Chapter 28:
Incognito Journey (3)
The horses were the first to panic. Perhaps it was the instinctual terror of facing an overwhelming predator, but the ground soon became slick with their urine.
“Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?”
“They’ve never done this before…”
“Get off the horses, quickly! Your Majesty, you too!”
Startled awake from his doze by the commotion, Yeonsangun, along with Ji-yeong, hurriedly dismounted. The horses, now uncontrollable, thrashed wildly.
[Neigh!]
Snap
The moment the reins snapped, the two horses bolted forward in a frenzy. At that very instant, the mysterious figure with glowing eyes burst from the bushes with terrifying speed.
[Roar!]
One of the horses, lagging behind, was struck at the neck by the shadowy creature.
Crack
With a dull sound of breaking bones, the horse’s thick neck twisted at an unnatural angle, collapsing to the ground. The other horse, meanwhile, fled out of sight. In an instant, the group’s means of transport had vanished.
The dark figure, having killed one horse with a single blow, slowly turned its head, locking its gaze on Yeonsangun’s party as if searching for its next target.
“What… what is that?” Ji-yeong stammered.
Shin Soo-hyuk swiftly drew his sword, the metallic clang likely provoking the creature.
[Roar!]
With a bone-chilling roar, the grotesque figure raised its front paws, standing upright on its hind legs. It towered over them, easily twice the height of a man, its shadow stretching long under the moonlight, engulfing the group.
“This must be the master of this mountain,” Gong-gil said.
As his words faded, the moonlight, unobstructed by clouds, fully illuminated the creature’s massive form. Standing on two legs was a beast with dark red fur—a bear so enormous that three or four grown men could barely encircle its girth.
“A malgom,” Gong-gil added briefly, referring to a subspecies of bear. “A sacred creature, not to be harmed lightly.”
The malgom’s thunderous roar reverberated through the moonlit forest, as if making every animal and plant tremble in its presence.
And yet…
“How fascinating. I’ve never seen a bear this large. Truly rare,” Yeonsangun remarked, his voice tinged with awe, as if he’d stumbled upon a rare spectacle.
But the bear’s glowing red eyes gleamed with the hunger of a predator.
“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous! Step back!” Shin Soo-hyuk shouted, stepping in front of Yeonsangun, sword raised.
Gong-gil, however, seemed to sense something off about the bear. “Something’s strange. Unless its territory is invaded, a bear wouldn’t attack a group of humans first.”
“What nonsense, jester? It’s a beast,” Shin Soo-hyuk retorted.
“Beasts guard their territory more fiercely than humans do. Overstepping boundaries is a human trait,” Gong-gil snapped back sharply.
To the nobles who learned the world through books, animals might seem insignificant, but to Gong-gil, who had roamed the land and lived its truths, beasts were far more trustworthy than humans.
“But… it’s clearly trying to attack us now,” Ji-yeong interjected, her voice grounded in reality.
Whatever the reason, they needed to escape the immediate danger. At that moment, her eyes caught Yeonsangun striding boldly toward the massive bear.
“Kneel, beast!” he commanded.
“Your Majesty, what are you…?”
“All the mountains, fields, rivers, and seas of this land belong to me! And so do you, beast. Kneel at once!”
What a lunatic. Ji-yeong barely swallowed the curse rising in her throat.
“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!” Shin Soo-hyuk shouted again, but Yeonsangun ignored him, continuing to berate the bear.
“You killed my steed—an unforgivable crime! Know your sin!”
As if the bear could understand.
[Roar!]
Drooling like a rabid dog, the malgom charged at Yeonsangun with ferocious intent.
“Your Majesty! Watch out!”
Without thinking, Ji-yeong reached into the sack slung across her shoulder, used for carrying snacks during the journey. Her fingers touched something round.
This is…
It was umegi, a traditional confection made of glutinous rice dough, fried and coated with honey or syrup, prepared by Jang-geum that morning in case the king’s energy dipped.
To hell with it!
Ji-yeong grabbed the umegi and hurled it at the bear with all her might. The fist-sized treat struck the bear’s massive face.
Thud.
It had little impact, of course. But astonishingly, the bear slowed, then began sniffing the ground where the umegi had fallen, drawn to it.
It’s working! It’s attracted to the honey!
If this were a tiger, leopard, or other feline predator, the outcome might have been different—cats lack the ability to taste sweetness due to their genetics. But bears, omnivores like humans, not only taste sweetness but crave it, especially in seasons like this when they need to replenish energy after hibernation.
