Make the Barbarians Great Again

Chapter 35: Each One’s Cliff (2)

Hindir created several devices for training.

Compared to before, when they had to find and use rocks or logs themselves, the circumstances here were much better.

There were various tools available here, allowing them to make things on their own.

When Hindir demonstrated after completing all kinds of equipment, everyone scoffed at him.

Compared to the cliff he had shown them before, lifting and lowering heavy things or sitting and standing up looked easy.

But when it was repeated a hundred, two hundred times… no, to the point where the number became meaningless, everyone was horrified.

It was completely different from the training they did in Parno.

But when Kanar boldly followed first, the others, after some hesitation, began to imitate.

Still, true to their identity as Barbarians, it didn't take long for them to start enjoying the repetition training.

The pleasant ache that spread through the body and the elasticity of muscles stretching and contracting tightly.

Their hearts thumped with excitement—not from labor, but from something else.

It was hard, but thrilling.

Even after just a single day of training, it felt like their previously stagnant lives were moving forward.

Those who didn’t want to forget that sensation came out to the training ground early the next day, and by noon, even more people had joined.

And the day after that, and the next day too, the number kept increasing.

Some even began to feel something beyond enjoyment—something like pleasure—and wanted to train even at night.

However, since Hindir sat and guarded the training ground throughout the night, forcing them to go back, they couldn’t.

Though he was quietly proud, Hindir knew very well that without proper rest, such eagerness could become poison for those who couldn't yet manage themselves.

Apart from that, the fact that Hindir, who never slept and guarded the place no matter when at night one came, was a terrifying figure—was a story shared only among themselves.

Thus, the daily training routine quickly became a norm in Larka Village.

Even Baltan, though grumbling, immersed himself in training.

After just ten days, they had completely changed.

They were still thin, but evenly developed muscles had taken root and supported their bodies in various places.

Even while standing still, their firmness was visible, and in their steps, one could feel the force pushing against the ground.

At this point, a competitive spirit began to ignite among them.

Still, not a single person had conquered the cliff.

That’s why everyone wanted to be the first to reach the top and raise their noses in pride.

Naturally, that competition made them faster and stronger.

Everyone was busy, but in truth, the busiest was Hindir.

After turning away those who were greedy for nighttime training, he would begin his personal training. Then, at dawn when everyone had gone to sleep, he headed for the base of the cliff.

There, he searched for a being presumed to be a spirit beast and hunted animals for food at the same time.

He returned around noon when the sun lit the village, oversaw training, and then went back down to the cliff base to continue his search.

Recently, he had been discovering corpses of those who fell from the cliff more frequently, so he even carried wood for cremations.

With Hindir doing that much, how could the others slack off?

So now, Hindir roamed beneath the cliff filled with darkness.

Once again, while cleaning up the remains of the dead without any real results—

“Hm?”

Something faint was caught in Hindir’s senses.

But the moment he noticed it, it vanished in an instant.

“Not an ordinary creature.”

The moment he sensed it, and in that split second, the other side sensed that he had sensed it.

To completely hide its presence in such a fleeting moment?

But for Hindir, that was more than enough.

He fixed his direction and began walking aimlessly.

He arrived at the spot where it was initially detected, but, as expected, felt nothing.

Still, even if presence was perfectly hidden, there were things that couldn't be concealed.

There were strange marks left on the ground.

A trail stretched out long, coated with frost.

When he squatted down and brushed the ground, he could definitely feel the slight dampness.

“A snake.”

Judging by the estimated size and scale, it was likely an imugi.

Just from how perfectly it concealed its presence, that much was clear.

It wasn't a sloppy creature that flaunted its power like Blood‑Hero.

In truth, that’s how spirit beasts typically were.

They usually preferred to quietly blend into the world and stay hidden.

But this one—although quiet—had a creepy undertone that felt suspicious.

And more than anything, wasn’t it right beneath Larka Village?

He looked down briefly at the sword hanging from his waist.

