Tales of the Labyrinth

Chapter 14: Flood-River Stream

Why did he suddenly start seeing ghosts?

Did the horse-deer animal just happen to be there? 

What exactly was this warmth and coolness slowly flowing into his body?

What were the warm ki and cold ki circulating within him?

Lost in thought for a while, Hwanin eventually arrived at a conclusion.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t ignore the connection between the superpower of the green monster that had the deer antler staff and what was happening to him now. 

So he made it his top priority to figure out what he could do with his hallucinatory vision and ability to see ghosts.

First, the animal ghost. 

The six-legged horse-deer mix ghost hadn’t been wandering around him for no reason.

As an experiment, Hwanin gripped the deer antler staff firmly with both hands and tried summoning the six-legged animal in his mind.

“…….”

The ghost did not appear.

Thinking he might need a stronger will, he focused his mind as if meditating and called out to it again—but it was useless.

He didn’t feel a sudden chill like he did when he first sensed the ghost.

“So this isn’t how it works.”

He couldn't help but chuckle after trying. Back on Earth, he didn't believe in ghosts or spirits at all. To him, they were merely superstitions. 

After failing to summon the animal ghost, he turned his attention to the phenomenon occurring within his body.

For one, the influx of warmth and coolness into his body didn’t stop even when he let go of the staff.

He could feel the warm and cold ki flowing inside him, but the sensation was so faint that he wasn't sure, and neither was unpleasant or repulsive.

On the contrary, the more he focused on them, the more his mind and body settled into a state of calm.

‘Now that I think about it, this coolness on my skin… it’s similar to the one I felt from the animal ghost…….’

Nothing about these questions has a clear answer, which is a bit frustrating.

If I could just get one example, it feels like everything in my head would clear up.

While struggling with the changes in his body and the staff, all his supplies and clothes dried, so he began tidying up what he had laid out.

He packed all the food, bundling it into a pack and wrapping it securely with animal hide to make it like a knapsack.

Next, he reassembled the multitool, packed it, and retrieved the soaked smartphone.

Then he tried replacing the spear blade.

First, he used the stone axe, black club, and multitool to disassemble the hilt and handle of the short sword.

The tang of the disassembled short sword, the part connecting to the handle, was not cylindrical but a long straight shape.

After removing the rusty dagger tied to the end of the black stick, he split the end of the spear shaft in half to match the length of the tang. He then carved out the center of the split to the tang’s thickness.

Carving out the space for the tang was a bit challenging, but by scraping with the multitool’s knife and chiseling it out with the flathead screwdriver, he managed to create the necessary slot.

The durability and strength of the black wood were beyond expectation, making the task honestly grueling.

Without the multitool, he likely would have resorted to tying the blade haphazardly like the previous dagger.

After inserting the tang into the carved slot, he assembled it and wrapped it tightly with long strips of leather, threading them through the holes and tying them as securely as possible to ensure it would never come loose.

When he finished making it, it really looked like a legit spear.

The blade of the spear was about four times longer than before. Swinging and thrusting it, he felt quite satisfied with the result.

Quack.

The string that tied emergency ration was a little loose, so he made a new one with a vine and replaced it. About 2 hours passed. 

“…….”

Dressed in his suit jacket and coat, Hwanin briefly gazed at the still surface of the great lake.

Why did that whale-like monster cause a tsunami?

There were many reasons why whales on Earth jump. For example, to communicate with their fellow species far away, or to remove harmful organisms attached to their bodies. 

For something that big to jump hundreds of meters and fall would require a lot of energy.

That creature wouldn’t waste such an enormous amount for trivial reasons.

'Was it fighting something?' 

A battle would be a reasonable hypothesis. If that high-altitude leap was an attack meant to kill an enemy, it wouldn’t be strange.

“There’s one more thing to watch out for when looking for food by the lake.”

Despite witnessing such an extraordinary entity, Hwanin didn’t feel fear.

Although freshwater tsunamis were threatening, they can be easily avoided as long as he's careful. And the massive creature was at least several dozen meters long, so it wouldn’t venture into the shallow waters near the shore.

It would be a shame to give up food that could be easily obtained because of the presence of the monster.

The pain-relieving effect of the golden bell flower and leaves had far exceeded his expectations.

