Chapter 296: Sky Mountains (2)

Platinum blond hair fluttered in the air. In the blink of an eye, Isabella closed in on Boppy and swung her massive blood scythe.

“

Grrrr?

” Boppy, who had been running toward Kwon Oh-Jin, froze mid-step and trembled in fear at the explosive killing intent radiating from Isabella.

Exceed!

Blue lightning surged around both of Kwon Oh-Jin’s legs.

Crackle!

He kicked off the ground and took out the folding knife from his waist. Dantalian instantly transformed into a spear as he leaped in front of Isabella and blocked her.

“M-Mr. Oh-Jin?” Startled, Isabella tried to stop her swing, but it was too late.

A scythe that big in motion couldn’t be stopped so easily.

Boom!

“

Kugh!

”

With a deafening crash, Kwon Oh-Jin went flying like a cannonball. He smashed through five trees before hitting the ground and rolling, coughing up blood.

Isabella rushed toward him with a pale face. “A-Are you okay, Mr. Oh-Jin?!”

He had already been in bad shape from the aftereffects of receiving the blessing, and she had just struck him with a full swing. Of course, he wouldn’t be fine.

As she staggered toward Kwon Oh-Jin, Boppy blocked her path and bared its fangs. “

Grrrrr!

”

Standing protectively in front of Kwon OH-Jin, it snapped its sharp beak at her.

“Move...!” Isabella raised her scythe again to strike Boppy.

“Wait, wait, waaaait!” Song Ha-Eun came running at the last second and yanked Isabella back.

“Let go, unnie! That demonic beast attacked Mr. Oh-jin!”

“H-He’s fine! That whole dramatic scene when he coughed up blood back then was all fake!”

“What?” Isabella looked back, completely dumbfounded.

Kwon Oh-Jin groaned and staggered to his feet. “

Ugh

.”

“

Grrr...

” Boppy approached Kwon Oh-Jin and began licking him with its long tongue.

Its sticky saliva clung to his skin.

“Hey, hey. Stop that.”

“

Grr, grr.

”

“I said I’m fine.”

He lightly tapped Boppy’s beak as it licked him with a worried look.

Isabella stared at Kwon Oh-Jin in utter disbelief.

Then, she narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “Would you mind explaining?”

“

Ahem

. Well...” Kwon Oh-Jin began to explain the over-the-top performance he had staged at the first rift.

Isabella deeply sighed. “So, basically, you weren’t in danger at all. You were just afraid of getting caught coming back under the escort of a demonic beast, so you put on a performance?”

“I mean, yeah... kinda.”

Honestly, how else was he supposed to handle it? It was like skipping class, going to a PC cafe to play games all day, and coming home to a mom crying and hugging him at the door because she thought he had such a hard day. He couldn't get caught lying on Boppy’s back while eating chips in that emotional atmosphere.

“

Haaa

. Mr. Oh-Jin, seriously...!” Isabella groaned in annoyance.

Even she had her limits and hit him hard on the back.

Smack!

The stinging slap sent pain rippling through his back.

“You told unnie everything, but left me out again!”

Smack! Smack!

What could a caught liar even say? Kwon Oh-Jin had nothing to defend himself with and just quietly dropped his head, enduring the smacks.

As Isabella continued smacking him, Boppy growled fiercely and released a wave of murderous aura. “

Grrr!

”

Isabella laughed in disbelief and looked back at Boppy. “By the way, why is that demonic beast following you around?”

“Beats me.”

At first, he thought it was because of Cassia’s orders, but the way Boppy behaved suggested something more.

“Maybe it’s because of this?”

He looked down at the spear in his hand. According to Kim Si-Hoo’s analysis, Dantalian looked very similar to Boppy before being forged into an Ego Weapon. Though it couldn’t actually be Boppy since Dantalian had long died and turned into a weapon.

“Maybe it’s Dantalian’s child or something?” he suggested.

Seeing how it followed him like a child made him think of that possibility.

“Well, whatever the case, it works out.” Kwon Oh-Jin grinned and patted Boppy’s neck.

He was getting worried about how slowly they were travelling, but having Boppy around solved that problem.

“You’re not seriously thinking of riding that thing, are you?” Song Ha-Eun asked.

“I am. It’s big enough for all of us, I think.”

Soft fur covered its wide back, making for a surprisingly comfortable ride.

Boppy let out a pleased growl and lowered itself for Kwon Oh-Jin to easily climb on.

“

Grrrr!

”

Song Ha-Eun widened her eyes in amazement. “

Whoa

, wait, does it understand human speech?”

“Seems like it.”

Just like the Named monsters on Earth, Boppy also displayed a remarkable level of intelligence.

“So, creatures like this would be considered a Named if they came to Earth.” Song Ha-Eun approached Boppy with fascination.

She carefully reached out and stroked its fur.

“Damn, it’s so soft.” Song Ha-Eun gasped at the fur that felt like touching the finest luxury carpet.

“

Grrr?

” Boppy cocked its head at Kwon Oh-Jin as if asking about Song Ha-Eun.

Kwon Oh-Jin nodded and climbed onto Boppy’s back.

“Come on up, Ha-Eun.”

“Alright, gimme a sec.”

Song Ha-Eun climbed onto Boppy’s back and wrapped her arms around Kwon Oh-Jin’s waist like riding on the backseat of a motorcycle.

“

Ooh

, this is actually really nice,” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Right?”

A sly grin crept onto her lips as she clung to his waist. “And when I get bored, I can do this.”

Her hands slowly crept downward toward Kwon Oh-Jin’s thighs.

“Boppy.”

“

Grrr!

”

With expert timing, Boppy bucked its back and tossed Song Ha-Eun off.

