Game 21: The Tiger That Ate Gods for Breakfast
The roar didn't just shake the arena. It rattled teeth, loosened stones from the cracked walls, and made the floating torches flicker like scared candles.
Kim Roji staggered backward, the sound slamming into her chest so hard it felt like her ribs would split. Her four Anubis guardians, those statues with the lean bodies of armored men and the long heads of jackals, jerked in unison. For the first time, their glowing red eyes dimmed.
The giant tiger stood there, massive shoulders rolling like boulders grinding against each other, golden fur rippling under phantom winds. Every breath dragged pine-scented air into the battlefield, cold and sharp, as if the entire arena had been dragged onto a frozen mountain slope.
Kim Roji's throat went dry. The girl who had been so smug minutes earlier could only stammer.
"This… this can't… that's not…"
Her voice broke.
The five Anubis guardians closed ranks around her, spears raised, their weapons wreathed in flickering orange fire. But even their rigid stance looked shaken, like soldiers forced to kneel before an emperor.
Han Tae-yang, calm as a bored street gambler, strolled up beside the tiger and patted its enormous flank. His hand barely covered a fraction of the beast's striped hide.
"Good boy," Tae-yang said with mock sweetness. Then his grin sharpened into a knife. He looked at the jackal warriors. "A pack of stray dogs dares bare fangs before the lord of the forest?"
The tiger rumbled low, like thunder caught in its throat.
Han Tae-yang pointed lazily toward the guardians. "Get rid of them."
The order was delivered as casually as someone telling a waiter to clear dirty plates.
The beast responded instantly.
Another roar cracked the air, this one directed straight at the jackals. Dust fell from the ruined pillars. Several hunters in the crowd clutched their ears.
The Anubis guardians lunged forward. Their spears ignited, tips blooming into fire like torches dipped in oil. The ground smoked under their feet, every step leaving black scorch marks. They weren't just Anubis statues, they were enchanted weapons given bodies, bound by the rituals of a half-forgotten civilization.
The first guardian swung its flaming spear in a wide arc, the blade slicing toward the tiger's neck. Sparks scattered, scorching the tiger's fur.
The beast's response was brutal.
One paw, bigger than a human chest, lashed out. Claws like ivory scythes tore through the guardian's torso. Stone cracked, fire sputtered, and the jackal warrior was hurled across the arena like a smashed doll. It slammed into a wall, leaving a crater before crumbling into rubble.
The crowd gasped.
Three guardians remained. They moved together, tactics sharp, weapons weaving a burning net. One stabbed low at the tiger's belly, another feinted high at its throat, while the last spun his spear like a wheel of fire, aiming to blind.
The tiger lowered its head. Muscles bunched under its shoulders. Then it lunged.
Its jaws opened wide, teeth gleaming wet with mana. It bit down.
Crunch.
The spear-wielding jackal shrieked, though it had no throat to scream with, and shattered in half, body crumbling like clay. The other two tried to retreat, but the tiger's tail whipped like a steel whip. It smacked one across the chest, sending it tumbling.
The last guardian thrust forward desperately, the flaming spear sinking into the tiger's side. Smoke rose, fur singed.
The beast didn't even flinch.
It turned, jaws snapping. The jackal vanished between its teeth, broken apart piece by piece.
The arena fell silent except for the tiger's heavy breathing. Four shattered guardians lay in pieces across the battlefield, their glowing cores fizzling out like dying fireflies.
Kim Roji stood frozen, sweat soaking through her collar. Her lips trembled.
"Impossible…" she whispered, legs buckling. She sank to the ground, skirts folding under her. "I've heard of many ways to control constructs, but never… never this. To order a creation like it's a pet… To have such authority…"
Her hands shook violently. "It feels like my flesh is being torn apart… I… I can't win."
Her eyes blurred with tears. The proud challenger of minutes ago now sat helplessly, mascara streaking down her cheeks. She stared at Han Tae-yang with wide, fearful eyes.
Game over, her thoughts screamed. I thought I had the trump card. But who… who is he? Why is he so calm?
Han Tae-yang approached slowly, boots tapping against the broken stone, echoing in the dead silence.
"Hand it over," he said coldly.
Kim Roji flinched. She pulled her skirt down instinctively, covering her legs, panic flashing in her eyes.
"W-what do you mean by that?!" she yelped. "Pervert!"
Han Tae-yang pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply, like a teacher dealing with a student too dumb to copy from the blackboard. "Why is it always this reaction?"
His eyes sharpened. He crouched low, face level with hers. His voice dropped to a quiet, heavy tone.
"You can't hide it anymore. The mask of Tutankhamun."
Kim Roji froze.
Her lips opened, closed, opened again like a fish pulled from water.
"You… you know…?"
Han Tae-yang's patience thinned. "Don't play dumb. That mask doesn't belong here. And it's useless in Korea. So why cling to it?"
Her nails dug into her knees, eyes darting left and right. She bit her lip until it bled, refusing to answer.
Han Tae-yang rose, dusting off his knees. He whistled once.
The tiger padded closer, golden eyes narrowing, breath hot and damp like a furnace. Its whiskers twitched, and its claws scraped sparks from the ground.
Han Tae-yang's voice came like ice.
"Guess I'll let my friend do the asking. Maybe fangs and claws will convince you."
The tiger lowered its head, growl deepening, teeth gleaming inches from her face.
Kim Roji's heart pounded like a war drum. Her whole body shook, caught between terror and despair.