Jaekyung had managed to defeat his most troublesome opponent, but he felt no joy. Instead, as soon as the thought of having accomplished something great surfaced, the fatigue and pain he had been desperately suppressing and ignoring rushed in as if they had been waiting, clouding his mind.
It felt as if he would collapse on the spot if he let his guard down for even a moment. Jaekyung forced open the one eye that was trying to close from exhaustion and glared at the two remaining human cultivators.
“Jaekyung! That was amazing!”
Cheong-o chirped happily, but Jaekyung did not reply. To him now, all sounds were like a sharp ringing in his ears.
“Threaten those bastards. No need to overdo it. Just chasing them away is enough.”
“Huh? Why? We can just kill them too, can’t we?”
Jaekyung couldn’t understand what Cheong-o was saying, nor could he tell if his own words were coming out of his mouth properly. He simply muttered as if in a monologue, hoping to be understood, and did what he had to do.
‘I’m going to die.’
Even in a state where it would not be strange for him to collapse at any moment, Jaekyung desperately maintained his imposing air. By training in the Aura Concealment Art, he had learned to control his energy. Fortunately, it seemed he wasn't without talent, as he had achieved decent results.
And now, his Aura Concealment Art had advanced in another direction. The original Aura Concealment Art only had the effect of gathering one's energy to reduce one's presence, but now Jaekyung was using the control he had mastered through the art to maintain his weakening aura.
It was all to bluff the two human cultivators, to make them think that although he was injured, he was not greatly weakened. He couldn't tell if this bluff had worked or not.
The world seen through his one eye was blurry, as if covered in a thick fog, making it impossible to read the expressions of the two human cultivators.
‘Are they gone?’
He didn’t know how much time had passed. Jaekyung’s vision was now completely covered in darkness. The only reason he hadn't collapsed yet was his intense will to survive.
The longer he bluffed and held on, the higher his chances of survival would be, even if only by a little. But even that desperate will had its limits. At some point, Jaekyung felt the world turning upside down.
‘Or is it me that’s turning upside down?’
His thoughts went no further. * When Jaekyung regained consciousness, he tried to open his eyes. But for some reason, while one eye could be opened with difficulty, the other eye would not open no matter how hard he tried.
It was as if someone had sealed it with glue.
‘I’m not dead.’
The moment he confirmed he could open at least one eye, that was his immediate thought. He was not dead. That was enough.
Why couldn't he open one eye, why was his vision so blurry, where was this place, and what situation was he in… There was much he wanted to know, but for now, at least, none of it mattered.
‘I’m not dead.’
As long as he wasn’t dead, he could do anything. Only by not dying could he do anything. Therefore, as long as he was not dead, that was all that mattered.
As his mind grew clearer, the pain he felt throughout his body intensified. He couldn't even guess how much of his body was broken to cause such pain, but Jaekyung suppressed his fearful curiosity. The clearer the pain, the more vividly he felt he was alive, so now was a time to even welcome such agony.
How much time had passed? Around the time the initially dizzying pain became somewhat bearable, something finally began to appear in Jaekyung’s blurry vision. A messy pile of animal carcasses.
Looking closely, he could see large insects mixed in here and there. He didn’t know what this was, or why it was piled up in front of him, but Jaekyung opened his mouth. He had no strength to move his head, so he extended his tongue, pulled in as much as he could, and swallowed it bit by bit.
He swallowed and swallowed without chewing. His body, like parched earth receiving a few drops of welcome rain after a drought, greedily digested everything he swallowed. The beasts and insects were all ordinary, but once he put them in his stomach, he felt strength returning to his body.
After stretching his tongue with difficulty a few times, Jaekyung soon lifted his head and began to eat in earnest.
‘Not enough.’
The food, which had been piled quite high, was gone in an instant. His feverish body demanded more nourishment. But he could still only move his head at most, and the food in his sight was now running out.
Flutter!
Just then, he heard the sound of vigorous flapping, and Cheong-o flew in. In his beak, he held a six-legged beast larger than himself.
“Oh?”
Seeing Jaekyung, Cheong-o’s eyes widened. He dropped the beast he was holding and cried out with joy.
“Jaekyung! You’re awake!”
Jaekyung glanced at the beast’s carcass that had fallen right in front of him and grasped the situation. It seemed that all the food he had eaten had been brought by Cheong-o. “You weren’t waking up, so I thought you were dead!”
“As if.”
He said that, but this time it had been truly dangerous. Part of it was greed due to the usefulness of the tree demon, but a larger reason was his misjudgment of the human cultivators’ skills.
‘I also overestimated my own abilities.’
He had always thought he acted with caution, so how did he make such a mistake? Did he unknowingly become arrogant after becoming a spirit beast? Or was it because he had been mingling with the senior cultivators at the Garden of Remembrance and deluded himself into thinking he was on their level?
‘It was all of them.’
Since he survived, it turned out well in the end, but he still couldn't let his guard down.
“What happened to those bastards?”
“They ran away. I chased them off!”
