Ghost Cloud Valley, Part 1
The creature that revealed itself with a roar was a saber-toothed tiger, a feline predator whose long fangs protruded unnaturally far.
I have read in ancient texts that such beasts existed, but...
Seeing it in the flesh was quite fascinating.
However, it was not a Yo-beast.
Yet, if asked whether it was an ordinary beast—
"Roaaar!"
That was not the case either.
It was a ghost-beast, its entire body completely dominated by ghost qi.
An ink-black haze, thick with resentment, shimmered around the creature, and its eyes were stained a deep, bloody crimson.
But its condition is far from normal.
Scars and fresh wounds were visible all over its body.
Rather than having wandered here from Ghost Cloud Valley by chance...
Did it flee?
It looked as though it had been driven out by something. Though it had clearly lost its mind, a distinct trace of terror lingered in its posture.
And yet... those wounds look familiar.
Flesh gouged out in the shape of arrowhead-like punctures.
Blackened, discolored blood oozing from the gashes.
And its stiff, unnatural movements.
Hmm...
It made perfect sense if one assumed it had been struck by hidden weapons laced with neurotoxin.
Dang Sobaek knew exactly who was capable of such a feat.
Jim-il.
The monkey Yo-beast had spoken the absolute truth without a shred of falsehood.
Sobaek did not bother joining the fray. He figured it wouldn't hurt to use this opportunity to gauge the monkey Yo-beast's combat prowess.
The ghost-beast rampaged through the area like a wolf descending upon a flock of sheep.
Then—
Rip!
It clamped its jaws onto a monkey's arm and tore it clean off. Crimson blood sprayed violently across the white snow.
Through the crimson mist, a sharp gust of finger-force shot forward.
It was a strike aimed precisely at the heart. The monkey Yo-beast's supernatural ability bore a striking resemblance to human martial arts.
Fascinating.
While its raw power wasn't overwhelming, its accuracy was exceptional.
With its heart pierced, the beast should have dropped dead instantly, but—
"Graaaargh!"
The shimmering, dark haze surged to fill the gaping hole in its chest.
At the same time, the ghost-beast let out a roar that sounded more like a shriek of agony.
A potent wave of resentment billowed from its maw, seeping into the surrounding monkeys.
I don't even need to watch to know what happens next.
Just as Sobaek predicted,
"Grrr..."
An anomaly occurred.
The monkey whose arm had been torn off turned its gaze toward its neighbor.
Crunch!
It bared its teeth and bit down hard on its comrade's throat.
This was why ghost-beasts were such a nuisance.
They spread their corruption like a plague.
Having fought the ghost-beasts controlled by the Blood Sect in his past life, Sobaek was all too familiar with this phenomenon.
The solution to this crisis was surprisingly simple. He only needed to eliminate the source of the corruption—the saber-toothed ghost-beast.
If left alone, the entire monkey troop would undoubtedly be wiped out.
Just as Sobaek was about to step in and sweep them all away,
"Pyaaaaak!"
Jim-i charged into the battlefield.
Her expression was one of pure, unadulterated fury.
Come to think of it...
The monkey whose arm had been ripped off was the very one that had offered fruit to Jim-i.
It seemed she believed they had become close friends after sharing alcohol and fruit.
Sobaek, having been a human in his past life, didn't attach much sentiment to a pack of monkeys, but Jim-i was different.
Excluding her siblings, these monkeys were the first creatures she had ever interacted with who weren't enemies, but something akin to friends.
"Pyak!"
As Jim-i shrieked, a fierce, scorching wind swept across the snow-covered plains.
An alien power, incomprehensible by the principles of martial arts, enveloped the ghost-beast.
Immediately after, white-hot flames erupted.
Indeed. The most foolproof way to deal with a ghost-beast is to burn it to ashes.
Since ancient times, fire had been known to possess the property of exorcising evil.
Thus, Sobaek decided it wouldn't hurt to watch her for a moment.
The intense heat melted the snow, creating small streams, while the saber-toothed tiger's body was engulfed in the consuming blaze.
