The five-horned beast stood before them. The monstrous creature, once covered in thick layers of flesh and hide, now reduced to little more than creaking bones. It resembled the fossil of a dinosaur on display at a museum, a grotesque echo of its former self.0

Creak, creak.0

Then, its jaw opened with a grating noise, releasing a torrent of purple liquid that gushed from somewhere unseen, drenching the ground like a waterfall.0

Sssssss—0

Where the liquid touched, grass and stone alike melted, transforming the area into a swampy wasteland. Then, purple energy rose from the ground, seeping into the fallen corpses of the one-horned beasts. One by one, they began to rise again.0

“What a monster!” a warrior of the Mahal tribe gasped. 0

In their world, the dead didn’t rise. Therefore, the very idea of a beast they had slain moments ago standing up again was beyond comprehension. Yet, that was exactly what was happening. 0

Then, one of the reanimated one-horned beasts charged at a stunned warrior, its bony hooves thundering toward him.0

The warrior flinched in panic, desperately trying to dodge. Just then, a knife flew from somewhere, burying itself into the one-horned beast’s skull. 0

Swish! Thud!0

Whoosh—!0

Flames, bright and red as fresh blood, engulfed the knife. The fire swiftly consumed the creature’s head, turning it into ash.0

The Mahal warrior turned in the direction the knife had come from, locking eyes with the traveler, Kim Do-Joon. Their gaze met briefly, but after seeing that his attack was successful, Kim Do-Joon’s attention quickly shifted back to the monster in front of him. He couldn’t afford any distractions,...0