Chapter 182

Seolpung muttered to himself without realizing it.

“That guy—who is he?”

Sun Woojin answered with wide eyes, equally surprised.

“I think that’s the one. The one we saw back in Dokrim.”

Jungchil frowned and asked sharply,

“What? You actually know him?”

Before them was a massive black leopard, as big as a tiger, with dozens of demons trailing behind it as it fled.

Well, “fleeing” might not be the right word.

The black leopard wasn’t sprinting to put distance between itself and the demons. Instead, it seemed to be deliberately adjusting its pace, almost inviting them to follow.

It looked less like a retreat and more like a lure.

Irritated, Jungchil whispered again,

“I’m asking if you know him or not!”

Sun Woojin answered without hesitation.

“Yes. That black leopard is probably the one we encountered before in the place called Dokrim. It was tiger-sized, with venomous claws and combat skills rivaling top-tier masters. It even fought alongside the Bloodthirsty Demon General, Jikwangok.”

“What? A leopard with peak-level combat skills? Fighting the Bloodthirsty Demon General?”

Jungchil stared incredulously at the approaching black leopard.

Then, with a hint of awe, he said,

“Huh. Definitely not your average wild beast. Incredible speed and agility. And is it really luring the demons?”

Sun Woojin, who had been thinking the same thing moments ago, smiled and shook his head.

“No matter how smart it is for a leopard, deliberately leading demons into a trap seems a bit much.”

But before he could say more, Mukrang spoke up.

“That’s exactly what it’s doing.”

“Huh?”

“That beast is genuinely luring the demons.”

Sun Woojin was left speechless.

“How can you be so sure?”

Mukrang replied matter-of-factly,

“It’s constantly sending out its will, signaling the demons to follow.”

“…What?”

“Looks like it’s protecting something. Probably its young or a female. It’s trying to draw the demons away from it.”

Sun Woojin was stunned.

Could that really be true?

Even if it was, how could anyone understand that?

Mukrang chuckled softly and explained,

“Humans might have become so accustomed to language that they’ve forgotten how to read pure will. But think about it—creatures without language still communicate their intentions. Maybe ancient humans were the same.”

Sun Woojin’s mouth fell open in amazement.

He finally understood what Mukrang meant.

“So, you can read the will of animals?”

“Not all animals. But one like that? Definitely. That one’s probably a spiritual beast—or a yokai. It’s on that level.”

It was incredible.

To understand another’s intentions without words—just through will.

If that were truly possible…

Sun Woojin’s mind raced with the possibilities such an ability could unlock.

Then Seolpung whispered,

“They’re getting closer. What’s the plan, Jin?”

Jungchil replied nonchalantly, as if the question was obvious.

“What plan? Since it’s nothing to do with us, we head back. Besides, it doesn’t seem to be coming directly toward us.”

Given the urgency and the need to avoid a commotion, that was a reasonable choice.

But Sun Woojin’s decision was different.

After briefly checking for other presences nearby and confirming none, he whispered quickly,

“Let’s wipe out the demons. Fast and quiet.”

Jungchil frowned deeply.

“Huh? Didn’t you say no commotion?”

Sun Woojin grinned.

“Exactly why we have to be fast and quiet.”

Then, without hesitation, he lunged toward the demons.

Crack!

Seolpung followed suit.

Crack!

Seeing them move without question, Jungchil grumbled as he leapt after them.

“What’s with these kids? No resistance at all? Did they get hypnotized or something?”

The black leopard, luring the demons forward, flinched when Sun Woojin suddenly appeared like a gale from the front.

But when their eyes met—Sun Woojin’s steady gaze locking with the leopard’s yellow eyes—Sun Woojin smiled.

Then he passed the leopard and charged straight into the demons.

Moonlight Phantom Sword Dance—First Form.

“Hyunwol.”

Whoosh!

In a world veiled in a dreamlike mist, Sun Woojin’s sword unleashed a cloudy, misty aura.

Seven Steps of the Silent Sword Technique—Seventh Step.

Black Sky Sword Rain.

Shu-shaak!

As the misty clouds rained down like a storm of sword energy, the demons Sun Woojin brushed past were instantly pierced, torn apart, and utterly decimated.

