Chapter 69: King of the Mountain

Blue deer that were the size of an ogre were climbing up the foot of the mountain. Their speed was so fast that it was difficult to believe that they were scaling up a steep mountainside. The way they ran was breathtaking, like acrobats prancing across the stage.

“How much longer do we have to go?”

However, Jeong In-Chang still felt like something was strange. The deer had definitely been climbing the mountain at great speed, but for some reason, the group still hadn’t reached its peak. No matter how tall the mountain was, it was odd that they had been sprinting for half a day at this speed and they still had yet to climb even halfway up the mountain.

“Whoa, there,” Jeong In-Chang said while holding the mane of the deer as if it was a horse.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Thud.

In the end, he was thrown to the floor by the angry deer. After watching the debacle for a moment, Lee Jun-Kyeong gestured to make his deer halt before saying, “Why don’t we take a break?”

Jeong In-Chang's face brightened.

“It was so difficult I thought I was going to die…” he murmured. Riding a horse was something that required a lot of training, let alone riding on the back of a deer that was many times greater in size. In addition, there was the added difficulty of riding bareback while the deer ran through the steep mountainside like it was flat ground. No matter how good one’s athleticism was, this was quite difficult.

“Whoa, whoa,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said to the deer. “I think the deer needs a rest as well.”

Furthermore, the trek was greatly exhausting for their steeds too. In the end, Lee Jun-Kyeong decided that they would take a break after scouting around for a while.

"

Whew…

"

Jeong In-Chang exhaled while enjoying the break that he had so desperately earned. Soon, he began to feel something strange.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Lee Jun-Kyeong returned to the campsite.

"There doesn't seem to be anything dangerous around,” he said nonchalantly as he took out the jerky and tore it in two.

"Mr. Lee."

"Yes."

“Isn’t it supposed to get colder as you go higher in altitude?" Jeong In-Chang asked.

The fact that it wasn’t getting colder even after they climbed further up the mountain felt weird to him.

Jeong In-Chang continued, “But it’s warm for some reason?”

Somehow, the biting cold had disappeared, and the warmth of a spring day had spread throughout the mountain. It was a situation that did not make sense, and the mountain didn’t just have only one or two weird parts about it.

Although Jeong In-Chang thought that he had been to plenty of gates, it was the first time he had such a strange experience. He had never climbed Mt. Baekdu before, but it was strange that he hadn't reached the top even after running at this speed for so long. Moreover, the higher their altitude, the warmer it got.

He remarked, "I didn't even see any monsters the way here."

Lee Jun-Kyeong, who was tearing at the jerky, nodded to him before throwing out, "It’s because they’re protecting the mountain."

"They… are you talking about the person who owns the mountain?"

"Well…" Lee Jun-Kyeong couldn't give a clear answer.

Jeong In-Chang pressed further, "Then, is it a monster…?"

"Well…"

"An… an animal…?"

Lee Jun-Kyeong shook his head before finally saying, "I don't know how to answer you."

It was difficult for him to find an exact answer, as the protector of the mountain was something that was difficult to specify.

‘That punk is…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong wondered what was best to say. After thinking for a long time, he eventually got up from his seat without being able to answer his companion.

“Although we’ve been running around aimlessly so far, it’ll be different from this point on,” he said.

Jeong In-Chang asked, “Pardon?"

Lee Jun-Kyeong closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. Suddenly, lines of mana that were invisible to others began to appear in front of his eyes. They were lines of mana that seemed especially even from a general perspective.

He commented, "I’ll be breaking through the formation."

It was a formation made by the being protecting this mountain, and it caused intruders to wander around the mountain aimlessly for the rest of their lives. He would have to break through the thing that was protecting the life on this mountain.

***

A man stared out a window, his hand on his chin.

The Heroes of Asgard were being called to Korea again.

‘What sort of change is going to happen?’

It was rare that all the Hunters who had left for expeditions would be called back to Korea. No, it was something that had never happened after they had left for the expeditions. The world had become chaotic after the birth of Heroes, but it had begun to regain stability. As long as people gave up on certain luxuries, humans would be able to enjoy life as it was now continually.

‘Or so they had thought.’

