The Monkey Yo-Beast (1)
'Good grief...'
Dang Sobaek stared at Jim-i with utter disbelief.
He had known she was closely observing his movements out of the corner of her eye, but he never imagined she would actually execute the Grappling Hands technique.
It was as if she possessed the Heavenly Martial Body.
He even found himself seriously considering whether he should formally teach her martial arts.
'What ridiculous thoughts I'm having.'
Yet, Jim-i's movements had been that fluid. It was hard to believe she had achieved this simply by watching and mimicking him.
Thump! Tap, tap!
Jim-i tapped the head of the unconscious leader, who had been knocked out by her feather. Her posture looked remarkably delinquent, and a faint madness flickered in her eyes.
She had clearly judged him to be far weaker than herself. She was the very definition of someone who cowered before the strong but tyrannized the weak.
Still, she seemingly had no intention of killing him. Had she wished to, she would have laced her feather with lethal poison before throwing it.
"Chirp!"
Dang Sobaek completely ignored Jim-i and immersed himself in the hot spring.
He had never imagined a hot spring would exist in a place like this.
Endless falling snow. Freezing air. Soaking in hot water in such an environment was nothing short of paradise. He felt the fatigue accumulated over a long period slowly melting away.
'No, it really is melting away...'
It was not just his imagination.
The water contained qi.
Why such a hot spring existed, or by what principles it was possible, he did not know.
'But it is remarkably useful.'
Perhaps the only disappointment was that the concentration of qi was quite thin.
Even so, being able to absorb energy and wash away fatigue simply by soaking in water was beyond surprising—it bordered on the miraculous.
Unlike Dang Sobaek, who was leisurely enjoying his bath, the monkeys hovered nearby, paralyzed with fear.
Eventually, one of them hesitantly approached Jim-i with a piece of fruit in its hands and bowed its head respectfully.
Dang Sobaek simply watched in silence.
"Cheep?"
It was a fruit he had never seen before.
At the very least, it was not a variety found in the Central Plains.
Jim-i stared intently at the fruit before gulping it down in a single bite.
"?!!"
Immediately, her eyes went wide, and she began to flap her wings excitedly.
Startled by the sudden movement, the monkeys scrambled backward in fear, but Jim-i's reaction merely meant she thoroughly enjoyed the fruit.
"Cheep! Cheep, cheep!"
"Ooh-ooh, aah-aah! Eek!"
"Screeech!"
It looked as though they were having an actual conversation.
To Dang Sobaek, this was incomprehensible. The language systems of a Zhenbird and a monkey were bound to be entirely different.
Yet, the monkey nodded as if it understood perfectly, then scurried off somewhere.
'What in the world...'
A moment later, the monkey returned carrying an armful of fruit along with a small gourd.
'They actually communicated?'
It was absurd, but that was not the important part. It was highly likely the creature had simply brought tribute out of sheer terror.
Of all the things the monkey had brought, Dang Sobaek was most curious about the gourd. Along with the sweet scent of fruit, a peculiar aroma drifted from it.
Dang Sobaek stood up to inspect it closely.
"O-Ooh-aah!"
The monkey trembled violently in fear. Ignoring its terror, Dang Sobaek snatched the gourd.
He pulled at the makeshift stopper with his beak.
Pop!
With a light pop, a familiar aroma of alcohol wafted up and struck his nose.
'Ho... So this is the legendary monkey wine I have only ever heard of.'
He had heard tales of monkeys brewing alcohol, but this was his first time seeing it in person. It appeared to be wine made by fermenting wild fruits.
How long had it been since he last tasted alcohol?
Dang Sobaek cautiously took a sip.
He did not know what kind of fruit had been used to brew it, but a rich sweetness lingered in his mouth before a sharp, burning kick hit the back of his throat.
It was several times better than the cheap Bamboo Leaf Green wine sold in common taverns. Surprisingly, it was quite potent. He could feel a warm fire spreading through his chest.
But Dang Sobaek's surprise did not end there.
'...How on earth did they brew this?'
To think that even the wine contained qi.
