Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Ashes Before Dawn
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Slash—drip, drip.
Hwan-in poured strength into his arms and cleaved through the vines hanging like curtains in the darkness, blocking his path, with his stone axe.
“Hup!”
Thud! Crunch! Rumble...
And the reeds—or trees, it was hard to tell—which appeared behind them, he bashed apart as well.
Whack, whack-whack-whack-whack!
He hacked a dozen times at the underbrush rising to chest height, carving out a path.
As he pushed forward through the wall of vegetation, Hwan-in wiped the sweat from his brow, the accumulating fatigue starting to weigh on him.
He paused for a moment and surveyed the midnight forest, which appeared gray thanks to Soul Vision.
The vegetation here is so different.
Small trees about 4 or 5 meters tall crowded overhead, while below, the underbrush and vines tangled so thickly up to chest height that he could barely take a step.
Lifting his gaze, he saw the bushes stretching like a sea all the way to where his view was blocked by the trees.
Squeak. Chirp—
Unidentifiable cries echoed faintly, and tiny insects buzzed annoyingly around, grating on his nerves.
Snap!
If Emergency Ration hadn't been hopping between his shoulders, snapping up the bugs flying toward his face, he'd have been even more irritated.
“Whew.”
Before crossing the river, he'd thought that side was the jungle, but the real jungle was here, and the other side had just been the Flooded Area.
Hard to believe, but thinking back, that side felt almost tidied by some invisible hand. There were patches of grass here and there, but not so much that it hindered running.
Like a national park shaped by human hands.
This side, on the other hand, matched the image of a jungle perfectly.
The temperature there had been comfortably cool, good for activity, but here it was humid and sticky—sweat beaded up with the slightest movement.
And that wasn't all.
After crossing the river, Hwan-in sensed a change in the air.
The Flooded Area had a tense atmosphere that kept you on edge. He hadn't noticed it while he was there, but coming here made it crystal clear.
Over there, he'd agonized over survival several times a day.
He'd barely slept at night, dozing fitfully. He'd wandered with weapon in hand, always alert.
Here, though, despite the humidity, swarms of bugs, and dense foliage up to his waist, the irritation was there but not the tension.
Unreal on the far side of the river. Real on this side.
Divided by a single river into reality and unreality—was it because of the Blue-Flame Tiger?
“......”
Letting out a weary sigh, Hwan-in swung his stone axe again, slicing through the tangled underbrush and pressing onward.
It had been nearly four hours since leaving the riverbank. Was it because of the dense vines and bushes that made movement so arduous? He hadn't seen a single monster or animal.
He hadn't fought, but crossing the river and pushing on relentlessly afterward had built up physical fatigue he could no longer ignore.
On top of that, the events of the past 48 hours were far from ordinary, leaving considerable mental strain as well.
He could feel the physical and mental exhaustion starting to drag at his ankles.
“Hm.”
Sunrise was still five hours away, and the Frogman soul orb would last less than three.
Should he rest for an hour or so, or push on to find a creature to replenish his soul?
After a brief deliberation, Hwan-in began climbing the thickest, tallest tree nearby.
Was it because he'd used Spirit Possession on the two-tailed monkey souls twice? Following the faint lingering knowledge from then, he managed to climb decently by moving his limbs accordingly.
It was the type of tree that spread wide at a certain height, like a zelkova, offering plenty of spots to rest.
As he settled into a spot, his eyes caught the upper branches, obscured by dense leaves, coming into view.
His fatigued body urged him to rest right there, but his mind persuaded it that even if resting, he should choose a safer spot higher up.
“......”
Exercising patience, Hwan-in climbed higher and was glad he did—the branches up here were perfectly thick and positioned for resting.
Settling where the branches cradled his back like a chair, he slung his beast-hide bundle over his shoulders as a backrest and secured his staff and spear so they wouldn't fall.
Leaning back against it, a creak sounded as his overworked spine screamed, sending a tingling yet refreshing sensation down his back.
Suppressing a groan, Hwan-in checked below his feet.
The leaves were small and finger-like, spreading thickly like a maple's—dense enough that even up close, he couldn't see the ground. A monster passing by wouldn't spot him.
The downside was that the front and above were exposed, but this was about 6 meters up—the height of a two-story building rooftop.
Meaningless against something like the Blue-Flame Tiger, but...
“No way those things are common.”
Feeling a bit relieved, Hwan-in tilted his head back, the beast-hide bundle cradling his head just right, stirring a strong urge to pass out right there.
Closing his eyes felt like it would erase eight hours effortlessly.
Thinking it over, he realized he hadn't leaned his head against anything and slept—not once in the past two weeks.
“......”
Sitting there blankly with his mouth slightly agape, Hwan-in tensed up, afraid he'd really nod off, and sat straight.
Even resting, he couldn't let his guard down—to be ready for emergencies.
Cheep.
Flutter-flutter.
Just then, Emergency Ration, hopping between branches, flew back with a few cherry-like fruits in its beak.
Landing on Hwan-in's thigh, it dropped them into his open palm as if saying eat, then fluttered off again.
Hwan-in watched it peck at fruits high in the tree for a moment, then checked one with Soul Vision before cautiously putting it in his mouth and chewing.
Green hue meant edible, but he'd spit it out if the taste was off... but this was...
“Sugar?”
Soft and jiggly like jelly, but the taste was like dumping a spoonful of sugar straight in his mouth—pure sweetness.
As the sugar hit, his fatigue eased a bit, drawing a wry smile from Hwan-in.
To feel such immediate relief—how deficient had he been?
He devoured the remaining five Emergency Ration had brought, then settled comfortably, planning to rest for just an hour, breathing evenly in and out.
Exactly one hour, legs stretched out on another branch for comfort—then he descended and pressed on.
The rest had significantly reduced his fatigue.
As Emergency Ration fluttered down to land on his shoulder, Hwan-in scratched its head and under its beak.
“Thanks.”
Quawk?
“This, I mean.”
Squawk!
The white fruit overflowed with sweetness. Emergency Ration kept bringing more afterward.
Whether it meant to share the tasty find or not, Hwan-in was amazed at the bird's direct way of repaying him.
Birds returning favors were common tropes in fairy tales or folklore, but he'd never imagined experiencing it himself.
Thanks to it, he now had about 17 white fruits. Not sure about shelf life, but two per meal should be fine...
Rustle—shhh.
“...!”
Carving a path through the sea of underbrush with his stone axe, step by step, Hwan-in froze at the rustling ahead and the sudden appearance of a rabbit.
A Rabbit-Squirrel.
Fluffy white fur. Long ears. Cute button nose, Ƨ-shaped mouth, round black eyes.
But it was big.
Really big.
The white Rabbit-Squirrel stood on hind legs, munching a vine as thick as an adult's forearm like a sprout.
A momentary brain freeze hit Hwan-in at its height—over 50cm taller than him—but he halted and stared at the giant white Rabbit-Squirrel.
It looked harmless, like a three-month-old bunny, but its size made dropping his guard impossible.
Everything over a certain size he'd encountered in the other forest had been aggressive. This one probably was too.
His right hand gripped the stone axe, left the staff, spear on his back from bushwhacking—now he regretted it.
Tensing his left hand on the staff, ready for Soul Burst if needed, the Rabbit-Squirrel looked at him.
Crunch. Snap, crackle.
As it approached, flattening bushes with its innocent face, Hwan-in's throat went dry.
Those weren't ordinary bushes. Tough, with sharp, thorny spikes—vicious stuff.
Yet it pushed through like willow leaves, its white fur unscratched.
He considered fleeing, but realizing its powerful hind legs for sprinting, he gave up on escape.
Even turning and running, it wouldn't take long to catch him.
And even if he could, the surroundings were walled in by the same bushes—only the narrow path he'd made allowed movement.
As it drew closer, Hwan-in steeled himself.
Before the giant Rabbit-Squirrel got too near, he thrust out his staff with his left hand in warning.