Shraaak!

“Kyaaaah!”

“Gyaaaah!”

No matter the demon type—be it lesser or greater—they fell, even the iron demons pierced through the head by a single beam of sword energy.

At the same time, Seolpung, passing the black leopard from another direction, crashed into the demons.

Boom!

“Kyaaaah!”

“Gyaaaah!”

The demons collided with Seolpung and scattered like grains of sand.

Seolpung’s body was torn and scorched by the blazing red energy of his fierce tiger strike.

He tore through the demons as if running through an empty field.

Behind him, the torn and shredded demon corpses scattered, clearing a path.

Jungchil, arriving a bit late to the fight, couldn’t help but scowl.

The two had already crushed most of the demons, leaving him only the cleanup.

He grumbled again,

“These brats don’t even respect their senior!”

But despite his complaints, his hands never stopped.

Fyu-shu-shu-shuk!

From his fingers shot out beams of dark energy, piercing the heads of the remaining demons.

With three warriors boasting near-absolute martial prowess, dozens of demons were wiped out in an instant.

Meanwhile, the black leopard watched the battle with a dazed expression.

Sun Woojin found it fascinating that the leopard could look so dazed—and that he could read that expression.

He slowly approached the beast.

Suddenly, the black leopard lunged at Sun Woojin.

Crack!

“An attack?”

Frowning, Sun Woojin prepared to swing his sword.

But Mukrang quickly stopped him.

“Wait! It’s not attacking. Hold on.”

Sun Woojin hesitated, and sure enough, the black leopard landed right in front of him, growling urgently.

“Grrr…”

The beast looked back and forth between Sun Woojin and the direction they had come from, using its whole body to convey some message.

Sun Woojin couldn’t understand the exact words, but the desperate look in its eyes was unmistakable.

Mukrang said,

“See? You’re starting to read its will. It’s asking you to come with it. Begging for help.”

Hearing that, Sun Woojin was convinced.

He asked Mukrang,

“Could you send will back to it? Communicate in return?”

Mukrang replied with a teasing tone,

“Hmm, if I controlled your body, maybe. Want me to?”

He was joking, implying that while he could read the will residing in Sun Woojin’s mind, he couldn’t send any back unless he took over his body.

Sun Woojin chuckled.

“No way I’m wasting one of my last two chances like that. Too bad. I’ll try myself.”

He locked eyes with the black leopard, pointed to himself, then slowly pointed toward the direction the leopard was looking, and asked,

“You want to come with us over there?”

Jungchil, who had been cleaning up demons nearby, caught sight of this and scoffed.

“Hah! Now you’re trying to talk to beasts? You’re desperate to become a freak or what—huh?!”

But Jungchil’s laughter froze in surprise.

The black leopard, as if truly understanding Sun Woojin’s words, bounded like a playful kitten and nodded its head.

Jungchil blinked in disbelief.

“What… what is this? Are you really talking to a beast?”

Seolpung, standing nearby, exclaimed with genuine admiration,

“Communicating with a black leopard! Jin really is amazing.”

But Sun Woojin ignored their reactions, continuing to meet the leopard’s gaze and nodding.

“Alright. I’ll go with you.”

Rising to his feet, the black leopard quickly dashed off in that direction, then looked back as if urging them to hurry.

Sun Woojin turned to his companions.

“Let’s go. Looks like this one needs our help.”

With that, Sun Woojin and Seolpung took off immediately, while Jungchil, still baffled, shook his head and followed behind.

“That guy’s strange. Really strange.”

A little later, Sun Woo-jin and his group, who had followed the black leopard, finally understood why it had been luring the demons.

They had arrived at a small earthen mound.

Apparently, the black leopard was fiercely protecting something inside a small burrow within that mound.

But a dozen or so demons were relentlessly digging into the burrow.

Suddenly, Jung Chil muttered, “So even aside from the demons that guy was leading away earlier, there were still that many left. No wonder he went all out to lure them away.”

Sun Woo-jin nodded in agreement and glanced at a black leopard pacing around the burrow.

“That one must be a female,” he murmured.