But just like that day, the very day that gates had appeared in the world…

There were notable changes that were taking place now as they had before that day. He was aware of the signs of change because he was stronger and held more power than anyone else.

A smirk appeared on his face

.

These changes were something that was as expected as always. But, of course, there were always sacrifices

‘As it was when the Gates had appeared, there will be sacrifices. Countless people will die, and countless civilizations will be destroyed.’

However, Odin didn’t care much.

‘Then civilization just has to be rebuilt again.’

He continued to think while looking out the window. The deaths of countless people, it was all for “Evolution.”

It was always a pleasant feeling for him to look out of the window of the high-standing association building. It wasn’t because he found pleasure in looking down on anyone. Rather, it was that he was able to see everything, that every single thing was within the domain of his gaze.

This was human evolution. There was a vast difference between someone who could manipulate mana and someone who could not. It was only natural for those who couldn’t use mana to be slaughtered, and those who would survive through a great many adversities to come to become the heralds of the new generation.

‘The New People.’

He had made the decision to live for mankind when he had founded Asgard. Similarly, those with power were secretly using all they could muster to save the New People from the cataclysm. However, contrary to his initial purpose, Odin had decided that the only humans he would save would be the New People.

The smirk on Odin’s lips grew even deeper; he had been reminded of someone who had been entertaining him these days.

It was the Hunter who had left for China. The Underdog, Lee Jun-Kyeong.

‘China is…’

It was a place that Odin had visited a long time ago. China had been completely closed off and had transformed into a kingdom of monsters, so it was a place that had interested him. As expected, he made a move and personally traveled there. However, all he had felt from the wasteland was disappointment.

Not only was it only full of monsters, but the climate had also drastically changed. There was nothing there that had even hinted that it could satisfy his curiosity. Although there were a few seemingly interesting things, they were things that weren’t worth the risk it would take.

So, he came back.

‘If it’s that brat…’

The Underdog still had many secrets that were unknown. After all, this was the guy who had defeated Heracles without even possessing the power of a Hero, so he might be able to find something that would attract Odin’s attention.

Odin had already begun to cherish Lee Jun-Kyeong.

‘I can’t eat him in a hurry.’

Delicious food should be savored slowly. One had to feel the different flavors of food and search for ones that didn’t exist. He was also a gourmet, so that was his philosophy.

A knock echoed through the room. The door opened, and a man entered.

“The Heroes have gathered in Asgard."

Odin slowly rose at the man’s report and smirked again.

To him, the great disasters and rampant chaos that were to come would become the greatest stimulant he could consume.

***

Tak, tak, tak, tak!

Deer the size of elks were climbing Mt. Baekdu, and their movements were not normal. Not only were they exceedingly fast, but their movements as they jumped over stones and stepped on trees also seemed to be closer to imaginary beasts than deer.

“

Blechhh–!

”

And like that, alongside the vomiting Jeong In-Chang, Lee Jun-Kyeong was climbing the mountain quickly. Things were different from before.

‘To the left, that tree.’

By activating his mana stream, he was guiding the deer by finding gaps in the enormous amount of mana that had formed a spider web that covered the entirety of Mt. Baekdu. Jeong In-Chang had extreme motion sickness from the deer’s movements, so he merely followed along without knowing the reason. Lee Jun-Kyeong wasn’t affected by his companion’s misery though.

‘Odin.’

He was thinking of something else. Although he was unveiling the truth of Mt. Baekdu with his eyes and guiding the deer with his hands, he thought of Odin. He knew that the Association President had been to China. Furthermore, he knew that Odin had returned only with disappointment.

'China and North Korea have changed into this.'

When the Leader of Asgard had visited China and North Korea, things had been completely different from what Lee Jun-Kyeong saw in front of him. In fact, the land didn’t have the same secrets as it did now.

‘He could have saved them if he had made up his mind to do so.’

However, he didn’t, nor was there any rhyme or reason for any of the other relatively distant secret organizations to attempt to meddle in their rescue either. If Odin had just saved China at that time, then many things would have been different.

‘He probably wouldn’t have thought that China would later become a noose around his neck.’

A lot had changed in China since Odin’s visit. The rapid gateization had given birth to many things that he had been completely unaware of.

"…"

Tap, tap.

