Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A World That Watches
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A shrill keeeeyiruuururu pierced the air.
A seagull-like creature the size of a fighter jet spread wings at least twelve meters across as it soared past the cliffs near the Great Lake's shore.
Shwaaaaaak!
"......"
Hwan-in swallowed hard at the roar echoing behind it, so intense it sounded just like a jet fighter streaking by.
Had he underestimated avian eyesight? To think it spotted him from what looked like a mere dot on the horizon and came flying straight over.
At first, he'd assumed it was just passing through. But that notion shattered in under a minute as the distant specks grew larger, until they began buzzing the cliffs in a blatant show of force.
Kirurururit
Shooooaaaak!
He backed farther away from the cliff at the sight of the massive seagull monster swooping by again. Even from this distance—too far to call it "near the cliff" anymore—its passage sent vibrations rumbling through his body with every deafening boom.
He'd first wondered if Emergency Ration had drawn them in, but no. Or maybe rage over a stolen kin? That didn't fit either.
Either way, Emergency Ration would have flown off by now.
But the bird was practically glued to Hwan-in's shoulder, chirping excitedly.
As he walked, Hwan-in pondered his next move.
'If they've locked onto me like this, heading for the river is impossible. I'd get hunted the moment I leave the forest...'
That didn't mean this spot was safe, though.
Those things were too massive to enter the woods, sure. But in a world where green monsters wielded spirits and lizardmen turned invisible, what was stopping them from raining feather missiles out of the blue?
Quawk. Quuawk.
"Quiet down."
Hwan-in tapped Emergency Ration's beak as it bobbed happily with excited squawks. He fixed his gaze on the seagull monster tearing past again, trailing that ripping-air screech.
They often flew at angles that let him make out their colors and features clearly. Size aside, they looked just like seagulls.
Deep ocean-blue on their backs and upper wings. Cloud-white on their bellies and undersides. That color scheme meant one thing.
Camouflage or protective coloration against predators.
Hwan-in couldn't wrap his head around it.
At that size, with that speed, yellow legs thick as small tree trunks, and a beak that could shred a grizzly bear... why the need for camouflage?
Keeeeyirururuluk!
"Crazy!"
Mid-thought, Hwan-in spotted one diving straight at him through a gap in the thick canopy. He bolted deeper into the forest in panic.
Ku-ku-ku-kwang! Kwa-kwang, kkwa-kwang! Kwaji-jik!
Forest splintering behind him. Ground shaking in pursuit.
Hwan-in gritted his teeth.
To charge like that, headfirst? Was "birdbrain" a scientific fact?
Kiruruk! Kiruk!
Kwa-kwang! Ku-kung, ku-kwa-kwang!
The seagull monster had smashed through a dozen trees and was thrashing wildly with raucous cries. Every sweep of its scimitar-like wings exploded trees and cratered earth, filling the forest with chaos. But pinned under fallen and half-broken trunks, unable to advance, it finally gave Hwan-in pause. He stopped, hand on his pounding chest.
This was a dense jungle of trees from four to fifteen meters thick.
No monster that size could push deeper.
Kirururu! Kiruk!
Hwan-in stared calmly at the colossal seagull flailing under shattered timber, unscathed—not a feather out of place. Then he kept moving away from the Great Lake.
Curious what spirit possession from a beast like that might grant, but charging it was suicide, plain and simple.
'River crossing is non-negotiable either way... Maybe head downstream this time.'
Mapping the area methodically didn't sound half bad. Quickening his pace with that in mind, Hwan-in suddenly realized how unnaturally quiet it had become.
Was this the tension of being stalked by a predator?
His heart clenched like a vise. Glancing around...
Huro rorororong?!
"......!!"
He nearly clutched his chest and collapsed.
That unidentified roar from near the house-sized boulder. The one that had shaken him to his core, chills racing down his spine with cold sweat. It was right beside him now.
A silent scream escaped as he whirled toward the sound, legs rooting him like stumps.
A massive beast wreathed in blue flames loomed, filling his vision. Its flame-laced breath washed hot over him.
Whoosh—scorching wind tousled his hair and clothes.
Hwan-in was speechless before the elephantine white feline predator. Flowing white mane flecked with gold stripes.
