Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: When Trust Breaks
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After running for about thirty minutes to reach the valley, Hwan-in first stopped by the cave to catch his ragged breath.
'Thanks to Spirit Possession, it's not quite as exhausting as death.'
He then lit a fire and pulled out the chunks of meat he'd stored in the flowing stream, roughly grilling them to fill his stomach.
As precious as the time to build the fire and cook the meat was, considering the intense event about to unfold, he needed to stockpile energy with high-calorie food.
If he settled for grass scraps and fruit, he wouldn't have the strength when it mattered most.
Finishing his meal alongside Emergency Ration, Hwan-in immediately crossed the river and arrived at the base of the East Twin Mountain.
Zzt-zt.
The sharp atmosphere blanketing the mountain pricked at his skin like blades, and Hwan-in unwittingly flashed a dark smile.
For some reason, the master of the east mountain—the Blade Boar—seemed to be in an extremely foul mood.
'If it's in a pissed-off state, that's perfect.'
To prepare for the descent, Hwan-in noted the positions of rock roots, gravel, tree directions, and slope inclines as he began climbing toward the summit of the East Twin Mountain, the Blade Boar's lair.
Climbing the mountain wasn't ideal for the chase and lure operation about to begin, but he had no choice since he needed to reach the peak to spot his target...
Ku-ooooh!!!
Fortune smiled on him, perhaps. Hwan-in hadn't climbed far before he whipped around and broke into a sprint.
The mountain's master was charging down the slope in a blatantly enraged fury, shaking the earth with thunderous hooves.
Boom! Kuu-kwang!!
Small trees shattered into splinters from a mere body slam—no need for its tusks. Small rocks exploded into gravel fragments from a single headbutt.
Simply running ahead cleared every obstacle in its path like a miracle.
From its hide to its fur and fangs, the all-white Albino Blade Boar's charge exuded a majesty far beyond that of a small bus-sized beast.
Kwang! Kwuduk!!
Kuwaaaah!!!
Activating Spirit Possession for full-speed flight, Hwan-in felt a surge of exhilaration from the destruction and rage echoing behind him, bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
A thrilling rush he hadn't felt since settling on the Twin Mountains.
Being chased by a small bus-sized Blade Boar ignited a volcanic eruption of ecstasy.
One rational corner of his mind questioned if he was insane and urged calm, but the heart-pounding thrill of staking his life on the plan was beyond exhilarating.
"Hup!!"
He leaped over a shallow ditch—no, with his enhanced physique, he soared more than ten meters across it—without slowing, glancing back to see what the Albino Blade Boar would do.
Kwaaah!!
"Whoa."
Astonishingly, the Blade Boar—its massive frame weighing several tons—leaped even higher than Hwan-in. No, it was flying.
Thud!!
It flew nearly fifteen meters before landing with a heavy crash. Hwan-in chuckled darkly and accelerated further...
"Uhahahaha!"
Unable to hold back, he laughed maniacally while racing along the pre-scouted terrain at full tilt.
The Blade Boar pursued just as madly, its forehead blade poised to rip him apart.
Ku-aaah!!!
Even while fleeing, Hwan-in's cool reason analyzed the Blade Boar's state.
Had the five days of torrential rain forced an involuntary fast? No matter how he thought about it, its frenzied eyes screamed starvation.
'And that's when I showed up, so it sees me as prey and charges.'
Hwan-in's guess was spot on.
Normally, the East Twin Mountain hosted few beasts due to its innately aggressive and ferocious master.
Thus, food was abundant: small animals, fruits, berries, plentiful vegetables.
Starving beasts that couldn't resist would enter the mountain and become fodder for the master.
The surviving animals and plants would feed on the remnants, reproducing and regenerating.
Hungry beasts would enter again, drawn to the renewed bounty.
The master would devour them.
The cycle turned smoothly until the five-day downpour shattered it.
A massive beast brawl before the rains had decimated populations. The ensuing floods ruined the mountain's lush vegetation.
No food remained, and no beast dared climb a mountain ruled by such a terrifying lord.
The valley was the same; knowing death awaited entry to the East Twin Mountain, they opted for the West instead.
It had chewed on grass roots for nearly a week, building rage and hunger. Yet her decades-old spirit was too noble to lose reason entirely.
What ignited her fury was none other than Hwan-in.
A bald-skinned brown monster variant had invaded her domain without permission.
And upon facing her, it showed no fear—mocking the queen outright.
Already enraged by hunger, she interpreted it as ridicule. Queenly wrath exploded.
She chased to tear it apart, but the bald-skin's legs were surprisingly swift.
Slower than her full sprint, yet trees blocked her path, preventing full power. The gap held.
Worse, the fleeing variant periodically mocked her.
The queen had never been this furious since birth. Her head nearly exploded.
She bellowed her vow to kill it.
Ku-ooooh!!!
Uung-
Pouring all focus into terrain awareness while running breathless, Hwan-in suddenly sensed an ominous sonic vibration behind him.
A sound like electricity surging through a vacuum tube amp—impossible in nature.
His body hair stood on end. Without time for a gasp, he cast Triple Soul Shield, anchoring it mid-air, and dove sideways.
A yellow lightning bolt streaked in right after.
Kwa-rung!!!
A searing thunderbolt roared, shredding the Triple Soul Shield like paper and snapping a massive tree's trunk in slow motion.
Sparks flew everywhere. Hwan-in halted unwittingly and turned to the Blade Boar.
It stood frozen too.
Its forehead's lightning-shaped blade sparked with static, its white edge glowing red-hot and steaming.
Hwan-in let out a hollow chuckle.
"A Lightning Boar, huh."
One second.
After locking eyes for one second, Hwan-in bolted again, and the Blade Boar resumed the chase.
