Wild Horse (2)

Thanks to Ggobongi—a troll of generational proportions—things had gone sideways right from the jump.

He had gone out of his way to provoke a Flame Horse, a creature that clearly looked like bad news even at a glance. At first, I wondered if he had pulled this suicidal stunt just to screw me over, but then the screaming started.

“Ukkiyaaaak!”

“Hii-hi-hi-hi-hing!”

What kind of place was the Forest of the Four Seasons? It was an ecosystem where raccoons possessed freakish wits and gorillas boasted intellect on par with human beings. Back on Earth, horses were already considered exceptionally smart animals. Contrary to their wild, unruly image, wild horses lived in structured herds. Because they adhered to strict social hierarchies, their social intelligence was remarkably high.

And what happened when an animal that was already naturally intelligent inhabited a realm like this? We all knew the answer to that by now.

The Flame Horse possessed terrifyingly sharp instincts and read the room faster than most people.

Fwoooosh!

A torrent of searing fire erupted from the stallion's jaws, hurtling straight toward Ggobongi rather than me. Stripped of his ability to wield mana, the ape couldn't even dream of counterattacking; he was utterly consumed with scrambling for his life. The beast pursued him with laser focus, ignoring my existence entirely. Whether it instinctively recognized my innocence or had simply caught the perpetrator red-handed, I couldn't say.

Thanks to that, I was able to stand a safe distance away and casually enjoy the show. The radiating heat was blistering, but nothing I couldn't endure.

“Kkhi-hing.”

“Here you go, little guys. This tastes great. Eat up.”

While the mother was busy disciplining the delinquent, I took the opportunity to feed her foals. I had wondered why she had been so immediately hostile the moment she laid eyes on Wonmo, and it turned out she had been guarding her young inside the cavern. Being mere foals, their flames were nowhere near as massive as their mother's. Their eyes and manes flickered like delicate, dancing embers.

“Uwaak! Kuark! Kkweeeek!”

“Man, look at him spin.”

The chase concluded when the Flame Horse clamped its powerful jaws onto Ggobongi and began wildly whipping him around in circles. Considering Ggobongi's massive bulk, the equine's bite force was absurd. After playing with the ape like a ragged chew toy for a while, she hurled him across the clearing. The great white ape crashed into the dirt, charred black from head to toe. Judging by the faint twitches of his limbs, he was still breathing.

That’s what you get for trying to play mind games.

No doubt he had plotted to force me into a life-or-death crisis so I would be forced to disable his Suppressor Collar. Considering the Flame Horse's terrifying power, that gamble might actually have worked under normal circumstances. He had calculated Ppareumbo into the equation as well. Ggobongi knew full well that the Fast Tree Sloth was our party's ultimate trump card, a weapon kept in reserve for the direst emergencies.

Did he figure that out back when I begged Ppareumbo to train me?

He had watched me undergo that hellish conditioning, so he must have started scheming around then. What exact train of thought had led him to choose provoking another apex predator was beyond me, but one thing was crystal clear: he had dug his own grave. Outsmarted by his own cunning.

Dumbass.

Sneering inwardly at Ggobongi's misery, I carefully gauged the Flame Horse's mood. Having vented her wrath, the mare trot back to her foals. She cast a sidelong glance in my direction and jerked her chin toward the forest path, signaling me to get lost. Having zero desire to fight, I stepped back with utmost deference. After all, my party had been the one to start trouble in the first place.

“Kkweee-eng! Kkwe-eng!”

“Kkwi-ee-eng!”

The moment I turned to leave, the foals began to whine and whinny after me. I had only offered them a few Inedia Pills from my emergency rations and given them a couple of scratches behind the ears, but they seemed to have already taken a liking to me. While the mother busied herself soothing her clingy young, I jogged over to inspect Ggobongi.

His jaw hung slack, looking thoroughly concussed and half out of his mind. To add insult to injury, faint trails of smoke billowed out of his parted lips.

