Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Special Training (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Huff… huff…”
The metallic taste filled his mouth, and his throat stung. Geon-ju grimaced, feeling as though even the air he sucked in was scraping against his tender mucous membranes.
No matter how much his breath backed up to his chin, he couldn’t stop running. His feet churned through the mud-caked ground, his arms pushed through the heavy air, and his eyes darted left and right, searching for an escape. His mind raced, calculating the direction of his next step, while his body never paused for a rest.
It couldn’t be helped.
The moment he stopped would be the moment he greeted death.
“Haa… ha.”
―Grrr… yelp! Yelp!
Wolves chased after the frantically running Geon-ju. But it wasn’t just the four-legged beasts pursuing him. Behind the dozens of wolves, six werewolves capable of bipedal movement followed at a leisurely pace.
They weren’t running at full speed.
The wolf-type monsters acting as hunting dogs were simply keeping pace, waiting for their victory howl.
It was a hunt without full effort.
To the werewolf humans, chasing a B-rank hunter like Geon-ju was nothing more than a game.
And even that would only hold true until the scent enveloping Geon-ju’s body reached the werewolves.
“That crazy bastard!”
Before the special training began, Sa-yoon had pulled out something from his pocket while smiling tenderly at the anxious Geon-ju. It was a stimulant that induced monster arousal. Geon-ju had naturally suspected the suspicious pink perfume bottle.
He didn’t want to repeat the car incident, so he’d snapped, “What the hell is that?” But Sa-yoon didn’t answer and just sprayed the liquid everywhere.
It was nearly impossible to avoid the fine liquid particles, so Geon-ju had raised his arms to shield only his face.
If he’d known it was an arousal inducer, he would’ve stripped off his clothes to block it and tossed them away.
Then he wouldn’t be running like a madman right now.
―Grrrrr!
―Whine, kiiing!
The wolves chasing Geon-ju drooled as they let out threatening growls, sometimes whimpering to make their fleeing prey hesitate. To avoid being lured by those sounds, Geon-ju ran even faster.
His ragged breathing drowned out everything else.
The heaving gasps covered the monsters’ howls, and the thudding of his feet against the ground kept stray thoughts at bay. But stamina had its limits. He’d run without a break, but eventually, his legs gave out. In the end, Geon-ju tripped over a protruding tree root and tumbled noisily to the ground.
Crash!
His body rolled harshly down the mountain path, slamming his arms and legs against trees. Dull pain hit him, followed by stinging skin. His flesh tore, his bones ached—it was a mess.
―Yelp! Yelp!
The wolves that had been hot on Geon-ju’s heels seized the chance of his fall and lunged.
“Kuh!”
Geon-ju had no time to nurse his pain. He raised his knife to meet the wolf’s snapping jaws. Thud. Footsteps approached. Unlike the heavy pounding of four-legged wolves charging the earth, these carried a weightier tone.
Werewolves.
They’d been watching everything with far superior dynamic vision and were now closing in on him.
“You okay, pretty?”
When fear swallowed his eyes for a moment, a voice came from above. The obnoxious, cheerful tone didn’t fit the situation and snapped him back to reality. Geon-ju shifted his focus from the werewolves back to the wolves right in front of him.
They were strong, raised by werewolves rather than ordinary wolves, but still below A-rank. He could handle them. If only there weren’t fifteen surrounding him.
Still, he couldn’t give up.
Sa-yoon was helping from above, emitting killing intent to keep no more than three wolves from approaching him—that was his mercy. Geon-ju had to take down at least three on his own.
―Grah, yelp! Kirruk!
Crunch crunch.
The arousal-blinded wolves, their judgment clouded, scraped at Geon-ju’s blade wildly to bite their prey. Watching their sharp fangs grind against the knife, Geon-ju grimaced as monster saliva dripped onto his face. He lifted his throbbing foot, feeling like it was fractured, and kicked the monster away.
―Kyaaang, kyaang!
“Ugh!”
The kick landed on the wolf, but Geon-ju groaned too. Wincing at the pain shooting up his ankle, he sucked in a breath. No time to rest. Two more wolves filled the spot of the one he’d sent flying. One climbed onto his stomach while the other tore at his clothes from behind.
For a fleeting moment, Geon-ju thought it was fortunate Sa-yoon had used an arousal inducer, at least.
