Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Translator: Penny
Chapter 16
The Cave's Thing 3
Agron gripped the man's neck tightly, preventing him from escaping, and relentlessly pummeled him with his fists.
With each blow, flesh tore and blood splattered, the man's face gradually distorting like melting butter.
How long had this gone on?
"A-Agron, are you alright?" Baek Woon asked, approaching cautiously.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"No, not you. I mean the guy you're holding. Is he alright?"
"..."
Agron held a bloodied, unrecognizable figure in his hands.
"Wouldn't he be fine? He claims to be a god, after all."
"He doesn't look fine..."
Baek Woon stepped closer and placed a hand on the man's body.
If he was dead, they'd have to discard him. If he was dying, they'd use talismans or medicine to restore him and learn the truth behind this incident.
Baek Woon touched the man, tilted his head, and closed his mouth, exhaling through his nose.
"Hmm."
"What is it?"
"This 'god' is connected to a massive energy deep inside. In fact, the other energy is several times larger than this man's."
"Where is it located?"
"Deep inside."
Baek Woon raised his staff and pointed into the darkness.
"Since he's still alive, why don't we heal him, wake him up, and ask him what—"
Agron slapped the man's cheek hard.
A sharp crack echoed as the man's head snapped around, his neck nearly breaking.
"Gah!"
"Well, he's awake now. Ask him what you want."
"Uh... thanks... but that's not waking him up. That's what you do when you want to hear someone's last words before they die."
Agron's terrifying strength had been legendary in the Snowfield since his childhood.
Snow Mountain Elk Slayer.
White Bear Bare-Handed Hunter.
Northern Tiger Hide Collector.
The various tribes of the Snow Spirit Labyrinth had bestowed countless Worldly Names upon Agron, each reflecting his martial prowess and imposing presence.
The tale of how he hunted a pack of Red Wolves in the Demonic Realm with nothing but his bare hands, dislocating the alpha's jaw and strangling it with its own tongue, had become a legend passed down through generations.
"Don't talk nonsense, Dumurka."
"It's not nonsense. Actually, he didn't dislocate its jaw—he pulled out all its teeth."
"...???"
When Baek Woon first heard this story, he was beyond shocked—he was utterly aghast.
Having witnessed such monstrous power daily, Baek Woon found that just as he began to adapt, even more astonishing events unfolded. No sooner did he grow accustomed to one spectacle than another eye-popping phenomenon would occur.
Thus, Baek Woon gave up trying to understand Agron.
It was simply easier that way.
"Are you conscious?"
"Grah... H-how could a mere human...?" the man groaned, his speech slightly slurred from several broken teeth.
"What exactly are you? And what's that energy flowing from within you?"
"...!!"
The man's expression froze instantly, his shock even greater than when Agron had beaten him.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I-I have no idea what's inside me!"
"Hmm, yet that immense energy is clearly connected to you."
"Didn't I say I don't know?! You foolish human brat!"
"Elder, I'll ask him."
"Agron! Don't kill him!"
"I won't... probably."
Agron crouched down, his voice barely audible, and met the man's gaze.
The man, his spirit already broken, flinched and trembled slightly when Agron locked eyes with him.
"W-what is it?"
"Are you a warrior?"
"Huh?"
What kind of ridiculous question is that?
"I asked if you're a warrior."
"What kind of question is that?!"
"Hmm, let me rephrase. Do you have any pride?"
"Of course I do...!"
"Good. Prove that pride to me."
Agron grabbed the man's uninjured arm and twisted his skin back and forth like wringing out a rag.
"Aaaaargh! Ugh! Aaaaargh!"
"Good, a promising start! Endure!"
"Ugh... ugh... ugh! Aaaaargh!"
"Prove you're a warrior!"
"I'll... I'll talk! Aaaaargh! Inside... inside there's...!"
"Silence! A proud warrior doesn't break so easily!"
"I'm telling you, you fucking lunatic! Aaaaargh!"
The man thrashed violently, foaming at the mouth and convulsing as he writhed.
Baek Woon, who had witnessed the entire scene from the beginning, could only pray that the man would either quickly confess the truth or pass out and die.
"I-inside... there's a... Master..."
"A Master?"
The man who introduced himself as Jacob nodded weakly, his face pale as death. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead.
"You claim to be a god?"
"That... to protect my Master... I... I pretended to be..."
Like a dog panting in the sweltering heat, Jacob gasped for breath as he struggled to answer.
He glanced at his right arm, which Agron had twisted. The once crimson limb was now a dark, purplish-red, swollen to nearly three times its normal size.
Ignorant human bastard.
Even without examining it, Jacob knew every muscle had been torn and the bones were likely shattered.
In his century-long existence, he had never witnessed a human's physical capabilities surpassing those of his own kind.
"Lead me to your master."
"W-what...? You're asking me to... betray my master?"
"You've already betrayed him. Don't pretend to be so proud now, you worm who isn't even a warrior."
"..."
Jacob hung his head low, Agron's scathing words cutting deep.
He wanted to grind his teeth, but he lacked the strength.
