chapter 8
It was around lunchtime the next day when Soo-chan, exhausted and bleeding heavily, finally opened his eyes again.
“…I’m alive?”
Bathed in blinding sunlight, he didn’t even try to sit up—he just checked the wound on his hand first.
The scar from yesterday’s desperate fight was still there, clear and vivid, proof that it hadn’t been a dream.
The wound had completely healed.
“How…?”
Confused, he lifted his head.
At that moment, Tough poked his head in from beside him.
Rubbing his cheek against Soo-chan’s, Tough licked his face as if he’d been waiting for him to wake up all along.
“Kya-woo-woo.”
“Tough… you’re safe too. Thank god.”
The rough texture of the tongue brought relief. Soo-chan scratched behind Tough’s ears.
Tough pressed his head against Soo-chan’s face, as if saying I was so worried.
The soft, fluffy fur made a small smile tug at Soo-chan’s lips.
They hadn’t known each other long, but Tough already felt like family.
Nothing mattered more to him than the safety of his family.
Perhaps because he felt relieved seeing Tough safe, fatigue washed over him again.
He felt sleepy—like post-meal drowsiness kicking in hard. But he still hadn’t fully grasped the situation, so he forced himself to stay awake and looked to the side.
More precisely, at the being clinging to the wall, waiting quietly.
A graceful woman in clothes woven from tree branches sat hugging her knees, back against the wall, watching them.
Soo-chan looked at her face.
He was curious about her expression, but unfortunately she wore a wooden mask, so he couldn’t tell. Still, the glowing jade eyes behind the mask alone told him she was no ordinary being.
“You’re awake.”
She spoke first.
Her voice was calm and refined—and somehow familiar.
Soo-chan realized it was the same voice he’d heard right before passing out.
“…Did you save me?”
“Yes. I used my skill to heal your wounds.”
“Who… exactly are you?”
“…This form might make it easier to understand.”
At his question, light bloomed from her body.
The light from Wig spread through the room like a lantern, then gradually shrank.
When it reduced to the size of a palm, the woman’s form vanished, leaving behind a small animal.
“A squirrel?!”
Soo-chan cried out in surprise.
The woman had turned into a squirrel.
Not an ordinary one—her body was made of moss, tree bark, and mushrooms. An Alter Twig, the ancient spirit he’d seen in the passage.
This was the true form of the woman who had healed him.
Ancient spirits like Alter Twigs could freely change size and shape using their mana, which was why she had taken human form earlier.
‘Transformation… something like that is possible?’
Soo-chan’s eyes nearly popped out, but he quickly hid his shock.
He didn’t want to seem rude, and years of isolation—talking only to Jang—had made him awkward about showing raw emotions in front of others.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
‘Still… I should at least say something.’
“Th-thank you for saving me.”
“No need. I was the one being chased by invaders. If you two hadn’t helped, I would surely have died. I should be the one thanking you.”
Soo-chan gave an awkward bow, and the spirit returned to human form to reply.
Though her mask hid her expression, the gentle warmth in her voice conveyed genuine gratitude.
“So you really were being chased.”
“Yes.”
“Um… I’ve been wondering since earlier. You’re speaking Korean, but I understand you perfectly. Is that also some kind of skill?”
Now fully awake, Soo-chan was surprised he could understand her language so clearly.
It was definitely not Korean, yet he comprehended every word.
“All spirits can communicate through souls. As long as the other has a soul, we can converse with anyone.”
“Really? Anyone at all?”
“Yes. Not just you and Tough—I can also understand the words of the Urth Goblins who harmed my kind and ravaged the forest.”
“You can understand goblins too? Is that true?”
“Yes. They have souls as well. Though they are wicked beings…”
“Kya-woo?!”
Soo-chan and Tough reacted at the same time.
The idea of conversing with monsters was shocking. No—the very fact that monsters could speak was astonishing.
“Wait—if we can talk, couldn’t we try to persuade them to stop fighting?”
“I tried. But even after hearing us, they refused to stop destroying. The only replies that ever came back were primitive instincts: kill, destroy, take, ravage. No matter how much we spoke, they only answered with greed and destruction. Persuasion was impossible.”
“Ah…”
Soo-chan let out a short sigh.
Conversation only works when the other side is willing to listen.
Invaders hell-bent on ruin wouldn’t listen to reason.
The “wicked” label wasn’t just for show.
“Yeah… if words worked, they wouldn’t have stormed in and trashed someone else’s home in the first place.”
Soo-chan nodded in agreement.
Right then—
Grrrrrrumble.
His stomach roared loudly.
Hunger had struck.
