Chapter 98
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 098
Chapter Title: A Fresh Start. (1)
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“......Grraaah—”
A raspy voice echoed from deep within the cave. It was the kind of sound abominations often made. But the owner of that voice was none other than a human.
Kim Woojin awoke from a long slumber.
“Kuh, cough!”
Dry coughs burst out one after another. His condition wasn’t great. His head throbbed like he’d drunk too much the night before, and his mouth was parched dry.
To quench this thirst, he needed something to drink. Out of habit, Woojin fumbled at his waist for his canteen, but he soon gave up.
All my gear is gone.
The dragon had flown so violently that he’d lost almost everything he had.
The items he’d stashed deep in his pockets hadn’t been lost... but they were useless now anyway. They’d all been scorched by lightning and ruined.
The jerky had turned to ash, unrecognizable in form. The half-melted gold coins had fused together into a single lump and hardened.
The only intact thing left was his machete. He’d have to use that to push through the heart of the Demonic Realm.
...Guess I should get moving.
With nothing to his name, survival meant moving even faster than usual.
Without lingering, he rose to his feet and headed toward the cave entrance. It wasn’t long before he encountered thick spiderwebs draped over the opening.
He swung his machete and tore them apart.
Woojin stepped back out into the world. Like a silkworm breaking free from its cocoon.
Why did that spider help me?
He suddenly wondered about the reason.
To figure it out, he’d need to find it, but a quick scan of the surroundings turned up no sign of the spider. It must have left while he was asleep.
A bit disappointing, but he hurried on.
He couldn’t afford to wander around luckily searching for a spider. With nothing to his name, survival meant moving even faster than usual.
First things first, water.
To slake his thirst, he needed something to drink.
It wasn’t a particularly difficult goal. The last time he’d plummeted to the surface with the dragon, he’d spotted a large lake.
Woojin sniffed the air. Following the faint, briny scent of water, he quickened his pace.
Soon, his destination came into view.
A lake filled with viscous, slime-like water. It didn’t look drinkable at first glance. But in the Demonic Realm, even this was a precious water source.
Plenty of early birds.
Several beasts had arrived before him. Massive buffalo-like monsters. Their legs numbered six, like insects, and sharp spines protruded from their flanks and backs.
...These are new.
A herd of unfamiliar beasts.
The sentries patrolling the perimeter eyed him warily.
Scraaape, scraaape—
The buffalo beasts scraped the ground relentlessly with their hooves, as if ready to charge at any moment. It was a clear warning to stay away.
No need to pick another fight when he was already worn out. Woojin veered wide to avoid them.
As the intruder headed to the opposite side of the lake, the buffaloes relaxed and returned to the water’s edge. The herd lowered their heads to drink.
Splash!!
A crocodile burst out. Its savage jaws clamped onto a buffalo’s neck. The buffalo thrashed to escape, but it was futile.
“Guwaaak—!”
The pitiful cry vanished beneath the surface. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.
Terrified, the buffalo herd retreated from the lake. But soon, they crept back toward it, glancing warily.
They risked being snatched by the crocodile, but they had no choice. To quench the thirst of such massive beasts, they needed a lot of water.
The buffaloes gulped it down frantically. Woojin watched from afar.
Getting close to the lake is dangerous.
The crocodile was enormous.
Nearly the size of a bus. It was the resident lord of the lake, having grown strong over long years by preying on beasts that came to drink.
Such predators were common in the heart of the Demonic Realm. A monster Woojin would normally steel himself to hunt. In his current state, fighting that crocodile would be unwise.
So he approached the lakeshore and dug a small pit in the ground with his hands.
This should do.
Woojin sat and stared into the pit. After a while, water began to seep up from the bottom.
The lake water filtered through the soil and filled it.
This way, he could drink safely, and the fine lakeside soil acted as a filter for cleaner water.
Woojin snapped off a nearby reed. Its hollow interior made a perfect straw. He took a sip.
...Not bad.
A bit bitter, but finding water this good in the Demonic Realm was rare.
The problem was... it took time for the water to collect. Woojin sat propping his chin, yawning lazily, then glanced down at his clothes.
Hunting gear made from beast hide: an outer coat and pants.
His usual attire. Made from the hide of a bear beast he’d hunted in the depths. The beast had the Stone Skin technique, making the hide tougher than average steel armor.
But even this sturdy hunting gear had reached its end. Soaked in dragon venom and scorched by lightning blasts.
The charred bear hide had stuck to his skin. Like gum melted onto asphalt.
Just rip it off.
He tore away the clinging outer layers by force. Once he’d stripped off all the stuck hide, Woojin was left completely naked.
Having no clothes was bothersome.
His body was covered in dragon scales that protruded like armor, but it was a matter of feeling. Wandering around without any clothes just wasn’t his style.