“Don't come closer.”
At Hwan-in's action, the giant Rabbit-Squirrel halted mid-approach, twitching. Seizing the moment, Hwan-in hooked the stone axe to his waist and swiftly drew the spear from his back.
If it showed any sign of attack, he'd blast Soul Burst, invoke Spirit Possession, and charge. Fleeing meant death; fighting offered at least a slim chance.
Sensing Hwan-in's resolve, the giant Rabbit-Squirrel stayed put, twitching its Y-shaped nostrils and sniffing.
Sniff.
Then it whipped its head sideways and lumbered left through the bushes.
“Ha... Talk about lucky.”
Considering its peaceful departure good fortune, Hwan-in muttered softly—but reality differed from his assumption.
The giant Rabbit-Squirrel was one of the forest's guardian beasts??? and had yielded because traces of the Blue-Flame Tiger—what Hwan-in called it, a calamity beast???—clung invisibly to him.
Had he not encountered the Blue-Flame Tiger, had it not brushed past him, he'd now be shredded into dozens of pieces by the guardian's hidden claws and sharp incisors—but unaware, Hwan-in gathered himself and hurried along the path it had cleared.
Its bulky frame had left a decently wide trail.
As if compensating for his slow pace until now, Hwan-in moved quickly.
The forest like a sea of underbrush. And the giant Rabbit-Squirrel parting it like Moses' miracle.
Walking the path of snapped and crushed bushes, Hwan-in mentally simulated fighting another giant Rabbit-Squirrel when he sensed the Frogman soul orb nearing expiration.
Come to think of it, Spirit Possession lets me know the remaining time without a clock.
At first, with the initial soul orb and possession, he hadn't known, but experience let him intuitively gauge durations.
Wondering at the mechanism, Hwan-in invoked Spirit Possession with the Frogman soul and began jogging slowly.
No monsters at all, huh.
Until the Frogman soul depleted from possession—over 20 minutes of light jogging—and still no monsters.
Small animals were audible despite the bushes, so they existed.
But why no monsters? The dense underbrush? Or had the giant Rabbit-Squirrel massacred them all?
Lost in such thoughts while running, sunlight began filtering through the trees, brightening the surroundings.
“Hm.”
The jungle across the river had towering trees with thick foliage, giving even midday a bluish tint on the ground.
Here, sunlight poured abundantly, dazzling his eyes.
Squawk!
Emergency Ration, following from behind, let out a pleased cry. It seemed to love the bright light.
Maybe it stared at the Great Lake so intently just because it liked the sunlight.
As the last Frogman possession faded and the winding Rabbit-Squirrel trail sharply bent left, Hwan-in paused in thought.
“......”
Surveying around, he dropped all gear except stone axe and Black Club at a low, broad oak-like tree, tucked them at his side, and climbed.
Climbing until the branches thinned too much for his weight, he scanned from there for the tallest nearby tree, descended, headed there, and climbed a twisting pine-like one next.
Repeating this several times, he finally took in the forest canopy.
In a uniform forest, average heights would make this scouting tough.
But here, tallest at 7-8m, average 4-5m—young growth allowed it.
“......”
His head barely poking above, scanning 360 degrees, Hwan-in furrowed his brow.
He faced the worst he'd feared.
No low hills anywhere.
No landmarks.
With a hill or gentle slope, he'd head there, climb, and scout—but all he saw was blue sky and endless forest.
Toward sunset, taller trees revealed the departed Flooded Area.
Is it my imagination? It looks shrouded in blue mist.
Staring that way, Hwan-in descended and let out a frustrated sigh.
Blundering aimlessly through such a forest without a goal was idiotic.
And he'd done just that.
Even pressured by the Blue-Flame Tiger to flee the jungle quickly, it was foolish.
Should've gone upstream after crossing, followed the Great Lake. Come to think, the giant Rabbit-Squirrel turned toward the Great Lake too.
No choices left.
Hwan-in gathered his gear and backtracked along the path.