Jaekyung listened to what happened after he collapsed while tearing at the beast Cheong-o had caught. Cheong-o had threatened and driven away the two human cultivators, just as he had been instructed to do before Jaekyung fell.
Already terrified and having lost their will to fight, they could no longer withstand Cheong-o’s threats, Jaekyung’s bluff, and the tree demon’s subtle pressure, so they fled.
“The tree fellow?”
“Yeah. While I was chasing them off, it was shaking its branches behind me.”
Cheong-o flapped his two wings here and there, describing the scene. His clumsy imitation wasn’t very helpful, but from the circumstances, it seemed the tree demon had also done its best to help Cheong-o. “Is it unharmed?”
“Yeah. But it’s not good at hunting, so it still has no energy.”
“It can’t hunt?”
“All the beasts around here ran away, so it’s become hard to hunt.”
“Ah.”
That was not a hunt, but a battle. A very noisy one at that. With such a great commotion, it was no wonder that the beasts, with their well-developed instincts, had sensed the danger and fled en masse.
“How many days have passed since I collapsed?”
“It’s been almost two days.”
“Two days…”
Even after eating the entire six-legged beast Cheong-o had brought, Jaekyung still felt unsatisfied. He felt as if he were under a curse where he could not feel full, no matter how much he ate. No matter how much he swallowed, it would vanish in his stomach as quickly as salt touching water.
“Thanks for taking care of me. But I need more. Bring me as much as you can.”
“Got it!”
Cheong-o boasted that he could be counted on, then immediately took flight. Jaekyung watched Cheong-o fly away for a while before closing his eyes. * Cheong-o diligently brought back food.
Jaekyung endlessly devoured what Cheong-o hunted and slowly recovered his body. If he could eat spirit beasts instead of ordinary creatures, his recovery speed would greatly increase, but he couldn't expect too much from Cheong-o, who lacked combat prowess.
‘I can move to some extent now.’
Thanks to Cheong-o’s devoted help, Jaekyung was finally able to recover his body to a certain extent. However, even though he had recovered, compared to when he was perfectly fine, he was no different from a seriously ill patient.
Not only did he feel a slight pain whenever he moved his body, but the moment he tried to use even a little strength, it felt as if his whole body would shatter. Normally, he should rest for a few more days, but…
‘Still, I can’t delay any longer.’
Jaekyung raised his heavy body and told Cheong-o to prepare to leave.
“Why? Shouldn’t you rest a bit more?”
“More humans might come. We have to leave before that.”
“More humans will come? Because of those bastards?”
“It could be because of them, or it could be because of us.”
In truth, Jaekyung didn't know if more humans would come or not, but the fact that they might was what was important. If, by any chance, they were to return seeking revenge, or to skin the monster snake, or to pick the tree demon’s fruit, he would lose the life he had barely managed to save in vain.
That could never be allowed to happen.
“Anyway, we have to leave before it’s too late. Tell the tree fellow as well.”
“Got it!”
A moment later. The tree demon, which clearly did not look to be in good condition, approached slowly, using a few of its roots as legs. Jaekyung thought it looked just like a cephalopod.
Could all tree demons be like that? Pushing aside the brief, stray thought, Jaekyung spoke to the tree demon.
“You came here, so I assume you intend to leave with us?”
Woooo~!
This time, he could guess the meaning even without Cheong-o’s interpretation. He had felt its guard lower significantly after they hunted together before, but this time, it felt as if the sense of distance had vanished completely. Perhaps it was only natural.
After all, from the tree demon's perspective, Jaekyung had saved its life without regard for his own.
“Good. Let’s not drag this out and leave right away. Cheong-o. It looks like we’ll have to trouble you again this time. Our bodies aren’t in good condition right now, so we should avoid fighting as much as possible.”
“Okay!”
Since becoming a spirit beast, Cheong-o had made great strides in many areas, but the most significant improvement was in his scouting ability. The fact that he had spotted the human cultivators moving in secret with a single glance showed just how excellent Cheong-o’s eye for detail was.
If Cheong-o put his mind to it and sharpened his gaze, there was probably no spirit beast that could escape his sight. Thanks to Cheong-o leading the way, Jaekyung and the tree demon were able to travel quietly for a while.
Even during that time, Cheong-o hunted beasts to help Jaekyung and the tree demon recover, so his contribution was immeasurably great. The tree demon, also aware of Cheong-o’s efforts, voluntarily picked the last remaining fruit from its bare branch and gave it to him.
‘To think I’d end up being so indebted to this fellow.’
Cheong-o seemed satisfied just by the fact that he could be of use and didn’t boast at all, but Jaekyung, who was receiving the help, didn’t feel at ease. It is said that the heaviest debt in the world is a debt of the heart, and this time, he had truly incurred that heavy debt.
Someday, when the situation improves, I will repay this debt several times over. With that resolve, Jaekyung slowly continued to recover.
“Let’s rest here for today.”
At Jaekyung’s words, the tree demon’s roots burrowed into the ground. Soon after, a few trees withered completely dry. If things continued like this for a few more days, there would likely be no living trees or grass left in the vicinity.
‘That ability is truly enviable.’
