The Legend of the Fox Yokai of Jirisan

Even after the fox yokai incident was more or less resolved,
The Yokai Extermination Office at Jirisan National Park was in a state of utter chaos.
It was not because the staff had started idolizing the White Fox – that had now become so routine that calling it ‘chaos’ would be embarrassing.
Nor was the chaos due to the aftermath cleanup, or because of the White Fox idolization.
Then why?
The reason was the sudden appearance of a black-haired woman.

“White Fox here, White Fox there… Wow, these people are really into it, Director.”
“Yes, well…”
“Do you idolize Miho too, Director?”
“I, I do not! And, referring to a yokai by name is an unethical act that goes against protocol…”
“But I’m not a civil servant? Of course, I’m still affiliated with the nation… Anyway, I’m not a civil servant. I can operate rather freely. That’s why I can just plop myself down here.”
“…”

That’s right.
Not the most welcome news, is it?
“And I heard you don’t like following protocols either, Director? It’s common gossip among the staff.”

Haah.
The director sighed as he looked at the black-haired Martial Artist Ha-neul, who had inadvertently become part of his team.
The reason Ha-neul had plopped herself down at Jirisan National Park was undoubtedly because of the fox yokai named ‘Miho.’
Like his staff, had she been inspired by the White Fox, thinking ‘If I stay at Jirisan, I might get to see her face someday’? Under the pretext of being dispatched, she had indefinitely plopped herself down at the Jirisan National Park Yokai Extermination Office.
Indefinitely, that is.
When asked when she would return, she said she had no plans to leave until she encountered the White Fox.

This was troublesome.
Of course, as a Martial Artist, Ha-neul was an asymmetric force, and from the perspective of the Yokai Extermination Office managing Jirisan’s yokai, she was a valuable asset to welcome with open arms.
However, her obsession with the White Fox was abnormal even compared to his staff, leaving Director Lee Han-ul feeling exhausted.
At this point, he was curious about what kind of conversation she could have possibly had with the White Fox.

“By the way Director, did you notice our names are similar?”
“Yes, well… Lee Han-ul, Ha-neul. I suppose they are. What an intriguing coincidence.”
“An intriguing coincidence, indeed. But Director, was the simultaneous appearance of two fox yokai also a coincidence?”
“That’s…”
“The fox yokai spotted two years ago… was presumed to be Miho, not the blue-furred demonic fox, right? But we conveniently missed her back then.”
“…”
“When will she appear again? Will it take another two years? Were there any signs? Was the rare appearance of two fox yokai at once as intriguing a coincidence as our similar names?”
“I’m… still researching that.”
“Let me know if you need any help.”
“…I will.”

Ha-neul had pointed out something the director himself needed to urgently resolve.
The appearance of a fox yokai for the first time in 500 years was already shocking enough, but the fact that two fox yokai had manifested simultaneously – the timing was too exquisite to be mere coincidence.
Director Lee Han-ul thought there must be some causality.

Though Ha-neul’s terrifyingly intense obsession with the White Fox yokai ‘Miho’ was somewhat exhausting,
One way or another, her presence allowed the Jirisan National Park Yokai Extermination Office to significantly bolster its forces. So Lee Han-ul shook her hand and said:
“In any case, I’m counting on you, Ha-neul.”
“I’m counting on you too, Director. Ah, you haven’t forgotten to let me know first if Miho is spotted, have you?”
“I was planning to anyway. Initially, this Miho fox yokai is presumed to be at least a Grade 3, so we have no means to…”
“A Grade 3 yokai? What are you talking about, Director. You’re wrong.”
“…?”
Lee Han-ul could only be dumbfounded by Ha-neul’s following words.
“Miho is at the very least a Grade 2 yokai.”
“…Pardon?”
Regardless of the director’s bewilderment, Ha-neul continued her explanation.
“First of all, that blue-furred fox yokai was a Grade 2 yokai. Presumed to be Grade 3? No, absolutely not. I’ve subdued a Grade 3 yokai with my master before, and that blue-furred fox yokai… Yeah, it couldn’t possibly be considered Grade 3. And yet, the one who easily defeated that blue-furred fox yokai was Miho.”
“Ah…”
“It’s fortunate she doesn’t antagonize humans, but if Miho had been a liver-crazed yokai like that blue-furred one, well. We would already be having an interview with King Yeomra in the afterlife.”
“…”
“Anyway, I’ll go train, so radio me if anything comes up. Ah, and if there are any areas in Jirisan particularly abundant with yeonggi…”

After Ha-neul’s bombshell remarks, the mental state of the director of the Jirisan Yokai Extermination Office was utterly shattered.
He felt they were caught up in an incident far more serious than imagined.

