Chapter 180
**
The day has broken. Originally, I planned to part ways, but ironically, my path crossed with the Bodyguard of Jeokbal.
“I guess I have to go that way too. What a coincidence. I’ll repay the favor of one night with my protection.”
“There’s no need for that. I don’t require anyone’s help.”
“That’s what my heart desires.”
“Dad. This guy is so stubborn.”
“That’s my pride.”
“…….?”
The snowfall was intensifying. The closer we got to the tall mountain ahead, the more fierce it became.
It seemed Eun Seol-ran was right. Whatever it was, it looked as if something was stirring that was causing the change in weather right before us.
A spirit… huh.
I had caught one before… was it really that much?
No. It was definitely more than what I encountered last time. A spirit that causes climate anomalies?
It wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
“Jeok-un.”
Su-ryeon called out to me. One massive footprint, resembling that of a giant beast, had been left on the snow.
It certainly didn’t seem like any ordinary animal. The man from Jeokbal spoke calmly.
“That’s a big bear.”
“…Isn’t the footprint too large just to be a bear?”
“Is that so? I honestly don’t know. But it is a big one.”
“…….?”
We moved following the tracks. The impressions left in the snow were gradually increasing.
Some remains of a mountain beast were caught in the branches of a tree. Su-ryeon remarked coldly.
“Some beasts sometimes stick their hunted prey on trees to eat later. But… there’s a lot of it. Not only did they eat a lot, but there are also many hung up.”
“It’s a case where a lot of prey is needed… so could we say it’s just awakened from hibernation?”
“Good guess. Hibernation. The girl thinks so too. It’s common for spirits to sleep for a long time. If that’s the case, then being hungry is understandable.”
But the beast’s figure seemed to elude capture. Its strangely bizarre movements couldn’t be detected even after half a day had passed.
“…Do you think it knows we’re chasing it? Should we send the Sapa members ahead?”
“If we split up, we might end up in a catastrophe. Fortunately, we have time, so let’s take it slow.”
Amidst the intensifying snowfall, we settled behind a suitable rock. Sua sniffled.
Ju Ryeongryeong’s eyes rolled back.
“Sua! Oh no! My little sister is going to die! Come here!”
“I’m okay…”
Forced into a hug, Sua squirmed. Eun Seol-ran burst into laughter.
“You’re all squished, right? It’s funny.”
“Ryeongryeong. Sua can’t breathe.”
“Why? It’s warm, isn’t it? Right? Huh?”
“It’s heavy. My head.”
“Hm…? What is?”
“…My head feels heavy…”
“There’s not much that should be heavy, right?”
“There is… two of them…”
We finished preparing the campsite. Suddenly, I locked eyes with the Bodyguard of Jeokbal who was keeping watch outside.
“A loud bunch you have.”
“Why aren’t you coming in…?”
“I’m just repaying the favor. I’ll stand guard today. Sleep without worry.”
The Bodyguard of Jeokbal waved his arm lightly.
“Thanks to you, I’ve had enough sleep and a full belly. This much is only fair.”
“What about dinner…”
“No need. Yesterday’s meal was sufficient.”
“There’s food, so it wouldn’t be a problem to eat, right?”
“……”
The warrior glanced at me.
“I have some sense of decency. I came along to protect you, yet I’ve done nothing…”
His honest words made me chuckle.
I cooked the meat I had set aside yesterday. I brought it over with some hardtack and sat beside him.
“Then while I eat, could you watch over me as my protector?”
“…….”
The Bodyguard of Jeokbal smirked.
“What’s your name?”
“Jeok-un.”
“Keep it to yourself. I am Heuk Dae-wun.”
“Heuk Dae-wun…”
“Do you know me?”
“Are you a famous person?”
“It’s fine if you don’t.”
It was a name I had never heard before. I lightly clinked my cup against his.
He seemed curious and asked.
“You seem to have learned swordsmanship… is there a Sapa nearby?”
“It’s a bit far from here. Please understand that I can’t go into too much detail.”
“I also have many secrets to hide. Even if you inquire about my sword, I couldn’t answer. Two secretive people meeting… ”
He lifted a piece of rabbit meat.
“All we can share is meat and water.”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Quite sufficient. Is that your daughter behind you?”
I turned my head. Sua, who had stuck to me, suddenly opened her mouth wide.
The Bodyguard of Jeokbal slipped a piece of rabbit meat into her mouth.
“What a spoiled child you are.”
“She’s just a pretty girl.”
“As the parent, so is the child. If the father is kind, the daughter must be kind too.”
“…I’m a bit embarrassed.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed about stating the obvious. Is the beast we’re hunting because of that girl?”
Questions had increased significantly. It was a stark contrast to the calm demeanor from just yesterday.
“Yes. It is.”
“Hmm… why is that?”
“As the weather gets colder, I wanted to provide one more thing to my child. I plan to make warm clothes from the beast’s fur since I haven’t done much for her so far… I want to do something for her when I have the time.”
“Well done.”
“I suspect the beast we’re chasing is a spirit, so its fur should be thicker, right? It seems like a pretty good coat will come out of it.”
“…A spirit?”
The Bodyguard of Jeokbal flinched.