Agron's words were too true.
After brutal torture, he had confessed everything about his master.
This was an unforgivable act for someone who served The Master.
"Stop acting so pathetic and let's move."
Agron's cold words were like a splash of icy water. He grabbed Jacob by the hair and dragged him forward.
"Aaaah! Aaaah! Be... be gentle!"
"You're naked, so there's nowhere else to grab you."
"I'll walk on my own! Please, have some mercy...!"
"Why not grant his request? He has nowhere to run anyway."
"Hmm."
Agron didn't care how the man walked, but Baek Woon's intervention made him reluctantly back down.
Jacob snapped his fingers, gathering the blood he had spilled nearby into a single pool and imbuing it with magical energy.
The swirling crimson puddle coalesced around Jacob, transforming into a perfectly tailored, dark red suit. The suit fit him flawlessly, as if it had been made specifically for him, exuding both opulence and refinement.
"Now, let's go."
"What the hell is this? Are you going to a banquet? Why are you dressed like that?" Agron demanded, his displeasure barely concealed.
"These are the clothes I usually wear. Besides, when meeting one's Master, isn't it only proper for a servant to dress neatly?"
"Hmph, that's a plausible load of bullshit. You're not going as his servant, but as a hostage and war slave."
"Ah, I know that...! I just wanted to show my last respects."
They headed toward their shared hidden space.
The organization members, preoccupied with Jacob sealed to the pillar, hadn't bothered to search this far inside.
The hidden space was exceedingly cramped—a small chamber attached to the side of the cavern, barely deserving the name "room."
"This... is my Master," Jacob said, pointing to a coffin in the center of the room.
Inside lay a half-naked woman, appearing to be in her mid-teens to early twenties, lying as if dead.
"Isn't she dead?"
"Ah, no! She's just asleep!"
"Can we wake her up like we woke you?"
Agron raised his hand, and Jacob and Baek Woon, aghast, tried to stop him.
"Hey! Are you trying to kill her?!"
"Agron...! Isn't this girl innocent?!"
"Huh? I know that."
"Then why are you trying to kill her?"
"Kill her? That's an exaggeration. In the North, we wake people up like this."
"..."
Agron was likely telling the truth.
The Snow Spirit Labyrinth was notorious for its extreme cold.
While hunters often died on expeditions, it was equally common for people to suffer frostbite or even perish while visiting neighbors.
Slapping someone's cheek was probably a common remedy for reviving the unconscious.
Still, Baek Woon couldn't help but wonder if Agron had killed more people with his slaps than he had saved.
"Ah, well... since she's a powerful magical being, it's best to be cautious."
"Is that so? Hey, Jacob, how do we wake her up?"
"Her? Her?! She's my Master..."
"She might be your Master, but to me, she's just a milk-smelling girl."
Jacob gritted his teeth at Agron's callous remark.
Goddamn ignorant barbarian bastard.
He cursed Agron inwardly before opening his mouth.
"Give her blood to drink."
"Blood? Like... blood sausage?"
"No! Just blood! Clear! Human!" Jacob snapped at Agron.
At that moment, Baek Woon, who had been listening to their conversation, let out a faint sigh.
"I see... I knew you weren't human, but... could it be that you're Vampiric Demons?"
"I don't know what that is. In our region, we call them Vampir."
The night-dwelling race that craves blood.
"Hmm, that's right. On the Eastern Continent, they call Vampir 'Vampiric Demons.' Did you know that?"
"I've read about them in books, so I have a rough idea."
Agron nodded.
He recalled that Vampir were an undead race mentioned only in ancient texts. Their numbers were exceedingly small and rare, to the point that some regions worshipped them as gods.
"Hmph! That's right! We are the renowned Vampir!"
"What? You're not a god? Besides, aren't you this girl's slave?"
"Eek...! I'm not a slave! I'm a Vampir of the next generation!"
Jacob glared at Agron, marveling at how every word he spoke could be so infuriating.
"Then wake her up immediately."
"My blood won't work... I'm already practically the same as her blood."
"Is that so?"
Without a second thought, Agron bit his thumb hard and let his blood drip into the woman's mouth.
Drip, drip, drip.
The moment the blood pooled at the corner of her lips, it vanished instantly.
"...Why isn't she waking up?"
"Looks like we'll have to resort to force."
As Agron raised his hand again, Jacob quickly interjected.
"Blood! Blood! She needs more blood!"
"Ah, is that it?"
"Why do you always raise your hand first?!"
Agron stared silently at Jacob before raising his hand toward him. Seeing this, Jacob flinched and raised his guard.
"Do you understand?"
"W-what?"
"A single gesture speaks faster than ten words."
Lucky you, you bastard.
Leaving the grumbling Jacob behind, Agron lifted one of the predator's teeth from his necklace and slashed his own arm.
Drip.
More blood than expected poured onto the woman's face.
The blood vanished as quickly as it fell, repeatedly dripping and drying in an instant.
"Ugh, cough!... What is this?!"
The female Vampir spat out the blood that had entered her nose and opened her eyes.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny