The Noble Doggy
Halfway up the mountainside, a wretched-looking band of martial artists stared blankly down at a clearing along the forest's edge.
It was as if the god of lightning himself had descended. A golden figure was asserting his dominance among a pack of wolves, a tiger's ferocity erupting from every fist and palm blast. The same wolves that had, mere moments ago, driven these martial artists into a desperate corner were now being toyed with like puppies in that person's hands.
"S-so strong..."
The fair-faced boy had prided himself on reaching the 4th Meridian Mysterious Realm, and he'd hoped to make a real name for himself at this hunting tournament. Luck, however, had not been on his side — he'd run into a wolf pack and been thoroughly routed trying to flee.
And now a monster even more ferocious than the wolves had appeared before his eyes. He watched as this creature dispatched more than a dozen wild wolves in less than an hour, and he couldn't help but marvel at such skill.
That person has to be a powerhouse from one of the Three Great Clans, or maybe the Military Supply Bureau...
The four other boys and girls beside him were thinking the exact same thing. None of them could quite make out the face of the figure glittering in gold.
When the last wolf's howl faded, all five of them snapped their gazes toward the clearing. There, standing proudly among the fallen gray wolves, was a boy in white.
Not a single drop of wolf blood stained his robes as they fluttered in the wind. At that unsullied, gallant bearing, one of the girls felt her eyes sparkle.
He's so cool...
It wasn't just the girl. Even the fair-faced boy couldn't help but admire the sight in his heart.
But that outfit... was that a Cheonun Sect uniform?
Wait a second... what on earth is that Cheonun Sect disciple doing?
The five boys and girls who, a mere second ago, had been worshipping Yeop Pung without limit found themselves speechless the next moment.
The boy they'd just crowned a hero in their hearts had knocked down more than a dozen vicious wolves — not killing them, but stunning them with golden lightning — and was now pulling out their teeth, one by one.
He used a rock to pry the hard fangs loose. When a tooth broke, he switched rocks; when that didn't work either, he just yanked it out by hand. The gray wolves writhing on the ground wore faces full of utter despair.
Where the hell did this weirdo come from?
Does he have nothing better to do?
He came all the way out here just to pull wolf teeth!
The moment Yeop Pung wrenched a fang free, blood gushed from the socket. The wolf howled on the spot.
"It hurts!"
The wolf's body twitched and shuddered. A jade token had been placed just outside its mouth in advance, and the instant the blood touched the token, it was rapidly absorbed.
"Hey. You lot..."
Yeop Pung suddenly turned his head and looked up at the five people on the slope.
"What are you standing there gawking for? Don't waste time."
"Ah — right!"
The five of them finally snapped to their senses and came scampering down the mountainside. They crouched behind Yeop Pung and started collecting wolf blood.
"Next."
Yeop Pung moved toward another gray wolf.
N-no! Please!
The wolf that met his gaze wore an expression of pure terror and rage.
After about the time it takes to finish a meal, Yeop Pung clapped his hands and stood up. The jade token in his grip was a third stained red.
"These wolves are too weak. If they'd all been at the 4th Meridian, I'd have filled at least half of it."
More than a dozen gray wolves scattered and fled before him. Even as they ran, they kept working their jaws, smacking at the empty sockets.
What a cursed day. What the hell is that human? Some kind of forest veterinarian?
"Hey! Bring your brothers and come back for revenge!"
Yeop Pung waved a cheerful goodbye as he left. The gray wolves trembled in terror.
He was extremely satisfied. Tooth-pulling was a wonderfully efficient method — it collected blood and accumulated grudges.
He turned around with a smile, only to find the five people behind him staring at him with very strange looks.
"What?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
All five shook their heads in unison. What they'd just witnessed had been so brutal it set their teeth on edge.
"If it's nothing, I'm leaving."
Yeop Pung waved them off, making it perfectly clear he had no intention of traveling with them. They were far too weak — they'd only be a burden. On top of that, he had another time-travel coming up soon, and he couldn't afford to be discovered by anyone.
"Please wait a moment, Young Hero."
The fair-faced boy stepped forward.
"I will never forget the grace of you saving our lives. I haven't yet asked for the Young Hero's esteemed name."
"Why?"
Yeop Pung's innate wariness toward outsiders was on full display.
"Please don't be so wary, Young Hero. I am called Un Bi. Judging by your attire, you appear to be a disciple of the Cheonun Sect."
"What about the Cheonun Sect? They do something to deserve a beating?"
Who would dare hit you?
Un Bi's lips twitched. Yeop Pung's manner and way of speaking were so offbeat it was almost funny.
"Of course not..."
He composed his face and pressed on quickly.
"It's just that a little while ago, while we were traveling, we seemed to see Cheonun Sect disciples being chased by people from the Gi Clan. I heard there was already bad blood between the Gi Clan and the Cheonun Sect over an incident some guy named Yeop Pung stirred up."
Yeop Pung folded his arms as he listened. Un Bi continued, undeterred.
"The poor Cheonun Sect disciples are suffering for no reason. If the Young Hero were to go help your fellow disciples with those outstanding skills of yours..."
Un Bi had no choice but to stop talking.
"Huh? Young Hero, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Goosebumps rose along his arms under that stare.
"Un Bi, was it..."
"Yes, Young Hero. If you have any instructions..."
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"
"I... I don't believe I've ever heard that..."
Yeop Pung uncrossed his arms and put a little more force into his eyes.
"You have now."
Un Bi stood there, bewildered.
Did I say something wrong? How does his face change that fast?
While he was still standing there at a loss, Yeop Pung had already turned on his heel and strode away.
What the hell! What does it have to do with me if those guys are getting chased by the Gi Clan? Wait... I did cause that, though...
Yeop Pung slowed his pace. If he hadn't wrecked Gi Beonjin, the Gi Clan never would have gotten so full of themselves as to start harassing the Cheonun Sect. Of course, Maeng Chang-haeng deserved more than half the credit for that.
No matter how unpleasant the whole business felt, he couldn't bring himself to turn his back on the bonds of fellow disciples.
"Where'd they go?"
He stopped walking and asked without turning around.
"Uh... w-west."
The instant Un Bi pointed, Yeop Pung's figure vanished with a whoosh. His speed was so staggering that all five of them couldn't help but stare in awe.
"Whoa..."
Only Un Bi was left behind, shaking his head and letting out a long sigh. He had no idea what he'd said wrong. He'd been hoping to tag along behind this expert and maybe pick up a scrap or two — and that was the end of it.
What the hell was the problem?
Racing westward, Yeop Pung was deeply conflicted. Whether or not to save the Cheonun Sect disciples — that was the question.
The old Yeop Pung would have felt nothing at all for the Cheonun Sect. But over this past stretch of time, Maeng Chang-haeng had carved far too much of it into his very bones.
What he cultivated was the Nine Heavens Cloud-Spirit Scripture. The martial art he used was Thunder Fist. The liquor he drank was the Cheonun Sect's spiritual wine, and even the pills he swallowed were the sect's spiritual elixirs from a hundred years ago. Everything about him was now bound to the Cheonun Sect. Even if they were a sorry bunch of people, they were still fellow disciples.
Besides, even Mo Soo-mi and Yo Yeong-chun weren't bad-natured at heart. They'd just had a falling-out with him. He couldn't bring himself to look the other way.
Damn it. I'll go take a look anyway!
He set his mind to it. His current combat strength was enough to beat a typical 5th Meridian opponent. Even against someone at the completion stage of the 5th Meridian, he ought to be able to slip away unharmed. And if he lost the fight, he still had Bone.
Right. Where is Bone? Did that guy actually follow me? Don't tell me he's off drinking with Old Man Maeng again.
Yeop Pung ran on at full speed. Unbeknownst to him, several miles away in the forest, Bone was sauntering along at a leisurely pace. The distance between them was considerable, but Bone showed not the slightest concern, as if he had Yeop Pung's whereabouts mapped out to the inch.
"Yaaawn."
He even yawned from how boring the whole affair was.
"Why is that kid so tedious? Always picking the most uninteresting things to do..."
Bone tilted his head. Apparently, watching Yeop Pung struggle through the forest this entire time had been a trial of patience.
Even more astonishing was that within the vast Dragon Tomb, not a single beast had detected the aura he was giving off. He strolled through the trees as freely as if he were invisible. Then, suddenly, his ears pricked up — and he shot forward as if he'd just found something interesting.
Like a golden flash beneath the evening glow, Bone crossed hundreds of yards in an instant and appeared before before a large pack of gray wolves.
Who's that? No — what kind of animal is that?
The gray wolf at the front spotted Bone materializing out of nowhere and stopped dead in shock.
Bone regarded the dozen or so "half-kin" before him with mild curiosity. Then he pointed at his own mouth with a claw.
"Did you lot get something pulled?"
The gray wolf pack's mood soured on the spot. That human they'd just run into had already left the single most unpleasant memory of their entire wolf lives. And now some dog had shown up to poke the wound.
"What did you just say?!"
The alpha bared his fangs and snarled, then led the companions behind him in a charge straight at Bone.
A mere thirty seconds later, the entire gray wolf pack was sprawled across the ground.
The alpha was pinned lightly to the earth under one of Bone's paws. He couldn't move an inch, as if an entire mountain had been set on top of him, and had completely collapsed.
What the hell did we run into today? A human who likes pulling wolf teeth, and a terrifying dog that doesn't even look like a spirit beast but hits harder than one... If we'd known today would go like this, we never would have brought the others out to loaf around.
"Spare... spare us!"
As fellow canines, the alpha wolf and Bone seemed able to read each other's minds.
"You lot... did a human pull your teeth?"
With a single sentence, Bone saw right through the big gray wolves' hearts.
"That's right!"
The alpha's mind snapped into focus, and a gleam suddenly burst from his eyes.
"That very human tormented us, Boss! Please — avenge us!"
Smack!
Bone slapped the alpha across the face with a front paw. The wolf went blank with confusion.
The alpha made a pitiful face after getting slapped.
What's so noble about a doggy? This guy's pride is insane...
But at Bone's next question, the alpha's ears pricked straight up.
"So. You got bullied. What are you going to do about it?"
"What do you mean, what are we going to do?"
"Aren't you going to go get revenge on that human?"
"Of course we are, Boss! We were just about to go call other spirit beasts!"
The dozen or so gray wolves beside him all nodded in unison.
"Who are you going to call?"
The alpha spoke the name, a flicker of fear in his eyes.
"Boss, you wouldn't know. Recently, a pack of rabbits moved into this forest... a very powerful rabbit pack!"
"Oh?"
Bone blinked, a meaningful smile spreading across his face.