Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Scars That Teach
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Hwan-in could finally see exactly how the blade boar fired its lightning.
The lightning-shaped blade protruding from its forehead trembled white, emitting a hum... The boar adjusted the angle by moving its head, then fired.
It was a single strand of lightning as thin as a thread, but its power was no different from an anti-tank rocket.
With a rumble of thunder, one large brown monster struck by the lightning was flung in the opposite direction.
Kroooaaah!!!
The blade boar let out a tiger-like roar and began grappling with the four large brown monsters that had closed in.
The large brown monsters' fighting style was brute-force brawling based on raw strength.
They swung their arms wildly and thrust their legs out.
They grabbed the blade boar's molars and tried a test of strength, climbed onto its back and drove fists into its spine.
They kicked its hind thigh with middle kicks and held on against its long tail.
Each time such attacks poured in, the blade boar's movements were locked down—but only for a moment.
When the blade boar shook its head violently, the large brown monster gripping its molar was swung around like a windmill.
The one kicking its hind leg and the one holding its tail were sent flying by the boar's kicks, while the one on its back desperately clutched its fur to avoid being thrown off like a rodeo bull.
Though brief, suppressing a boar the size of a small bus weighing several tons with sheer force was proof of strength disproportionate to their bulk.
'Strength defying the laws of physics... Is that power related to superpowers too?'
Kuaak!!!
Krrrk!
The blade boar whirled its lightning-shaped blade like a shaman in a trance, forcing the large brown monsters to hurriedly pull back. Even they seemed to realize the danger of that forehead blade.
As Hwan-in watched the large brown monsters fall back on the defensive, his gaze shifted to the one that had been blasted away by the first lightning strike.
The monster's chest, directly hit by the bolt, was charred black. It had been twitching just moments ago, but now its soul was slipping from the corpse as it breathed its last.
'Mid-lower grade.'
Recovering the soul orb, clearer and denser than low-grade ones, Hwan-in fell into thought.
He had suspected that the ones disguised as native shamans with dye might handle souls like him. Maybe not all three, but at least one.
Yet contrary to expectations, not only did they not deploy spirit possession, they offered no help at all—just hopping around squeaking like ordinary monsters.
Hwan-in had lured the blade boar with spirit possession in mind, analyzing the power difference.
He figured the boar might be at a slight disadvantage in a numbers fight, planning to support it with possession if needed. But when the cards were revealed, the brown monsters were getting one-sidedly wrecked.
"......"
As he pondered what to do, Hwan-in's eyes flashed at the small brown monsters emerging from the lower passage.
Several small ones were straining to carry weapons: a stone axe as big as a battle axe, a club like a whole log processed into a bat, and blunt iron greatswords.
They didn't approach the battlefield, just tossed the weapons near the entrance and fled—but that seemed enough for the large brown monsters.
The four that had been constantly on the receiving end dashed over like lightning and snatched up the weapons one by one.
Guwaaak!!
Kwaaaargh!!
With roars like "Now it's a fair fight!" etched on their faces, they charged the blade boar.
Now the scales were finally starting to balance.
The large brown monsters, who had only defended up to now, began inflicting damage as they swung their weapons.
Especially standout was the one that had started a tug-of-war with the boar's molars.
Facing it head-on, it freely swung a blunt greatsword as tall as itself one-handed, sometimes two-handed, drawing the boar's attention squarely to itself.
Krrraaak!!
Kroooaaah!!!
Boom! Clang!! Tang tang tang!
Each clash of greatsword against molars or lightning blade boomed with sparks flying.
'Impressive strength and reflexes.'
Its muscle power seemed at least 1.5 times his own under mid-lower grade soul possession.
Just blocking every one of the boar's frightening 1-meter tusks and lightning blade was proof of superior reflexes.
With the greatsword brown monster tanking up front, the ones with blunts, axes, and spears could much more easily hammer damage into the blade boar.
A solid iron spear would scrape its hide slightly, a double-headed stone axe or giant blunt would make it kick back irritably.
As the large brown monsters armed up, the power balance slowly tipped toward them.
Proof was the blade boar now splitting attention between the greatsword one and the others.
"......"
Hwan-in pondered again as wounds accumulated on the boar.
The brown monsters' mid-lower souls seemed far stronger than the vampire of the same grade.
The blade boar facing four at once was even stronger—maybe mid-grade soul equivalent.
'Should I possess the blade boar? But the power balance is too even.'
Numerically, monsters at 10, boar at 9.
Possessing it with his lowest-grade soul would tip it to 10:11, putting the browns on the back foot.
Boosting one entity outperformed averaging power across multiples for focused might.
"......"
Squawk. Squawk squawk. Squawk squawk.
Hwan-in, prone in the brush watching the 4:1 fight in the clearing, snapped alert at Emergency Ration's warning circling overhead and scanned the hill base.
Small brown monsters crept up the hill clutching unwieldy weapons, as if aware enemies lurked there.
Turning to the clearing, Hwan-in commanded nearby souls to possess the blade boar and the greatsword and axe brown monsters with lowest-grade possession.
'If tipping one side breaks balance, tip both.'
Targeting the two best-fighting browns and the boar, Hwan-in possessed himself with the blue leopard soul—less than 20 minutes left—then launched toward the browns midway up the hill.
