Chapter 100
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100
“An intruder, I see.”
The moment Ga-ya released a chilling surge of killing intent and bore down on Seol-yo—
Poof!
Seol-yo transformed into a massive black wolf.
“Grrr…!”
As Seol-yo bared his sharp fangs and growled at Ga-ya, So-ya cried out in surprise.
“Seol-yo, no!”
At that single word, both Ga-ya and Seol-yo froze instantly.
So-ya scurried over to them and reached out her arms toward Seol-yo. In an instant, he shifted into a tiny baby tiger and leaped into her embrace.
“Seol-yo, why did you follow me here?”
She had intentionally left everyone behind this time, fearing it would be too dangerous. She couldn't fathom how he had managed to track her all the way here.
“I’m the warrior who protects So-ya!” Seol-yo insisted from her arms, still in his baby tiger form.
Ga-ya arched an eyebrow at the cub’s bravado. “This suspicious fellow is the warrior protecting Cotton Ball?”
“That’s right! I’m So-ya’s warrior! The Big Tiger and San-ho said so!”
Seol-yo pointed a front paw at Sa-eon, who stood to the side with his hand pressed to his forehead, letting out a deep sigh.
“I knew he was persistent, but I didn't think he’d manage to follow us so undetected,” Sa-eon said, shaking his head.
Even as a White Tiger beastkin with highly developed senses, Sa-eon had been completely fooled. It was baffling.
“But what exactly is this thing?” Ga-ya muttered, eyeing Seol-yo with deep suspicion. “He’s not a bird beastkin. Not a wolf beastkin. Not a tiger beastkin, either.”
“I am…!”
Seol-yo fell silent, unable to find an answer. He didn't know what he was, either. It was a question he had harbored alone in his heart for the past few years.
Just as Seol-yo’s ears and tail began to droop—
“Seol-yo is just Seol-yo,” So-ya said, hugging him tightly as she looked at Ga-ya.
For a moment, Seol-yo’s gray eyes trembled slightly.
“Hmm?”
“Th-that’s right. I’m just Seol-yo,” he quickly chimed in, nodding his head.
Ga-ya continued to watch Seol-yo with suspicious eyes for a moment longer before he finally let out a chuckle and nodded.
“Well, if Cotton Ball says so, then I suppose that’s that.”
He leaned down toward Seol-yo and gave the baby tiger’s head a firm, affectionate rub.
“Just Seol-yo, then. Since you’ve got teeth, you’d better do a good job protecting our Cotton Ball. Got it?”
“Grrr?”
Seol-yo bared his teeth and let out a tiny growl in response. So-ya burst into laughter.
* * *
Two days later. The demonic beast extermination battle began.
So-ya and Seol-yo each transformed into small birds and hid inside Sa-eon’s clothes.
Sa-eon gazed silently at the black earth of the North. The corpses of demonic beasts were scattered here and there. It was a sight he didn't particularly want his young daughter to see.
They had to cross this black land and go even deeper, reaching the Hyeon-to Underground Palace, known as the Swamp of the Dead. To get there, they had to break through Do-ol’s demonic beast legion.
Soon, the sound of battle cries erupted, and So-ya peeked her head out.
The demonic beasts were swarming in. There were so many that, from a distance, they looked like a solid black wall. So-ya gulped at the sight.
With a command to charge, the battle commenced.
From every direction came the sound of metal slicing through the air, the wet thuds of flesh and blood, and the shrieks of dying beasts. Watching the scene in a daze, So-ya unconsciously clenched her beak.
While I was eating delicious food and sleeping in a warm bed at the White Tiger Palace… the people here were enduring this for all that time.
They were sacrificing their own peace to protect the peace of the continent. The realization made So-ya’s chest feel tight with emotion.
I want to help them too. But…
For now, So-ya was a stowaway who couldn't reveal herself. There was only one thing she could do for them.
I have to wake Lord Black Tortoise and defeat the Evil to end this war.
She had been told that no matter how many demonic beasts were killed, they kept coming because of the Peril Beast Do-ol, who led the legion. If the Evil lost its power, the Peril Beast would naturally lose its strength along with its master.
For that reason, So-ya had to push through those beasts and reach the Swamp of the Dead.
In the heat of the fierce battlefield, Sa-eon cut down the demonic beasts with more strength and grace than anyone else. Despite possessing the White Tiger Clan’s supernatural ability, ‘Steel,’ he did not slaughter them with his bare hands. Instead, he drew his sword to strike them down. This was out of consideration for So-ya and Seol-yo hiding in his clothes; he feared that if he tore the beasts apart by hand, the children would be traumatized by the splattering blood.
His blade traced clean arcs as it cleaved through the monsters. With every stroke, the demonic beasts fell like autumn leaves. Some soldiers even stood mesmerized, watching his martial prowess.
“My, it seems you don't even need cover,” Ga-ya remarked with a smirk, clearing away beasts beside him. He caught So-ya’s eye and gave her a quick wink.
Sa-eon pursued the retreating beasts deeper into the territory before suddenly veering off. The howls of the monsters and the clashing of blades gradually faded, replaced by a heavy silence.
So-ya and Seol-yo popped out from Sa-eon’s clothes. He let the two small birds perch on his shoulders as he moved further inward to find the Swamp of the Dead.
Thump!
With a sound that shook the very foundations of the earth, a demonic beast clad in black armor appeared before him.
“Halt, Baek Sa-eon.”
A low, rasping voice, like the scraping of metal, echoed through the air.
“…The Demonic Beast Legion Commander, Do-ol.”
Sa-eon’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the Peril Beast leading the northern legion.
“You shall go no further.”
Do-ol pointed his sword at Sa-eon. Foul smoke drifted from the black blade.
“…”
Instead of drawing his sword immediately, Sa-eon assessed the situation with cold eyes. The Peril Beast Do-ol’s ability was to tear through space with that demonic blade to summon more beasts. The moment Do-ol moved, their path would be blocked.
In that case, what he had to do here was…
“Cotton Ball. You trust Daddy, right?” Sa-eon whispered to So-ya, who sat tensely on his shoulder.
“Father…?”
“Seol-yo! Take So-ya and get out of here, now!”
At his shout, Seol-yo transformed into a large wolf, took So-ya in his mouth, and bolted toward the interior.
“Father!”
As So-ya cried out in shock, Sa-eon gave her a grin.
“Daddy will hold the line here, so be careful, my little Cotton Ball.”
“You shall not pass!”
Realizing the situation too late, Do-ol swung his sword, tearing through space. Demonic beasts poured out from the rift, blocking So-ya and Seol-yo’s path.
“Skreeee…!”
“Gwaaaaarr!”
As Seol-yo momentarily faltered before the sudden onslaught—
ROOOOOAR!
With a roar that made heaven and earth tremble, a massive, snow-white tiger appeared and pounced on the demonic beasts. The monsters blocking their path were instantly torn into unrecognizable shreds.
Father…!
So-ya was momentarily captivated by the sight of Sa-eon’s beast transformation, the first she had ever seen. But Seol-yo, recovering his senses first, gripped So-ya firmly and began to run again.
Seol-yo ran and ran, deeper and deeper into the darkness.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Only the sound of Seol-yo’s urgent footsteps echoed through the desolate space. Finally, he came to a halt.
He set the small bird down, and So-ya released her transformation, standing before the swamp.
“This is… the Swamp of the Dead.”
A vast, black swamp stretched out before them. So-ya stared at the surface, where black bubbles rose and popped. Perhaps because of its name, the place felt chillingly eerie.
“There are stairs here, So-ya!”
Seol-yo had found a way down. Stone steps carved with the figures of a tortoise and a snake led down into the black mire.
—Follow these stairs down, child. Beneath this swamp lies the palace of the Black Tortoise Tribe.
The voice of a Divine Beast echoed in her mind.
“Beneath the swamp?”
—Yes. This swamp is ultimately an illusion, so breathing will not be an issue. The problem is the Illusions of the Dead. They will try to bewitch visitors and trap them in the depths.
—Many have fallen into the swamp after being caught in those illusions, so you must be careful, little bird.
So-ya took a short, deep breath and stood before the stairs.
“Seol-yo, let’s go.”
“Okay!”
As she took her first step down, the black water submerged the tops of her feet. Even though she knew the water was an illusion, it felt terrifyingly cold.
Nevertheless, So-ya gripped the railing tightly and descended one step at a time. Her body was gradually swallowed by the depths. Past her ankles, her calves, and her knees, the black swamp slowly rose to her neck.
With one more step, her face would be submerged.
A sudden wave of fear washed over her. But at the very moment hesitation began to bloom in her heart, she remembered the people she had seen on the fierce battlefield.
Thinking of those who had given up their own peace to fight the endless demonic beasts for the sake of the continent, So-ya felt a surge of courage.
It’s okay. I can do this.
Her grip on the railing tightened.
I’m going to send them all back home.
Just as everyone at the White Tiger Palace was waiting for Ga-ya, those soldiers surely had families waiting for them as well. She knew the feeling of waiting for family better than anyone. That was why she could be brave.
And above all, Father is guarding my back.
Finally, she took another step down, and the swamp closed over her head.
Glub. Glub.
The sound of air bubbles brushed past her ears.