Guess I need to hunt something for gear.
He’d make a new set from beast hide. As he thought that and bent to drink from the pit...
......Footsteps approached from behind. Several of them.
Woojin whipped around. And came face-to-face with black lion beasts. The same savage pack he’d clashed with before.
He’d only just emerged from the cave, yet running into them like this... It seemed the black lions had been searching for him all along.
One lion stood out, especially massive. A male with a magnificent mane.
The leader of the pride.
Hunting and providing food was the lionesses’ role. Protecting the pride from external threats fell to the males.
Some beasts never forgot a grudge.
Woojin had slain several charging lionesses in the past. Now the male, enraged by the loss of his females, had shown himself.
What to do with this.
Gripping his machete, Woojin stared down the male lion. The pride leader advanced toward him. With majestic, confident strides.
It was the apex predator of this region.
Whoosh—!
Blue flames flickered around the lion’s front paws. It kicked off the ground and leaped. Twin trails of fire streaked from its long tail like fireworks.
The trajectory aimed straight for Woojin’s head. He ducked urgently and threw himself aside.
Booom!!
The glancing paw strike slammed into the dirt. An explosion of embers large and small erupted amid the blast. The debris battered Woojin.
The shockwave hurled his body.
Woojin flew far back. His stance crumbled, so he scrambled to rise. But the beast didn’t miss the opening.
The male lion pounced on its fallen prey.
Crunch, cruuunch!!
The gnashing sounds echoed repeatedly. The savage jaws tore mercilessly into its victim.
The fight was over, simple as that.
So the lionesses approached their leader joyfully. The male continued chewing the human relentlessly, as if delivering the killing blow.
“......Kuh, guh...”
Suddenly, a weak groan leaked out.
The male lion convulsed, choking out strangled noises. Beneath him, Woojin had seized the lion’s throat with both hands, squeezing with all his might.
Crack, craaack—!
The lion raked Woojin’s side with its front paws. But with its throat crushed, it couldn’t muster full strength. The claws left only long scratches on the dragon scales.
At some point, the lion’s weakening paws merely tapped Woojin’s side repeatedly. Like tapping out in surrender.
Of course, Woojin had no intention of letting go.
Snap!!
He twisted and broke the male lion’s neck. The black lion flopped over, tongue lolling out. Dead. Woojin shoved the corpse aside.
As he rose, the lionesses startled and backed away.
They blinked in confusion, frozen as they processed the scene. Their heads couldn’t reconcile the reality with their expectations.
Then die.
Woojin charged the pride.
His machete whirled wildly, like a blind swordsman’s frenzy. With each swing, a chunk of lioness flesh sliced cleanly away.
Finally grasping the situation, the lionesses scattered in all directions, fleeing.
Woojin didn’t bother chasing them.
“Ow... that stings.”
He rubbed his nape repeatedly. Multiple bite marks from the male lion. Crimson blood welled up faintly from them.
Predators in the depths were formidable. The lion’s bite force had pierced the dragon scales and torn flesh.
Still, worth the effort.
Woojin had deliberately taken down the male without his machete. He wanted its hide intact.
He planned to craft a new hunting outfit from these fine black lion hides.
First, replenish stamina.
He gathered the corpses of the slain lions. Three lionesses and one male.
Woojin slit their bellies and extracted the inner cores, then chewed them like snacks as he worked.
Scraaape, scraaape—
He sharpened a lioness’s fang with his machete. For skinning, a short dagger was handier than the long blade.
Feeling better after the cores.
Chewing the male lion’s inner core had greatly improved his condition.
But he gained no new techniques. Ever since absorbing the dragon’s core and acquiring Lightning Strike, eating cores rarely granted him new abilities.
To explain it...
...Like that lake croc.
Just as the crocodile devoured beasts approaching the lake, Lightning Strike greedily consumed the power of any cores Woojin ingested.
That was why Woojin had unhesitatingly given the wolf cores away in the past.
Wonder how Rex is doing.
He’d ordered the wolves to escort Saintess Cecilia. They were probably carrying out the mission diligently.
Suddenly, faces from the south came to mind one by one. Cecilia, Rolang, Bow, the Nol tribe, the arrogant nagas. And Claire.
...I promised I’d come back soon.
A sigh escaped him.
He’d promised to return within four months at most. But with things like this, he couldn’t say when he’d make it back to the city.
The worst possible situation.
And yet, on the other hand... he was secretly enjoying it.
He’d never been to this region before. Woojin had mainly operated in the northwest of the Demonic Realm. This was the opposite: the northeast.
He had nothing to his name, surrounded by unknowns. New terrain, beasts, techniques. Crafting a hunting outfit from black lion hides in such circumstances...
...Feels like a fresh start.
Excitement and liberation stirred his heart.