Although he was using the staff to shift his weight and ease the strain on his thigh, it felt as if his wound had almost completely healed.

On top of that, his belly was full from the steamed jade crabs, and he felt energized. Even the weight of his pack, which was at least 10 kilograms, didn’t feel burdensome.

Four hours had passed since he started moving east along the cliffside.

Normally, he would have encountered a monster by now, but only the peaceful chirps of small birds and insects filled the air.

Perhaps the monsters knew about the whale in the lake and were afraid of it, so they didn't come near.

If that’s the case, then this place might actually be a relatively safe spot.

However, for once, he felt disappointed that no monsters had appeared.

'I want to check whether the monsters I kill will turn into ghosts or not.' 

He had caught and killed a few noticeable insects, but their souls did not appear.

Considering the difference in pain he had felt in the river of light, he guessed the appearance of souls would be different. Still, he wanted to kill a monster to confirm it.

The only concern was what would happen if he stepped into the river of light again.

If his kill count kept accumulating, he might really die the next time.

'But I have a feeling I won’t see that river of light again.......'

There's no basis for it, but he kept thinking that it would happen like some belief. 

Of course, even if that weren’t the case, he couldn’t just stop killing monsters.

This was a jungle where monsters inhabit every corner. Hwanin was not so naive as to think he could escape the forest without killing.

Pushing forward without stopping, he continued cutting through the dense vegetation.

By around 3 PM, he came across a river formed by the water flowing from the lake.

“So this area is at a higher elevation.”

The river was about 60 meters wide by rough estimation. The deepest parts reached around 4 meters, and the water was so clear that he could see fish the size of a forearm swimming along the riverbed.

A stretch of pebbled riverbank, about 10 meters wide, lined the shore. Like the lakeside, cliffs flanked both sides of the river similar to a valley.

The cliffs here were about four stories high, making them taller than those by the lake. Unlike the lakeside’s earthen walls, these were solid rock.

The current wasn’t particularly strong, but the deeper sections were well over his height, making it difficult to swim across.

Hwanin could swim, but not well enough to do so while carrying over 10 kilograms of luggage.

The river was also too wide for him to simply throw his belongings across.

'I could use a log as a tube to cross, but……. There might be a place where the river narrows. I should follow the river south first.' 

As he walked down the river, Hwanin looked at the unusually clear water and thought about the tsunami he had experienced earlier.

With waves that big, the river would have been affected, but only the pebbles were wet, and the water remained crystal clear. 

'It should be muddy. Is it because of the pebbles and rocks at the bottom?'

It's a river, but unlike most rivers, it's not made up of mud and aquatic plants. There was no visible soil—only pebbles and rocks. Some were the size of a grown adult, while others were as big as a house.

By all logic, the river’s current should have caused these rocks to erode and break down into smaller pieces over time…... Tilting his head in confusion, Hwanin continued southward, and as the sun began to set, he finally saw beast-headed monsters.

One section of the cliff on the side where Hwanin was had collapsed, creating a gentle slope, and nine beast-headed monsters were approaching the river through that path, presumably to drink water.

With his spear’s blade now longer, increasing both its attack power and reach, he felt confident even against nine of them. However, instead of immediately attacking, he laid flat in the thick undergrowth, carefully parting the leaves just enough to observe them.

They weren’t simply heading to the river to drink—they were on high alert.

Upon reaching the riverbank, three of them drank first while the other six stood guard. Then, they switched, with the three now keeping watch while the six searched through the pebble shore for food.

Kruuung…

Keng!

Orururu…

Despite their vigilance, the beast-headed monsters were making noise as they chatted among themselves, looking for jade crabs, starfishes, etc..

If they were truly on guard against an enemy, they should have quietly gathered what they needed and left. Instead, their actions seemed more like an open invitation for trouble.

'Their intelligence doesn’t seem particularly high…….'

And sure enough, the surface of the river near the beast-headed monsters began to ripple unnaturally.

It was barely noticeable without carefully looking for it. 

'A fish?'

He thought it might be a fish-like monster, but it wasn't. Transparent waves were spreading out to both sides, like the trace of a passing boat.

