Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Baek So Juh peacefully sits down on the Hwa Kwak Myo tree writing. However, three boys interrupt her and tell her to write somewhere else as it was "their" territory. They then proceed to harass her wherever she went, using the same excuse. Getting frustrated by their childish antics, So Juh left the domain of the World Trees to get away from them but ended up falling and getting knocked unconscious.

When So Juh finally comes too, she hears noises and turns to see the frightening sight of lizard-like humanoid monsters eating something. After ten minutes they finally left and, in the morning, So Juh headed back to the village. Upon return, she hears the villagers telling of a boy that had been decapitated, shocking her. Rushing back to the place she'd been earlier, So Juh sees what the monsters were devouring last night: the headless corpse of a young boy. Falling to her bum in shock, So Juh is utterly startled when someone appears behind her and then proceeds to pray for the recently deceased child. After So Juh frantically warns him they needed to escape before "they" returned, the boy asks if she had seen them.

He mentions his envy that So Juh was able to write, even though he was able to read, and informs her that her description of the monsters matches the ones he had of the monsters he was tracking. Asking why he was tracking them, he mentions that they were monsters that devoured anyone they came across. So Juh asked how he could hunt them, and he replies that he does so with taoist magic as he is an Ascetic.

Later on, the shamans of the village finish praying, the others ask the young Ascetic many questions until the Lady Shaman comes through and properly greets him before asking him for his name. He introduces himself as Hong Kil Dong and she says that although it is faint, white rays were blessing him. So Juh noted that the Lady Shaman was immensely surprised and lost for words and after paying respects, Hong Kil Dong left for the road.