Chapter 20
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: uly Chapter: 20 Chapter Title: The Long Night -----------------------------------------------------------------
'No natural predators around here, huh.' If there were any, they'd be retreating to their lairs by nightfall or diving into the river's depths. But not a single one budged. Even if they were hiding or heading back to shelter, crossing the river looked impossible. He'd walked for two hours along the riverbank, and the width showed no sign of narrowing. Swimming across a 60-meter-wide river with a swift current would be a daunting challenge for Hwan-in, who wasn't much of a swimmer. Factor in attacks from the monsters, and any attempt would be sheer suicide
"......" As the sun dipped below the horizon and a blue-tinged moon rose, the Frogmen began croaking like tree frogs—guh-guh! With their hefty sizes and numbers, their chorus filled the riverbank, drowning out all other sounds. That must have been what roused Emergency Ration, who'd been knocked out by the Blue Flame Tiger's tail swipe. Kwak? Piled atop the beast-hide bundle like discarded luggage, Emergency Ration blinked in confusion, unsure why it was there or where "there" even was. It shook its head like a dog, feathers ruffling
Kwak! Perched on Hwan-in's shoulder, it puffed up its tail feathers, preening its beak with sharp scratches—looking every bit the bird fresh from sleep, grooming itself. Hwan-in watched Emergency Ration tidy its wing feathers with its beak, his gaze complicated. With each passing day, he grew more curious about the bird's true nature. It was smart enough to know just how powerful the Blue Flame Tiger was. Yet instead of fleeing, Emergency Ration had stepped up to block the beast, enduring its overwhelming presence in Hwan-in's place
Even giving it the benefit of the doubt, that was suicidal. No creature with any sense would do it—and while instinct might explain it, the bird's past actions didn't fit that mold. 'Whatever... doesn't matter.' It wasn't useless, and keeping a pet bird wasn't so bad. If it left, he'd let it go gracefully. If it stayed, he'd treat it better. He pulled some insects gathered earlier from his pouch and fed them to Emergency Ration's beak. The bird snapped them up and nuzzled Hwan-in's cheek with its head, begging for more with playful affection
As he chewed on bitter plants like grass roots and sow thistle for dinner, fed Emergency Ration, and kept moving, Hwan-in noticed the river narrowing ahead. A bit further down, the width shrank enough to reduce the water volume, and the density of Lizardmen and Frogmen thinned out. Hwan-in scanned the surroundings more closely. The river had flowed straight until now, but ahead, it curved sharply toward the jungle depths. Following it would only lead deeper into the wilderness. He activated Soul Vision for a thorough check
Within 200 to 300 meters centered on himself: five Frogmen along the riverbank and two Lizardmen deep in the water. That was it. Two of those were on the opposite side. Further ahead might bring better odds—or not. Worse, the Spirit Possession duration on his soul orb would end in about an hour. "......" Hwan-in stroked Emergency Ration, who was cooing contentedly with a full belly, then knelt to peer down a 6-meter drop to the riverbank below. Plop-plop-plop-plop. A Frogman approached with a comical waddle, its webbed feet slapping wetly against the ground
Its night vision wasn't great; it didn't notice Hwan-in atop the 8-meter cliff. Reaching the cliff, the Frogman gurgled—kurruk—and pawed at the exposed soil with its webbed forelimbs. Scrape—schlurp— It extended its long tongue to lick the dirt. 'After some kind of salt lick, maybe.' Hwan-in observed silently, using Soul Vision to gauge the other monsters' distances. 'Closest Frogman at 40 meters.' That one was crouched frog-like, facing away. Another was half-submerged 100 meters off, and the remaining two stood blankly on the far bank
All told, Frogmen had poor night vision, weak sense of smell, and no heat detection—that was the takeaway. Clack, clack. He kicked a pebble at his feet; it landed beside the Frogman, but the creature didn't notice. 'Blind, deaf, and nose-blind, yet it hasn't gone extinct. Wonders never cease.' Maybe they stuck with Lizardmen out of kinship. Hwan-in quietly set Emergency Ration down, slung his spear and beast-hide bundle diagonally across his back, and invoked Spirit Possession with the Beast-Head Monster's soul orb
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Spirit Possession (Beast-Head Monster) Enhanced physical strength and leg power A faint orb emitting a weak glow sank into his chest. His heart quickened faintly, heat surging through his body.