But no matter how hard he looked near where the ripples were coming from, he couldn't see any attacker.

Even though he could see the bottom of the deepest part of the river, he couldn't see any attacker.

“…….”

Only after activating his hallucinatory vision did he finally see the attacker’s form.

'Camouflage?'

In the clear and transparent water, a creature with a light blue color system was slowly approaching the beast-headed monsters, its long tail swaying behind it.

It had a long, lizard-like head, human-like limbs, and an extended tail beginning from its lower back.

'So hallucinatory vision also functions like an infrared thermal camera.' 

Scanning the entire river through his hallucinatory vision, Hwanin felt a shiver run down his spine.

Light blue shadows were scattered throughout the water and the riverbank where he had passed. 

He could see at least six of them.

'Is the whole river their habitat?'

Some of them were slowly creeping toward the beast-headed monsters like chameleons—either walking on two legs or crawling on all fours.

If he had approached the riverbank, he would have been caught completely off guard by their ambush.

The attackers were about the size of an adult man. Judging by how fluidly they moved their tails, they're no different from whips. With an estimated length of around 2 meters, they wouldn't be easy to fight..…. 

While he's thinking, the attacker in the river reached the riverbank. It poked its head out and shot its tongue at the unsuspecting beast-headed monsters.

'Fast.'

In no time, the frog-like tongue had stretched to nearly 3 meters and wrapped around the ankle of one of the beast-headed monsters.

He could see its mouth open, but he couldn’t track its tongue shooting out.

Kkeeeeeng-!!

Perhaps because of the attack, its camouflage was dispelled…… The lizard man retracted its tongue and dragged the beast-headed monster into the water.

The beast-headed monster tried to resist by digging its claws into the ground, but it only scratched the gravel in vain.

'That tongue is incredibly strong.' 

The beast-headed monster weighed at least 30 kilograms, yet it was being dragged away effortlessly.

The lizard man, covered in pale white scales, grabbed hold of the struggling prey’s arms and pulled it under the water.

As the feast began, the other lizard men, who had been lurking in hiding, pounced on the terrified beast-headed monsters trying to flee.

“…….”

The distinction between predator and prey was clear.

The beast-headed monsters barked and resisted, but the lizard men easily subdued them and dragged them into the water.

Panicked and flailing, the beast-headed monsters scrambled to escape, only to be caught one by one and pulled beneath the surface.

Hwanin carefully observed the lizard men's combat style.

Their camouflage suggested they relied on hiding, which implied slow movement.

As expected, the lizard men's movement was sluggish like a lazy cat. But they jump with a spring-like motion.

Still, they couldn’t be underestimated. They had two main attack methods, both of which were too fast even for Hwanin's eyes. 

One was shooting their tongues.

The tip of their tongue had a blunt lump of flesh, like a frog's, and when a beast-headed monster was hit in the head with it, it was instantly concussed and incapacitated.

In terms of power, it's about the same as a punch from a professional boxer who isn't wearing gloves.

The other attack involved their thin, two-meter-long tails.

A beast-headed monster struck by one of those whipping tails was sent flying several meters. Taking a hit anywhere on the body would almost certainly result in fractures.

‘Fortunately, the movements just before the attack are large and noticeable.’

Since they didn’t seem to use tools, the lizard men's intelligence probably wasn't very high either.

Keegaeng! Kkeeaaang!!

A beast-headed monster, its waist bound by a lizard man's tongue, clawed desperately at its attacker as it was dragged into the river. But it only left faint scratches on its scales. 

Once dragged into the water, the beast-headed monster thrashed for a moment before foaming at the mouth like it was suffocating and going limp. The lizard man then started to tear into its prey, slowly devouring it beneath the surface.

Blood spread through the water like ink. 

Hwanin, who was silently watching, slightly frowned.

‘The lizard men and beast-headed monsters have completely different color systems, yet they eat them like it’s natural. Is that okay?’

There were creatures capable of storing toxins in their bodies by consuming poison but….. 

‘…... There's no guarantee in safety. I should only eat those in the light green color system.’

The hunt ended after each of the seven lizard men captured one beast-headed monster.

Only two beast-headed monsters managed to escape alive.

And then, a moment later, the phenomenon Hwanin had been waiting for finally began.