Fangs longer than a saber-tooth's by multiples. Legs and shoulders like small pillars, swirled in raging blue flames.
A monster that could buckle knees just by sight. It eyed him briefly, then lifted its head.
Bam
"Guh!"
It vanished in a sonic boom and shockwave, hurling Hwan-in backward. He fought off the dizziness and looked up.
And...
Huro rororo!
Kirir aaaak!!
Ku-kwa-kwa-kwang! Kkwa-kwang, ku-gu-gu-gu......!!
...Witnessed a fighter-jet seagull clashing with an elephantine monster.
The blue-flame tiger's paw swipe shattered multi-meter-thick trees in thunderous blasts.
The seagull's wing beats diced trees into kindling with razor winds.
Monsters colliding head-on.
They tumbled together, snapping ancient giants like twigs. Missed strikes exploded head-sized trunks into splinters. Majestic devastation.
Quawk!
Emergency Ration pecked his crown—why aren't you running?—then flapped skyward.
The sting snapped Hwan-in alert. He sprinted from the dueling beasts.
Kirrarara......!!
Huro rororo......!!
Ku-gu-kung, du-dung, ku-kwa-kwa-kwa...
Their roars and booms faded, but Hwan-in didn't relax.
Lips bitten tight, enduring the beast-head monster's mediocre spirit possession, he ran until his lungs tore.
"Huff. Huff."
Trees, brush, vines blurred past in an instant.
In that surreal bodily disconnect, full-tilt flight, he spotted a corpse not far off his path and skidded to a halt, eyes wide.
A crown-like rack of massive pointed antlers.
Mystical green hide blending deer and horse, with six legs.
A giraffe-sized beast, gutted, throat half-torn. Naturally evoked the spirit he'd seen recently.
"No way this place is..."
The blue-flame tiger's front yard?
His gaze locked on claw marks gouged into a tree trunk.
'Those claw scars...!'
Undeniable.
A memory surfaced: first night in the jungle, huddled in a root hollow, staring at glowing yellow eyes.
Identical massive claw rents scarring a huge trunk, marking territory.
And that unidentified roar by the house-sized boulder.
Those eyes had been bright yellow. But this blue-flame tiger's blazed azure-white fire.
Yet the roars matched perfectly.
So... was this blue-flame tiger a different one from back then?
How many like it lurked in this jungle?
Digging only bred more questions.
That tiger's speed was beyond his sight. Sonic boom meant hundreds of meters in seconds.
If so, offering the green monster would've been pointless; it'd have hunted him effortlessly. Why spare him?
Because he was an ant it could squash anytime?
Shock numbs, they say. His tangled panic settled; ragged breaths steadied.
Leaving the deer-horse corpse, Hwan-in ran on, mind clearer: situation might not be that dire.
Evidence suggested as much.
Forty-plus green and beast-head monsters encountered nearby.
If the tiger claimed territory rigidly, no life bigger than bugs would survive here.
Plus, it'd ignored him for the seagull.
The deer-horse likely challenged and lost.
Or...
'Did this area just become the tiger's turf?'
If it'd slain the deer-horse that day he saw its spirit and claimed this as domain, everything fit.
Newly seized territory made more sense than lax boundaries.
Life just kept twisting.
A wry smirk at his plight, then his eyes lit on a tall tree bearing yellow fruits ahead.
Sure enough, two-tailed monkeys peeked from its lofty branches, watching.
He whistled sharply to Emergency Ration flying ahead.
Quawk?
"Emergency Ration, snag 'that'!"
...Kwaak!!
Understanding instantly, Emergency Ration rocketed near-vertical, ambushing the cluster atop the branches.
Kiyaaak!?
Kyaaak, kyaaaak!
Kiiiit!
Two-tailed monkeys scattered like roaches from a raided nest.
Hwan-in yelled as Emergency Ration nabbed one by neck and arm.
"Chuck it 'forward'!"
Kwaak!
Kiiik!
He charged, snatching the plummeting monkey mid-air.
Crack.
No slowdown: he twisted its neck 180 degrees while sprinting.
Twenty seconds with the corpse tucked underarm, its pale soul seeped out as its tongue lolled.
Hwan-in inhaled it, cloaking himself.