Perhaps because she had pushed her power to its absolute limit,
Jim-i's body swayed unsteadily for a brief second.
They had underestimated the beast because of its injuries, but its vitality was far more resilient than expected.
As the white flames began to dwindle, the ghost-beast prepared to leap out once more.
Since reincarnating as a Jimjo,
Sobaek had never truly unleashed his martial arts. He had merely refined his poison and Yo-qi through the Mandok-gwigong and applied a few basic principles of throwing-dagger techniques.
But this time,
Sssssst!
He put his full effort into it.
Failing to eliminate the beast by holding back would only invite unnecessary trouble.
Sobaek circulated his Yo-qi through a full cycle according to the mnemonic of the Mandok-gwigong. Instantly, a surge of vital energy flooded his body.
Mandok-gwigong.
The Chapter of the Sikhon-gwisu.
An ink-black Yo-qi surged violently around Sobaek's wings.
Soul-Erosion Ghost Hand: First Form
Ghost Claw (鬼爪)
He slashed his wing diagonally toward the flames.
The Chapter of the Soul-Erosion Ghost Hand was originally a set of forms designed for when one ran out of hidden weapons.
The white flames Jim-i had conjured were torn apart as if gouged by massive, spectral talons.
"Screeeech!"
The ghost-beast trapped within could not possibly emerge unscathed.
The severed chunks of the ghost-beast's body writhed and twitched independently. It was astonishing that it still possessed a semblance of life even in this state.
But that, too, was short-lived.
Sssssss!
The highly corrosive acid-poison infused within the Ghost Claw dissolved its entire body.
The remaining white flames greedily devoured the melting residue, flaring up one last time.
Grey smoke drifted lazily over the blood-stained snow.
The night was long.
Several days had already passed since the ghost-beast's attack.
Considering that a ghost-beast far stronger than Sobaek had anticipated had ambushed them,
All things considered...
The casualties weren't too severe.
Only a single monkey had lost its life.
It had died instantly the moment its throat was torn open.
In contrast, the other injured monkey had survived, thanks to Sobaek's quick first aid and Jim-i's devoted nursing.
"Pyak!!"
"Ukiki, ukik!"
"Pyaaaak!"
The two of them got along so well they truly seemed like friends.
Jim-i would hunt wild game to share with it, and she even showed it around the hot springs.
Sobaek simply left them to their own devices.
He felt that the "madness" Jim-i occasionally exhibited had softened slightly.
The only thing that slightly nagged at him was...
It won't last forever.
The fundamental difference in their natural-born status.
Unlike Jim-i, who was born a spiritual beast, the one-armed monkey was utterly ordinary. In human terms, it was like comparing a high noble to a slave.
A crippled, one-armed slave, at that.
To put it coldly, they could never truly be equals.
It might have been a different story if it were the troop leader, who had awakened as a Yo-beast.
Well, she will figure it out on her own.
Sobaek completely put the matter out of his mind. Over the past few days, he washed away his fatigue in the hot springs while occasionally scouting the perimeter of Ghost Cloud Valley.
He planned to make his entry gradually, focusing on areas where the ghost qi was relatively weak.
Today, he circled high above the valley once more, taking in its vast perimeter.
As he surveyed the terrain,
...
The shape of Ghost Cloud Valley suddenly resembled a human skull.
A sudden shiver ran down his spine.
He shook his head and looked again.
The roiling ghost qi remained, but the skull-like shape was nowhere to be seen.
Had it just been an overactive imagination?
Yet, everything he had witnessed on this island was bizarre.
Dismissing it as mere paranoia would be far too optimistic.
Sobaek etched the layout of Ghost Cloud Valley firmly into his memory before returning to the monkey troop's territory.
Submerging himself in the warm spring water, he closed his eyes and sank into deep thought.
So there are about two locations where the ghost qi is weak.
The first was the northernmost edge of Ghost Cloud Valley, which bordered a pebble-strewn beach.
The second was a place completely inaccessible to land beasts. It lay slightly above the center—right where the eye socket of the skull would be, if his earlier assumption held true.
