Tracks from Nowhere
Kaisent and Dang Seol-yeong obtained good news and bad news in the same breath.
The good news was that they had discovered the starting point of the trail before nightfall.
The bad news was that the starting point lay in the middle of an empty stretch of forest, with nothing around it at all.
It was as if he simply dropped here out of thin air. How is that even possible?
Had he leapt from a distance?
Judging by the old man's footprints, these were not the steps of someone trained in movement arts or light-body techniques. Even if he had somehow managed a long jump, the direction of that leap should have left deep gouges in the earth. Yet the very first prints showed both feet planted neatly side by side, and every hypothesis crumbled against that single fact.
"It looks like he was transferred here in an instant, the same way we were," Dang Seol-yeong murmured while fretting over the puzzle. Kaisent was the one who pieced together the only answer that fit.
"Maybe he was being chased and something happened that moved him mid-flight. He would have been too busy running to notice he'd been dropped into a strange forest."
"Right now that feels closest to the truth… Haa."
Learning that no pursuers had followed the old man, Dang Seol-yeong let out a sigh laced with both disappointment and relief. Kaisent, sharp as a ghost, caught the subtle shift at once and seized one of her buttocks.
"Hahng!?"
"Nuna. You felt relieved just now because there were no pursuers, didn't you?"
"N-no… If we meet other allies it would be easier to get out of the for—"
"Lie."
Squeeeze!
"Kyahh♡"
Through the thin fabric his hand clamped hard enough to make the curve of her rear stand out in sharp relief. Ever since he had begun learning martial arts, Kaisent had learned to reinforce his body with inner energy; that rough, boyish grip kneaded and crushed the soft flesh of her backside without mercy. Training under him had left every inch of her rear hypersensitive, so each time its shape deformed a jolt raced up her spine and the center of her lower body sank lower and lower. Even so she never resisted. Instead a smile of pure enjoyment curved her lips.
"I-I'm sorry…♡ The truth is… knowing I can be alone with Young Master puts me at ease…♡"
"Heeh. So Nuna has a pretty strong possessive streak too."
Since she had answered honestly, Kaisent finally released the merciless grip. Dang Seol-yeong escaped the ruthless pleasure, yet she still exhaled a lingering, heated breath of regret.
"It's starting to get dark, so we should check the area for safety and prepare to camp."
"Y-yes…♡"
Making thrifty use of every scrap of knowledge she had casually taught him on the way here, Kaisent sent Mingming out to scout for nearby threats.
"Hm?"
Just then Dang Seol-yeong caught a familiar scent. She made soft little sniffing sounds, turning her face this way and that. Kaisent stayed quiet so she could concentrate. A moment later she located the source and turned to him with a bright expression that answered his curiosity at once.
"Young Master! Water!"
"Whoa!"
They had a portable water collector, but it only gathered a single cup's worth—nowhere near enough for free use. The two of them hurried toward the scent and soon found a stream winding through uneven ground. Twilight was already settling over the forest, so the water looked a little dark, yet it was clearly clean.
"Water!"
"Young Master, wait…"
She stopped him as he started to rush forward in delight and gave a quiet warning.
"This forest isn't like any ordinary woods we know… First we have to check whether it's drinkable, and places like this always draw beasts. Don't let your guard down…"
"Ah…"
Only then did Kaisent come to his senses. He scanned the surroundings, worried that the noise might bring predators. Fortunately no animal presence could be felt nearby. Cupping water in one hand, he began scanning it with the survival scanner. He worked alone because any liquid that touched Dang Seol-yeong's skin would turn toxic even if it had been pure.
"Good news—it's drinkable. No major problems, so shall we wash up a little first?"
The moment Kaisent opened his mouth to rinse his face, countless long, thick shapes plummeted from the canopy above their heads. Their bodies were as long and thick as snakes, yet their gaping maws combined the circular suckers of lampreys with rows of shark-like teeth, ready to tear into flesh.
Kak-kak-kak-kak-kak!
The instant Mingming confirmed the hostile shapes dropping from above, it formed blades over Kaisent's head and spun them like a propeller, slicing the creatures' bodies apart. Dang Seol-yeong had faced this kind of ambush many times; she swayed her upper body lightly, batting the falling monsters aside, and moved to Kaisent's side.
"Young Master! Are you all right!?"
"I-I'm fine."
Training with her had sharpened his senses; he had already ducked his head so Mingming could move freely.
"Kkigigigigigig!"
The snake-like creatures she had knocked away—or those that had fallen elsewhere—produced sounds that did not belong to this world. Looking closer, the gum-like flesh of their sucker mouths was working, teeth grinding against teeth.
Kkigigigigigigig——!!
At the same time the entire forest seemed to howl as the same noise rose from every direction.
There were this many of them?
In the murim, even when tigers or other predators hid their presence, they never knew how to conceal killing intent. That was why he had never once been ambushed by animals. These forest monsters, however, could hide both presence and killing intent. In other words, the creatures before them were hunters a full rank above any mere beast like a tiger.
Just the ones I can sense already number sixty. More are waiting in the trees, ready to strike.
These monsters were clearly skilled at taking prey. Proof of that skill lay in the wide encirclement they had formed, prepared even for the chance that their quarry might climb or leap through the branches. Anyone who knew the name of this place and found themselves in the same situation would have chosen suicide on the spot. These creatures slipped through gaps in armor like soft-bodied invertebrates, burrowed into a person's body, and inflicted pain so extreme that death would be a mercy. Of course a sword or spear could cut them, but dealing with this many at once was impossible.