If it had been something to stimulate appetite, the wolves wouldn’t just drool and charge at the sight of him—they’d tear into everything in view first.
To consider this “arrangement”...
His situation was pathetic, he thought, as he swung his right hand to smash one wolf’s face and thrust his left foot into another’s gut. The simultaneous impacts made the wolves falter, and Geon-ju seized the gap, rolling to his feet.
As he stood, a numb sensation in his legs made him stagger. Only then did Sa-yoon notice the injury and narrow his eyes.
He had no intention of helping yet, but if Geon-ju started injured, the training would go awry. Sa-yoon glanced down at the presences below, confirming the six werewolves. He saw them tensing their thighs, ready to end the game as Geon-ju limped away only to be pounced by another wolf and fall again.
Twitch.
As their muscled thighs tightened, Sa-yoon, floating midair with Air Step, unleashed frost energy.
―…Guh, guh!
A sudden chill assaulted the wolves. The intangible force gripped their throats, yanking them back, making them flail their arms in panic. Ignoring their pitiful whines, Sa-yoon confirmed Geon-ju shaking off another wolf and fleeing.
“You guys wait a bit. Our pretty’s not feeling well.”
Did people’s tempers soften with age? His heart kept going soft for his pretty one—it was troubling.
He’d planned to push without mercy this time, to teach him how to handle being surrounded by enemies. But seeing Geon-ju limp, he couldn’t bring himself to send the werewolves.
He should heal quickly.
Sa-yoon had given him plenty of potions before starting. Suppressing all the monsters to buy healing time was an option, but it wouldn’t hone survival instincts.
Geon-ju had to escape pursuit, secure a safe zone, and recover on his own. That way, he wouldn’t panic next time.
Sa-yoon couldn’t always be by his side, so they needed safe yet realistic combat training like this.
“I wonder if he knows experience is something money can’t buy.”
It was something others clamored for.
Well, maybe not clamored, but low-rank hunters sought every bit of experience to compete with higher ones through proficiency. If they saw Geon-ju’s training, they might not die of envy, but they’d want a turn under a high-rank protector’s watch.
Muttering that he’d realize how precious this field experience was once he left, Sa-yoon watched Geon-ju shove his knife up a relentlessly pursuing wolf’s nose.
An application of wolves relying more on smell than sight.
“He’s improving.”
Before, escape was priority, so attacks were mere checks. Now he balanced fleeing and striking decently.
Confirming Geon-ju had put some distance, Sa-yoon released the remaining wolves held by killing intent. With over 3 kilometers between them, he should find a safe zone.
The released wolves were just bait to motivate him further.
―Kyaaang!
As the wolves were freed, the werewolves howled as if begging release too. Yelp yelp, yip yip. One started, and the rest followed.
―Awooooo!
Sa-yoon frowned at their howling.
“What’s with the noise? Did you get hit with the arousal spray?”
Chiding them coldly, he refined the frost energy. Crackle, crackle. Their muzzles froze, soon encased in thick ice. Only after fitting them with custom muzzles did Sa-yoon relax, expanding his senses to track Geon-ju.
‘Haa, ha, ugh!’
He heard ragged breaths mixed with groans—likely treating wounds in a safe zone.
Did the count go up?
Fill three or more Perfect Escapes.
That was Sa-yoon’s goal, so he pulled up the clear condition window. Expecting progress, he was surprised to see zero Perfect Escapes. Puzzled, he flew toward Geon-ju’s trail.
What went wrong?
―Hah hah!
He heard a wolf panting, then Geon-ju cursing.
Crazy son of a bitch!
Unclear if aimed at him or the wolf. Moving until Geon-ju entered view, he saw the man pinned under a wolf in the brush, struggling.
Thud thud!
Geon-ju battered the wolf brutally, stabbing its nape, but it lunged madly, ignoring pain.
“It’s lost its mind.”
A side effect of the arousal inducer.
Overdosed on the scent, no doubt. Clicking his tongue, Sa-yoon checked Geon-ju. The broken foot seemed healed. Foot fine, eyes fierce—he could handle it. Sa-yoon was about to watch when...
A slimy tongue licked across Geon-ju’s face. His body stiffened instantly.
―Kyeng!
A werewolf, dragged along by Sa-yoon’s movement, choked on killing intent and thrashed against its muzzle. Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes downward.
“That fucking mutt.”
Licking someone else’s property like it owned it.