The deers’ steps, which had only been progressing quickly, began to slow down.

Of course…

“

Blech!

”

While Jeong In-Chang was still heaving, he also noticed that the deer had stopped. He wiped his mouth gently and moved his deer to approach Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“Did we… arrive?” he asked.

A magnificent view unfolded before their eyes.

Lee Jun-Kyeong explained, "We’ve arrived at Heaven Lake.”

They were at the summit of Mt. Baekdu, Heaven Lake, the Divide of Heaven and Earth.

It was a huge lake that exuded a noble beauty. Although many things had changed up to this point as the gateization had progressed, Heaven Lake had remained pristine.

“Wow…”

Jeong In-Chang turned his head and looked around as if he was mesmerized by the beauty of the lake.

It was breathtaking. Lee Jun-Kyeong felt the same.

"Be careful."

However, he wasn’t able to fully accept the beauty of his surroundings because he knew he had to stay vigilant.

He murmured, "The owner of the mountain…"

Jeong In-Chang finally came to his senses and remembered what they had climbed to the summit for. Lee Jun-Kyeong basically said that they would hunt the owner of the mountain.

Furthermore, if their goal was to reach Heaven Lake, then that must have meant that the owner of the mountain would be somewhere nearby.

However, he looked around, confused.

“But there’s nothing here?”

Because Jeong In-Chang had obtained the power of a Hero, he also had strong sensory abilities to search their surroundings.

“I noticed that too. For now, should we take a look around?” Lee Jun-Kyeong suggested.

Tap, tap.

The deer started walking, but soon, the deer stopped moving when they reached a certain point.

Jerk.

“Why is it doing this?”

Jeong In-Chang tried several times to make the deer move. However, the animal had stopped abruptly and refused to take a single step further. The same went for Lee Jun-Kyeong’s deer. It was as if the two deer were stone statues, standing still in the same spot.

THUD THUD THUD!

Then, they suddenly started running as their giant bodies began to twitch.

Thump!

Moreover, the deer had thrown the two off their backs first. Fortunately, Jeong In-Chang was able to right his balance and land safely as he had experienced this multiple times before.

They looked over at the backs of the departing deer.

“What did they do that for?” Jeong In-Chang asked indignantly.

“We are…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly pulled out Muspel's Spear and lifted it. At the sight of him brandishing a spear that he hadn’t withdrawn since they had come to Mt. Baekdu, Jeong In-Chang’s expression hardened, and he pulled out his greatsword.

"…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong continued, “It means we’ve come to the right place.”

Swish!

Right then, something terrifyingly brushed past Lee Jun-Kyeong’s cheek and stuck to the ground. Jeong In-Chang turned his greatsword to face the direction the projectile had flown from.

“It’s an arrow…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong turned his head and looked at the object stuck to the ground. It was a razor-sharp arrow.

"Mr. Lee…" said Jeong In-Chang to Lee Jun-Kyeong, who was facing the arrow on the ground. His head slowly turned toward where Jeong In-Chang was indicating.

“Over there…”

Eventually, when Lee Jun-Kyeong finally followed Jeong In-Chang’s gaze, he was greeted by a stark sight.

“...there are people.”

There were a few people with bows and quivers on their backs, and even some strong-looking men with swords and spears.

“There are people here…” Jeong In-Chang muttered as if he couldn't believe it. He never could have imagined that the sudden enemy attack would have been caused by people.

“It’s warm here, and there are no monsters. Don’t you think it’s exactly the place where people could live?”

Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly raised Muspel’s Spear and set his round shield forward. Jeong In-Chang simply stood there, bewildered.

“Don’t relax,” Lee Jun-Kyeong cautioned. “Everyone here is a Hunter."

1. Lee Jun-Kyeong has not specified if the protector of the mountain is a person or not, while Jeong In-Chang is directly saying ‘person’ in his question.

2. ?? refers to all mythical beasts but can also be a reference to the ?? or Kirin.

3. One of the most important spiritual and historical sites to Koreans, it is the lake at the peak of Mt. Baekdu. Its name, ?? is the combination of Heaven (?) and Earth(?) and is meant to describe the division of Heaven and Earth that you can see when you stand at the peak of Mt. Baekdu.