The battle was getting fiercer.
The Snow Tiger's means of attack were its massive body and various frost spells.
Yoo Baekjun handled the former, and Jin Seoyeon blocked the latter.
"Hmph!"
Kwaaang!
A giant paw came down, aiming for Yoo Baekjun's head. He used his footwork to retreat backward.
The Snow Tiger's forepaw shattered the ground.
At the same time, it cast a spell. Ice spears appeared from all directions, targeting Yoo Baekjun.
Fwoooosh!
Jin Seoyeon instantly raised a wall of flames, melting the ice spears.
Yoo Baekjun twisted his waist and approached the Snow Tiger, moving to its right.
Screeech, boom!
He immediately struck its side.
The Snow Tiger flinched momentarily. Yoo Baekjun leapt up and unleashed Gale Steps.
A flurry of kicks struck its face.
–Grrrrgh...….
The Snow Tiger groaned in pain.
An immense amount of mana was surging from it. Yoo Baekjun quickly read the pattern and kicked off the ground to retreat.
Fwaaaaah!
A bitter cold spread from the Snow Tiger, enough to dull the body in an instant.
It kicked off the ground and clung to the ceiling. Then it dived down, aiming for Jin Seoyeon.
Kwaaang!
She raised a wall, but it collapsed instantly. As she prepared another spell, Yoo Baekjun grabbed her.
"What are you doing?"
"Hey, prepare a big spell."
"A big spell? That'll take casting time..."
Until now, the spells Jin Seoyeon had used required relatively short casting times.
With the Snow Tiger watching them and trying to interrupt, she couldn't prepare one properly.
"I'll take care of that, so just get ready."
"...Well, fine."
Jin Seoyeon nodded.
She retreated to where a wall stood and began chanting. The Snow Tiger noticed.
It was about to charge—but before that.
Tap!
Yoo Baekjun placed something on the ground.
It was the Snow Tiger's corpse. Dead, but preserved as if it were alive.
Grrrrr…
The look in the Snow Tiger's eyes changed upon seeing it.
–KRAAAAH!
It let out a furious roar at the sight of its own corpse.
It shook its head multiple times, as if refusing to believe its own death.
–Kuhung!
It charged toward Yoo Baekjun.
Or more accurately, toward its own corpse.
Yoo Baekjun hurriedly retrieved the corpse. The Snow Tiger, further enraged, rushed after it.
'Show it its own corpse and it enters berserk mode. If I can block this charge...'
A blackish-red mana radiated from the Snow Tiger's body.
It instantly closed the distance and tried to rip Yoo Baekjun apart with its front paws. Mana-clad claws shot out like sharp blades.
"Hup!"
Yoo Baekjun sucked in a breath and unleashed Reversal Strike.
Screeeeech! His mana shield collided with the blades the Snow Tiger had fired. The shield wavered, as if it would shatter at any moment, but—
"Hmph!"
He successfully blocked it.
Yoo Baekjun returned the blade attack back at the Snow Tiger and used Swift Steps to retreat.
Kwaaang! The Snow Tiger's paws slammed down where he had just been.
–GRAAAH!
At the same time, the redirected blade struck the Snow Tiger in the face.
A long, straight wound appeared, leaking black liquid instead of blood.
–Ugh, urgh...
The Snow Tiger staggered, clutching its face.
Yoo Baekjun swiftly pulled another scroll from his clothes, closely watching its movements.
–KRAAAAH!
The Snow Tiger's eyes bulged open. Blackish-red energy overflowed from its body.
–Avenge me, spirits, aaah...!
It roared at the sky, now infused with energy unlike before.
The cavern reacted, trembling, and spirits began to emerge from the surrounding walls.
"This is…"
Jin Seoyeon looked around.
They were souls. Ones that had died here on Seorak Mountain, vengeful spirits like the Snow Tiger.
That was what made the Snow Tiger so tricky.
'Originally it guided souls to the spirit world, but now it uses them like this...'
