Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 17

Whisper.

Squeak.

The sound of something dragging echoed through the forest.

Unable to contain her curiosity about the sound, a fox peeked out, startled by the sight of an enormous tiger, and darted back into the bushes.

Other animals did the same.

However, a crow in a tree tilted its head, observing the tiger.

The tiger’s eyes were closed, and it was dragging its hind legs.

It appeared as if something was carrying it, rather than it moving on its own.

“Ugh.”

Then, a woman’s labored groan echoed from near the tiger.

“Why are you so heavy?”

It was Hwaran, a Changui [a type of mountain spirit or guardian] of the Mountain Lord.

She was crossing the forest carrying the Mountain Lord on her back.

Each step seemed arduous. As heavy as the Mountain Lord was, her footprints pressed deeply into the ground.

No sooner had she taken a step than her body flickered.

The Mountain Lord’s condition was one thing, but her own was deteriorating rapidly.

Her spiritual energy was leaking from her body, and her faint form looked as precarious as a lamp flickering in the wind.

“Hoo.”

Hwaran took a deep breath and took another step.

She couldn’t stop now.

The Mountain Lord was in danger.

But at that moment…

“Ugh!”

Thud!

Her body tilted and fell to the side.

She wondered what had caused her to fall, then realized her right foot had disappeared.

Maintaining her physical form was reaching its limit.

She bit her lower lip and tried to summon her energy, but her body wouldn’t regenerate.

“Ugh.”

“Mountain Lord! Are you awake?”

Perhaps due to the impact of the fall, the Mountain Lord groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

Hwaran looked at his red eyes, which were gradually regaining focus, with a worried expression. Seeing her, the Mountain Lord opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“You! What’s wrong with your body!?”

“That’s not important. How is your body? Were you successful?”

“Ah, yes. It’s not perfect, but I’ve treated my internal injuries and overcome the most dangerous part.”

Hwaran examined the Mountain Lord’s body and nodded.

The bleeding had stopped, and the wounds were slowly healing.

“But it seems I underestimated the Dobonghwan [a mystical artifact or herb]. It took too long… didn’t it?”

“Yes, I was worried you had crossed the Samdo River [the river separating the living world from the afterlife in Korean mythology].”

“Yeah. And I made you suffer too.”

The Mountain Lord looked at Hwaran, who was flickering as if she would disappear at any moment, and a bitter expression crossed his face.

Why was Hwaran in such a precarious state? It must be because he had remained unconscious for too long.

Come to think of it, when he tried to absorb the spiritual energy of the Dobonghwan, the energy had momentarily scattered and escaped somewhere. Now he realized that Hwaran must have intercepted it and used it herself.

It was immediately clear that her body was in such a state because she had overexerted herself.

It was only natural, since she had drawn upon spiritual power as a ghost.

“It seems there isn’t much time left. I’ll explain quickly, so please listen carefully.”

The Mountain Lord’s face hardened, and he listened to her story without missing a single detail.

For a while, Hwaran explained what had happened since he had fallen asleep and placed the Gongjeonggang [a type of protective amulet or artifact] she had been wearing around his neck.

“That’s enough. I have no more regrets.”

Hwaran said with a satisfied smile.

As if she was about to depart.

“The past days I spent with the Mountain Lord… were truly enjoyable.”

“Don’t even joke about that! You could just rest for a while; why do you have to tease me like that!”

Hwaran smiled and tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but her smile faltered when she saw her hand disappearing.

“As you know, I need to focus on recovery because I’ve overdone it. Just thinking about being in the Mountain Lord’s arms makes my body heat up.”

“If you’re going to say useless things, hurry up and heal.”

The Mountain Lord grumbled, but his eyes were full of apology.

Hwaran, who couldn’t possibly miss that, smiled brightly and nodded.

“Please, don’t die.”

“Hurry up and recover. It’s inconvenient without you.”

“Oh my. I didn’t know you relied on me so much.”

The Mountain Lord was silent for a moment at her teasing tone, then turned his head slightly and opened his mouth.

“…Aren’t you and I in a relationship of shared destiny?”

Hwaran, who had been trying to tease him, couldn’t hide her surprise at the unexpected words. Then, her eyes curved like crescents, the corners of her lips turned upward, and she replied.

“It’s embarrassing. Besides, we are not in a relationship of shared destiny. If the Mountain Lord returns to the soil, I will also enter the cycle of reincarnation, but even if I die, the Mountain Lord will live on, won’t he?”

“Do you have to point that out? Shut up! Go to sleep!”

Hwaran chuckled, nodded, and closed her eyes.

Then, she scattered like smoke and disappeared into the Mountain Lord’s body.

