LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 45
Chapter 46
“Uh… there’s a lake down there where high-ranking monsters live.”
The problem was that the underwater cave within that lake was the place where Dongja Sam was most likely to be found.
The two began walking along the steep stone walls. It was a side path created by hunters over a long time to descend the gorge. The path was wide enough for about three people to walk side by side. It made things easier since the party couldn’t exactly find the gorge with how inconvenient it was.
“Wow!”
Just as they turned a curve, an exclamation burst from above Yeon-woo’s head. Yeon-woo understood that feeling well, as he remembered having the same reaction himself not long ago.
It felt as if they were witnessing a scene from a myth or legend.
Dense fog filled the gorge to the point where the other side was completely obscured, and shadows of indiscernible forms flitted about, colored flames flashing everywhere.
How long would it have taken for such terrain to be created in the world on the other side? The exposed sedimentary layers on the walls of the gorge vaguely hinted at its age.
But Shar seemed particularly moved. Her eyes sparkled as she couldn’t pull her gaze away.
After staring blankly for a moment, Shar murmured softly.
“I want to show this to Mom.”
“…Yeah, that’s true!”
At those words, Yeon-woo thought of Alkeinea, looking into the distance with that same gaze.
Anyway, right now, it was all about moving forward, forward only. They needed to at least descend halfway to find the first exploration point.
*
“Sending my only daughter this far, what’s the matter, really?”
From a somewhat anachronistic carriage adorned in deep green and gray with silver decorations, a woman’s voice emerged.
In response to that, a man dressed in green traditional clothing bowed deeply. The character ‘wind’ engraved on his back and the overall design utilizing deep greens hinted at the identity of this group.
“The Lord said to give everything obtained from this hunt to the young lady.”
Because there was only one group across three dimensions that symbolized deep green and silver.
Green represented the poison they used, and gray symbolized their assassination.
However, what they utilized was not merely poison and assassination. The ability to create the most powerful poison also meant that the best antidotes could be produced by their hands. The silver embellishments signified that.
It indicated that they did not always carry poison on their fingertips.
They were a part of the five great noble families and the overlords of Sichuan. The Sichuan Tang Family.
Though they no longer had enemies residing in Sichuan, they still boasted immense power.
As the carriage’s canopy was lifted, a girl with deep green hair appeared. The sharp red eyes scanned the man bowing before her.
It was not exactly a positive look one would expect to see when beholding someone of the same clan.
“…Hmm, I like that a bit.”
The Tang family’s precious jewel, ‘Poison Lotus,’ Dang Sa-ryeon, said that with a charming smile.
True to her name, her beautiful smile was both fresh like a lotus and dangerous as a coiled snake.
*
“Yah!!”
With a youthful cry, Shar launched herself, swinging her legs like a whip. A monstrous bird the size of Shar was cut cleanly, crashing to the ground.
“Keek!!”
Yeon-woo watched from behind with his arms crossed. This dad might be seen as a show-off.
“How was that, Dad!?”
“Uh, yeah… that was amazing, Shar…”
It might sound like a half-hearted compliment, but for Yeon-woo, it was pure sincerity.
As they descended, the monsters that appeared were all declared to be fair game by Shar’s confident claim, and Yeon-woo permitted it. After all, monsters attacking humans were generally low-tier, so there was no way Shar could lose to them.
However, by the time they were halfway down, they’d been ambushed about three times including this one, and if you saw how skillfully and neatly Shar had begun to wield her body by the third encounter, Yeon-woo found himself with no choice but to praise her rather than critique.
A desperate howl echoed from beyond the fog where the defeated monsters fell. Those eliminated from the struggle for survival were bound to become prey. But to encounter a dragon in such a place and be eliminated, that was just plain unlucky for them.
“I’ll improve little by little!! So I can help Dad!!”
A smile emerged on Yeon-woo’s face, as the solemn mood from earlier seemed to vanish.
“I’m glad to hear that, but Shar, take it slow and have fun. I’ve set things up so you can manage on your own.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best.”
Having to exert effort just to have fun made it evident how uncomfortable it would be for Shar, living bound to her existence.
Perhaps it was time to think about making her a friend to accompany her. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to find a simple spirit or something.
“But I wonder who went down first today.”
Yeon-woo pondered if there had been any lost spirits around when Shar said that. Looking down at the ground, it certainly seemed so.
Four pairs of footprints were etched into the thick dust on the path. Given how heavy the load must have been, the imprints were deep.
“Hmm, four people.”
Well, I don’t remember anything related to a party of four.
Especially not with how many incidents occurred in such a short period around this area. It was likely too late to encounter Heukdong Ogong as well, so the chances of this party finding Heukdong Ogong first were slim.