Had they used some legendary spiritual fruit?
But he quickly shook his head.
'No, that cannot be.'
If such a treasure were right before them, a beast would have devoured it instantly rather than thinking to brew it into wine. That was the nature of beasts, and even a yo-beast would be no different.
The more he thought about it, the more intriguing it became.
While Dang Sobaek was lost in thought,
"Hee-hee..."
Jim-i was already completely wasted, rolling around in the snow with the monkeys.
She swayed and danced as if she had reunited with lifelong friends.
It was utterly baffling how quickly she had befriended them.
"Eek! Ooh-aah!"
"Cheep, cheep!!"
Dang Sobaek pressed a wing to his forehead.
Though it was far too pathetic to be called a "lake of wine and forest of meat,"
'Well, I suppose this isn't so bad.'
There was likely no better way to release the tension that had accumulated over their journey.
Dang Sobaek also relaxed slightly, savoring the rare taste of alcohol. He could feel his face flushing warm.
His head spun a little, but this level of inebriation was perfectly fine. In fact, it was rather pleasant, as it reminded him of the simple joy of drinking. He could always burn away the alcohol toxins with his inner energy later anyway.
'Once the leader is eliminated, the rest of the monkeys won't pose much of a threat...'
Keeping them around might not be a bad idea.
They were remarkably intelligent for beasts.
That was likely why they were capable of brewing such wine in the first place.
Besides, monkeys could be useful in many ways. Since they could use both hands freely like humans, he could even task them with crafting simple tools.
'By the way, this fellow...'
He showed no signs of waking up anytime soon.
Unlike the others,
this one was a "yo-beast."
The moment they met, he had bared his fangs. There was no telling when he might betray them. Leaving him alive carried too many risks.
And,
the Tang Clan never forgot a grudge.
Thus, Sobaek had intended to dispose of him after a brief interrogation,
'but if he's going to remain like this...'
'it might be better to just kill him now.'
The moment Dang Sobaek channeled his yo-qi to end the creature's life, aiming his wing at its neck—
"...Eek."
The leader finally opened his eyes.
* * *
In truth, the monkey yo-beast had been awake for quite some time.
He had been cunningly observing the situation.
At first, he had writhed with fury as his subordinates betrayed him, offering up their precious fruits and wine to the crazy bird.
'Those disloyal bastards.'
Had he not hoarded and rationed that wine precisely because he feared being betrayed by his subordinates if he ever let his guard down while drunk?
His body trembled with rage, but he endured.
Punishing them would have to wait.
However, the situation was not entirely unfavorable.
One of the birds, who had guzzled down the wine without even knowing what it was, was now completely out of it, stumbling around in a drunken stupor.
He saw this as his golden opportunity.
If only the other bird would get drunk as well...
He planned to slaughter them both at once.
So, he kept his eyes closed and carefully regulated his breathing, making sure not to let even a single gasp escape.
Squinting slightly, he peeked.
'Hehehe...'
The other bird was also soaking in the hot spring, gulping down the wine with a pleased expression.
'Foolish creatures.'
'I only ended up like this earlier because I let my guard down. If we fight properly, birds like them... I can easily rip them apart in one go.'
Just as he was indulging in these thoughts,
'Ah!'
He heard the sound of water being shaken off.
Immediately after, a cold sensation brushed against his neck. A violent, suffocating energy tightly bound the leader's body.
'T-This... makes no sense.'
This was no mere crazy bird.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful, terrifyingly violent crazy bird.
Even if there were several more of him, they wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance.
Hadn't all the powerful yo-beasts been hunted down and killed after that black-haired beast swept through the area last time?
Where on earth did a monster like this come from?
The leader realized just how foolish his delusions had been.
He finally understood his place.
He had to grovel before he was killed.
Right now, this crazy—no, this powerful and majestic bird—fully intended to slaughter him. Every hair on his body stood on end.
If he stayed like this, he would die.
He quickly opened his eyes and slammed his head against the ground.
It was a desperate act of pure survival instinct.
Slowly raising his head to look,
"...Eek."
