The Wastrel Prince Becomes Ruthless

Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Half a month earlier, after sending Hastings to the south, Yuwon had continued to stay with Terrien. But today, Yuwon set out alone for the first time in a long while.

Tak—!

Yuwon’s two feet struck the ground with a brisk sound. It was a light sound, but the result was anything but light.

Whoosh—!

The scenery surrounding Yuwon warped like a watercolor splashed with falling droplets. It was something caused by overwhelming speed. A streak of white light split through the dense forest of the Great Jungle.

As the long-quiet ‘King of the River’ suddenly picked up speed as if something had happened, every living being in the Great Jungle simultaneously pricked up their eyes and ears, focusing on the king’s movement.

Tak.

Thus, after a little over ten minutes. Somewhere along the riverside of the Great Jungle, near the deepest part of the river that pierced through it, Yuwon came to a halt.

“…So it’s here again.”

Kururung—!

Was a mere river trying to imitate the sea? Far ahead of Yuwon’s gaze, at the deepest part of the river, terrifying whirlpools spiraled violently, spewing grotesque sounds.

‘Just what on earth is down there… to lead me here like this.’

Even before he had properly awakened it, the instinct that had protected Yuwon time and again from approaching dangers had, this time, led him here. Standing before it, Yuwon calmly closed his eyes.

As his sight was blocked, the force that had guided him here asserted its opinion even more roughly.

Uwoong—! Uwoong—!

A dull resonance rang beside his ears, and the back of his head prickled sharply. Annoyed by the sound echoing near his ears, Yuwon tried blocking his hearing through inner energy, but that too proved meaningless.

‘Even now, my instinct keeps growing stronger. Now I can see even with my eyes closed, and hear even with my ears blocked. Instinct originally belongs to monsters. Is it really all right to just watch it keep growing stronger like this?’

Yuwon’s instinct was urging him toward the raging, swirling surface of the river. From the beginning, instinct had been something that helped Yuwon escape from things that could harm him. Yet today, it was telling him to leap into that terrifyingly turbulent riverside.

Until he had set foot in the Great Jungle, Yuwon’s instinct had been nothing more than crude imitation. But ominous premonitions were never wrong. In the past, when he had briefly visited the south due to some affair, the Great Jungle he had only observed from afar had eventually called Yuwon into its depths.

And that was not all. Ever since Yuwon had properly awakened his instinct within the Great Jungle, it had grown stronger by the day, contributing to his battles against enemies and to protecting himself and his people.

‘But it still seems lacking. Just how strong do you intend to become?’

Instinct, true to its name, was originally a sixth sense never permitted to humans. Yet strangely enough, for Yuwon, who lived as Yurion, instinct had been inherent from the very beginning.

He had vaguely assumed it was because of the Black Serpent lodged in one corner of his heart, but the existence of instinct itself remained a mystery even to Yuwon. And today, that instinct urged his steps forward not with a warning of danger, but with something else entirely.

Yuwon’s 고민 did not last long. No, in truth, perhaps the decision had already been made deep within his heart even before he headed here. It was his first time facing such a situation, so he felt somewhat confused, but Yuwon decided to trust his own senses—no one else’s.

‘…Very well. If that’s what you wish, then I’ll trust you once more. No matter how much you call yourself a sixth sense, in the end, you are my sense, are you not?’

At last, Yuwon opened the eyes he had closed and surveyed the river with a calm, settled gaze. As Yuwon’s heart grew tranquil, the river, which had been violently churning with whirlpools just moments ago, also calmed as if nothing had happened.

“…Are you welcoming me? Fine. Let’s go. Let’s see what it is you’ve come here to find.”

His resolve was already set. With those words, Yuwon unhesitatingly threw himself into the river.

Gulp—! Gurgle—!

The lifeblood of the Great Jungle swallowed Yuwon in a single gulp, and together with small bubbles, he sank beneath the river. Protecting his eyes with inner energy, Yuwon cut through the current and swam downward along the path indicated by his instinct.

‘I’m confident in holding my breath. The question is how long it’ll take… well, I’ll find out soon enough.’

At that moment, above the river, a terrifying change unfolded. The river that had swallowed Yuwon trembled violently, as if it were a single living being.

The river tangled in on itself, raising rough waves, and terrifying whirlpools formed everywhere. The massive lifeline piercing through the Great Jungle thrashed wildly, shattered waves pouring down like rain around the riverside.

Hudududuk—!

Even during the rainy season, when rain poured relentlessly for a full half month once it started, the river had never behaved like this. At the sight of the river writhing like a mad thing, the creatures that made the Great Jungle their home trembled in fear. They could not know it. That the river was not angry—but rejoicing.

At the king’s procession, the river began to frolic in joy. Beneath the surface of the river that embraced its king, it was like a lie—no, like magic. It was nothing but peace.

