Chapter 155

Kkobong (2)

His vision spun round and round. Even time seemed to crawl by at a sluggish pace.

The albino gorilla once known as Wi Baek—Kkobong—found himself wondering amid the dizzying whirl of his vision.

What... is this?

Whether beast or human, it was difficult to comprehend a death that occurred in an instant.

But Kkobong could see it clearly.

In a world that had turned 180 degrees, the sloth was staring at him.

Blood stained the sloth’s razor-sharp claws.

Only belatedly did Kkobong realize that the sloth had cleanly severed his neck.

"Uwoah?!"

Kkobong’s eyes flew wide open in horror. Cold sweat poured down his body, and his heart pounded violently.

Having escaped the vision, the first thing he did was feel around his neck.

Until moments ago, his head had been flying through the air. Yet now, his neck was perfectly intact.

W-What in the world was that just now...?

Even though it had been an illusion, he could not readily believe it. The reaction would have been the same even if he were human rather than a beast.

After repeatedly feeling his neck, Kkobong looked ahead with trembling eyes.

The sloth stood before him, wearing its usual relaxed expression.

It even tilted its head as though wondering whether something had happened.

D-Don’t tell me...

The instincts unique to wild beasts told him that it had not merely been an illusion.

If the sloth had brought its arm all the way down, that illusion would have become reality.

As previously mentioned, beasts were incapable of higher-order thought.

But when it came to survival—in other words, matters related to death—they understood more quickly than any other creature.

Scratch, scratch.

Whether Kkobong was horrified or not, the sloth, Fast Sloth, merely scratched its head.

It gave off the impression that it was telling him to hurry up and speak if he had something to say.

But what could a beast who had just experienced something akin to death possibly say?

Kkobong slowly backed away, putting distance between himself and Fast Sloth.

Now... Now I finally understand.

He understood why Grylls had entrusted the key to this sloth.

It had not been some kind of trap.

The reason was incredibly simple: Fast Sloth was the strongest creature here.

At the very least, Grylls was not strong enough to show him an illusion of his own death.

That led Kkobong to another conclusion.

This sloth is stronger than the human. That means...!

That human was ultimately this sloth’s subordinate—in other words, its slave!

It was a train of thought that perfectly demonstrated the limitations of a beast. Ironically, however, it also struck directly at the true nature of their relationship.

In exchange for Fast Sloth’s protection, Grylls offered it all manner of food as tribute.

In other words, even if Kkobong defeated Grylls, he could never regain his freedom as long as the sloth remained.

The leader.

A leader was always accompanied by an intelligent subordinate.

That human probably fulfilled such a role.

He was also responsible for all the various forms of arduous labor around here.

Escape... is impossible.

Kkobong was disheartened. He could instinctively tell.

Even if he died and came back to life, he would not be able to inflict so much as a scratch on that sloth.

How could he dare attack an opponent capable of showing him an illusion of death?

He valued his life, so he could confidently declare that doing so would be an act of sheer madness.

But...

It was not entirely a bad thing. Kkobong had lived what people would call the life of a wild man.

Even if he searched every corner of the Forest of Four Seasons, animals possessing the same level of power as that sloth would be rare.

If he had to name one, it would be his brother, the leader of the gorilla troop.

That meant his safety would be guaranteed if he could only earn the sloth’s favor.

Perhaps this being is the one who...

...could bring down that treacherous hypocrite.

Perhaps it was because he had just seen a vision of his head flying off, but his thoughts were moving unusually quickly.

Kkobong silently faced Fast Sloth for a moment before slowly bowing his head.

"Chiochyo chawo."

It roughly meant that he was asking Fast Sloth to accept him.

Unlike how he acted toward Grylls, Kkobong was seeking the approval of someone he recognized as unquestionably powerful.

Fast Sloth stared blankly at him for a moment before tilting its head.

Its reaction indicated that it had no idea what Kkobong was saying. Kkobong, however, interpreted it differently.

