Chapter 85
“Doesn’t this… feel a bit too peaceful for something named Asura?”
Sylvester’s muttered observation made me slowly lift my head.
A gentle breeze brushed past, refreshing and cool.
The sky above, painted a brilliant blue like spilled paint, opened up the mind.
Dense trees stood tall, while a lush, green landscape stretched beneath them.
The swaying sorghum fields reminded me of a serene, rural countryside.
Indeed, this place seemed far removed from anything related to “Asura.”
“Mew!”
Even Mew, who had jumped out of Lyria’s arms, wagged its tail playfully as it roamed around.
“We’re on the right path, don’t worry.”
There was no need to fret.
I was starting to see landscapes that matched the descriptions from the original work.
‘We should be close by now.’
The red sorghum swaying around us suggested that our destination was near.
“Ah, over there!”
In the distance, a vast vineyard came into view.
At its center stood a massive tree, towering above everything else.
‘Found it.’
That was our destination.
“Pant, pant, woof!”
As if to confirm this, the puppy leading us wagged its tail one last time before dissolving into a puff of white smoke.
‘It must’ve disappeared because its guidance is complete.’
It was only a short time, but I’d grown attached to it…
Well, it’ll probably reappear when we search for the next ingredient.
Suppressing a small pang of disappointment, I raised my head.
Ahead of us was the entrance to the vineyard, marked by a simple fence.
We entered, and soon, a humble log cabin came into view.
That must be the first trial.
“Hoho, visitors?”
The door to the cabin creaked open, and an elderly man with a kind demeanor stepped out slowly.
“What brings you here?”
His warm smile and friendly tone made him seem harmless, but I knew better.
“We’ve come for Asura’s Finger.”
Just as the name Asura’s Finger could be misleading,
So, too, could his kind appearance.
“Is that so?”
This man was none other than…
“I’m sorry, but you cannot pass this point without paying a price.”
…the guardian of this massive vineyard.
“If you wish to proceed, you must offer something in return.”
The old man’s frail body began to emit a dangerous aura.
“Do you wish to pass through here?”
Crack, crack…
The sound of bones twisting filled the air as his body began to grow larger.
“Then…”
His low, growling voice resonated.
Massive paws covered in fur emerged.
And a giant maw, capable of swallowing a person whole, came into view.
“If you give me one rice cake, I won’t eat you.”
Before we knew it, a colossal tiger loomed over us, larger than the log cabin itself.
My team and I froze in place, staring dumbfounded at the sight before us.
‘A tiger….’
Well, okay.
Considering the kind of world we were in, where even regular people could turn into monsters,
It wasn’t entirely unthinkable for a human to transform into a tiger.
But what was with that overwhelming aura?
I had encountered countless fierce beasts before.
But never had I felt this much cold sweat trickling down my spine,
Nor had I felt this utterly overpowered.
Forcing my stiff limbs to move, I let out a long sigh.
Even when I had faced Fenrir in the Wind’s Stronghold, a beast classified as A-grade, it hadn’t been this intense…
‘This must be a beast of at least A-grade or higher.’
The only relief was that this creature seemed to have intelligence.
And since it took on a human-like form,
It was likely a species that was at least somewhat amicable toward humans.
This led me to conclude that it wouldn’t attack us outright.
But considering its demand of a rice cake to let us pass,
It didn’t seem like we could take the ingredient without some negotiation.
After a moment of thought, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Greetings, Mountain Lord. We have no intention of causing trouble. We’re only here to collect an ingredient for Sura’s Calamitous Despairflower.”
Like a granddaughter respectfully greeting her grandfather, I bowed deeply.
Then, slowly lifting my head, I looked up at the tiger.
Tigers, after all, are sacred creatures often appearing in Korean folklore.
And sacred creatures?
They aren’t like lowly beasts or monsters that attack indiscriminately.
In other words, if I showed proper respect in accordance with Confucian ideals,
It would recognize my sincerity.
“Sura…?”
Fortunately, my Confucian-inspired approach seemed to work.
The tiger’s expression softened slightly as it responded hesitantly.
“Destruction…? What did you just say?”
The tiger flicked its ears as if hard of hearing, then asked again.
“Sura’s Calamitous Despairflower.”
“Sura… whatever it is, yeah, anyway. You’re here for Sura-something? There’s no such thing here.”
“No, that’s not—”
Did it even hear what I said properly?
Or maybe its ears had been out of commission for a while.
“There’s nothing like that here, I said.”