If those spirits made it to Seoul, they would turn large monsters and fallen Hunters into vengeful ghosts.
That would lead to a catastrophe.
'But for now.'
The Snow Tiger wasn't at full strength.
So there was still a chance.
Yoo Baekjun could feel the vengeful spirits glaring at him.
There were far too many. Over a hundred. All aiming for him.
"Yoo Baekjun! Is this okay?!"
"It's fine, just keep casting the spell!"
Yoo Baekjun calmly timed it.
The vengeful spirits rushed in. The Snow Tiger followed behind. All of them targeted him.
Once they were close enough—
"Come on in!"
Yoo Baekjun tore a scroll.
Fwaaaah! The scroll imbued with mana burst forth with holy power. It was a Turn Undead spell to repel evil beings.
–Kyaaagh?!
And it was an area-of-effect Turn Undead.
The vengeful spirits writhed in agony from the holy power. So did the Snow Tiger.
But it wasn't over yet.
"One more time!"
Yoo Baekjun tore another scroll.
This time, a massive orb of light appeared in midair and radiated light in all directions.
–Kyaaaah!
–Kuhurgh!
The vengeful spirits touched by it turned to dust and vanished. The Snow Tiger howled in excruciating pain.
It was a holy spell called Flash Globe, even more powerful than the area Turn Undead.
Naturally, it was ridiculously expensive.
'Riches rule all!'
There's nothing you can't do with money.
And this scroll had been stored in the Sword Saint Clan to counter specific monsters.
'Give it a bit of time and the Snow Tiger will develop resistance, but...'
For now, it worked.
Yoo Baekjun lowered his posture and charged at the Snow Tiger.
Now, while it was in pain, was the chance.
–Hu, man...!
The Snow Tiger thrashed wildly.
Yoo Baekjun stood before it, and only then did the Snow Tiger recognize his presence.
The Snow Tiger let out a long roar, thrusting its enormous jaws forward as if to say don't block me.
There was no time to dodge—the teeth closed in.
Ssssss...
–Krruh?!
But it was just an afterimage.
The Yoo Baekjun being bitten vanished like a heat haze. And through that haze, the real Yoo Baekjun appeared.
"Ssshh!"
Air hissed through Yoo Baekjun's clenched teeth as he stomped with Jin Step and twisted his waist.
His clenched fist burned with flames.
Fwaaaah!
The Snow Tiger, fooled by Ghostly Shadow Steps, had no time to react.
The crashing punch struck its face.
Boom!
Moments later, a dragon's head emerged from Yoo Baekjun's fist and swallowed the Snow Tiger.
Flames spread from its head to its entire body.
The Snow Tiger writhed in agony.
"Yoo Baekjun! Fall back!"
Then came the awaited voice.
Yoo Baekjun used Swift Steps to retreat. Moments later, above the Snow Tiger's head—
–Urgh?!
A torrent of mana poured down.
It weighed down on the Snow Tiger's entire body like gravity. The beast was slammed into the ground.
It tried to rise but couldn't.
–Grrr...
Even from the ground, its mana rose, forming a massive magic circle.
Cracks formed across the floor, and from those cracks, light flashed.
Kwa-gwa-gwang!
Pillars shot up.
Numerous beams of light surged from the cracks and struck the Snow Tiger from below.
It felt like an endless laser barrage.
Then, massive pillars crashed down from above its head as well.
–KAAAAAH!
A tremendous amount of mana poured out.
Crushed and pierced by them, the Snow Tiger howled in unbearable pain.
Yoo Baekjun let out a sigh of relief.
'Good thing I brought her.'
Without a mage, this opponent would've been a nightmare.
Conversely, Jin Seoyeon would've found it tough without him.
'Though she probably wouldn't have come without me anyway.'
The Snow Tiger's body was in tatters, unable to continue the fight.
But that would only last a moment. Given time, it would recover quickly.
This place was full of souls, and it could heal by devouring them.
–I'll kill them, all of them... those humans...!
"Yeah, yeah. Save it for your next life."
