Poison Forest
Dakam continued speaking.
"Anyway, when going outside, must rub special herbs on body. If not, snakes and insects will attack."
Indeed, by sticking close to Dakam, the insects didn't dare approach us.
I remarked to the captain,
"We should really learn things like this."
"You're right. If we had come here on our own, unprepared, it would have been a disaster. We only ran an hour or so away from the patrol route, yet it's already like this. I heard that if you go deeper in, the poisonous creatures become too many, so the patrol boundary was set there. That must have been because of this Poison Forest."
That was news to me.
But it was also understandable.
The deeper we entered, the stronger the coppery, unpleasant stench became.
Even without Captain Seolpung's sharp senses, I could hear the faint rustling sounds of creatures slithering aside to give us way.
Bi Sayeong swallowed hard and whispered,
"W-what's that sound?"
Captain Seolpung answered grimly,
"Best if you don't know. …Wait, those things exist here too?"
"What is it? What's out there?"
"Centipedes. Bigger than a man. One's watching us from the woods."
"B-bigger than a man?!"
The only one who lit up at that was Cheong Yeon Sojeo.
Bigger than a man… Could it be?
The legendary Flying Centipede, Bicheon Ogong, said to leap into the air with its tail?
No, impossible. That's supposed to be a creature of myth.
But while I was doubting, Dakam grinned innocently and said,
"Oh, those not too dangerous. They hit tail on ground to jump high, but very smart. They know people. Before, I gave food to one many times, and since then, never attack me."
So it really was the Flying Centipede.
And he says they're not dangerous?
A centipede that recognizes people already sounds dangerous enough!
I asked him,
"Then what's the most dangerous thing in the Poison Forest?"
He thought a moment, then replied,
"Inside forest, small palm-sized bees. Move in swarms, sting once and you die. And, though I never see it, others say: spider with human face, red ants in swamp, snake big like tree with horns. All terrifying."
What—? Those names reminded me of the Great Yellow Hornet, the Human-faced Spider, the Blood Ant Swarm, and the Venom-horned Serpent.
They really exist here?
This place is terrifying.
Beside me, Bi Sayeong muttered with the same look I had,
"What kind of place is this…? Don't tell me there are dragons too?"
Dakam answered,
"Dragon? No, never heard of dragons here."
Bi Sayeong let out a bitter laugh.
"Well, that's a relief. Thank heaven for that."
Fortunately, we were circling around the forest's outer edge toward Dakam's dwelling.
Which meant we probably wouldn't encounter those legendary poisonous beasts.
Which was… a huge relief.
Though Cheong Yeon Sojeo looked disappointed.
Dakam went on,
"And, panthers also dangerous. Even small insects dangerous. Ah! Big one even more dangerous. Black panther—ate so much poison, its fangs and claws turned venomous. As big and fast as tiger. Spears don't pierce it."
So what he's saying is—
A black panther that consumed so much poison, it became a venomous beast?
As big as a tiger, immune to spears?
At that point, I started to suspect exaggeration.
Maybe some of Dakam's stories were embellished.
At least, that's what I thought—until Captain Seolpung spoke.
"…That must be it, right there."
"…What?"
Following his gaze, I saw it. Under the faint moonlight filtering through the leaves, a massive shape was approaching.
It was the size of a tiger, but its skin was so black that even in the moonlight it looked like a shadow. Its two eyes gleamed with a sinister green glow.
It was, unmistakably, a black panther.
Dakam exclaimed in panic,
"T-that one never come outside forest! W-wait, just a moment!"
He quickly pulled a chunk of meat wrapped in leaves from the pouch on his back and threw it toward the beast.
He must have always carried it for moments like this.
But it didn't work.
The panther sniffed the meat, then raised its head again. Its glowing eyes fixed on us, and it padded forward, closer and closer.
Apparently, we smelled tastier than meat—because we hadn't rubbed ourselves with herbs like Dakam.
Lowering his stance, Bi Sayeong muttered warily,
"This is where I regret you lost weight, Jin."
"What, so you could throw me as bait and run?"
"Heh, you know me well."
"Hmph. I'll repay you by running faster than you—with the grace of the master who taught me lightfoot arts."
Just then, Cheong Yeon Sojeo cried out,
"It's coming!"
The black panther, which had been prowling toward us, suddenly shot forward like lightning.
Pahpahk!
The speed was so great that even Bi Sayeong and I flinched instinctively.
But in front of us stood Captain Seolpung.
Ta-dak!
He sprang forward at a similar speed, colliding with the beast mid-air.
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
Bi Sayeong muttered in shock,
"If my eyes aren't lying… that panther just blocked the captain's footwork?"
"Yeah… I can't tell which is the beast and which is the man."
"That thing… it fights like a master at the peak."
Cheong Yeon Sojeo was right.
It was like watching two absolute masters clash.
Captain Seolpung, wary of the venomous claws, kicked at the panther's inner foreleg, then used the recoil to spin and unleash a whirlwind chain of kicks toward its head.
