The Incompetent Hero and the Red Oni (5)

"Is this Baekdu's domain?"

"Indeed it is. From here on lies the domain of Baekdu."

Far in the distance rose a colossal mountain. Thanks to the consideration of Yongdal, who had long been on good terms with Baekryeon, we were able to head toward Baekdu's domain. Before us now stood the great mountain itself—its peaks crowned white by eternal snow, radiating both majesty and an otherworldly mystery.

Of course, we had not yet set foot upon Baekdu Great Mountain proper… yet there was no doubt we had already crossed into Baekdu's domain.

And even calling it consideration is generous. The more accurate way to put it is that they were short on manpower to clean up after the yokai attack on the city.

Either way, the territory we were about to enter was no place meant for humans. It was a realm of every kind of yokai, sacred beasts, and mystery. At the same time, this was not the Baekdu domain I knew from the game—the one left desolate after Cheonma had swept through. This place still brimmed with living vitality. There might well be gimmicks and monsters I had never encountered in-game.

"We never know when or where the yokai might ambush us, so everyone stay sharp. Baekryeon is one thing, but Seollin—have you ever actually fought yokai before?"

On the Central Continent I had hunted plenty of creatures that fell under the "monster" category, yet in the Yeom Kingdom I had never run into yokai of that sort. When I asked, Seollin shook her head.

"I've never faced yokai myself."

She nodded at my words and added, almost by way of excuse,

"In the Yeom Kingdom there was a massive yokai purge in the past… so unless you're deep in the countryside or out in the polar region they call the North Sea, you hardly ever see them."

Ah. So that was why bandits were easier to find than yokai.

"I heard that a long time ago my father—the current family head—cooperated with other sects to subjugate a yokai called Baekak. Of course I wasn't there, so I don't know the details…"

"Ah… Baekak. I have heard of that one as well. They say it inflicted catastrophic damage upon more than four-tenths of the Yeom Kingdom's land. Many gifted martial artists sacrificed their lives to slay it; only three survivors remained, and each was thereafter granted the title of 'Jon.'"

"Jon…? Wait, is that where Dokjon comes from?"

"Yeah. That's the title he received back then."

So Dokjon's moniker had come from that campaign. Considering the sheer size of the Yeom Kingdom, any creature that could devastate four-tenths of it had to have been a true monster. Something on the level of a Demon King or a Sacred Beast, maybe?

Come to think of it, I remember something similar when I read the description of the Sword King.

"Ugh… somehow this place gives me the creeps. I don't like it."

"Is that so? This one does not particularly feel it."

"You've lived around here a long time, so you're probably used to it. Me… the farther we come, the more this eerie feeling from every direction makes my skin crawl."

While I was still turning things over in my mind, Baekryeon and Seollin spoke to each other and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scanned the surroundings. Seollin was relatively sensitive to presence. If she had sensed something, there was almost certainly something nearby. I glanced around as well.

Saaaa…

Silence. An almost oppressive stillness hung over everything. I drew the Holy Sword from my inventory. At the same moment Baekryeon and Seollin both dropped into combat stances.

In that instant, unidentifiable yokai came charging from every direction.

Kyaaaaaaak!!!

"!!"

"Yokai! Be careful!!"

"Whoa… they're really coming at us hard."

Most of the creatures that rushed us had taken the forms of beasts.

"Let's take them down."

"Understood."

"Poison probably won't work on them, right?"

The fight itself ended with almost ridiculous ease. Aside from the surprise of the ambush, none of them possessed any particularly outstanding abilities, so there were no real variables.

"Nothing special."

"Yeah."

"Now that I think about it, I've been wondering—Baekdu Great Mountain is supposed to be a mountain where sacred energy flows, right? So why are yokai wandering around here?"

"Mm… this one is not entirely certain either… yet I once heard an old shaman say that yang and yin are one and the same—where there is light, shadow is cast. Perhaps it is something of that nature."

Hmm… yin and yang as one…

Well, that wasn't the important part right now.

"Chui Hill is somewhere around the mid-slopes of Baekdu, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. Yet how does Doryeong know of such a place?"

"I saw it in a dream."

"A hero's revelation shows even that? How marvelous."

Fortunately Baekryeon let my suspiciously detailed knowledge slide without further comment.

"Then let's go."

"Yeah. Let's finish this quickly. The atmosphere here is awful."

"…Very well. Let us make haste, Doryeong, Seollin."

We first sensed something amiss when we drew closer to Baekdu Great Mountain and began the ascent. We had been advancing while repeatedly fending off waves of yokai, yet the mountain that had never once broken its profound silence now stirred with unrest for the first time.

"What is this?"

"An uneasy feeling…"

"The mountain is shaking… no— a roar?"

The shattered stillness. The sudden clamor. It was hard to dismiss any of it as mere coincidence. When I looked at Baekryeon and Seollin, both nodded and met my eyes—permission to pick up the pace. I accelerated in a single stride. Baekryeon and Seollin, having trained by keeping up with me all this time, somehow managed to cling to my speed as we climbed.

"Kieeeeeeeeeek!!"

"Why the hell is it going berserk all of a sudden, you bastard!!"

"Wasn't it supposed to be all dopey from the aphrodisiac?!!"

How far had we climbed? A somewhat coarse, almost playful voice reached my ears. And then—

Krooooooooooooh!!!

A beast's roar so immense it seemed ready to tear the mountain itself apart thundered across the slopes. I did not need to think deeply to know whose roar it was.

"Baekho…! Has she been freed?"

Using the roar as a beacon, I sprinted. What came into view was a brown-skinned beast—and, in stark contrast, a great tiger whose beautiful white fur streamed in the wind.

"Doryeong!! Could that be—?!"

"Th-the Sacred ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Beast Baekho?! For real?!"

"Looks like it… though she doesn't seem to be in her right mind."

The pupils of Baekho's eyes had vanished; her breathing was ragged and wild. Around her lay crushed, bloody lumps that appeared to have once been Chui.

"Kieeeeeek!!"

"Humans!!!"

"As if things weren't complicated enough—humans!!!"

"Kill them!!"

The Chui who had been watching the scene noticed us. Naturally they turned their hostility our way. But hostility was not limited to the Chui. The rampaging Baekho, no longer distinguishing friend from foe, began thrashing about indiscriminately.

"Baekryeon! Seollin!! Handle the Chui around us!!"

"Wh-what?! Then what about you?!"

"I'll stop that thing!"

"W-wait! Baekryeon has a bad matchup against the Chui!!"

Seollin shouted urgently, but I had no time to hear her out. If a Sacred Beast was running wild, I was the only one here who could stop it. At the same time, if that truly was Baekho, simply overpowering her with brute force would be meaningless.

"How did she get this angry? Baekho… well, of course I understand why she's furious… but I never imagined she'd still have this much energy left!"

Kraaaaaaaaaaah!!!

From any angle she looked far too vigorous to have been steeped in aphrodisiac and subjected to every kind of sexual torture until she was wasted. Had we arrived before the sexual torment began? Or was this a final, desperate frenzy where she was wringing out the last of her strength? Either way, having to take that rampaging power head-on was not good news for me.

Blades are obviously out. Which means…

I would have to clash with her body to body.

The great white tiger, Baekho, charged straight at me. I lightly danced out of the way, then clenched my fist and drove it down onto her massive head.

Jjeong!!!

A tremendous crash rang out, loud enough to make one's ears ring, yet it seemed to have little effect on her. Instead she snarled even more savagely and lunged again. No—from the moment she recognized my existence, her frenzy seemed to intensify.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang-kwang!!! Kwarrrrrr!!! Kuuung!!!

Once a beast of that size started thrashing, the surroundings were reduced to a wasteland in moments. A single sweep of her tail whipped up a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠violent gale; each swing of a forepaw shattered dozens of trees into splinters. When she roared, heaven and earth trembled. She truly was one of the Four Sacred Beasts, equal in power to Juzaku.

"Kyaat?!"

"Ugh?!"

Moreover, every time Baekho rampaged, the shockwaves reached Baekryeon and Seollin who were still dealing with the Chui, and a useless sense of urgency began to rise in me.

"Hey! Calm down!!"

Kroooaaaah! Kraaaaaaat!!!

"I came here to save you, damn it!!"

Of course, if shouting had been enough to get through to her, we would already be talking. So there was only one option left.

"Shock therapy it is."

Ordinary muscle strength alone would never pierce that hide and deal real damage, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so I wrapped my fist in Gang-gi.

"Baekho, sit!!!"

?!?!??!?

Kwaaaang!!!!