He actually managed to protect his glasses through all of that?

Hilariously enough, the spectacles perched on his snout were entirely intact. Desperate not to lose his newly gifted eyesight, he had guarded them with his life.

It feels like a waste to use an Elixir on him… but I don't have much choice.

I administered the Elixir, pouring barely half the vial down his throat. It felt criminal to burn a whole bottle on him; as long as the life-threatening burns were stabilized, his fur could grow back on its own time.

Bzzzzzzzt!

“Uwooooorgh!”

Healing was one thing, but punishment was another. I tapped my controller wristband firmly against my forearm, triggering the collar. Ggobongi thrashed in agony as high-voltage currents, far sharper than mere fire, ripped through his nervous system. Given the delicate circumstances, I refrained from a long lecture and kept it brief.

“Wait until we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get home.”

“……”

Ggobongi didn't utter a peep. More accurately, he couldn't. No matter how much he cursed me in his head, his current status was that of an enslaved subordinate. Today's stunt had actively jeopardized my survival, which meant I needed to reassess my approach to handling him. My mindset had shifted. I needed to think long and hard about what to do with him going forward. Even if it required harsh discipline, I had to establish an efficient, foolproof method of keeping him in line. Carrots were fine, but the whip was long overdue.

Tap, tap.

Just as I finished packing up and prepared to hike out, a claw poked gently at the nape of my neck. I glanced over my shoulder at the passenger clinging to my back.

Rustle.

Ppareumbo pointed a long, razor-sharp claw toward his own chest. The gesture was unmistakable: Leave Ggobongi to me.

As I had noted earlier, Ggobongi was fundamentally a beast. Regardless of how fluently he might speak human language, beasts understood beasts best. Since Ppareumbo had volunteered, leaving the ape's re-education in his capable claws sounded like an excellent idea.

Besides, Ppareumbo sits at the top of the camp hierarchy anyway.

Without Inedia Pills to bribe him, even I walked on eggshells around the sloth. He had saved my life on countless occasions. Lazy as he appeared while lazing around the shelter, he always delivered when it mattered. Entrusting the task to him was the right call.

“Kkwi-ee-eek!”

“Man. Are there only fire-element monsters around here?”

Before heading back, I had to finish scouting the perimeter. My attention was drawn to a wild boar whose bristling mane roared with blazing fire. A boar merged with pure flame—calling it a Fire Boar felt entirely appropriate. Seeing it made me realize instantly why this entire sector had been reduced to an ash-choked wasteland.

“Kkwi-ee-ee-eek!”

“Hot, hot, hot—shit!”

Its temper was every bit as foul as its appearance. I scrambled aside, narrowly dodging a gout of flame blasting from its snout. Taking a hit like that on an ordinary wooden shield would still leave me with third-degree burns. In response, I circulated mana, cloaking my entire body in a shimmering sheath of aura. Even if it couldn't nullify the heat entirely, softening the thermal shock was more than enough.

“Kkwi-ee-eek!”

Snorting jets of fire from its nostrils, the boar scraped its cloven hooves furiously against the scorched earth. It was an unmistakable warning: I am going to turn you into red paste.

True to its threat, the boar propelled itself forward like a runaway freight train. A massive beast enveloped in roaring flames barreling toward you was an intimidating spectacle by any measure.

Swish.

Unfortunately for the beast, that charge sealed its doom. What kind of blade was I holding? I simply planted my feet and aligned the edge of the Heavenly Demon's Sword directly along its trajectory.

The charging Fire Boar cleaved cleanly past the blade before collapsing heavily into the dirt. Normally, a cut of that magnitude would have bifurcated the carcass into two messy halves, but the sword's chilling frost qi flash-froze the bisected flesh on contact. The crystalline frost acted like supernatural glue, holding the two halves seamlessly together along the cut line.

At least I won't have to worry about the meat spoiling on the way back.

