Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Special Training (5)
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It was to give his pretty one some real combat experience by unleashing the wolves—not to let them lick that pretty body of his to their hearts' content.
He hadn't expected that sprinkling a mild aphrodisiac, the kind that would just drive monsters into a frenzy, would lead to this.
What the hell was Geon-ju doing? Cut them down before the monsters even got close.
"Tsk."
Displeased, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and flicked his fingers.
Fortunately, Geon-ju shook off the wolf with a kick shortly after it licked his face and broke free. But to Sa-yoon, all he could see was his pretty one's face left soaking wet.
Geon-ju was the one who'd been licked, yet it was Sa-yoon whose stomach was churning.
The wolf that had been flung away charged at Geon-ju again. With Sa-yoon's aura of killing intent released, a total of four wolves came rushing in.
Ugh! Geon-ju staggered amid the grueling fight.
From four to five, six, seven wolves.
Seeing their prey showing signs of weakness, the rest of the wolves that had been circling and biding their time lunged forward. Geon-ju drove his knife into a wolf's paw, stabbed its jaw, smashed its face with his elbow—but it wasn't enough.
"Enough already!"
The voice of the one struggling against the wolves grew noticeably fatigued.
Sa-yoon gauged how much time had passed since Geon-ju had first fled from the wolves. Roughly an hour, give or take.
He'd been chased nonstop by wolves the whole time, so of course he'd be exhausted. As if to prove Sa-yoon's assessment right, Geon-ju's leg—which had held up decently until then—suddenly buckled, and he collapsed with a thud. One wolf had finally sunk its teeth into his calf and refused to let go.
"Keuk!"
Geon-ju let out a groan, drew a knife from within his clothes, and attacked the wolf's mouth while yanking it toward himself. Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he hoisted the wolf up and hurled it at the others charging toward him.
—Kyaeng!
The wolves tangled into each other. He'd taken out three that way, but more than four still remained, prowling around him. Exhausted, Geon-ju finally collapsed fully onto the ground, allowing one wolf to mount him.
—Grrr!
The wolf growled at his neck, drool dripping down. The moment it bared its teeth to rip into the pale flesh...
"Can't watch anymore. I told you to handle it yourself—so why are you the one pinned underneath, pretty?"
These your type or something?
Unable to stand it, Sa-yoon dropped from midair, seized the wolf by the scruff of its neck, and squatted by Geon-ju's head as he lifted the yelping beast. Its torn golden vertical pupils met Sa-yoon's gaze. The air turned frigid in an instant.
—Kiiing, ng.
The wolf, which had bared its fangs and barked without knowing its place moments ago, now whimpered under the overwhelming pressure. Its ears drooped flat as it writhed in distress, stealing glances at Sa-yoon. Its tail, previously tucked away, began to wag slowly.
There was no trace of arousal or predatory frenzy left in its expression.
—Karrung!
Sa-yoon flung the lifted wolf over his shoulder. The other wolves—which had dropped into low stances and stayed wary ever since Sa-yoon descended—backed away from the spot.
He had no intention of engaging in a staring contest with a bunch of mutts.
Flick. Sa-yoon jerked his head toward the tossed wolf, and the pack, reading the intent through their beastly instincts, dragged off their straggler and withdrew.
The muzzled werewolves watched the scene, then whimpered at Sa-yoon. They wanted to go too.
But Sa-yoon's mercy didn't extend that far. He melted off their custom muzzles and jabbed their noses with a pointed finger.
"How the hell did you train these wolves to behave like this?"
—Keuk, kyung!
"What? Speak human, not bullshit."
"Huh."
Geon-ju, who had been sprawled out, overheard the exchange between the werewolves and Sa-yoon and looked utterly baffled.
Ignoring him, Sa-yoon continued berating the monsters while pointing at Geon-ju's neck. He shook his head at the ones too dense to get it and gripped the sword at his waist.
Slash!
Geon-ju, who had been gaping in bewilderment, fell silent as he watched the kill count rise in an instant. Sa-yoon sheathed his sword again, having left only a single werewolf behind.
"You stay."
—Kirurung.
The surviving werewolf bowed its head in submission. At first, it had just crouched there, but after gauging Sa-yoon's mood, it reverted to its silver wolf form and flattened itself to the ground. When Sa-yoon's pressure didn't ease, it splayed out its limbs completely.
