White Fang

After finishing off the wolf pups in the border zone and treating the tattered mess that was my left arm, I finally managed to calm down a bit. I chewed on some kimbap I'd bought from the shop while going through my loot one by one.

It was my first time getting a title. The effect seemed to be passive. Anyway, it was probably a good thing, right? But what did "pursued" even mean? Like being chased from a distance? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Or did it mean preemptive attacks? Hmm… I guess I could just take it as getting attacked less by other creatures.

Oh. This was nice. Three shiny, pretty boxes. Since there were exactly three, maybe I should give one each to Mom, Seunghee, and Kaylee? I had no idea what would come out since it was random, but hey, it was a gamble. At least I could bring back presents. That was a relief.

Next up was today's main item—the crossbow White Fang.

Heh. A crossbow with a high rate of fire? And automatic bolt replenishment on top of that? That kind of thing existed? As expected of gear dropped by a boss-level creature—the options were on another level.

True to its name, the body of the crossbow was pure white. Though calling it "made of bone" felt like a bit of a stretch. When you thought about how the limbs had to flex, using animal bones as material didn't seem realistic at all. If I ignored that minor inconsistency, White Fang was a truly cool weapon. I wasn't usually the type to like weapons that prioritized flashy looks over functionality, but even I had to admit this white crossbow was purely beautiful. It felt more like a work of art than a weapon.

It would've been even better if its performance matched its appearance, though. It wasn't very big. Small enough to carry in one hand. The only downside was that the bright white color stood out too much—it would probably be a disadvantage whenever stealth was needed. I'd have to test its actual performance myself.

Automatic replenishment showed up here too. How exactly did that work? And a ten-minute cooldown? Was that the cooldown for the bolts to replenish?

I picked up the white rectangular case and turned it over in my hands. When I shook it, I heard a rattling sound. The bolts were definitely inside. Did I just have to attach this to the crossbow?

I fitted the bolt case into the slot on White Fang.

Click. Clack.

The moment I attached it, a bolt automatically loaded into place. In this state… was it this?

I pulled the lever on the underside of the crossbow. The string connected to the lever drew back, and the protruding bolt was properly seated.

“Aha.”

I aimed at a tree in the distance and pulled the trigger.

Ting!

Thud!

…It hit the wrong tree. Aiming was harder than I thought. The power was weaker than expected too. The range seemed pretty short as well. I probably couldn't take down large animals with this. Considering the creatures I'd run into here—wild boars, hyenas, jaguars, wolves, and the like—it might not be all that helpful. It could wound them, but landing a fatal blow would be difficult. They'd probably just keep charging even after getting hit.

But… against people…

If I could land a headshot, it looked like it would pierce right through. Hmm…

Nice. Having this would lower the risk factor. The women were stuck inside the base all the time, so they were probably building up a lot of stress. If I laid this pelt down in the base, they might be able to go outside a little more safely.

Coins were never enough no matter how many you had. I'd gratefully accept them.

*

After polishing off the kimbap, I stuffed all the loot into my backpack. The only exception was the crossbow—I bought a dedicated belt and strapped it to the back of my waist. It was a little cumbersome when walking, but I figured it was worth the inconvenience. It would be a waste not to use something I'd worked so hard to get.

“Hup!”

With the backpack on my back, the titanium spear in my left hand, and using only my right hand, I practiced quickly drawing the crossbow from my waist and firing it on the spot.

Ping!

Thwack!

Hmm… Still not hitting properly. My accuracy was barely fifty percent. …No, to be honest, I was struggling to hit even one out of three shots. Real combat shooting really was difficult. If I missed at a critical moment, it could get dangerous. Maybe I should practice a bit more.

I pulled the lever to load the next bolt.

Ping! Thwack!

Ting! Thwack!

Ting! Thwack!

I fired from where I stood, walked a bit then turned and fired, drew and shot suddenly while standing still, took careful aim and fired. I tried all sorts of things, but I still couldn't hit consistently. Especially when I took proper aim and still missed—it made my blood boil. Was this thing defective?

Click.

“Ah.”

I must have used up all twenty bolts already. The way a new bolt used to pop out automatically after firing had stopped.

“Hmm.”

I looked at the bolts stuck all over the trees and the ground. Normally I'd have to pick them all up and reload the case, but according to the description, they would replenish automatically. Ten-minute cooldown, huh. It felt like a waste of time to wait. I'd just keep moving for now. It would replenish on its own.

*

“So this is the border zone.”

After walking another forty minutes or so, I checked the map and saw that I'd entered the yellow area. On the way here, I'd confirmed that the crossbow had properly replenished. I'd brought one extra bolt just to test it, and the spare bolt had disappeared midway. It seemed to work on a similar principle to how my phone automatically returned to my pocket. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bolts probably returned to the case automatically after ten minutes. Pretty convenient.

“Huh?”

As I walked while looking at the map, I noticed three yellow dots near my location. All three were clustered in the same spot. They weren't survivors, nor were they markers for other creatures. It was a brand-new symbol I'd never seen before. So far, every marker on the map—except for party members—had been red. Did yellow mean they were less dangerous?

Even as I thought that, I didn't let my guard down. I approached the yellow dots carefully. I moved silently from one tree to another, careful not to make any noise stepping on the grass.

And then.

“…Rabbits?”

When I peeked out from behind a tree, there they were—three rabbits. Just like the map had shown. They looked a bit plumper and larger than normal rabbits. I guess that was the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as the other creatures like the wild boars. So… this island had herbivores too. A strange sense of emptiness washed over me and my strength left my body. To think there were safe prey like this as soon as you reached the border zone. And here I'd been struggling desperately in the danger zone, not knowing any better. If someone was watching us, they were probably laughing their ass off. Fuck.

“Too bad for you.”

Before the rabbits could notice me, I drew the crossbow and took aim. There was no way I was letting such easy game get away. Poor things, they picked the wrong opponent.

I carefully aimed at the plumpest one among the three and fired.

Ping.

Thud.

…Missed. The bolt embedded itself in the bare ground beside the rabbit.

“Tsk.”

The rabbits that had been peacefully grazing suddenly panicked at the flying arrow and bolted into the forest. I frantically reloaded and fired at the fleeing rabbits.

Ping. Ping. Ping.

Squeak!

“Oh.”

One of the rabbits got hit in the hind leg by a stray bolt. Since its leg was injured, it couldn't run anymore. It collapsed to the ground, trembling. The other two got away.

“……”

The rabbit's eyes looked toward me. If Mom or Seunghee saw this, they might have told me to spare it, but—

Stab.

In a place like this, it was probably kinder to finish it off quickly. This was a world of survival of the fittest, after all.

I thrust my titanium spear into the rabbit to end its suffering. Like the other creatures I'd hunted, it soon scattered and disappeared as if its data had been deleted, leaving behind a palm-sized drop item in its place.

It was vacuum-packed rabbit meat. To think I could get something this edible so easily. It left me feeling strangely empty. Well, of course, without the crossbow or spear, catching even one rabbit would've been a struggle. But at least there was no threat to my life.

…Maybe I should consider moving our base to a safer location.

I stored the rabbit meat in my backpack and prepared to move again. The border zone between the danger zone and the safe zone was narrow. It would only take about thirty minutes to cross. Once I passed through here, I'd reach the safe zone I'd set as my original destination in no time.

I checked the map on my phone and started walking toward the safe zone again. After walking for another ten minutes or so, a new marker appeared on the map. I stopped in my tracks.

It was a survivor. And quite a few of them. Seven dots were clustered together in one spot.