The Tiger Hunt
"D-damn it…."
Artria gritted her teeth as the counterattack failed. 'How could it still not be enough?'
Her plan had been to lure the monster into the village and focus all their firepower to take it down. Since they had lost all the ships capable of preventing a landing and the garrison on the island was thin, she had judged that the village, with its many obstacles, would be the best place for a decisive battle. But it had all come to nothing.
The spearmen who stepped forward to block the giant tiger were reduced to bloody chunks of meat, and the mages who poured their magic into the beast were, without exception, chewed to death by Tie. They were all slaughtered before the sheer, monstrous combat power of the giant tiger.
'If only the fleet had survived….'
Even if they couldn't have killed it, they could have kept it in check. It wouldn't have ended in such a one-sided massacre. She had lost those precious ships without even being able to use them properly. Artria couldn't even lift her head, paralyzed by the weight of her own agonizing mistake.
'I was so sure I’d hidden them all….'
Having lost three of the five frigates, Artria was consumed by anxiety. She couldn't afford to lose the remaining ships. These iron vessels were the wings of the Desire Empire. Without its wings, the empire would face a massive threat. The only reason they had been able to overwhelm their enemies until now was because of those iron ships. If they lost them, what would happen? Those who harbored resentment toward her master would surely see this as their chance to strike.
Of course, building more ships was possible. There were production facilities in her hometown, which her master had turned into a wasteland. She had used her master’s mentor and Cardian’s mother as power sources to create the current fleet. However, the production facilities were currently shut down. They were still too inexperienced to operate a large-scale fleet. While they could churn out iron ships if they set their minds to it, they lacked the competent personnel to handle them. Even though her master had brainwashed Cardian and the officer candidates to utilize the ships, it still wasn't enough.
Perhaps if it were her master, he could somehow manage a large-scale fleet even with a shortage of talent. After all, he had transferred his knowledge of naval warfare to the woman who had once been called his mentor. Based on that transferred knowledge, the master she had originally known—Grid—had mercilessly trampled those who sought revenge against him.
But, she felt uneasy about entrusting the supreme command of the fleet to the man from another world who now occupied Grid’s body. Because he had said:
He had said he never served in the navy. That he had served in the army, so he had zero knowledge of naval warfare. For that reason, his knowledge of naval combat was so nonexistent it was embarrassing to even compare it to Grid’s. He had said that letting someone like him take charge of the fleet was no different than handing a treasure vault over to a thief. Of course, he said he would study, but he couldn't meet their expectations right away.
Because of this, the plan to expand the fleet by building more ships had to be postponed. It had to be temporarily put on hold until the current master became more competent than he was now, and until they secured more talent. Therefore, they had to do their best not to lose the current fleet until then. She had hidden the remaining ships, yet Artria had lost them all.
'No one but me knew where I hid them. How did they find out?'
She had hidden the ships in places no one knew. Just in case, she hadn't kept them in one place but dispersed them across several locations. That way, even in the worst-case scenario, there would be an escape route. Yet, all those hidden ships had been sunk. As if hunting, one was sent to the bottom of the sea every day. By this tiger monster, Tie, right in front of her.
Artria had guessed that the Beastman Union was behind it, but she never imagined Tie would step forward herself. And she never imagined she would even use a forbidden technique.
'I thought she wouldn't use it even if she were cornered….'
When Grid planned to conquer the Beastman Union, he had singled out the Tiger tribe and the Gumiho tribe as the targets they needed to be most wary of. They possessed the technique to transform into the Monster form, the original state of their ancestors. Grid had insisted that while the other beastmen didn't matter, these two tribes had to be thoroughly suppressed.
And now, the Gumiho tribe, one of the targets, had been reduced to sows bearing her master’s soldiers, and their leader, Sua, had completely surrendered and become her master’s slave. The Yoryeok-seok needed to become a Monster was now in her master’s possession. They were no longer a threat to the empire. The only ones left were the Tiger tribe, but Artria had assumed they wouldn't use the technique easily. The price of using it was losing one's reason and returning to a beast—could they really use it even if cornered? She had assumed that even the impetuous Tiger tribe leader wouldn't gamble with her own sanity to commit such a taboo.
That had been a terribly naive thought.
"Ugh…."
If she had known it would come to this, she should have advised him to brainwash them completely. Why hadn't she? If she had, they wouldn't be in this miserable state. Artria regretted it deeply.
"Ugh, ahhh…."
Her breastplate was buckling. As it crushed inward, her muscles screamed for mercy. Her bones sent out warning signals that they couldn't hold on any longer. The pressure was so intense she couldn't breathe, and Artria’s face turned deathly pale.
"M-master… I’m sorry."
I’m so sorry I couldn't be by your side. The moment Artria closed her eyes, thinking her end was imminent,
—BOOM!
Something struck the tiger’s head. The tiger staggered for a moment, and the front paw that had been crushing Artria lifted slightly.
"Artria, are you okay?"
The moment she thought she could finally breathe, Artria found herself held in someone’s arms. Recognizing who it was, Artria let out a sigh of relief.
"M-master…."
A black-haired man wearing an old military uniform. It was Grid, the lord she served with all her heart.
●●●
"Take Artria to the lab. It’ll be safe there."
"Understood."
The soldier who received the order left with the unconscious Artria.
'It’ll be safer there for now.'
He had heard it from a Turtle tribe warrior. There were no ships left on Fox Island. So, there was no way to escape the island. Upon hearing that, Kang-rim had headed straight for Talia’s lab as soon as he arrived on Fox Island.
—G-Grid? Thank goodness. You were alive.
