The Fifth Scenario (5)

"Mmmph! Mmmph-mmph!"

"…Finish chewing before you talk. You're going to bite your cheek."

I narrowed my eyes at Han Sooyoung, who had crammed a mouthful of the Igneel meat I'd grilled into her face and was now staring at me, mumbling something unintelligible.

Gulp.

At last she swallowed, and her expression lit up with pure admiration.

"Whoa! This is insane! You could seriously be a chef!"

"Thanks for the compliment, but slow down. Eat like that and you won't be able to finish much."

Constellations, my ass — a bunch of freeloaders salivating over someone else's cooking. I ignored their messages and looked at Shin Yooseung sitting beside me. Spotting the glossy sheen of grease on the corner of her mouth, I wiped it away with a wet wipe and asked,

"Well? Tastes good, just like I told you — dragon meat?"

Nod, nod!

Shin Yooseung, cheeks stuffed full of dragon meat just like Han Sooyoung's, chewed furiously and bobbed her head. I couldn't help but snicker.

Beside her, Kim Dokja plucked up a well-grilled piece and smiled faintly as she ate.

"Last time we had it on skewers. It's still ridiculously good just grilled like this."

"You mean the barbecue skewers I made at Anguk Station?"

"Yeah. Heewon, Hyunsung, Lee Seongguk, and Jung Minseob all raved about how delicious it was."

Watching the three of them eat with such gusto and praise my cooking put me in a good mood. For anyone who cooks, the best sight and the best sound in the world are people eating with relish and saying it tastes amazing.

I smiled to myself and casually rolled my eyes to the side.

Grrrrr—!

Chomp! Chomp!

Right next to me, Lycaon was tearing into raw Igneel meat with wild, rolling eyes. Watching that bastard — no, that werewolf — drool and weep like a rabid dog as he ripped into the raw flesh, I could only manage a bitter smile.

That had been about ten minutes earlier.

I'd been doing my usual thing, teabagging Lycaon with a "So you guys got wrecked by this thing, huh?" — but after he just stared at me blankly for a long while, I lost interest. So I went back to grilling meat on the Magic Hearth so Yooseung could enjoy a proper meal. Then Lycaon suddenly approached and started asking whether I happened to have a tribal talisman.

When I showed him the Imuntar talisman I'd been storing in My Room, he immediately dropped into a full bow, and I froze in confusion. In a trembling voice, he said:

"Thank you — truly, thank you — for avenging the disaster that destroyed our people and our world in our place. Hoju."

Faced with that solemn atmosphere, the hatred and rage in his eyes, the regret in every line of his body, and the look of release on his face, I couldn't say a word. I simply watched him for a moment, then pulled a whole chunk of Igneel meat from My Room and handed it over.

"This is the flesh of the disaster that destroyed your people, your country, your world. Do with it as you see fit."

Lycaon took the meat in both trembling hands, and now he was sitting right beside me, tearing into it without mercy. What emotion was driving him as he devoured Igneel's flesh? Honestly, I had no idea. But if I had to guess, I'd carefully wager that revenge was part of it.

Anyway, the four of us — plus one wolf, man or beast, take your pick — ate a thoroughly satisfying dinner.

I stepped briefly into My Room, washed the dishes caked in dragon-meat grease, and came back out to find Lycaon standing alone just beyond the door.

"Hm? What is it? Something you need to say?"

"Yes, Hoju. In my earlier agitation, I failed to offer you the greeting required by our tribal code. I only just realized my oversight."

Finished speaking, Lycaon dropped to one knee, bowed his head slightly, and continued in a formal tone.

"O great dragon hunter. I am Lycaon Isparang of the Imuntar, heir to the blood of the First Great Wolf. I offer my belated greetings to Hoju. And I beg forgiveness for the discourtesy of asking your honored name so late."

The formality of his manner and voice sent a chill down my spine. I hurriedly waved both hands at him.

"Hey, enough! We just ate together — don't do this. Get up already!"

"As you command, Hoju."

Lycaon rose and looked down at me.

"Hoju. As I mentioned, if it would not be an imposition — may I hear your honored name?"

"That much is fine… My name is Park Jinwoo."

Lycaon nodded.

"I swear upon the name of the Imuntar people. I shall never forget the honored name of the great dragon hunter, my Hoju."

"…Sure."

Dealing with such a formal Lycaon was exhausting. No — it was downright creepy. A guy who should have been rude by nature treating me with this much ceremony was hard to adjust to.

Lycaon then bowed once more, walked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over to Kim Dokja, exchanged a few words with her, nodded, and headed for the cars littering the roadside.

And then—

Crunch! Crash!

He casually scooped up a car in one hand and started hurling them.

"What the hell? Why is he suddenly throwing cars?"

I walked over to Kim Dokja, who was watching the spectacle with mild curiosity. She looked at me for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"You're here?"

"Yeah. So what did you talk about with Lycaon that made him start chucking cars?"

"Oh, that?"

Kim Dokja rolled her eyes toward Lycaon, then looked back at me.

