Chapter 642
Rustle.
A faint sound echoed, followed by a presence rapidly approaching from afar.
Sensing it, I instantly turned toward the direction of the movement and aimed Baekyeom like a flash of light. The Beast Miao King beside me was already channeling his inner energy—he must have had the same thought.
‘The Wraith of Mount Aino.’
But the next moment, that assumption was shattered. Beyond the darkened undergrowth, I caught sight of a white silhouette—and let out a sigh as I lowered my spear.
“Muyaho?”
– Roar!
Rustle!
With a short but powerful growl, the white tiger charged forward like the wind. For a brief moment, I thought it was attacking—but it brushed past me entirely and flopped down at the Beast Miao King’s feet, belly up in submission.
– Pant. Pant. Pant.
“Haha, yes, yes. You found us after all, clever beast.”
At this point, I wasn’t sure if I should call it a white tiger or a silver retriever.
Well, maybe one the size of ten retrievers put together.
‘Still, if this guy’s back, that means…’
As if reading my thoughts, the Beast Miao King stroked the tiger’s belly and asked,
“Where are the others?”
– Grrr.
With a pleased rumble, the tiger rose and let out a mighty roar. The sound pierced through the darkness and poisonous mist—and soon enough, torchlights flickered in the distance.
Dozens… no, nearly a hundred. And at their lead were familiar faces.
“Palace Lord.”
“Father! Are you unharmed?”
Baek Sang and Yal Mok, faces stern with concern, arrived at the head of the Southern Barbarian Palace’s warriors. Behind them, the Fire Dragon Pavilion members rushed toward me.
“Captain!”
“Mu-jin,” I said sharply. “Just to be clear—if you try to hug me, I won’t let you die pretty.”
“…Yes, sir.”
With the emotional charge of a tragic heroine, Hyuk Mu-jin froze mid-stride. I shrugged toward the others before they could start talking.
“Long story short—want to hear it here, or outside?”
I didn’t need to hear their answer.
This wasn’t some cozy café with sentimental pop songs—it was a poison swamp. No one wanted to linger for a chat.
Then the system, as if waiting for the perfect moment, chimed in.
Ding.
– Quest [Do Not Cross That Swamp, My Friend] has been successfully completed!
– Quest rewards granted!
– Significant experience and fame acquired!
– You have obtained [Top-Grade Antidote Liquor ×5]!
– Rare Achievement: [How Did You Even Come Back?!] unlocked!
– Rare Title: [Pioneer of the Poison-Blooded Land] obtained!
—
That night, the darkness over the Southern Barbarian Region felt unusually long. But every beginning has its end.
By the time the hundred elite warriors who had rushed to Mount Aino returned to the Southern Barbarian Palace, dawn was breaking. And many saw their return with their own eyes.
“Did you hear? Something big happened last night.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, old Mong from the western outer palace said—”
“Wait, what?! He’s still alive? I thought he died last year!”
“For crying out loud…”
By morning, the rumors had already spread like wildfire.
A major event had occurred somewhere in the Southern Barbarian Region. Baek Sang, the Great Chief of the Baek Tribe, and Yal Mok had led a hundred elite warriors beyond the outer palace walls—and returned just a few hours later.
At their lead were the Palace Lord, the Beast Miao King, and Jin Taekyung himself.
Considering that the Southern Barbarian Palace rarely intervened directly in tribal affairs, the fact that the Palace Lord had personally gone into action was monumental.
But the rumors didn’t stop there.
“They say it happened in Mount Aino.”
“Mount Aino? That Mount Aino?”
“Is there any other? The merchants from a village a hundred li away saw it firsthand last night. They were up late balancing their ledgers.”
The name Wudu Clan still lingered like a curse upon the Southern Barbarians.
Their ancestors had fought bitterly against that poisonous sect, paying a heavy price to build the peace that existed today.
And yet, the incident had taken place at none other than Mount Aino—the Wudu Clan’s former stronghold.
Ordinarily, no one would even speak the name aloud. But if trouble had broken out there, it was impossible to ignore.
“Good heavens. Go on, what else did you hear?”
From the marketplace to dim taverns, from alleys to crowded stalls—the story passed from one mouth to another, echoing across the city.
By the time the sun had risen, the rumors had reached even the chieftains gathered for the upcoming Great Tribal Assembly.
And to everyone’s surprise, the rumors weren’t baseless—they were remarkably accurate.
“The whole region’s in uproar. There isn’t a soul who hasn’t heard.”
“The real problem is—it’s not just idle gossip, is it?”
