Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 18
>Chapter Title: Galjeo (1)
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A smile that reached all the way to his ears.
Someone's smiling face could sometimes lower the opponent's guard.
But the moment the boy saw that smile while asking for help, he felt a strong malice that went beyond mere unease.
- Flinch!
He halted his steps abruptly.
However, the other two boys were not like that.
"Huff huff! Hey! Help us! There's a monster-like wolf chasing us!"
They ran toward Mok Kyung-un while pleading for aid.
The boy shouted in panic.
"W-Wait a moment, stop..."
But before he could finish his words.
The moment the boy who had come running for help reached right in front of him, Mok Kyung-un naturally grabbed his neck and twisted it.
- Crack!
"Gurk!"
With a dying scream, the boy whose neck snapped collapsed to the ground.
Shocked by this sight, the other boy fell backward in terror.
"Eek!"
- Thud!
As Mok Kyung-un approached the fallen boy,
"Y-You bastard, what the hell are you doing?"
The boy who had stopped due to foreboding shouted.
Mok Kyung-un smiled nonchalantly and leaped lightly, kicking the head of the boy who was trying to push back with his palms.
- Crack!
He kicked so hard that the boy's head snapped back.
In that state, with his mouth agape, it seemed he had met his end.
Seeing this, the boy was at a loss for words.
'T-This... this madman is...'
Even if they were rivals, this wasn't a flag battle situation right now.
Yet he killed someone asking for help the moment they met.
What kind of lunatic does that?
He was dumbfounded.
- Squeal squeal!
A pig-like squealing came from behind.
The bushes rustled along with it.
"Damn it all."
A rough curse escaped the boy's lips.
It was a dilemma with no way forward or back.
A ferocious beast behind, and a mad killer slaughtering indiscriminately in front.
No, the saying "tiger in front, wolf behind" might fit better.
'It's do or die.'
His face smeared with cold sweat, the boy chose neither front nor back, but the steep cliff to the right.
"Uwaaaaa!"
With a shout, he threw himself to the right.
- Tap!
Whether front or back, losing his life was the same, so he decided to leave it to luck.
That was the moment he thought that.
He felt a bizarre sensation pulling at the back of his head.
Along with it, his falling body was yanked backward and sent flying.
Then,
- Smack!
Mok Kyung-un grabbed the boy's head.
'!?'
The boy's eyes widened in shock.
What is this?
It wasn't pulled by hand directly.
Could it be the advanced technique of pulling objects from afar with true energy, the Void Grasping Hand?
'...No way.'
It was hard to believe.
How could a mere peer possess such profound true energy?
Moreover, they were all sealed at the gates with golden chains right now.
So how on earth did he do it?
That was when.
- Squeal squeal!
With a pig squeal, a massive wolf with red fur and rat-like eyes burst through the bushes.
Its sharp fangs, bared wide, were dripping with blood.
Seeing this, Mok Kyung-un raised one eyebrow and muttered.
"What is this now?"
The boy whose head was gripped urgently cried out in fear.
"I told you. A monster-like thing is chasing us."
"That was it?"
"This isn't the time! We need to run!"
But he said that, yet it seemed already too late.
The distance between the ferocious beast and them was merely twenty or twenty-five paces.
Too close to escape from that swift beast.
- Squeal squeal!
The beast approached, drooling saliva.
As if certain it could catch them anytime, it closed the distance step by step, slowly.
Feeling extreme fear at this, the boy muttered in a dazed voice.
"You damn bastard. This is all your fault..."
- Snap!
Before the boy could finish.
Mok Kyung-un released his head and swiftly formed hand seals.
- Smack! Smack! Smack!
Soldier! Fight! Split! Array!
It was the hand seals of the Nine Character Activation Method.
'What the hell is he doing?'
As the boy wondered in confusion, Mok Kyung-un formed a square with the index and middle fingers of both hands, aiming at the approaching beast.
Then,
- Fwoosh!
Four invisible pillars erupted around the approaching beast.
At that moment, Mok Kyung-un said softly.
"Four Peaks Linked Chains Technique."
Then, the four pillars thickened rapidly, forming surfaces.
The boy couldn't see it, but it was clear in the beast's eyes, so it stopped and rolled its eyeballs.
Soon, it decided to force its way through and leaped.
- Smack!
- Squeeeeal!
The leaping beast collided with something and bounced back.
"Wh-What?"
The boy couldn't comprehend the scene.
Nothing was visible, so why was the monster-like beast acting like that?
Did this guy do something?
While he wondered, Mok Kyung-un opened his palm toward the trapped beast and clenched his fist.
"Contract!"
- Fwoosh!
At that instant, the four surfaces of the pillars containing the beast compressed rapidly.
As the surfaces narrowed, the panicked beast began thrashing about wildly.
Watching this, Mok Kyung-un clenched his fist tighter.
- Squeal squeal!
- Crack crack crack!
The gaps where the beast thrashed narrowed.
The moment the gaps became too tight to move,
The beast bristled the red fur on its head and let out an enormous roar.
