Chapter 75: Star, The Shadow (6)

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ silently stares at you.]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ angrily asks what in the world you have done.]

After Chang-Sun displayed [Cruel Tiger] and [Fierce Tiger], Heoju sent him multiple messages asking what had happened.

It was understandable because Heoju had revealed all nine [Tiger Forms] in order to gain Chang-Sun as his subordinate; when Chang-Sun had only chosen [Cruel Tiger], Heoju had been a little sad, but not particularly worried. After people obtained some power, they were bound to want more numerous and greater abilities. Even if Chang-Sun had acquired [Cruel Tiger], Heoju had expected him to be unsatisfied with it, as the nine [Tiger Forms] were compatible with each other. The more [Tiger Forms] one had, the stronger one became.

However, Chang-Sun had used [Fierce Tiger] perfectly, a skill Heoju had not allowed him to have. [Fierce Tiger] was not even the end of it; Chang-Sun had successfully utilized [Jackal Tiger] and [Roaming Tiger], which meant he had mastered four out of the nine [Tiger Forms].

[Fierce Tiger]

The tiger that holds only two attributes, bravery and strength. No being can fight against the fierce tiger that can shake a mountain.

· Type: Trait.

· Effect: Highly Experienced Veteran. Increased Superhuman Strength.

[Jackal Tiger]

The tiger that holds only two attributes, brutality and ferocity. The brutal tiger’s target can never survive.

· Type: Trait.

· Effect: Cruel Shredding. Overwhelming Brutality.

[Roaming Tiger]

The tiger that holds only two attributes, agility and wisdom. Before the intelligent tiger begins its hunt, it quickly understands the surrounding environment and moves nimbly.

· Type: Trait

· Effect: Increased Understanding. Cognitive Acceleration.

Each [Tiger Form] had different characteristics. As [Cruel Tiger] focused on driving an opponent into a corner, it specialized in hunting. [Fierce Tiger] bestowed one superhuman strength, enabling one to overwhelm an opponent with power. Meanwhile, [Jackal Tiger] granted one the tenacity to never lose a target. [Roaming Tiger] enhanced one’s ability to think, allowing for rational judgments to inform nimble movements.

Heoju was bound to be enraged to see Chang-Sun learning skills he had not allowed Chang-Sun to learn. On the other hand, he was very curious about how Chang-Sun had done it.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ says ‘Calamity Tiger’ should have seen it coming when he let you learn one form, pounding the ground with his tail.]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ asks what ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ means.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ says that when someone gives you one thing, you will definitely snatch away other things too.]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ listens seriously.]

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ advises the ‘Calamity Tiger’ to give up, because he was destined to involuntarily become a fairy godfather ever since he met you.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ nods in agreement.]

[The Celestial ‘Abyss-Chasing Great Devil’ agrees.]

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ tilts her head in confusion because it feels as if the ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ is talking about a specific being, but she is not sure who he is talking about. ]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ frowns.]

‘…What are they doing?’?

Chang-Sun thought.

Even though Chang-Sun had given no explanation, J?rmungandr spoke as if it were very natural for him to take everything. On top of that, even Minerva and Mephistopheles had naturally nodded along in agreement with J?rmungandr, which meant Heoju was swayed by them and began to think this outcome had been inevitable.

Chang-Sun briefly wondered what to think about the current situation, but decided not to care about it in the end. It looked as if the deities understood the situation, as Chang-Sun had analyzed and mastered the other eight [Tiger Forms] based on [Cruel Tiger].

‘Well, they aren’t completely wrong,’?

Chang-Sun thought with a shrug.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ wants you even more!]

In truth, Chang-Sun had been able to learn the additional three [Tiger Forms] simply because he had a very deep understanding of Heoju. As he had become very aware of who Heoju was, what Heoju was like, and what kind of myth Heoju was from during the Myth War, he had naturally been able to derive the other forms from [Cruel Tiger], the first clue needed to approach Heoju’s myth. However, Heoju did not know about any of that, so he merely believed Chang-Sun’s talent was greater than he had expected.

