Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Lessons in Survival
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The rumble of rapids crashing against rocks echoed as Hwan-in approached the woman's corpse.
"......"
He hadn't been seeing things. A long tuft of fur sprouted from around her tailbone.
Touching the sodden mass, he could feel bones inside.
Was she a person of this world?
He checked her wrist—no pulse. The carotid artery at her neck yielded the same result.
Hwan-in slipped a hand under her armpit and dragged her onto the gravel bank, then placed his hands between her swollen breasts and performed CPR out of obligation.
"......Hoo."
After ten minutes, she showed no sign of life.
Turning the body this way and that, he saw her slender arms and legs covered in wounds from thorns—punctures and scratches everywhere.
Her feet were the worst: both torn open to expose bone.
'Ran through the forest naked.'
There were bruises on her head, but they didn't seem the direct cause of death.
She must have lost consciousness, floated down the rapids, smashed into rocks, and drowned.
Hwan-in's gaze swept over her knees, palms, elbows, and back.
Traces like bare skin scraped and pressed against the ground.
Pushing aside the brown hair draped over her face like seaweed revealed striking features—along with bruises around her eyes, a split bridge of her nose, and busted lips.
"......"
Arms crossed in a grave expression, lost in thought, Hwan-in grabbed her knees and spread her legs apart.
Her plump labia parted, and a viscous fluid trickled out from within.
Stepping back from the corpse, Hwan-in rubbed his face with both hands and let out a sigh.
"Damn it."
He wasn't angry or saddened by her death. His mind wasn't so sound that he'd grieve a stranger.
His sigh was aimed at the forest's hostile inhabitants.
Beast tail and ears—human or not, she looked human enough.
Hwan-in scanned the surroundings. No sign of her soul, the body's original owner. He'd have spotted it back in the cave if it were around.
Hand on hip, face stern, he stared at the dead woman.
Clear signs of assault and bodily wounds.
One scenario easily formed in his mind.
Captured women. Brutal treatment. She couldn't take it anymore and fled in the downpour. Injuries from racing through the forest. Reaching a raging river or cliff, no other choice.
She jumped into the rapids.
"......"
Arms crossed, brow furrowed, Hwan-in began pacing nearby.
Since entering the jungle, he'd sought human traces, but never hypothesized they'd be hostile to their own kind.
His eyes roamed her nude form again.
C-cup breasts. A slight pudge at the sides that most men would find alluring. Plump thighs.
'Well-nourished.'
But not nobility—no delicate hands or weapon-specific calluses. The life-hardened skin and scars on hands and feet spoke of over a decade of toil.
She looked early to mid-twenties at best. Her beauty was striking, but maybe that was average here...
In modern or ancient history, women were protected assets, vital for population growth.
Yet treated like this?
No clothes to gauge civilization, but denying garments to captives or sex slaves...
'Hypothesis too extreme.'
Hwan-in shook his head slightly.
No need for such negativity.
She could've wandered into the forest and gotten nabbed by Gray Monsters or the like.
Still, prepare for the worst.
His darkest assumption: this world's humans were savage, backward in civilization and mindset.
If so, he'd stay in the forest months or years, building his powers.
No thanks to contacting civilization powerless and ending up enslaved.
Indeed, five days of meditation had bumped his soul orbs from 10 to 11.
Pearl effect or not, supernatural growth via meditation wasn't far-fetched.
'What to check now...'
What she fled from.
Monster or human kidnapper, escapees might mean more captives nearby.
Free them, earn favors—maybe a guide to civilization.
'Communication questionable, but looks won't hurt.'
Hwan-in glanced at the corpse, fetched his black spear, and began digging.
After thirty minutes, a suitable grave. He laid her to rest, stuck a stick in as a marker.
Not intentional, but she'd provided crucial intel via her body for his plans.
Leaving it would spread rot and germs—maybe years here, couldn't risk it.
'Burial customs probably exist.'
Dismissing visions of mobs raging at the insult, Hwan-in called the pacing Emergency Ration and moved on.
The basin was worse than expected.
Five days of rain had submerged 80% of the land.
Hollows turned to mud puddles or murky ponds; only hilltops poked out like islands.
Sea-lane-like channels connected them.
Some pools held croc-like reptiles lurking like logs at the edges.
He'd mistaken them for real stumps—perfect bark texture and color.
"......"
Imagining fighting a 3m log-croc on a 5-10m-wide islet, Hwan-in shook his head.
10-square-meters vs. croc? Suicide.
Earth crocs outrun humans in bursts; who knew about these.
