Chapter 1431: Side Story 40
Chapter 1431 - Side Story 40
Alrak, who had given her the name Cho-Rong for her sparkling eyes, looked at her in confusion when he saw the sharp killing intent that was leaking from her eyes.
“Grrrrrr. Were you lying when you ‘accidentally’ pushed me off the cliff twice and told me that you were doing it to help me grow stronger?”
“Were you using me as an experiment when you fed me the 504-year-old mushroom to eat?”
“Were you trying to figure out if the arrow could pierce through my skin or not when you hit me with an arrow?!”
‘Oh? How did she know? Did this brat get smarter?’
The gears in the head of Alrak, the person with a trash and broken character, spun quickly.
“Cho-Rong, you brat! So, what if it’s true?! Who took care of you when you came back alive after falling off the cliff twice?!”
‘Huh?’
The one who took care of her all night was none other than her Big Brother Alrak. ‘It would be a huge problem if this tiger died. After all, she’s our kingdom’s main attraction. So, I have to take care of her with all my heart and soul.’
“When you ate the mushroom and almost died, who was it who nursed you and cooked porridge for you?!”
Alas, the porridge was filled with the same mushroom that the dying Cho-Rong had eaten earlier. Alrak thought that since the mushroom was already boiled in the porridge, it was no longer a problem. Since it was fine, he fed her the same thing again.
‘Fortunately, she came out fine!’
“And that arrow! You brat!”
“GRRRRRRRR!”
For a brief moment, Alrak was lost in thought.
‘Shit. How do I spin this arrow into something more favorable?’
“Your eyes were so bright and sparkling that I thought you were a deer! So, I ended up shooting you!”
“Grrrrr?”
“I was the one who took care of you whenever you were sick or unwell!”
‘Uh. It’s… true?’
Alrak had been by her side, nursing her back to health whenever she was sick or in pain. He even cried the same thing every day as she lay on her sickbed.
–You brat, Cho-Rong! You can’t die!
‘You can’t die yet! My kingdom has not yet been revived!’
When Cho-Rong was still looking at Alrak with doubt and confusion, the Mountain King, who had been kicked out, had already jumped back up.
Bang!
The Mountain Monarch, the deity and god protecting the mountains, and the Mountain King, the king ruling over the mountains, collided just like that.
The Mountain King smirked.
[Grrrrr. It seems like not only have you been revived, you’ve also been awakened. I wonder? What helped you awaken?]
“You don’t need to know anything,” Cho-Rong replied coldly.
The reason she had suffered a severe and almost fatal injury in the past was that she had fought and killed the Mountain King. Why did they fight? It was because the Mountain King, as the ruler, tried to destroy everything in the mountains, including its entire ecosystem. He went beyond responsibility as a ruler and reigned by oppression. As the Mountain Monarch and the deity who protected the mountains, Cho-Rong could not stand still and just watch.
[Do you think you’ll be able to beat me after being revived? Grrrrrrr!]
The Mountain King roared wildly as he stormed at her.
“Cho-Rong! You brat, get away!”
Yes, Alrak was a bastard and a scammer. He just wanted to make full use of Cho-Rong and was even thinking of using her up until today. After all, how could a human king accept a tiger as his younger sister? He was just trying to survive in this world that followed the laws of the jungle.
Nonetheless, Alrak had grown fond of Cho-Rong. He eventually came to see her as his true younger sister. He felt delighted that the cowardly Cho-Rong had overcome her fear and rushed to save him.
As for the fact that Cho-Rong had fought the Mountain King in the past? Alrak was not aware of Cho-Rong’s awakening. He did not even know the exact story. So, he stepped forward and moved to block Cho-Rong and get her out of harm’s way.
“You bastard! I won’t let you get to my dear Cho-Rong! My dear younger sister!”
Alrak knew that Cho-Rong would die if that monstrous bastard opened his maw and bit her. Just when the Mountain King was about to encroach upon him, someone slapped Alrak from behind.
Thwack!
“Hnggh. Let’s call it even now.”
Cho-Rong slapped Alrak and sent him flying, getting him out of the range of the Mountain King’s attacks.
“Cho-Rong, my head is bleeding…”
“...?”
Alrak’s head was soaked with blood.
“Cho-Rong!!!”
By then, Cho-Rong ignored the wailing king, who had been sent flying far away, and just rushed toward the Mountain King. She charged forward to protect her big brother, Alrak.
The Cho-Rong whom Alrak knew was both stupid and cowardly. But…
[GRRRRRRRR!]
“ROAR!”
The Cho-Rong he was seeing right now did not back down. She fought fiercely against the Mountain King that was three times her size, lunging to bite the neck of her enemy. Surprisingly enough, the Mountain King’s sharp fangs failed to pierce through Cho-Rong’s skin. In contrast, Cho-Rong’s fangs pierced through the Mountain King’s neck.
Chomp!
[Keuhaaaaaack!]
Cho-Rong looked cool and majestic as she hurled the writhing and squirming Mountain King away. At that moment, the 10,000 bloody tigers rushed in from all directions.
“Grrrrrrr!”
