Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 010
Chapter Title: The Beast of the Quarry (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kim Woojin stepped out of the village. He whistled once, and a red wolf came dashing out from the shadows of the forest.
Sniff sniff.
Rex kept twitching his nose. True to his canine instincts, he quickly picked up on the tantalizing scent clinging to Woojin.
"Here you go. You have some too."
Woojin plucked a piece of meat from the skewer and tossed it over. Rex snapped it up, and his eyes went wide. The first taste of turkey must have been a real shock.
Hah hah hah—
Rex looked up at him, tongue lolling out. His tail wagged back and forth without pause. He looked every bit the dog, as if he'd tossed his wolf identity into the dirt.
Woojin tossed the rest of the meat on the skewer to Rex. The wolf gobbled it down eagerly. It wasn't long before he'd devoured every last bit.
Still not satisfied, Rex smacked his lips and stared at Woojin.
"Hey, I only had the one."
Woojin scraped off every scrap of meat from the skewer and ate it clean.
......Honestly, it had been a bit short on portion.
For a big guy like Rex, it must have been even more unsatisfying. Woojin wanted to buy more meat, but he didn't have a ton of spending money right now.
Hector had handed over half his possessions as payment for saving his life: thirty silver coins and the werewolf pelt.
Woojin planned to set aside ten silver as emergency funds. You never knew when trouble might strike, so it was smart to keep some spare cash on hand.
That left him with just over twenty silver coins to actually spend. It wasn't a generous sum.
The pelt might have a potential value of forty gold coins, but that was the bounty the Church Alliance had placed on the werewolf's head. As proof of the kill, it wasn't something he could easily sell to the Pioneer Group.
If he wanted to travel in style, he'd need to take on some money-making work at least once.
'......Seventy gold coins.'
Woojin recalled the bounty he'd heard about earlier. Hunting just one beast would net him seventy gold coins he could spend right away.
He didn't want to tangle with an annoying beast like the Mad Skull, but he'd heard cases with bounties this big were rare. Maybe he should make hay while the sun shined...
After a moment's thought.
"......Hey."
Woojin jerked his chin at the wolf.
"Let's do a job together."
They headed for the quarry where the beast had appeared.
Under the barren rocky mountain, red boulders jutted up from the ground like boils. Each one was a massive bloodstone.
Seemed like the right place. But Woojin wasn't the first to arrive—there were already plenty of other visitors.
'Judging by their gear...... mercenaries.'
Dozens of men in chain armor bustled around the bloodstone quarry. They looked like they were prepping to hunt the beast.
The presence of competitors was something he'd half-expected. The bounty on the beast wasn't chump change.
'What're they planning?'
Prepping meant they had some kind of strategy. Woojin was curious about how mercenaries hunted beasts.
There was only one way to find out.
'Gotta get closer.'
Woojin started toward the quarry. But there was one issue.
Grrr...
Rex, walking alongside him, hesitated. He clearly didn't like heading into a crowd of people.
Woojin paused at the sight. Rex was bigger than your average packhorse. The mercenaries would kick up a huge fuss if they spotted him.
'Should I leave Rex here?'
But there was a bigger problem.
'......Even if I go alone, those mercenaries won't exactly roll out the welcome mat.'
From the mercenaries' perspective, a Beast Hunter was a rival gunning for the same bounty. A stranger lurking around wouldn't get a warm reception. They'd chase him off for sure.
But Woojin had no intention of backing down. He'd come all this way—no way was he leaving empty-handed.
'Better to move with Rex.'
Either way, some friction with the mercenaries was inevitable. His goal was to keep it from escalating past words.
Bringing Rex along would help with that. No matter how bold the mercenaries, they wouldn't rush a massive wolf beast.
'Still, need some precautions.'
It was common courtesy to leash a dog on walks. Woojin gave Rex an order.
"Lower your stance. More, more—there you go."
As the wolf crouched low, Woojin climbed onto his back like mounting a horse.
Safety measure in place. If Rex caused trouble, Woojin would smack the back of his head.
"Alright, let's go!"
"......"
Rex wore a sullen expression. Woojin waved him forward impatiently, and the wolf trudged ahead reluctantly.
The quarry drew closer. One of the mercenaries, in the middle of work, spotted them.
"Wha-what?!"
"What the hell? Why're you stuttering?"
Instead of explaining, the mercenary pointed at Woojin. The others turned, and their eyes bulged. Another one started stuttering.
The mercenaries dithered, not daring to charge. With them this spooked, no fight would break out. As Woojin approached on wolfback, they backed away, clearing a path.
'Good call bringing Rex.'
Things were going his way. But on the flip side, a question arose.
