Chapter 20

A few days before arriving at Gikas’s nest.

The wendigo had originally planned to persuade the villages and form an alliance. However, there was a slight difference from the original method…

“Um, Spirit-nim. No matter how you look at it, won’t people be shocked if we approach carrying such things?”

Geron asked, pointing to the front. The warriors at the front were moving with spears in hand, expressions of disgust on their faces…

At the end of the spears hung corpses. Of course, they weren’t ordinary corpses.

The corpses of parasites and the warriors who had been their victims hung pitifully. Even for Geron, who had been with the wendigo for a long time, it was a bewildering order.

Why hang such things? They were already wary due to his appearance.

The warriors pricked up their ears at Geron’s question. They were curious too.

The wendigo nodded and said,

“They will be shocked. After all, it’s natural to be surprised when seeing such hideous corpses.”

“But why…”

“Geron. Think about it. Do you think those we need to persuade won’t be shocked at our first meeting even without these corpses?”

Geron pondered for a moment, then shook his head. Thinking about it, people being shocked was a constant. Anyone meeting the wendigo for the first time would inevitably be surprised.

If they were going to be shocked at the first meeting anyway, it was better to give a strong impact.

That way, they would immediately think, ‘Something, something is happening,’ wouldn’t they?

“People are easier to persuade when they’re excited or flustered rather than rational. When thoughts deepen, doubts increase, but when faced with a big problem, they focus only on the situation at hand.”

Of course, whether this was really true was uncertain. The wendigo had learned this as knowledge but had never used it.

It was merely knowledge learned from a professor in modern times…

“Indeed. Spirit-nim’s wisdom is truly vast. Is this also some hidden wisdom of nature?”

“Nature? It’s just the result of trying to understand the human heart.”

Geron and the warriors were greatly impressed. How long must he have tried to understand humans to have realized such things?

In reality, it was knowledge forcibly learned under the leash of grades, but the warriors who didn’t know about the terrible dungeon called university had no way of knowing this.

As the reason for hanging the corpses became clear, the warriors erased their uneasy expressions and marched proudly, raising their spears.

Of course, the combination of warriors marching proudly while hanging grotesque corpses and a monster was enough to throw villages into confusion.

If it stopped there, there would be room for suspicion to spring up.

The wendigo didn’t stop there. Every time his instructions fell, the warriors shouted loudly.

“A great crisis has come to the forest! If you want to protect your family, join us!”

“The devil hiding in the forest has revealed itself! Those who run away will have their bodies and souls stolen and suffer! Join us in punishing evil!”

What great crisis, and what devil hiding in the forest?

As the wendigo’s group just shouted without making any attacks or demands, the confused warriors naturally passed judgment to others. Namely, the village chief.

The palisade gate opened, and the village chief appeared with minimal guards.

The chief, with his long beard, stood straight, but his eyes trembled with fear.

The wendigo decided to speak first. The chief’s complexion looked too dark to have the energy to ask questions.

“First, I apologize for coming so noisily. If there hadn’t been a reason, I would have come more politely.”

“N-No, it’s fine. But… could you tell us why exactly you’ve come to us?”

The chief gathered courage to ask when the wendigo showed a gentle demeanor. After all, carrying corpses around wasn’t a normal thing.

The wendigo heaved a deep sigh. The sigh was so heavy that the chief unknowingly felt anxiety.

‘What on earth has happened for a spirit to show such an appearance?’

“Look at the corpse. Does it look like an ordinary corpse to you? Or do you sense some malice?”

The chief swallowed dryly and looked at the corpse hanging from the spear.

A strange creature neither snake nor worm, and a corpse eaten by bugs.

The chief wasn’t scared by parasites as thick as an arm. There were many monsters in the world that looked just as terrible.

However…

“Is, is this really a person? This is…”

“This is why we’ve come.”

The parasite’s puppet was different. Thanks to the wendigo’s cold energy, the creature’s condition from when it was alive remained vivid.

The sight of parasites revealed through skin bulging with wriggling worms and severed limbs was enough to disgust any human.

While the chief was staring at the corpse in shock, the wendigo unfolded his story.

The story that began with meeting Ivan gradually climbed uphill, reaching its climax in the village conquered by parasites.

“Can you imagine? The sight of humans whose bodies have been stolen and souls toyed with by parasites. I received a request from this warrior there. He asked me to take his life. He said that although his flesh was defiled, his soul wanted rest.”

“Ah…”

Although the story was mixed with some exaggeration and lies, it was all the more captivating because of it.

Before they knew it, the village warriors had gathered around the wendigo, listening intently to the story.

When the chief didn’t return, the warriors had bravely come to check and ended up hearing the story.

‘They must be curious since a monster, no, a spirit is telling a story.’

“So, so what happened to the warrior? Was he saved?”