As expected, the Gumiho tribe, including Talia, had gathered in the lab. With a Monster running wild and no ships to escape on, the lab with its underground shelter was the only safe place to hide. He had built it just in case, but if he hadn't, something even worse might have happened. Kang-rim let out a sigh of relief that not only Talia but also their precious resources were safe.
—You stay here and protect these guys. I’m going to go catch that tiger brat.
After calming the trembling Talia, Kang-rim headed straight to the battlefield. Having rescued Artria, Kang-rim stood face-to-face with the tiger that was glaring at him as if it wanted to kill him.
'I already heard about it, but….'
Kang-rim swallowed hard. 'This is no joke.'
Just by being glared at, his knees were shaking. Just looking at the beast’s black fur, its blackened eyes, and the dark energy swirling off its body made him feel like he might faint. It had become even more terrifying than when he first saw it.
Kang-rim knew why Tie had become a black tiger.
'To think she’d eat the Black Light. How on earth did she get her hands on it?'
Black Light. This term, a combination of the characters for 'Black' and 'Madness,' was the name of a rare drug from the original game, Desire Empire. The reason for the name was simple: it turned you black. If a character took the drug, they received a buff that increased their stats by over twenty times for a short period. Along with this, the character transformed into a different form—the form their ancestors, who had built an ancient civilization, had taken to protect themselves.
—ROOOOAR!
Tie charged with her maw wide open. Kang-rim rolled to the side and quickly leaped forward. He swung his hammer with all his might toward Tie’s neck.
—CLANG!
It was as if he had struck a solid piece of metal; the hammer Kang-rim swung bounced right off.
"W-what the!"
Kang-rim was momentarily flustered, but he didn't fall into chaos. He shouted immediately.
"Now, fire!"
At his command, the hidden archers drew their bowstrings in unison. They fired at the target, the tiger Monster. With the sound of wind being torn apart, countless fire arrows pierced Tie’s body.
—ROOOOAR!
Tie writhed in pain. Seeing this, Kang-rim wore an expression that suggested he had finally found a clue.
'Just like Artria said.'
Before being transported, Artria had told him a few facts she had discovered. 'She seems vulnerable to fire. She didn't even flinch when struck by lightning, but fire was different.'
She was weak to fire. While she was enhanced by Black Light and immune to all normal attacks, fire-attribute attacks worked. Having heard that, Kang-rim had ordered the archers to prepare fire arrows in advance, and he could see right before his eyes that the preparation hadn't been in vain.
Kang-rim gave the next order. "Mage unit! Cast Fireball!"
The hidden mages also raised their staves and chanted in unison. Countless fireballs rained down from the sky toward the Monster.
—ROOOOAR!
The spot where the Monster stood was engulfed in flames. The beast, covered in fire, writhed in even greater agony. Seeing it being burned alive, Kang-rim wore a look of pity.
'Tie, I’m sorry, but….'
You have to die here. She was a character he had grown somewhat fond of in the game, and he would rather use her as a host than kill her, but he had no choice. Those who became Monsters by using Black Light could never return.
In the game, the drug provided a stat boost and turned the character into a Monster. Since it was only a temporary effect, the character would eventually return to their original form, but the lore of the game explicitly stated that anyone who took Black Light and became a Monster could never return to their original self. In other words, there was no way in this world to save Tie now that she had consumed the Black Light.
'You were an annoying one, though….'
Kang-rim nodded to a nearby mage. The designated mage imbued Kang-rim’s hammer with an attribute. The iron hammer glowed bright red.
'I’ll send you off peacefully.'
With a bitter expression, Kang-rim ran forward with all his might. He prepared to bring the hammer down on the head of the writhing Tie….
—ROOOOOOOAR!
A roar that shook the heavens and earth spread throughout the entire village.
"W-what the?"
Along with a fierce gust of wind, Kang-rim was blown backward. The archers and mages alike couldn't withstand the howling Tie had unleashed and collapsed.
"Ugh…."
Kang-rim managed to stand up by jamming his hammer into the ground. However, all the soldiers he had brought were incapacitated. He was the only one left who could fight.
"D-damn it, can't you just take the hit quietly… ugh?"
A heavy impact struck his side. With a massive shockwave, Kang-rim was sent flying far away. He only stopped after smashing through several pieces of furniture and knocking down trees.
"Ugh, Tie, you son of a…."
Kang-rim stood up, staggering. His right side, hit by the tail, was stained with blood. His right arm seemed to be in trouble, too; he couldn't feel it. It was a situation where he should be evacuated to the rear immediately, but Kang-rim couldn't go. He lifted his hammer with his remaining left hand and glared at the Monster in front of him.
—Grrrrrrr.
The Monster glared back at Kang-rim. Its eyes were filled with murderous intent, as if it were looking at its sworn enemy. Perhaps, even though it had lost its reason, the desire for revenge against Grid remained.
'Come on, then. Tie.'
I’ll make sure your end is painless. Steel-ing his resolve like a warrior facing a final battle, Kang-rim charged toward the Monster.
It was then that a large fireball suddenly fell behind Tie’s back.
—ROOOOAR!
Tie, who had used her howl to shake off the arrows and fire stuck to her body, writhed in pain once again from the unexpected attack.
"What is this…."
Kang-rim, seeing this, was bewildered. Who on earth had fired that? Was it one of the fallen mages? But the fireball was larger than anything they could have conjured.
Just as he was questioning it, someone landed next to Kang-rim.
"You said you could go alone, but you’ve taken quite a beating, Master."
One was Iris. And,
"I thought you might, and I was right. You should have just taken me with you. Why be so stubborn…."
Sua was being held by Iris.
"W-wait. Why are you two here…."
Kang-rim looked dazed at the appearance of the two people who should have been on the flagship.