The current Snow Tiger was only temporarily materialized using magic.
Though it had taken serious damage, it wasn't dead.
But this was enough.
–That's enough.
–We'll take care of the rest.
Yoo Baekjun looked behind him.
The Ice Spirits, who had been trembling in the corner, approached.
They encircled the Snow Tiger.
"What are they trying to do?"
"A purification ritual."
"Purification?"
The Ice Spirits were tasked with guiding the souls on Seorak Mountain to the spirit world.
Purifying corrupted souls also fell under their duty.
Extremely powerful souls were beyond their help—but the current Snow Tiger...
Ooooooo...
Luminous mana surrounded the Snow Tiger.
The Ice Spirits floated around it like dancers, and the evil energy gradually faded.
"Hmmm..."
Jin Seoyeon watched the scene with interest.
As the Ice Spirits danced, ice powder scattered, creating an incredibly mystical sight.
Yoo Baekjun had seen it many times, but still found himself mesmerized.
–Oooh, ooooh...
The malice covering the Snow Tiger vanished. Its eyes changed color.
They turned sky-blue.
The Snow Tiger blankly looked around.
–Wha, what happened to me...?
–Buddy~!
The Ice Spirits clung to the Snow Tiger, wailing. It looked bewildered.
–Waaah! Let's go to the spirit world!
–What? Spirit world? I...
The confused Snow Tiger looked at Yoo Baekjun.
–Human!
Its gaze shifted again, now filled with hatred. Red.
But only briefly.
–No, no. It's not all humans you should hate... it's them...
The nearby Ice Spirits did something, and the Snow Tiger regained its composure.
It calmly pieced together the situation.
–I see. I died. At the hands of humans...
"Yeah. You lost your mind, so we had to calm you down—aggressively."
–Should I say thank you?
"If it puts you at ease."
The Snow Tiger nodded.
Yoo Baekjun glanced at Jin Seoyeon. She looked full of curiosity.
She was probably wondering how the Snow Tiger died.
"How'd you end up dead? A creature like you doesn't seem like it'd fall easily to humans."
–That was...
The Snow Tiger let out a long sigh.
–My child was captured by them. I pushed myself too hard trying to save them and got seriously wounded.
"So you fought in a disadvantaged state."
–Yeah, I managed to save my child, but not myself. My child...
It looked blankly behind it. A space blocked off by an icy wall.
–My child sleeps there. Badly injured, so I froze them—but they won't last long.
"You sure you should be telling me this?"
–If I leave them like this, they'll die anyway. It's been... a month, maybe. Still okay for now.
The Snow Tiger's blue eyes met Yoo Baekjun's.
–They were humans in black armor. They had power similar to yours. Few in number, but strong.
"Hmm, probably Hunters. So?"
–I want to ask you a favor.
Yoo Baekjun's eyes lit up.
–Find the ones who killed me... and take them down. It's personal, but more than that—they're too dangerous.
"Dangerous how?"
–The kind of people who wouldn't mind if the world ended, as long as it benefited them. I should've stopped them...
Yoo Baekjun nodded.
He wasn't wrong. The organization behind those killers would cause a major disaster.
That's what triggered the first major event.
"Alright. If I find them, I'll do it."
–Thank you. And one more favor... take care of my child.
"Me?"
Yoo Baekjun raised an exaggerated eyebrow.
"You sure you can trust me? I'm the same species as the ones who killed you."
–I trust you. You're a friend of these Ice Spirits.
The Snow Tiger's gaze was filled with odd trust. Yoo Baekjun hesitated.
"I don't know if I can protect your child until the end. I'm still not that strong."
–So you intend to protect them until the end? Surprising.
A satisfied smile appeared on the Snow Tiger's lips.
–If your strength is lacking, then perhaps I can offer a little help...
"Help?"
–Yes, I'd feel bad just asking. Will you accept it as compensation?
Yoo Baekjun's eyes widened in surprise.
But despite his expression, a smile crept up inside.
'Yeah, that's more like it.'
It was reward time.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]