Above the surface, while the Great Jungle seemed on the verge of being swept away by the madly raging river, beneath the surface, the river gently embraced Yuwon and guided his path. Having thrown himself into the river, Yuwon had no chance to know what was happening in the world above.

Unlike the chaos raging overhead, below was peaceful beyond measure. Yuwon swung his arms boldly, heading deeper into the unfathomable depths of the river.

‘Why is it this deep? Is this really a river?’

Only after throwing himself into the river did Yuwon anew marvel at the overwhelming scale of the river that pierced the colossal Great Jungle from head to toe.

‘I still have plenty of breath left. It’d be dangerous to speed up recklessly and start gasping, so let’s keep descending slowly like this.’

Thus, Yuwon continued downward, and further down. Even outside the water, Yuwon could already move at speeds that surpassed human limits, and being underwater did not change that entirely.

By his own reckoning, it was a restrained pace, but Yuwon was already swimming through the water at a frightening speed that made one wonder whether he was a man or a fish.

Thus, after another ten minutes. Yuwon was still within the river.

‘The Great Jungle even makes its rivers worthy of the Great Jungle… At this point, I’d believe it if you told me this was the sea.’

It was difficult to guess just how deep he had descended, but there was no doubt he had gone quite far down. The subtle pressure from outside pressing in on him proved as much.

‘At this point, something should show itself….’

Here, Yuwon also fell into thought.

‘I still have some leeway, but now I really need to start worrying about my breath….’

If he returned to the surface right away, he was confident he could do so safely, but if he continued descending further, even Yuwon could not guarantee what would happen next. Of course, even amid such worries, Yuwon did not foolishly remain in place. His arms and legs continued to paddle diligently, guiding him deeper beneath the surface.

‘I really need to decide now. One wrong move, and I’ll die here.’

Just as Yuwon’s 고민 deepened. From afar, with a subtle presence, the ones who would resolve his 고민 appeared.

‘…This presence!’

Startled, Yuwon swiftly turned his gaze.

How could he forget the presence of the one he lived with day in and day out? From afar, at incredible speed, the presence of the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent was approaching. Its speed was so fast that before Yuwon could even fully react, the hatchling he had entrusted to Terrien appeared right before him.

‘Why are you here…? Were you a water snake?’

Unable to open his mouth and speak, Yuwon could only stare in surprise as the hatchling opened and closed its mouth, addressing him.

Gurgle—!

A sound that would have sounded like piiii— had it been heard above the surface. Whatever was so enjoyable, the hatchling was smiling with its small, adorable face.

That was not all that was surprising. The hatchling appeared before Yuwon while commanding enormous river monsters Yuwon himself had never seen before. The frightening speed that shocked even Yuwon was only possible because the hatchling had clung to these monsters to get here.

Krrk— krrrk—

Snakes, turtles, and a dozen crocodiles opened their mouths in unison, greeting the King of the River. They were the long-established denizens of the river, living in its deepest reaches and rarely emerging to the surface.

Gurgle— gurgle!

With no limbs, moving only its long, extended body, the hatchling urged Yuwon to climb atop the monsters’ backs as it had. But Yuwon had a better idea. He opened his mouth for the first time since entering the river.

“Hey. Open your mouth.”

Of course, Yuwon was no exception. His words were replaced by a gurgling sound as water flowed into his mouth. Fortunately, communication between Yuwon and the monsters was never based on language to begin with, so it was effective.

The giant monsters exchanged glances among themselves for a moment, then the crocodile with the largest body opened its jaws wide and swallowed Yuwon. Before the crocodile’s open mouth filled completely with water, Yuwon swiftly moved inside, catching his breath.

“Whew… Now I can finally live. You came at the right time. Thank you, everyone. Then please guide me further down.”

Faithful subordinates who had long slumbered beneath the surface escorted the King of the River, accelerating the king’s procession.

This was not a hollow title earned merely by killing and occupying a serpent that ruled the Great Jungle’s river. Yuwon headed toward the deeper reaches of the river. The birth of a true ‘King of the River’ had entered its final countdown.

At the same time, somewhere in the Great Jungle. In a place untouched by either monster or human, two great existences of the Great Jungle stood facing each other.

“So… you really did… raise a king, not a snake.”

“Is that really so surprising? If it were just a snake, I wouldn’t have taken it in from the start.”

It was Kahaad and the ‘Teacher’.

“What do you intend to do? Once he reaches the end, he’ll learn your true identity. Are you all right with that?”

“Since he would find out someday anyway, what difference does it make if he learns a little sooner?”

Kahaad looked impatient, while the Teacher was brimming with composure.

“Aphahiel is… no, isn’t the Aphahiel Empire sworn enemies with you and… your entire clan?”

The Teacher replied in a tone full of derision.

“Kahaad. Just because you know my identity, don’t delude yourself into thinking you know everything. What you know doesn’t even amount to half.”

Yuwon was drawing closer to the truth of the Great Jungle, the Aphahiel Empire, and the Dragonkin that had vanished into legend.