Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Steps Into Darkness
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As the ghosts began emerge one by one from the spots where the dead had fallen, Hwan-in felt not so much surprise as a touch of puzzlement.
He had already seen the ghost of that horse-deer hybrid creature. Getting shocked again over something like this would be odd.
The reason for his puzzlement was that the Beast-Head Monster's ghosts were so faint they were hard to make out.
Seven blurry, smudged figures—like something roughly erased with an eraser—flickered like tiny campfires, drifting aimlessly over the river.
The Lizardmen weren't emerging from the water for whatever they were doing down there.
After a brief moment of thought, Hwan-in kept his Soul Vision open and tried calling out to the ghosts.
"......"
No response.
The ghosts, like hazy smoke, either floated up toward the sky, drifted slowly across the river, or wandered about haphazardly.
He had wondered if the horse-deer ghost had come because it had been lingering nearby and he'd unconsciously called it, but apparently not.
Muttering to himself inwardly, Hwan-in unconsciously glanced at the Deer-Antler Staff.
Just in case, he gripped the staff and called out again, but still no reaction.
'Maybe they're too far away.'
Whether empathy or rapport, it worked best up close.
The Beast-Head Monster ghosts were roughly 30 to 50 meters away. The closest was about 30 meters...
After thinking for a moment, Hwan-in used his Soul Vision to pinpoint all the Lizardmen's positions, then hid his gear and Emergency Ration in the underbrush.
Armed only with his spear, the Deer-Antler Staff, and the Stone Axe at his waist, he descended the slope where the Beast-Head Monsters had gone down, toward the gravelly riverbank.
"......"
Was it because they'd just finished hunting and were full? The Lizardmen in the riverbed were only hugging rocks the size of their bodies or wedged into rock crevices, not approaching.
Thanks to Soul Vision revealing the camouflaged Lizardmen clearly, he moved a bit more boldly.
Approaching to within 4 meters of the river, Hwan-in stared piercingly at a ghost about 10 meters away and thought inwardly,
'Come here.'
────......
He'd called with about half certainty, but as the ghost actually began drifting slowly toward him, a chill raced down Hwan-in's spine.
It hadn't moved or reacted at all before he called. Yet now it was really coming.
Did that mean he could control ghosts now?
As he stared at the approaching Beast-Head Monster ghost, Hwan-in suddenly sensed something emanating from it.
This was... sorrow? Pain?
The emotion was too faint and vague. And it felt like it might respond if he spoke to it.
About to say something to the ghost, Hwan-in shut his mouth upon noticing a Lizardman approaching from the right riverbank, hidden from view.
It wasn't one of the seven he'd already located—it was a new one coming from farther away.
Up close, he could see the air rippling around it like it was draped in high-quality camouflage netting.
Was that slow approach its natural speed, or was it moving cautiously for the hunt?
Seeing it creep toward him like prey, Hwan-in secured a retreat path and hurled a fist-sized pebble at the Lizardman.
Swoosh—thunk!
Hurrr.
The pebble arced cleanly and struck the Lizardman's head. It let out a deflating hiss, as if jolted.
Then, like shedding its skin, the Lizardman revealed itself.
Having walked on two legs, it flicked its snake-like tongue a few times in irritation from the stone, then lowered its upper body onto all fours.
It advanced in big strides, but honestly, it was as slow and non-threatening as a charging turtle.
His head said there was no reason to fight, but his heart pounded, urging him to battle the Lizardman. Amid the confusion, Hwan-in chuckled softly and gripped his spear shaft.
Preferring to follow his heart's impulse over rational judgment—what was this, desire?
Having decided to fight, Hwan-in scanned his surroundings.
The seven submerged nearby weren't stirring. Only this one approaching was around.
As Hwan-in gripped his spear in a thrusting stance, the Lizardman—approaching on all fours with heavy steps—halted at 5 meters.
'Jump attack.'
Reading the Lizardman's leap, Hwan-in bent his knees slightly.
Swoosh—
The instant it jumped and its jaws parted slightly, Hwan-in lunged diagonally forward, anticipating the tongue's trajectory and sweeping his spear upward.
Slash.
A silver flash traced an arc, severing a fist-sized chunk of flesh. Blood sprayed from the cut end like a broken kite string as the Lizardman landed, eyes squeezed shut, thrashing its head.
Blood dripped from its maw, splattering everywhere—it must have hit a major artery in the tongue.
Seeing the Lizardman confused in pain, Hwan-in seized the chance. Thud. He stamped his right foot hard and thrust his spear.
Puuk—
Over half the 40cm blade sank into the Lizardman's chest.
The scales' defense was lower than expected. Gauging their thickness from the thrust's feel and resistance, Hwan-in tried to swing the spear—but then,
'The joint's weak. It'll break.'
Feeling stress concentrate on the shaft-blade joint, he hurriedly withdrew the spear.
Even without that, the Lizardman—spear in what would be a human's solar plexus—was reaching for the shaft while groaning.
It had effortlessly dragged a near-30kg Beast-Head Monster into the river. A strength contest would be foolish.
As Hwan-in backpedaled sharply, the Lizardman—far from incapacitated—strode forward.
Huffing snorts sprayed out; it was clearly furious.
Hwan-in kept distance, watching its lower body...
Krrk.
The moment it stepped with its left foot, he closed in and stabbed the chest again.
Stab!
Screee—!
The spear pierced clean through this time, but the Lizardman ignored it, glaring with reptilian eyes, arms and jaws wide to engulf Hwan-in.
"......!"
Short but razor-sharp claws rushed from both sides, saw-toothed maw from the front.
Instead of dropping the spear to dodge, Hwan-in drove it deeper.
"Hup!!"
He swung the shaft like a baseball bat, flinging the Lizardman aside.
