BW C108

Chapter 108

 

Soon, Gilsang’s sword severed the monster’s neck. The headless creature slowly toppled backward and crashed heavily onto the ground with a thud.

“……”

Truly, it was Gilsang. Hoeun swallowed a breath mixed with joy. But just then, a long and enormous shadow swept over his face. At the same moment, a heavy thud sounded, and Gilsang was hurled far away in an instant.

“Sergeant!”

Startled, Hoeun called out.

Gilsang collided with a tree and groaned painfully. He immediately got to his feet but could not stand fully upright. Wobbling, he gripped his thigh and grimaced.

Only then did Hoeun remember that Gilsang had injured his thigh—it likely had not healed fully yet. Fighting in that condition was unreasonable. But there was nothing fragile Hoeun could do to help.

Kraaaaar!

A monster lifted a massive tree with both hands and howled in delight. Then it swung the tree ferociously, striking nearby Jeokudae soldiers.

The soldiers were pushed, battered, and thrown aside. Their spears and swords were not nearly as long as the tree, so their weapons barely reached the monster.

Meanwhile, another monster sprinted toward the staggering Gilsang. Its jaws wide open, it was poised to bite into his head.

“Seongim-nim! Sergeant, help the sergeant!”

Hoeun shouted at Seongim’s back. But—

“……”

Seongim neither replied nor moved. She stood guard before Hoeun, gripping her sword so tightly that her hands were pale.

Her demeanor was cold and ruthless, yet Hoeun could neither blame nor fail to understand her. If his own heart was this heavy, how much heavier hers must be.

He needed another way—a way to help Gilsang. Suddenly, he thought of the pistol. Quickly, Hoeun drew the pistol from his side and aimed at the monster charging toward Gilsang.

But—

“……”

He could not bring himself to pull the trigger rashly.

The pistol would not kill the monster. He already knew that from shooting in the village once. The bullet would only lodge in the monster’s bony helmet. That enraged monster would then surely attack him.

What would become of Seongim standing before him? She would be the first to die. Then Hoeun would die—or worse, the girls might perish before him.

“……”

His aim shook uncontrollably. He had to shoot to save Gilsang—but to save Seongim and the girls, he could not.

What should he do?

With helpless despair welling inside, Hoeun involuntarily closed his eyes.

For a moment, all fell silent.

It was not complete silence. The soldiers still shouted, screamed, and cried. But the noisy howls and rampaging of the monsters had vanished.

Could it be Taemuk? Had he slain all the monsters in a flash?

Hope rising, Hoeun snapped his eyes open.

“……”

The monsters all stood rigid, backs straight, staring blankly into the void—like countless invisible lightning bolts had struck them simultaneously.

Screeeech…

Clack, crack…

Their heads twitched spasmodically. Limbs flapped and trembled oddly. Narrowing his eyes at the eerie spectacle, Hoeun watched as the soldiers seized the moment to attack.

Gilsang, now steady, fiercely cut the neck of the monster closest to him.

The ground quickly soaked with monster blood, thick and dark. The sharp coppery scent of blood swirled in the air like mist.

As half the monsters died—neck severed, helmets broken or pierced—they seemed enraged. They snapped jaws angrily at the soldiers and swiped claws fiercely. Then, astoundingly, they began retreating, step by step.

One by one, they turned and fled. Hoeun’s mouth gaped open in disbelief.

“Are they… retreating?”

Monsters retreating? He had never seen it and could not imagine it. They were the sort who would gnash their jaws, savagely bite flesh even after their heads were severed. They should have attacked regardless. Why flee now?

Gilsang once said,

“If these creatures think they can’t win, they won’t attack. They probably fled to find easier prey elsewhere.”

“Are you saying they’re smart?”

“Whether smart or not, it’s like a rabbit not attacking a tiger.”

Was it an extension of that? Nearly half the pack slain, sensing defeat, now fleeing?

Hoeun watched the monsters grow smaller between the trees, lost in thought.

“……”

The Jeokudae soldiers did not pursue the retreating monsters. They simply remained on alert, tense and watchful. Some aided the wounded and tended to the injured.

Gilsang returned to Hoeun’s side.

