Hunt or Be Hunted
“Heh heh. Hehehe.”
I took one step forward. The wolves immediately retreated one step. All right, what now? Five bullets remained. Three wolves were visible. But their alpha was still hiding somewhere. There could be even more concealed beyond the leader. There was also the chance the bullets would miss or fail to inflict meaningful damage even if they connected. I couldn’t afford to rely on the gun alone.
I would have to finish the three in front of me using only the spear. The idea was so absurd that even I let out a hollow laugh. Me, taking on dogs bigger than I was? Yet when I thought about it coldly, that was the choice that gave me the highest chance of survival. The pistol should be saved for the moment the alpha revealed itself.
I slipped the handgun back into my pocket and gripped the titanium spear with both hands.
“Hah!”
The wolves flinched at my loud shout. I used that opening to hurl myself at the one that had strayed slightly apart from the pack.
-Grrraawr!
“Tch.”
If the spear sank into the wrong spot it would be a nightmare to pull free. Because I had stabbed too cautiously with that worry in mind, the wolf easily dodged.
“Hup!”
-Yelp!
But I had already predicted its landing spot after the leap. I swept the spear sideways, and the wolf that had avoided the first thrust was caught on the tip. The cutting-edge titanium-alloy blade sheared straight through one of its front legs.
-Yelp! Yelp!
The three-legged wolf tried to hop away. I ran it through from behind. Squish. The spear slid easily through its back and out its chest. The hunt had gone far more smoothly than expected.
“Okay. Two down.”
-Shluck.
I planted a foot on the carcass and yanked the spear free. The remaining wolves seemed spooked by the counterattack from the prey they had thought helpless; none of them dared rush in. If they had coordinated while I was busy killing the first, I would have been the one torn apart. How stupid.
“Beasts are just beasts after all.”
I licked my dry lips and advanced on the rest. They backed away warily with every step I took. Yet they refused to flee outright. Was this their territory? Or——
-GRRRAAWWR!
I quickly learned their plan.
“Ugh!”
A wolf came leaping from an unexpected angle—one I couldn’t see. My diagonal rear blind spot. Time slowed to a crawl. Luckily my sharpened hearing caught the sound of its paws crushing grass first, letting me react at the last possible second.
White fur. A body far larger than the others. The instant I saw it, instinct screamed the truth: this was the alpha.
It charged with its jaws wide, aiming straight for my throat. White fangs flashed like daggers, exactly as its name suggested. Instead of letting it have my neck, I shoved the spear shaft between its teeth.
-Crunch!
Titanium alloy existed on an entirely different plane of hardness than living bone and enamel. No matter how powerful the alpha, it could not chew through the spear. But the sheer mass of the beast—easily twice the weight of the others—was more than enough to knock me off my feet. The impact felt less like a wolf and more like being struck by a motorcycle.
“Goddammit.”
The white wolf mounted me as I slid across the ground. It spat out the spear and lunged for my throat again. I offered my left elbow in its place.
-CRUNCH.
Thick fangs punched through my combat suit and sank into bone. This was nothing like the hyena bite. This monster was chewing my entire arm, bone included.
“Ah.”
I hadn’t thought it would be easy. There simply hadn’t been any other move. It felt like the limb would rip clean off. Still, better than losing my neck or skull——I would die.
Time stretched thinner. Any second now I expected my life to flash before my eyes. No. I couldn’t die yet. Someone was waiting for me to come home.
I finally released the spear from my right hand and yanked the pistol from my pocket.
“You son of a bitch.”
I jammed the muzzle against the bastard still gnawing on my elbow. Its yellow eyes met the barrel.
-BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three rounds straight into the bridge of its snout. The recoil made my wrist scream as I held the gun one-handed. At the same moment another wolf leaped in from the side.
-BANG! BANG!
I swung the pistol and put two bullets into it. The last wolf stood frozen, uncertain.
I aimed the now-empty gun at it anyway.
“Come on then, you bastard!”
My voice cracked. The white alpha went limp, jaws still locked around my arm. The second wolf collapsed, rolling across the dirt. Seeing both its leaders dead or dying, the final wolf backed away, then turned tail and fled. My bluff had worked.
“Whoa.”
-Thud.
The empty pistol dropped from my fingers.
“Whoa. Fuck. Whoa.”
My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. With those trembling fingers I tried to pry open the white wolf’s jaws that were still clamped around my left arm.
“You fucking—dog—bastard…!”
Grunting, I struggled one-handed, but the jaws refused to budge. The son of a bitch had bitten down with insane strength. Its eyes had already rolled back; the bullets must have destroyed its brain.