"......"
Gripping his staff from the end, he tossed it lightly behind the Frogman. Thud! Roll-roll-roll. The Frogman heard that one. It paused its dirt-licking and turned. In that instant, Hwan-in—gripping the stone axe haft with both hands—leapt down silently. Krunch! Schraaash— The axe blade sank two-thirds into the Frogman's crown, powered by the fall's momentum plus his swing
He tumbled with it onto the gravel. The Frogman took all the impact; aside from the gruesome squelch, sticky feel, and foul fishy stench, Hwan-in was unscathed. Guuuee...... Hwan-in sprang up and seized the axe haft embedded in the Frogman's skull as it gurgled in prelude to a scream. "Hup!" With all his might, he yanked. A sickening rrrip—flesh and bone tore free as the skullcap ripped off, smashing part of the brain. Twitch-twitch. Maybe the splattered brain matter did it. The Frogman's eyes darted wildly, limbs spasming
Hwan-in drew his spear and stabbed furiously at where its heart should be on its back. The Frogman let out a faint kik and went limp. Guwak? The Frogman 40 meters away stirred and turned toward him. Hwan-in jammed the staff into his back bundle, gripped his spear two-handed, and charged. Scraaape! Scritch-scritch... Gravel slowed his boots. Focusing on the Frogman's movements, Hwan-in pushed on. Gu-guh! Gu-guh! Gu-gu-guh!! It spotted him now, scooping water with webbed hands while bellowing loudly
What did that mean?Szzzzzzt...! As the thought crossed his mind, glowing green orbs materialized around the Frogman—like water sizzling on hot metal. 'Magic?!' An ominous green, hue unseen before. Goosebumps prickled his forearms and left neck. Without hesitation, Hwan-in hurled the stone axe from his belt. Whirr—thunk.Guue... Kyak! The spinning axe buried in its right shoulder, but the gathered green light had already formed arrows and launched. "Hup!" Hwan-in twisted his body instinctively
The green arrow whistled past where his shoulder had been, smashing into the cliff behind. Guwak! Guwaaaak!! Yanking the axe free, the Frogman leapt at Hwan-in, who'd stumbled dodging. The distance was perfectly—terribly—perfect. Close enough for a fatal hit. Instead of recovering, Hwan-in kicked off the ground, launching himself forward. He grabbed his staff left-handed, pointed at the Frogman, and unleashed a Soul Burst. "Go!" His awkward stance sent the orb astray. 'Damn...!?' Unlike his expectation of waste, the orb arced, curving behind the Frogman
BOOM!
