As if it were a starting signal for a race.
At the sound of the gunshot echoing through the entire forest, I ran as if my thigh muscles would burst.
The forest seemed to ripple with my speed.
Shadowless Step (TL Note: A martial arts technique allowing movement so swift that one’s shadow cannot keep pace.).
True to its maxim, which claimed even shadows could not keep pace.
The scene I reached, as swift as the wind, in less than a minute, was nothing short of utter devastation.
“You son of a b*tch!!”
A headless corpse lay alongside another, its body utterly shattered.
Having seemingly been trampled repeatedly, the shattered corpse was beyond recognition.
And amidst them, a massive white beast, shaking off blood as it devoured something.
Its eyes glowed with a chilling, blue-tinged light.
It was the Jangsanbeom (TL Note: A legendary Korean tiger-like creature known for its white fur, ability to mimic human voices, and extreme speed.)!
I unleashed my most precise strike upon the foe I had to cleave.
Ghost Shadow Slash (TL Note: A sword technique that rends the darkness, leaving no trace.).
The ethereal blade, cleaving through the darkness, sliced clean through the trees obstructing its path.
A single, linear strike.
Its sharply pointed tip tore through the air, hurtling forward to target the monster’s neck.
However.
THWACK!!
Witnessing my strike, the monstrous beast reacted with terrifying speed.
“What?!”
Just as my linear strike arced into a semicircle, it was parried by the Jangsanbeom’s massive paw, its immense weight creating a thunderous boom that echoed through the surroundings.
Zzzing-
As dust motes danced in the aftermath, I used a Will-o’-the-wisp (TL Note: A ghostly light or flame, often associated with supernatural beings or phenomena in folklore.) to pinpoint my location for the creature.
I knew it would mistake the Will-o’-the-wisp’s position for mine and unleash its attack there.
In that fleeting moment, I channeled my inner energy, aiming to land a significant blow on the monster.
This was the card I had chosen to play again after our initial exchange.
It was a tactic that had proven effective against the Management Bureau’s riff-raff, and I expected it to work once more.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.”
That is, if the opponent had any intention of fighting.
But the cunning beast, instead of engaging me, chose to bat away my attack and retreat.
“I won’t fight you yet.”
Thwip!
Was it a primal instinct? The decision to avoid injury and chip away at an opponent’s strength was utterly unexpected.
Thus, in preparing my next strike, I had inadvertently granted the creature precious time.
The colossal beast vanished into the forest, making its escape with astonishing speed.
For a white storm to have swept through, its movement was eerily silent.
So fast, yet so quiet.
I had to pursue it.
“Hup!”
I abandoned the idea of throwing my weapon.
Instead, I manifested the Shadowless Step with even greater intensity than before, pushing my legs to their limit as I gave chase to the Jangsanbeom.
I could not be outmatched in speed.
From the outset, the disparity in our sizes was immense.
Moreover, its stark white fur radiated an alien presence, making it conspicuous.
Provided my stamina held, I was certain I could follow it to the very end.
I was almost upon it.
“Get it.”
I would have.
ROOAARR!!
Had a Changui (TL Note: A ghost or evil spirit that possesses a tiger, often said to be the vengeful spirit of someone killed by that tiger.)-possessed tiger not ambushed me from the thicket.
CRASH!
I tumbled into a pit, and the ferocious beast, with its savage claws, began to rend my flesh.
Even if it was a mere aberration that could be dispatched with a single strike, a tiger remained a tiger.
Being pummeled by its immense mass, I felt a potent, albeit momentary, threat to my life.
“Ugh… Get off me!!”
Though startled by the sudden ambush, I plunged my sword into its heart.
I felt the blade pierce its heart, yet why wouldn’t it fall?!
Thrust, thrust, thrust!
My arm muscles bulging, I repeatedly buried my knife into the beast.
“Kuh… Waaarggh…!”
Only after tearing through its insides did the tiger, its life force depleted, finally lose its strength and collapse.
The injuries inflicted by the tiger were merely superficial gashes from its claws.
I scaled a nearby tree, moving with the agility of a leaping cat.
“Hahh… Where did that damn thing disappear to?”
After catching my breath, I frantically scanned my surroundings, searching for the Jangsanbeom.
However, not a single strand of the colossal beast’s fur was visible.
The dense forest, the cloak of night, the ambush by what appeared to be its subordinate tiger, and the creature’s surprisingly high intelligence—all these variables conspired against me.
“I lost it…!”