She would probably sleep for a long time to recover.

The Mountain Lord rose with a heavy heart and muttered.

“Come quickly. I’ll be waiting.”

* * *

Woodunjiwoo of Woodunsan [a specific mountain or region].

Woodan was looking up at the moonlight with sorrowful eyes, feeling the cool air of the night sky.

“So… is what you say really true?”

His voice seemed quite calm, but it contained a raging anger.

As if it would explode with a single poke.

“Yes.”

Before him was an eagle spirit with magnificent wings and a strong beak.

While everyone was engaged in battle, he had watched everything from the high sky and reported everything without missing a single detail: the deaths of the elites and the failure to retrieve the Dobonghwan.

Woodan remained motionless until the passing clouds covered the moon and then the moon reappeared.

“Great Elder, what will you do?”

The eagle spirit, unable to bear the silence, broke the quiet and asked.

Of course, he was referring to the Mountain Lord.

“We must exact a price for the lives of the elites.”

In any case, it was true that the Mountain Lord had stolen the Dobonghwan at the cost of the elites’ lives. He couldn’t let him get away with it.

He had thought the Mountain Lord only had the talent to blindly run wild, but it seemed he had underestimated him too much.

‘He stole all the Dobonghwan in that chaos.’

What a talent.

Woodan erased his bitter smile, hardened his face, and immediately summoned all the elites in Woodunsan and gave his orders.

“He was deeply wounded in the battle with Doseon [a powerful individual or figure]. No matter how fierce a tiger he is, he wouldn’t have been able to fully heal those wounds.”

The decision was made.

If he recovered from his injuries, he would surely come to kill them.

If he recovered from his injuries and used the Dobonghwan to be reborn as a celestial being, things would be out of control.

It was right to cut off the bud in advance.

If he could obtain the Dobonghwan in doing so, he could gain a new life and give the Dobonghwan to an outstanding member of the elites.

If that happened, Woodunsan would be at peace for a thousand years in the Byeok Nam region [a specific geographical area].

“Find him! Find him and kill him! If you don’t, we will be killed by him!”

* * *

Meanwhile.

A throbbing head and an aching body.

But the Mountain Lord endured it and continued his arduous journey.

Hwaran’s story left him with no choice but to press on.

She had said that she had captured one of the Chusaljo [a type of mythical creature or demon], made a Yeokgeunhwan [a type of magical pill or artifact], possessed him, made him look like the Mountain Lord, and killed him.

At first, he wondered why she had done such a thing, but as she continued to explain, he understood.

‘I didn’t know that even if you consume a Yeokgeunhwan and change your body, that state would last.’

She had captured a Sword Immortal, disguised him as himself, and driven stakes into him to perfectly maintain the disguise.

In the first place, Yeokgeunhwan was a pill full of various spiritual herbs. He was killed immediately after eating it, so the remaining spiritual energy would naturally maintain that appearance.

The Mountain Lord was satisfied, thinking that it was just like Hwaran to come up with such a plan.

But that was only for a moment.

The Mountain Lord’s face hardened as he thought of those who would be hunting him.

No matter how much he disguised himself with Yeokgeunhwan, the effect would not last long.

If that happened, the Mountain Lord’s death would be exposed in an instant.

‘Two or three days at most.’

Maybe even less than that.

So, what the Mountain Lord had to do was to quickly return to Mount Baek, gather what he had left behind, and heal the wounds that had not yet healed.

“Damn pig bastards.”

He had thought things were going strangely, but he had ended up getting caught.

The Mountain Lord gritted his teeth, dripping blood.

Now that he was feeling a little better, the faces of those who had put him in this state came to his mind one by one.

Doseon and Woodan, the culprits of this incident!

“Woodan, you son of a bitch.”

A thick murderous intent overflowed from the Mountain Lord’s body.

Then, the surrounding birds were startled by his murderous intent and flapped their wings and fled.

Leading his heavy body, the Mountain Lord vowed and vowed again to kill all the pig bastards and burn Woodunsan to the ground.

They were truly despicable individuals who deserved to be chewed to death.

He felt sorry for himself for being caught by those pigs.

But soon he withdrew his murderous intent. Because he had obtained something that could be considered a consolation.

‘It’s a relief that I got the Dobonghwan.’

One was used to treat the wound, but there were five left besides that.

The Mountain Lord found peace of mind as if snow was melting into water, as if nothing had happened.

‘If I can only become a celestial being….’

If he could only achieve celestial status, he would gain the power to annihilate all the Woodunsan guys.

Besides, there were several Yeokgeunhwans made, so there was nothing to fear.

