Chapter 112
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Bullfighter
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They'd captured the bull just as planned, so now it was time to interrogate it and extract some information.
But for some reason, things weren't going smoothly. The priestess was visibly flustered. She hurriedly fanned her hand to brush the glowing dust off the bull's face.
Kim Woojin, standing nearby, asked,
"Something wrong?"
"Well... I think I used too much pheromone."
Powerful creatures were hard to charm.
That was why the priestess had poured out everything she had. But she'd overdone it, leaving the bull half-conscious.
It seemed her recent intake of several precious inner cores had boosted her power considerably, leading to this mishap.
"This might take a little time..."
They'd have to wait until the bull's mind cleared up enough to begin the interrogation.
The priestess glanced nervously as she spoke. Her expression was hidden behind the butterfly mask, but she was clearly bracing for a hit, her neck hunched defensively.
Kim Woojin didn't mind at all. It was just a minor adjustment to the plan.
"Wait here."
"...What are you planning to do?"
"You said it'd take time, right? Might as well hunt down the rest while I've got nothing else going on."
There were three bull monsters in total here.
He had no intention of leaving potential threats behind. With one captured alive, it was time to deal with the other two.
'Guess I'll handle this solo.'
Leaving the chipmunk to guard the priestess seemed wise. Who knew what dangers might arise while he was away.
A butterfly mask and a chipmunk together could handle just about anything.
"You two keep an eye on the gear. I'll be back after I play around a bit over there."
"Uh... you're going alone?"
"Easier that way."
He'd be back soon.
With that, Kim Woojin strode off toward the forest to finish off the prey he'd left hanging.
Finding the bull was simple. The noise of its axe blade chopping down trees served as a perfect guide.
'...Found one.'
There it was, in the distance—his target.
The bull was felling trees in the woods, a large canteen clenched in its jaws as it swung its axe to topple the surrounding trunks.
Every few swings, it would throw its head back and gulp from the canteen, like a machine refueling for more power.
Kim Woojin sniffed the air.
'Smells like booze.'
The sharp, bitter scent of alcohol wafted over. Somehow, these brutes had managed to brew liquor in this barren land. The bull worked away, chugging recklessly.
Kim Woojin slipped silently behind it. The drunken beast never bothered to look back.
Dealing with it was child's play.
Shwick!
The swung blade carved a long gash across the bull's nape. Flesh split open, blood spraying as the butchered beast collapsed onto the dirt.
One left.
As he shook the blood from his machete, a voice suddenly mumbled,
"Grk... blood... smell...?"
A slurred voice, followed by heavy footsteps drawing closer. The scent of blood must have drawn the last bull this way.
'Saved me the trouble of hunting it down.'
Even better.
He ducked behind a pile of fresh wood stumps. He'd wait in hiding and slit its throat when it got close enough for a strike.
It didn't take long for the bull to appear. It spotted the sprawled corpse right away.
"D-Dead... why...?"
The bull muttered to itself, scanning the surroundings. No shock at its comrade's body—just heightened caution.
That made things a bit tricky.
He'd planned to assassinate it in the moment of panic, but the bull stayed cool-headed instead of flailing. This one was a cut above the rest.
'Not gonna get an easy ambush here.'
Waiting longer might yield an opening, but time was short.
So Kim Woojin stepped out into the open. The bull reacted instantly, chopping down with its axe like it was splitting logs—bold and vicious.
He sidestepped with precise footwork. Tracking the motion, the bull swung again, aiming to hack him apart. But Kim Woojin always slipped out of the lethal arc a beat ahead.
Bam! Bam! Boom!
Deafening crashes echoed nonstop. The bull hammered the empty ground in frustration, like a game of whack-a-mole.
Infuriated by Kim Woojin's slippery dodges—just out of axe range—the bull snorted roughly.
"Moooooh—!"
The beast bellowed wildly. Blue flames ignited in its eyes.
Watching this, Kim Woojin narrowed his gaze.
'...Berserk mode?'
The signature trick of Queen Knarthash. But on closer inspection, it felt different from true berserking.
The bull suddenly hurled its axe aside, hunching its upper body and slamming both palms to the ground. Its form twisted, shifting into a quadrupedal beast posture.
Then it charged on all fours. Kim Woojin leaped aside.
He dodged by a hair. The bull barreled past into the forest, smashing everything in sight... before wheeling around for another pass.
It felt just like bullfighting.
The bull had abandoned its human mimicry, reverting to pure beast. In exchange, its power and speed surged.
'Beast transformation suits this better.'
Definitely not the same as berserking.
With that conclusion, Kim Woojin fixed his eyes on the approaching bull. The gap closed with every moment. Its massive head loomed right before him.
This time, he didn't evade. Instead, he thrust both arms forward.
Grab!
