Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Instinct Over Mercy
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Hwan-in, having retreated far from Jade Lake, noticed the women panting with white breaths puffing from their mouths.
‘The temperature...?’
Was it because this was the labyrinth?
He took a deep breath and even bared his forearm, but he couldn’t feel much of a temperature difference. It was just pleasantly cool weather, perfect for activity.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t felt hot around the Twin Mountains for a while now.’
The women had sweated enough to need to wash at the river every morning and evening.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Hwan-in turned to look behind him. A single green ape was watching them from afar.
‘Surveillance, no doubt.’
He spoke to the women, who were waiting for his next orders.
"Let’s rest a bit. And Ephnis, do you call those apes Forest Raiders?"
=Yes... When merchants or caravans pass through the forest, Forest Raiders are their top priority to watch out for. They climb trees incredibly well and are super strong—they can easily pick up a horse or a que and run off. That’s why they’re called raiders; they use that strength to plunder caravans.=
Puddrut.
Emergency Ration descended from the sky and perched on his arm. As he fed it the insects he’d collected earlier, he asked Ephnis,
"Do those apes like the sight of blood? What about their territorial instincts, group size, intelligence level? Diet?"
=Sorry, I don’t know that much... I think they’re omnivores that eat meat or grass without discrimination.=
"......"
Gazing at the ape still watching them, he gently scratched Emergency Ration’s beak and said,
"Emergency Ration. Where’s the ‘river’? ‘River,’ ‘river.’"
Kuek?
"This place is the ‘river.’ That over there is the lake."
He drew a rough shape of Jade Lake and their current river on the ground, repeating it several times. Emergency Ration tilted its head, then puddrut—flew back into the sky.
A moment later, it returned and hopped around on the lake drawing, scratching lines like rivers with its talons.
Kuu!
"Hmm. There’s another river out of our sight. The destination is over there...?"
=Whoa, Emergency Ration can draw maps too?!=
=Even the straw-colored que understands human speech pretty well, but it’s nothing compared to Emergency Ration.=
=Emergency Ration is amazing.=
"......Ahem."
Having pulled the women’s attention back from Emergency Ration, Hwan-in continued,
"It seems there’s another river on the far side of Jade Lake, out of sight. Let’s make heading there our goal for now."
=Yes.=
=Got it.=
"Let’s retreat a bit farther."
He wasn’t sure if the idea he’d come up with would work, but given that they hadn’t ambushed despite opportunities, it was worth a shot.
The rear was a flooded area shrouded by forest, the river they’d followed completely hidden from view.
Ahead lay the mountains, the jade-green lake, and the apes’ habitat.
No other options.
As Hwan-in had predicted, the river Emergency Ration drew was on the opposite side of the lake, hidden by the mountains.
The lake’s circumference was roughly 42 km. There might be some margin of error, but it was definitely at least that long, if not more. Even half would be over 20 km.
Now that they knew the other river’s location, they could enter the floodplains and circle around those mountains—but it was too far.
‘The labyrinth’s peculiarities. Plus, unknown beasts or monsters could lurk anywhere. I don’t want to drag my burdens into the forest on foot.’
On top of that, the floods would obscure landmarks like the mountains.
In the end, crossing the apes’ territory was unavoidable.
‘Charging straight in would definitely spark a fight.’
He could handle it alone, but among the women, casualties were guaranteed.
Honestly, Hwan-in didn’t care if they all died.
The situation had changed drastically. Ryuhi’s knowledge of the path was gone, and he now knew how his superhuman abilities were perceived by this world’s people.
Moving solo might even get him to the village sooner.
"......"
But having traded various things with the women, Hwan-in intended to do everything he could until his own life was at risk.
After wandering far ahead led by Emergency Ration, hunting three beasts and two animals, Hwan-in shouldered three himself, handed two to Hui-ni and Ennel, and returned to Jade Lake.
‘Starting to feel less human.’
=Hek, hek.=
=Hua, haaak.=
Hui-ni and Ennel were gasping like they were about to collapse, having climbed several kilometers uphill while carrying wolf- and small bear-like beasts weighing 100–120 kg each.
In stark contrast, he’d transported over 300 kg combined and was only slightly winded.
Hwan-in looked ahead.
Whether the trailing ape had reported back, nine apes now stood at the lakeshore.
Two more than before.
‘Best not assume that’s all of them.’
Approaching the apes moderately, Hwan-in dropped the three moose carcasses in front of them with loud thuds: thunk, thunk, thunk.
He lined up the ones Hui-ni and Ennel had carried beside them and gestured to convey his meaning.
This is yours.
We’re going over there.
...Hu!
Hee!
The gestures seemed to get through, but two beat their chests with fists or pounded the ground in discontent.
‘Those two are new... In that case.’
Without a word, Hwan-in seized a roughly 130 kg moose with both hands and hurled it upward with all his might.
"Hup!"
His forearms bulged massively, putting slight strain on his waist and legs, but the 130 kg moose carcass soared about 5 meters into the air.
As it fell, he speared it upward with full force.
Shaaaak!
The sharpened spear tip Hui-ni had honed cleaved the moose in two at once, spilling cooling blood and entrails that splattered everything red.
Uhok.
...Huwook.
The two dissenters flinched and slunk backward.
In the blink of an eye—a white flash—a beast larger than themselves had been bisected.
From their perspective, it felt like their own heads had nearly rolled.
....
U.
Uoo.
Huuu.
The nine exchanged glances and uoo-ooed at each other before apparently reaching some consensus. A slightly pale-furred one stepped forward.
As the pale ape went u and pointed at the carcasses, five apes approached Hwan-in.