"I asked him to teach you the Imuntar secret art — the Path of the Wind. He agreed."

"…And that has what to do with clearing cars?"

"Beats me. Maybe they're just in the way?"

Shin Yooseung and Han Sooyoung, who had been quietly listening, both frowned and turned to Kim Dokja.

"He's here now, so keep explaining. So basically you're saying the Fire Dragon we killed at Anguk Station also counts as one of the 'Disasters'? Because it was a 'Lesser Disaster'?"

"That's right."

"So the Disasters we have to stop in the Fifth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Scenario aren't five — they're four?"

"For someone who claimed not to understand, you followed that pretty well."

I tilted my head at their exchange.

"What are you two talking about?"

"The Igneel you killed at Anguk Station, and the Fifth Scenario coming up."

"Nice summary."

"Of course. I'm a writer."

Han Sooyoung answered me diligently, then scowled and shot Kim Dokja a look.

"But I still don't buy it. What Park Jinwoo killed back then was a Lesser Dragon, right? A cheap knockoff of the real thing. Why does that count as a Disaster? Is this more of that Ways of Survival-style convenience plotting?"

"Anything that hatches from a Disaster meteor counts as a Disaster. That thing came out instead of Igneel, so Igneel won't appear in this scenario. And even in the original, the full Igneel never showed up — only its hatchling."

Kim Dokja continued, glancing at Han Sooyoung.

"We're only on the Fifth Scenario. If something like that showed up already, how would we even clear it?"

"Oh, look at you go. What are you, the official spokesperson for Ways of Survival? Are you secretly the author?"

Han Sooyoung eyed the Imuntar talisman hanging at my waist.

"So that 'talisman' came from the Fire Dragon you killed back then?"

She looked between me and the talisman, then shrugged.

"Huh. Disasters aren't that big a deal after all. Ways of Survival hyped them up so hard I was terrified, but this guy took down a Lesser Dragon no problem, right? So the other Disasters should be—"

"He only took down the Fire Dragon easily because of his Enchant. The rest of the Disasters coming our way are exactly like the original."

Kim Dokja's voice was firm as she shut down Han Sooyoung's casual attitude. Han Sooyoung's face stiffened. She grimaced.

"…Then what do we do?"

"That's why Park Jinwoo needs to learn the Path of the Wind from him."

"What even is that skill?"

"Exactly what it sounds like — a skill that manipulates wind. And it's a hard counter to the first Disaster that will appear this time: the Disaster of Questions."

"Wait, Disasters have hard counters?"

"Yeah. They do."

Han Sooyoung turned to look at Lycaon.

Crunch! Crash!

Watching him casually lift and hurl cars one-handed, she whistled in admiration.

"Whoa, he looks strong. Think he'd fight for us instead?"

"Guides aren't allowed to oppose Disasters from other worlds. And that guy's a coward."

Right on cue, Lycaon's voice called out to me.

"Hoju. Preparations are complete."

"Hey, Park Jinwoo. He says he's ready. Go on."

I'd been half-dozing through their conversation, food coma settling in hard — but the two of them calling my name snapped my eyes open.

"Urgh… What… he's all set?"

"Oppa, are you really tired?"

"Mmm… a little? Anyway, Oppa's heading out for a bit, Yooseung."

"Yes! Come back safe, Oppa."

I ruffled the hair of Shin Yooseung, who answered with a bright smile, and walked toward Lycaon. Apparently she'd just been standing quietly beside me the whole time I was nodding off.

I clung to my hazy, half-asleep focus, scratched my head, and spoke to Lycaon.

"Hey, we already ate together. Can't you just call me by my name?"

"That is not permitted. I dare not speak the name of the talisman's master so lightly."

Faced with Lycaon's rigid formality, I gave up and approached him. A soft current of wind stirred around his body.

"Then, from this moment, I shall transmit our tribal secret art — the Path of the Wind."

"Alright. I'm counting on you."

Lycaon nodded and began settling into a stance.

"Before I teach you our secret art, the Path of the Wind, I shall first demonstrate."

Whooooosh.

The flow of wind that began at Lycaon's arms spread through his entire body.

"Grrrrr…"

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Even that simple posture made the wind coursing through him roar with a far more intense presence.

Whooooooo—!

A wind far stronger than the first poured from both his arms. Even at a distance, I could feel its force. My eyes sharpened as I studied his stance, his movements, the wind itself.

Then Lycaon snapped his eyes open, shouted a battle cry, and flung his crossed arms wide.

"Haaaah—!!"

Shhhhhhhh—!!

Screeeeech!!

The Path of the Wind Lycaon unleashed carved a swath out of the road. Dust and debris nearby were swept away without the slightest resistance, caught in the violent current.

"Ooooh…"

"Wow…"

Han Sooyoung and Shin Yooseung's awed voices drifted from behind me.

Lycaon finished the Path of the Wind, turned his head, and looked at me.

"Did you see, Hoju? That is our tribal secret art — the Path of the Wind."

"That's one hell of a technique."

"Having demonstrated, I shall now offer a brief explanation."

"Please do."