“Hoo… haha. Fuck.”
For something the size of a small mountain, it went down easy. The point-blank shots to the forehead had punched through skull and brain for an instant kill. If you’re going to die, at least let go of my arm first, you piece of shit.
“Hah… hah…”
I picked up the fallen spear first. One wolf was still alive—the one that had charged and taken two bullets.
-Yelp! Grrrl!
It rolled across the ground, clearly feeling the sting of hot lead.
“Heh heh.”
I wanted to finish it, but the dead alpha still refused to release my arm. Even in death it protected its pack? What a caring leader.
“Nngh…!”
I wedged the spear tip between its teeth and used the shaft as a lever to force the jaws apart.
“Gah—aaaaagh!”
The moment the jaws opened, pain I hadn’t registered while being bitten crashed over me like a tidal wave.
“Ha… hu… huuugh.”
I finally pried the maw wide enough for the fangs to slide free. They were as thick as bull horns and slick with my own blood and shredded meat.
“Hah! Hah! Hah!”
I wrenched my arm completely out. The flesh was torn to ribbons, the bones shattered, connected by nothing but a few frayed strips of skin. It looked ready to fall off at any second. So this is what a living human bone looks like. Fuck. I could have gone my whole life without knowing.
“Haa… haa… fuck.”
Gripping the spear in my right hand, I staggered toward the black wolf that was still breathing.
-Kiiing!
“Die, die, die.”
Stab. Stab. Stab. I drove the spear into it again and again like I was venting every ounce of rage. But each thrust sent white-hot agony through my mangled arm, so I stopped.
“Hah… hah… fu… hah.”
I felt like I was going to die. Like the pain alone would kill me. So this is what prey feels while being eaten alive. Thank god I was born human. Although right now that didn’t feel like much of a blessing.
“Potion. Give me the fucking potion.”
With blood-slick hands I opened the phone shop. I knew exactly where it was—the high-grade healing medicine. My trembling fingers somehow managed to complete the purchase.
“Hoo… hoo…”
I snatched the potion that materialized in mid-air and bit the lid off. My hands were shaking too badly to open it normally.
-Pop.
I spat the cap aside and poured the liquid over my ruined left arm with violently shaking hands.
“Guh.”
My vision whited out. I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they might crack.
“GUAAAAAAGH!!”
…It was useless. I couldn’t hold the scream back. I wanted to die. I would rather die. The pain was that bad.
“Aah… aah… graaah…”
Crack. Crunch. I couldn’t tell where the sounds were coming from. Were those noises really coming from my own arm?
“Ugh… ugh… ah. Ha.”
The limb that had been twisted and nearly severed found its proper shape again. Shattered bones knit together. Missing pieces regenerated. Muscles and tendons reformed and reconnected. Blood flowed. Fresh flesh bloomed. My arm had returned.
“Hah… hah! Hah!”
I had used this medicine once before when the hyena bit me, but the wound this time had been on a completely different scale. The healing process was that much more unreal. And it hurt that much more.
Even after the arm had fully recovered, my body still remembered the agony and wouldn’t stop shaking. It didn’t hurt anymore, yet the nonexistent pain lingered like a ghost. So this is phantom pain.
“Haa… hah! Haa.”
My entire body was soaked in cold sweat. It was freezing. The weather should have been warm. The sun should have been high overhead. Yet I shivered as though standing naked in the snow.
“Haa… haa… hoo.”
The White Nightmare of the Forest, White Fang, has entered eternal rest.
“Shut up. Fuck.”
The curse flew out before I could stop it. Eternal rest my ass. Rot in hell.
You have obtained the title Slayer of the White Nightmare.
As a reward for defeating a powerful enemy, you have received three Rare Gem Boxes.
◈ Rapid-fire capability with automatic 20-bolt magazine refresh every 10 minutes
◈ White-furred stock, virtually silent, ideal for stealth hunting
You have obtained 20 exclusive White Fang crossbow bolts.
You have obtained the pelt of White Fang. Displaying it in your base will deter certain creatures from approaching.
You have defeated three follower wolves. 300 coins acquired.
“Hoo.”
The rewards really were sweet. Extremely sweet. It was a shame I had only managed to kill three of the lesser wolves, but the boss loot was what mattered.
“Heh heh.”
I sat down hard on the ground and laughed without meaning to. It was funny that I could be this happy about the rewards after nearly dying for real just moments ago.
“Have I really gone mad…”
It couldn’t be helped. Otherwise, how could any sane person keep doing things like this? I kept chuckling to myself as I stared at the reward items floating in front of me. In the end, I simply decided to be glad I had survived long enough to receive them.