Ambush predators in murky water—their home turf.
From a high ridge near the valley, overlooking the flooded basin, Hwan-in raised his arm as Emergency Ration flew in.
Flutter flutter.
Squawk.
Calming the excited bird after days without flight, Hwan-in sketched basin beasts on the ground.
"What've you seen?"
Squawk! Chirp.
Five days of training paid off: Emergency Ration pawed at vampire bat, jaguar, terror bird sketches.
Glancing around, it tilted its head: Squawk?
'More?'
Drawing all known beasts, it pawed frogman and lizardman furiously: Squawk! Squawk!
Even after all drawings, upward gaze screaming "more?" gave Hwan-in pause.
'That much rain. Great Lake overflowed; frogmen and lizardmen washing in isn't odd.'
Problem: unseen creatures too, per the bird.
Then, peripheral commotion.
A buffalo traversing a narrow isthmus got foot-snagged by a log-croc bursting from mud, dragged in.
It thrashed desperately, but the croc's power overwhelmed; sucked under.
Surface churned, stilled with spreading blood.
"......"
Hwan-in abandoned hopes, turned toward the western Twin Mountains.
Fugitive beasts likely sheltering there; planned soul orb hunt for safety.
But better to climb than hunt croc-zones.
At the forest-like foothills, Hwan-in sensed odd air.
Absurd, but like pushing through taut water.
Waiting room before a job interview, or ten minutes pre-exam tension.
'On edge.'
Climbing slowly, a rustle—whoosh—ocelot-sized mountain cat burst from brush. Hwan-in gripped his spear two-handed.
Hiss!
The ocelot-like cat hissed at him and bolted.
"...!"
No time to question; sensing presences from its direction, Hwan-in dropped low, thrust spear full-force into brush.
Squelch.
Tip pierced something; he yanked back lightning-fast, stabbed thrice: whoosh whoosh whoosh.
KYAAAANG!
Amid flying leaves, a yowling cat-scream echoed.
Two hits landed; Hwan-in leaped back. Two civet-patterned felines burst out—smaller than the first, bigger than Siberian huskies. They startled at him.
Expected chased prey to counter, not this weirdo. Bewildered.
Fatal mistake.
Flash—spear arced viciously, carving deep into left one's foreleg.
KYAAAOW!
It tumbled, bone half-sliced. The other roared KYAANG! and pounced.
"Hup!"
Hwan-in backstepped same timing, speared under its jaw like lightning.
Five days' cave training shone: blade sucked into jaw underside.
Gack...
Tip burst through skull; breath stopped.
Hurling the corpse aside with a swing, Hwan-in approached the crippled one.
GRRROWL—it menaced.
Eyes unblinking, he stabbed flank, twisted at heart-spot. It gushed blood, convulsed, slumped.
Easily felled. Hwan-in listened, slashed brush.
2m grass fell clean, revealing a third civet-beast dead from eye and chest stabs.
First beasts on Twin Mountains, hunted far easier than expected.
'Lowliest souls.'
Or body training exceeded hopes.
Soul emerged: lowliest grade.
Weak due to that. He pocketed it, eyed mist-shrouded peak.
Felt like power vacuum turned west Twin Mountain lawless.
Fleeing ocelot out-spec'd civets, yet 1v3 chased.
Explains tension. Hwan-in climbed more cautiously.
"Hup!?"
Wind-whistle overhead; he dropped beast carcass, reflex-swung spear.
Thwack!
KYAAAANG!
Spear shaft thudded heavy; jaguar yowled, tumbled neck-hit.
Cold sweat beaded. Emergency Ration's aerial watch had him guarding flanks only—didn't expect tree-drop.
Tree-brown camouflage delayed spot.
Squelch.
Gurgle.
Half-paralyzed jaguar twitched; Hwan-in ended it, sighed long, pocketed soul.
Eleven souls secured.
Eight lowliest; mid: blue leopard (stealth), yak (stamina body-boost), jaguar (leg power).
Eleven 11-hour orbs? Solid security.
"Emergency Ration. Keep sharp watch."
Squawk!
He bound jaguar hindleg with grass-rope, hung upside-down from tree. Slit belly, scooped guts, long neck-cut for draining.
Same for hornless gray buck carcass he'd carried.
Combined, 50kg+ pure white meat—rare neutral flavor, too good to waste.
'Got bitter-hot deodeok roots too.'
Haul to valley cave: grill 5kg on-site.
Spicy craving curved his lips.
"......"
Awkward, he touched his smile, checked drained carcasses, vine-wrapped, dragged down mountain.