his words, Arden nodded.
"The lot of the Dark Elves has not changed. We still cannot stop the war. As long as the war doesn't end, the curse is not a pain, but the power that protects us."
At her words, the Dark Elf warriors who hadn't changed quietly drew their swords to the sky. They were all prepared to live with the curse as their destiny.
Watching them, Min-chan slowly raised the corners of his lips. It was a fierce yet refreshingly pleasant smile.
"Good. You have to have that kind of resolve to be called neighbors."
Just then, Noa-prel asked in a flustered voice.
"Neighbors? Are you talking about an alliance?"
Min-chan nodded as if it were obvious.
"Did you forget? You said you would grant me anything I want. We need the Lizardmen's territory across the stream. Neighbors don't want to be drawing swords at each other, do they?"
At his words, Noa-prel's mouth fell open in disbelief. But soon, he hung his head and sighed.
"...Seriously, you... I lose. Do as you wish."
"Alright, then it's an 'interim alliance'. Now, shall we start preparing to move?"
Min-chan laughed, pretending to pick his ear.
The Dark Elf warriors put their swords away, and the heat in front of the altar slowly died down. All that was left was to prepare to return.
Min-chan dusted himself off and said.
"Alright, let's clean up. And... take our new maknae."
At Min-chan's words, everyone's gaze simultaneously fell on him.
"...Maknae?"
Do-yoon blinked and asked again. Min-chan, with his arms crossed, jutted his chin out to point at someone. At the end of his gaze was Gul-din Cartel, the black-haired figure who looked as if he had just shed the appearance of a boy, still standing silently.
"Gul-din Cartel."
He said in a low voice. It was a deep, low voice that seemed to echo in a cave.
Young-beom, Young-ho, and Tae-geon frowned at the same time. Do-yoon, slightly flustered, carefully took his arm.
"Excuse me, maknae-nim... this way..."
As Gul-din slowly lowered his gaze, Do-yoon flinched and whispered into his ear.
"I don't know how old you are, but you look younger than me. But... if you use informal language with the seniors, you'll be in big trouble."
Gul-din replied briefly.
"I am the first Dark Elf and the Spirit of Darkness. The only humans I acknowledge are that man and that woman."
His gaze was on Min-chan and Dam-bi.
"..."
Young-beom, Young-ho, and Tae-geon's eyebrows twitched at the same time. A moment later, their eyebrows shot up and curved, looking as if they were about to pierce the ceiling.
"Hyung-nim, it seems like we need to have a maknae initiation ceremony, don't you think?"
"Min-chan is the expert on revenge, but I'm the expert on welcoming ceremonies."
"Doesn't his audacity just go through the roof?"
With a mixture of jest and seriousness, Gul-din frowned and said in a low voice.
"My name isn't 'Gung-di', it's 'Gul-din'. A special being has returned, so hold a grand welcoming ceremony."
Fearing that sparks would fly, Do-yoon quietly took a step back. Min-chan laughed lightly with his arms crossed and said.
"You can't use informal language with the Master, so do what you want."
At his words, the gymnasium group's lips curled up into a smile, like beasts before their prey, and they clenched their fists.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"
Soon after, a cheer and a groan erupted. Young-ho walked out, shrugging his shoulders.
"Gung-di, come over here. I have to see what you're made of."
Young-ho's lips curled up, and he beckoned with his finger.
"Don't. Humans can't defeat the Spirit of Darkness."
Gul-din snorted and tilted his head back.
"You have to have that kind of backbone. So, don't be too disappointed."
Young-ho's eyes bulged, and he stepped closer to Gul-din.
"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'first hit wins'?"
"What is 'first hit wins'—"
[THWACK!]
A powerful uppercut struck Gul-din's jaw.
'Over the mountain ridge... the sun is rising. Is the day breaking... But why is the mountain... upside down?'
Gul-din's head snapped back, and his vision slowly rotated in the air.
[UGH!]
Then came an intense pain.
"You, you bastard! A cowardly sneak attack—!"
"Gung-di, didn't you just say that everyone except Hyung-nim Min-chan and Noona Dam-bi is worthless?"
Young-ho laughed shrewdly and dusted off his hands.
"Looks like I still need to toughen up that jaw of yours a bit more."
Young-beom also laughed mischievously, chiming in from the side.
Gul-din jumped up and shouted.
"How dare you! Lay a hand on me, the great Spirit of Darkness, Gul-din Cartel! I won't forgive you! It's execution! Revenge! The destruction of humanity!"
"Turns out he has 'Chunibyo'..."
Tae-geon snorted in disbelief.
Gul-din closed the distance and lunged at Young-ho.
"Die, you human trash!"
[SLAP! SLAP!]
"Agh!"
"This mouth! This foul mouth!"
Young-ho sidestepped and slapped Gul-din's mouth with his palm.
Gul-din, trembling with fury, tried to shroud his body in black smoke, but—
[THUD! THUD! THUD!]
Three stones, which flew into the smoke, hit him squarely.
With a look of a soul who had left his body, Gul-din looked up at the sky and muttered.
"I, who was a symbol of fear... why am I so miserable..."
Young-ho gave him a final light tap on the top of his head and said.
"Gung-di, wake up from your dream. Ghosts are scary, but 'Chunibyo' kids are just funny."
"...My name is Gul-din. By the way, what is 'Gung-di'?"
At that moment, Do-yoon grinned, approached him, and whispered quietly.
"'Gung-di' means 'butt'. Buttocks."
And he added with a straight face.
"Just so you know, I'm your senior."
[THUD.]
Gul-din's neck felt a searing pain, and his vision went white as he collapsed to the ground. Unconscious, his lips were still trembling.
Watching him, Min-chan chuckled and said.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's get going, back to the village."
The gymnasium group snickered and got up. Gul-din's fists, which were slung over someone's shoulder, were still tightly clenched even though he was unconscious.
And—behind the altar, the morning sun cast a long shadow over the forest.