It seems he still doesn’t trust me.

That was only natural. Kkobong had suddenly invaded its territory.

According to the laws of the wild, he would have had no right to complain even if his head had already been sent flying.

Despite that, the sloth before him had spared his life. What tremendous mercy!

First, I must earn his recognition.

Kkobong made up his mind. He would prove his usefulness and become Fast Sloth’s subordinate.

Then he would get rid of that chattering human and earn the sloth’s trust.

Until then, whether I like it or not, I’ll have to obey that human.

He was displeased, but he could endure it. Patience was bitter, but its fruit was sweet.

Those were the words of the human who had once taught him.

Now that he had decided upon his future plans, Kkobong behaved respectfully before Fast Sloth.

But respect alone was not enough. In the wild, one had to demonstrate one’s intentions through actions.

Was this how that human did it?

Though no one had ordered him to, Kkobong began working on the lumber.

He was clumsy, but he used the saw in the manner Grylls had taught him.

Although he could no longer use mana, he still possessed the immense physical strength unique to gorillas.

"Huh? What’s this? You started working on your own?"

As if his timing could not have been better, Grylls returned just then.

Several fish flopped around inside the fish trap he had brought back.

Kkobong glanced briefly at Grylls before silently returning to his work(?).

"Hmm... Well, I guess it all worked out. That’s enough for now. Come and eat first."

Kkobong pretended not to hear him. He could not understand what Grylls was saying anyway.

But that lasted only until he saw Fast Sloth slowly beginning to move. The moment he did, Kkobong stopped working.

When even the leader was helping prepare the meal, he could not possibly continue working by himself.

He stuck closely to the slowly moving Fast Sloth and waited quietly beside it.

Meanwhile, Grylls began cooking as he always did.

"All right, let’s eat. You have one too."

Before long, the grilled fish was finished, looking delicious.

Kkobong cautiously watched the others before quietly reaching out.

It was hot because it had only just come off the fire, but not so hot that he could not eat it.

"How is it? Good, right?"

"....."

Kkobong nodded in response. He hated to admit it, but it truly was delicious.

What a versatile fellow.

He was truly an exceptional slave. Was that why Fast Sloth trusted him?

Kkobong finished his fish while resolving to replace Grylls as quickly as possible.

I’ll have to work even harder.

A slave mentality was gradually taking root within Kkobong.

"Kkyuu?"

"....."

"Kkyuuu~"

At that moment, Wonmo rubbed his face against Kkobong’s leg.

It was an unbearably adorable greeting, as though welcoming him into the family.

Kkobong stared at Wonmo’s lovable behavior before nodding.

He truly is a merciful being. He even took in a youngling.

"....."

His subtle misunderstandings were steadily multiplying.

***

Did Kkobong eat something strange while I was at the river?

He had been defiant before, but in that short span of time, he had suddenly become docile.

It was difficult to determine the exact reason, but I could make a reasonable guess.

Did Fast Sloth give him a thorough lesson?

There was no other explanation for how his entire personality could have been remodeled like that.

Fast Sloth must have taught him a harsh lesson and forced him to give up.

From my perspective, this was the best possible outcome.

Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!

"Yeah, you’re doing great. Just keep doing it like that."

"....."

I had acquired an excellent worker.

As long as I demonstrated something first, Kkobong would take care of the rest by himself.

He occasionally did things strangely, but I could overlook that much since he was an animal.

Besides, I planned to handle all the delicate work, such as planing the wood, myself.

He was a primate, after all, and delicacy was not exactly his strong suit.

Even so, the addition of another worker doubled our efficiency.

Whoa. We’ve already finished this much?

Before I knew it, nearly all the logs needed to erect the bridge had been prepared.

Most of the logs damaged during Kkobong’s rampage had also been restored.

It had been possible because Kkobong devoted himself solely to sawing while I focused entirely on planing.

"Kkobong, that’s enough. Take a break. The sun’s about to come up."

Kkobong was certainly steadfast—almost excessively so.