“Keuhaaaaaa!”
“Roar, roar, roar!!!”
Injuries of varying degrees began to appear on Cho-Rong’s body as she bit and fought off the 10,000 tigers. Even if she was one of the Three Sacred Beasts, it was still difficult for her to deal with 10,000 enemies that had received the buff of the Mountain King.
“Bastards!!!”
Cho-Rong was in a crisis. Alrak wiped the blood off his head and immediately weaved through the charging tigers. He struggled and fought desperately to help save Cho-Rong.
Alas, these monsters weren’t beings that Alrak and his knights could fight against. Since the tigers’ defensive power had been boosted to a high level, they could not even leave a scratch on their skin. Furthermore, that was just one of their many problems. The biggest problem was the Mountain King.
The Mountain King had already started to recover from the deep gash on his neck by eating the soldiers of the kingdom. Fully recovered, the Mountain King rushed back and lunged toward Cho-Rong, bypassing countless tigers in the process.
This time, it was real. Alrak, who instantly felt the true and terrifying danger, rushed to Cho-Rong and hugged her tightly.
“I’m not going to leave you alone.”
Alrak had lost his parents early in his life. Although no one believed him, he was working hard to fulfill his vow of reviving the kingdom with his own two hands. Cho-Rong appeared when he was alone and fighting this lonely battle to restore his kingdom.
‘I only used you…’
Thump!
The outstanding armor created by the greatest blacksmiths of the kingdom that wrapped around Alrak’s chest was not only dented but ripped apart. Blood spurted out of Alrak’s back.
“Kihiiiiiing!” Cho-Rong cried in distress as she watched Alrak receive the blow in her stead.
“Cho-Rong, I’m fine.” Alrak smiled kindly.
Just when the Mountain King’s giant maw was about to fall and devour Alrak…
BANG!
A sword appeared and attacked the Mountain King, pushing him away from the two. It was none other than Minhyuk.
[Cho-Rong’s awakening is incomplete.]
If she were the original Mountain Monarch, then the Mountain King would never be able to beat her. The only reason he could pose a threat to Cho-Rong right now was that her awakening was not yet complete.
[The penalty applied from the appearance of the Mountain King will be applied to the enemies of the Mountain King.]
A 40% drop in all abilities, skills, and stats. With such a restriction imposed upon him, Minhyuk would also find it hard to deal with a lot of enemies. In other words, he could not guarantee their victory.
‘Why was her awakening incomplete?’
What else was needed to complete Cho-Rong’s awakening? Minhyuk looked back at Cho-Rong, who was crying and whimpering like an injured puppy while blood dripped down her mouth.
‘Wait. Is her title as one of the Three Sacred Beasts just for name only? Why does she not have the ability to regenerate?’
[What an annoying bastard.]
The Mountain King did not intend to drag this fight on too long. He keenly sensed that Cho-Rong would be able to awaken her powers completely if he delayed further. In other words, he sensed danger and had no intentions of letting it unfold that way.
[The Ruler of the Mountains.]
[The Mountain King and his subordinates will become 1.7x stronger for thirty seconds.]
The Mountain King clashed with Minhyuk.
BANG!
“Ugh!” Minhyuk groaned as he got pushed back by the impact of the collision.
He hurriedly triggered Supreme Overlord’s Technique in retaliation.
Crackle!
A blazing firestorm came into being, engulfing the Mountain King and the tigers under his command. Unfortunately, it did not do much damage to their bodies, as their defensive power had increased significantly.
“Absolute Monarch!”
He immediately activated his skill that could allow him to force anyone to submit and yield to him to stop the enemies charging at Cho-Rong. Minhyuk rushed to stand in front of Cho-Rong and Alrak. He raised his sword and hacked and slashed at the tigers charging at them.
‘We won’t be able to hold on for much longer.’
Minhyuk thought of using Calamity Slayer. Just then, a thought occurred to Minhyuk. He realized why Cho-Rong failed to awaken completely.
“Cho-Rong!”
“Grrrr…” Cho-Rong cried softly as she stared at Alrak’s already pale face from the excessive bleeding that he was suffering from.
The reason why she failed to awaken completely was…
‘It was fake. The anger and the sadness were fake.’
Or perhaps it was also because…
“Alrak is on the verge of death because he tried to protect you. He might be the king who tried to use you for his benefit, but now he’s dying for your sake. Wake up. Complete the imperfect you and protect the only person who stands by your side!”
‘The only person who stands by my side?’
Cho-Rong recalled the day she first came to the kingdom.
–Your Majesty! Why would you raise such a dangerous animal in the kingdom?!
–Your Majesty!!! We have to dispose of that tiger right now!
–Let’s set things clear. This tiger is not using me. I’m the one using this tiger!
–I will not allow anyone to touch Cho-Rong!
He was the only person who stood by Cho-Rong’s side. And Cho-Rong also stood by his side. Because she was cowardly and could not hunt well, this man brought him chicken every day. He even climbed the mountains to get her what she wanted.