“Yes. It was a difficult task. The warrior’s body was so strong that it was hard to believe it was controlled by parasites. Inevitably, the fight dragged on… and ended up in this state.”

The village warriors sighed and sent respectful gazes towards the corpse.

Those who knew the situation closed their eyes and composed themselves. Sometimes, it’s necessary to pretend not to know the lies of the person you serve.

The wendigo, feeling a twinge of conscience, scratched his chest and delivered the final touch.

“In the last moment, as the parasite crawled out, begging pathetically for its life, the warrior regained his body and said to me, ‘I was so sad to lose my family and friends, but I’m more afraid of the devil lurking in the mountains. O Spirit, please look after humans.'”

“Then, Spirit-nim!”

“Although I’m not human, the warrior’s last request touched my heart. So I swore, honoring the warrior’s soul, that I would prevent such sacrifices from happening again.”

“Ah! Truly an honorable warrior! To think such a warrior existed in this world!”

As the village warriors and chief shed tears of emotion, the wendigo cleared his throat. He felt embarrassed for making up a non-existent story.

‘I’ve turned the first parasite warrior from a mere number into a noble warrior.’

At this point, only the fact that the original was a warrior remained, but what did it matter?

The wendigo assessed the emotions of the village warriors. Indeed, their tears weren’t fake; the warriors were in a state of strong resolve and grand emotion.

Even the chief, who should have acted most rationally, was red-eyed and paying respects to the corpse, clearly making it the appropriate timing to make a proposal.

The wendigo stood up and opened his mouth in a solemn voice.

“I saw people there weeping as they cut down their families and friends, a sad sight that even I felt sorrow for. If we can’t stop them, such a tragedy might occur here too.”

The warriors nodded in agreement with the wendigo’s words.

According to the wendigo’s story, the parasites were no different from devils who insulted flesh and soul and followed vile desires. In fact, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

As the warriors’ emotions began to flare, the wendigo raised his hand high and said,

“I intend to keep the promise I made with the warrior, but I can’t guarantee that I can stop them alone. So I ask, those who will join me in preventing this tragedy, raise your hands.”

“I will go! Now that I know, I can’t just wait!”

“This is a matter of our families’ lives and souls. I may not know about other things, but I can’t tolerate this! I’ll go too!”

As one or two raised their hands, the warriors were swept up in the fervor and raised their hands. The wendigo’s warriors also cheered at this moving sight.

‘You guys shouldn’t be doing that…’

The wendigo looked at his own warriors with a salty gaze. Does it make sense for those who already know the situation to join in?

Of course, while it was absurd, he didn’t stop them. Unity itself wasn’t a bad thing.

The wendigo left the village that joined the alliance, gathering warriors and supplies. And he repeated this until he reached Gikas’s nest…

Thus, breaking Gikas’s narrow knowledge, he arrived at its nest leading over two hundred warriors.

No matter how much knowledge one accumulates, it can’t become wisdom.

---

The deep part of the forest was a place with dry air and settled cold. The snow covering the mountain and the frost showed how long the cold had persisted here.

‘No wonder humans didn’t discover it, hiding in a place like this.’s can live in any climate, but they don’t forcibly live in harsh places.

Just going down a bit from here, they could live in a moderately cold place, so humans had no reason to come this far. Thanks to this, it must have been able to hide comfortably.

The wendigo frowned at the stench flowing through the air.

“Geron, fall back and prepare for battle.”

“Spirit-nim. Is this the right place? Shouldn’t it be further inside…”

Geron asked, scanning the bare trees and snow before them. Not only was there no sign of the enemy, but there wasn’t even a hint of human presence.

Geron’s question was out of concern for the warriors’ mental fatigue, and the wendigo didn’t think his question was wrong.

However, while they could hide their appearance, they couldn’t deceive the wendigo’s senses. The wendigo manipulated cold energy to create a spear.

A spear twice as long and thick as usual.

The wendigo silently aimed the spear. Sensing that the wendigo’s mood was unusual, Geron stepped back and shouted to the warriors.

“Prepare for battle! The enemy will appear as soon as Spirit-nim throws his spear!”

Having a perceptive subordinate was this convenient. He did what needed to be done without further explanation.

Cold energy swirled around the spear, and the wendigo’s muscles twitched. The wendigo threw the spear with all his might.

Creating a gust of wind, the spear flew towards the snow-covered hill and.

Kwajijik!

With a loud noise, the log hidden under the snow burst open. Wood fragments and snow decorated the sky, but the spear didn’t stop there.

Behind the log, the spear passed through a deep, dark space and pierced into something with a dull sound.

『Kyaaaak!!!』

A terrible scream erupted from deep in the cave. As if that was a signal, enemies hidden in the snow all revealed themselves at once.

“How dare you harm our master’s body! Kill them all!!”

The enemies charged like a wave, their eyes blazing with killing intent.