It was essentially the dead center of Ghost Cloud Valley.
To investigate thoroughly, the second location would undoubtedly be far more suitable.
The voice of the monkey Yo-beast broke through his contemplation.
"I have something to give you."
Sobaek slowly opened his eyes to see the monkey Yo-beast holding something out to him.
"?"
It was a crimson magatama, a comma-shaped bead, but it was coated in sticky saliva. Sobaek's brow furrowed in disgust.
He instinctively took a step back, as it gave off a highly unusual scent.
When Sobaek glared at it, the monkey Yo-beast spoke.
"...It is precious."
The monkey plunged the bead into the hot spring, scrubbing it clean before rubbing it dry against its own fur. Then, it thrust its hand directly into the magatama.
"Pyak?!"
Sobaek's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
He had seen all manner of mystical artifacts in his long life, but he had never witnessed anything like this.
The monkey Yo-beast rummaged around inside the bead before pulling something out. Though heavily worn and crumbling at the edges, it was unmistakably a book.
His mind raced.
What kind of text could possibly be written inside?
With a trembling heart, Sobaek flipped open the cover.
The first page depicted a valley.
It was an exquisite landscape painting of mountains and rivers, rendered with indescribable beauty.
The artist's skill was exceptionally high.
Unfortunately, there was no text, which was a shame. Had there been even a single line, he might have been able to deduce where this place was.
Suppressing his disappointment, Sobaek turned to the next page.
There,
...
A feast of flesh-toned illustrations unfolded before his eyes.
He hurriedly flipped through the remaining pages.
They were no different from the second page. The illustrations were explicit, bordering on obscene.
It was an erotic art book—a spring portrait collection.
Sigh...
His anticipation instantly dissolved into disappointment.
"A reward for saving my troop."
Still, it was a gift offered in gratitude.
Sobaek suppressed his rising irritation.
He had absolutely no use for an erotic book, but the magatama was a different story.
If a book could be stored inside it, it meant other objects could be placed within as well.
It was truly a wondrous treasure.
It would be incredibly useful for transporting Yo-beast carcasses after a hunt, and perfect for storing any other valuable items he might acquire.
In short, it was a portable warehouse.
Watching quietly from the side, Jim-i showed interest in the book.
She carefully turned the pages.
Her pupils grew hazy and unfocused.
"Pyaaaa..."
She grinned foolishly, staring intently at the illustrations as if completely mesmerized.
Sobaek let out a hollow chuckle as he watched her.
Well, it was understandable.
Jim-i's mental age was still young. She hadn't even passed through puberty yet.
It made sense that she would react this way.
Even Dang Seoah, during her youth, had once been caught sneaking a peek at an erotic book and had received a harsh scolding from him.
Recalling those distant memories,
A bittersweet, nostalgic warmth welled up in his chest.
He was about to just let her read it, but—
Wait.
Something was off.
Why did the monkey Yo-beast call this erotic book "precious"?
And why was Jim-i so fascinated by it?
The drawings in the book clearly depicted human forms.
They had absolutely nothing to do with beasts.
And yet, why?
Why were beasts showing such interest in it?
Sobaek snatched the book away.
"Pyak!!! Pyak-pyak!!"
Jim-i whined in annoyance, demanding it back.
What on earth is this?
It was bizarre.
He quickly examined it once more.
A piece of the fragile paper crumbled.
He opened it to the exact page Jim-i had been staring at.
A man and a woman were drawn together.
But the atmosphere was entirely different from what one would expect in a typical erotic book.
It was a deeply tender, affectionate drawing.
They held each other in a tight embrace, set against a striking backdrop of a deep, setting sun.
Is there nothing unusual about it...?
As he stared intently,
A faint, fleeting illusion brushed past his mind. For a split second, he felt as if his surroundings had shifted.
...As if staring directly at a terrible, magnificent white deer that one must never, under any circumstances, look upon.
Sobaek slammed the book shut.
Pant. Pant.
He gasped heavily for air.
It seemed he would have to seal this book away for the time being.