A bird with deep indigo feathers was looking down at him with cold, indifferent eyes. He felt as if his very soul were being pierced through.
Its physical size was undoubtedly small.
Its yo-qi was also faint and elusive, making it difficult to gauge whether it was strong or weak.
Yet, the monkey leader knew instinctively.
Rather than the large, drunken bird over there,
the bird standing right before him was infinitely more dangerous.
"...Spare me."
The monkey leader repeatedly slammed his head against the ground with a desperate expression. Blood began to trickle from his forehead.
The crazy bird watching him silently let its expression twist in a peculiar way.
Had he made a mistake?
In a panic, the monkey scrambled to add a few more words.
"S-Seen... a s-similar bird... before."
The bird's expression grew even more menacing.
'Did I choose the wrong answer again?'
'I should have just kept my mouth shut.'
The monkey yo-beast thought to himself as he looked up at the sky.
Sunlight filtered through the clouds amidst the still-falling snow.
'How exceptionally bright it is today.'
'I only recently managed to become a member of the Yo-race. To think I would meet such an unlucky end here.'
He briefly considered putting up a final, desperate resistance, but—
Sssssss!
the moment he saw the surging yo-qi radiating from the crazy bird, that thought vanished instantly. The energy was so dense it was practically visible to the naked eye.
It was like looking at a grim reaper.
The difference in their levels was simply too vast.
It had been concealing its true power all along.
'Where on earth did a monstrous bird like this even come from?'
The monkey yo-beast let out a hollow laugh and closed his eyes.
'Ah, a fleeting spring dream indeed.'
'Power, wealth, and glory... all are but a passing dream.'
The monkey yo-beast braced himself for the end of his life, but—
Thwack!
the feather shot by the crazy bird precisely grazed past his side and embedded itself deep into the snow.
It did not seem to be a missed shot.
It appeared the monkey yo-beast's life had been granted a brief extension.
* * *
'Look at this fellow.'
Dang Sobaek watched the monkey yo-beast struggle desperately to survive, finding the sight utterly absurd.
A beast begging for its life.
It was only possible because a naturally intelligent monkey had awakened its spiritual nature, but even considering that, watching a monkey kowtow was a truly novel experience.
Etched into its behavior was a rudimentary grasp of the Yo-language.
Though it was not heart-speak, he had no trouble understanding it.
That was the deciding factor.
The reason Dang Sobaek did not end the monkey yo-beast's life right then and there.
'What should I do with him...'
By his usual principles, executing him was the correct choice.
However, now was not the time.
There was still too much information to extract.
While Dang Sobaek pondered, the monkey yo-beast continuously brought out the fruits and wine he had hoarded over time. The sheer quantity was impossible to ignore.
'Seeing how much he has hoarded, he seems quite greedy.'
In a way,
his behavior was remarkably similar to the bandits of the Green Forest.
Since the fruits were nothing special, Sobaek handed them over to Jim-i and the other monkeys, keeping only a portion of the wine that possessed a decent aroma.
'...By the way, a similar bird.'
That likely referred to Jim-il.
After all, Jim-sam's nest was quite far from here.
"...None? Discomfort... is there?"
Perhaps because it was still unfamiliar with the Yo-language, its word order was completely jumbled. Nevertheless, Sobaek had no trouble understanding.
The only problem was Sobaek himself.
He did not yet know how to speak the Yo-language.
Dang Sobaek let out a deep sigh.
Then, he began to draw a picture in the snow with his talons.
'Sigh... How undignified.'
A wave of self-deprecation washed over him, but he had no choice.
Had they not said, "When the teeth are gone, the lips must suffice"?
If one lacked teeth, one had to make do with lips.
Dang Sobaek poured his heart and soul into painstakingly drawing a single bird.
It was crude.
There was no way anyone could understand such a terrible drawing.
Yet,
"Eek! S-Saw it... going over there!"
Surprisingly, the monkey yo-beast seemed to comprehend.
'A quick-witted fellow.'
However,
the direction the monkey yo-beast pointed toward was Gwiungok.