Conveniently, it was the perfect opponent to test his strength against.

If it turned out to be a real spirit beast, he would fight bare-handed. But if it was a dim-witted creature like Blood‑Hero, he’d end it quickly—he made up his mind and began moving.

Following the trail on the ground quickly brought him to a frozen valley.

A solid wall of ice blocked the path, making it impossible to go any further.

But the trail clearly continued to this point, meaning it was hiding somewhere nearby.

‘A creature of that size… where could it be hiding…….’

When he lifted his head, a towering ice cliff stared down at him like a threat.

Had it climbed up there?

Hindir kept gazing up at the cliff.

Then, as he slowly lowered his gaze, at some point—he stopped dead.

As if in a standoff with the cliff.

Bang―!

Hindir suddenly leapt off the ground and hurled a punch at the frozen waterfall.

The waterfall cracked with a crrrrack—then dodged Hindir’s fist.

Crash!

His fist struck the cliff, and just as Hindir turned his head to the side, a body covered in icy spikes rushed toward him.

KWAANG―!

Kicking off the cliff to avoid the strike, Hindir corrected his body midair.

Only then could he see his opponent’s full form at a glance. Official source ıs novelFɪre.net

Ice Imugi.

Its long, thick body, and the semi-transparent, glowing blue scales.

Though it radiated an overall blue light, the three long, slit red eyes were ominous.

But Hindir, confirming the creature’s potent and refined energy that emerged along with its threat display, couldn’t help but smile.

Thud―

Landing back on the ground, Hindir looked up again at the imugi and spoke.

“A real spirit beast, huh. Unlike this red bear I’m wearing.”

At that, as if understanding and replying, it let out a vibrating growl from its entire body—grrrr.

Of course, Hindir couldn’t understand its words, but he could feel the emotion behind it.

“Are you offended by being compared to Blood‑Hero? But that just means I’ve acknowledged you.”

Grrrk—Grrrrr—

“Sorry, but I have to fight you. I don’t know how long you’ve lived in this place, but the future of my descendants is more important to me.”

Krrruruu—

The opponent let out a sound that resembled laughter.

Hindir also laughed in response to the action, unsure if it was mockery or something else, and leapt once more.

The creature was so massive that Hindir’s large fists felt insignificant in comparison. And the Imugi, seemingly thinking Hindir wasn’t much of a threat, flicked its tail to swat him away.

But Hindir’s fists were strong and solid enough to punch through stone walls.

When a thwack rang out and a crack formed in the scales of the tail where it clashed with his fist, Hindir could feel the Imugi flinch.

Krrrur—

The creature twisted its huge body that could coil around the entire valley and stared straight at Hindir, who clung to its body, then opened its jaws wide.

Chiiiik—

A blue liquid sprayed out from beneath its tongue.

Hindir dodged to the other side of the Imugi’s body, and the liquid hit its own skin.

But it didn’t behave like ordinary venom.

Amazingly, the liquid immediately froze solid and became its own scales and spikes.

It was the moment Hindir realized how the ice spikes growing all over the creature’s massive body were formed.

If the liquid hit him, his whole body would be frozen stiff. Even if it missed, the creature would arm itself in the process.

However, Hindir had a secret—he was immune to most cold.

The liquid this Imugi spat out seemed even worse than Parno’s, but it likely wasn’t fatal.

Without revealing this secret, Hindir continued climbing the Imugi’s long body, dodging its attacks as much as possible.

He used the large and small ice spikes clinging to its scales like a ladder and struck various spots with his fists.

Ultimately, unless he crushed its head, he couldn’t kill it.

But this method was enough to annoy the creature and hinder its movements.

He steadily continued his way toward the top.

Kwaadudud—

The Imugi rubbed its body violently against the cliffside.

The ice spikes attached to its scales shattered, clawing at Hindir like sharp blades.

Cold seeped in through the cuts, along with a strange force that froze his internal energy pathways.

It was quite different from Parno’s power, and his heart did not react.

