Chapter 114

The Orc Chieftain Muquiam and the River Serpent—

Among the hordes of the Great Jungle, these two were the first to pursue Yuwon. On their way to find him, they crossed paths.

“Kuwooooh—!”

Perhaps displeased by the obstacle before him, Muquiam let out a thunderous roar that shook the air.

“Tsht, tszzz—!”

The River Serpent was no less irritated. Its long tongue flicked out, hissing as it smacked its lips, refusing to yield even an inch.

The River Serpent, guardian of the Great Jungle’s waters, and Muquiam, the Orc Chieftain—two beings who stood at the peak of the jungle’s ecosystem.

It was impossible that either had been unaware of the other’s movements.

From the moment they both began moving toward Yuwon, each had already sensed the other. Yet neither knew how to back down.

That was simply who they were.

Muquiam had always trusted only in his own strength, tearing apart every enemy that dared oppose him.

The River Serpent swallowed all who blocked its path, turning them into its next meal.

A warrior who had never known defeat, and a serpent who had never known the taste of failure—two creatures that had walked only the paths of victory and devouring.

Now, the two most notoriously aggressive beasts of the Great Jungle met once again, their encounter rekindled by the pursuit of Yuwon.

“Kwoook—! Kwoooorhk!”

Flaring with anger, Muquiam snorted violently and reached for the massive axe slung across his back.

The chipped, bloodstained weapon, still slick with flesh, testified to Muquiam’s brute strength—it cared nothing for sharpness.

“Tsszzz—”

The River Serpent, too, did not retreat. It raised its massive head high, venom dripping from its fangs as it poised to strike at the Orc’s thick neck.

A moment before the explosion—

Muquiam would never allow a creature that dared block his path to go unpunished, and the River Serpent, catching the scent of the creature that reeked of its mother’s death, had no intention of yielding its prey.

The outcome would be no different from their past encounters.

“Kwaaaah—!”

Thud, thud, thud—!

With another earth-shaking roar, Muquiam charged forward, his enormous frame making the ground tremble.

“Kyarrhk—!”

The River Serpent, which until now had only been tasting the air in anticipation, lunged with a shriek of its own.

Whenever these two met, the Great Jungle quaked from their clash. This time was no exception.

Kwaaaang—!

The first strike came from Muquiam.

His axe crashed down upon the ground where the serpent’s head had been moments before, shaking the earth with a deafening blast.

“Kruoh—! Kruoooh!”

“Tssht— tszzzz—!”

Behind them, the Orc warriors following Muquiam and the serpents serving the River Serpent tangled and began their own battle.

Orc axes split serpentine bodies and crushed skulls, while the serpents’ venom melted the orcs alive, reducing them to dust.

The Orcs of the Earth and the River Serpent— two apex forces of the Great Jungle—had collided.

“Tsk, I thought I’d watch how things play out a bit longer, but at this rate, the shrimp’s back will burst in the whale’s fight.”

At that same moment, the shaman Kahaad clicked his tongue, disappointed that he could no longer observe Yuwon’s power.

‘But if I leave them be… they’ll all die.’

Caught between Muquiam and the River Serpent’s battle, no one could guarantee survival. Not even Kahaad, the shaman at the top of his tribe.

‘It’s been ages since I got a specimen to walk into my hands. No way I’m letting the beasts make a meal of him. I’ll save him for now. He won’t be easy to handle—but alive, he might bring opportunity.’

His decision was made.

Shrrrk—!

Kahaad stepped out from his dark tent into the sunlight.

Light flickered in his unfocused eyes.

“Children of the forest, heed my call.”

“Ooh, Great Eye…!”

It was rare for Kahaad to ever emerge from his tent. The jungle shamans who followed him pressed their hands over their healthy eyes in reverence.

“There is something I require of you.”

“Yes, speak your will, O Great Eye.”

“We must bring our guest.”

Kahaad—master of every form of sorcery permitted in this world, and even those forbidden for their wickedness and malice—had reached the pinnacle of jungle shamanism.

Now, his shamanic followers moved, interjecting themselves into the battle between the Orcs and the Serpents.