Dinner was officially decided. I stuffed the frozen boar carcass into my subspace backpack and initiated the return trek. Fortunately, we encountered no further aggressive beasts along the trail.

“Kkwi-ee-eng!”

“Kkhi-hing! Kkhi-hing!”

The only real nuisance was the Flame Horse foals trailing behind my heels, begging for more Inedia Pills or another round of head pats. It took an embarrassing amount of effort to herd them back to their mother before I could finally make it back to the shelter.

Come to think of it, don't animals love human touch because we scratch the spots they can't reach themselves?

If that was the case, their behavior made sense. Tossing them gourmet Inedia Pills on top of scratching their itchy spots must have painted me as the friendliest uncle in the forest. Part of me wished I could tame them as mounts, but their blazing manes made that a pipe dream. Trying to ride one would incinerate my groin in seconds. Better to give up on that dream early.

Even if I managed to absorb a fire-affinity essence, it probably wouldn't work out.

After all, gaining the power to channel extreme cold qi hadn't automatically granted me total immunity to sub-zero temperatures. I still had to wrap myself in furs during deep winter.

Once back inside the campsite, I set about preparing our evening feast. The first order of business was butchering the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Fire Boar that had been cleanly cleaved and frozen back together.

…How the hell am I supposed to carve this up?

When I butchered the giant tiger, it hadn't been cut completely in half. This boar was literally held together by frost. The instant the ice thawed, the abdominal lining would give out and spill the internal organs everywhere in a foul mess.

Bleeding it out is going to be a nightmare too. Guess I'll just salvage whatever cuts I can manage.

I had been craving pork belly for weeks, but that seemed unlikely today—assuming these alien monsters even had an anatomical equivalent. Staring blankly at the frozen hunk of meat without a clue where to start, I gave up and turned to the Gallery for collective wisdom.

Too bad the hide was cleanly split in two during the kill, so harvesting a whole pelt is out of the question.

Still, waste not, want not. Even if I couldn't sell it, I could always stitch the pieces together to reinforce our shelter or pad our bedding when winter rolled around.

Following the forum's advice, I briskly processed the carcass, scooping the semi-frozen entrails into a wooden bucket before they could thaw and spoil the meat. I pointed at the bucket and ordered Ggobongi to dump the contents far downstream in the river. To my surprise, he obeyed without a shred of grumbling or sluggish defiance.

I wondered for a brief second if the near-death experience with the Flame Horse had taught him some humility, but I quickly shook the thought away.

No way. He's way too cunning. He's probably just playing obedient to lower my guard.

I couldn't afford to relax. Showing genuine warmth or affection toward him would have to wait until he was completely broken and thoroughly tamed.

When the butchering was finally finished, I ended up with a respectable haul of prime rib cuts and marbled loin.

Sizzzzzle—

“Khaaa.”

I had said it a thousand times, but meat was simply never wrong. Fish had its own charms, but nothing compared to the rich, intoxicating aroma and glossy sheen of fat dripping from searing red meat over an open flame. There was plenty to go around, guaranteeing everyone a lavish feast tonight.

Plus, with my frost qi, I can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠essentially deep-freeze the surplus for long-term storage. What an absolute cheat code.

It was going to be a meat paradise for the foreseeable future, interspersed with occasional fresh river fish for variety. I sliced off a generous, juicy slab and tossed it toward Wonmo. The little owlbear cub's eyes practically exploded with sparkles of pure joy.

“Chomp! Chomp! Gulp!”

“Good, isn't it?”

“Kkyu-oo! Nom nom nom!”

Wonmo buried his entire snout into the steaming meat, devouring it like a starving beast. I chuckled, gently stroking his feathered head to remind him not to choke.

“You want some too, buddy?”

“……”

Even Ppareumbo, who normally lived on a strict diet of Inedia Pills and sunlight, found the rich scent of roasting ribs irresistible. He slowly reached out with a claw, accepted a rib bone, and began to chew with agonizing slowness, thoroughly savoring every single bite.