Though the assembly gathered only once a year, no one had time for greetings.
Inside the massive Inner Palace hall, the tribal chiefs sat grim-faced, their voices low and heavy.
“As you’ve all been informed, this is no minor issue. A hundred elite warriors perished in the Poison-Blooded Land near Mount Aino.”
“I’ve heard talk of the Thousand-Year Spiders, but five of them? That’s hard to believe.”
“I understand your doubt, but it’s true. Their corpses remain. The Palace Lord himself led the counterattack and personally annihilated them.”
The middle-aged chief who had been speaking calmly added in a lower tone,
“And with him was that young man from the Murim Alliance—the Blazing Fire Dragon, Jin Taekyung.”
The chieftains here ruled their respective territories across the Southern Barbarian Region. Naturally, they all knew about the young outsider—and their reactions varied.
“Ho…”
“Ahem.”
Some nodded in admiration; others gave awkward coughs or stared into the distance.
But unlike before, none of them called him a “damn Han.”
Even those who distrusted outsiders knew the truth—Jin Taekyung’s contribution had been decisive.
“If not for him, this would have ended far worse. Perhaps even the Palace Lord himself would have been caught in the spiders’ web—”
Bang!
A loud slam cut him off.
All eyes turned to one side of the hall. One of the chieftains, whose face had been sour since Jin Taekyung’s name came up, had struck the stone table.
“I tried to hold my tongue, but I can’t stomach this anymore. Watch your words, Chief Jang! The Palace Lord is far stronger than you think. None of us need help from a weak Han outsider!”
The other chief frowned slightly.
“Such pride and courage—admirable. But tell me, didn’t you hear that this ‘weak outsider’ killed two Thousand-Year Spiders and thousands of venomous beasts by himself? That he’s the heir to the Fire King’s martial legacy?”
“T-That’s…”
“And wasn’t it you who trespassed into my tribe’s lands five years ago—despite the Palace Lord’s mediation? Let’s speak honestly, shall we? Your loyalty lies not with the Palace Lord, but with Baek Sang. Everyone here knows you’re his lapdog.”
“What?! Lapdog? You bastard snake!”
“Snake? Look who’s talking—venomous scum leftover from the Wudu Clan!”
Bang!
The two men leapt to their feet, glaring daggers at each other as if about to draw steel—
Rumble!
The great stone doors of the hall groaned open.
Step. Step.
Three figures entered.
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the hall, silencing the tension instantly.
The man at the front stopped and spoke, his voice sharp and cold.
“Seems I’ve interrupted.”
“Please, go on,” he said, though no one dared to speak.
The arguments, so loud a moment ago, vanished like smoke. The heavy silence that followed pressed upon everyone in the hall.
The two chiefs who had been about to fight now wore starkly different expressions—one relieved, one pale.
“Welcome, Great Chief Baek Sang.”
Baek Sang gave a faint glance toward the sycophant before turning to the other chief.
“An interesting conversation. I almost wanted to hear more.”
“Been a while, Chief Jang. You’ve grown awfully quiet.”
The middle-aged man bit his lip and bowed his head.
“Greetings, Great Chief Baek Sang.”
Beside Baek Sang stood two other figures—the Great Chief of the Yo Tribe, Yohee, and a broad-shouldered man with a dark complexion, Heukung.
Yohee smiled faintly.
“Looks like he’s pretending we’re invisible, huh, Brother Heukung?”
“Huh? Oh—right. Can’t ignore our lovely Yohee, can we?”
Heukung chuckled awkwardly, but Baek Sang’s cold gaze made his face stiffen immediately.
“S-sorry, Uncle Baek. I didn’t mean—”
“Oh, nonsense. Our handsome Brother Heukung did nothing wrong, right?”
“R-right. Yohee’s right.”
Baek Sang clicked his tongue and continued walking toward the center of the hall. At the massive stone table sat thirty-one figures—tribal chiefs and great chiefs alike.
He stopped at the head seat, the one reserved for him.
But as his gaze swept the room, his brow furrowed.
“Two seats are empty.”
The remark caught everyone off guard. For a moment, no one understood what he meant—until Yohee giggled.
“How strange. Why are two seats empty?”
There were always thirty-two seats at the assembly. There had been for a hundred years. Even sub-chiefs were required to stand if all seats were filled.
Yet today, there should have been only one vacant spot. Now, there were two.
“Why…?”
Someone whispered the question aloud—
Rumble.
The great stone door opened once more.
And beyond it, two silhouettes slowly emerged.
Baek Sang’s eyes darkened as he looked toward them.