Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: It's Okay Because I'm a Genius on a Time Limit
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Spirit beasts originally have no interest in human affairs.
They’re the type to hole up in their lairs, leisurely overlooking their territory.
If you compare them to humans, they’re no different from extreme homebodies—saying they spend their entire lives with their lair wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Thus, their lairs are always shrouded in mystery.
Not only do the locations change constantly, but they’re protected by powerful barriers, making them hard to invade.
Right now, we got lucky because Cheongho had gone half-mad, but in a normal state, we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near it.
“Still, just in case, stick close when we enter. If you fall behind, you might not make it out.”
After Park Ha-yul finally wrapped up his long explanation, Joo Ah-rin nodded along.
*You really know a lot,* she thought.
….
Honestly, it wasn’t even surprising anymore. It wasn’t like this was the first or second time.
No need to go far back into the past.
Figuring out the identity of the resentment entity, knowing the layout of Geumgang Mountain like the back of his hand as if he frequented her own bedroom….
Even bringing all those supplies on Lee Tae-jin’s single word made perfect sense in his case.
She’d tried to play it cool, but that luxurious tent like a villa, the gourmet foodstuffs and gear that screamed luxury camping.
When that seasoned tomahawk steak hit the grill, hadn’t she unconsciously licked her lips in excitement?
She’d been keeping a bit of distance lately due to some weird misunderstanding(?), but in the end, she’d owed him another one.
She wasn’t the type to want that, but whenever she met him, it always ended up this way.
Joo Ah-rin felt grateful for it, yet uneasy too.
“Let’s go in.”
Anyway, as Park Ha-yul took the lead, she set aside her thoughts. Tense despite herself, she hurried after him.
Swish—
Passing through the mist, a chill dampness settled over her body in an instant.
Her senses dulled and vision narrowed, making his warning about possibly circling in place feel all too real.
Each step was no easy task.
Her sense of direction grew vague, like she was drifting aimlessly.
“Just keep your eyes on my back. If that’s hard, grab my clothes or something.”
But Park Ha-yul walked on with astonishing calm, without the slightest hesitation.
Unconsciously, Joo Ah-rin clutched his collar tight—then quickly switched to pinching it between thumb and forefinger.
Feeling awkward, she asked a question.
“You can see ahead fine, right?”
“Nope. The fog’s thicker than I expected. But it’s no problem. Just go straight.”
“Huh?”
*Isn’t that the hard part?*
*Did we come in too recklessly?* she worried belatedly.
That was when the fog began to clear.
At the same time, the binding on her senses loosened, and Joo Ah-rin found herself facing a stunning new vista.
The lighting felt dim and hazy, as if time flowed differently from the outside world.
A round full moon hung in the sky, its pale yellow light illuminating the vast plains and the ocean encircling them.
“…….”
It had been so long since she’d seen the night sea that Joo Ah-rin stared, entranced for a moment, before asking in a puzzled voice.
“Wasn’t Cheongho a tiger?”
And understandably so.
Shouldn’t a tiger live deep in layered mountains or a dense jungle?
So why the ocean?
“Uh, well…….”
Park Ha-yul scratched his cheek, mumbling a bit embarrassedly.
“This one’s a bit unique.”
* * *
Cheongho was a spirit beast possessing both aquatic and wind attributes, preferring the sea over mountains and fish over beef.
That’s why it had blue fur, but by human standards, it was an utter eccentric.
“I see.”
After the simple explanation, Joo Ah-rin gazed out at the endless black sea with renewed wonder.
Then, as if something occurred to her, she spoke up again.
“So how do we find it? Don’t tell me we have to dive into that sea…….”
“Nah. No need for us to search. You just call it.”
“Me?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“Introduce it properly so you two can get along. Cheongho and your pet.”
“Oh…….”
Joo Ah-rin nodded as if finally understanding.
“But not yet. Let’s prep first.”
I left Joo Ah-rin waiting and strolled through the moonlit fields.
I’d come to hunt the ultimate predator, the tiger, so I couldn’t just summon it willy-nilly—I needed a perfect, elaborate trap.
A pitfall even a tiger couldn’t easily escape if it stepped in.
I surveyed the terrain for that purpose.
Soon enough, I found a suitable spot.
A decent-sized depression.
The bottom was lined with dry grass, and bits of blue fur stuck here and there suggested Cheongho occasionally came to rest.
“Hm.”
I roughly envisioned the trap’s structure, then pulled out four spare strands of silken spirit thread I’d brought.
One end I drove deep into the ground to withstand Cheongho’s struggles.
The other I looped into a ring, ready to slip over its foot the moment it stepped here.
Not satisfied with that alone, I also inscribed a binding spell into the ground.
The 2-star Wood Control Technique of 64 strokes: Grasp of the Earth.
One of the 2-star spells from Secretary Choi, which I’d learned in advance for this hunt.
When triggered, wooden vines infused with mana would erupt and seize Cheongho.
Once prep was done, I beckoned Joo Ah-rin over and explained the plan.
If we didn’t capture it in one go, it’d flee to the sea, so I requested ice support.
“Then I’ll summon it.”
Joo Ah-rin closed her eyes briefly and extended her hand forward.
“Primal continent. The one that stands amid chaos…….”
Her unique summoning incantation flowed from Joo Ah-rin’s lips.
A special chant only those of the chosen bloodline could recite echoed across the fields.
Moments later, two horns engraved on an ice shield.
Joo’s crest materialized in the air, serving as a gateway for the lion-like water spirit beast, Hae-rin, to emerge.
As the soul companion fated to Joo Ah-rin at birth, it hadn’t even passed infancy—wolf-sized, with scales only on its chest instead of covering its body.
Grrr.
Hae-rin trotted to Joo Ah-rin, rubbing its face against hers, while glaring fiercely at me.
*What’s this guy doing alone with my master?*
Its nostrils flared with hot snorts, exactly that vibe.
I waved it off as if to say, *Don’t worry.*
Only then did Hae-rin wag its tail and focus on Joo Ah-rin.
“Listen carefully from now on.”
Joo Ah-rin stroked Hae-rin while explaining the upcoming situation.
Hae-rin barked *Kang kang*, then scampered to its position.
About 3 meters from the trap—considering Cheongho’s agility, practically point-blank.
Perhaps because of that, Joo Ah-rin kept glancing back with worry.
*No wonder her summoning skills haven’t improved.*
Cold to herself, overly lenient to her subordinates.
In danger, she wouldn’t summon it at all, or throw herself in harm’s way instead.
These things grow by rolling in the dirt.
Tsk.
If it were my spirit beast, I’d have drilled it till its tongue hung out.
“Hurry up. Time to start.”
Plenty to say, but I swallowed it and beckoned Joo Ah-rin.
Time to hide.
Joo Ah-rin reluctantly turned and concealed herself in the brush.
Left alone as bait, Hae-rin soon began emitting its aura.
True to its aquatic nature, a water aura similar to yet thicker than Cheongho’s swirled around.
About a minute later.
Grrrrr.
The eastern sea churned suddenly, massive sprays erupting as a dark shape cleaved through the waves toward us.
Shwaaaaa—
Its speed was like a bullet from a gun barrel.
In the blink of an eye, it reached the shore, scattering countless droplets like waves crashing a breakwater.
Grrooooowl—
Bursting through, a blue tiger the size of a large SUV set foot on the plains.
[Name: Cheongho (Blue Tiger)]
[Rank: Spirit Beast (513 years)]
[Attributes: Water (50%), Wind (50%)]
[Description: A tiger with blue eyes and blue fur. Stripes are pale gray. One of Korea’s representative spirit beasts, it has guarded Geumgang Mountain for generations. Its speed is its strength, and a mature adult over 700 years rivals a 5th-rank Awakener in combat power.]
If I’d activated appraisal, something like that would’ve popped up.
But the awe of the real thing surpassed it.
The overwhelming pressure crushing space, its majestic presence—fit for an emperor’s title.
Rooooar—
True to its lord of Geumgang, it roared and kicked off the ground again.
Distance closed in an instant.
It hurtled toward us like it was flying, raising a front paw the size of a pot lid to swat Hae-rin.
“Now.”
But that was it.
I signaled and yanked the silken spirit threads.
Snaring both front paws and hind legs in one shot.
Green light flashed from the ground.
Vines sprouted in an instant, coiling tight around Cheongho’s body.
Craaaack—
Then pure white frost swept over its entire form.
Joo Ah-rin, now at Hae-rin’s side, had cast freeze.
No matter how nimble Cheongho, it was helpless.
Like the tiger emblem of the Korean Peninsula, it reared on hind legs, front paws outstretched, heaving ragged breaths.
Its iconic blue eyes, reddened by the resentment entity, oozed viscous killing intent.
“It won’t hold much longer…!”
Joo Ah-rin shouted through gritted teeth, pouring everything in.
I’d already noticed without her saying.
The tough silken threads were stretched taut, on the verge of snapping.
“Not on my watch.”
I threw the last strand into binding Cheongho, then quickly checked near its scruff.
And found it.
Six eyeballs—the king of resentment entities, the Six Souls—clinging there, sucking its life force.
The most vicious of the negative emotions harbored by Cheongho; excise it, and he’d return to normal.
[Trait: Manifestation activated.]
Confirming the target, I manifested a ritual blade.
Spent SP to turn it into a plain dagger, then inscribed the second 2-star spell I’d prepped for this hunt.
The 2-star Fire Control Technique of 64 strokes: White Flame.
As the name implied, it ignited white flames.
Flames of demon subjugation that burned brighter with unnatural evils as fuel.
Once inscribed, I gripped the blade and charged.
Cheongho’s eyes, mad with bloodlust, locked on me.
But I closed in head-on, unflinching.
“Hold on a bit. I’ll free you soon.”
It wouldn’t hear, but I spoke anyway as I kicked off.
Leaping in one bound to the Six Souls on its scruff.
I stabbed the ritual blade into the six eyes.
Craaaack—
Intense heat like searing flesh erupted with pristine white flames.
Ehehehehe—
The eerie laughter amid the blaze weakened over time.
Grrrr—
Cheongho’s reddened glare gradually regained its original hue.
But no letting guard down.
The real work started now.
For a spirit beast like Cheongho to lose its body to such a thing meant the demonic deviation’s aftermath was that severe.
Corrupted mana lingered in its body, still gnawing at the flesh.
Leave it be, and death awaited—leaving only blue hide.
Of course, as Outer Geumgang’s lord’s pelt, its value was immense, but our original goal—Joo Ah-rin’s growth—would be toast.
Prioritizing, obviously the latter. So the latter……
……Or not.
Maybe the hide’s better?
Unsure, but if I could get the spirit core too, the former might be the smarter play.
“Hm, is that so…….”
An unexpected shift in thinking. As desire squirmed in a corner of my mind.
[‘Greed’ calls out. You, who take after me.]
[Applauds the master’s greed, thinking of the hide before a dying tiger.]