The tiger’s tail thumped against the ground, and it yawned widely, as if bored.
‘This tiger….’
Its languid expression, like it might fall asleep any moment, made it clear.
It had understood everything I said but found it too bothersome to deal with me and was pretending not to.
‘I knew it.’
Now, how should I handle this?
It didn’t seem like I could just take or be given what I needed.
I’d need to propose something intriguing enough to pique its interest.
What might interest this tiger?
“If you have no other business here, leave at once. If you keep lingering around, I’ll have no choice but to chase you away.”
The tiger’s stern voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly replied.
“We need Asura’s Finger.”
The tiger’s eyebrows furrowed sharply at my words.
It probably hadn’t expected anyone to ask for Asura’s Finger.
“That’s not possible. Anything else, maybe.”
Judging by the tiger’s reaction and the expanse of the vineyard surrounding us, it was clear.
Asura’s Finger referred to a grape.
Specifically, not just any grape, but sapphire grapes.
The tall, massive tree we’d glimpsed earlier in the center of the vineyard—
The long, slender fruits growing from that tree were Asura’s Fingers.
I understood.
It was a sweet ingredient entirely mismatched with its ominous name.
If I hadn’t known from the original story, I might have tilted my head in confusion too.
Anyway, there was a peculiar tale behind that strange name.
Long ago, Asura, gravely injured in battle, stumbled upon the vineyard in the Western Flower Field. By accident, one of his fingers fell off.
The finger became fertilizer, and the resulting grapevine bore sapphire grapes.
These grapes, far sweeter and tastier than ordinary ones, were revered as divine fruit.
Later, even constellations found them difficult to obtain, ranking them as the highest-grade fruit.
Whether or not the story about the severed finger was true remained uncertain.
But since the fruit’s shape was long and slender, it came to be known as Asura’s Finger.
Even though it was so rare that constellations lined up to taste it,
We needed it.
‘To bloom the Calamitous Despairflower.’
Of course, the tiger didn’t seem inclined to hand it over.
Its sulky expression made that much clear.
Well, I’d already expected it wouldn’t be easy to obtain.
As silence stretched on, the tiger, perhaps mistaking it for disappointment, opened its mouth first.
“Asura’s Fingers already have owners. This month’s harvest is fully reserved.”
“…….”
“Next month too, and the month after that. You’d likely have to wait years to get even one bunch.”
As with any popular product, it seemed all the fruit had prearranged buyers.
If any of the constellations supporting us had reserved some,
We might’ve been able to get a small share.
[The constellation, Hearth of the Cosmos, shakes its head.]
[The constellation, Sage of Death, quietly averts its gaze.]
[The constellation, Abandoned Child, mutters they don’t even like grapes.]
Apparently, none of our constellations were particularly fond of grapes.
So, that option was out.
“Why are you staring at me, child?”
I stared silently at the tiger in front of me.
To be precise, at its mouth.
“You like sweets, don’t you?”
There were traces of red juice around its muzzle.
At first, I worried it might be blood,
But given the nature of this place, it was likely grape juice.
“How… how did you…?”
Bingo!
If the tiger loved sweets and was guarding the vineyard,
Then the reason for its position was clear.
“You’re protecting this vineyard in exchange for getting Asura’s Fingers, right?”
Judging by the modest log cabin and its rough, hemp clothing,
It didn’t seem like the tiger was particularly wealthy.
But if it liked sweets so much that it worked just to taste Asura’s Fingers,
Then it made sense.
“Ha, you’re a clever one.”
The tiger’s large eyes glimmered with surprise, confirming my guess.
“Then, does that mean you get your share from this month’s harvest?”
The tiger rolled its eyes briefly before nodding.
“Yes. I get one bunch each month.”
That meant we might be able to negotiate for that one bunch.
“But I have no intention of sharing it.”
The tiger preemptively countered my thoughts as if it had read my mind.
I let out a deep sigh.
Of course, it wouldn’t just give it away.
“One bunch a month. It’s my sole joy in life; how could I give it up?”
This tiger loved sweets so much that it worked a month just to get one bunch of grapes.
Which meant it was serious about its sugary treats.
“And if you think about taking it from me, forget it.”
Its tone turned cold as it exuded a faintly menacing aura.
If I dared to take it by force, it seemed ready to swipe me with its massive paw.
“But what if I offered you something even tastier?”
Of course, I had no intention of obtaining Asura’s Finger through underhanded means.
“If I give you something sweeter and more delicious than Asura’s Finger, would you be willing to trade this month’s share for it?”
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