But no major problem occurred either.

‘Sorry, but Charun doesn’t use energy pathways.’

Because many of the ice spikes had broken off, there was less to grab onto. Hindir jumped onto the cliff face, digging in his hands as he climbed.

A chilling air and the cracking sound of ice spreading echoed behind him, but Hindir’s ascent was unnaturally fast.

It revealed just how much he had held back during the cliff climb he’d shown in Larka Village.

Kwaaarrr—

The Imugi twisted its head rapidly to follow Hindir.

The moment their heads were nearly level, Hindir kicked off the cliff and flipped into the air.

A moment when other movements were restricted.

The Imugi spewed liquid, trying to cover Hindir’s entire body.

From head to toe, the surrounding air pressed down on him with a crushing force.

But Hindir’s mind remained clear, and his heart began to summon intense heat.

In a flash, a clash between the forces of freezing and melting occurred, and when the heat took the upper hand—he was already inside its mouth.

He could be swallowed whole, or worse, get caught halfway and chewed.

Kwa-chang—!

Bursting through the ice that bound his body in one go, Hindir thrust both arms up into the roof of the Imugi’s mouth.

Then, bracing his feet firmly against the gums between its teeth, the creature couldn’t fully close its jaws and froze mid-motion.

Its eyes trembled as its jaw—capable of crushing rocks—failed to move.

Meanwhile, Hindir grinned widely and shouted,

“Come on! Try crushing me with all your might!”

Kudududu—

Thus began a fierce struggle between Hindir and the Imugi.

Its mouth seemed to close slowly, only to open again before sealing shut completely.

As that cycle repeated several times, the Imugi’s biting became more erratic.

It shook its head to chew, twisted its jaws left and right to break Hindir’s balance.

“Nice!”

But even that, Hindir endured—until the Imugi finally realized.

This tiny human’s strength was nearly equal to its own jaw power.

It wanted to freeze him with its venom, but the spray hole was under its tongue, making it difficult.

Which meant the only way left was to crush him in this state.

Fwhooosh—

Kwaaaang—!

Now, it smashed its head straight into the cliff to forcibly snap its jaws shut.

Hindir’s knees buckled, but he still held out, prompting the Imugi to leap up the cliff instead.

Once it reached the top, it slammed its jaw down into the ground—finally managing to shut its mouth.

Thud—

Its long-sought goal achieved… but it didn’t feel anything bursting or breaking inside.

Instead, what followed was intense pain.

Thump—thump—thump—

Hindir was pounding on its teeth from the inside with his fists. At this rate, they’d all get knocked out.

The Imugi drew in venom to fill its mouth.

Psssss—

So potent was the substance that it turned everything around its lips to ice as it spilled out.

But Hindir, who should have been frozen solid inside, had only slowed—not stopped.

Now all that was left was to swallow him and digest him…

The Imugi was a spirit beast.

And true to that nature—it realized:

If it let this man inside its belly, it could really die.

Puhwaak—!

It spat Hindir out with full force. He tumbled far across the ground, then regained his balance while shaking the ice off his body.

“You’re smart.”

With that single remark, Hindir confirmed that the Imugi’s intuition hadn’t been wrong.

“Being in your mouth reminded me of something an old friend once told me. A guy named Teran—he used this tactic a lot when fighting big opponents. He’d get swallowed on purpose, then dance with his blade inside. Rather than aiming for tough exteriors, he’d go for the soft insides… A pretty dumb method. And he had the nerve to call it the Charun warrior’s technique…”

Hindir, briefly lost in nostalgia, lowered his stance once more.

This time, he drew his sword.

He had confirmed the Imugi’s power to some degree and, regrettably, decided he couldn’t take it down barehanded.

“Alright, let’s try this again.”

Just as he was about to charge in again—

Shiiiii—

The Imugi showed a strange reaction.

It lowered its head and widened its three red eyes.

Its intention was clear.

It didn’t want to fight.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Hindir was completely deflated.