'How do these guys plan to take down a beast?'
They looked experienced enough at a glance, and there were plenty of them. But hunting beasts was a different beast altogether.
As he pondered, the central tent flap lifted, and three people emerged: two men and a woman. They'd come out to check the commotion.
One of the men approached.
Dark red hair and sun-baked bronze skin. Bigger and more muscled than the others. He had the air of the mercenaries' leader.
"I'm Jonathan of the Black Marlin Mercenary Corps. Mind sharing your name?"
Jonathan spoke politely.
Dismounting to exchange names while looming over him felt rude, so Woojin slid off Rex's back before replying.
"Call me Jin."
"Hm, new name to me. You look like a Beast Hunter...... here for the bounty, right?"
"That's right."
Jonathan scratched his forehead, looking troubled.
"This puts us in a bind...... Look, Jin, truth is, we're almost done prepping to take down the beast. We'd like to give it a shot first— that okay?"
"No issue."
First come, first served was only fair. Woojin agreed readily, then stated his purpose.
"Mind if I watch from the sidelines?"
"Sure. But...... keep the wolf at a distance, yeah? It's messing with my men's morale."
Jonathan made the request with careful tact.
......Thinking about it, the mercenaries had every reason to be wary of Rex.
If a wolf beast struck their rear while they clashed with the Mad Skull, the whole corps would be caught between hammer and anvil.
If Woojin had bad intentions, he could wipe them out. That was why Jonathan was bending over backward to accommodate him.
So Woojin could afford a little give.
"Rex, fall back."
Rex obeyed, retreating to a distance. Jonathan nodded, satisfied.
"Fine beast—well-trained. Appreciate you indulging me. Nail this hunt, and it'll be a great day."
"When do you start?"
"Give or take an hour, probably. Claire, you set?"
Jonathan called to the woman beside him. The young woman called Claire nodded.
Peanut-butter-colored hair and eyes. For some reason, she wore baggy robes instead of armor.
"Finished my part ages ago. Nets looked nearly done too. Shouldn't we get ready to start?"
"Perfect timing. Alright, you lot! Time to make some real money today."
Jonathan laughed heartily and advanced on the quarry. The mercenaries followed in perfect sync. Hard to believe these were the same guys spooked by the wolf— no hesitation in their movements.
Just from this, you could tell Jonathan was a solid leader. A good focal point could elevate his men's skills several notches.
Soon they reached the hunting ground. Woojin's eyes swept the terrain.
'......They've built a pretty big, useful trap. Solid craftsmanship.'
He could guess their intent. A pitfall that had taken time and effort. Would the mercenaries' hard work pay off?
"Claire, begin."
"Yes."
Claire placed her right hand on the open book. The text began to glow pale green. Runes and diagrams trembled and quivered.
Tic, ting—
The letters on the page chased after Claire's hand, floating lightly into the air. She conducted them like an orchestra, her gestures rearranging the runes in midair.
Woojin's eyes widened at the sight.
'Whoa, insane...... Is that magic?'
He'd only heard tales, never seen it. It was like CG from a movie overlaid on reality.
Claire thrust her hand forward. Pale green feather-shaped lights settled onto Jonathan's body.
Thump thump.
Jonathan tested it with two jumps in place. His body looked noticeably lighter.
"Good to go. Leave command to Charlie like always."
"Captain, stay safe."
Enveloped in light, Jonathan charged toward the bloodstone quarry. Each step propelled him forward two or three meters, like a long jumper mid-stride.
The perfect picture of flying. Woojin watched the mercenary's sprint with quiet admiration.
"......It's called Feather Step. Makes the body lighter and faster."
Claire, standing nearby, whispered the explanation. He'd tried to hide his awe, but it must have shown.
Might as well ask while he was at it.
"How long does it last?"
"Roughly ten minutes."
"Not long."
"Yeah. Time's tight. All we can do is hope the beast takes the bait quick......"
Jonathan's role was bait.
Lure the beast's attention into the trap. Naturally the riskiest, toughest job, yet the corps leader took it in stride.
Crash!
Jonathan pulled glass vials from his pack and hurled them one by one. They shattered, spilling bright red liquid across the dirt.
Woojin sniffed.
'Blood smell.'
The vials held beast blood, brought to draw attention. And he didn't stop there—Jonathan started raising hell.
"Come on out—! You pathetic beast!!"
He flung bottles like a madman, bellowing at the top of his lungs. Even from a distance, it stung Woojin's ears.
The shouts echoed across the ridge, carrying far. Deep in the quarry, where heavy shadows cloaked a cave...
Blink.
......The sleeping beast's eyes opened.