Chapter 21: Poison Forest-3
Chapter 21: Poison Forest-3
Dakam continued speaking.
"Anyway, when you come out to the outskirts, you must apply herbs to your body. Otherwise, the bugs and insects will swarm you."
It was true that sticking close to Dakam had kept the insects from approaching us.
Seeing that, I spoke to the squad leader.
"We should learn some of these things too."
"Indeed. Had we come here without any preparation on our own, we would have been in serious trouble. We only ran for about one hour from the patrol route, and yet it turned out like this. I'd heard stories that in the past, going deeper in meant you encountered too many poison creatures, so they only established patrol routes up to a certain point. That must have been because of this place called the Poison Forest."
That was the first time I had heard that story.
But it was also a perfectly understandable story.
The deeper we went into the forest, the stronger the musty, unpleasant stench became.
And even without being as sensitive as Squad Leader Seol Pung, I could hear the 'sssss'-ing sounds of something moving out of our path ahead.
Bi Sa-yeong gulped and quietly asked.
"Wh-what is that sound?"
Squad Leader Seol Pung answered with a fed-up expression.
"I think it's better not to know. Ugh, th-there was something like that too?"
"Excuse me? What else is there?"
"There is a centipede bigger than a person. It's watching us from that part of the forest right now."
"A centipede bigger than a person?!"
The only one who brightened at those words was Miss Cheongyeon.
A centipede bigger than a person.
Could it be that one?
The Flying Sky Centipede, said to leap into the sky using the elasticity of its tail?
Nah, surely not.
Wasn't that literally a legendary poison creature?
While I was thinking that, Dakam spoke with a bright, clear expression.
"Ah, that one is not that dangerous. It's the one that strikes its tail on the ground and jumps high, but it's very smart and recognizes people. I shared food with it a few times before, so it never attacks me."
Hmm, striking the ground with its tail to launch itself into the air.
So it really was the Flying Sky Centipede.
But not dangerous?
The fact that a centipede can recognize people already seemed plenty dangerous to me.
I suddenly asked him.
"Then what would you say are the most dangerous ones in the Poison Forest?"
He thought for a moment, then answered.
"Inside the Poison Forest, there are hornets the size of a handspan. Several of them move together, and a sting from even one kills you instantly. And though I have never seen them, there are spiders with faces like people, swarms of red leeches in the swamps, and also a snake as big as a tree with horns. They are all very terrifying."
Could he be talking about the Giant Tiger Hornet, the Human-faced Spider, the Blood Leeches, and the Poison Horn Serpent?
Those things actually existed?
What is this place? It's terrifying.
Beside me, Bi Sa-yeong, who was making a similar expression, muttered.
"What kind of place is this... Could there be a dragon here by any chance?"
Hearing that, Dakam answered him.
"A dragon? No, I have never heard any stories about there being a dragon."
Bi Sa-yeong chuckled wryly and muttered.
"Well, that's some comfort. Truly a relief."
Still, thankfully, we were circling around the outskirts of the Poison Forest, not going deep inside, on our way to Dakam's dwelling.
So it seemed we wouldn't have a chance to actually see those legendary poison creatures.
Which was...
incredibly fortunate.
Though Miss Cheongyeon looked a little disappointed.
Dakam continued speaking.
"And the bugs are also dangerous. The small insects are dangerous too. Ah! That one is also dangerous. A black panther that ate too much poison, so its fangs and claws became poison. It's as big as a tiger and fast, and even spears won't pierce it."
So his story was about,
a black panther that ate too much poison and became a poison creature?
As big as a tiger but spears won't stick into it?
Hearing up to that point, a bit of doubt crept in.
It was the suspicion that maybe the things I had been hearing from Dakam up to now were a bit exaggerated or tall tales.
At least, that was what I thought until Squad Leader Seol Pung opened his mouth.
"...That seems to be the very one."
"...Excuse me?"
Following Squad Leader Seol Pung's gaze, something massive was slinking toward us under the faint moonlight filtering through the leaves.
It was as large as a tiger, but its black skin looked as dark as a shadow even under the moonlight, and its two eyes emitted an eerie green light. It was definitely a black panther.
Dakam said, flustered.
"Th-that one usually doesn't come out to the forest outskirts! Ju-just wait a moment."
Then, from the leather pouch on his back, he took out a chunk of meat wrapped in leaves and threw it to the beast.
He seemed to always carry it in case he encountered poison creatures.
But it was no use.
The beast, after briefly sniffing the chunk of meat, raised its head again, its eyes gleaming green as it began approaching us.
Apparently, we gave off a more appetizing scent than the meat.
Probably because, unlike Dakam, we hadn't smeared herbs on our skin.
Lowering his stance and keeping his guard up against the beast, Bi Sa-yeong said.
"At times like this, Jin, I regret that you lost all that weight."
"Why, so you could throw me as bait and run away?"
"Heh heh heh, you know me well."
"Hmph! I'll repay the favor of you teaching me the Bi Sect's Divine Movement Technique by running away faster than you."
Just then, Miss Cheongyeon shouted.
"It's coming!"
The black panther, which had been slinking toward us, suddenly shot at us like a beam of light.
Pabak!
It was at a terrifying speed, fast enough that Bi Sa-yeong and I flinched by instinct.
But Squad Leader Seol Pung was in front of us.
Tadang!
Squad Leader Seol Pung dashed out at a speed similar to the beast and clashed with it mid-air.
Pung! Puh-puh-puh-pung!
Bi Sa-yeong muttered with a horrified expression.
"If my eyes aren't deceiving me, did that black panther just block the squad leader's kick technique?"
"Ah, I can't tell which is the beast and which is the person."
"That... is like a peak-level master."
It was just as Miss Cheongyeon said.
