A Desperate Bluff
Though they screamed as if they would tear him apart, not a single one stepped forward to lead the charge. This was precisely why Jekyeong had gone out of his way to target the most difficult opponent first. Since he was outnumbered, his primary focus had to be reducing their numbers as quickly as possible. However, if he had targeted those who were already terrified or disheartened, the payoff would likely have been minimal compared to the effort expended. Those who had already resolved to kill would fight desperately regardless of whether one or two more of their companions fell.
‘A fight is all about momentum.’
His body was in terrible shape after taking several hits while finishing off the female cultivator, but he had successfully shifted the tide of the battle. It was still three against four—no, two against four—but they would no longer view this as a hunt. To them, it was now a life-or-death struggle. The difference was monumental. They had come expecting an easy hunt, not a desperate battle.
Jekyeong sought to maintain his momentum and press the attack. Under normal circumstances, he would have bided his time, waiting for the Wood Demon's poison to take effect. Yet, despite their clash with the Wood Demon, none of them showed any signs of poisoning. They clearly possessed some means of resisting it. Stalling would yield no benefits; it would only work against him. Once the adrenaline faded and his mind cooled, the agony racking his body would only grow more unbearable.
"Jekyeong! Help me!"
Just as Jekyeong was about to move, Cheongo’s frantic cry for help echoed through the air. He whipped his head around and saw Cheongo being relentlessly pursued by a flying sword. Even though Cheongo’s flight speed had vastly improved after becoming a Demon Beast, the bird was barely keeping ahead of the weapon, dodging by the narrowest of margins.
"Hang on!"
The master of the sword was the young man Jekyeong had kept his eye on from the very beginning—likely the strongest cultivator among them. The fact that Cheongo was managing to draw his attention was an achievement far exceeding Jekyeong's expectations. Initially, Jekyeong had told Cheongo to decide when and how to intervene on its own, mostly because he hadn't expected much from the bird in the first place. He hadn't believed the clever bird would risk its own skin to fight. He figured Cheongo would put on a decent show of fighting to save face, then flee without a backward glance the moment things turned south...
‘I suppose it can pull through when it counts.’
Perhaps he had set his expectations for Cheongo too low. Regardless, since Cheongo was playing such a vital role, Jekyeong had to do his part.
"Just a little longer!"
Jekyeong let out a ferocious roar and lunged at the nearest cultivator. At the same time, a barrage of Dharma Treasures and spells flew toward him once more. Even his sturdy scales could not withstand attacks infused with spiritual energy. His flesh tore, gouged, and ripped away in chunks. But he did not stop.
"Graaaah!"
Sensing something flying straight for his eye, he snapped his eyelid shut. Something sharp and solid pierced his eyelid. A sharp, agonizing pain—entirely different from the dull aches elsewhere—flared up, but he ignored it.
Crunch!
Another cultivator disappeared into Jekyeong’s massive maw. Before he could even register the satisfaction of another kill, a heavy impact and a wave of agony slammed into his midsection.
‘Three down.’
He quickly scanned his surroundings with his remaining good eye. The two cultivators who had been close to him had scrambled back, putting a significant distance between them. Even the young cultivator, who had been distracted by Cheongo, was now glaring at him with venomous intent.
‘This is bad.’
He had seized the momentum. The faces of the two who had retreated were painted with naked terror. But the other one. The young cultivator wielding the flaming sword was the real problem. Despite losing half his companions, he remained remarkably composed.
‘Then you're next.’
His mind made up, Jekyeong set his sights. Dragging his numbed, incredibly heavy body with every ounce of strength he could muster, he charged.
"What a ferocious beast!"
The young cultivator thrust both hands forward, and three talismans materialized in front of him. As the runes on the three talismans began to glow, the youth's face drained of color.
"Die, monster!"
The three talismans vanished, their runes merging into a single, colossal blade of fire. Its sheer presence aside, the radiating heat was intense enough to wither and dry everything in the vicinity in an instant. Even Jekyeong, charging recklessly with his single eye gleaming, felt a primal surge of fear at the sight. Instinct warned him that the moment that blade struck, death would be inescapable.
Rumble—!
Right then, the ground beneath the young cultivator's feet ruptured, and a massive root erupted from the earth. The moment it emerged, the root lashed out at his back. Though he reacted swiftly and dodged, the sudden impact threw him off balance. Jekyeong did not miss that split-second opening. He closed the remaining distance at full speed, plunging straight through the trembling, unstable blade of fire. Crimson flames engulfed half his body, including his head.
"You...!"
For the first time, the young cultivator's calm facade shattered. In his wide, terrified eyes reflected the hideously charred face of a serpent, its jaws agape, revealing rows of blade-like fangs.