Unlike the other black leopard that had come with the demons, this one was about the size of a regular leopard and was wandering nearby, trying to draw the demons’ attention.

But most of the remaining demons were intelligent Zhugui.

They didn’t seem interested in the leopard.

Only a couple of Zhugui threatened the leopard, trying to chase it off, while the rest ignored it completely, focusing solely on expanding the burrow and digging deeper into the mound.

“Kyaaaang!”

The black leopard let out a sharp roar and charged at the Zhugui as soon as they arrived.

Sun Woo-jin followed closely behind and told his companions, “Let’s take care of this quickly.”

They were three masters capable of unleashing extraordinary martial prowess.

Clearing out a mere dozen demons was a matter of moments.

Crunch!

When Jung Chil smashed the last Zhugui’s head, barely five breaths had passed.

With all the demons dealt with, the two black leopards—one the size of a tiger and the other the female—rubbed against each other affectionately, licking one another in a joyful reunion.

Then, the female let out a low cry toward the burrow, and three small black leopard cubs crawled out one after another.

They were about the size of puppies, their sleek black fur making them irresistibly cute.

Jung Chil couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my!”

Though they were wild beasts, the little cubs looked just like kittens.

But seeing blood trickling from one cub’s leg, it became clear why the demons had been so obsessed with them.

Sun Woo-jin admired their adorable appearance and muttered softly, “Looks like he’s become a father in the meantime.”

Seol Poong nodded absentmindedly and added, “So that’s why the one from Dokrim moved all the way here—to raise the cubs.”

Jung Chil was completely captivated by the cubs’ cuteness, barely paying attention to their conversation.

Then, snapping back to reality, he frowned deeply and said, “Saving these little ones was worthwhile, but isn’t this exactly the wrong time for us to be distracted?”

Sun Woo-jin nodded and stepped forward.

It was time to get down to business.

As he approached, the female and cubs immediately became wary, darting behind the larger black leopard for protection.

Sun Woo-jin carefully crouched down and spoke slowly to the leopard.

“We’re planning to enter the cave over that way. Besides the entrance guarded by people, is there another way in? If you know, could you show us?”

He kept eye contact with the leopard, pointing gently toward the cave, trying to convey his sincerity and intentions as clearly as possible.

If the creature truly was a spiritual beast, as Mukrang had said, it would understand him.

For a moment, the black leopard stared silently at Sun Woo-jin, then simply turned its head to look back at the female.

“Ah…”

Sun Woo-jin couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

It seemed his message hadn’t gotten through.

Jung Chil, watching with wide eyes and disbelief, scoffed, “Hmph! Of course. What kind of answer could you expect asking such a complicated question of a mere wild animal? What a waste of time!”

Then, suddenly, the black leopard let out a low growl, as if giving instructions to the female and cubs, before turning back and leaping toward the direction Sun Woo-jin had indicated.

It looked back at him, as if asking, “Why aren’t you coming?”

Jung Chil was left speechless, mouth agape, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Sun Woo-jin himself wasn’t entirely sure if the leopard truly understood his will or was just heading that way by chance.

At that moment, Mukrang smiled and said, “Congratulations. You’ve just had your first successful communication with a spiritual beast. Your intentions were conveyed perfectly. It’s urging you to follow quickly.”

Hearing Mukrang’s confirmation, Sun Woo-jin finally broke into a bright smile.

With newfound confidence, he told his companions, “Let’s move. Looks like we’ve found a shortcut.”

Jung Chil, still dazed, asked, “Hey, what exactly did you do? What kind of trick was that?”

Sun Woo-jin grinned and replied, “Isn’t it obvious? You have to ask the locals for directions.”

“W-well, it’s not like it’s a local ‘person’ exactly…”

But no one paid attention to Jung Chil’s muttering.

Sun Woo-jin and Seol Poong followed the black leopard at a sprint, while Jung Chil, as if under a spell, took a small sip from his gourd of soju and trailed behind in a daze.

Not long after, all five—except for Da-kam—were able to infiltrate the interior of Muhwang Fortress through a collapsed crevice on the opposite mountain side of Gwisogok, guided by the black leopard.

The progress was far faster than Sun Woo-jin had anticipated.