Whish!
The straight spear offered no snag; centrifugal force ejected the Lizardman, which tumbled on the gravel but righted itself with its tail in an instant.
'Thrusts lack stopping power.'
Despite two stabs, it flicked its severed tongue indifferently, flattened itself, and charged at Hwan-in.
Screee!!
Staring down the four-legged rush, Hwan-in waited for the jaws to gape for the bite.
"Hut!"
He jammed the spear into its maw.
The blade grated against something hard, transmitted through the shaft. Bracing his core and legs, he withstood the momentum.
The halted charge left the Lizardman skewered over a meter deep, writhing with gurk, grrk spasms.
Feeling the half-embedded spear bend near breaking, Hwan-in retreated with it hastily.
Guuk, kack! Queeesh......!
The Lizardman flipped belly-up, limbs flailing.
Red blood surged from its jaws; it thrashed like a fish dragged from water.
Sweat trickling down his forehead, Hwan-in watched the tenacious Lizardman, then scanned around.
No others approached—low tribal loyalty?
Drawing the Stone Axe, he unhesitatingly hacked at the flailing neck.
Crack!
'Scales only weak to thrusts?'
Even full force merely cracked a few.
Straining harder, Hwan-in hammered the same spot repeatedly. Scales shattered, flesh shredded, blood sprayed.
Only after prolonged strikes did he sever the neck vertebrae. Wiping sweat with his sleeve, he exhaled softly.
His heart pounded from the exertion, sweat pouring like rain.
Regulating his breath while eyeing the half-decapitated corpse, Hwan-in began slicing open its belly with the Stone Axe.
'Need to check organ positions.'
Slicing was impossible due to spear durability. And the scales resisted impacts well.
Thrusts to kill meant targeting vitals with a narrow 7cm blade. But Hwan-in knew little about lizards.
To gather intel, he peeled back the abdominal skin and examined the organs.
But...
"......Hoo."
The heart sat centered between the arms.
Meaning, 10cm higher on the first thrust would've been instant death.
Liver and lungs overlapped halfway between ribs, lacking the sternum and costal cartilage humans had for protection.
Aim well, and one strike could kill.
Other organs clustered in the lower abdomen, peritoneum-wrapped like humans'. Unsure if like Earth's lizards, he lost interest.
Aim for the shoulder line's center, anyway.
"Hoo......"
Wiping facial sweat, Hwan-in stood.
Dissecting a man-sized creature (tail excluded) was more taxing than expected.
Glancing around, the ghost that approached him floated nearby. No others remained.
Why did this one stay alone?
As he pondered, a pallid wisp emerged from the dissected Lizardman corpse—utterly unlike the Beast-Head Monster ghosts. He frowned slightly.
Size similar to life, shape recognizably Lizardman visually.
High transparency; he could clearly see through to the other side.
'Why the form difference?'
All seven Beast-Head Monster ghosts were identical.
The horse-deer animal ghost was vivid, nearly lifelike barring color and transparency.
This Lizardman ghost was clear but paled against the animal one—like 2160p vs. 144p.
Species difference, perhaps.
As curiosities mounted, Hwan-in cautiously approached the Beast-Head Monster ghost, extending the Deer-Antler Staff's head.
......
The misty ghost showed no reaction.
Wondering what to do, Hwan-in recalled its response to his call and mentally commanded: Come here.
────......
The ghost flickered, then shrank to a small, dim orb clinging to the staff's antler.
"......!"
Non-targeted commands were AoE? Seeing the Lizardman ghost approach, he ordered it to stop; it halted.
His heart raced.
'Is this the prep stage for the colorless explosion the Green Monsters used?'
He could command ghosts. They attached to the staff as orbs.
Deducing from this, Hwan-in thought it'd be ideal if so. He ordered the Lizardman ghost to follow him.
Time to learn more about ghosts.
Returning to the cliff where he'd hidden Emergency Ration and gear, Hwan-in prepared camp, planning to spend the night near the river.
About 100m from the riverbank cliff, dense bushes 1~1.5m tall formed a perfect natural cover, like a large garden.
Slicing out a 3-pyeong clearing with the rusted dagger, he piled the cuttings and spread beast hide atop.
Squawk.
Tossing Emergency Ration onto the bedding, Hwan-in delved into exploring the ghosts and his abilities.
'Alright then......'
Currently, he could: View lifeforms' color auras via Soul Vision, and absorb warm/cool energies to convert to Warm Ki or Cold Ki.
Now adding: Commanding souls with the staff.
Color auras needed no further review.
Warm/Cold Ki might circulate like blood, but no way to confirm yet.
"......"
Fist clenching and opening, Hwan-in positioned the Lizardman ghost before him and ran tests.
Commands were basic: Come. Go. Stay. Follow.
Others yielded no response, as if uncomprehended.
"Come" made it turn into a round, dim light orb attaching to the antler. He assumed it invisible to others.
It emitted no light reflecting off surroundings like bushes, ground, or hide.
Squawk. Peck.
Finishing basic tests, Hwan-in eyed Emergency Ration pecking coral mushroom crumbs he'd tossed, his gaze deepening for the final check.
"......"
What ghosts could do, per his knowledge: Necromancy, possession, and death command.
Death command unrelated, so skip.
Necromancy borrowed soul power; possession let the soul take the host's reins.
'Those eight Green Monsters.'
He was convinced their agility came from Necromancy.
Gazing at the floating Lizardman ghost,
Could he Necromance it? What effect?
His certainty was like baseless intuition.
Testing on himself was suicide. Testing on a monster would empower an enemy.
Squawk?
Hand pausing mid-feed, Emergency Ration cried out at Hwan-in.
Watching it, Hwan-in made his decision.