#12. Crossing Paths
#12. Crossing Paths
The image sharpened—a single straight hole bored through its forehead. It was proof that the mana bullet had pierced its brain, and yet the creature did not stop.
Its gait remained dignified and haughty. True to its name as the Tyrant of the Mountain, it refused to fall. A chill crept over me—a dark premonition that it had somehow already regenerated its brain in that brief span.
"——!"
I wanted to put some distance between us to assess the situation, but my body wouldn't listen. Frozen stiff from mental exhaustion, I could only watch as the beast closed in, its jaws yawning open right before my nose.
"......"
I burst into weak laughter. The light in its eyes was gone. I reached out with a tentacle and nudged it gently. It toppled over sideways like a lifeless doll. Its pupils were fully dilated. The heart was still beating, but it wouldn't be for much longer. A hollow feeling spread through me at the realization that it was already dead.
Yes, dead. But even seeing its corpse, it didn't feel real. It seemed like it might spring up and lunge at me at any moment, yet it remained collapsed on the ground. As if driven by something beyond reason, I approached and devoured it.
[Experience Points at maximum. Lv.7 → Lv.8]
[Experience Points at maximum. Lv.8 → Lv.9]
[Level 10 Achievement Condition met.]
[Experience Points at maximum...]
After finishing the empty, mechanical feeding, I masked my presence with Stealth and fled far beyond the temple grounds. I shot up a hill in a flash and stared down at the beautiful scenery, utterly entranced.
I raced straight up to the peak and numbly checked my Status.
[Tyrant of the Mountain (Warg {Unformed}) Lv.14] [EXP 952 / 19124]
[Length 1.24m] [Height 64.7cm] [Weight 34.2kg]
The first thing to change was my title, from Master of Baemsagol to Tyrant of the Mountain. I had stolen the title the beast once held.
Joy I'd been too frantic to feel while devouring it began to surge. A swelling sense of accomplishment bloomed in my chest. At long last, I had achieved every goal I had set for myself on this mountain.
I was now, without question, the strongest living thing here. The fact that I had conquered Jirisan spurred me on.
What a string of days it had been. A relentless sequence of death matches I never wanted to repeat. Yet here I was, having crossed those lines of death and finally arrived.
It was only now, so much later, that it truly sank in—I had killed the Monster Wolf. Overcome with emotion, I involuntarily threw my head back and howled.
"——————!"
[Intimidation (F) Lv.3 proficiency at maximum. Intimidation (F) Lv.3 → Intimidation (F) Lv.4]
[Intimidation (F) Lv.4 proficiency at maximum. Intimidation (F) Lv.4 → Intimidation (F) Lv.5]
I was a little puzzled by the sudden jump in Intimidation, but I assumed it was just the animals in the area panicking, so I turned my attention elsewhere. The most striking change was my Level. It had rocketed from 7 to 14.
Just how much EXP had I gotten?
The EXP requirement for Level 7 was around nine thousand, and I'd already built up about six thousand. Level 14 required nearly twenty thousand. To jump seven levels meant I'd earned close to a hundred thousand EXP.
The Monster Wolf was truly a monster worthy of the name.
Before: [STR 91] [AGI 99] [VIT 167] [MP 30]
After: [STR 111] [AGI 124] [VIT 193] [MP 45]
My stats had seen a huge overall boost. Every previous level up gave me about two to three points in each stat, but this increase was unusually high for only seven levels. It must have been a significant growth spurt from crossing the Level 10 threshold.
VIT 193. The Monster Wolf's VIT had been 233. At the very least, I'd closed the gap considerably in raw endurance. I didn't know if I could ever grow as physically massive as it was, but by the time I did, I expected to be far stronger than it had ever been. Thanks to my skills.
My thoughts then drifted to Lee Eun-ha.
She had collapsed mid-fight, but without her, taking down the Wolf would have been impossible. I'd faintly picked up a presence through Detection, so her allies must have gotten her out. She was alive. I was sure of it. After a small nod, I checked my skills.
[Skill List]
Devouring (E) Lv.9, Tentacle Bundle (E) Lv.3, Detection (D) Lv.2, Weak Regeneration (E) Lv.8, Weak Stealth (E) Lv.8, Spying (E) Lv.4, Faint Hearing (F) Lv.9, Faint Sixth Sense (F) Lv.6, Weak Sight (E) Lv.4, All Damage Reduction (D) Lv.3, Hardening (D) Lv.3, Change (E) Lv.2, Faint Poison Resistance (F) Lv.1, Intimidation (F) Lv.5, Empty Stomach (E) Lv.6, Swimming (F) Lv.4, Diving (F) Lv.4, Elasticity (E) Lv.8, Perception (E) Lv.3, Charge (E) Lv.3, Swift Foot (E) Lv.3, Weak Olfactory Sense (E) Lv.3, Excellent Intuition (D) Lv.1
[Remaining Skill Points: 7]
'Devouring will reach D-rank soon.'
