The One-Eyed Hunter of the Swamps
Jekyeong tore into the beast Cheongo had brought him, listening to the bird recount what had happened after he collapsed. Just as Jekyeong had instructed before losing consciousness, Cheongo had threatened and driven away the two human cultivators. Already terrified and stripped of their will to fight, they couldn't withstand Cheongo's threats, Jekyeong's lingering bluff, and the subtle pressure of the Mok-yo any longer, choosing to flee.
"The wood guy?"
"Yeah! While I was chasing them away, he was shaking his branches like crazy in the back!"
Cheongo flapped its wings wildly to demonstrate. The clumsy imitation wasn't particularly helpful, but from the sounds of it, the Mok-yo had done its absolute best to assist Cheongo in its own way.
"Is he alright?"
"Yeah. But he's not very good at hunting, so he's still really weak."
"Not good at hunting?"
"All the beasts around here ran away, so it's hard to find anything to hunt."
"Ah."
It hadn't been a mere hunt; it was a full-scale battle. And a highly disruptive one at that. With such a massive commotion, it was only natural that the wild beasts, driven by their sharp instincts, had sensed the danger and fled the area en masse.
"How many days has it been since I collapsed?"
"Almost two days!"
"Two days..."
Even after devouring the entire six-legged beast Cheongo had brought, Jekyeong still felt unsated. It felt as though he were cursed, unable to feel full no matter how much he ate. No matter how much meat he swallowed, the moment it entered his stomach, it dissolved instantly like salt touching water.
"Thank you for taking care of me. But I need more. Bring me as much as you possibly can."
"Got it!"
Cheongo boasted that he could count on it, then immediately took flight. Jekyeong watched the bird fade into the distance for a moment before closing his eyes.
Cheongo worked tirelessly, bringing back prey after prey. Jekyeong devoured everything the bird hunted, slowly recovering his strength. If only he could eat demon beasts instead of ordinary animals, his recovery speed would skyrocket. However, he couldn't expect too much from Cheongo, whose combat capabilities were limited.
I can finally move to some extent.
Thanks to Cheongo's devoted assistance, Jekyeong was finally able to regain some of his mobility. Even so, his "recovered" state was barely any better than that of a critically ill patient. Every movement brought a dull ache, and any attempt to exert force made him feel as though his entire body would shatter. Under normal circumstances, he should have rested for at least a few more days, but...
But I can't delay this any longer.
Dragging his heavy body upright, Jekyeong told Cheongo to prepare to leave.
"Why? Shouldn't you rest a bit more?"
"More humans might come. We have to leave before they do."
"More humans? Because of those guys?"
"It could be because of them, or it could be because of us."
In truth, Jekyeong had no way of knowing whether more humans would swarm the area, but the mere possibility was what mattered. If they returned to seek vengeance, skin the monstrous serpent, or harvest the Mok-yo's fruits, he would lose his hard-won life in vain. He could absolutely not let that happen.
"Either way, we must leave before it's too late. Tell the wood guy as well."
"Got it!"
A short while later, the Mok-yo, looking visibly worse for wear, approached them slowly, using several of its roots as legs. Jekyeong couldn't help but think it looked like a cephalopod. Are all Mok-yo like this? Shaking off the idle thought, Jekyeong spoke to the wood demon.
"Since you've come, I assume you intend to leave with us?"
Woooooo—!
This time, Jekyeong could guess the meaning even without Cheongo's translation. He had felt the wood demon's guard lower significantly after their joint hunt, but now, any sense of distance between them had vanished entirely. It was only natural. From the Mok-yo's perspective, Jekyeong had risked his own life to save it.
"Good. Let's not drag this out and set off immediately. Cheongo, I'll have to trouble you again. Our bodies are in poor shape right now, so we must avoid fights as much as possible."
"Yes!"
Since becoming a demon beast, Cheongo had made rapid progress in various areas, but its scouting ability had improved the most. The fact that it had spotted the hiding human cultivators at a single glance proved just how sharp its eyes were. If Cheongo focused its gaze, Jekyeong doubted there was any demon beast that could escape its sight.
Thanks to Cheongo scouting ahead, Jekyeong and the Mok-yo were able to travel in peace for a while. Along the way, Cheongo hunted wild animals to aid their recovery, rendering an immeasurable service. Recognizing Cheongo's hard work, the Mok-yo even plucked the single remaining fruit from its barren branches and offered it to the bird.
To think I would end up owing this little guy so much.
Cheongo seemed perfectly content just being useful and didn't boast at all, but Jekyeong felt uneasy being on the receiving end of so much help. They say a debt of gratitude is the heaviest debt of all, and he had certainly incurred a massive one. Once things get better, I will repay this debt twofold. With that vow, Jekyeong slowly nursed his body back to health.
"Let's rest here for today."
At Jekyeong's words, the Mok-yo's roots burrowed into the ground. Shortly after, several nearby trees withered to a crisp. If they stayed like this for a few more days, there probably wouldn't be a single living tree or blade of grass left in the vicinity.
I'm truly envious of that ability.
This was something he had only recently discovered: remarkably, the Mok-yo could recover to some extent simply by putting down roots and absorbing vital energy from the earth. Of course, adding blood food would make it even better, but even without it, the wood demon would eventually heal completely. For Jekyeong, who had to replenish his vital energy through eating, the Mok-yo's passive recovery was highly enviable.
"Jekyeong, are you going hunting again?"
"I must."
Thanks to the food Cheongo brought him during their journey, Jekyeong had recovered significantly. Once his body healed to the point where light hunting posed no risk, he began venturing out regularly to actively secure his own food. Although he still couldn't feast on demon beast meat, he made up for the lack of quality with sheer quantity, and his condition improved. At least, compared to when they had first set out.
It might be time to look for a place to settle down.
Roughly two months had passed since they left the Mok-yo's territory. Their pace had been slow, as they had to bypass the territories of various demon beasts and monsters while nursing their battered bodies. Still, having traveled this far, Jekyeong felt they could finally stop worrying about human cultivators tracking them down. Though his condition had improved, he needed to settle in one place and rest to achieve a full recovery.
Everything else is fine, but this eye is a real problem.
His scorched scales and spear wounds had healed reasonably well, despite some lingering discomfort. However, his eye showed absolutely no signs of recovery. Was he permanently blind in one eye?
Well, there must be a way.
Perhaps it was just taking longer to heal because it was a delicate area. If not, he would simply have to find another method of treatment. Surely, in this vast and mystical world, there was a way to restore a single eye. Scanning his surroundings with his unfamiliar, halved field of vision, Jekyeong silently melted into the darkness.
"Screeech!"
A weasel demon beast hissed, tensing its body to spring away. It was trying to find an opening to escape, but the Mok-yo's roots had already snaked out to block its path. As the weasel's eyes darted anxiously between the Mok-yo and Cheongo, Jekyeong materialized from the swamp like a ghost, instantly clamping his jaws onto the creature's hind leg.
"Attack! Attack!"
Cheongo shrieked excitedly at the Mok-yo. The wood demon silently moved its roots, neither too fast nor too slow. In truth, its actions were purely ceremonial. They had learned through repeated hunts that once Jekyeong sank his teeth into a target, the hunt was already over.
"Squeeeal!"
Jekyeong dragged the desperately thrashing weasel demon beast straight down into the swamp. Since the creature couldn't even escape on dry land, its fate was sealed once submerged. Before long, the frantic struggling ceased. Jekyeong tore the demon beast's carcass in half, swallowing one portion and tossing the other half out of the mire.
"Jekyeong, is that it for today?"
Waiting outside the swamp, Cheongo claimed its share but looked disappointed. Recently, the bird had suggested increasing the frequency of their hunts. As the chemistry between the three of them improved daily, they no longer needed to be picky about which demon beasts to lure. The hunts had become incredibly easy. No matter who the target was, as long as they could lure it to this swamp, the hunt was as good as successful.
"You're never satisfied, are you?"
Jekyeong flicked his tongue, keeping only his head above the swamp water. Over the past fortnight, they had hunted a whopping seven demon beasts. That averaged out to one demon beast every two days—a feat that would have been impossible in the past, regardless of their hunting skills. If they had hunted demon beasts at such a rate before, the local population would have been wiped out in no time.
For instance, around the Mok-yo's former territory, there had been at most ten demon beasts. Naturally, each had its own territory, ruling over it like a king. But here, such demon beasts weren't even nobles, let alone kings. There was no shortage of transient beasts wandering around without any territory to call their own.
The beasts that actually held territory in this region were no ordinary creatures. Although Jekyeong hadn't seen them himself, according to Cheongo, who observed them from high in the sky, they were practically Great Yo-beasts. He could truly feel how far they had traveled from the Human Territory. Was this the Demon Realm? Or had they at least stepped onto its threshold?
While it was a relief not to worry about human cultivators, Jekyeong felt a slight pang of concern that they might have ventured too deep. That was precisely why he had chosen this swamp as their hideout instead of a proper spiritual land. The location was far from ideal, but he calculated that it would keep them hidden from the eyes of other hunters. Of course, there was also the fact that soaking his body in the cool mud felt quite pleasant, but that was a minor detail.
"If we cause too much of a ruckus, those big guys might notice us. It's best to keep a low profile for the time being."
"Alright."
Cheongo readily let go of its greed. Just as Jekyeong knew Cheongo, Cheongo knew Jekyeong.
Yeah. "For the time being."
Jekyeong was a cautious hunter, but he was just as greedy as the bird itself. Once that "time being" passed, Jekyeong would undoubtedly hunt down the powerful beasts of this region one by one. Cheongo only had to wait until then.
"Hey, tree. Give me a fruit."
Wooo—
Letting out a disgruntled rumble, the Mok-yo slowly extended a branch bearing a fruit. Cheongo plopped down onto the branch and began happily pecking at it.
Yoo Gyeyoon.
Though Jekyeong was now one-eyed in the physical world, he remained whole within Bulmangwon. The world perceived as a spiritual body was far vaster and clearer than anything seen with physical eyes. Once again, Jekyeong arrived at the meeting place earlier than anyone else, waiting for his seniors to appear. Before long, the senior cultivators of the Mansi Assembly began to arrive one by one.