That left only Ggobongi…

“Oo-ooh!”

The charred ape beat his chest frantically, demanding his share as if he had actually accomplished something praiseworthy today. As I stared at his shameless display with an expression of pure disgust—

SMACK!

Moving at blinding, incomprehensible speed, Ppareumbo materialized before Ggobongi and delivered a resounding backhand across the gorilla's jaw.

The strike was so abrupt and violent that I nearly dropped my skewer. If I was stunned, Ggobongi was utterly traumatized. His eyes bulged behind his glasses, staring at the sloth with absolute, unadulterated shock.

“……”

Having delivered the disciplinary slap, Ppareumbo pointed a claw at the sizzling ribs, then pointed deliberately toward me. The message was loud and clear: If you want to eat, learn some damn respect for the one who feeds you.

Evidently, Ggobongi's reckless stunt with the Flame Horse had rubbed Ppareumbo entirely the wrong way as well.

Shoo, shoo.

Adding insult to injury, the sloth dismissively waved his hand, signaling Ggobongi to get lost. What could the ape do? Fleeing was impossible thanks to the Suppressor Collar locked around his neck, and above all else, his evening meal was on the line. In the unforgiving wild, food was directly synonymous with survival. Denying him dinner might not kill him, but to a gluttonous primate, it was the cruelest punishment imaginable.

“……”

Completely demoralized, Ggobongi slunk backward into the shadows of the cave entrance. He cast lingering, pathetic glances toward the sizzling fire pit, but I had zero sympathy for him. He had brought this entirely upon himself. If this broke his rebellious spirit and kept him from causing catastrophic trouble down the line, so much the better.

Brushing the pathetic ape from my mind, I sank my teeth into a thick, glistening rib.

Wait… why does this taste naturally flame-broiled? This is insane.

Perhaps because it was a beast suffused with fire mana, the meat possessed a rich, natural smokiness that tasted like high-end barbecue right off the bone. Knowing we had a stash of this exquisite meat waiting for us was an immense comfort.

Bzzzzzz—

Just as dinner concluded and I was wiping down our wooden utensils, an insect buzzed lazily past my ear. Before I could swat it away, the bug landed squarely on the back of my hand. I crushed it in an instant, but a cold prickle of realization washed over me. If that thing had bitten me, I could have contracted some bizarre magical pathogen.

Come to think of it, I need to stock up on insect repellent.

With summer creeping in, biting pests and venomous insects would soon be running rampant throughout the forest. I opened the trade interface, purchased several canisters of heavy-duty repellent, and thoroughly coated the cavern entrance and the perimeter of the shelter. While I was at it, I scattered sulfur and anti-snake compounds along the barricades as well. In the wild, insects and vipers were threats that had to be neutralized on sight.

I wonder what kind of nightmare this forest's summer has in store. Please, anything but swarms of giant mosquitoes…

And naturally, because this wretched forest never failed to deliver on my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worst fears—

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

The following morning, I stood frozen at the cave mouth, utterly lost for words at the apocalyptic horror unfolding beyond our threshold.

A black, writhing wall of insects choked the canopy, blotting out the morning sky and rendering visibility virtually zero. A literal living cloud of venomous swarms. What would have happened if I hadn't meticulously sprayed the perimeter with repellent last night? The entire swarm would have flooded our cave, stripping the flesh from our bones while we slept. The thick fabric of the sealed tent had provided an extra layer of defense, keeping us completely untouched.

…Is this what a Dark Swarm looks like in real life?

At this rate, I half expected a Defiler to pop out of the bushes and cast Plague next.

“Ukkiyaaaak! Aaaaaaargh!”

A bloodcurdling, frantic shriek echoed from outside the barricade.

“Oh. Right.”

He had been forced to sleep outside. I totally forgot.