Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Debt of the Living
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Hwan-in returned with his two kills, promptly hanging them from a tree before building a fire and slicing off one hind leg from the jaguar.
Every tree around was soaked through, making it a struggle just to get the fire going, and even once it was lit, it belched out thick, acrid smoke that had him coughing and sputtering.
After somehow drying some wood by the flames and barely managing to roast the meat, Hwan-in ate his fill. As he watched Emergency Ration pecking at scraps on the bones, his gaze shifted to the two fresh kills, pondering what to do next.
'Just leaving them hanging like that, they'll spoil in no time.'
The temperature had dropped after the rain, but the riverbanks were thick with humidity. Natural drying wasn't an option in this environment.
His deliberation was brief. Hwan-in salvaged as much meat as he could from the jaguar's remaining hind leg and the hornless gray deer's carcass, hauling it into the cave and slicing it thin to spread out on the drying racks he'd prepared earlier.
The deepest part of the cave stayed dry and cool, just like the outside air. He'd learned from experience that meat preserved this way would last four or five days.
'Only enough space for one animal's worth, though.'
After setting up dozens of kilograms of meat to air-dry, Hwan-in descended from the cave and eyed the now much clearer river, its waters having turned transparent. He began vigorously digging up the earth near the bank.
'Not much sediment coming down from upstream in the valley.'
When heavy rain fell, you expected mud and debris to wash down, but this valley seemed spared. Or maybe the current was so swift that the water cleared up fast.
Mulling over such thoughts, Hwan-in dug a pit large enough for a jaguar. He packed the bottom densely with pebbles.
He carved out two shallow channels so river water could flow in and out.
As the river filled the pit, the water clouded with silt at first, but the gravel bed soon filtered it clear again.
In the meantime, Hwan-in severed the jaguar's head and roughly tore off its hide—more ripping than proper skinning—before dunking it into the now-clean pool.
The water was bone-chillingly cold, numbing his hands. With the separate pit, shallow channels, and barriers of large and small stones, even loach raiders wouldn't slip in easily.
'This should hold until I get back from scouting.'
Waiting for everything to dry out, rebuilding a smokehouse kiln, and smoking the meat would take days—time enough for the woman's inadvertent traces to vanish.
The search might drag on longer than expected, forcing him to discard the meat, but he couldn't eat this much alone in a day or two anyway.
Resigned to tossing it if it spoiled, Hwan-in set off toward the western Twin Mountains with Emergency Ration.
A creature intelligent enough to capture and violate another sentient being was no ordinary beast.
And nothing on the Twin Mountains fit the bill for snaring a beast-eared girl.
'If it's anywhere, it'll be that pale crescent rock mountain in the distance.'
From a rocky outcrop midway up the western Twin Mountain, protruding like a shelf, Hwan-in cast his gaze toward the hazy crescent-shaped rock formation shrouded in mist far off.
His reasoning stemmed from the river's course.
Tracing upstream from the Twin Mountains valley, the river ran nearly straight to the rock mountain, then twisted serpentine beyond, like a snake slithering.
If she'd drowned before the rock mountain, the sharp bends would have flung her out.
And the beast-eared girl's corpse looked freshly drowned, not long submerged.
Hwan-in knew from military service, during a flood relief op after a typhoon, how bodies bloated grotesquely after prolonged immersion—even if it was a pig carcass, naked in rapids, it would've smashed against rocks, flesh bursting, cells swelling from absorbed water, turning into a mangled horror.
Yet the woman's body was pristine. Meaning she hadn't drowned far upstream.
Finally, the entry point.
She might've been swept away crossing the swollen river, but no sand in her claws or wounds suggested she'd leaped from height.
Only one spot nearby matched all three: that distant pale crescent rock mountain.
Trees blanketed its slopes up to mid-height; the river's edge was barren and sheer cliffs nearby.
Releasing Emergency Ration to fly ahead, Hwan-in descended swiftly, crossed the river, and strode purposefully toward the crescent mountain.