"First: to learn the Path of the Wind, you must first feel the wind. Do not resist the currents flowing through this place. Entrust your body to them."

Lycaon looked straight at me and continued.

"Second: you must guide the flow of the wind."

"Guide it where?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Hmm… By our people's standard, one first guides the wind through both arms. Next, the legs. Then the entire body. Finally, one is no longer limited to the body at all, and can command the wind in the surrounding area."

"So beginner, intermediate, advanced — something like that?"

Lycaon gave a light nod.

"And third, the last step: gather the guided wind into a single place and forge a path. That is the full explanation of the Path of the Wind, passed down through our people. Some of it may feel abstract or difficult to grasp. That can only be understood through direct experience."

"Alright. I'll give it a shot."

I looked straight down the path Lycaon's wind had carved and recalled the stance he had used.

Gale in the left hand, storm in the right. Where the straight line and the curve collide, the Path of the Wind shall open.

I recalled the metaphor — no, the description — of the Path of the Wind that Yoo Joonghyuk of Ways of Survival had given to Kim Dokja of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

Lycaon's stance, his stride, the motion in his arms and legs, the flow of wind he had unleashed, its waves, its force, its movement — I held them all in my mind. For now I had to forget my talent, the Disaster of Questions, the Fifth Scenario itself. I had to pour everything into the Path of the Wind alone.

"Hooo…"

I took a slow breath and focused. Then I gently closed my eyes and tried to feel the wind flowing through this place.

Wind is invisible… but it exists everywhere.

With my eyes shut, my senses sharpened. I felt the soft current brushing over my body and pictured the Path of the Wind in my mind.

In the left hand, wind in a straight line. In the right hand, wind in a curve.

The straight line: the image of a gale blowing in a single direction. The curve: the image of a storm that sweeps everything away.

Whooooosh.

A soft yet fierce wave of wind wrapped my body, my arms. Give that flowing form meaning. Give it intent. Give it a name.

I moved my arms and legs to mirror the stance Lycaon had demonstrated, the image of the Path of the Wind still turning in my head.

Gale — the straight line — in the left hand. Storm — the curve — in the right.

Where the two winds collide, the Path of the Wind will open. Don't force control. Guide both winds to a single point.

Just as Lycaon, Yoo Joonghyuk, and Kim Dokja had done, I crossed my arms and focused.

Eyes still squeezed shut, holding the image of the Path of the Wind and repeating it to myself, I let out a shout the way Lycaon had and flung my crossed arms wide.

"Haaaah—!"

Shhhhhh—!

…Huh?

Something soft and fierce seemed to surge out from both my arms — a strange sensation that made me snap my eyes open in a hurry.

And what I saw before me—

Weaker than Lycaon's by a wide margin, yes. But still, a wind that swept ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up the dust, grit, and debris scattered along the roadside and carried them away. I watched it clearly.

"………Huh?"

I stared at that wind with a dazed expression.

Startled by the system messages floating in front of me, I looked around. Lycaon was staring at me with open admiration. Shin Yooseung watched me with shining, impressed eyes. Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja were both looking at me in pure shock.

Faced with those expressions, I scratched my head and asked,

"What? How long did that take me?"

"Hoju possesses considerable talent for the Path of the Wind. By this world's time, it took approximately twenty minutes."

"Huh? That's all?"

I frowned slightly at Lycaon's words. It had felt like at least thirty minutes. Only twenty?

Maybe I actually have some talent after all?

Gale in the left hand, storm in the right. Where the straight line and the curve collide, the Path of the Wind shall open.

At last I truly understood what those words meant. With that, I'd successfully learned the Path of the Wind I'd wanted. Learning it so quickly even bought me a little breathing room.

"So that means I've fully learned the Path of the Wind?"

"Correct. The rest now depends on Hoju."

"Thanks, Lycaon."

"Not at all. I am simply glad to have been of use to Hoju."

This was only the second time I'd acquired a skill through my own effort rather than from the Dokkaebi Bag or a scenario reward. The first had been Battle Continuation — a lesser version of Yoo Joonghyuk's Return from the Brink — which I'd half-accidentally picked up after fighting monster waves until dawn left me half-dead. And now, the Path of the Wind I'd learned from Lycaon.

I opened my trait window and looked at Battle Continuation, a skill I'd acquired and never once used.

Battle Continuation… usable once per day. Partially heals combat injuries and restores the body to a state capable of fighting.

It wasn't like Yoo Joonghyuk's Return from the Brink, which fully restored the body and stamina in one go. It only healed wounds enough to keep fighting — it did nothing for exhausted energy. Even so, Battle Continuation was clearly a solid skill.

I'd like to level this one up too, but…

I had zero desire to deliberately get beaten up just to raise its level. Leveling it would be nice eventually, but right now something else was more urgent.

I needed to raise the Path of the Wind's level as high as possible.

Ding!

Shop User's remaining update time: forty-four hours.

There was a little variance, but over the next two days I could train the Path of the Wind, then enjoy the package benefits for the remaining four hours.

Everything I had to do until then was pure grinding.