=Eek, eek.=
Hui-ni voiced quiet concern, but seeing Hwan-in stand firm, she clamped her hands over her mouth.
Wary of Hwan-in’s gaze, the apes took all the carcasses. They even cleaned up the spilled entrails. Then, like a shift change, the pale ape began approaching in a gorilla-like gait.
The green apes stayed put except for that one.
The grizzled pale gorilla passed Hwan-in with a glance and leisurely headed toward the lakeshore.
To the wide-eyed, shocked women, Hwan-in said,
"Looks like negotiations went well. Let’s go."
The pale one was more warden than guide.
The women glanced nervously at the Forest Raiders silently staring this way, then hurriedly followed.
=That scared me.=
=......Me too.=
=How did Benefactor even think to negotiate with Forest Raiders...=
Trailing behind Hwan-in, the women whispered in the tiniest voices.
=This is... really incredible, sis.=
=R-really?=
=Why do you think they’re called raiders? They don’t talk to people at all. He got what he wanted from raiders like that. I still can’t believe they accepted the negotiation.=
=Eph-sis. Maybe they’re scared of Benefactor? He split that huge deer in half in one go.=
=Beasts are beasts for a reason—no brains to think otherwise.=
=Uh...... Maybe they just cowered to the strong one.=
=...Could be.=
Might makes right—an absolute truth for most animals and beasts.
Forest Raiders might act human-like, but they were beasts at heart. Ephnis felt Hui-ni wasn’t wrong about them submitting to strength.
And the truth was close to that.
The apes were deeply wary of intruders wielding power enough to cleave them, tools to match, and strength rivaling their group’s spiritual leader.
A fight would obviously cost them dearly, but the apes had reasons they couldn’t back down.
Jade Lake’s forest was their turf. Venture just a bit inside, and you’d find the females and young in their nests.
One side flexing would ignite combat—an explosive standoff.
But no fight broke out. The intruders, mindful of them, retreated swiftly.
Soon after, the apes realized the intruders were bringing beasts equal in number to themselves, merely pleading passage.
The group’s second-in-command took it as a gesture of sincerity—like a toll.
Had the intruders not wielded that mysterious ancestral power, the apes never would have entertained negotiation—but that was unknown to Hwan-in and the women.
"I didn’t expect it to succeed for sure. Odds were under 40%."
But he’d judged it worthwhile from their reactions, and it had worked. Admiration lit the women’s eyes.
"From here on, follow quietly behind. No need to provoke the apes, right?"
=Yes.=
=Got it.=
Instead of replying, Ephnis gazed at Hwan-in’s back with a swirl of complex emotions.
‘He’s just... more amazing the more I see him......’
She thought all the village men combined couldn’t measure up.
Not just brute strength like the dumb young ones who thought power was everything, nor the cowardly elders obsessed with safety. He didn’t flaunt his might, acted boldly, and possessed knowledge broader than even the chief, hailed as the smartest.
His language and tone were gentle yet brimming with intellect.
He had the leadership to instantly calm their chaos, guide them steadily, even win animals’ loyalty. And he was a soul shaman to boot.
‘That’s what it takes to become a Tiger Tribe member......’
Ephnis had always dismissed the chief’s saying that people attract like souls as nonsense, but meeting Hwan-in made her realize he was right.
That’s why she felt sad. No matter how she thought about it, an ordinary village girl like her didn’t suit him.
Especially after being defiled by monsters...
Ephnis wanted little. Just one more day by his side.
It was after walking over an hour along the lake beautiful enough to mirror white clouds.
...Kkuuung....... Kkok......
"......?"
Hwan-in noticed a faint, familiar cry and scanned around.
Kkokkkok....... Kkuuung......!
The sound grew louder. No mistake—it was land seals.
Them settling here wasn’t odd. Having followed the river, this connected lake as destination made sense.
The problem was the old ape.
Kuhk. Uoo!
As the cries intensified and drew nearer, the old ape’s demeanor turned savage.
Whipping its head around to scan, it suddenly glared at Hwan-in’s group with a betrayed expression—like You bastards!
"......"
Hwan-in was dumbfounded.
Things were going smoothly, and now this? Like a cat playing with a yarn ball.
Shaaaak!
Kkuung! Kkuung!! Kkuung!
Kkok! Kkuueeong!!
Water sprayed wildly as five land seals burst from the lake, blasting indiscriminate water arrows at the old ape.
Sharp, vivid arrows poured down; the old ape fled into the forest in panic but unluckily took one to the side and one to the thigh, tumbling over.
Witnessing it, Hwan-in scowled and hurled his stone axe, cleaving the old ape’s skull.
Brains spraying, it collapsed with a thud. The women yelped eek! briefly.
Kkok.
Kkuung!
With the ape dead, the land seals came ashore and greeted Hwan-in joyfully. Their friendliness unmistakable, the women blinked in confusion.
=Land seals...=
=B-Benefactor? What’s going on?=
"...I happened to help them once before meeting you all. Looks like they remember."
=Oh. Then...=
"Yes. They must’ve mistaken us for being dragged off by the apes and intervened."
The women’s gazes flicked to the dead ape, then back to Hwan-in with worry.
Hwan-in tossed the ape corpse to the land seals and addressed the now-enlightened women, eyeing the distant forest whence the apes had come.
"The apes will attack now. Since it’s come to this, best to thin their numbers—even one."
=Ah...=
"Let’s go. No rest today. Get as far from the forest as possible."
The silver lining: of the five, only one dragged the ape corpse into the lake; the other four intended to follow Hwan-in.
Not wanting to complicate things further in this mess, Hwan-in patted each land seal’s head—full of goodwill and trust—and began running along the lakeshore.