‘Through this incident, he’ll think he really can’t let other deities take me away,’

Chang-Sun thought. The corners of his lips automatically curled up.

Boom, boom, boom!

Rumble―!

Then, Chang-Sun looked over at the source of the sudden explosions that filled the air. Still wearing the shadow doll, Baek Gyeo-Ul had been training in various ways. From the way he stepped forward to the way he swung the spear, his every habit resembled Chang-Sun.

[The Player ‘Baek Gyeo-Ul’ is imitating your ‘Cruel Tiger’!]

[The Skill ‘Shadow Treading’ has been activated.]

[The Skill ‘Shadow Game’ has been activated.]

…

‘He’s doing better than I expected,’?

Chang-Sun thought with a nod.

[Shadow Treading] and [Shadow Game] were the Skills that originated from [Shadow Doll Creation]. It would normally have needed a substantial amount of time to create them, but Gyeo-Ul was already using them both perfectly. It seemed he would be able to complete the remaining parts of [Shadow Play] more quickly than Chang-Sun had expected; by then, it would be no exaggeration to call Gyeo-Ul Chang-Sun’s ‘shadow’.

‘It’ll be better to just teach him the basics and let him figure out details on his own,’

Chang-Sun thought. Feeling somewhat relieved, he sat down on a nearby rock.

‘Then, shall I… check these out now?’?

While examining Gyeo-Ul’s movements with [Beast Senses], Chang-Sun divided his attention to look at his inventory. As he had finished settling the ‘Black Blood Mountain Range’ affair, it was time to see what he had obtained in the Secret Tiger Lab.

[Pulled out the ‘Unknown Scroll’!]

Chang-Sun had obtained many items from atop the secret altar platform where Shin Eun-Seo had been turning into a Gildal. The item that had caught his eye the most was a scroll made from old leather.

[Unknown Scroll]

An unknown scroll made from human skin.

The ominous scroll is full of mysterious curses and locked tightly. It seems to require a specific process in order to unlock it.

· Type: Scroll.

· Effect: Unable to inspect the details of the relic.

The fact that the scroll was made from human skin already sounded ominous enough. To unlock the scroll, Chang-Sun tried shaking it, and then infusing a large amount of his magic, but it did not budge. The scroll did not reject Chang-Sun’s magic, but rather drank it in without showing any noticeable change. It was as if he were pouring water into an abyss he could not gauge the depth of.

‘Seeing as this scroll was present while they were making a Gildal… It must be related to the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] or something,’?

Chang-Sun concluded.

Was this scroll a partial copy of the three scrolls the White Tiger Clan had obtained? Chang-Sun thought that was a reasonable conjecture.

‘Even a copy of a grimoire usually holds the grimoire’s power too,’

Chang-Sun thought, narrowing his eyes.

‘I'll be able to figure out more if I can check the scroll’s contents.’

Knowing that he stood to find out what the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] actually was, he focused [Beast Senses] entirely on the scroll, infusing all his energy and magic to identify its structure. Then, perhaps, he could unlock the scroll somehow.

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has been activated, meticulously examining the ‘Unknown Scroll’!]

Just as before, Chang-Sun was only able to feel a vast, dark abyss. Deciding to take a closer look, he infused all his energy into it. Just then…

Kieeeeh!

Kikikikikiki―!

[Detected an intense Hohwan Mama!]

The horrible sound of ghostly wails echoed through the deep abyss. At the same time, powerful winds blew, carrying an ominous aura that dragged Chang-Sun’s energy into the abyss.

‘What? The Hohwan Mama is here too?’

Chang-Sun thought, quickly coming back to his senses.

Until then, he had believed the Hohwan Mama was a phenomenon caused when Heoju’s magic and the secret techniques of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] were mixed together. However, based on this scroll, the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan] had contained the Hohwan Mama from the start. On top of that, this Hohwan Mama was very different from that of the Ghost Soldiers and the Gildal. It was more ominous, insidious, and dangerous, enough for even Chang-Sun to feel a chill.

Kiyahhhh!

