Chapter 24
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Phew, Damn It
"Snap out of it!"
Dang Jin-san threw his weight behind his shield to block Dan Mok Un-roe.
Bam!
The black leopard collided with the shield in a thunderous crash. At the same time, Dang Jin-san staggered back and collapsed to the ground.
He couldn't withstand the beast's power.
The black leopard halted right there, stopped cold by the shield. Saliva dripped from its jaws.
Dan Mok Un-roe, who had been pushed back alongside Dang Jin-san, was now fully exposed beneath the leopard's maw.
Just as a gleeful smirk seemed to flash in the creature's eyes...
"Hyah!"
A mighty shout rang out, and Baek Ri-pyeong's sword came slicing in.
Shouting a kiai like that was the last thing you should do when attacking—it basically announced your intentions to the enemy.
But this wasn't the time to worry about such things.
Baek Ri-pyeong had unleashed his sword with every ounce of strength he had, and the shout had burst out involuntarily.
The black leopard's gaze snapped toward Baek Ri-pyeong at the sound. It leaped aside, evading the incoming blade.
It was a futile strike.
The silver lining was that Dang Jin-san and Dan Mok Un-roe were safe thanks to it.
In that brief opening, the two scrambled to their feet.
"Sorry."
"Thanks. You saved our lives."
Dan Mok Un-roe's apology and Dang Jin-san's gratitude.
There was no time to dwell on it. The black leopard had begun circling them once more.
"Damn it. It's just a leopard—why the hell is this one such a monster?"
The urgency had kept him from properly channeling his inner energy. Even so, he'd thrown his full weight into it, and still been pushed back like that.
"That's impressive enough as it is. If you hadn't had any strength in your body, you might've been flung backward like a ragdoll. We wouldn't have stopped it at all—we'd have been done for."
At Baek Ri-pyeong's words, Dang Jin-san glanced down at his arms and legs.
Come to think of it, they'd gotten a lot thicker. His muscles had firmed up nicely.
If this had been him before joining the Fierce Dragon Corps, Baek Ri-pyeong was probably right.
That hellish external training and conditioning seemed to have paid off, after all.
"This thing isn't just some wild beast."
Yeon Ha-min spoke in a voice thick with caution.
She was right.
This beast ruled one of Mulberry Mountain's many peaks. It had killed the tiger that once claimed that territory and taken its place.
More than ten hunters had already met their end beneath its razor-sharp fangs.
With that kind of experience, it possessed strength surpassing that of an average martial expert.
The villagers at the foot of Mulberry Mountain called it the Dark Lord.
Its black fur made it invisible at night, so in their fear, they dubbed it the master of shadows.
They'd been outside its territory until now, so they'd never crossed paths with it.
But the deer that Seventh Squad had been chasing had fled into its domain, and the squad had followed—leading to this encounter.
Their backs grew slick with cold sweat.
All five of them felt the same. Extreme tension gripped their entire bodies.
Blocking it with the shield was encouraging, at least.
It meant they could withstand the immense power surging from that massive frame.
But that was all.
The leopard was already eyeing their openings again.
Their hands, gripping weapons tightly, were drenched in sweat.
How long had this standoff lasted?
The black leopard kept prowling around them, fixated. By now, it should have tired and left.
Instead, it was Seventh Squad of the Fierce Dragon Corps that was wearing down.
If things continued like this, their focus would slip, and the leopard would have them.
Step.
Baek Ri-pyeong moved first. As he took a step forward, the leopard froze.
It crouched low, poised to spring at any moment.
Baek Ri-pyeong advanced another step.
The leopard's yellow eyes gleamed with murderous intent. All five felt it piercing through them.
The leopard clearly remembered Baek Ri-pyeong—the one who had swung a sword at it. The strongest of the five.
Grrrrowl.
A low growl rumbled from the leopard.
Baek Ri-pyeong stepped forward again, now three paces ahead of the group.
Nak Woo-jin hurried to keep up. He couldn't let the distance grow any further. The others followed suit.
"Here we go."
Baek Ri-pyeong murmured softly.
No need for lengthy explanations—they all understood.
They each nodded grimly.
Cornered like this, they had no choice but to trust their skills and fight. Holding out forever would only disadvantage them.
Baek Ri-pyeong assumed the starting stance of the Three Talents Sword Method and glared at the leopard. It glared back.
The two locked eyes in a fierce staring contest.
The other four focused intently on Baek Ri-pyeong's movements.
When he attacked, they had to support him perfectly from the flanks. They couldn't let him charge in alone.
A faint breeze stirred from somewhere.
A bead of sweat dangling from his chin fell away in the wind.
Incongruously, amid the tension, the breeze felt refreshingly cool.
That was when Baek Ri-pyeong exploded forward at full speed.
Dang Jin-san and Nak Woo-jin raised their shields and moved in sync, while Dan Mok Un-roe and Yeon Ha-min gripped their swords and followed close behind.
Baek Ri-pyeong's blade aimed for the leopard's throat. The leopard's forepaw lashed toward his face.
Thud.
But the paw slammed into Dang Jin-san's shield.
"Ngh."
A heavy impact drew a groan from him, but now he was channeling his inner energy to the max.
He held the forepaw at bay.
Baek Ri-pyeong's sword thrust toward the leopard's exposed neck. The beast used the shield as leverage, pressing down with its paw before whipping its body around using the rebound.
As Baek Ri-pyeong's sword sliced through empty air, the leopard, which had flattened itself to the ground, sprang up like a coiled spring.
It bared its savage fangs wide, lunging to devour Baek Ri-pyeong's head in one bite.
Thud.
Nak Woo-jin's shield smashed upward into the leopard's lower jaw.
The blow threw off its attack.
In that instant, Dan Mok Un-roe and Yeon Ha-min arrived, their swords flying toward the beast.
The leopard thrashed violently. Dirt and dust erupted from where its claws gouged the earth.
Their vision clouded for a split second, and they lost sight of it.
"Ah!"
A small cry escaped Yeon Ha-min.
The leopard's tail had whipped her ankle.
It didn't miss her stumbling fall. It pounced.
Thud.
Dan Mok Un-roe blocked its charge.
Whoosh.
A sharp whistle cut the air behind the leopard.
Without hesitation, it launched itself aside.
The sword cleaved empty space.
Baek Ri-pyeong's strike missed, and the leopard kicked off the ground again.
This time, its target was Dang Jin-san.
It had decided to eliminate the nuisances one by one.
"Ngh."
He blocked with his shield but was shoved back relentlessly. Even with inner energy surging, he couldn't hold when the leopard rammed with its full body.
Dang Jin-san was isolated from the group.
The leopard's yellow eyes blazed fiercely. Its forepaw arced down toward his head.
He parried desperately with his sword.
Blade met claw, and blood sprayed from the leopard's leg.
"Raaargh!"
The beast howled in pain.
Its body convulsed wildly, and Dang Jin-san, unable to withstand the force, was hurled backward and slammed into the dirt.
The leopard, about to finish him, dodged an attack from behind.
Grrrrowl.
Its growl grew even more menacing. It had felt the bite of their blades.
No openings given, it charged next at Nak Woo-jin.
Another body slam.
"Urgh."
Yeon Ha-min and Dan Mok Un-roe braced his back.
They wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
The three held firm together.
Grrrowl.
The leopard's hot breath washed over their faces as it growled. Still, Nak Woo-jin stood his ground.
His comrades supporting him from behind gave him strength.
'If only the shield were a bit bigger...'
Incongruously, regret about the shield—sized for mobility in the mountains—flashed through his mind.
As Nak Woo-jin held, the frustrated leopard gathered power in all four legs, throwing its full weight forward.
Nak Woo-jin's arms trembled violently.
Separate from the support behind him, his own strength was failing.
"Raaagh!"
The leopard, shoving with all its might, suddenly planted its hind legs, reared up, and lifted its forepaws.
The sudden release of pressure threw Nak Woo-jin off balance, staggering him.
The shield opened, exposing their panicked faces.
The leopard looked almost like it was smirking wickedly.
It gaped its jaws wide.
Hot saliva dripped down. Why did it feel so chilling?
As those jaws rocketed toward Nak Woo-jin's head, ready to swallow him whole...
Thud.
Baek Ri-pyeong rushed in and jammed his left-hand shield straight into the beast's maw.
The leopard had overlooked him in its eagerness to devour.
Its teeth sank deep into the shield.
"Graaaargh!"
Roaring through jaws that couldn't close, the leopard flailed its forepaws wildly.
Its razor claws raked wounds across Baek Ri-pyeong's body.
Yet he calmly dodged the frantic swipes.
And in the gap that opened...
He thrust his sword.
Squelch.
This time, it struck true.
It missed the throat due to the leopard's thrashing but buried deep in the joint of its right shoulder.
"GRAAAAARGH!!!"
The loudest roar yet exploded from the leopard.
A scream of agony.
"Now!"
At Baek Ri-pyeong's urgent shout, the three who had fallen rose with swords and shields, charging the leopard.
With one foreleg crippled, its movements slowed, its attacks lost their menace.
Dan Mok Un-roe's sword plunged into its left shoulder.
Yeon Ha-min and Nak Woo-jin's blades pierced its throat from both sides.
Gurgle.
Blood bubbled from its mouth.
The murderous yellow eyes dimmed, life fading fast. Then, the black leopard's body went limp.
"Phew. Damn it."
Confirming the kill, Baek Ri-pyeong sighed and sank to the ground.
A curse slipped out naturally.
He recalled the moment he'd stabbed its shoulder. In that split second, he'd nearly missed entirely.
Luck had let him hit the shoulder at least.
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Nak Woo-jin gasped raggedly, collapsing face-down and retching.
Only now did the terror of facing the leopard's maw hit him.
Dan Mok Un-roe, breathing heavily, patted his back.
Yeon Ha-min rubbed her ankle, struck by the leopard's tail. It throbbed like a sprain.
"Ha, haha. Hahaha. We... we got it. We actually took it down!"
Dang Jin-san rose from where he'd fallen, letting out a complicated laugh at the sight before him.
"Yeah. We did."
A calm voice from behind made Dang Jin-san whip around.
There stood Instructor Ha Mu-baek, hands clasped behind his back, expression impassive.
Dang Jin-san's face twisted in frustration.
Where the hell had he been, showing up only now?
"Instructor! You weren't around when we needed you most... We almost died!"
Dang Jin-san burst out in resentment.
The other four turned to Ha Mu-baek as well.
Only then did they remember he was there. Tension drained from their bodies.
Right.
Their monster of an instructor was here. He wouldn't have let them die.
Why had they been so worked up?
With that realization, their limbs went limp with relief.
Ha Mu-baek glanced at the leopard's corpse.
"Tch. You butchered it. The pelt won't fetch much now."
Dang Jin-san gaped in disbelief.
"In the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest, something like this is nothing. If you can't handle a single beast like that, you'll die the day you arrive."
Ha Mu-baek's matter-of-fact words slowly closed Dang Jin-san's open mouth.