Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: A Line Crossed
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Day three in the forest.
The night he had feared might come had passed without incident, and a foggy morning descended upon him.
Hwan-in's primary concern right now was whether that mysterious beast had any interest in him or not. If it did, he figured tonight held the highest chance of it showing up.
But no unwanted visitor arrived in the dead of night, and after spending nearly fourteen hours crammed in the pit under the tree, Hwan-in's body had turned into a log.
Just like the day before, he dragged his stiff, rigid body out of the pit with great difficulty, and an unconscious sigh escaped his lips.
Staying vigilant while catching quick naps through the night was fine and all, but if his body ended up this stiff...
Seeking safety was good, but if he couldn't fight properly when the time came because his body was too rigid, it would all be backwards.
"I need a proper hideout."
Keeping curled up in this pit for catnaps would make him sick before long.
The more he learned about the jungle, the more unclear his plan to escape quickly and find signs of human life became.
There was no rule saying the only monsters were Green Monsters.
And it was hard to believe the jungle only had that one unidentified feline predator.
The jungle's vastness was unknown.
Hwan-in strongly felt the need to make long-term plans and move slowly.
"...Hm?"
As he loosened up his joints from the previous night with stretches and exercises, Hwan-in suddenly realized his limbs felt more intact than expected.
Yesterday, considerable fatigue had built up in his body.
He'd crafted dual clubs and a wooden shield, fought seven Green Monsters, and run a marathon for an hour in a suit while clutching several kilograms of gear.
He'd braced for serious muscle pain, but when morning came, his thighs, shoulders, and calves only had a slight ache like after half an hour on a bike.
"..."
His body being in good shape was welcome, but these phenomena clashing with his knowledge kept stirring a sliver of unease.
Pushing down that anxiety, Hwan-in handled his morning meal with two handfuls of Corona Berries, then noticed something serious while tending to his bodily functions.
Bowel movements were negligible since he hadn't eaten much anyway, but his urine smelled not like ammonia, but sweet like fruit juice.
Two days of filling his stomach with nothing but fruit. Nutritional imbalance aside, he'd lose stamina bit by bit on fruit alone...
He pulled out Emergency Ration, which had been making tiny breathing sounds in the pit.
Pyuik— Piik—
Sharing space with Emergency Ration, the one-horned bird with its beak bound and eyes rolling warily, hadn't been so bad.
Emergency Ration would let out piik— piik— sounds while breathing, but the moment wind rustled outside or leaves and bushes stirred, it held its breath like nothing happened.
Exchanging glances with Emergency Ration, which blinked its black eyes and snorted sharply through its nostrils, Hwan-in untied the string around its beak. It immediately started squawking and causing a racket with kwiak— kwoak—, but...
Kwiik.
Thwack.
Kwoak.
Thud.
Kkwiak—
Tap-tap.
A few light taps on the beak with the Black Club each time it cried shut it up quick.
'Is it smart?'
He'd only tapped its beak to blunt the wild edge of a feral animal. Hwan-in hadn't expected such immediate behavioral correction.
Yet it stopped crying after just a few pecks.
A cat or dog would've gotten pissy, bitten the club, and thrown a fit.
Hwan-in stuffed the leftovers from his Corona Berries—the underripe ones—into Emergency Ration's beak. Starving, it gulped them down with kwihek— pyuhek sounds, even choking a bit.
Did this one-horned bird understand its situation?
Its intelligence seemed high for a bird, so it probably grasped its plight.
Then how to interpret this pet-like behavior?
Kwoak?
Emergency Ration tilted its head, curious why he was staring.
"..."
Hwan-in wasn't picky about food and had no complaints, so he'd planned to use the one-horned bird he'd luckily captured as a precious protein source.
It could hold out for now, so he'd keep it alive and carry it until he really needed the protein...
Kwoak!
...and then wring its neck.
But bobbing its head like a parrot and kwoak-kwoaking gave the vibe of a parrot begging for feed.
"Hm."
He picked a few more Corona Berries and fed them; it snatched them up without hesitation.
Since things had come to this, he'd fatten it up until then. So thought Hwan-in.
Before setting off, Hwan-in twisted a few long vines and bundled Emergency Ration up tight like a pack.
If he slung it over his right shoulder and ran into Green Monsters or whatever, he'd toss it into nearby bushes to fight, then retrieve it after.
But what the hell was this thing?
It'd only struggled at first when caught; now it stayed meek despite luggage treatment, not even crying out. Instead, wrapped like a trussed rooster, it craned its neck this way and that, sightseeing.
And whenever their eyes met.
Kwoak?
It'd cry softly, like asking what he was looking at.
"..."
Forcing away complicated thoughts, Hwan-in turned on his smartphone—battery at about 65%—to check distance and direction traveled.
In another couple hours, he'd reach his original drop point.
He'd closely inspected the ground and trees along the way, but no more beast traces since. Could be coincidence, but safe to assume he'd left its territory...
Kwoak! Kkwiak!! Kkwiiaak!!
Sudden racket from Emergency Ration made Hwan-in furrow his brow slightly.
He raised the Black Club to tap its beak—shut up—but even with kek, kwi! choking cries, it wouldn't stop.
Monsters could be anywhere; this noise might draw them.
Kkeup— ......Kkwiak! Kwoak! Kkwak!
Gripping the beak only worked momentarily. As Hwan-in reached for string in his coat pocket, a whoosh of wind grazed his nose from ahead, and he leaped back urgently.
'Beast musk.'
No presence felt.
The wind came from chest-high underbrush.