As if to prove it, the bear’s keen nose led it to the umegi, which it promptly swallowed. But then disaster struck. The bear’s head snapped up, locking eyes with Ji-yeong.
Oh no! Why’s it looking at me?
She realized her sack was full of umegi, and the bear must have caught the scent. It charged toward her with terrifying force.
I need to get this off!
Ji-yeong frantically tried to untie the sack, but her panicked fingers wouldn’t cooperate.
Damn it!
Just as she thought she was done for, a figure in a red short robe shot past her like the wind—Gong-gil.
In his hand, a sharpened blade gleamed in the moonlight—a jukjanggeom, or bamboo staff sword, also known as a changpogeom for its iris-leaf-shaped blade. The bamboo staff in his peddler’s sack was a concealed weapon.
“Stand back!” Gong-gil shouted, angling his blade and sliding toward the bear’s flank.
[Roar!]
The bear swung its massive paw, but Gong-gil dodged by a hair’s breadth, driving his blade into its side.
Thud
The blade’s impact felt dull. The bear’s thick hide and fat prevented a fatal wound. Before the bear could strike again, Gong-gil pulled back, tumbling away like an acrobat.
Saving that strange woman was the priority…
His immediate goal was achieved, as the bear’s attention shifted to him.
Impressive, jester, Shin Soo-hyuk thought, inwardly marveling at Gong-gil’s agility. Though the thick hide blocked serious damage, his swift strike and retreat were flawless.
A sudden idea struck Shin Soo-hyuk. If I coordinate with this jester, we might bring it down.
Coordinated attacks required perfect timing, no easy feat. But Gong-gil’s skill made it worth a try.
“Hey, jester, distract it one more time. I’ll finish it off.”
“You’re not in a position to order me around,” Gong-gil replied gruffly, but seeing the bear’s relentless charge, he had little choice.
“Fine. The window’s short—don’t miss it.”
Before he finished speaking, the malgom roared and charged again. As its paw swiped through the air, Gong-gil darted in like lightning, stabbing deep into its hind leg.
Thud
[Roar!]
With a blade in its leg, the bear’s agility would be hampered.
“Now!” Gong-gil shouted.
Shin Soo-hyuk’s navy robe flashed forward, his sword aimed at the bear’s neck in a swift, powerful strike—Gejeongse, the most forceful of Joseon’s sword techniques, a downward slash.
Swish
The blade sliced through the bear’s neck in one clean motion—a picture-perfect coordinated attack.
It went in!
A faint smile crossed Shin Soo-hyuk’s lips.
But…
[Roar!]
Despite the precise strike, the bear swung its paw again, relentless.
Tch!
Shin Soo-hyuk blocked the sharp claws with his sword but was thrown back by the force, barely landing on his feet.
“Its hide and flesh are thicker than usual,” he said.
“That, and something’s off. There’s no reason for it to attack this desperately,” Gong-gil added, tilting his head.
Whatever the reason, this wouldn’t end easily. Their weapons—Gong-gil’s bamboo sword and Shin Soo-hyuk’s blade—couldn’t inflict a fatal wound.
Then…
“To hunt a sacred creature, you need a fitting weapon,” a voice said.
Gong-gil, Shin Soo-hyuk, and Ji-yeong turned. There stood Yeonsangun, holding a massive sword, nearly five cheok (about 150 cm) long, almost shoulder-height, with one hand resting on it.
That sword… Ji-yeong, even from her modern perspective, recognized it. The dragon-carved hilt sparked a vague memory from a history textbook illustration.
“Is that… the royal sword of King Taejo?” Shin Soo-hyuk muttered, eyes wide.
The sword of Taejo, said to have been wielded by Yi Seong-gye to slay King U of Goryeo—a treasured heirloom of the royal house.
“Why is a sacred treasure from the royal vaults here…?”
“I brought it, just in case,” Yeonsangun said.
Indeed, among the supplies on the horses, something large wrapped in cloth had stood out, assumed to be for tents or bedding.
He brought a royal treasure? Ji-yeong thought, stunned.
[Roar!]
The bear, drooling, prepared to charge again. As Yeonsangun slowly drew the massive sword, its blade gleamed in the moonlight.
“A king must slay a king. I shall take the head of this mountain’s ruler.”
With a strange smile, Yeonsangun gripped the royal sword with both hands, raising it high above his head.