“Is what you’re chasing right now a spirit?”
“Yes? Of course…”
—Rustle.
Both he and I turned our heads simultaneously. We spotted a figure watching us through the bushes.
A low-crouching beast. Upon meeting its gaze, its massive form finally stood upright.
The hulking body glistened with a luster. Its claws were the size of an adult man’s head.
What was felt most prominently was the chilling cold that threatened to freeze me. The surrounding environment was rapidly dropping in temperature.
It resembled a bear, yet it was not a bear. It would not be an exaggeration to call it an icy life form in the form of a bear.
“…Back off!”
The Bodyguard of Jeokbal instantly drew his sword. But I stopped him.
His actions spoke instead of words. The fact that the spirit, which had been avoiding us, was now approaching meant…
It was ready to hunt us.
—Auuuuuuuuu…
The howls of wolves that had been hidden until now spread far and wide. Just in time, the pack started to appear one by one, looking down at us from the high ground.
A pack of wolves. Their emergence seemed to be following the spirit, and I drew my sword.
With cold, one must answer with heat.
“Fire Wheel Blood Demon Sword.”
—Swoosh!
Flames ignited at the tip of the sword. Not only did it devour the yang energy within me, the flames, now multiple times larger, swallowed the falling snow.
“…What?!”
Ignoring the astonished words of the warrior, I took another step forward.
“Sua, stay back.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
I whispered to the Ear Sword, Black Pearl.
Let’s sweep them all away.
“I’ll bring them down myself.”
The wolves crashed to the ground.
I rested my sword on top of them.
. . .
“…….”
Exploding heat and melting snow.
Amidst that, the First Sword of Sapa, Heuk Dae-wun, narrowed his eyes.
He sensed something hidden. Yet it was a power much greater than he had expected.
The master of the Fire Sword. How many people in this world possess such power?
It’s a technique that’s particularly easy to fall into. Yet even so, the face before him was still one he had never seen before.
Jeok-un. Was that his name?
No matter how I thought about it, it was a name I had never heard of.
Could he be a hidden master of Sapa? It didn’t seem fitting for someone from the Cheonryong Association to wield such a destructive martial art…
Look at that.
Such ferocity and raw strength could never belong to a righteous martial art, could it?
The wolves, having been struck, split in half. The sword itself moved slowly, but the destructive power contained within it was beyond words.
Slow but strong. A blunt sword at its peak. Heuk Dae-wun struggled to suppress the pride rising within him.
He wanted to have a duel at least once. But perhaps he should not. He should endure. After all, he was a benefactor.
Moreover, he was a kind man. A person who offered food and shelter to one with nothing and, even after being refused, showed kindness for some reason…
He didn’t want to turn hostile. Not unless absolutely necessary.
—Grrrrrrrr…
The beast suddenly bared its teeth. From the scattered pack of wolves, it suddenly swiped its claws at Jeok-un.
But he didn’t budge at all. As if it were a matter of course, he met its attack head-on, proving with both hands that his sword was greater than the beast’s voice.
The successive strikes were clear. In the explosive exchanges, the spirit flinched.
The very momentum of showing teeth at each other was akin to two beasts clashing.
Heuk Dae-wun belatedly realized that a faint smile hung at the edge of Jeok-un’s mouth.
He was enjoying this stage.
Is he truly a martial artist to the bone?
In the ensuing exchanges, victory ultimately belonged to Jeok-un. The rough flames swirled around him in one final strike, exploding in all directions as it completely severed the spirit’s head from its body.
An ending that seemed so neat, contradicting his fierce martial art. The final moment of retracting his sword was so natural that Heuk Dae-wun couldn’t help but admire it again.
This is…
A true warrior indeed.
He felt like he would want to recruit him as an ally no matter what.
Heuk Dae-wun gazed silently at the butchering process that followed. If nothing else, he wanted one thing…
But it wasn’t guaranteed that it would always be available because it was a spirit. He could only wait in silence.
“Wow. There really is one!”
One of the party’s women raised her bloodied hand. From it appeared a pearl-like object, and for the first time, Heuk Dae-wun spoke.
“Jeok-un.”
“Yes?”
“Could you pass that to me?”
“…What do you mean…”
“My lord is sick.”
He didn’t know why the lord was ill. But instinctually, he detected it.
His lord’s body was slowly deteriorating to a point that couldn’t be sensed.
Because it was his own, he could tell. So he needed that.
That inner pill of the spirit.
“It would be a favor I would repay somehow. It’s something I absolutely need.”
The woman named Ju Ryeongryeong revealed her teeth.
“…No way. What kind of robber are you? You fed me and gave me a place to stay, and now you want my inner pill? Are you out of your mind?”
“Of course, I’m not asking for it for free.”
Is it time to reveal it?
The First Sword of Sapa, Heuk Dae-wun slowly straightened his shoulders. Normally, he shouldn’t say things like this, but…
Now that the item was before him, speaking the truth wasn’t a bad idea.
Heuk Dae-wun boldly exclaimed.
“I am Heuk Dae-wun, the First Sword of Sapa. If you hand over that inner pill to me, I promise you. Whatever it is that you want, I will procure it myself.”
