Chapter 22: Demon King Kyuse Descends! (8)
Extreme rage. I felt nothing but that intense emotion. They dared to beat my Buril? It was unforgivable. Nobody was allowed to hurt one of mine and walk away unscathed!
I'll definitely kill them!
"Dieeeeee!!!"
My body, fueled by fury, sliced through the empty space. Was it because of the adrenaline rush? I could perceive every detail of what was happening.
And then.
-Puhuk!
The monster with a rat-like head that was attacking Buril – my foot dug into the side of its head and ribs.
Feeling every bit of the impact, I powerfully straightened my slightly bent legs, pushing the creature away!
"Kyurururururuk?"
I pushed it!
-Kwaaaang!
The creature let out a horrifying scream and was sent flying! It weighed as much as a young child! There was no way it could withstand a dropkick from a full-grown demon like me. Impossible!
-Denggururu!
The defeated rat monster hits the ground. As it crashed, I also landed and quickly got up.
"Buril!"
"Ke, Keureuk?"
Upon my shout, Buril, who was crouching down, looked up at me. I quickly checked on him. Any injuries? There was some blood, but nothing seemed broken or torn.
That meant he could be saved!
"Kyus, Kyussat! Kyusaaaaaat!"
And the other one!
The other rat monster, its fur standing on end and its tail puffed up, opened its mouth wide and screamed! Its protruding fangs looked extremely threatening!
However!
"The vast difference in weight is insurmountable!"
-Flashing!
Immediately raising my axe high, -Whooosh!- I dived downwards, striking vertically with full force!
-Peuek!
"Kuek!"
As I struck its head, a gratifying sound burst out. The axe was quite blunt, so it didn't split the creature's head. However, an axe wasn't my only weapon.
"Woooooah!"
I was in close proximity to the creature! I immediately deliver an uppercut with the fist of my other hand, hitting it right on the chin.
-Puhuk!
The creature's head snapped back. Simultaneously, it dropped the axe it was holding. As that happened, I swiftly grabbed its left arm with both my hands, then!
"Dieeeeeee!!!"
Turning my body, I swung it with all my might!
The creature's feet left the ground. It soared through the sky like a giant mace swung with force.
-Kwaaang!!
It crashed violently into the ground!
"Kuk…!"
A brief death rattle.
Having swung it with full force and watching it collide with the ground, the creature was lighter than I expected. It must have a significantly lower weight, making its body's durability poor. It was undoubtedly a fatal blow.
That was what I deduced.
However, after engaging in a fight, I needed to ensure it was over for good.
-Jumping!
I leaped high into the air.
In the midst of the jump, I aimed for the creature.
-Kwaaang!
I landed firmly, planting my feet onto its chest.
-Ududuk!
"Kyuhak!"
I shattered its ribs and crushed its heart. The rat-like monster spewed blood and rolled its eyes.
I had won.
"This is my victory!"
I had triumphed in the battle! My heart raced, and warmth spread throughout my body! I fought and won! I actually defeated that creature! But this wasn't the time to revel in my victory!
There were two of these creatures in total!
The remaining one was…
"Kyusaahhhhh!"
The one that was blown away by my dropkick.
"Kerek! Kererererk!"
The creature was struggling under Buril. Even though Buril had suffered some injuries, he regained his vigor as soon as I arrived. So, he was currently battling the creature.
"Kerererk!"
A wild release.
Enraged, Buril let out a fierce growl and bit at the head of the rat monster. Due to the dropkick it received earlier, parts of its body were shattered, and the rat monster couldn't move properly.
It was utterly defenseless.
-Swoosh.
I immediately picked up the axe I'd dropped and rushed to support Buril.
"Buril! Watch out!"
"Keurururk…!"
"Kuk, kukkukgukk…!"
-Whooosh!
Upon my command, Buril swiftly dodged out of the way, and with the rat monster now defenseless, I aimed at its head.
-Peo-eok!
I embedded the axe.
-Peo-eok!
-Peo-eok!
-Peo-eok!
Over and over until it couldn't breathe. I swung, raised my arm, and struck down again. I intended to repeat this until the creature was dead.
"Gyurek…!"
And with that.
It was over.
"Huu! Huu! Hu, huuu…!"
"Kerererk! Kerek! Kerekkererk!"
Both rat monsters were entirely vanquished.
"We did it, we did it. We've won. We really won…!"
I gasped for breath.
Ecstasy. Elation. Thrills. All these emotions surged together, piercing my heart. Indigenous creatures. Enemies. Powerful monsters! Beasts of hell! Together with Buril, we defeated those formidable creatures!
