novelThe Alousu 1
| ← Ch.028 | Ch.030 → |
At last, it was finally time to go. Jaehwang said goodbye to his ancestors in the shrine and fastened the lock on the gate outside. He couldn't contact Mr. Song from where he would go so they talked in the cabin before he left.
He then stood and looked into the wormhole on the ground before him.
-Are you ready?
Asked the spirit.
-First, we have to go in and check if it's safe and if we'll need anything else before going in. We have to see if it's a good place for training so we need to search through the terrain for any kind monsters in there.
-Not that, what about what I said?.
Jaehwang took a deep breath.
-We'll check two times.
-Good.
They were about to set foot into an unknown world and there was no time for any childish acts. He kept getting a feeling that they wouldn't see any monsters. Jaehwang then shook his head and went down into the wormhole.
Swoog...
Jaehwang checked the place by putting his leg first into the wormhole and he eventually got his head through. He was able to pass through but all that appeared was a very dark circle. He then puts on a pair of goggles and pressed its switch. These hunter googles was not just used to protect his eyes, it also granted him night vision as it projects a weak light as a precaution for the monsters around that might detect him.
The cave was not artificially made. However, five minutes in and he started to smell a strong scent. It was a smell coming from an excreta. He turned on his tiger hunter sense and continued on. Jaehwang looked around and saw that the place was full of wilted tree branches as well as sticks. After walking a few steps more, he found two baby monsters above him that looked like it died due to starvation.
-I didn't know that the wormhole would have monster nests.
-Do the babies grow up being taken care of by the female monster? Or the male?
-No, If they were to be taken care of by the male then wouldn't they starve to death and be neglected?
Like mammals, they were supposed to have a parent that would take care of them. The pair of monsters would usually break up after they've mated. The female would be left to look for her babies and the male would then resume its expedition.
The structure was overall kind of messy but, the big monsters that lived there were as big as the place itself. Jaehwang soon found and checked the exit, he took off his goggles and left after a moment.
Whii...
He took a blast from the strong wind. The winter season was right around the corner but this place was humid and felt like it was a sultry tropical rainforest.
-I've never noticed how amazing the world is... That side is kind of similar...
Those were the spirit's first thoughts about what she saw. She meant that the Alousu and the terrain of the earth were similar. Like their neighborhood located on the mountain ridge, its landscape bore the same shape. But even so, Jaehwang knew the village so well that he couldn't find one similar thing to look for.
The shape and the valley were similar. There were also a variety of big trees but he insisted that there were no similarities.
-It's a little similar but they're completely different.
Jaehwang said after taking a look around the place. It looks like a place where normal people could live. He could see the end of the horizon and there were giant trees everywhere. The trees were so big that they looked to go up to more than 100 meters tall.
They then to heard something that sounded like a monster's cry within the distance.
They were quite far away but the sound kept getting bigger and bigger. When they saw what was making the noise they started to feel something unusual.
-It's hard to tell what it is.
Jaehwang took out his phone and looked at the map. The map for the Alousu and the mountain village were even similar and if that was wrong then the map that he had would be completely useless. They couldn't even see the savage beast that inherited the place... Jaehwang was deep in thought and then the spirit asked a question.
-Doesn't this seem like something I can help out with?
-How?
-The density of this place is deeper than the real world so I could do this.
A figure then started to form due to the white dust coming from out of Jaehwang's eye. The form wasn't like last time, it had a big frame and a red string coming from it. It had wings spread out but it looked like it could only fly a short distance of about 3 meters.
-There's a lot going on here so I can't do much. But, I can it seems like I can endure it for some time. Should we patrol the neighborhood. ?
-Could you scope out the area first? Just to make sure nothing's dangerous up ahead.
-Okay.
Jaehwang watched as she jumped and flew through the air. He then thought that his next instruction would be the most important task for the spirit.
Jaehwang walked outside of the cave. He didn't notice that many bugs but he remained cautious. He had prepared for this moment, he could not let it all go to waste. Even before he came, here he got a vaccination and studied almost all about common life in the Alousu.
There was actually something that he wanted to do when he came here. He was on where his ancestors went when they were alive. He continued to relive the feelings of his past as the spirit was up in the trees and securing the area.
Jaehwang had become a superhuman and received a lot of skills from the spirit. That was why he was able to see clearly what it was when it came.
Peodududeug...
Hueueug...
The spirit rushed back to his side.
-Hide!
-Huh?
She dove to the ground and Jaehwang covered the spirit with himself at the moment where a giant black shadow passed by them. They only saw the back of the creature but it was enough to give them the creeps.
-In here!
-Okay!
They went towards a giant tree and Jaehwang's tiger hunter skills started to emerge.
-What are we going to do?!
-Sorry, I should have been more careful.
Kueueugeug...
They heard the sound of giant footsteps.