Though it wasn’t impossible that something had changed due to various events taking place.
“Then should I loosen up a bit?”
“Uh, Dad, are you going to do it?”
As Yeon-woo stepped forward at Shar’s remark, she showed visible excitement. Was she happy to be able to participate? The fact that it was a battle left Yeon-woo feeling somewhat complicated about it.
“Well, I came here to train, after all. I can’t just keep leaving it all to you, right? Let’s go have some fun.”
“Got it!!”
Saying that, Shar confidently moved ahead.
In front of them, a group of Lizardmen was scurrying around the steep stone path leading to the cave. About six of them. They had likely come out after sensing the commotion outside.
Since that cave was also the first investigation point for Dongja Sam, Yeon-woo joyfully dashed down the slippery stone path. After all, the whereabouts of the Lizardmen were rather valuable.
“…Hmm.”
Lizardmen, huh… Is it okay to slaughter Lizardmen in front of a dragon? I’ve heard that some tribes of Lizardmen worship dragons as gods.
As Yeon-woo thought about that and glanced at Shar, that was when a Lizardman finally caught wind of their approach, its neck snapping around to face them.
Startled, Yeon-woo turned to look at Shar, who had already positioned herself for a clean soccer kick, ready to launch herself into the air.
She’d do great as a soccer player. Just a ‘Shar’ to connect the ‘Me’ and ‘Ho.’
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing at all.”
It seemed unconnected to her. These guys were hostile towards humans, so Yeon-woo felt no hesitation about it.
The terrestrial Lizardmen living in the gorge were not particularly high-level monsters.
If I had to emphasize anything, it’d be the scaly coloring that blended with the gorge. You might encounter a field boss-level Lizardman great warrior rarely. And their skins were pricey, for sure.
In contrast, the Lizardman tribes living in swamps posed a far greater danger. They were always geared for battle, and while the smithing skills of the gorge Lizardmen were better, their proficiency wasn’t all that impressive by human standards.
Shar’s surprise attack had cleanly shattered their formation. Normally, Lizardmen would need to form a phalanx, but their alignment was completely disarrayed.
Some rushed to raise shields and grasp spears, while others clumsily fumbled for their shields.
Naturally, Yeon-woo moved in from the side, having the advantage of their positioning, as Shar dove straight in.
It’s natural for one’s gaze to be drawn toward taller, bulkier opponents, but that changes once certain conditions are met. And Shar’s ambush was more than adequate to reach that condition.
Shar stood out far too much against them. Though categorized as lesser monsters, the bodies of the gorge Lizardmen were still pretty sturdy. Wearing scales likely adapted to thrive in this harsh environment.
So once you snapped the neck of something like that in a single blow, it was impossible to remain unnoticed.
“Shreeet…!!”
The distinct sound of a serpent’s tongue flicked through the air as it communicated. The blatant guard posturing of the Lizardmen was apparent, causing Yeon-woo to twist his body. The trajectory of the sword drew a grand arc.
With a swift slice, a Lizardman’s head was lifted. Crimson blood gushed forth from the exposed neck, and from the group of six, two fell lifelessly.
At this point, the once primitive phalanx lost much of its significance. Yeon-woo took a step forward, flipping the sword.
*
After a brief but intense battle, Yeon-woo collected the spoils. The most valuable item from the Lizardmen was undoubtedly their skins.
Though they were classified as monsters due to their hostility towards humans, these ‘Gorge Rock’ Lizardmen possessed their own civilization and wisdom. It was only natural for them to harbor resentment towards outsiders stripping the skins of their warriors. Of course, that didn’t provide any valid reason to lower their weapons against them.
That being said, money was needed. Of the six, three had their necks twisted and chests caved in, while the remaining three had varying degrees of head and neck injuries leading to their demise.
The former were Shar’s doing, while the latter were the result of Yeon-woo’s skill. The skins of the Lizardmen Shar killed weren’t in too bad of a condition, but they couldn’t compare to Yeon-woo’s cleanly taken heads.
“Ugh, I’ll train harder…!”
“Well, I don’t want Shar practicing things like this.”
Yeon-woo and Shar pulled their haul into the cave. If they skinned them outside, the scent of blood would attract more monsters. While they could drive them off, just the fact of bringing down six Lizardmen with heads intact would weigh heavily in the empty bag Yeon-woo prepared.
Supplementary income is just that; it’s important not to forget the reason they came to the gorge today. Reflecting on that, Yeon-woo diligently began manipulating the doppelganger that had transformed into a dagger.
(Continued in the next chapter)