“Miho, this is awkward for me.”
“…It’s awkward for me too.”
“Awkward, awkward, awkward, awkward!”
“…”
“Come back as the cute three-tailed Miho! Gross, you’re too mature! Your chest seems unnecessarily large too! Your yogi is so dense it’s hard to get close! Bring back the three-tailed Miho!”
“Ah, be quiet! It’s not like I’m maintaining this state because I want to either!”

After absorbing the blue-furred demonic fox’s yogi,
For some reason, I could no longer revert to my three-tailed state.
No, to be more precise, reverting wasn’t entirely impossible, but my body would tremble as if about to crumble.
My body couldn’t handle it.
The amount of yogi I had absorbed from the blue-furred demonic fox was far too much for my mere three-tailed state.

A week had passed since maintaining my six-tailed state, yet
I still couldn’t adapt to my new body.
The elevated line of sight, the weight of my chest, the six tails – I couldn’t get used to any of it.

Well, it wasn’t all inconveniences.
With my overflowing yogi, I could freely use fox sorcery, so one could say my quality of life had improved.
When would I use fox sorcery, you ask?

“Come back! Gross! Not cute at all! Scary! Bring back the three-tailed Miho!”

For example,
Like this.
[Fox Sorcery]
Fox Fire – Bind

“Kkkkk! What is this, Miho! Let go, it’s hot! I said it’s hot!”

I could use it to torment a pesky little squirrel like this.
Using Fox Fire, I grabbed Depot’s tail and started swinging him around.

“Kkkk, kkkk, kkkk!”
There, you’re finally doing that squirrel chitter thing.
Yes yes, squirrels should chitter and squeal like that.

“Kkkkk, aigo, I’m dying, I’m dying! I’m burning to death, it’s hot, it’s hot!”

…Come to think of it,
Why has he been acting so feisty from the start?
Exasperated, I said to Depot:
“What’s so hot? It’s not even hot at all.”

“Ah, h, h, h…. Eh? You’re right? That’s strange! It’s fire, so why isn’t it hot? Isn’t fire supposed to be hot?”
“How should I know. I’m just a two-year-old baby fox yokai.”
“Right! Then you shouldn’t be treating me like this, Miho! That’s no way to speak to your elders!”
“Then act like an elder.”

I passed the time tormenting the cute little squirrel yokai Depot, lost in thought.
The parting words the blue-furred demonic fox had left me kept weighing on my mind.

[In my eyes… you do not seem fated to become an akhoe (evil fox).]
[A seonhoe… no, a cheonhoe (celestial fox). You are fated to become a cheonhoe.]
[Find your purpose in life.]

A purpose in life, she said.
Certainly, I currently have nothing that could be called a ‘purpose in life.’
Thanks to the yogi the blue-furred demonic fox left me, I no longer have to worry about dying from yogi depletion, so that immediate crisis has been averted.

When I think about it,
Ironically, I still don’t even know who I am.
Being an intuitive yokai, I was well aware that a many-tailed fox yokai was not a common existence.
But that’s about it.
Daji’s vessel? I don’t even know what that means.
Seonhoe? Cheonhoe? Akhoe? Nonsensical words to me.
Why the blue-furred demonic fox referred to me as ‘my lord,’ I have no idea.

In this state of utter ignorance, is whiling away time trapped in Jirisan’s inner realm, tormenting Depot and the raccoons, really the right course of action?
Yeah.
I think I’ve realized what actions I should be taking, for the most part.
Whether or not I set a goal in life, it seems I should first figure out who I am.
Previously, lacking power and assuming my imminent death, I had no will to live, so I wasn’t particularly curious about my identity.
But now the situation is a bit different.
I’ve developed a basic will to live, and I’ve gained an overwhelmingly powerful strength that no longer makes me fear venturing outside the inner realm.

“Let me go, let me go, let me go, let me gooooo!”
“Depot.”
“What, what is it, you wretched fox yokai! Bring back the three-tailed Miho! I said bring her back!”
“By the way.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I asked Depot:
“By any chance, have you heard of a book called the Taejasinggi?”