His hands clamped onto the bull's horns. He poured strength into his arms to halt it. Yet the bull shoved ahead relentlessly.
Skrrch, skreeee—
Their strength contest dragged Kim Woojin's feet back in long skid marks. The bull's power exceeded expectations.
'Deep-zone monster. Pretty tough.'
Intel acquired.
Playtime over. Kim Woojin flexed his arms fully, invoking his weight manipulation skill to anchor himself. The bull ground to a halt.
"...L-Let's... negotiate."
The bull spoke up, suddenly lucid. Kim Woojin questioned it.
"What are you doing out here?"
"We got a contract. Making a road here."
The three bulls chopping trees were clearing the rugged forest to carve out a major path.
Kim Woojin pressed further.
"Why build a road?"
"The reason is..."
The bull trailed off slyly, then unleashed its power. Its horns glowed azure, crackling with blue lightning.
Crackle-zap!
Electricity scorched Kim Woojin's body. The bull smirked.
"Grr! Stupid human."
It had won.
Convinced of victory, the bull chuckled. But it had picked the wrong opponent.
"...Fair enough. I was kinda dumb."
Should've killed it outright.
Kim Woojin nodded as he admitted it. The bull's eyes bulged.
"Wh-What..."
Crack!!
The bull couldn't finish. Kim Woojin yanked the horns hard while driving his knee up into its skull.
The cranium crumpled like an empty can. Dead. He tossed the carcass aside carelessly.
No injuries.
The lightning had singed him, but with his thunderbolt affinity, he had resistance. This kind of attack was pointless.
'Just a little sting.'
Like wearing a static-prone wool sweater once.
He brushed the blood off his knee, then flipped the bull's body with his foot. A quick dagger slice to the chest extracted the inner core.
Peach-sized. Smaller than a drake's, but denser by volume.
'Gotta grab the other one too.'
Two bull cores secured.
Not a bad haul. He wrapped them in a broad cloth, slinging it over his back like a pack, then headed back.
Soon, his companions came into view. The priestess sat by the captured bull's head, yawning with the chipmunk in her lap.
She spotted him and blinked in surprise.
"...You're done hunting already?"
"Kinda just happened."
From tracking to killing and returning—barely twenty minutes.
One bull was blackout drunk, the other brute-forced down quick.
He glanced at the downed bull. Still charmed, tongue lolling out.
"Need more time?"
"N-No! I'm ready."
To avoid tantrums, she'd put it under sleep magic. Just lift the spell, and interrogation could begin.
Kim Woojin nodded.
"Let's get started then."
"Yes."
The priestess snapped her fingers. The bull's eyes fluttered open groggily.
What to ask first.
For cross-verification, he repeated his earlier question.
"What are you doing out here?"
The priestess whispered it into the bull's ear. It grinned blankly and answered.
"On a job... mountain reclamation, clearing paths... tilling land to expand defenses..."
Mostly matched the prior intel. But one word stood out.
"You have defenses nearby?"
The bull nodded.
"Yes... farm family's defensive line..."
"Troop count?"
"Tauros hundred... plus forty."
140 Tauros.
A solid force. As he pondered how to handle them, the priestess beside him muttered,
"...That's weird."
"What is?"
"There were no defenses when I was here last."
Three months ago, delivering tribute, the area had been wide open—no fortifications.
Meaning the line was brand new.
"When did you start building?"
"Three days ago... just beginning. Still incomplete... needs more work..."
The farm's defenses had kicked off three days prior—a rushed job. Kim Woojin crossed his arms, deep in thought.
The timing was too perfect. Three days ago lined up right after he'd hunted the hydra in the mountains.
In other words, the defenses were...
'...Preparations to greet me.'
Just like the Church Alliance erecting barriers against the Demonic Realm. The dark cultists and farm were fortifying to block him.
The enemy wasn't just aware of him—they knew he was heading north.
That raised questions.
"Someone's been watching me?"
He eyed the priestess. She jumped.
"N-Not me!! I swear!"
"Calm down... just curious."
He didn't suspect her.
She wasn't the spying type, and Insight showed no red flags.
"Any guesses?"
She answered readily.
"I've mentioned it a few times. His eyes are everywhere."
He sees all from his throne, thus omniscient. The Prophet always watches over us.
She'd said as much before, warning that "He" had likely spotted Kim Woojin even before their journey began.
Like clairvoyance.
'Does that kind of power even exist?'
Kim Woojin tilted his head. It sounded too fantastical.
The priestess asked,
"What now?"
"Hmm..."
He mulled it over.
With the dark cultists and farm on high alert, pushing north meant greater risks.
Charging solo into the heart of enemy territory was reckless. Best to pull back here.
That made sense, but...
'...Since I'm here, might as well knock.'
Time to test those defenses.