Chapter 39: Blessing of the Mountain Lord, Birth of the Monster

A newborn cub of Haran gasped for breath.

Its body felt like a blazing fire.

“The symptoms are similar to those when infected by the virus.”

Dohyun examined the symptoms and spoke.

An unstable pulse, a body burning like fire.

High fever, coughing, and heavy breathing—all signs pointed to infection by the Taebaeksan Virus.

That’s why it hadn’t been cured until now.

Because it wasn’t a simple illness.

No matter how many medicinal herbs were given, the symptoms wouldn’t improve.

Moreover, it was still a young creature.

No matter how strong the magical beast, it hadn’t fully matured.

That meant it was vulnerable to the external environment.

Unlike Chun San Gun, who had lived in a magically charged environment for a long time, the newborn San Gun’s immunity against the virus was weak.

In fact, it was surprising the cub was still alive.

That was only possible because it was an emergency magical beast.

But now, it was reaching its limit.

Its young body couldn’t endure any longer.

The virus had already invaded every organ.

Fortunately, there was a solution.

An all-purpose item that protected the body from any virus.

“Wait a moment. If it’s a virus, there’s a cure.”

Honey Jelly.

From the inventory, a soft, squishy jelly was taken out and fed to the cub.

Then.

Se-ack.

Se-e.

Purr.

Gururong.

The breathing began to return to normal.

The fever hadn’t subsided yet but would soon reach normal body temperature.

The mother Chun San Gun carefully tended to her cub.

After grooming its matted fur and tending to its body, the newborn showed a relaxed expression.

Krrrung.

The lord of Taebaeksan bowed its head to us in gratitude.

It was a blessing.

We couldn’t just let this go.

“Please wait a moment.”

Seo Rin spoke as she watched the Chun San Gun sprinting away somewhere.

By now, she had established a connection with it.

Perhaps it had grown to another level from before.

Like the unseen bond that grows between my brothers and me.

Soon, the Chun San Gun returned at the speed of the wind, its mouth full of various medicinal herbs.

Many were unfamiliar, but one was unmistakable.

“Sa—San Sam.”

Its large body and leaves clearly marked it as San Sam.

[3,000-Year-Old San Sam] A mystical herb brimming with mysterious energy.

When consumed, it greatly enhances the life force of the being and cures all diseases.

It was San Sam aged for an incredible 3,000 years.

No ordinary elixir could compare.

Infused with the energy and power of the earth, San Sam was literally a panacea.

“This is for Woo min.”

“Of course. If not Woo min, then who else?”

“I agree.”

Everyone said, looking at me.

To give something so precious without hesitation to me.

“It would be worth an enormous amount even if sold.”

“No way. You absolutely shouldn’t sell it. Better to consume it now. It’s for everyone’s sake.”

Dohyun quickly objected upon hearing me.

Sell this?

Sure, there are countless wealthy people on Earth.

But if you had to choose the most important person?

Of course, an SSS-rank player like Woo min.

You can’t give away such a priceless elixir just to make money.

“Exactly. You absolutely can’t sell it.”

Seo Rin joined in.

Even if auctioned, it might only fetch a few tens of billions.

Better to consume it now.

“If everyone insists that way, I can’t argue. But I won’t let you eat it now; I’ll keep it safe first.”

I understood everyone’s feelings.

Still, it felt like a waste.

It was a panacea.

If someone were ever to contract an incurable disease—

We’d use it then.

It would surely be a great help in a truly critical moment.

Then, the rest was distributed one by one by Chun San Gun.

Dohyun received a 500-year-old Doraji.

Seolha got a 600-year-old Baek Soo Oh.

“I’m going to make it into a tincture.”

Dohyun licked his lips, satisfied with the sturdy Doraji.

This wasn’t just any Doraji.

It was 500 years old.

Though not as potent as San Sam, it would make an incredible stamina-boosting liquor.

Seolha had the same thought.

Baek Soo Oh was known to be beneficial for women.

However, Seo Rin received nothing.

Instead.

Krrrung.

The Chun San Gun pressed its head against her.

Seo Rin hesitated briefly, understanding its meaning.

“Are you sure it’s alright?”

She was the master of the mountain.

Even if she had the ability to contract with Haran, it felt too much.

Haran was undoubtedly a remarkable magical beast.

Still, it couldn’t be compared to Chun San Gun.

Krrrung.

The mountain lord nodded to her question.

It was the greatest gift it could give.

She wouldn’t be climbing the tower alongside Haran.

But having a secret move she could use in the most critical moments was a huge advantage.

Especially since she hadn’t yet reached the 50th floor.

Unexpected situations could arise at any time.

There was no guarantee that an assassination wouldn’t happen again, like with Mitsuru Naseijiro.

In such cases, the mountain lord would be a great help.

Kaung!

Just then, the newborn San Gun yawned and stood up.

Then suddenly,

Wah-rak.

It embraced me.

The mother chose Seo Rin.

The cub chose me.

***

Another bright day in the hidden plain.

Unlike usual, it was noisy and bustling.

All because of the training with the San Guns.

The mother Chun San Gun and the newborn had been invited to the plain.

Perhaps because they had chosen partners of their own will.

