The Forest's Hunters

Strength drained from his body as if he'd just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finished an intense workout. On top of that, an indescribable spiritual exhaustion washed over him, leaving his mind on the verge of total collapse.

The burning heat that had surged through him fortunately cooled quickly in the chill of the Primordial Forest's night. And whether it was due to the forest's powerful life force or the inherent nature of the flames that had erupted, the fire didn't spread. Instead, it simply extinguished itself.

The only problem was that the acrid stench of burning flesh was so overpowering it nearly paralyzed his sense of smell.

'What now?'

At twenty-five years old, Han Yujin had naturally completed his military service. From what he'd learned in the army, any unusual smell—like cigarette smoke in the mountains at night—could carry an incredible distance.

This horrific burnt odor had surely spread across a vast area of the forest, reaching every wild beast with a developed sense of smell.

Still somewhat flustered, he stepped outside and confirmed the identity of the beast whose head had been blown apart.

Its face resembled a monkey's, and so did its overall body. Except for the fact that it was incredibly muscular, with claws on its hands and feet as tough and sharp as those of a raptor.

Moreover, hard keratin covered its elbows, knees, belly, chest, and sides, giving it the appearance of wearing armor. Even its fur was so coarse it looked like it could absorb most impacts.

'It's roughly two meters tall…'

If pitted against a human bodybuilder, the bodybuilder would likely be slaughtered in seconds. Even if that human were given armor and weapons, the result would be the same.

In short, this wasn't so much a beast as a monster.

'I killed something like this?'

The creature looked like it could charge through gunfire, yet before the flames of the Ohaeng Sword, it couldn't even scream.

Even in his daze, he spent a moment in quiet admiration before snapping back to his senses. Then he thought hard.

Maybe this thing had been the ruler of this section of the forest. Since he'd killed it, perhaps he was safe now.

Or maybe he should move immediately and find another hiding spot nearby. Wouldn't this terrible burnt smell actually mask his movements and presence?

At that moment, Han Yujin activated the calming technique from Hoe-won Gong to organize his racing thoughts.

As the technique unfolded, his shaken mind stabilized instantly. His concentration sharpened, and the things that had felt blurry became clear.

'Don't rely on luck.'

Recalling the lesson he'd learned from past experience made everything crystal clear.

This creature might have ruled this part of the forest, but it might not have. Even if it had, there was still a chance that predators from other territories would come out of curiosity.

He couldn't underestimate the agility and cunning of wild beasts.

Besides, running to another location probably wouldn't help.

Thinking back on how he'd been discovered in the first place, the creature had found him hiding motionless in a pit beneath tree roots as if he'd been completely visible.

It had clearly been hunting, even silencing its steps in case its prey tried to flee.

'More will come.'

The forest's native hunters—the beasts that wanted his life—would undoubtedly arrive.

Han Yujin tightened the tension that had briefly loosened and began recovering his strength with everything he had. He didn't return to the pit, though. While it reduced the directions he had to watch, it would also block his escape route.

Whether this decision was right or wrong, the outcome would tell. What he needed to do now wasn't to endlessly doubt himself.

Keeping his Spiritual Eye Technique active, he carefully scanned his surroundings while breathing deeply. More precisely, he drew in spiritual energy to recover the exhaustion in both his body and soul as much as possible.

At the same time, he began analyzing the structure of the Ohaeng Sword in his hand. His previous use had been nothing more than desperate, reckless handling. If he wanted to fight more efficiently in future battles, he needed to understand its basic functions.

'I won't die easily.'

He knew that dying here would simply wake him up in reality. And perhaps it would be more convenient to die once and return later.

But for some reason, he didn't want to. It felt more emotional than rational, yet at the same time, not entirely so.

He didn't want to think about death so easily just because things were a little difficult and frightening. No matter how you looked at it, that would be running away, wouldn't it? If he started thinking about fleeing every time hardship came, what kind of life would that be?

Fortune and misfortune were two sides of the same coin, and opportunity always appeared within crisis.

'If I win today, then this section of the forest will truly become mine.'

With the Ohaeng Sword, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

How much time had passed like that?

Han Yujin's expectations—or worries—were not betrayed. From the darkness throughout the forest, pairs of bright yellow eyes began to appear, staring at him.

Using the power of his Spiritual Eye Technique, he saw their forms hidden among the bushes. One corner of his mouth twisted upward in a smile. It looked half like he was crying.

“Fuck… What is this, Planet of the Apes? You monkey bastards?”

Fortunately, he'd recovered some of his strength, and he'd grasped the Ohaeng Sword's structure at a very basic level.

This was thanks to the transcendent language comprehension granted to him, which had even allowed him to decipher the sword's restrictive spell inscriptions.

His muttering was clearly taken as a provocation. The monkey monsters began emerging from the bushes one by one, swelling their muscles threateningly. There were seven in total.

It wasn't an overwhelming number, but at the same time, it was far too many. There was no way they'd fight him one-on-one in a tournament format, so his odds of victory seemed slim.