Embarrassed, he blushed and clutched his growling belly.
“By the way… how long was I out?”
“Kya-oh! Kya-woo-woo!”
“Here it’s been two days.”
Tough answered, and the spirit translated.
Thanks to soul communication, she clearly understood Tough too.
“Two whole days?!”
“I healed your wounds with my skill, but it can’t recover fatigue. In fact, since it amplifies physical ability, it may have made the exhaustion worse.”
“Yeah… after that kind of injury and all that hard labor, sleeping for two days is actually normal. No—surviving without being bedridden for weeks is the real miracle.”
“Kya-woo-woo! Kya-woo-woo-woo!”
As Soo-chan nodded, Tough suddenly cried out.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Tough?”
“Kya-woo!”
“He says to wait a moment.”
“Wait for what?”
Without time for translation, Tough dashed out of the room.
The door had already been smashed by the goblins, so he easily stepped over the broken frame and headed toward the living room.
A short while later, Tough returned with something in his mouth.
“Kya-woo-woo!”
“He says to eat.”
“…”
Soo-chan looked at what Tough had brought.
It was Maru’s old food bowl.
Filled to the brim with dog food.
Tough had brought his favorite food, worried about Soo-chan’s health.
“…You brought this for me, huh.”
“Kya-woo!”
Soo-chan made a complicated face.
Tough had stuffed the bowl so full that kibble spilled everywhere, scattering across the floor.
He wanted to scold him, but…
“…Th-thanks, Tough.”
He chose gratitude first, touched by Tough’s concern.
“Kya-woo. Kya-woo-woo!”
“Hm? What?”
“He says it’s not over yet—wait a little longer.”
Tough cried again, and the spirit translated.
She was being considerate, assuming Soo-chan couldn’t understand Tough at all.
“What else is he bringing? Surely not water?”
“Kya-woo-woo!”
Joking, Soo-chan asked. Tough shook his head and dragged over a large cloth bundle from the corner.
He pushed it toward Soo-chan with his nose, urging him to open it.
Without needing translation, Soo-chan understood and untied the bundle.
“Soul stones…”
Inside were soul stones.
All from the goblins he and Tough had killed.
“The soul stones from the goblins you two hunted. I took the Urth High Goblin’s stone for myself, but I collected the rest after healing Tough as he asked.”
“You took it? Oh—right, you swallowed the big one in a hurry before helping me.”
Soo-chan remembered the wooden squirrel cramming the huge soul stone into its mouth.
Right after that, he’d heard a human voice—so he’d assumed Wig ate it to heal him.
“Your wounds were deep. To heal them properly, I needed to raise my level. So I had no choice but to take the Urth High Goblin’s stone. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I see. No need to apologize—you did it to save me.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Here, Tough. Half for you.”
Soo-chan roughly divided them and offered half to Tough.
Tough pushed his share back with his nose as if to say it’s okay, but Soo-chan gave him all but his own portion.
Tough had killed the most goblins.
He deserved the biggest reward. And just as Tough worried about him, Soo-chan didn’t want to see Tough get hurt again. He wanted them to grow stronger together.
‘Still tastes like nothing.’
Soo-chan swallowed his share.
Like forcing down a hard mint candy.
Tasteless and odorless, but it melted far faster than any candy.
‘Takes a while to digest. Might as well eat first.’
“I’m gonna go eat… Would you like to join me, if that’s okay? Oh—and what should I call you?”
“Our kind has no names.”
“Really?”
‘Come to think of it, Tough didn’t have one either at first.’
“Then let’s make one for now.”
“A temporary name?”
“You’re an Alter Twig, right? I’ll just call you Wig.”
“Wig… Understood. If that’s what you wish, I’ll accept it.”
Wig nodded.
Though her mask hid her face, Soo-chan sensed she was quietly pleased.
“Alright then, Wig. Would you like to eat together?”
“Spirits aren’t living beings in the same way, so we don’t eat meals. We absorb natural vitality—that’s enough.”
“Natural vitality? How do you get that?”
“Resting in places full of life energy. Forests, lakes, oceans, places like that.”
“Oh? Then…”
“This island has forests and is surrounded by the sea, so I have no trouble gathering vitality. Please don’t worry about me.”
“Got it. Then I’ll go eat.”
“Before you go… there’s something I’d like to ask. Do you have a moment?”
Wig called out just as Soo-chan was about to leave.
Her serious eyes told him it was important.
‘Doesn’t seem like something to talk about over food.’
“Whatever it is, let’s talk after I eat.”
“Understood. I’ll wait.”
Soo-chan postponed the conversation and headed to the kitchen to fill his growling stomach.
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