A few beasts ambushed him en route, but he spirit-possessed a low-grade soul, dispatched them swiftly, replenished his soul orb, and pressed on.
'With my body bulked up and tougher now, the possession boost feels stronger too.'
He'd cited percentages for simplicity, but did it truly scale proportionally with physical prowess?
Dodging shattered driftwood on sandbars or beast carcasses snagged in the rapids, Hwan-in pushed on, but the crescent rock mountain stubbornly refused to draw nearer, leaving him faintly disconcerted.
'My depth perception's all off.'
To Hwan-in, who'd never left pollution-hazed Earth—especially Korea—such visual distortion felt alien.
Kwak?! Kwak, kwak!!
Emergency Ration's screech echoed overhead. Looking up, he saw a massive heron-like bird with blue legs attacking it.
Emergency Ration dodged nimbly with quick wingbeats, but the heron's longer wings and legs put it at a disadvantage.
Pip!
A finger whistle signaled, and Emergency Ration wheeled clumsily toward him, but the blue-legged heron blocked its path, flapping wide or slashing with spear-like legs to harass it.
Hwan-in frowned at the heron's cunning beyond expectations.
Gururuk!
Kwak, kwak!
Panicked, Emergency Ration's movements were clumsier than usual. Left alone, it'd get plucked by the heron.
Hwan-in drew his stone axe from his belt, took throwing stance, and shouted,
"Dodge!"
Kwak!
Perfectly reading his intent, Emergency Ration banked sharply at right angles.
As the heron twisted to follow, exposing a split-second opening, Hwan-in hurled the axe with all his might.
Shweeeek!
Faster than anticipated—several times over—the axe hurtled viciously, embedding in the heron's white body before it could react.
A thud, feathers scattering.
Witnessing the heron plummet into the woods impaled, Hwan-in smirked faintly.
'At this power, throwing could be a solid weapon option.'
His raw strength plus possession's buffs turned the axe into a true killer tool.
Emergency Ration fluttered in with a flurry of wings, feathers tangled wildly, nestling into his arms and blinking owlishly. No preening meant it was badly spooked.
Patting its back, sorting the knotted green feathers, Hwan-in moved to retrieve his axe from the heron's crash site—but halted abruptly.
A female soul hovered at the forest edge: triangular beast ears atop her head, tail from her rear, gazing sadly at him.
'Wasn't there a moment ago.'
Staring at the bald, floating woman soul, Hwan-in suddenly realized her likeness to the buried corpse.
The body had been sodden with wet hair and tail; the soul's fluffy, tousled mop had delayed recognition.
His mind raced.
Forming hypotheses on the spot, he unslung his staff and commanded the woman soul,
"Come here."
At his order, the sad-faced soul glided over, eyes brimming with desperation as she beheld him.
'Not turning into a soul orb.'
Hwan-in examined her closely.
From afar, unnoticed; up close, a shimmering aura like heat haze off asphalt enveloped her. Far more defined than mid-to-low beast souls.
Clarity rivaled the six-legged horse-deer monstrosity.
In a calm voice, he asked,
"Do you understand me? Nod if you do."
…
No response. She even began drifting away.
Caught off-guard, Hwan-in weighed forcing her into an orb.
If she ascended now, all this was for naught.
Then, still sorrowful, she raised a hand, pointing one way.
Her slim finger aimed at the crescent rock mountain. Hwan-in pierced her eyes with his gaze.
"…"
Without world knowledge, no solid theory formed. But from gathered info, unlikely a trap.
Retrieving his axe from the woods, Hwan-in nodded at her, pointing to the mountain.
Sadness and gloom eased slightly from her face; she turned and floated toward the crescent mountain, Hwan-in dashing after.
Chasing her lead, he scratched his cheek, wrestling his wandering gaze.
She retained her living form, floating a meter off-ground—tail tuft swaying, exposing hips and rear with each bob.
A normal man might feel lecherous shame or lustful urge to stare.
Hwan-in felt neither. Two decades of societal taboo against ogling women had ingrained the habit.