“

Aaack!

Hey! Come on, I was just having a little fun! What’s the big deal? It’s not gonna wear out just from a little groping!”

“I won’t wear out, but I will get hard.”

And that would be a problem in this situation.

“Can I try riding too, Mr. Oh-Jin?”

Isabella approached Boppy as well. As she carefully reached, Boppy moved away and sharply glared at her. It was still wary of her for attacking Kwon Oh-Jin earlier.

“It’s okay, Boppy.”

“

Grrr...

” Boppy hesitantly stepped closer to Isabella.

She chuckled and gently stroked its fur.

“It’s kind of cute, actually.”

“Right?”

“Did you come up with the name Boppy, Mr. Oh-Jin?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it suit it?”

“

Hoho

. Remind me not to let you name my kids in the future.”

Hey, why? What’s wrong with the name Boppy?

“For a demonic beast to follow a human like this... How fascinating.” Vega circled around Boppy, quite intrigued herself. “Do you plan to use this creature for travel?”

“Yup. My Boppy has incredible stamina.”

With Boppy around, Kwon Oh-Jin’s group could travel faster without exhausting themselves.

Clearly pleased by the praise, Boppy clicked its beak and did a little jump. “

Grrr!

”

Thud!

The heavy impact rumbled through the ground.

“Alright, should we get going?”

“Yes, Mr. Oh-Jin!”

“I’ll ride behind Oh-Jin!” Song Ha-Eun said.

“Oh! Then I’ll sit in front of him!”

“Ah.”

Before Song Ha-Eun could stop her, Isabella swiftly climbed up and claimed the spot in front of them.

“What a sneaky little bitch,” Song Ha-Eun muttered under her breath as she took her spot behind Kwon Oh-Jin.

Even with three people on its back, it didn’t feel cramped at all on Boppy.

“Riarc, are you not coming up?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“No thanks. I’ll walk on my own.” Looking up at the trio cozily seated on Boppy’s back, Riarc shook his head in irritation.

“Let’s go, Boppy. You know where the Sky Mountains are, right?”

“

Grrr!

” Boppy nodded and kicked off the ground.

***

As they passed through the forest, Kwon Oh-Jin spotted a stream and stopped Boppy.

“Should we just pitch a tent here for tonight?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked the group.

Even with Boppy’s help, they couldn’t reach the Sky Mountains in a single day. With the sun setting, setting up camp would be the smart move.

“

Ugh

, back to another night sleeping outdoors.” Song Ha-Eun groaned and shook her head as if sick of it.

Even with all their top-tier camping gear from Earth, it still didn’t compare to sleeping in a real bed.

“Alright, I’ll start clearing the area,” Isabella said.

Large rocks and vegetation covered the ground next to the stream, which didn’t make it exactly tent-friendly. They simply had to make room for a tent.

Isabella lightly scratched her palm with her fingernail to draw blood. “Bloom.”

Whoosh!

The droplet of blood that fell onto the ground spread out like a blooming flower, sweeping away all the rocks and vegetation. In the blink of an eye, a spacious clearing around thirty meters wide had formed.

“All done!” She turned around with a bright smile after wiping out everything within that area.

Her sheer power sent chills down Kwon Oh-Jin’s spine every time.

“I’ll take out the tents.” Kwon Oh-Jin pulled out two tents from his backpack and began setting them up.

One was for himself, and the other was for Song Ha-Eun and Isabella to share. Riarc and Vega didn’t need tents since they returned to the Sanctum at night.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if you just shared a tent with us.” Isabella smacked her lips, clearly disappointed.

The offer tempted him, but they weren’t here on vacation. Sharing a tent outdoors wasn’t exactly a good idea.

We definitely wouldn’t be able to resist.

Obviously, he knew what would happen if they shared a tent.

“Then, I shall take my leave for now,” Vega said.

“I’ll be going too, kid.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.” Kwon Oh-Jin saw them off.

Vega and Riarc shimmered with light before vanishing into thin air.

After finishing the tents, Kwon Oh-Jin sat down with Song Ha-Eun and Isabella for a simple dinner.

“See you in the morning, Mr. Oh-Jin.”

“We’re heading to bed first, Oh-Jin.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

Song Ha-Eun and Isabella disappeared into their tent.

The forest had grown dark, and only the chirping of insects echoed quietly through the night.

“Well then...” After tidying up, Kwon Oh-Jin stood up.

His body still ached from the aftereffects of the blessing, and his joints creaked like an unlubricated machine.

Still, I can’t just go to sleep like this.

His fight with Kalike had made it painfully clear just how much strength he still lacked.

Kwon Oh-Jin walked to a clearing far from the tents. He slowly inhaled and closed his eyes, forming the image of Kalike in his mind. That garishly thick makeup, raspy voice, and every detail he could remember began to appear.

“I’m fighting Kalike right now.” Focused, he whispered a lie to himself.

Just then, Kalike’s voice echoed from the darkness. “

Hahaha!

I only lost last time because I let my guard down, you know?”

A chill crawled down Kwon Oh-Jin’s spine.

The revolting voice in his ears and the Kalike before him were all just an illusion.

“Kalike...”

However, the illusions felt terrifyingly real under the self-hypnosis of that lie.

“

Haaa

.” He let out a tense breath and tightly gripped his spear.

This time, he didn’t have Vega’s blessing. If he lost focus for even a second, he would be the one getting his chest pierced.

“

Hup!

” Kwon Oh-Jin clashed with the illusion of Kalike.

Clang!

While everyone else slept, Kwon Oh-Jin alone continued his life-and-death training deep into the night.

Beneath the night sky, cloaked in darkness, a pair of golden eyes quietly watched over him.

“My child...”