He had learned this time that, surprisingly, the tree demon could recover to some extent just by taking root and absorbing life force. Of course, adding a meal of blood would be the icing on the cake, but even without it, it could eventually complete its recovery.
For Jaekyung, who had to replenish his vital energy through individual meals to recover his body, this ability of the tree demon was bound to be enviable.
“Jaekyung. Are you going hunting again?”
“I have to.”
Thanks to Cheong-o bringing him food from time to time even while they were on the move, Jaekyung was able to recover to a certain degree. After recovering to a level where a light hunt would not be a problem, Jaekyung consistently went out hunting, actively seeking prey.
Although he still couldn't taste the meat of spirit beasts, by supplementing the lack of quality with quantity, Jaekyung’s condition was not bad. That is, compared to when they first left.
‘I think it’s about time we started looking for a place to stay.’
Roughly two months had passed since they left the tree demon’s territory. While on the move, they had to avoid the territories of spirit beasts and demons, and since neither the tree demon nor Jaekyung was in any state to speak of, their travel speed was not fast.
But still, having come this far, he felt he could ease his worries about being pursued by human cultivators. His condition had improved a lot, but to fully recover, he needed to stay in one place and rest.
‘Other parts are one thing, but the eye is a real problem.’
The parts that were scorched by fire and pierced by the spear were still uncomfortable, but they had recovered somewhat. Yet, this eye alone showed no signs of recovery whatsoever. Had it gone completely blind?
‘Whatever. There must be a way.’
It was a sensitive area, so perhaps it just took longer to heal. If not, he just had to find another method of treatment. Surely, in this vast and mysterious world, there had to be a way to heal a single eye.
Surveying his surroundings with his unfamiliar half-vision, Jaekyung silently slipped into the darkness.
* "Hiss!"
The weasel spirit beast hissed and sprang back. It was an attempt to find an opening and escape somehow, but the tree demon’s roots, having already extended, blocked its path of retreat.
The weasel spirit beast’s eyes darted nervously between the tree demon and Cheong-o, and in that moment, Jaekyung, who had emerged from the swamp like a ghost, instantly bit down on the weasel spirit beast’s hind leg.
“Attack! Attack!”
Cheong-o shouted excitedly to the tree demon. The tree demon silently moved its roots, neither too slow nor too fast. In any case, this action was meaningless.
They had experienced time and again through their past hunts that once something was bitten by Jaekyung, it was over.
"Kyehk!"
Jaekyung dragged the desperately struggling weasel spirit beast straight into the swamp. The result was obvious for a creature that couldn't escape outside the swamp being dragged into it. Before long, the difficult struggles ceased, and Jaekyung tore the spirit beast's body in half, swallowing one part and throwing the other out of the swamp.
“Jaekyung. Is this it for today?”
Cheong-o, who had been waiting outside the swamp, showed his disappointment after claiming his share. For a while now, Cheong-o had been suggesting they increase the number of hunts. As the coordination between the three of them improved day by day, they no longer needed to be picky about which spirit beast to lure, and hunting became much easier.
No matter who the target was, as long as they could lure it to this swamp, the hunt was as good as a success.
“You know no satisfaction.”
Jaekyung flicked his tongue, with only his head sticking out of the swamp. In the last fortnight, they had hunted a total of seven spirit beasts. That was a rate of almost one every two days, something that would have been impossible before, regardless of their hunting skills.
That was because if they hunted spirit beasts at a rate of one every two days, the nearby spirit beasts would soon be wiped out. For example, around the tree demon’s old territory, there were at most about ten spirit beasts. Naturally, each had its own territory, and within that territory, they were no different from kings.
But here, such spirit beasts couldn’t even be called nobles, let alone kings. There were quite a few wanderers who roamed about without their own territories. A spirit beast that had a territory here was not an ordinary spirit beast.
Jaekyung hadn't seen them, but according to Cheong-o, who observed them from high up in the sky, they seemed to be spirit beasts close to becoming Great Spirit Beasts. He could definitely feel that they had moved far away from the human territories. Could this place be the demon lands?
If not, had they at least reached the threshold of the demon lands? It was good that he no longer had to worry about threats from human cultivators, but he also felt a slight concern that they might have come in too deep.
That was also why he had chosen this swamp, which was not even a proper territory, as their nest. The location wasn't great, but for that very reason, he calculated they could avoid the eyes of other hunters.
Of course, there were other reasons, like how good it felt to submerge his body in the swamp, but those were minor details.
“If we make too much of a scene, those guys might notice. It’s better to be careful for the time being.”
“Got it.”
Cheong-o cleanly set aside his greed. Just as Jaekyung knew Cheong-o, Cheong-o also knew Jaekyung.
‘Yes. For the time being.’
Jaekyung was a cautious hunter, but he was just as greedy as himself. Someday, when ‘for the time being’ was over, Jaekyung would surely hunt down the strong ones here one by one. All he had to do was wait until then.
“Hey, tree. Just one fruit.”
Wooo- The tree demon howled in displeasure and slowly extended a branch bearing a fruit. Cheong-o then flopped down on the branch and pecked at the fruit to eat it.