One day, the two of them climbed the mountain together. When they reached the top, they looked down at the kingdom. Then, with a voice that was barely above a whisper, Alrak said…
–I’m so glad you’re here.
She could not forget the gentleness and warmth in his voice. Even if she knew that she was being used or that he would often play mean pranks on her, she pretended to be unaware of them.
Now, she realized that this man was the only one who could step forward and die for her sake.
“GRRRRRRRRRR!!!”
An overwhelming and majestic force swirled around Cho-Rong and forced her to close her eyes.
[The Mountain Monarch has regained all of her memories.]
[She has unsealed all of her powers.]
“Cho-Rong…”
Blink.
The Mountain Monarch opened her eyes. She saw the countless tigers rushing in from all directions to bite Alrak. She could also see the one-eyed Mountain King lunging toward her.
[The Mountain Monarch gives her order.]
THUD!
All of the tigers that were ready to bite Alrak and Cho-Rong stopped dead in their tracks.
[You cannot go against the orders and commands of the deity and god ruling over the mountains.]
“Grrrrrrrr! Graaaaaaaaa!”
[Tear him up.]
The 10,000 bloody tigers that were fulfilling the orders of the Mountain King suddenly changed targets. They turned around and began to lunge at the Mountain King.
[G… Grrrrrrrr! Graaaaaaaaaaaa!]
Cho-Rong’s injuries began to recover and regenerate at a rapid pace. She pushed Alrak back before jumping out.
BANG!
The Mountain King flinched when Cho-Rong’s wide and fearsome eyes landed upon him. Then, she bit the neck of her enemy, who once possessed an overwhelming power.
[Kaeeeeeeeeeng!]
Cho-Rong hurled the writhing Mountain King to the ground and stomped on him wildly.
“How dare you! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!!!”
‘How dare you try to kill the person who stands by my side?!’
Squelch!
Her fangs dug deeper while the 10,000 tigers struggled to fulfill the orders that she had given and tried to bite whatever piece of the Mountain King’s flesh that they could get their mouths on.
[Grrrrrrrrr…]
In the end, the Mountain King’s body sagged. The being who tried to rule over the mountains and slaughter all of the humans in the Grania Continent died just like that.
With the Mountain King’s Death, the 10,000 innocent tigers that the Mountain King Clan slaughtered gathered around Cho-Rong. Even though they had been killed, they still could not escape the clutches of their oppressor. They were forced to follow the rules and orders of the Mountain King and perform tasks they did not want to do.
“Grrrrrrrr!”
“Graaaaaaaaaa!”
“Roaaaaaaaar!!!”
The cries and roars of the tigers echoed loudly in the kingdom that was hailed as the Nation of the Tigers. The people and soldiers, who had been hiding in fear, turned to look at one being after hearing their loud yet warm cries. The being that they were looking at was none other than Cho-Rong, who was standing in the middle of the 10,000 howling tigers.
Swoosh!
[The Tigers’ Soul resides in the Valkain Kingdom.]
[As long as the Tiger’s Brave and Valian Aura remains in this land, the people and soldiers of the kingdom will be able to face anyone without any fear.]
The howling tigers slowly disappeared, leaving behind the true god and deity of the mountains, the Mountain Monarch.
The Mountain Monarch stared at the bleeding and dying Alrak. The place that was bleeding the most in Alrak’s body was… his head.
“...”
“...”
A moment of silence passed between the two.
“Roar!”
[The Mountain Monarch’s Blessings have been bestowed.]
A warm and gentle power seeped into the injured body of King Alrak. This power slowly and carefully healed all of the injuries that he sustained from earlier.
Alrak, who looked like he was as good as new, looked at the majestic and fearsome Cho-Rong with disbelief. He stuttered, “My… My dear Cho-Rong is one of the Three Sacred Beasts…?”
He felt so happy. He was so glad that he could not help but shed tears.
‘My younger sister! The sister whom I wanted to protect with my life is one of the Grania Continent’s Three Sacred Beasts!’
How could he not be happy? The entire world stared at him. Even Cho-Rong was staring at him as he shed tears of joy.
Meanwhile, the delighted Alrak thought, ‘Uwooooooh! Cho-Rong, you brat! This means that I can rip you off even more, right?!’
It seemed the kingdom that housed one of the Three Sacred Beasts would be revived in a grand manner.
‘Ahhh! These are tears of joy! I’m so happy!’
Yes. Alrak was crying tears of joy because he thought that Cho-Rong had become even more helpful to him. Unfortunately, someone who should never have had one of the Three Sacred Beasts by their side had them.
‘What the hell? Is there really a human like this?’
Minhyuk looked at the smiling Alrak in disgust and contempt.
‘Eyyy. A pure and kind person like me does not really go along well with someone like this,’ Minhyuk thought, not knowing that he behaved like Alrak most of the time.
Then, at that moment…
[You have completed the Hidden Quest: Awaken One of the Three Sacred Beasts.]
[As a reward, you can receive Omegitteok from the Mountain Monarch.]
Minhyuk was overjoyed when he heard the notifications. It was now time for him to check the abilities and the taste of the omegitteok, one of the three representative dishes of the Grania Continent!