Kuwoooaaargh!!!
Kraaaaak!!
Kwarararak!!
The monsters' roars erupted huge from the possession high, mingling with the small ones' cheers.
Regretting he couldn't watch longer, Hwan-in closed on the browns in a flash.
Screeech!?
Slash! Pababak!
He whipped his spear like lightning, severing two necks and stabbing three lungs.
Heek, hik.
Krrrl......
Five downed in one go. But more appeared: three left, five right.
Guwaaak...!!
Krooherherheong...!!!
The browns pointed at Hwan-in and yelled, but the clearing roars drowned them out.
Hwan-in calmly fired soul orbs...
'Hm.'
...readjusting targets mid-cast to their mouths, detonating inside.
Pow boom.
Two missed, but three exploded in mouths, heads vanishing instantly.
Headless bodies slumped; misses near heads concussed targets, if not intended.
Impromptu, but effective. Drawbacks: focus on control, high accuracy demand—but practiceable.
Silencing the right five, Hwan-in charged the fleeing left three, slamming spear thrusts.
Three crumpled with snapped spines and necks. He gathered escaping souls, finished the three lung-punctured and two stunned, replenishing spent orbs.
Guwek—kwek.
Emergency Ration squawked again from above.
More fighting ahead, it seemed.
Kiyaaat......!!
Kuaaaak......!!!
Gauging the big fight from hilltop noises, Hwan-in butchered incoming small browns.
Kyaahooo......!!
Ukyaaa......!!
Targeting lungs and throats with minimal moves, Hwan-in furrowed his brow at sudden howls beyond the hill.
Over ten live browns around, but ignored.
'Boar scored.'
Small ones' roars laced with rage and frustration—clear meaning.
"......"
Hwan-in eyed small browns amid dozens of kin corpses, hesitating intimidated.
Kik!
One hurled its wooden club and fled toward forest, not village.
Kiit!
Kiririk!
One fled, others lost will, scattering.
He'd chase and kill elsewhere, but wiping a monster village unrealistic.
One or twenty escaped? Same difference.
No more browns coming, Emergency Ration quiet—Hwan-in reclimbed, gazing at clearing.
Slightly shocked.
He'd assumed boar dominant during his 15-minute small-fry fight. Reality: boar cornered.
One tusk fully gone, others snapped to 1/3.
Forehead blade crumpled bloodied; white hide blood-soaked from slashes.
Pools formed—bad enough.
Right side worst: browns targeted right eye weakness Hwan-in had exploited.
Browns not unscathed.
Axe one bisected at waist, halves separate; blunt one's right arm compound-fractured, left swollen worse than torso.
Spear one's thigh and flank blackened; greatsword one just scratches, relatively intact.
Gathering axe brown's soul near its corpse, Hwan-in sneered coldly.
'Board's set.'
Browns and boar fixated on each other.
Sixty-ish small browns half-encircling clearing like spectators. Yesterday's frenzy had hundreds—now 1/5.
Blade boar and Hwan-in's spear evaporated nearly 240 meantime.
'And they froth oblivious at the violence before them.'
Hwan-in swiftly descended opposite hill, hid suit coat in thick brush. Retrieved dead brown's lower hide, wrapping himself reverse-fur-out.
Bound tight, he'd pass as large brown lump visually.
Beast musk, brown stench, body odor brutal—but masked him. Plus bulkier silhouette.
Disguised, Hwan-in belted deer-antler staff and stone axe, possessed with blue leopard soul.
Shoooo...??
"......"
Blue leopard power infused body; stealth skills surfaced in mind.
Merging with prior stealth, heightened—he crouched, soundless toward passage.
Kuwoooaaargh!!!
Kiryaaak!!
Kiyoooook!!
Waaaa......!!!
All attention on monster duel.
Hwan-in slipped via brush, trees—swift, silent—entering passage undetected.
'Dark.'
His cave natural rock; this mined rough walls.
No light, pitch black—but soul vision grayscaped like infrared, no hindrance.
Down slight slope, footsteps hushed, he paused at fork.
"......"
Scanned floor, took less-footprinted right. After 10m, room-wide space.
Kki, kkiik.
Kkiiiii...
Seven juvenile browns.
Hwan-in silently smashed skulls with stone axe.
One fled mid—but boosted physique/reflexes inescapable.
Dagger toss finished it. Confirmed kills, backtracked, took other fork.
Less prints again: met female and offspring.
Female non-aggressive—trembled hugging young at bloody-axe sight.
"......"
Throat slashed wordless.
Multiple kid/mom encounters: mercy none, all slain.
No guilt killing defenseless.
'Good monsters are dead ones.'
Grabbed woman-friendly weapons from sloppy pile.
Heading inward:
'This layout means deepest likely large browns' turf.'
Wondered if females there—then spotted huddled terrified women in side room off right-angle bend.
Hwik...!
Aa...
His entry drew whimper-screams.
Blood-soaked hide wrapped full; axe dripping gore.
Odd not to panic.
Clinging trembling yet defiance-glaring eyes pleased him.
Proof hope lingered—proof evil endured.
Noting dog-eared heads, Hwan-in doffed hood-hide, asked:
"Can you understand me?"
The beast-eared women's eyes widened.