Now tracking trees, ground, and the pursuing lightning as well.
Even a lowest-grade Soul Shield triple-layered couldn't fully block it—the bolt pierced through and splintered the tree beyond.
A direct hit wouldn't end painlessly.
'That lightning blade on its forehead isn't just decoration. Gotta be extra wary of beasts with weird appendages.'
Full sprint while minding three threats was hellish, but Hwan-in pressed on without surrender.
Wuuung-
Another electric hum spread.
Probably the horn vibrating. As his back hairs rose,
'Hair stands before the strike, they say.'
Distracted yet alert, he sensed the moment, kicked off the ground, and maneuvered a tree between him and the boar.
Kwarung!! Pbang!
Deafening thunder as the struck tree exploded rather than snapped.
'The Soul Shield did mitigate some!'
Ku-ooooh!!!
Dodging lightning twice, the Blade Boar's roar intensified, twisting guts with its ferocity.
'Good that the pre-shot signs are obvious.'
Two more bolts came; using the halted earth-shaking hooves as cue, both evaded. No more followed.
A feint delaying it would've spelled disaster. Assuming that was the beast's limit, Hwan-in soon realized his destination was near.
Emergency Ration had been signaling from the sky with faint caws amid his frantic forest dash.
Nearly thirty minutes of pursuit; breath at his throat, heart pounding to burst.
Using the Spike Tail Pig's soul orb for the third Spirit Possession, he checked behind.
The unrelenting Blade Boar huffed roughly, showing fatigue.
Plenty reason to quit, yet it persisted—making the lure easier. Muttering thanks, Hwan-in plunged into the brown monsters' village.
Kiiit!
Kheek?
Kkwek?!
Brown monsters milling outside huts gawked blankly at Hwan-in.
At their dumbfounded looks, he grinned darkly. They'd heard the distant tree explosions approaching. No sleeping through that.
And the brown village met its calamity god.
Ku-kwang!!
The hut-sized Blade Boar pulverized a hut entirely, crashing into the village.
Kwaaaaaah!!!
If Hwan-in spoke boar, he'd interpret the roar as, "So it was one of the bald-skins' spawn after allll!!"
Even hearing it, he'd unflinchingly do his duty, but anyway.
Feeling his stamina recover swiftly from the Spike Tail Pig's Spirit Possession, Hwan-in smashed hut doors with his stone axe, kicked them to splinters, and bellowed.
"Reveille!! Reveille!!"
Kkiruk?!
Kkii...?
Kkigik!?
Brown monsters emerging post-Hwan-in blinked in confusion at the commotion.
Kwa-kwang...!
Ku-ooooh...!!!
Kkyaaah...!
Kkiiik...!!
Beast roars from the outskirts, kin screams, shattering crashes—rushing toward it en masse.
As more brown monsters clashed with the Blade Boar, the uproar swelled.
'No thunder. A humanoid technique, then.'
Now brown monsters poured out unprompted; no need to wake them. Confirmed, Hwan-in cautiously neared the chaos center.
Hiding behind a hut, he peeked via his near-dead smartphone screen.
Kuwooooh!!!
Brown monsters trampled, crushed, smashed, sliced by the forehead blade—yet charged madly regardless.
But bites, claws, blows inflicted scant damage on the Blade Boar.
'No need for Spirit Possession buffs.'
In under two minutes, over twenty dead. Hwan-in gathered souls.
With four souls amassed, clutching the pearl stone for placebo hope, he focused.
"......"
Souls compressed into a pale white arrow. Aimed at the Blade Boar massacring brown monsters.
"...Go."
The soul arrow shot like a beam, embedding in the Blade Boar's left eye.
Kwaaaaaaah???!!!!
The roar's volume shook his body. Firing the multi-soul arrow, Hwan-in bolted to the opposite hill.
En route, groggy brown monsters stared blankly, minds fogged from sleep.
Kwang!! Ku-kwang!!!
Hut demolitions neared then receded repeatedly behind.
'Brown monsters desperately blocking the charging Blade Boar.'
Time bought, Hwan-in pulled leaf bundles, trying to ignite via nearby torch.
'Fresh leaves; fire won't catch easy.'
Dried would've been ideal, but he'd bundled whatever he saw en route.
Spotting dry twigs and withered cords, he bound leaves to twig, twig to torch.
Forced contact; leaves sizzled, smoking.
Hwan-in dashed to the tumulus hill, hurling the smoke torch into the dim entrance. Circling behind amid uproar, he hid atop successfully.
Kraaah...!!!
Kkii...!
Kkkya...!!
The Blade Boar vs. small brown monsters resembled honeybees vs. hornets. Except the hornet had cooling.
Endless assaults; Blade Boar massacred unflinchingly.
Brown corpses piled up.
Wondering if big ones cowered, five large brown monsters strode regally from the tumulus hill.
One with red eyes and tear streaks irritably discarded and stomped its smoking torch.
Face twisted in rage.
Kuwaaaaaah...!!!
The Blade Boar's timely roar drew their gazes. And...
Kwo-aaah!!
Kkro-ra-ra-rak!!!
The large ones gorilla-thumped chests, bellowing massively.
As if signaled, small browns retreated swiftly; hyper-excited Blade Boar thundered into the clearing before the tumulus.
......
......
Blade Boar glared with crimson eyes; large browns returned greed and fury.
The five tensed muscles bulging, veins rising.
Blade Boar steamed vapor(?), scraping earth with hind hooves.
Unprompted, the two circled silently, eyes locked.
'Blade Boar won't rush in recklessly. Are the five big browns as strong as it?'
Kwa-uuu!!!
Kaaaah!!!
Roars snapped tension.
Five large browns charged from five directions simultaneously.
Uung- Kwarung!!!
The Blade Boar unleashed lightning.