“Sergeant, are you alright?” Hoeun asked anxiously.

“Yes. No problem.”

Gilsang smiled faintly, met Seongim’s eyes briefly, then brushed the blood from his sword and, like the others, resumed a ready stance.

Some time passed in solemn quiet. Then, from between the trees, familiar footsteps sounded.

Hearing them, Hoeun relaxed the arms shielding the girls. The girls blinked wide-eyed at the sudden change.

“It’s alright now.”

Hoeun looked at the girls and smiled faintly. At that moment, Taemuk appeared from the woods, holding the severed head of a monster. The grotesque head bore a large, leaf-shaped antenna attached to the helmet bone. The spine dangled loosely from the torn neck, about three handspans’ length.

So he had gone to dispatch monsters in the unseen woods.

Hoeun puckered his lips without realizing it. He understood the urgency, but still wondered—must he always go alone? Couldn’t Dongja, or even Gilsang, accompany him sometimes?

“……”

Taemuk swept his gaze over the soldiers and refugees, including Hoeun.

After confirming most were unharmed, he slammed the monster’s head he carried down upon a tree. The antenna in the helmet bone was crushed like a squashed persimmon.

Everyone watched in silence. Used to such attention, Taemuk tossed the head aside and said in a flat voice,

“Prepare to depart.”

At once, the Jeokudae soldiers began moving—packing, fetching horses, and gathering the refugees.

Hoeun rose from his seat. Entrusting the children to Gilsang, he dashed toward Taemuk.

“Are you hurt?”

Taemuk chuckled softly at the question.

“If I were hurt, why would you rush to help?”

There was a hint of playfulness, but Hoeun did not smile, his expression stiffening. Taemuk pressed again:

“Answer me clearly. Are you hurt?”

“No.”

Taemuk replied curtly. Safe in that denial, Hoeun released a sigh of relief.

Taemuk glanced at him quietly, then brushed blood flowing from his temple with his palm.

Hoeun withdrew a handkerchief from his chest pocket.

“I’ll clean it for you.”

Taemuk glanced at the white handkerchief embroidered with flowers. Without a word, he bent his waist slightly. Still tall, Hoeun had to lift his heel to reach his bleeding temple.

Carefully, Hoeun wiped away the clotted blood. Though not his blood, he treated it delicately. As he dabbed the crimson stains, Taemuk asked in his neat voice,

“The monsters have fled. Could it be related to the one I killed with the antenna?”

The question lingered unanswered. The image of the monsters freezing like puppets cut loose, then fleeing, and the antennaed head held in Taemuk’s hand—none of it added up.

“That’s right.”

“Then that monster was the pack’s leader?”

“Based on what I’ve seen.”

“So that’s why you killed it first.”

Hoeun nodded as if understanding. But many things remained unclear. How had the monsters known they had lost their leader—how did they detect that Taemuk had slain the head? They’d been too far to see. Why did they freeze? And why flee?

As Hoeun opened his mouth to ask more,

“Captain.”

A soldier called to Taemuk.

“Hm.”

Taemuk straightened his bent form. Hoeun, holding the handkerchief, flicked it upward and inadvertently missed wiping his cheek.

“Ah, I haven’t finished cleaning…”

“Enough.”

Taemuk’s indifferent words cut short the moment. He immediately followed the soldier, seemingly discussing how many were injured and how many refugees were missing.

“……”

Hoeun watched Taemuk’s receding figure, then turned unwittingly.

Beneath a bare tree lay the monster’s head Taemuk had dropped just moments before.

The leader of the monsters.

This meant the monsters had a hierarchy. Did they have groups and units as well? Though they often traveled in packs, no apparent coordination had been seen.

If so, how were the packs divided, and how was the leader chosen? Were the antennae present from birth?

…Born?

Of course, monsters must be born, as humans and beasts are. But how were they born? How were they raised?

Did they have parents? Families? And if so, did they have homes where they lived, like humans in towns or houses?

“……”

Hoeun stared seriously at the monster’s head.

“Young Master, we’ll be departing soon. Let’s go.”

Gilsang beckoned him forward.

“Yes.”

Hurriedly, Hoeun followed him, casting frequent glances back at the monster’s head.