💥 CRITICAL HIT! 💥
Skin ruptured across body Soul Burst direct impact The formless explosion engulfed the Frogman. Its skin burst everywhere as it dropped the axe and tumbled across the gravel. He didn't know why, but this was a golden opportunity. Hwan-in rushed in rolling, stabbing wildly at the Frogman—eyes burst, skin split, fluids leaking. "Raaagh!!" Szzzzzzt...! That eerie sound again, from behind. Without thinking, Hwan-in jammed his hand into the spasming Frogman's wound, hoisted it up as a shield
Splat—! A green light arrow struck it. A dull thud, then acrid fumes rose. The stench of burning poison. 'Poison arrow!' Using the convulsing Frogman as cover, Hwan-in charged the hesitating one 100 meters off. Szzzzzzt...! Another sound. He clicked his tongue. 'Damn it. One more arm...' By some grace, perhaps his prayers: As he closed the gap, two poison arrows flew. One hit the shield-Frogman's head, the other its gut. Guwak?! Hwan-in hurled the corpse. It bowled into the shooter, both tumbling on the gravel
Shunk. He drove his spear into its eye socket. Gurrrgle! Skull shattering, brain churning—the sensations hit simultaneously. "Hoo." Instant kill. Hwan-in turned to the river. Two Frogmen swam across like frogs. He retrieved his Deer-Antler Staff, waited till they hit the bank, then fired one Soul Burst each—slightly off-target. From the feel earlier, the orbs had homing. Whiiish— Sure enough, they curved behind the advancing Frogmen and detonated. BOOM!Guwaaak! Guueeek!! Like rolling on jagged rocks, wounds erupted across both
They flailed in grotesque dances on the gravel. Hwan-in impaled their jaws, scrambling their brains. "Huuu." Luck held; unscathed victory. He exhaled deeply, confirming five Frogman souls hovering over their corpses via Soul Vision. As expected, they retained their living forms. Possessing one would grant poison arrows, maybe. He had two orbs left after using three of five. Five Frogman souls... After a moment's thought, he released the Beast-Head Monster's orb and captured a Frogman's soul in a new one
His overworked arms and legs trembled from the short fight, but two Lizardmen lurked in the depths. No rest yet. But how to... "...!" Before the released Beast-Head soul ascended, Hwan-in recalled it, formed it into an orb, and launched at the submerged Lizardmen. 'Yes!' As hoped, the soul orb passed through the water unhindered. It exploded at a Lizardman's head hugging a rock, churning violent waves. Sploosh— Amid the frothing surface, the blast site's bubbles obscured the Lizardmen
Waiting briefly, the water calmed, bubbles cleared—no Lizardmen. Glancing downstream in mild panic, Hwan-in spotted their soul colors drifting with the current. Knocked out by the underwater blast. Far-off Frogmen stared this way, drawn by the noise. Hundreds of meters out. Poor-sighted, hard-of-hearing Frogmen seemed unsure whether to approach. The submerged Lizardmen fled further—downstream ones down, upstream ones up. Frightened by the unknown underwater explosion, perhaps. Pondering his next move, Hwan-in felt the Spirit Possession end, soul departing
Frowning, he decided and invoked it with a Frogman soul orb. His gaze naturally shifted to the water; swimming knowledge flooded his mind. Physical boosts: just greater arm and leg strength. "......" His plan: use poison arrows safely to clear nearby monsters, then raft across on a log. Now he had a safe crossing method. So why the sense of loss? 'Poison arrows are a superpower, not a skill.' Hwan-in shed his coat, bundled the beast-hide tight. "Hup!" With a mighty heave from the bank, he lobbed it across
Impossible normally, but boosted strength and Spirit Possession's arm enhancement made it easy. He threw his spear next, lashed the Deer-Antler Staff to his back with vines, kept only Black Club and stone axe, and dove in. The cool water enveloped him like a homecoming embrace. Following the knowledge, he yielded to the current, stroking arms and legs. His body cleaved through with startling ease. The Frogman's "swimming" was attuning to water flow, not technique. Combined with his own modest skills and boosted power, it birthed superb swimming prowess
"Phew." Crossing 40 meters in 20 seconds, Hwan-in felt refreshed like post-shower. He grabbed his gear and scaled the 8-meter cliff. "Not just arms—finger strength too." No need for tree roots. The rocky face offered endless holds; enhanced limbs supported him effortlessly. Atop in seconds, Soul Vision painted the world bright gray. He watched Frogmen waddle over belatedly. They poked the corpses, then began cannibalizing. "......" Structurally ill-suited for land, yet they wielded magic. Good thing it was night
Daytime, and a swarm's poison arrows would've overwhelmed him. He emptied water from his boots, wrung his soaked clothes. Two weeks without changing or washing. Stain resistance long gone. Filthy water dripped; wet-dog stench reeked. "Hoo." Overexertion left shoulders and back sore. Lifting 60kg Frogman while running hadn't helped. Stretching loosened the tension. Hwan-in whistled across the river. Kwak. Emergency Ration kwaked back, flapped over, and landed on his shoulder. Gripping spear and Deer-Antler Staff, tension high, Hwan-in entered the forest