But the panther raised its forelegs and blocked the onslaught.
Both were astonishing—the captain, attacking with ferocity beyond a beast, and the beast, blocking with the skill of a man.
The two of them continued their fight, leaping back and forth across the treetops.
Overall, Captain Seolpung had the advantage, but he couldn't land any decisive blows. And if Dakam was right about those claws being venomous, then a single strike could turn the tide instantly.
We exchanged glances, silently agreeing to wait for an opening.
When the beast turned its back toward us nearby, we all sprang at once.
Pah-bat!
Cheong Yeon Sojeo's sword, my blade, and Bi Sayeong's saber flashed like lightning, cutting toward its back.
Shaaaa!
Tat-tat-tat!
"Khuk?!"
"Hah?!"
"Unbelievable! What a monster!"
The beast suddenly whipped its long tail like a windmill, parrying our blades and saber. Then it leapt back, retreating to a safer distance.
It must have realized that continuing to fight would not be easy.
After giving us a sweeping glare with its glowing green eyes, the beast slowly disappeared into the depths of the Poison Forest.
A moment later, Captain Seolpung relaxed his stance.
"It really left."
Only then did we let out sighs of relief.
"So such things really do exist in this world."
"Amazing."
Bi Sayeong muttered,
"I don't care if it exists somewhere, but the fact it was right near us is what really blows my mind."
I agreed completely.
After that, we didn't encounter anything as threatening.
There were plenty of strange snakes, but none posed serious danger—Captain Seolpung simply caught them one after another to show us.
Of course, the only one truly fascinated was Cheong Yeon Sojeo.
As we walked, I tried to draw out as much knowledge from Dakam as possible—plants useful for antidotes, the method for making repellent incense to ward off demons, herbs used to drive away poisonous creatures, and so on.
Though I thought his broken language might make explanations difficult, Dakam—who said he had learned all this from Dokno—was surprisingly skilled at teaching.
He would pluck the needed herbs right there along the way, showing us directly as he explained.
By the time we reached Dakam's dwelling, dawn was breaking.
Having memorized the route, I said to the captain,
"At this pace, I think we could make it back on our own in about three shijin."
"Yes, that seems right."
"Even if we take our time hunting poisonous creatures along the way, four shijin should be enough."
Bi Sayeong's eyes widened.
"You're saying you memorized the whole route just now—in the middle of the night? All three of you?"
"Hm? Why not?"
"It wasn't such a difficult path, was it?"
"Of course we'd memorize it if we plan to return."
When we looked at him like he was asking something obvious, he muttered under his breath, clearly feeling out of place.
Dakam's dwelling was a small hut.
Beaming, he led us inside.
The hut was located in a sunken island-like patch within the Poison Forest's swamp. It seemed he lived there by surrounding the area with aromatic herbs that poisonous creatures hated.
Throwing open the door, Dakam shouted,
"Dokno! Dokno! I brought people to help you!"
"Dakam! Dakam's back!"
"Dakam, where did you go?!"
Inside were the Miao children he had called his younger siblings, and an elderly man with a sickly, haggard look, lying on a bed.
The children were adorable, and the white-haired old man had a sharp, stubborn face.
Interestingly, unlike Dakam's clumsy speech, the children spoke with strikingly natural pronunciation. As expected, the younger ones seemed to learn language more easily.
"Dakam!"
"Dakam!"
Four children surrounded him, crying and hugging him, when the old man on the bed scowled and shouted,
"Where have you been all night, leaving these brats alone?! And what nonsense about bringing help?!"
Dakam tried to comfort the children while glancing at us at the doorway.
Captain Seolpung stepped inside to greet the old man.
"Greetings, elder. We came at Dakam's request to help you."
But the old man's expression immediately turned harsh.
He growled,
"Who are you? Don't tell me—you're righteous faction bastards from the Flying Dragon Squad, are you?"
His voice dripped with hostility, and we were taken aback.
The next moment, he erupted like a volcano.
"Get out of here at once!"
He began grabbing whatever was within reach and hurling it wildly.
"You rotten bastards! What is there to steal here, that you come crawling into this place?! Out! Get out now!"
A wooden bowl shattered against the wall beside the door. Pots, pillows, even spoons went flying at frightening speed.
Though his body seemed half-paralyzed, allowing him to throw with only one hand and little accuracy, his fury was overwhelming.
Startled, Dakam rushed to restrain him.
"Dokno! What are you doing?! They came to help us!"
"Shut your mouth, boy! Didn't I tell you never to do anything so foolish?! Even if I die, I won't accept help from the likes of them!"
With such fierce hostility, we had no choice but to back out of the hut.
Even outside, we could still hear the old man's raging voice, and Dakam's desperate attempts to calm him.
We looked at one another in bewilderment.
Bi Sayeong let out a bitter laugh.
"What kind of damn mess is this?"
That summed up exactly how I felt.