Wild Horse (1)

The bridge had even been poured and fortified with cement gongguri.

Reinforced for durability, the crossing was now sturdy enough that someone could easily crawl across. With the real-life duel on the Gallery thoroughly settled, there was nothing pressing left to keep an eye on. Aside from teaching Ggobongi Korean and running drills, every urgent task and project on my plate had wrapped up all at once.

I'm gradually getting the hang of the chill.

The method I had developed for wielding the cold energy was straightforward: keep it separated from my normal circulation, drawing upon it only when necessary. Condensing it back together took time, but even that would speed up once I grew more accustomed to the process.

Now what should I do?

Waiting around aimlessly until the environment across the river shifted and someone crossed wasn't necessarily a terrible idea, but it was a massive waste of time. In the ever-shifting wilderness of the Forest of the Four Seasons, doing nothing and simply waiting for things to happen was practically synonymous with wishing for death.

Should I try getting some training from Ggobongi?

Someone might scoff at the idea of taking lessons from a gorilla, but what I wanted was proper martial arts. Ggobongi's martial prowess was exceptionally refined. Though his cultivation realm fell short of the Chief Gorilla's, his fundamentals were rock-solid. On the other hand, me? Forget throwing a proper punch; I lacked even the most basic foundation. As someone once put it, I was growing strong in a completely bass-ackwards way, so I managed to get by, but on the inside I was utterly hollow. Even beating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ggobongi had only been possible because he had been blind to the chill slumbering inside me.

Did they say that among mind, technique, and body, my qi was overwhelmingly lacking?

Even the Heavenly Demon and Sword Master had been unable to teach me 'qi.' To emphasize once more, it wasn't that they refused to teach me; they simply couldn't. It meant that even Sword Master's posts only reached peak effectiveness when a martial foundation already existed. So I had asked Ggobongi if he could show me just the simplest basics, but...

"No."

"Why?"

"Hate. You."

"..."

The moment I heard Ggobongi's petulant refusal, I gave up. Threatening him would be pointless anyway. If I slipped up and learned some warped, sabotaged technique, there would be no turning back.

Ultimately, with the bridge complete, I had a massive chunk of free time on my hands.

Maybe I should head out to explore?

If that's the plan, unfastening Ggobongi's suppressor collar would be better, but...

He'd bolt the very second he was free. That went without saying. Until we could trust each other completely, I had zero intention of taking off that collar.

Or should I just use him as a pack mule?

That was easily the best option. The subspace backpack didn't reduce mass, so the weight stayed exactly the same. Shifting all that onto Ggobongi would make exploration infinitely easier. Besides, being a gorilla, he could easily haul immense loads without breaking a sweat.

The more I think about it, the better it sounds.

Who knew having a single laborer would make such a massive difference? Absolutely fantastic.

After mapping out a quick plan in my head, I checked the map. Taking Ggobongi along meant the one place we absolutely had to steer clear of was the Gorilla Territory. There was no telling what kind of explosive friction would spark if we wandered in there. Especially if we ran into the Chief Gorilla—Ggobongi might have a complete fit.

"Hmm..."

Come to think of it, there wasn't much daylight left until dinner. An hour or two of scouting before heading back should do. Retracing familiar ground was totally fine, given that the season had shifted. I also needed to check how the local geography transformed with the changing seasons.

And I need to check out the place with that massive tree.

The lone, towering giant tree. Would Ggobongi know about it? It seemed best to ask Father Raccoon as well.

"Ggobongi. Do you know where that tree is? The one way bigger than all the others?"

"Don't know."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

He'd barely spent any time learning Korean, yet here he was answering fluently. If even Ggobongi, who had lived as a wanderer, didn't know, I'd ask Father Raccoon.

"Keeeng?"

"Guess you don't know either. Thanks for the herbs, though."

Since neither of them knew, I would have to track it down myself. But reaching it would take at least a full day, maybe even longer. In an area where compasses went haywire, one wrong move could leave me hopelessly lost forever.

Carving notches into tree trunks won't be enough for reliable trail markers.

It would be smart to steadily craft proper wooden trail markers and set them up everywhere I went for the first time. Without a working compass, this was the safest bet. Since I had a pack mule now anyway, hauling them wouldn't be an issue.

"Kkyuu?"

While I was pondering where to explore, Wonmo cautiously waddled up beside me. He must have seen my serious expression and wondered if something bad had happened. I gazed into Wonmo's heart-meltingly adorable face and hoisted him up into my arms. Having shed some winter weight, his pudgy frame had settled into a soft, plump tubbiness.

His fur shed like crazy too.

Weight aside, hair had fallen out by the bushel. Cleaning it all up had been quite the chore. Still, his overall build was steadily growing larger.

"Alright, Wonmo. Pick where you want to go."

"Kkyuu?"

"Anywhere you want."

Since I couldn't decide, I'd leave it to Wonmo's luck. Better to think of it as taking Wonmo out for some fresh air and a stroll rather than a hardcore expedition. Wonmo seemed to understand my words, staring intently at the map. Then, flailing his adorably stubby front paws, he pointed firmly toward a spot.

"Kkyu!"

"Here? This place is..."

A blank spot on the map. Completely unexplored territory. It was toward the path the Chief Gorilla had kindly carved out for me. I had planned to check it out eventually, but never got around to it because one crisis kept following another. After a moment's thought, I nodded. We'd be back quickly anyway, so it should be fine.

"Alright. Let's go. But we're coming right back, deal?"

"Kkyuu!"

Given permission to head out, Wonmo beamed with pure delight. How could a creature be this cute? I nuzzled my cheek against Wonmo's adorable face and gently set him down. The second his feet touched the ground, he started bouncing around everywhere. He really loved going outside.

"Alright, Ggobongi, you carry this."

"Ooh."

Tools and miscellaneous supplies went to Ggobongi. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Vital items like the Elixir I carried myself. Then, hoisting Fast Tree Sloth onto my back, the preparations were complete. Just in case someone tried breaking into our home while we were away, I made sure not to forget setting up the CCTV.

I had only dropped that as a lighthearted joke, but a whole barrage of dissuading comments came pouring in. From the sound of it, their tempers were far nastier than I had imagined. I should have known the moment legends claimed only pure maidens could ride them. Unless an animal had a thoroughly twisted personality, it wouldn't pull pretentious crap like that.

Well, that's assuming I actually run into a real unicorn.

I turned my steps toward the trail carved out by the Chief Gorilla. Wonmo led at the front, with Ggobongi bringing up the rear. We'd likely maintain this formation for the foreseeable future.

Nothing seems that differ—

I had assumed the woods beyond the Chief Gorilla's path would be an ordinary forest. It wasn't. Rather than lush greenery, a heavy desolation hung thick in the air. You could practically call it a scorched gray forest. The dead leaves carpeting the earth, the gnarled trunks of the trees—every surface bore faint traces of soot and char. Had there been a recent forest fire?

No. If a wildfire had torn through, everything should have been reduced to cinders.

It felt more as though every last drop of moisture had been brutally sucked dry, leaving the timber withered and gray. Something ominous lurked out here. I raised my guard and pressed on cautiously.

"Hey, Ggobongi. Do you know why it's like this?"

"Fire."

"Fire?"

"Fire."

When questioned, 'fire' was the only answer he offered. By all appearances, fire seemed to be the culprit behind the forest turning ash-gray, though the exact nature remained elusive. Thank goodness this zone lay far from the shelter; otherwise, I would have suffered severe collateral damage.

Just what kind of fire-related thing could warp an entire biome like this?

It wasn't a spatial anomaly like across the river. It felt more like 'fire' had staked its claim over this entire swath of land as its sovereign territory. I stepped carefully, watching between the leaf litter for any venomous insects.

Gooooo—

"..."

Before long, I came face-to-face with a cavern that radiated an overwhelming sense of dread the instant I laid eyes on it. My instincts screamed that someone was inside. Messing with the master of this cave felt like a suicidal mistake. Just as I was about to quietly turn back—

"Kkyuu!"

Wonmo, convinced he had found a new playmate, charged ahead at full tilt. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the gloom of the cavern. Panic seized me. Just as I was about to sprint in after him—

Fwoooosh!

"Kkyaaagh!!!"

A colossal burst of flame illuminated the entire interior of the cave. Realizing that the inferno spelled absolute doom, Wonmo scampered back out as fast as his stubby legs could scramble. He dove behind my shins, shivering like an aspen leaf. For a little guy who was usually bold and fearless, trembling this violently meant whatever lurked inside was no ordinary beast.

Clop, clop, clop—

Before long, the roaring flames inside the cavern began drawing closer, accompanied by the rhythm of heavy hooves. The blistering wave of heat forced me to stumble back a few paces. Now I finally understood why this forest was entirely ash-gray, and why not a drop of water remained.

Shaaaa!

I stirred the energy circulating within my body, primed to unleash the chill at a split second's notice. Stepping out into the open, the master of the territory revealed itself.

...A horse?

The creature cloaked in flames was a horse. And an enormous one at that. Its shoulder stood so high that I had to tilt my head back to meet its gaze. In place of a mane, roaring flames danced and flickered along its neck. Its eyes burned like open braziers. Its entire coat was pitch-black, radiating a crushing, suffocating presence.

"...Snort."

As if thoroughly irritated that its midday nap had been disturbed, the Flame Horse blew hot air through its nostrils. I slowly took a step back, making it clear through my posture that I had no intention of fighting. Wild horses were notoriously foul-tempered under normal circumstances, so provoking it was utterly pointless.

Slowly. Step back slowly...

Thwack!

Right as I was retreating, a stone went sailing over the Flame Horse's head. A second later, it bounced squarely off the stallion's skull with a sharp clack!

FWOOOOOOSH!!

Instantly, the horse's flames erupted with terrifying ferocity. As if proving its soaring fury, the roaring red fire gradually shifted into a scorching, incandescent blue.

"Fuckin' nice, huh?"

"..."

And the culprit who had thrown the rock was standing there grinning ear to ear. Clearly, he had pulled this stunt deliberately just to screw me over. If I died, great for him; if things went sideways, he probably figured he could just turn tail and sprint.

"You absolute son of a bitch!"

Just you wait. I'm putting a padlock on those glasses the second we get back.

Moments before Grylls clashed with the Flame Horse—out in the Savanna Biome.

Ludwig remained perched atop his giraffe. Severely wounded in the foot, taking even a single step on his own had become impossible. He had scavenged whatever usable herbs he could find to administer emergency first aid, but even that proved woefully insufficient.

Is amputation truly the only option?

He could distinctly feel the injured flesh rotting into black necrosis. Whenever he circulated mana through his channels, that specific part of his foot felt utterly empty, as though it had ceased to exist. Resigned to the worst-case scenario, Ludwig cast his gaze across the river.

Across the river currently lay a barren, jagged wasteland of cracked stone.

—Grooooaaaar!

—Wroooaaaar!

Over there, two titanic beasts were locked in ferocious combat. Armored plates coated their dense hides, looking as though elephants had been fitted with suits of tempered steel. Their legs were far thicker than any elephant's, granting them immovable balance, and their curved tusks were honed into razor-sharp blades. Truly terrifying creatures just to behold.

Is this what they call watching a fire safely from across the river?

Ludwig quietly observed the brutal brawl between the two behemoths.

"Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!!!"

Though in someone else's case, he had tumbled headfirst into the inferno itself.