Raising Black Club and shield, glaring at the bushes, rustling— and out stepped a bipedal beast maybe 100cm tall.
Grrrrowl.
"..."
The novels called these kobolds, huh.
Covered in spotted fur, head ambiguously dog or hyena.
Reverse-jointed below the knees, forepaws underdeveloped with four toes each about two segments long.
The ankle toe twice as long, serving like a human big toe.
Shhhrustle—
Two more emerged from the bushes.
The Beast-Head Monsters each gripped log clubs in forepaws.
Green Monsters at least wrapped rags around waists; these...
...Wait, hides?
Something clicked; Hwan-in compared the Green Monster's loincloth to these beasts.
'Just like that beast-head hide.'
Grrrowl—
Grrrumble......
Staring down the three hostility radiating Beast-Head Monsters, Hwan-in tossed Emergency Ration off his shoulder.
Kwoak.
Impact drew a yelp; all three beasts' eyes snapped to it.
"Hup!"
Kicking off full force, Hwan-in charged shield-first, smashing his Black Club into the central Beast-Head Monster's skull as it startled and leaped back.
Kwack!
One blow caved its crown; tongue lolling, it toppled. But the flankers attacked from sides instantly.
Fangs bared, charging dog-like, Hwan-in...
Bam!
Kyang!
...Slammed his wooden shield into the left one's approach. Then bashed the right one's muzzle with Black Club as it lunged to bite, following with a full-powered kick from his superior reach legs.
Thwump!
Kyaang—!
'Even the yelps sound doggish.'
Smaller than Green Monsters, but different breed, so he'd swung and kicked mindful of weight—yet it flew without resistance, tumbling like it weighed similar.
Weak enough to supply Green Monsters hides, short forepaws half leg length; as expected, not strong.
'Just watch the bites and filthy claws.'
Seeing the shield-slammed one stagger up, Hwan-in swapped Black Club for Stone Axe, decapitating it mid-rise.
The kicked one groaned, innards maybe ruptured, couldn't rise; he stomped its neck vertebrae.
"Am I strong, or are these monsters weak?"
Having dispatched three more easily than thought, tension eased slightly, but Hwan-in steeled himself envisioning himself in their smashed-skull, severed-neck corpses.
If dog-like habits matched looks, females birthed litters.
Individually weak, but never underestimate numbers.
Ten, twenty swarming? No survival.
Carelessness meant his death.
Kwiik.
Emergency Ration, beak clamped during the Beast-Head fight, made odd cries as Hwan-in approached.
What the hell was this thing?
Unclear if it'd warned of monsters, but nights meant tying its beak. So resolved Hwan-in.
Afterward, Hwan-in wandered the jungle three more days.
Aim: escape. But cautious advance from experience meant scouting surroundings.
Flat terrain from drop point grew bumpy farther out, eroded and upheaved with elevation changes; patrolling Green and Beast-Head Monster numbers surged.
Heading original direction felt like frequent encounters.
Result: battles skyrocketed, stamina drain spiked.
Plus Corona Berry bushes dwindled—or bushes there, but fruits noticeably scarcer; foraging harder.
Monsters ate Corona Berries too, like his staple.
Constant fights, meager meals; condition tanked palpably.
Luck they inactive at night; else he'd risk returning near mystery beast encounter site.
Kiiuk......
"Hoo."
Out foraging, he clubbed four encountered Beast-Head Monsters; Hwan-in massaged his throbbing right wrist.
Fatigue dulled movements.
Two days ago, breathless but unscathed; today he took a hit, costing his right arm.
Log swing lucky; bite would've cost the arm.
Rubbing the spot, he reflected on sloppy moves, touching gaunt cheeks. Sunken, cheekbones prominent.
Anyone seeing Hwan-in now would say killing intent oozed.
Kwoak.
Eye contact slinging Emergency Ration habitually triggered cry.
'Time to eat it?'
No attachment built. Nor was Hwan-in soft-hearted enough.
He'd considered Paralysis Bead for hunting, saving for emergencies. Retrieving Stone Axe from a Beast-Head back, wiping blood on fur, he turned.
Back to hideout. No Corona Berries or food en route? Eat it.
Hideout: chance find.
U-shaped deep ground fissure, tree roots exposed in undercut mini-pit, perfectly shrub-veiled unless close inspection.
Less erosion, more quake-twisted; no animal nest traces, room to stretch legs sitting; instant choice.
'Roasting Emergency Ration in hideout stupid. Build fire elsewhere, eat, return.'
Smartphone could've shown safe paths via logged routes, but battery under 20%.
Saving for final escape.
'Dunno if escape possible.'
Past three days, he'd looped vicinity maximally, leaving subtle personal marks everywhere.
Radius fit a whole city.
Monsters twice daily; jungle scale unknown.
No water (found stinky puddle). Food scarce.
Thoughts darkening natural for humans.
His atypical mindset let him endure; normal person dead quick, monster-chased.
Plodding wearily,
Kwoak.
Sudden cry dropped Hwan-in's gaze to Emergency Ration.
Not monster sense—those were loud, ear-piercing kkwaak fusses.
Nor eye contact.
Beak fixed one way, staring intently.
"...?"
Looking: just shrub-veiled jungle.
Club-handle tap to beak: kwoak? Glared at him, then refixed stare.
Hwan-in turned so direction faced his back. Emergency Ration twisted futilely, gave up, watched forward normally.
Side glance: instantly refixed, kwoak.
'Never been that way.'
After brief thought, Hwan-in turned toward it.
No special reason. Just check why it cried.
If deadly monster there... his fate, resigned Hwan-in.