By Zephyria 
Then, as if the Devouring Ghoul understood Tae-muk’s words, it writhed and let out a piercing shriek—Kieeeeeeek!—lunging its teeth toward him. Tae-muk responded by delivering a powerful kick straight to the creature’s jaw.
“If you weren’t dead, you should’ve just said so, you brat. You startled me.”
Under the heavy blow, the Devouring Ghoul’s teeth shattered like icicles. The creature lay collapsed for a moment before shaking its head vigorously, as if dizzy. Watching this, Tae-muk called out to Dong-ja into the air.
“Dong-ja.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Dong-ja, who had been stabbing the Devouring Ghoul’s head repeatedly with her spear to ensure no survivors remained, quickly ran toward Tae-muk. Man-soo followed her, pulling out something he had been clutching tightly to his chest.
In the meantime, Tae-muk hoisted the Devouring Ghoul up with one hand and flipped it over. The creature writhed, trying to rise, but Tae-muk slammed his heel down on the back of its head, pinning its face firmly into the ground. Its limbs flailed about like a fish out of water.
When Dong-ja arrived, she received something from Man-soo. It was an arrow. Gripping it tightly, Dong-ja prepared to drive it into the nape of the Devouring Ghoul’s neck. But at that moment—
“Gently! Gently! You can’t kill it.”
Man-soo, standing beside her, slapped Dong-ja’s muscular forearm.
“Huh? Ah, right.”
With a blank expression, Dong-ja relaxed her grip slightly and plunged the arrow into the creature’s neck. Then, Man-soo tied something to the rear end of the embedded arrow.
It was a rope connected to three iron bowls of varying sizes. This was a precaution in case the Devouring Ghoul escaped. Tae-muk would be able to hear the sound of the bowls clashing and see the marks they left as they scraped across the snow.
“Good job, Dong-ja. Now go.”
Tae-muk jerked his chin backward. Dong-ja and Man-soo nodded and scurried off. One by one, the other soldiers began to leave their positions.
Left alone with the Devouring Ghoul, Tae-muk looked down at the creature for a moment before suddenly stomping hard on the space between its knee and thigh. With a sickening crack, the bone snapped, and a jagged shard of leg bone pierced through the tough hide.
Kieeeeeeek!
The Devouring Ghoul thrashed, letting out a sharp scream. Tae-muk examined the leg, contemplating whether he should break it further or leave it as it was.
The creature couldn’t be allowed to run too fast. Their legs were shaped similarly to a wolf’s hind legs, making them incredibly difficult to catch when running at full speed. It would be irritating to lose the Leader Plant Monster after going through the trouble of capturing it.
Around that time, Gil-sang reached out a hand to Ho-eun.
“Young Master. Let us go.”
“Yes.”
Ho-eun took Gil-sang’s hand and stood up. They had to leave the area quickly, as other Devouring Ghouls might swarm in.
Thus, the soldiers, including Ho-eun, mounted their horses one by one. Soon, every soldier except Tae-muk was ready for departure.
Tae-muk looked around to check the condition of the soldiers. He locked eyes with Dong-ja, who was standing at the front, gave a short nod, and stepped off the back of the Devouring Ghoul.
Kak, kaaaak, kiek, kak!
The Devouring Ghoul flopped on the ground, where the blood of its kin had pooled, before springing up. Despite one leg being completely shattered, the way it managed to stand was as impressive as it was grotesque.
Kaaaak! Kaaaaaaak!
The creature gaped its crushed teeth and shrieked at Tae-muk. Tae-muk met its gaze and spoke clearly.
“Run. Escape. All the way to your home.”
The Devouring Ghoul remained motionless for a moment. Looking confused or perhaps terrified, it snapped its jaws while glancing between Tae-muk and the surrounding corpses of its own kind… then it began to stumble backward.
“….”
Ho-eun watched the creature’s behavior, holding his breath. Inside, he prayed: Please, run. Lead us. To your stronghold.
Indeed, the Devouring Ghoul began to run. Using its hands as feet, it sprinted across the blood-stained snow like a four-legged beast. The bowls attached to its neck clattered and clanged against one another—jingle, clang, clang.
“Chase it!”
The Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers selected as the vanguard, including Dong-ja, quickly spurred their horses in pursuit. Just then—
“Captain!”
Byeonguk arrived from afar with Tae-muk’s horse. Tae-muk leaped onto the horse in one fluid motion and began to ride after the Devouring Ghoul, just like the soldiers ahead of him. Ho-eun followed. In the distance, the silhouette of the fleeing Devouring Ghoul was visible through the dense forest.