Sasa-sasak—
Four tentacles growing from each torso served as legs as they slowly tightened the net.
"Young Master."
"Haa… haa…!"
"Kaisent."
"Hic…!"
It's no good. Young Master has been exposed to their killing intent and is terrified.
Fear had already half-devoured Kaisent's reason. His breathing was ragged, he was hiccupping, and his eyes could not focus. Four or five of them he might have managed somehow, but the raw killing intent of ten times that number was a crushing pressure for a boy who had only just begun learning martial arts.
I have no choice. I have to step in here.
Dang Seol-yeong released the poisonous aura she had been holding back so as not to kill the forest, spreading it freely. Rage flared in her at the fact that these things had dared to frighten Kaisent.
"Mere vermin dare!"
She began circulating her inner energy. The density of the poison thickened; grass and soil around her turned violet. The monsters possessed a fair resistance to toxins, yet the moment they entered her domain their bodies began to tremble as if vibrating.
Gulurk— pujik—
They vomited purple blood and clotted lumps, then collapsed lifelessly. Thud-thud-thud-thud— even the ones waiting in the trees to ambush spewed clotted blood and tumbled down. Corpses already on the ground could not withstand the poison either; their entrails and flesh swelled and burst, spraying meat and blood everywhere.
Pususususususu—
Nearby trees exposed to the aura lost their life force as well; leaves fell until only bare branches remained. In an instant the place had become a land of death.
I used too much power!
Realizing the carnage she had wrought, Dang Seol-yeong hastily reined in her energy. Her heart clenched. She was afraid to turn her eyes. Worst-case scenarios kept flashing through her mind without rest.
"Young Master…?"
Cautiously she turned her head, praying she would not see the expression of terror and revulsion she had witnessed so often in the murim—the look people gave a monster.
Whump!
Instead Kaisent rushed her, threw his arms around her, and buried himself against her chest.
"Kya?"
"Hic… I'm sorry… I left Nuna to fight alone… I wanted to help somehow but I was so scared…"
Rather than fear the slaughter she had caused, Kaisent apologized for his own weakness in leaving her to face it alone. Tears welled; he hated himself for being unable to do anything. One touch and he looked ready to burst into full sobs as he gazed up at her. Seeing that, Dang Seol-yeong felt gratitude that he did not fear her power, and a maternal instinct stirred by the sight of a frightened rabbit.
"Don't worry, Young Master. I'll protect you…"
"Nuna…"
She held him so that his face nestled between her breasts. Only after the frightened boy felt that soft warmth did his trembling finally subside.
"It's getting dark… Let's rest for now…"
"Yes…"
Since ancient times villages were often built near water, so the two decided that at first light they would follow the stream downward, and began searching for a place to stay. They cleared grass and shrubs until a suitable clearing appeared, then sat facing each other in lotus position.
"From now on I'll regulate your energy for you. It will calm your mind and body and help you keep your cool, so remember the method and use it whenever you can."
Dang Seol-yeong placed both hands on Kaisent's chest and began adjusting his qi.
It's warm.
Each time the energy stimulated his meridians a pleasant warmth rose from deep inside, and the panic that fear had locked around his mind began to loosen its grip.
"Now try it yourself."
Following the flow she had shown him, Kaisent started circulating on his own. The body that had been shaking with terror quickly regained its composure.
"Haaa~~"
"Do you feel a little calmer now…?"
"Y-yes…"
Freed from the fear, Kaisent hung his head, apparently remembering how unsightly he must have looked while crying.
"Don't blame yourself… Those monsters just now carried enough killing intent to put even me on edge… An ordinary trained martial artist would have reacted the same way you did…"
"But still…"
"You're still young… No matter how talented you are, you've only been learning for a few days. You haven't had time to temper a martial artist's heart yet…"
She gently stroked the head of the boy who sat with his chin tucked like a dejected puppy.
"Don't worry… I'll stay by your side and help you…"
"Nunaa…"
Encouraged by her words, Kaisent slipped back into her arms.
"Thank you, Nuna. Falling into this forest has been hard and painful, but I'm glad I met you."
"I feel the same, Young Master…"
Meeting Kaisent—who had revived the emotions that had been dying inside her and taught her what happiness as a woman could feel like—was the greatest fortune of her life. If she had met him even a year later, she would already have become a doll with every feeling erased.
So the two of them held each other, exchanging the beat of their hearts, savoring the present happiness for as long as they could.
But that happiness was about to be shattered without mercy by the appearance of a certain being.
They could endure no longer.
The living things of the forest began to stir one by one, convinced that if they starved any further they would lose even the strength to move. First the strange beings never before seen in these woods were chosen as prey, and the hunt began.
At the same moment, he revealed himself—erupting with rage toward the ones who had betrayed him.
Sudden betrayal by comrades and by the world itself. It had happened without warning in the middle of the happy days he spent as a hero praised for slaying the Demon King.
"Cough! Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuuck!!"
After forcibly punching through the anti-magic barrier that had been set to stop him from casting, he teleported to random coordinates. Internal injuries must have taken hold; blood and rage poured from him together.
Pachutsutsutsutsutsutsu!
Amazingly, the man's fury made the entire forest shudder and set off an earthquake.
"I'll kill every last one of you! You bastards who don't even know whose help kept you alive! I'll slaughter the whole fucking lot!"
The killing intent of a man betrayed by an entire world became the spark that multiplied the savagery of the forest beasts already driven mad by hunger.