What he needed now was only a safe place to recover his body.

But even that was not difficult for the Mountain Lord.

How could there not be such a place in the world of Sanhaebalsango [a specific world or realm]? It would be strange if the Mountain Lord didn’t know of one.

The Mountain Lord smirked and moved his body with difficulty.

Three days later.

Heukbeom [Black Tiger], who was lying in Cheonhogun [a specific area or location] of Mount Baek and yawning lazily, suddenly rose.

“Master.”

Beside him was a Changui dressed in black mourning clothes with her hair neatly tied up.

“The Mountain Lord is here!”

Heukbeom, who had three clear claw marks on one eye, trembled with joy.

Sniffing with his nostrils and constantly grinning, he looked as if a long-awaited lover had returned.

“No doubt. It’s the Mountain Lord’s scent.”

Heukbeom of Geomut Mountain, who had taken over the ownerless Mount Baek, ran off in joy.

The woman smiled wryly at the childlike back, then changed her expression and chased after her master.

And a moment later.

Kkamanghori [another name for Heukbeom, or possibly a different character], who had been running towards the Mountain Lord with a happy heart, gasped for air.

He frowned and shouted with anger.

“Mountain Lord! What the hell… who did this to you!?”

The Changui woman behind him also had a look of bewilderment on her face.

How could the Mountain Lord of Mount Baek return with such injuries?

The Mountain Lord’s appearance was so shabby that it was as if he had barely returned from the brink of death.

The fur that had once been glossy was like dry spiritual herbs, and blood clots stuck to his fur, and his red eyes, which had been full of energy, were also cloudy.

“What’s it to you?”

The Mountain Lord replied to Kkamanghori’s question with a sullen face, as if he was seeing all sorts of strange individuals.

“W, well! I… that, what is it. Yeah! Before I fight you, you got beaten up by someone else! I can’t have a fair fight with this Kkamanghori!”

The Mountain Lord tilted his head at Kkamanghori’s stuttering words and chuckled.

“I’m seeing all sorts of crazy guys.”

He was originally a strange guy, but he couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.

He had a lot of work to do, so he didn’t have the mind to hang out with him.

“W, where are you going, Mountain Lord!”

“I’m busy. I’ll play with you next time, so come back later.”

“N, next time when! I’ve been waiting for you until now!”

“Waiting until now?”

Why?

“Yeah! Didn’t you have your Changui tell me before you left! To have an unfinished battle! But… but! You ran away because you were afraid of this Kkamanghori, and where did you go to get beaten up!?”

Have his Changui tell him?

The Mountain Lord thought for a moment and then exclaimed as he remembered.

“Ah…….”

Come to think of it, that’s right.

After chasing away the ownerless Changui, Kkamanghori’s Changui seemed to have appeared and said that.

“Hmph, do you remember now??”

Kkamanghori twitched his lips and chuckled as if he was happy about something.

“You ran away because you were afraid of this Kkamanghori-”

“Yeah. I forgot.”

He had forgotten.

Kkamanghori looked at him unpleasantly at the Mountain Lord’s calm answer and looked at his Changui.

“I also forgot and don’t remember well.”

The Changui, who apologized lightly with a blank face, suddenly turned his back and shrugged his shoulders.

He could hear a chuckling sound, so it seemed that the Changui was teasing his master.

“Eek……!”

Kkamanghori looked at the Changui and moved his lips, then turned his head and burst out in anger at the innocent.

“It’s your fault! How can the owner of Mount Baek not keep a promise! Aren’t you ashamed!”

The Mountain Lord stared blankly at Kkamanghori and turned his body.

“I don’t have time to deal with a stupid guy. If you want to fight that much, there will be guys coming to Mount Baek soon, so fight them.”

“Who is it?”

“Well. It could be Doseon, or it could be the elites of Woodunsan.”

“D, Doseon!? You fought with Doseon and came back!?”

The Changui was also surprised and widened his eyes and covered his mouth.

“Amazing. You fought with Doseon and came back alive.”

The Mountain Lord couldn’t delay any longer, so he ignored them and went into the bushes.

“W, wait a minute, Mountain Lord! How are the elites aiming for you… huh, he’s gone.”

Kkamanghori chased after him right away, as if he had more to say, but at some point, a hazy fog appeared, and at the same time, the scent became ambiguous and disappeared.

“After all, the Mountain Lord must have created that Hwanjin [a type of illusionary or protective barrier].”

“What? Hwanjin? This was Hwanjin? I just thought it was a foggy place… Why didn’t you tell me!”

“You didn’t ask.”

“E, eek!”

Kkamanghori burst out in anger again, and the Changui chuckled.