Yet, I now understood the creature’s nature.
“Its objective, it seemed, was to kill everyone who had entered the mountain.”
Its brutal handling of the corpses.
It said it wouldn’t fight me yet, didn’t it?
A clear declaration that it intended to kill even me.
The precise conclusion was that it had perceived my strength early on and orchestrated this entire affair.
It seemed those insane bastards from the Management Bureau had deliberately created this monster.
Grinding.
My molars clenched tightly.
No matter what, I would survive this and drag every single one of those bastards into the fires of hell.
“First… I must calm down. This is the most cunning monster I’ve encountered so far.”
Moreover, reflecting on what just happened, it seemed to possess the ability to control other tigers.
If that were the case, were the tigers that attacked us earlier sent to gauge our combat strength?
It seemed smarter than a human, even deviously planning to minimize our forces as much as possible.
‘If this continues… we’ll be dancing to its tune.’
Before more victims accumulated, I had to make a decision.
Taking a deep breath, I roared with all my inner energy, a thunderous shout that echoed throughout the entire mountain: “To the palisade!!! Gather nowwww!!!!”
The powerful reverberation was so intense it left a metallic taste in my throat and made my stomach ache.
Then, the small lights flickering across the plateau momentarily wavered before beginning to converge around the palisade.
‘They’re gradually extinguishing.’
Were they under continuous assault?
Several torches, having just flared, abruptly winked out of existence.
As the disappearing lights accelerated, faint, unspoken screams began to reach my ears.
It was happening in multiple places simultaneously.
It seemed that upon my discovery, the creature had changed its strategy, deciding to annihilate them swiftly.
“Will-o’-the-wisps.”
I could currently manifest a maximum of five Will-o’-the-wisps.
I scattered them as widely as possible.
Circling the forest, the Will-o’-the-wisps began to flicker as they found their positions.
If the Will-o’-the-wisps were attacked, I would know.
All five Will-o’-the-wisps were attacked.
“This… could be quite useful, couldn’t it?”
And in the process, I uncovered some rather interesting information.
Information that held considerable significance.
“Hoo.”
After leaping from the tree, I began to race towards the palisade.
Had Byeongson, whom I’d hastily left behind at the sound of gunfire, arrived safely?
Having left him at the forest’s edge, I trusted that the clever Byeongson would have made it.
I had instructed him not to answer anyone who called near the palisade, ensuring he wouldn’t be lured by the Jangsanbeom.
“Where could Wolyeong be? That old man wouldn’t have deliberately entered the forest, so he must be alive, right?”
Resuming my sprint, I reached the edge of the plateau.
A decapitated corpse, and another, tattered and trampled beyond recognition.
‘…They’ll be fine, right?’
Suppressing a needless surge of anxiety, I ran toward the palisade.
The night was still deep.
****
“The Tiger Hunter Captain… is dead?”
“He fell off a cliff with a tiger to protect me… *hic*.”
Damn it. This was the worst-case scenario.
The dozens of soldiers had dwindled to fifteen.
All they had managed was to catch one tiger with a steel net.
And the Tiger Hunter Captain had taken another down in a mutual kill.
Thanks to the Jangsanbeom personally trampling the forces, a massive number of personnel had been wiped out in an instant.
“We… we’re going to die.”
“Shit! I haven’t even properly taken care of my kid yet…!”
In this desperate situation, some began to lose their will to fight.
It was a natural reaction.
No one could blame them.
When such fear pressed down on their shoulders, anyone would naturally bow their head and shed tears.
But not me.
Insults? I could hurl them repeatedly to shock their minds awake.
“You pathetic idiots. Aren’t you going to snap out of it?”
All eyes turned to me.
Some with aggrieved stares, others with bewildered expressions.
I took a breath.
And spoke to them.
Pouring strength into every word.
“From now on, I will command all forces.”
I had to become their focal point.
No matter who I was.
If the Jangsanbeom and other tigers attacked in a frenzy, I would surely die.
I had to lead these forces and capture that beast, no matter the cost.
I had to inflict damage on that insane aberration.
How? I wouldn’t say.
Instead, I would throw them the kindling of hope, telling them to live.
“I will make sure you all get out of here alive, no matter what happens.”
I poured out a sweet lie.
How many would survive, I honestly didn’t know.
After scattering this lie, if the truth were to emerge, even greater chaos would surely follow.
However.
“Really… ?”
One by one.
They lifted their heads.
“We have no time; listen while you rearm yourselves.”