Luckily his tiger hunter senses still worked even though he was hiding, however, the time limit of maintaining it was not so long. He peeked out from their hiding place and he retracted it back at the moment where he saw it.
-Don't lead it over here.
-Sorry!
Even Jaehwang panicked because of what he saw.
It felt like the idea of staying here forever suddenly didn't seem so bad. It looked like a dangerous fifth tier monster who was two levels higher than the monsters they had seen so far. It had the typical shape of a bird but it was much bigger. It had a muscular body, strong legs, and teeth sharper than a shark's. The scariest thing about it was that it could fly and do a sudden nosedive into the ground without suffering from any damage.
Ggeueug... Geueug...
They looked around and saw it walking around the area.
-Hiding isn't a good idea.
-Why?
-It looks like it's not going to give up.
Jaehwang's senses were not wrong.
It looked like a child longing for its mother's embrace. It appeared smaller compared on what it was supposed to look but it still had wings almost as big as an airplane's.
It looked everywhere around the trees. It then found an earthworm hiding in the ground shortly thereafter and left the scene. What happened might seem like a good thing but the only problem with that was, Jaehwang was that earthworm.
The tiger hunter skill had met the end of its duration and for the first time, Jaehwang felt that he would really die in this current crisis.
-... This usually doesn't happen...
The spirit felt humiliated as she mumbled to herself when Jaehwang was taken away.
'I'm so useless. '
Jaehwang regretted going out of the cave. Other than letting the spirit scout the area, he just had to go out and check for himself. He was too careless... and now, his mind turned blank and he couldn't think of anything he could do to save himself.
-Isn't this something that I could have avoided?
-It's a shame but possibly.
Just as the spirit said, there was no way out of a situation like that. His tiger hunter senses was now gone and there seems to be a swarm of 7 giant monsters around the area. There was a small one but it looked like there would be a big one wherever he looked.
Geururug?
A baby monster then appeared in front of him, it felt quiet for a second. It was tilting its head left and right as if it wasn't calling for Jaehwang. It looked cute and even though he felt sorry, he knew full well that he was facing a fourth tier monster.
Kyag!
Kwahkwag!
He got himself rammed into an old tree before the monster could take him into its nest.
"Darn it!"
He was dropped so he jumped back on his feet and ran as fast as he could to a different tree. The only thing left to do was escape. Jaehwang was fast but the only problem was that the monster was even faster.
Ggeueug!
Ggurureug!!
He expected that the bird in the sky would just hover to the ground but it suddenly took a dive and gave him goosebumps. At his third step, the monster had already heard him and was now moving towards him. He had no choice left so he used his fifth step to boost himself to run as fast as he could.
The trees were fairly big but it was smashed by the monster that ran after him. A bit of him was relieved since he managed to escape but the thought of its mother chasing him as well ran at the back of his mind. She was bigger by a few meters but luckily, the number of trees were pretty dense so it wasn't able to fly. If it was, then he would be finished.
Ggeururug!
The monster had followed him at the moment Jaehwang stepped on the ground.
"Heok!"
Thinking that the distance was short, Jaehwang stretched his limbs like a net and let its hard beak crash into him but right in the last second, he grabbed the monster's throat and went for its chest.
-That's dangerous!
Then Jaehwang looked before him and saw a red light in the shape of a small cat over the monster's eye.
Kyaya
Ggurug!
The monster instantly yelled and Jaehwang immediately escaped.
-Thanks!
-Run!
Ggururug! Totob!
It tried to strike him with its closed beak but he was able to avoid it with his special energy skill. It then got tangled in the spiderweb of trees and Jaehwang used that opportunity to head into a hiding place without a second thought.
"Heokheok..."
Ggurug! Ggurug!
The monsters started to fight with each other and got tangled as well. It brought him enough time so Jaehwang took a deep breath and used his transcribed willpower to activate his [Tiger Hunter] skill.
[Skill Failed]
-Ugh!
-It's okay, calm down and try again next time.
-It's too late!
He could only focus for so long and yet he failed to activate his senses. That was like a game mechanic but it was also an important special skill. He already had a variety of skills that were great and similar to a common game.
For the skill to activate her would have to consume the energy at the right time and after doing that once, his attack would slowly rise. People would call that life's cooldown time but Jaehwang would estimate that his tiger hunter senses cooldown was about 20-25 seconds long.
However, a Gagseog's skills were completely different from any normal game. In a game, all he needed to do was assign a button for his skills and he would be able to use it but in reality, he would need to focus and concentrate.
Like his current situation, he had failed to concentrate because his life was on the line. After a few moments full of pressure, his skill had recovered from its cooldown and he was able to reactivate it successfully. He then looked 50 meters towards the giant tree and he could now see the top of tall buildings from where he was standing.
The Alousu 1, The end.
| ← Ch. 028 | Ch. 030 → |