Terrien, Hastings, and Bernid—

the three who followed Yuwon—were momentarily puzzled when he suddenly ordered them to prepare for battle. But their confusion did not last long.

“Yurion, what do you mean? Prepare for battle—why so suddenly…?”

Kwaaang—!

A thunderous crash ripped through the jungle, shaking the ground and ringing in their ears.

Though the three had sensed nothing of Muquiam or the River Serpent’s energies, the deafening noise demanded immediate reaction.

“Damn it! What the hell was that? I’ve got a bad feeling this has everything to do with why you told us to prepare—”

“Your Highness, less talking and more focus, please. You overexerted yourself with the teleportation spell—your body isn’t in good shape.”

Before Yuwon could answer Bernid’s complaint, Terrien—who was on friendlier terms with Bernid—scolded him.

“Terrien’s right. For now… whatever’s happening, the two energies that were heading this way just collided. We’ll use this chance to slip away.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At Yuwon’s command, Hastings responded crisply.

While Bernid and Terrien were still puzzled by Yuwon’s words, Hastings had already drawn his weapon.

“Hastings, fall back. From here on, I’ll lead.”

Yuwon took the front.

Until now, Hastings had served as their guide, having ventured into the Great Jungle’s outskirts before—but not this deep.

Where they stood now was the heart of the jungle, a place Marcellus had warned them never to tread. Hastings’s guidance was of little use here.

“Are you sure about this?”

“I’m fine. And I have to. There are powerful presences scattered everywhere that you can’t sense. If we want to avoid them, I need to lead.”

“Yes, then I’ll follow behind.”

Hastings’s firm answer was soon followed by Bernid and Terrien’s.

“Then I’ll cast a minor wind spell to lighten our steps. It won’t do much, but it’ll make our feet a little lighter. Of course, someone will have to carry me—I can’t possibly keep up with your monster-like pace in my condition.”

“Then I’ll carry you.”

When had they grown so close? Without being told, Terrien raised his hand and volunteered to carry Bernid.

Yuwon simply nodded in approval.

‘Even annoying bonds can be frighteningly strong.’

“Then I’ll take the rear, since Terrien’s hands will be full.”

With that, Hastings took the rear guard position.

As soon as Bernid’s spell activated, the four of them began their desperate flight.

“Let’s move.”

“Yes!”

“Please… let us live through this… Run, legs, run! No—Terrien’s legs, save me!”

Bernid’s usual whining might have made Yuwon smile, but not now.

His face hardened as he took his first step.

Tap—!

Infused with inner energy, Yuwon’s step launched him forward in an instant.

His figure became a gust of wind cutting through the jungle, leading his companions.

Yet, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘They’re strong. If I were alone, maybe… but with the three of them, I can’t guarantee survival.’

In his past life as Tang Yuwon of the Sichuan Tang Clan, he had inherited Tang Seogyeom’s legacy and grown rapidly strong in this world.

He had reached heights others couldn’t in a lifetime—a state known in the martial world as the Realm of Transcendence.

Few could match him. But then, his world had shattered.

This world, which he had once underestimated compared to the martial world, housed masters far beyond even him—Marcellus, the Emperor, Ipalim.

‘Marcellus… Ipalim… Even the Emperor—his aura was barely half his true power. I’m still far behind. I have to become stronger—far stronger than before. The realm I reached in my past life isn’t enough. I must go beyond—no, far beyond that… Only then can I protect my people and reclaim my place.’

Reaffirming his resolve, Yuwon deliberately cleared his mind of distractions.

‘No, now isn’t the time for that. One mistake here, and I really will die.’

Not even during the Blood Incident at the Aphahiel Imperial Palace had death felt so close.

Yet the energies lurking nearby now made him think of nothing else but death.

For a long time, Yuwon had met no opponent who could threaten his life. But here, in this jungle, countless beings could tear him apart in an instant.

Those dangers awakened his survival instincts, driving him harder, shattering the complacency he hadn’t noticed taking root.

‘…So this is how it is. The answer’s clear now.’

To die—or to become strong enough to survive even here.

The choice was obvious.

Yuwon had no intention of dying quietly.

‘I will survive… no matter what!’

In his eyes, deep as the winter sea, a deadly resolve gleamed.

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