Humans, after all.
Weren’t they creatures who crossed life’s journey, sustained by hope?
Hope began to flicker in the soldiers’ eyes.
The atmosphere, which had been on the verge of plummeting into despair, began to lift, if only slightly.
CRASH!
“Goddammit!! Don’t you trust our big brother?! Everyone, snap out of it! We were told that even if you enter a tiger’s den, you’ll live if you keep your wits about you!!”
Fortunately, Byeongson, who had joined us, slammed his fist on the ground and stood up, pouring courage into them.
“That’s right…!”
Only then did the flame of resolve to survive begin to ignite.
“We can’t die here…”
“f*ck it, even if I die, I’m making those bastards taste some bullets first.”
“Die?! What are you talking about! We’re all going to live!”
The soldiers rallied their spirits, clasping each other’s trembling hands.
Thank goodness.
The mood had shifted.
Though I didn’t know how long it would last.
“Byeongson, where’s Wolyeong?”
He shook his head.
Wolyeong was not among them.
‘…… The loss of strength is severe.’
I shook my head, trying to clear it.
And then, I thought of what I needed to be most wary of now.
If the Jangsanbeom were to surround us and slowly try to wear us down, there might be a way for me to break through one side of the encirclement and flee with the soldiers.
However, if the situation unfolded that way, we would be under constant attack while descending the mountain.
So, what about an all-out war?
I didn’t know how many of them there were, but if they all charged, it would be a rather troublesome fight.
Our only cards were the palisade as cover, the ability to fire from a distance, a few bladed weapons, and my personal combat prowess.
At least, our battlefield was this plateau.
I sighed.
Attempting a protracted battle when morale had almost hit rock bottom?
We didn’t have much in the way of military provisions, and even if I continuously pulled food from my personal store…
‘It would barely last two months.’
It was pointless.
If we engaged in a prolonged battle, I couldn’t conceive of a way to defeat those aberrations.
I’d seen information in the gallery that creatures like them could live indefinitely without eating or drinking, according to the legends.
And since there had been no contact from the Tiger Hunters, it was unlikely that other reinforcements would arrive.
I had to get out of here, to begin with.
And to do that, I had to catch the Jangsanbeom.
“No matter how I think about it, this method was indeed the best. Damn you, Kozmo. You were right.”
Fighting in the forest meant annihilation.
Enduring meant annihilation too.
So, there was only one way.
“Is there anyone here who… loves nature too much?”
“…?”
I would lure them to this battlefield.
Having taken a proper beating, it was time for a counterattack.
“I’ll have to play with fire a little.”
A counterattack.
A counterattack so hot.
So hot that our enemies would have no choice but to gather on our battlefield.
****
“Wait.”
The Jangsanbeom, grinding its grotesque teeth, twisted its head, pinning down a tiger drooling and about to bolt onto the plateau.
The other tigers trembled in fear, tucking their tails between their legs.
“Is this all that’s left?”
Ten tigers remained.
Considering the number of humans left, they could have easily overwhelmed and crushed them by simply charging.
However, the Jangsanbeom had one concern.
The human’s power it had seen during the day and felt earlier.
The subtle pain emanating from its slightly swollen paw.
If it were to face them one-on-one, the chances of victory were slim.
It judged that it could win if it risked its life and endured injury.
Though it was a single exchange, the Jangsanbeom had grasped this with its wild instincts.
But was there a need for that?
“I will hunt them slowly.”
Instinctively, the monstrous beast smiled, having conceived a more effective method than directly fighting that other monster.
It divided the other tigers, sending them to the perimeter to encircle the humans.
Then, it would wait and slowly hunt the humans.
That was the Jangsanbeom’s plan.
However.
WHOOSH-!
“…?”
There were two facts the Jangsanbeom had failed to grasp.
One.
They didn’t need to wait.
For the tigers, this mountain was their home, their very existence.
No matter how clever, the Jangsanbeom had not attained human-level intelligence; it was merely a beast.
For them, the mountain was their home and everything.
For the humans, it was not.
“Fire in the air…?”
Suddenly, flames appeared, hovering in the air.
Then, the flames soared towards the surrounding trees.
ROOAARR!
ROAR!
Immediately after the scorching flames began to engulf the surroundings.
The paths leading down the mountain were all blocked off.
The tigers began to run wild in disarray.
Murderous intent gleamed in the Jangsanbeom’s eyes, flickering with the fire.
“How dare you.”
The world began to be consumed by fire.