Still.

Even so, Han Yujin's will did not break.

Because the price of death was simply waking up in reality, he sometimes thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of giving up and running. But on the other hand, precisely because the price was so light, he could also become endlessly reckless.

“First strike wins—!”

With a courageous shout, Han Yujin leveled the Ohaeng Sword at the nearest monkey.

Boom—!!

Instantly, the spell inscriptions on the Ohaeng Sword's surface flashed, unleashing a thunderous roar as a streak of lightning shot forth.

No—by the time he perceived it as being fired, it had already struck and electrocuted the monkey monster to death. Its fur burned completely black and stood on end while its limbs convulsed wildly as it toppled backward.

The number of enemies dropped from seven to six.

“How dare you challenge the lord of all creation, humanity?! You damn beast bastards…!”

A tremendously heavy roar erupted, completely swallowing Han Yujin's attempt to seize the initiative.

Starting with one monkey's roar, the remaining five joined in, creating a cacophony that felt like it would burst his eardrums.

Before he could even utter a surprised exclamation about their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lung capacity, the creatures kicked off the ground from all directions and charged. The earth shook as if a cavalry legion were stampeding. The sheer force of their assault surpassed any blockbuster movie.

A single solid hit would clearly shatter his body. Reflexively, Han Yujin activated the Ohaeng Sword's defensive function and raised it overhead.

Clang—!!

The first monkey monster to reach him slammed its fist—filled with all its strength—into the bell, producing a deafening boom. It sounded exactly like striking a real, incredibly sturdy bell.

- KUUUUUAAAAGH—!!

The frenzied monkey monsters surrounded him and began pounding the golden bell barrier with insane punches and kicks. The continuous explosions of sound caused blood to trickle from both of Han Yujin's ears.

“You… brainless bastards…!”

Despite the barrier showing only the slightest tremors, the creatures continued hammering it with absolute certainty. Even as their hands and feet became bloody, they showed no sign of stopping.

Scraaaaape—!!

The screech of their powerful claws raking across the barrier's surface made the already injured Han Yujin grimace deeply. As if they'd been waiting for exactly that reaction, the monsters added scraping attacks to their pattern while howling.

At that moment, Han Yujin became certain.

These monster bastards were far more ferocious, intelligent, and cunning than mere apes.

Even if it cost them their lives, they would never abandon their attack.

A single thread of fear pierced through the adrenaline-fueled excitement raging inside him. Was he really going to be torn to shreds by these monkey monsters' claws and fangs?

Just before that fear spiraled into uncontrollable panic—

The calming technique that had remained active felt like a bucket of cold water poured over his mind. At the same time, burning within him was rage—both at himself for feeling fear, and at the monkey monsters that had caused it.

The sensation of maintaining a mind that was both hot and cold was truly new and astonishing. If he could keep this state going, it would be the mentality of a true veteran, a battle-hardened warrior.

With wide eyes, he glared at the monkey monsters still pounding on the barrier. At the same time, he focused on the Ohaeng Sword and attempted to activate another function.

His soul, squeezed to its limit for spiritual energy, screamed. His body followed suit—his legs trembled as if they would give out any second. The feeling of twin nosebleeds about to burst was painfully vivid.

He had to remember that he had only been introduced to the path of cultivation half a day ago.

'This place is so rich in spiritual energy that I've been able to endure this long!'

In the midst of it all, another realization struck him. With the feeling of wringing out every last drop of strength he possessed, he gripped the Ohaeng Sword's hilt tightly.

Could the defensive barrier of a mid-grade magical weapon really only block attacks in silence? In most cases, the best defense was a good offense.

The additional spiritual energy he poured in activated another spell inscription. The moment the sword, which had been emitting brilliant golden light, resonated—

The bell-shaped barrier exploded outward in all directions. No—it didn't simply scatter. Every fragment took the form of a razor-sharp blade, tearing through everything without leaving a single gap.

The noisy roars and impact sounds were instantly replaced by mournful screams. The gruesome noise of bones and flesh being severed and split rang out once, followed by a massive spray of blood that scattered everywhere.

After the heavy thuds of chunks of meat falling haphazardly to the ground passed noisily—

In the now-silent heart of the forest, covered head to toe in blood, Han Yujin bared his teeth and laughed.

“I won… you Planet of the Apes sons of bitches…”

With that mumbled declaration—or whatever it was—his body collapsed backward as if he'd fainted.

Of course, he hadn't died. He'd simply expended far too much strength and could no longer even stand.

Probably no stronger predators would come. If they had, those monkey monsters wouldn't have fought so noisily.

Han Yujin, unable to move right now, wanted to believe that.

And in truth, even if such misfortune struck and he died, he felt like it would be okay.

It would be unavoidable, wouldn't it?

He'd done his best and still died regrettably, but at least he hadn't run away. He could simply wake up refreshed in his bed.

“Hehehe…”

Amid an achievement and victorious ecstasy so intense it was hard to describe, he kept laughing like an idiot.