Chapter 142: Tiger Hunt

We arrived in Wonsan.

Wonsan was one of the places heavily damaged by the Cataclysm, and now it was home to mountains dotted with building ruins.

And in this place, there was a giant tiger.

Even from the base of the mountain, it was so huge that it was clearly visible.

I spread my wings and raised my halo.

Then, together with the returnee party, I slowly began climbing the mountain.

“It’s huge. Really.”

“Hmm. I never imagined something that massive could exist.”

Yeah, this is a first for me too.

It’s dragon-class.

The closest thing I’ve seen on Earth was the bone of a death dragon.

And unfortunately, this thing was that size.

It had flesh, and it looked strong.

Could it be even stronger than the death dragon?

Maybe it was on the divine beast level, like the one in Yukran.

But this one was pitch black.

“Could it be friendly?”

“Black things are always symbols of corruption and evil. That’s a monster.”

“…You’re one to talk.”

Seriously, why does this shrine maiden complain so much?

This is why shrine maidens don’t work.

“A goddess is different, obviously.”

“But how does something like that even exist? Hmm. What do we do with it?”

Should we really kill it?

Still, something that big might be useful somehow.

Maybe we could use it to screw with the Guild Alliance.

First, let’s observe the situation and figure out how to cause trouble for them.

“Even if we kill it, who knows what we’ll get from it?”

“Exactly. People say it’s not even worth the labor cost.”

Not worth the labor cost—so if there’s no reward big enough to justify hunting it, it’s a loss.

“Ahh, that’s probably why the Guild Alliance hasn’t moved on it.”

“Right? Those arrogant bastards are probably just putting it off because there’s no money in it.”

There must’ve been discussion about North Korea for a long time.

But seeing how there’s been no real progress, the answer is probably already clear.

“Hmm. In that case, it’s to our advantage. If the Guild Alliance is hesitating, we should act first.”

“Not a bad idea. And because of us, they might start aiming for North Korea too.”

“Are we even sure that thing is attacking North Koreans?”

We might need to interpret the situation differently.

What if the locals are worshipping it as a divine beast or something?

If, by any chance, that tiger is being revered by the locals, killing it would just alienate them.

Right now, we need to spread the Kanora faith among the North Koreans, so we have to be cautious about things like this.

“Well, judging by the skulls nearby, I’d say it’s true. And clearly there are people living in the area.”

Sure enough, near the giant tiger, I could see skulls.

Some were shattered entirely, while others had bones stacked like trophies, resembling fish bones that had been picked clean.

“Are they here?”

“I can sense people emotionally reacting and looking this way.”

“Then it’s confirmed. Let’s go take it down.”

The North Koreans must be watching us in bewilderment right now.

Who are these people?

Did they come to die?

Who is that angel with wings up front?

Then let’s prove that I am that angel, that savior—by taking down that tiger.

Only by doing that will they treat me as a divine being.

Then we can spread Kanora and begin converting them in earnest.

“GRRRRRR! ROAAAR!”

As we approached, the tiger quickly stood up.

The black beast roared at us as if ready to pounce.

We could feel it—it was a powerful one.

“That’s a quick reaction. I guess it recognizes us as enemies.”

“The strong can sense the strong. It probably knows we’re here to take its life.”

Battle mage and Cheonma nodded.

If it can tell that much, then it’s at least a mid-tier powerhouse.

We shouldn’t let our guard down.

Even if it’s weaker than a demon king, we can’t forget what happened with the death dragon—underestimating it led to that succubus becoming the pride of Joseon.

“Alright. When it charges, we crush its skull.”

“ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!”

But the tiger didn’t charge.

It just let out a thunderous roar.

Yet that roar wasn’t ordinary.

The sheer resonance rattled my eardrums.

And for just a moment, something sharp and stinging struck my body.

“A roar loud enough to burst eardrums?”

“That’s sonic waves.”

A sonic attack?

I think I get the gist—but to think it actually exists like this.

Is it like how orcs slice through the air?

“Cheonma, do you know what this is?”

“There are martial arts that use sound waves. It’s not impossible. But they usually cause internal damage.”

“So this is beyond ‘usual,’ huh.”

I looked down at my slightly red, stinging skin.

To think it dared to harm my delicate skin!

These beasts, seriously.

Maybe I was going too easy on it.

At the very least, I should’ve been reinforcing my body.

Because I didn’t, the sonic wave hit me full-on.

“Yeah. That thing can cause real, physical wounds.”

“We probably can’t even approach it right now.”

Either way, it’s dangerous.

I wasn’t even hit at full force, and yet one sonic blast did this much.

—So strong…

The saintess is just a baby… the saintess is precious.

It’ll probably follow up with even stronger attacks using those thick front paws.

If it hits us, it’s definitely going to hurt.

Maybe we should send in an orc for a head-on battle.

“So it uses sonic attacks to drive people away, and when necessary, comes down to prey on them?”

“That might not be far off.”

“Let’s do this all at once. We can’t waste time here. We are followers of the Goddess. Our position is different from when we faced the Death Dragon.”

In other words, we’re way stronger now than back then.

Empowered by the Demon God’s power, calling us the strongest on Earth wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

We’ve already played the role of heroes in fantasy worlds, and we’re not stupid enough to lose here.

“It definitely looks weaker than the Death Dragon, in more ways than one.”

“Then, Cheonma, fire hundreds of rounds with your Energy pulse from all directions. Battle mage, use your spear of light. Ttaengchili, keep scanning the nearby North Koreans. Young girl, start making a map. Slave Elf, please help suppress its attacks. Orc, if that bastard tries to go for close combat, please counter it.”

“And me?”

“Korea’s pride? Hmm. Dance the Dance of Courtship in front of it.”

Everyone was assigned their roles.

The strongest ones were tasked with fighting the tiger directly, while Ttaengchili and the Young girl focused on scouting the surroundings for mobility and strategic advantage.

Fshhhh—!

“Kyooooooohhh!”

Energy pulse shots rained down on the tiger.

The tiger roared and swung its forepaw at them.

Unfortunately, our tiger wasn’t exactly the brightest.

Charging in recklessly as expected, its forepaw was blocked by the Orc.

Now I just had to wait for my chance and go for the skull.

“Thing is, I’m basically a munchkin. So no matter what you do—it’s useless.”

“GRRRRAAAAARRR!”

“Not even close~!”

The second sonic attack was blocked by the slave elf.

Now it was my turn.

I pulled out a giant scythe of death and charged at the tiger’s head with full force.

“Too bad, but attacks from mere beasts can’t reach me! SKULL—!”

CRACKLE!

The tiger’s skull cracked forcefully, but its eyes were still wide open, glaring at me.

So even with brain damage, it’s still standing.

Typical monster.

Now it seems to have locked onto me as its target, swinging its forepaw while charging.

The orc occasionally helped deflect its strikes with wind-slicing counters, but how long can that hold?

“GRRRRRRRR—GRAAAAARR!”

“Skull!”

CRACK!

Another full-force swing of the scythe cracked the skull again.

It only feels like it’s breaking though—it’s so dark I can’t really see clearly.

—Ohh, this soul is extremely tempting. Hurry. Hurry and devour it!

“You’re such a greedy thing, honestly.”

—Can’t you hurry? My heart is pounding with excitement!

They sounded really desperate.

Is that how tasty that soul looks?

Hmm…

Now that I think about it, something this huge and powerful must have a delicious soul.

It might make a perfect offering to our Goddess.

But now that they’re rushing me, I kinda feel like teasing a little.

“You’re acting like a little kid. Want some num-num?”

—You haven’t forgotten that I gave you that body, right?

“Then this counts as… self-touching? Doesn’t it?”

Whatever.

Probably.

“GRRRROOOOOOAAAARRRR!!”

The tiger tried to retaliate, but we had no intention of going easy on it.

We had to win overwhelmingly—to show our strength.

Only then would they realize the existence of a true god.

Since they already had a “Dear Leader,” if a new god appears, wouldn’t they believe in it?

Their life is just despair.

They’ve lived under nothing but dictatorship—so Kanoraism will definitely work on them.

“KYAAAAHHHH!”

“GRRRRRRRR!”

“Hey, we’ve got grunts rushing in!”

Black beasts that looked like the tiger’s underlings came charging at us.

There were a lot of them.

The tiger must’ve summoned its troops—but they’re not nearly enough to stop us.

We still had plenty of firepower.

Specifically, we had the ultimate monster of brute strength—the Orc.

“Orc! Take care of the grunts, please!”

“Tch. You only give me annoying jobs at times like this.”

“Come on, be reasonable. We’re busy handling the big guy.”

“Fine.”

The tiger could be handled decently well.

And the orc could surely deal with the grunts solo.

“Alright, let’s wrap this up.”

With the orc handling the mob, we relied even more on Energy pulse and the spear of light.

Once again, Cheonma’s Energy pulse barrage rained down on the tiger.

The tiger responded with a sonic roar, but the elf’s spirit magic neutralized it, turning its body into a pincushion.

Battle mage, who had been targeting the lower body, went for the forepaw instead.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“KYAAAOOOOHHH!”

“You’re strong. Makes the fight more fun…”

BOOOOOM!

His spear clashed against the tiger’s paw.

The elf’s spirit magic blocked the sonic wave, and the Energy Pulse came in to suppress again.

And right after that, I charged once more—aiming for the skull.

This time, it had to be the one hit.

With all my might.

Precisely.

Slam it down!