Though he had managed to eliminate his most troublesome opponent, Jekyeong felt no joy. Instead, the moment the realization of his victory registered, the exhaustion and agony he had desperately suppressed rushed back all at once, threatening to tear away his consciousness. If he let his guard down for even a second, he would collapse. Forcing his heavy, drooping eye open, Jekyeong glared at the two remaining human cultivators.
"Jekyeong! That was amazing!"
Cheongo chirped in excitement, but Jekyeong couldn't bring himself to respond. To his ears, every sound had dissolved into a sharp, piercing ringing.
"Threaten them. Don't overdo it. Just driving them away is enough."
"Huh? Why? We can just kill them too!"
Jekyeong couldn't comprehend what Cheongo was saying, nor could he tell if his own words were even leaving his mouth. He simply muttered as if in a monologue, hoping the bird would understand, and did what needed to be done.
‘I'm going to die at this rate.’
Even though it wouldn't have been surprising if he collapsed right then and there, Jekyeong desperately maintained his imposing aura. He had trained in the Presence-Concealing Technique to learn how to control his aura. Fortunately, he wasn't without talent, and his efforts had yielded decent results. And now, his technique evolved in an entirely new direction. While the technique was originally meant to suppress his aura and hide his presence, Jekyeong was now using that very control to artificially sustain his fading energy. He was putting on a bluff for the two remaining human cultivators, projecting the illusion that despite his wounds, he was far from weakened.
The control over one's aura, once used only to hide, is inverted to project a false front of absolute strength.
He had no way of knowing if his bluff had worked. The world through his single eye had grown so hazy, as if shrouded in a thick fog, that he could no longer discern the movements of the two cultivators.
‘Are they gone?’
He lost all track of time. Jekyeong's vision plunged into absolute darkness. The only thing keeping him upright was his fierce, unyielding will to survive. The longer he maintained his bluff, the higher his chances of survival. Yet, even the most desperate will had its limits. At some point, Jekyeong felt the world spin and turn upside down.
‘Or... am I the one falling?’
And with that, his consciousness faded.
When Jekyeong finally regained consciousness, he tried to open his eyes. However, while he managed to pry one eye open with great effort, the other refused to budge no matter how hard he tried. It felt as though someone had glued it shut.
‘I'm not dead.’
That was his very first thought the moment he realized he could see, even if only through one eye. He was alive. That was all that mattered. Why he couldn't open his other eye, why his vision was so blurry, where he was, what situation he had landed in... There were countless questions he wanted answered, but right now, none of them mattered.
‘I'm alive.’
As long as he was alive, he could do anything. Only by staying alive could he accomplish anything. Therefore, being alive was enough.
‘Ugh!’
As his mind cleared, the agony racking his body intensified. He couldn't even begin to guess how badly damaged his body was to cause such excruciating pain, but Jekyeong suppressed his fearful curiosity. The sharper the pain, the more vivid the sensation of being alive. Right now, he had to welcome even this agony.
How much time had passed? By the time the blinding pain subsided to a dull, manageable throb, Jekyeong's blurry vision finally began to clear. A chaotic pile of beast carcasses lay before him. Looking closer, he could see massive insects mixed in here and there. He had no idea what they were or why they were piled up in front of him, but Jekyeong opened his mouth anyway. Lacking the strength to even move his head, he flicked his tongue out, dragging in whatever he could reach and swallowing it bit by bit. He swallowed them whole, over and over. Like parched earth drinking in a sudden downpour, his body greedily digested everything he swallowed. Though the beasts and insects were ordinary creatures, filling his stomach seemed to restore a fraction of his strength. After flicking his tongue a few more times with difficulty, Jekyeong finally managed to lift his head and begin eating in earnest.
‘Not enough.’
The sizable pile of food vanished in an instant. His recovering body demanded far more nourishment. Yet, he could still barely move his head, and the food within his line of sight was completely gone.
Flap, flap!
Just then, the sound of vigorous wingbeats echoed, and Cheongo swooped down. Clutched in its beak was a six-legged beast even larger than the bird itself.
"Huh?"
Seeing Jekyeong awake, Cheongo’s eyes went wide. It dropped the beast and shrieked with joy.
"Jekyeong! Jekyeong! You're awake!"
Jekyeong glanced at the carcass that had landed right in front of him and quickly pieced the situation together. It seemed all the food he had just devoured had been brought to him by Cheongo.
"You wouldn't wake up! I thought you were dead! I really thought you were dead!"
"As if."
He brushed it off, but it had been an incredibly close call. While his greed for the Wood Demon's utility had played a part, his biggest mistake had been misjudging the strength of the human cultivators.
‘And I overestimated my own strength.’
He had always prided himself on his caution. How had he allowed himself to make such a blunder? Had he grown arrogant without realizing it after becoming a Demon Beast? Or had mingling with the senior cultivators in Bul-mang-won deluded him into thinking he was on their level?
‘It was all of the above.’
He had survived, so things had worked out in the end, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"What happened to those cultivators?"
"They ran away! I chased them off! I did!"