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ is interested, looking forward to seeing how you will overcome this Hohwan Mama!]

‘This isn’t a copy. It’s the original scroll!’

Chang-Sun thought, realizing his previous conjectures were all wrong.

As the scroll had been lying around in such a place without any protective devices, Chang-Sun had believed that it could only be a partial copy of one of the [Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan], but an ordinary copy would never carry such an intense Hohwan Mama on its own. The scroll had to be the original celestial obejctthat contained the mighty Authority of a !

‘What has Executive Director Oh done?’?

Chang-Sun thought, gaping slightly.

Only three of the scrolls were with the White Tiger Clan, which meant Executive Director Oh had stolen one of them. How was it possible to fool the White Tiger Clan’s leader and steal the scroll, though? The Munseong Chang-Sun had met was no pushover who could be fooled so easily. However, Chang-Sun could not focus on finding the answer.

‘I have to let go of it…!’?

Chang-Sun thought, clenching his teeth.

At this rate, the Hohwan Mama would drag his entire soul into the abyss, so Chang-Sun tried to drop the scroll. However…

[The Hohwan Mama is raging!]

[The Hohwan Mama wants to devour you!]

…

[The Tiger Roar opens its vicious jaws!]

Once the Hohwan Mama took hold of Chang-Sun, it clung to him like a leech. Despite Chang-Sun’s fierce resistance, the Hohwan Mama attempted to infect him, trying to steal his body by tainting his mind.

[The Tiger Chaos wants to devour you!]

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Rumble, rumble―!

The Hohwan Mama trembled, shaking the ground and Chang-Sun with its insidious demonic energy. Chang-Sun ignited the Jigwi’s Eon Fire to fight against the Hohwan Mama, causing black demonic energy scarlet fire to clash against each other.

‘I should do something…!’

Chang-Sun thought. As he looked for a solution, he suddenly thought of [Peter’s Key] around his neck.

‘Seeing as this golden key unlocked the locked door, it may open the ‘locked’ scroll.’

It was a valid conjecture, as the White Tiger and the Highoff Clan were the ones who had put in great effort to acquire the golden key in the first place. When Chang-Sun reached that conclusion, he realized he had nothing to lose, and quickly brought the scroll close to his neck. Then, the golden key inside his shirt trembled as if it were asking him to use it!

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ observes your reactions.]

‘Shit, it’s not going to unlock automatically the way it did with the door? I didn’t want?Heoju?to find out about this yet,’?

Chang-Sun thought, gritting his teeth.

He had been planning to delay revealing [Peter’s Key] as much as possible because he was unsure how Heoju would react upon finding out that he had taken it. However, he thought getting away from the damned scroll was a greater priority. Forcefully snapping the chain around his neck, Chang-Sun grabbed the golden key.

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ is shocked to see that key, which he had never anticipated to see here!]

[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ bursts into manic laughter, saying he knew the key would end up in his hands!]

Chang-Sun pierced the scroll with [Peter’s Key]. Although there was no visible lock, he could feel the end of the golden key easily sinking into the scroll.

Click!

He vaguely heard the sound of a lock opening.

[‘Peter’s Key’ has successfully found the keyhole of the ‘Unknown Scroll’.]

[The lock has been disengaged!]

Rattle―!

As Chang-Sun turned the golden key sideways, the scroll’s lock, which had been sealed tightly, disengaged. The scroll unfurled itself to reveal its contents; Chang-Sun saw bizarre, illegible symbols filling the scroll. The black symbols squirmed as if they were living worms, emitting strange demonic energy.

[The Hohwan Mama has been halted!]

Just then, Chang-Sun was flung backward.

“…Hup!” Chang-Sun groaned as he rolled across the floor, losing his grip on the scroll due to his lack of strength. He had to spend a long time calming down his unsettled stomach and dizzy head. Even as he did so, several messages continuously appeared.

[The scroll’s hidden contents have been revealed!]

[The symbols within are squirming.]

[The sentences are looking for a chance to escape the scroll.]

[Acquired the Fourth Cryptical Book of the ‘Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan’!]