Like brothers, they could freely enter the tower.

Thanks to this, Seo Rin and I began training in the plain.

Including Seolha, who helped with the training.

Well, training was mostly just—

“The baby Chun San Gun’s hands.”

Kaung!

“Done.”

It was mostly like this.

There was no need to teach the young San Gun how to fight monsters yet.

Playing around like this while eating delicious food was training enough.

Like a young creature, the baby San Gun perfectly followed the commands.

Hands, feet, handstands, backflips.

And the speed—how fast it was! If I threw something, it would return in seconds.

When I gave the baby San Gun a meat snack from a skewer, it wore a very satisfied expression.

That’s right. Eat a lot and grow big.

Meanwhile, Seo Rin and Haran were undergoing grueling training.

Their coaches were Seolha, Korea’s world ranking number one, and Chun San Gun, lord of Taebaeksan.

“You’re still lacking.”

Seolha, who created dozens of ice walls, shouted.

Seo Rin synchronized her breathing with Haran.

Climbing onto its back to shoot arrows or maintaining formation in the front and rear were their main moves.

However, as they climbed floors, their power was insufficient.

In the 30th floor range, they mainly fought underwater.

Battling monsters that thrived underwater was especially challenging for Seo Rin.

First, Haran.

No matter how much the White Tiger’s grade improved, it was a land animal.

Fighting underwater wasn’t easy.

Even Seo Rin’s flaming arrows often became useless in the water.

That was why she remained stuck in the early 30s floors.

So, Seolha erected ice walls to mitigate movement.

Narrow passages limited Haran’s movement and neutralized Seo Rin’s arrow attacks.

“Huff, understood.”

Seo Rin nodded, swallowing her breath.

The goal was to defeat the void Abyss hiding between the ice walls.

But they failed repeatedly.

Why?

Look there.

The mother Chun San Gun stood majestically atop the wall.

A true tiger instructor.

Anyone who tried to pass through the wall even a little slower would—

Kraaah—

A fiery roar was released.

The Chun San Gun, much bigger and more agile than Haran, moved swiftly.

It was no coincidence it was an emergency magical beast.

They repeated this endlessly without rest.

Seo Rin and Haran were utterly exhausted.

“Good job.”

Seolha handed a towel to Seo Rin.

She suddenly asked for help in training and worked so hard.

Though she was a cherished junior, it was admirable.

“Thank you.”

Seo Rin smiled brightly as she accepted the towel.

How long had it been since she last trained wholeheartedly?

Looking back, it seemed there was none since the early days of her awakening.

The association work, tower climbing—using all kinds of excuses.

She had been neglecting what was most important.

Krrrung.

The Chun San Gun approached slowly, as if to say it was proud of Seo Rin too.

“Thank you, Mountain Lord.”

Seo Rin spoke.

The Chun San Gun said something to her.

It seemed to beckon her.

“Huh? Follow me?”

Krrrung.

What could it be?

Seo Rin, who didn’t even know the language, followed the Chun San Gun.

They moved to a place where others wouldn’t be disturbed.

It was the final part of training.

If the bond with Haran had grown, now it was time to synchronize breathing with the Chun San Gun.

However, Seo Rin’s mana was still insufficient.

Handling an emergency magical beast was no easy feat.

Still, the Chun San Gun didn’t hesitate.

“I’m ready.”

Having drunk a potion, Seo Rin’s mana fully recovered.

This was enough for just one use.

A secret technique.

With resolve, the Chun San Gun took a deep breath and shouted toward the front.

Kraaah—

An immense roar.

It was a shouting attack!

The sheer force shook the earth, uprooting weeds.

Its power was formidable enough to be called destructive.

This was the power of an ^ grade magical beast.

But.

Thud—

Having used all her mana, Seo Rin sat down, gasping for breath.

As companions of the Chun San Gun, they shared mana.

Usually, when mana was insufficient, the Chun San Gun compensated.

But during strong attacks like this, Seo Rin’s mana drained instead.

At this level, it was only sustainable once.

Even with potions, more than twice was difficult.

Still, as a secret technique, it was more than enough.

Seo Rin gained a powerful area attack she hadn’t had before.

She had finally broken through the barrier of her abilities!

***

Underground laboratory of Japan’s Seryu Group.

Its leader Yamamoto Takehiko, stared at the monitor with a grave expression.

The time he promised was only two weeks.

One week had already passed.

Yet there was no progress in tower climbing.

Still, there was no impatience in him.

Only a gleam of madness in his eyes.

– P-please save me. I beg you……

On the screen, a man was screaming in agony.

Black veins covered his entire body, and his eyes were bloodshot.

His body convulsed violently.

Then.

Crack.

His body began to twist in a grotesque manner.

Soon, the man transformed into a form unrecognizable as human.

The figure was akin to a monster.

Takehiko watched it with satisfaction.

The preparations for tower climbing were finally complete.

A transparent glass vial held a black liquid.

Though after a certain time, the player would be unable to withstand the magical power and turn into a monster—an adverse effect—it didn’t matter.

Only one use was needed.

The adverse effect started roughly after a week.

Within that time, the remaining three stages would be cleared.