Perhaps the spirit of a slave had already taken root in him, or perhaps he simply could not understand me, but he kept working.

As I stared at him, a question suddenly came to mind.

Who taught him how to speak?

Considering that he was the brother of the leader of the gorilla troop, perhaps they had learned from the same human.

Fast Sloth also seemed not to know Kkobong.

It was likely that Kkobong had left the troop when he was young.

Then, as time passed, he had even harmed our esteemed senior—Rice Craone.

There were far too many things I wanted to ask him. I organized my questions in my head.

First, I should ask who taught him to speak.

That was what I was most curious about.

Considering that this person had even taught martial arts to gorillas, they must have possessed profound knowledge.

Furthermore, I might be able to determine why they had entered this forest and learn something about their circumstances.

I should ask the Heavenly Demon.

Ordinarily it might not matter, but for something important, it would be better to use the language of the Central Plains.

We needed to communicate smoothly if I wanted to learn all the details.

While Kkobong finished his work, I asked the Heavenly Demon to translate my questions into the language of the Central Plains.

[Heavenly Demon: (Photo of a drawing with the question written on it) Will this suffice?]

[Wild Grylls: Yes. Thank you for always helping me.]

[Heavenly Demon: It is nothing. This Lady is also curious to hear what answer he will give.]

With the Heavenly Demon’s help, I was able to prepare a separate questionnaire.

Just then, Kkobong finished all his work and approached me.

Despite having performed such strenuous labor, he looked perfectly fine and had not shed a single drop of sweat.

"Kkobong, take a look at this."

When I showed him the questionnaire, he gave me a puzzled look.

It asked who had taught him language and martial arts.

He narrowed his eyes and leaned his head forward.

His eyesight was so poor that he had no choice but to do that.

"Ho au..."

Kkobong seemed about to say something after reading the question, but abruptly stopped.

He had probably been about to ask why he should tell me.

He even glanced nervously at Fast Sloth.

It was now certain that he had challenged Fast Sloth while I was away and received a brutal lesson in return.

After hesitating briefly, Kkobong finally opened his mouth.

"Wi Hochang."

"Wi Hochang?"

When I repeated the name, Kkobong nodded.

Of course, I had no idea who this person was. The Heavenly Demon probably knew.

It is Wi Hochang, right? Names are usually transliterated according to their pronunciation.

If that did not work, I could always ask the Heavenly Demon.

I had even recorded a video in anticipation of something like this, so there would be no problem.

Before asking the Gallery, I asked the Heavenly Demon who Wi Hochang was.

[Heavenly Demon: Wi Hochang? If he is the same Wi Hochang this Lady knows, then he is quite an astonishing figure.]

[Wild Grylls: Who is he?]

[Heavenly Demon: He was the cause of the Pureblood War and was once known by the epithet Blood-Handed Tyrant.]

[Wild Grylls: Oh.]

A tyrant, huh? That was quite a cool epithet.

[Heavenly Demon: At the same time, he was also infamous as the "Blood Demon."]

[Wild Grylls: Was he very famous?]

[Heavenly Demon: It could be said that he possessed the greatest renown before this Lady entered the martial world. If you are curious, ask the Gallery.]

[Wild Grylls: Understood.]

The Blood Demon. As far as I knew, it was an epithet that frequently appeared in martial arts stories alongside the Heavenly Demon.

I might not have known much about martial arts fiction, but I was familiar with the general meaning of such titles.

Usually, isn’t the Blood Demon even worse than the Heavenly Demon?

With that thought in mind, I made a post on the Gallery.

—Why the fuck are you asking about that bastard?

└Wi Hochang is alive!!!

└Wi!

└Ho!

—Chang!

└Ah, fuck. The Blood Cult fanatics have already caught the scent and swarmed in here;;

└Serious advice: Delete this quickly if you don’t want the comments to get weird;;

└Wild Grylls: What’s wrong with everyone?;;

Responses that completely defied my expectations began pouring in.

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