- Squeeeeeeeeeal!
"Argh!"
The roar was so loud the boy covered his ears.
Mok Kyung-un endured it forcefully and clenched his fist to crush the beast to death,
- Crack crack crack!
At that moment, cracks appeared on the compressing surfaces.
Then,
- Shatter!
The Four Peaks Linked Chains Technique broke in an instant, and the beast burst out.
'Tch.'
When a spell infused with one's power breaks, the caster suffers the recoil.
Mok Kyung-un's body was pushed back two paces.
- Whoosh!
- Squeal squeal!
The freed beast excitedly scratched the ground with its paws and let out a roar.
"Eek."
The boy, who had been covering his ears, panicked and propped himself up to retreat.
But the emerged beast, contrary to its roar, glared fixedly at Mok Kyung-un, then turned and fled into the bushes like it was running away.
"Huff... huff... haa..."
Watching this, the terrified boy exhaled in relief.
It was hard to believe even after witnessing it.
To drive away such a monster-like being with a strange method.
Then, a voice whispered in his ear.
"Why are you relaxing?"
'!?'
The boy's eyes widened as he hurriedly tried to stand.
But it was already too late.
Mok Kyung-un twisted the neck of the boy trying to rise.
- Crack!
After the boy died, Mok Kyung-un first absorbed the death energy from the first boy he killed, then in sequence.
Death energy dissipates the longer it's left.
Only after fully absorbing the death energy did he speak.
"What was that red-headed wolf just now?"
- Hmm. First time seeing it myself, but judging by its appearance and pig-like squeals, it seems to be a Galjeo.
"Galjeo?"
- It's a ferocious mythical beast inhabiting the North Sea near Bukho Mountain.
"I know it's a ferocious mythical beast."
Its appearance was completely different from ordinary beasts.
Moreover, being a ferocious mythical beast, it fell for the barrier spell.
What he asked was that it didn't seem like a low-grade one, since it broke the Four Peaks Linked Chains Technique.
"Since it broke the spell, it doesn't seem low-grade."
Sorcerer Jo Ui-gong said the Four Peaks Linked Chains Technique was originally made to eliminate grudge spirits, so it could only handle the lowest-grade ferocious beasts.
The grades of ferocious mythical beasts are divided into ferocious beasts, strange beasts, yokai beasts, demonic beasts, spirit beasts, and divine beasts.
To Mok Kyung-un's words, Qingling replied.
- I think Galjeo is called a strange beast once it reaches adulthood. But from its size earlier, it's not an adult yet.
"Not an adult?"
- Yes. Even so, it's incomparably stronger than ordinary ferocious beasts. Probably around the level between ferocious and strange beast.
"I thought as much."
That explained why the Four Peaks Linked Chains Technique broke.
It exceeded the spell's capacity.
Against this Galjeo ferocious mythical beast, it was merely a delay tactic, so no need to use that spell.
Mok Kyung-un stood up and said.
"This is tricky."
- Why? Can't use internal energy, and even the spells I taught barely work, so now you're scared? If that's the case, this lord can...
"No. Not that. We need to hurry."
"Hurry?"
"That ferocious mythical beast interrupted my meal, so I need to move more diligently before it does again. Or maybe deal with it first."
-..........
Ah.
So that's the perspective.
His worry was that the beast would kill more boys before him.
Qingling clicked her tongue inwardly.
* * *
Meanwhile, the group led by Yeomga of Jusalgok was moving cautiously.
Among them, three were grunting as they carried a metal lump under the flag together, while the rest stuck close around it, surrounding it tightly.
One of the boys carrying the metal lump complained.
"No. We're going to find other flags, so why carry this all the way like this? We could just break off the top part and go."
At the boy's complaint, Yeomga of Jusalgok scolded.
"Shut up and do as you're told. If my guess is right, you lot should be thanking me."
At his words, the boys shook their heads.
Does he really think that monster-like beast avoided it just because of a mere flag?
No matter how they thought about it, it didn't make sense.
Rather than inefficiently carrying the flag around like this, it was better to snap the pole and quickly move to recapture or find other flags.
While they were at it, a sound came from somewhere.
- Squeal squeal!
Startled by the sound, they stopped in place.
It was definitely that thing.
- Rustle!
The bushes to the northwest rustled, and soon the beast revealed itself.
Seeing it, the boys tried to drop the flag they were carrying and prepare to flee,
"Stay still."
Yeomga of Jusalgok stopped them.
Shouldn't they run or band together to fight, so why stay still?
That was when they thought that.
The beast glanced at the flag they held, then convulsed and twisted its body, retreating back into the bushes.
"Huh?"
The beast really fled upon seeing the flag.
At this, Yeomga of Jusalgok said in a triumphant voice.
"See?"
His judgment was confirmed correct.
But after confirming this, a thought suddenly struck him.
'This could be useful.'
Probably few knew yet that the flag still served as protection.
The corner of Yeomga of Jusalgok's mouth curled slyly.