I'd honestly hoped it would jump straight to D-rank after I ate the Monster Wolf, but I had to settle for going from Level 8 to 9. Overall, my skill levels had risen significantly.
Quite a few had already reached Level 9 and weren't far from maxing out. With seven Skill Points in the bank, I finally had some breathing room... plus...
[Tyrant of the Mountain: One who has conquered a mountain. All life on the conquered mountain submits.]
More than anything, this title proved that I had become the king of this mountain.
Submission. So that was why my Intimidation had shot up two levels earlier. After I finished checking my status, I made my way down the mountain, passing by Beopgyesa Temple along the way. The Iljumun Gate. A string of Chinese characters I couldn't read. I stared up at them blankly before spotting a clump of fallen fur at the bottom of the steps.
It was black, but slightly different from my own. It couldn't have been the Monster Wolf's. Most likely it belonged to the bear. At that thought, I gave a bitter smile.
The bear I'd spent those days with. It must have followed me all the way here. I couldn't see or detect it anymore, but I truly hoped it would live a long, long life as I hurried on my way.
Because now, it was really time to leave Jirisan.
***
"So you put in for another department change?"
"Ah... yes."
"Do you have a brain, or not? You think the Clan is a joke?"
"...I'm sorry."
"You idiot. You're already on disciplinary notice."
Lee Eun-ha, who had been sipping her coffee, parted her lips slightly. The price for her unauthorized trip into Jirisan was a painful six-month pay cut.
"...But the Team Leader keeps calling me for dispatch..."
"Did I? No, that was him. Anyway, that ship has sailed. Go do your job, you brat."
"Senior~ Are you sure there's nothing you can do? Please?"
"......"
"I'll introduce you to my friends! Please! I'm begging you!"
At her desperate plea, Woo-taek heaved a sigh. Her friends?
"Those greenhorn brats?"
"......"
"Oh-ho. You've got a real 'if looks could kill' face going on there."
"What? No, not at all...?"
A brief silence hung over them. Woo-taek let out a long breath, as if to reset the mood.
"Fine. Let's hear it. Why do you want to come back?"
"......"
"You hated Hunter work. Isn't that why you transferred to the Administrative Department?"
The remark hit the nail on the head, and Lee Eun-ha's lips sealed shut. Woo-taek looked down at her as she leaned against the railing and thought to himself.
She's got talent. That much is undeniable. If she didn't, I would never have scouted her for Dawn. The Team Leader wouldn't consistently drag her along, calling it a dispatch.
But it's still no good. Her personality isn't suited for it. We'd talked about it with the Team Leader before, but there was no way I was going to let Lee Eun-ha back into Search Team 3. Hunter work breaks a person. There's no avoiding it.
Fighting is an act of constantly eating away at yourself. You can't afford to neglect training to avoid being devoured by monsters, and even when you kill the monsters, the stench of blood follows you. It's a grueling job. Young kids might blindly idolize hunters, but it's not actually that great. And she should know this, having worked as a hunter, however briefly.
Letting talent go to waste was regrettable, but far better than watching the person crumble. Woo-taek shook his can of coffee.
"If you don't talk by the time I finish this, I'm just leaving."
"...Do you really have to hear it?"
"So I'm leaving?"
"Ahhhh! Fine! Alright! ...You petty jerk."
"What was that?"
"Oh come on. Would it kill you to just pretend you didn't hear it?"
Eun-ha's lips trembled for a moment.
"So, you know...? Last time... I really know it sounds like complete nonsense, okay?"
"......"
"I asked if you saw, well, anything at the very end. Because of that..."
"Hm."
"Someone definitely saved me at the end. I'm sure of it. So I went to at least confirm that, but..."
Woo-taek, who had been listening to the rambling story, let out a long, frustrated sigh.
"Does that make any sense?"
"......"
"You're saying that... thing saved you from the Alpha (Jirisan Warg)? On that mountain?"
Alpha (Jirisan Warg). The code name assigned to the Warg of Jirisan. The leader of the two Wargs they had yet to capture. A special entity that they could only speculate had already evolved into a different species.
"...Yes."