"Hooooh..."
Possession hit: heart pumped furiously, blood surged, legs flew faster—speed multiplying viscerally.
'Monkey corpse...'
Hard-earned instinct screamed warning. Ditching it carelessly spelled trouble.
Such alerts were rare yearly; ignoring them always backfired. Broken bones from falls, stocks surging post-sale, coins tanking post-buy.
Bulky for running, but possession eased the load. He crammed it into his beast-hide shoulder pack, then powered his legs harder.
Tree-climbing knowledge surfaced; eyes scanned overhead instinctively. But the branchway twenty meters up wouldn't hold his weight—maybe monkeys'.
Krung?
Urrrung!
Khehek!?
Khiik!?
Kiyoooo!
Suddenly, four beast-head monsters facing three green ones.
Too late to evade. Circling wasted more time.
Visualizing, deeming it doable, Hwan-in eased speed and plunged between them.
Kraek?
Kihik?!
Kyung kyung! Arrr!
Wul wul wul!!
Lightning spear work against the startled seven: seven strikes felled four dead, three down.
Kik, kihik...
Kurururu...
'Two-tailed monkey possession, and it's this easy?'
Minutes' work, one-handed. Bodily shift felt profound.
Three clutching wounds—no pursuit risk. He bolted anew...
Uuuuwoooo......!!!
A chilling roar unleashed a tidal aura-wave, sweeping him.
Trees, brush shrieked in its wake.
Fuusss...!
Kyaeng!
Kiyaaaa...
Monsters screamed, convulsed. Hwan-in's heart plummeted; legs stiffened woodenly.
Worse: shock broke the possession.
Grinding teeth, forcing steps loosened them; he pressed on.
But fate soured.
A bolt streaked overhead; gale-force winds hit. Eyes open: blue-flame tiger towered like a mountain.
"......"
No pursuit sounds heard.
Locking eyes with those searing orbs dwarfed its elephant bulk, encircling flames—even gore-smeared hide.
Bloody spear trembled. Hands, body quaked before the apex predator.
"......Hoo."
End of the line?
Recalling his path since crash-landing: any other choice, he'd be dead already.
Fate decreed this.
Acceptance stilled the shakes.
Intimidated but not panicked, Hwan-in straightened, leveled his spear, stared down the tiger.
'Magnificent.'
Its stance: mountain-solid. Head high, proud—no filth or baseness.
Soul Vision showed azure-white aura matching perfectly.
Almost apologetic for dubbing it "monster." A stunning lifeform.
Kwaaek! Kwaak!
Forgotten Emergency Ration flapped in, wedging between them.
Idiot. Run away—why return?
Brow furrowed, Hwan-in nudged it away with spear-tip. But it circled the tiger's head, squawking defiantly.
"......"
Not dumb—fearless.
Stunned by the absurdity, the tiger—still as stone till now—glanced at the bird.
Shiiik—thwack.
Kweek!
A casual tail-flick like a white tiger's sent it spinning toward him.
Hwan-in caught the tumbling, spinning bird. Alive—just out cold. Relief surprised him.
Hurrr...
Tiger's gaze hit the two-tailed monkey corpse at his side; tension froze him rigid.
This what instinct warned of?
Its eyes roamed: gore-crusted spear, axe, club; bloodied suit coat.
Lingered on the six soul orbs beaded on his deer-antler staff.
Then it lowered its head, glaring point-blank.
Breath hot on him, Hwan-in felt no killing intent or fear—just a stern warning: Don't defile this forest further.
Defile how? No killing animals? No harvesting?
Perplexed, the tiger gazed nobly toward the river, then ghosted past into the opposite woods.
"......"
Hwan-in watched its elegant retreat until blue flames vanished behind trees. Then he collapsed.
Like dodging a runaway dump truck by inches.
Heart hammered like a mallet; sweat poured.
Mind held by innate composure, but body yielded to the predator's aura.
Gasping, he eyed souls fleeing the three downed monsters, rose unsteadily, and staggered riverward downstream.
Tiger's intent unclear, but one truth crystal: linger here, die.
Spared this time—no guarantee next.
Far shore might be tiger turf, or another's. But escape was imperative.
No more dawdling.