"Ooooooooooooo!"
I couldn't help but shout in victory, stretching my arms out and roaring!
"Kereaaaaaaaaak!!!"
Buril, too, let out a fierce cry.
"We've wonnnnnn!!!"
Pure exhilaration captured my heart.
What I had just done was… killing. Destruction. Violence. Back when I was in Korea, I had never really killed anything other than insects or bugs. If ever, it might have been killing a rat during military service. I was a modern individual, distanced from violence.
Yet here I was… having killed.
A rat monster.
And emerged victorious.
This felt incredibly surreal.
"Huu! Huu!"
This was the true joy of survival…!
"Kerek!"
I wanted to shout a bit more but suddenly realized I was overly excited. This wasn't good. I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
"Sigh."
As the excitement subsided, I felt my body cool down. I had expended too much energy too explosively. And I had gotten overly excited. I felt drained of all strength.
Regret surged within me.
"Damn it."
It was frustrating.
So frustrating.
When I had firmly killed one of the monsters, the other had been held by Buril. If I had tried to control it with my domination spell at that time, I might have gained another minion.
Of course, it wouldn't have been a 100% success.
I had heard there was no absolute certainty in dark magic. Still, that moment was highly regrettable.
But it couldn't be helped.
Honestly, there was nothing I could have done.
I was too overwhelmed at that time. How could I have thought rationally in such a frenzied state? Not hunting but combat. It was my first real battle, and I couldn't contain my emotions.
This was dangerous. Losing one's reason makes one vulnerable. In survival, being overly emotional could be a deadly poison.
"Let's take this as a lesson."
This was the lesson from my first real combat.
In retrospect, it was fortunate that everything turned out well this time. If something similar happened again, I should be able to handle it more calmly. There might be regrets, but growth was growth.
Chew on today's experience, swallow it, and move on. Thinking that way, my confidence in surviving this wilderness grew immensely.
"Heh heh. Heh."
"Hmm?"
Standing still and just catching my breath, Buril, who was only up to my waist, tugged at my clothes, emitting a worried sound.
This cute little creature.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But are you hurt anywhere?"
"Heh?"
I quickly checked his injuries.
"Hmm… It doesn't seem too bad."
There were some scratches and bite marks. Though bleeding, it wasn't gushing out. Infection was a concern, but he was a native creature, so he should be okay.
"Stay still."
"Heh!"
I immediately poured some water from the flask to clean his wounds. Afterward, I placed my hand on his back.
"Mana infusion! Snap!"
I had already healed him once. I knew how to channel my magic to heal. I cast the spell.
"Heh…!"
As I transferred the mana, the gashes began to heal. Good. Proper rest and feeding should speed up his recovery.
"It's done. You're healed."
"Heh."
Buril seemed pleased.
But then,
"These things."
The dead bodies of the rat-like monsters were scattered around us.
They had long snouts. They resembled rats, walking on two feet. They were only slightly smaller than Buril, by about 10%. Their bodies were covered in brown fur, and their long tails, different from actual rats, were also furred.
"Are they similar to goblins?"
Their fangs seemed a bit threatening, but their nails didn't appear intimidating. They seemed somewhat weaker than goblins overall.
"Hey, Buril. Aren't these monsters your neighbors?"
"Kereuk?"
"Never mind."
Let's see. I should give them a name.
What was that monster that resembled a rat?
"Kobold? Ah, right. Kobolds."
From now on, let's call them Kobolds.
"Buril, we're calling these guys Kobolds from now on, got it?"
"Kereuk-Kereuk?"
"Damn, you don't understand."
"Kereuk…"
All Buril did was drool while looking at the dead Kobold. Kid, did the fight whet your appetite?
"Hey, eat the innards."
"Kereuk!"
As soon as I gave the permission, the overjoyed Buril leaped to the dead Kobold and started biting into its belly. Truly wild. No traces of civilized manners were to be found.
Sigh.
Anyway, due to the intense battle, I felt drained.
"I don't have the energy to process and carry all of them."
Excluding the innards. I had no energy to skin and tan them. Let's just take them as they are and grill them… Just as I thought that…
Flash
A sudden idea.
"Ah! Right! Karuti!"
The secret dark magic Karuti taught me! Yes! I remembered!
"There are two fresh corpses!"
It was difficult to take both! But I couldn't abandon one either! I should try using the secret dark magic Karuti taught me!
"Every monster possesses a small amount of magic power…!"
Recalling that, I looked at the corpse of the Kobold.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone