Crack!

The spear lodged in his heart shattered his soul.

At the same time, a searing headache exploded in his skull.

The pain that tore through him from the inside made his brow twist involuntarily.

— Grrrr…!

His gleaming red pupils narrowed into sharp vertical slits. His snout scrunched like that of a wild beast, revealing sharp fangs as the black imoogi growled menacingly.

[You… bastard…!]

The metallic scent of blood spread thickly through his labored breath.

Splurt!

Coughing up clotted blood, the imoogi writhed in agony.

He hadn’t lived a particularly righteous life, but he hadn’t done anything to earn a human’s grudge either.

That was who he was.

He never imagined anyone would come after him with such murderous intent.

[Who… the hell… are you…]

He tried to ask who the man was, thick, dark blood gushed from his mouth before he could finish.

The man laughed at the sight of it.

“I did it.”

‘You crazy bastard.’

The imoogi let out a bitter sigh.

The man’s face, scorched black by the imoogi’s curse was blistered, twisted into a deranged grin, yet one intact eye gleamed with bloodshot madness as he grinned.

He looked less like a man and more like a bloodthirsty demon.

‘He can smile like that? Is he even human?’

A shiver ran across the imoogi’s scales.

The man had come at him like a rabid dog, ignoring his own injuries to kill. The imoogi’s body was a wreck, and the man’s right arm had been ripped apart. His left side gashed open to the bone.

It had been a brutal, evenly matched brawl with no clear victor.

The man’s feet and thighs had blackened and rotted.

Even with his body in tatters, the man’s relentless movements were terrifying.

‘He looks like he’s about to die… but I’ll be the first to go.’

Grinding his teeth, the imoogi let out a roar.

[Why?! What did I ever do to deserve this hatred?!]

“…Die.”

The man, holding a blood-soaked spear, radiated murderous intent. In that instant, the imoogi knew he was going to die.

Rage flared in the imoogi’s chest.

Just one year!

Only one year more, and he could have become a dragon.

Though not yet ascended, he had lived as a spirit beast for 999 years.

Who could have imagined that an imoogi like him would be killed by a mere human?

He had lived quietly, never interfering with the flow of karma or causing harm.

He had lived quietly, never interfering with the flow of karma or causing harm.

And yet, a madman had come all the way here, wielding a spear capable of piercing an imoogi’s heart.

And just like that, one year before his ascension, the imoogi was murdered.

[Cough…! Damn it…]

Blood trailed down from his lips. More spurted from his torn flesh.

‘What a meaningless end.’

As life drained from him, a chill spread through his body.

[You bastard…]

Even as the imoogi’s bloodlust surged, the man’s killing intent did not waver.

The desire to completely annihilate the imoogi radiated from him.

‘Damn it! Is this really it?! Is this how I die?!’

Grief and rage welled up inside him.

He had always been viewed with fear. A black imoogi—an ominous creature.

Never once in his life had he been welcomed by others.

But that didn’t matter.

He had never sought their company, nor wanted to stand out.

He knew how they viewed him, but never saw a reason to change their perception.

It’s not like they were neighbors. As long as they didn’t bother him, he didn’t care.

A revered spirit.

Evil creature that harms humans.

A thousand-year-old creature on the cusp of ascension.

Whatever the world called him—they were all just stories, told by people who had never seen him.

And so, he had no reason to care.

Besides a few exceptions, no one even had the ability to see what he truly was.

And yet now…

‘Is this what I get for that?’

He was dying—buried under their prejudice.

‘What’s the point in thinking about this now?’

The imoogi let out a bitter laugh.

[What do you even gain from this?]

It was half scorn, half question.

Even if the man took the imoogi’s body as a trophy, with its sacred flesh, scales, and bones passed down for generations, he would still die here.

In the end, they were dragging each other to the grave.

The man’s vision, now blind, drifted into the distance.

“I’ve… repaid my benefactor.”

His ragged breath sounded like he was coughing up his insides.

With hair bleached white from overexertion, the man stared directly at the imoogi.

Was it hatred? Greed?

No.

What burned in his eyes was something purer—and far stronger.

“It’s done, now… ■■■.”

Who…?

Before the imoogi could ask, his consciousness slipped away.

The pain of his shattered heart and soul was unbearable.

His body crumbled. Pain tore through every nerve.

KUAAAAAH!

The explosion that burst from the imugi’s body consumed the entire island, wiping his existence from the world.

***

He had no idea how much time had passed.

He couldn’t move, yet his consciousness remained. A strange and suffocating experience.

‘So cramped…’

The imoogi furrowed his brow.

Even with his eyes closed, he could hear the burbling of fluid.

Glub… glub…

Then, the soft rhythm of a heartbeat.

Then—thump, thump.

The imoogi listened closely.

‘My heart… is beating.’

The pulse of life.

‘I’m alive…’

The realization that his life hadn’t ended filled him with awe.

He tried moving his limbs.

A tiny twitch.

Even that amazed him.

With all his might, he twisted his stiff body bit by bit.

How long did it take?

Thud.

His foot hit a hard wall.

So did his fingers. And his tail.

Walls on all sides.

‘Am I trapped?’

The calm beat of his heart grew wild with rage.

‘How dare they! Who dares to imprison a divine beast?!’

He slammed his hand against the wall in fury.

Thunk!

‘It didn’t break?’

He’d expected it to shatter instantly.

Once, a flick of his tail could split the earth. But now, the wall didn’t budge. His hand just hurt.

‘Those bastards… they must have weakened my power!’

Furious, he kicked the wall.

‘This damn—!’

Thunk! Thud!

‘This damn wall…!’

Thunk! Thud!

Enraged, he unleashed everything he had against the wall.

‘RAAAAAH!’

Crack!

A fracture appeared, and faint light leaked in.

‘! I can get out. Just a little more!’

He pressed his palm to the crack and focused.

‘One shot. That’s all I get.’

He couldn’t feel his energy center. He had to pour all his remaining strength into this.

He had to gather all the power he had left into this one moment.

‘Break!’

Smash! Crack!

Splash!

Fragments burst outward with fluid.

‘I did it! I really did it!’

He had forged a path out.

‘Ugh…’

Exhausted from pouring out all his strength, he clung to the shattered wall and panted.

‘I can’t collapse. What if those bastards come back?’

He gritted his teeth, he forced strength into his legs and took a deep breath.

Fresh, sweet air filled his lungs.

Ssssssh… haaa…

‘The air is… fresh.’

He inhaled the dry air and the energy it carried.

Reinvigorated, he waded through the fluid and stepped out from the wall.

Splash, splash.

‘My body… has no strength.’

The moment he emerged, exhaustion overcame him.

In the end, he could only crawl forward on all fours, step by step.

And so, he began walking forward—step by tiny step—on all fours.