“….”
Gripping the reins, Ho-eun felt his heart racing. If it had been due to dread and terror before, now it was due to anticipation and excitement.
Now, they only had to follow that creature. Then they would find the stronghold of the Devouring Ghouls, they could eliminate the source, and the long, blood-soaked days would end, ushering in a new world.
A world where everyone could live freely. A world where no one’s home was stolen, no one was miserable, and no one died.
Beyond the fleeing Devouring Ghoul, he saw the dawn breaking. In the golden sunlight that brightly washed over his face, Ho-eun saw hope.
* * *
The objective of this operation was to ‘find the stronghold.’ In other words, the goal was to determine the ‘location’ of the base.
The stronghold would undoubtedly be teeming with Devouring Ghouls. Since they didn’t know if there were a thousand or ten thousand gathered there, they hadn’t planned—nor did they think it possible—to subjugate them or wipe them out upon discovery.
Therefore, the plan was to confirm the location from a distance and, if circumstances permitted, gather information on their approximate numbers or other details before returning to plan their next move.
However, no matter how long they rode, the Devouring Ghoul did not stop. No suspicious locations appeared. It was merely snow-covered plains or dense forests.
After riding for a full day, guided only by the clinking of the bowls on the creature’s neck, doubt began to creep in.
Was this creature truly heading toward its stronghold? Or was it simply fleeing aimlessly in terror? Since communication was impossible, there was no way to verify.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Rumble…
The sky had been angry for a while now. Ho-eun, riding his horse, looked up at the thunderous roar that could not be ignored.
The clouds were ominous. Just as the days had begun to lengthen with the start of early spring, dark clouds gathered silently and swallowed the sun whole. The dimness was no different from the middle of the night.
The air smelled of rain—not just damp, but thick and viscous. The intermittent thunder felt as if it were chasing them, just as they were chasing the Devouring Ghoul.
Ho-eun realized it easily.
It was going to rain. And it would be a fierce, torrential rain.
It was a bad omen. Rain. Snow would have been better. Rain would make everyone’s bodies heavy, slow their speed, and intensify the cold. In a situation where they didn’t know how much further they had to go, a downpour was a significant obstacle.
Then, rumble… another bolt of thunder struck.
“….”
Unable to tear his gaze from the sky due to the ominous feeling, Ho-eun’s vision suddenly became crowded. The group had entered a forest. Towering fir trees soared in every direction. Trees more than ten times Ho-eun’s height interlaced to block the sky. The clear, pungent scent characteristic of fir trees filled the air.
Just as he wondered if the trees might block some of the rain—
Tap, tap, tap.
Cold raindrops hit his face. As the rain soaked his eyelids, Ho-eun squinted one eye.
“Young Master. The rain is cold. Please wrap your cloak around you.”
Gil-sang, riding beside him, spoke.
“Ah, yes.”
Ho-eun pulled the Crimson Rain Brigade cloak from his shoulders up over his head. As he did so, his pace slowed, and the other soldiers thundered past him and Gil-sang. By the time Ho-eun had fully wrapped himself in the cloak, he was at the rear of the group.
However, he felt neither rushed nor afraid. Gil-sang and Seong-im were by his side. Moreover, if he rode busily, he could easily catch up to the group. The Devouring Ghoul’s speed had decreased, perhaps due to exhaustion.
Having wrapped the cloak meticulously around his head, Ho-eun began to ride again. By then, the scattered drops had turned into a torrential downpour.
Swoosh—
The rain poured down with a noise that was beyond loud; it was tumultuous. The occasional thunder sounded as if it were shattering the sky, and the sound of horses’ hooves on the wet ground was equally chaotic. His ears grew numb in the symphony of noise.
Meanwhile, as the rain melted the snow, the ground became muddy, and the darkness deepened rapidly.
It meant that all they could hear was the rain, and all they could see was the darkness. Consequently, Tae-muk was unable to use his abilities.
“….”
Ho-eun sensed it. He felt that it would be difficult to find the Devouring Ghouls’ stronghold today. Likely, everyone else was thinking the same.
Ho-eun craned his neck, searching for Tae-muk. Beyond the dim darkness, he saw Tae-muk riding at the front. Beside him, a few soldiers, including Byeonguk and Dong-ja, were huddled close. Judging by how everyone’s heads were turned toward Tae-muk, they seemed to be conversing. They were likely changing the plan due to the sudden turn in weather.