Better distract himself. Pondering her soul, he wondered why she'd appeared in that forest.
'Do souls manifest at death sites?'
No—strong appeared at forest edge, not river center. Corpse found 7-8 hours prior; death much earlier.
Beast souls ascended in 10-30 minutes without fail. This was abnormally long.
Well, human soul, maybe different…
His eyes took in her full silhouette.
'And that transparent aura?'
Twenty-six beast souls seen: mere forms or smoky wisps. None with such aura—even the monstrous six-legged horse-deer lacked it.
Special soul? Racial difference? Human equivalent uniquely so? Or this woman exceptional?
"Huuu."
Thirty minutes in, breath rose to his throat.
Body warmed, legs loose; breath and pace control could sustain all day. But anticipating combat, no overexertion.
Noting the crescent mountain nearing, he slowed. The leading soul turned back.
"Slowly."
He shook his head lightly; regret and anxiety clouded her face. Impatience, perhaps.
'Ascension nearing?'
Or fretting over captives' lives.
Plan tweaked, he possessed one of two yak soul orbs, feeling stamina surge and recover, then rocketed toward the mountain, finger-pointing it.
She widened eyes briefly, then resumed guiding.
'Possession lasts 11 minutes.'
Close the gap maximally; no stamina rationing—full sprint.
Mindful of footing and ambush beasts, hugging the riverbank at full tilt, at the 10-minute mark, he saw her point from the bank into woods and halted.
"Hoo. Hoo, haa."
Gazing ahead along the river, a 20-meter cliff loomed small.
'Jumped from there?'
He turned to the woods she'd indicated.
Unlike the Twin Mountains' broadleaves, crescent mountain's vicinity was conifers.
Dense foliage made it look dim even from outside.
Darkness no issue, but tight tree spacing hampered weapon swings.
Briefly pondering, he whistled Emergency Ration circling above for recon. Then buttoned his suit coat fully, checked spear integrity.
Tightening the slightly loose shaft-blade joint, Emergency Ration returned, cawing frantically.
"Beast?"
Kwak.
"Monster?"
Kwak kwak!
"…Numbers?"
Kwak? Kwak! Kwakwak!!
He'd drawn ellipses on ground from 1 to 5, but instead of selecting, it puffed up, flapping wildly.
"Hm."
Monsters, not beasts. Numbers beyond counting.
By flight time, speed, altitude—horizon 12-24km out.
Wide margin, but location intel boosted safety.
Staff in left, spear in right, stepping into woods—coincidentally, or fate?—three humanoid monsters emerged from her pointed woods, chittering.
Kik?
Kii?
Build and size like jungle green monsters, but brown-hued.
Bark-cracked, rugged skin.
More pressing: facing these brown monsters threw one plan awry.
'Not worth fretting over.'
Silent as a spring, Hwan-in charged.
The wary monsters startled, raising clubs—but
Pfuk, shuk—
Two thrusts, one swing: all three neutralized instantly.
Kki, kkiek! Kiiit!
Krruk…
Bad hits: one clutched pierced chest, convulsing to death; the others gripped severed legs, rolling in screams or bubbling bloody froth, shuddering.
Thuk. Chak!
Axe to skulls silenced them forcibly. Glancing at the woman soul, eyes questioning: These the ones?
Having witnessed three brown monsters massacred in breaths, she clapped hand to mouth in shock, then tearfully pointed deeper into woods.
Den in there? Or people to save?
Her gentle face and aura suggested no vengeful grudge. So, people to rescue…
"…?"
Hwan-in narrowed eyes as firefly-like motes streamed from her form.
With each particle, her figure faded.
'Ascending?'
Unlike consumed souls' ascent, unfamiliar.
Staff gripped tentatively to reap her, but no effect. Feigning calm, he nodded.
…
Relieved by his gesture, she smiled through tears, bowed gracefully, left scant light specks, and dissolved like ephemeral petals.
"…"
Whooo—
Spear swung wide to flick blood from blade, Hwan-in entered the woods quietly with Emergency Ration.