"Okay. Let's just say it's true."
"......"
"Let's say that slime saved you."
"It's not 'let's say,' it really..."
"So what exactly do you plan to achieve by coming back?"
Lee Eun-ha's words caught in her throat. Her reason for wanting to return... she had thought about it, but the moment she was asked, her mind went blank. Because deep down, she knew perfectly well how absurd her own words and thoughts were.
"You said it saved you from the Alpha (Jirisan Warg). But the Alpha (Jirisan Warg) is still alive. Assuming you're right... doesn't that mean the slime died saving you?"
That was... probably right. Lee Eun-ha nodded, her face a mask of outward calm.
"So what's the point?"
"......"
"Do you even know what you did wrong in the first place?"
"I went to Jirisan without permission and interfered with the team..."
"No, Lee Eun-ha. That's not it."
Woo-taek shook his head with a sigh.
"You still don't get it after all that? You're wilfully forgetting reality."
"Forgetting...?"
"Your position. You've forgotten it. You're not even a Hunter right now. Wrong? Yeah. Of course you interfered with the team. That's valid grounds for punishment. But more than that, you're spouting delusional nonsense about a slime saving you."
"Delusional nonsense..."
A dejected Lee Eun-ha slumped over the rooftop railing, almost collapsing against it.
"Maybe it's not nonsense to you. But what about us?"
"......"
"Why would a slime save you? And how could it stop the Alpha (Jirisan Warg)?"
"......"
"Even if I let it slide, what do you think everyone else would say?"
You nearly died twice going to Jirisan. Once when you deserted your post during a dispatch without any notice. The second time, on your own, while on medical leave. And the first words out of your mouth after waking up... 'You've lost it. You really have.' Eun-ha felt pathetic. She let out a self-deprecating sigh that seemed to weigh her down into the ground.
"And now, after pulling all that, you're telling me you want to quit Admin and come back to Search Team 3."
"......"
"I'm done talking. Go apologize and get to work."
"...But still."
"But still? Hey, are you even—"
"Are you even listening to me?" Woo-taek couldn't finish the sentence. Lee Eun-ha had bent over, bowing her head deeply.
"I still want to go. Please."
As Woo-taek straightened Lee Eun-ha, who was stubbornly bowing, he accidentally met her eyes. They held something. Deep, unrelenting emotion. Seeing it, Woo-taek was struck speechless.
"I don't care if you call me crazy, senior. I'll take it if others curse me out."
"...You."
"Even so. I want to find it."
Woo-taek realized too late what that something in Lee Eun-ha's eyes was. It was an unadulterated killing intent.
"I'm not trying to find the slime."
"......"
"That wolf. You said it was called the Alpha (Jirisan Warg)?"
"What are you planning to do with the Alpha?"
"Kill it."
At that immediate, unhesitating answer, Woo-taek gripped Lee Eun-ha's shoulders.
"Snap out of it, Lee Eun-ha! I said you're not a Hunter anymore!"
"......"
"Are you really out of your mind?"
"I—! It saved me twice! And yet...!"
What kind of person would I be if I couldn't even do that? Lee Eun-ha chewed on her lip.
"I'm going to kill the Alpha (Jirisan Warg). One way or another. I definitely will."
Woo-taek squeezed his eyes shut at her bold declaration. For anyone else, it would be impossible. But if Lee Eun-ha had set her mind to it, it might not be. This was the talent that even the Squares had coveted. If she'd been an Academy graduate instead of just finishing regular high school, she might have shattered past records and already been a team-leader level asset.
'We scouted her because that talent was too precious to waste. Didn't the Team Leader covet her for the exact same reason? If she really decides to go through with this, if she means it from the bottom of her heart...'
"......"
It didn't feel utterly impossible. Instead of asking if she was serious, Woo-taek simply looked into her eyes. The killing intent blazing in them was answer enough.
"Please, senior."
"......."
"Help me get back into Team 3."
At her second plea, Woo-taek pressed his forehead against the arm braced on the railing. He thought for a long, long time.
"...I'll put in a word."
"......!"
"But don't get your hopes up. The Team Leader... he's not going to welcome you back with open arms."
"Thank you!"
Whether she actually heard the last part or not, Woo-taek shook his head with a sigh and disappeared back into the building. Eun-ha, her fingers brushing the coffee can left on the railing, let out a small, fleeting smile.
'He said to talk before he finished it.'
The can was already empty. She chuckled softly at his awkwardness, but her expression hardened immediately as a name rose in her mind.
"Alpha (Jirisan Warg)......"