It was like watching a fight between peak-level masters.
Squad Leader Seol Pung, perhaps wary of the poisoned claws, kicked the inner part of the beast's paw, then used the rebound to spin his body, unleashing a whirlwind-like chain kick technique toward the beast's head.
But the panther defended against that chain kick with its front paws.
Both Squad Leader Seol Pung, who was pouring out offense with movements more beastly than a beast, and the panther, which was blocking it in a most un-beastly manner, were astonishing.
The two continued their fight, whirling through the treetops.
Overall, Squad Leader Seol Pung held the upper hand, but he wasn't able to land a decisive blow. Furthermore, if the beast's claws were truly poisonous as Dakam said, there was a danger the tide could turn with just a single strike.
We exchanged glances with each other and waited for an opportunity.
Then, when the beast showed us its back at a close distance, we burst out simultaneously.
Pabat!
Miss Cheongyeon's sword, my sword, and Bi Sa-yeong's saber became streaks of light, striking at the beast's rear.
Shaaaak!
Tatatatang!
"Kk?!"
"Ha?!"
"What in the world! An outrageous beast!"
In that instant, the beast had spun its long tail like a windmill and blocked our swords and saber. Then it immediately kicked off and leaped far back.
The beast must have felt we wouldn't be easy opponents if the fight continued.
After sweeping its green-glowing eyes over us once, it slowly disappeared back into the depths of the Poison Forest.
A moment later, Squad Leader Seol Pung relaxed his guard and spoke.
"It truly is gone."
Only then did we let out sighs of relief and mutter.
"So things like that really did exist in this world."
"It was astonishing."
Then Bi Sa-yeong retorted.
"The fact that it exists in the world is one thing, but the more outrageous part is that it was even near us."
I agreed.
After that, there were no greatly threatening things.
There were many peculiar snakes, but they posed no major threat, merely caught effortlessly by Squad Leader Seol Pung and shown to us.
Of course, the only one who showed any real interest was Miss Cheongyeon.
As I walked the path, I tried to extract as much knowledge as possible from Dakam.
Plants beneficial for detoxification, the method to make poison incense that drives away demons, and herbs used to repel poison creatures, among other things.
I worried it might be difficult due to Dakam's rough command of the language, but Dakam, who had learned these things from Dokno, was unexpectedly quite gifted at explaining.
As we walked, he would immediately pull up the necessary herbs and explain them in detail, showing us.
By the time we arrived at the dwelling where Dakam stayed, dawn was breaking.
Having memorized the way here, I spoke to the squad leader.
"Still, at this pace, it'll only take about three hours for us to return on our own, I think?"
"Yes, seems that way."
"Even if we take our time hunting poison creatures, it should take no more than four hours."
Upon hearing that, Bi Sa-yeong widened his eyes and asked.
"You memorized the entire way here? In the middle of the night? All three of you did?"
"Huh? Why, what's the matter?"
"It wasn't a particularly difficult path, was it?"
"Isn't that only natural, since we have to go back?"
As we looked at him with expressions that seemed to ask what was so natural he had to question it, he started grumbling under his breath.
He seemed to find something deeply unfair.
Dakam's dwelling was a small thatched hut.
He guided us inside with a bright face.
The hut was located on something like a small island, sunken into the inner part of the Poison Forest's swamp.
It seemed he had stacked sweet-smelling herbs that poison creatures disliked like walls around his residence and lived within.
Throwing the door wide open as he entered, Dakam shouted.
"Father! Father! I brought someone who can help!"
"Dakam! Dakam's back!"
"Dakam, where did you go!"
Inside the hut were Miao children, whom he had called his younger siblings, and an elderly man who looked utterly sickly, lying on a bed.
Cute children, and a white-haired old man with an incredibly stern, stiff impression.
It was amusing that the children's pronunciation, unlike Dakam's, was incredibly natural.
It seemed the younger children had excelled in learning, even though they had all been taught together.
"Dakam!"
"Dakam!"
As four children surrounded Dakam, clinging to him and sobbing, the old man lying on the bed frowned deeply and shouted.
"Abandoning the brats and where on earth did you go all night?! And what do you mean, someone to help, what nonsense is that?!"
At his irritation, Dakam soothed his younger siblings and looked toward us standing outside the door. Squad Leader Seol Pung stepped forward inside and greeted the old man.
"Good day, Elder. We are people who came at Dakam's request to help you."
At that, the old man's expression instantly turned ferocious.
He growled at us.
"You bastards, who are you? Don't tell me you're from the orthodox faction, the Flying Dragon Squad?"
At that hostile voice, we could only be momentarily bewildered.
Then in the next moment, the old man erupted like a volcano.
"Get the hell out this instant!"
And then he began grabbing whatever was near him with one hand and hurling it wildly.
"You bastards aren't even worth chewing up and swallowing! What's there for you to pick at here, that you came all this way?! Get out now!"
The wooden bowl he threw struck the wall beside the door and shattered, Peoseok.
Flower pots, a pillow, even spoons and chopsticks came flying with a fearsome momentum.
He was likely half-paralyzed, unable to steady his body and using only one hand to throw, so his aim wasn't accurate, but the force behind it was certainly daunting.
The startled Dakam rushed over to try and stop him.
"Father! What are you doing?! They are people who came to help us!"
"Shut up, you rascal! Didn't I tell you long ago not to do useless things?! Even if I die, do you think I would accept help from the likes of them?!"
At that murderous intensity, we had no choice but to hurriedly step back outside.
Even after we came out, the voice of the old man raging furiously and Dakam's voice trying to stop him continued to ring out.
We looked at each other, our faces full of bewilderment.
Bi Sa-yeong chuckled wryly and said.
"What kind of shitty situation is this?"
Those words were exactly what was on my mind.