Its belly was fully pressed against the dirt. Sa-yoon eyed the pride-shattered werewolf with a hint of dissatisfaction before turning his attention away.
"You okay, pretty?"
"...Do I look okay?"
"Still, in just one hour, your stamina and judgment improved a fair bit, didn't they?"
"In one hour, I came this close to dying five times."
"I won't let you die, jeez."
He'd said he'd save him when it got truly life-threatening—not that he'd kill him. And this time, it hadn't even been that dire.
At worst, a few bites. From experience, Sa-yoon knew that even after six bites from beasts, if you had the will to escape, your body would still move.
Willpower dominating the body wasn't entirely unheard of.
Still, the wolves' presumptuous antics had irked him, so he'd intervened earlier than planned. Yet here was Geon-ju, ungrateful and blaming him instead.
Did he think special training was called special for nothing?
High intensity meant high efficiency. In that one hour, Geon-ju had grasped—at least on a rudimentary level—how to efficiently flee from packs of beast-type monsters and how to secure a safe zone.
Repeat this a few more times until he nailed three perfect escapes, and he'd undoubtedly master handling monster packs A-grade and below, plus escaping them safely. At this rate, eight hours of investment would suffice.
"You can't get lessons like this anywhere else, pretty."
"...Wouldn't it be weirder if you could?"
It sounded like an insult, but Sa-yoon chose to interpret it as praise. He laid the prone Geon-ju flat on his back, examined the saliva-smeared face, then rummaged through his inventory for disinfectant. He poured half the bottle onto the arm and leg that the wolf had bitten.
Without warning, the stinging pain hit, and Geon-ju flinched while stifling a groan. The bite marks wriggled vividly for a good while. Every time the medicine seeped in, he unconsciously clutched Sa-yoon's collar and twitched his legs and arms. A few minutes later, he finally released his bitten lip.
Sa-yoon timed it perfectly, wiped away the blood with a cloth, and bandaged the wounds.
"...What about potions?"
"Don't use them unless your bones are broken. You'll be getting hurt plenty, so you need to build up your natural recovery too."
As he pressed the cloth against the wounds while speaking, all color drained from Geon-ju's face. Sa-yoon handed him the remaining disinfectant along with a clean cloth.
"Wipe your face."
"Pardon?"
"While you're at it, clean your neck too."
The beast stench was still lingering.
Wolf smell was wafting off Geon-ju's entire body. The stench from the saliva on his neck and face went without saying. He unconsciously wrinkled his nose bridge and added that detail. Seeing Sa-yoon's expression, Geon-ju's face flushed bright red.
Now he was embarrassed about getting pinned under the wolf?
To Sa-yoon, the time to feel shame had passed long ago.
"...It was force majeure."
"Who said otherwise?"
"You said it smells."
"Who told you to go around covered in it?"
"How was I supposed to avoid getting— Euk!"
Geon-ju tried to argue back without missing a beat, but Sa-yoon pressed down hard on the freshly bandaged leg. Geon-ju cut himself off and gnashed his teeth. Sa-yoon offered the flimsy excuse that he was just helping with hemostasis, then ordered him to quit yapping and wipe his face.
Noticing Sa-yoon's hand was still on his calf, Geon-ju reluctantly shut up and took the cloth. The disinfectant-soaked cloth brushed over his face and neck, scrubbing away the wolf's fluids. To kill the smell too, Sa-yoon pulled a deodorizer from the depths of his inventory, sprayed it a few times, then slipped his hand under Geon-ju's arm up to the shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
"How's the leg and arm?"
"Movable enough."
"Good. One more round?"
"...What?"
"This time, just this one. Practice running, counterattacking, and hiding."
This was why he'd left the one werewolf. Sensing it was about him, the silver wolf—which had been sprawled out like melted cheese—slowly rose.
Sa-yoon tilted his chin upward, and the werewolf caught the signal, shifting back to its bipedal form. It rolled its eyes as Sa-yoon nodded toward Geon-ju, confirming him.
"You follow that guy."
—Grrruk.
"Don't kill him."
—...Kyung!
Who knew if that meant yes or "I'll do what I want." At least he'd gotten a response. Sa-yoon glanced at Geon-ju, spotted a leaf stuck to his shoulder, and brushed it off with a few pats.
"You won't die this time either, so run without worrying."
"......"
"But don't think I'll bail you out easy like before. Stay sharp."
With each bit of advice, Geon-ju's expression twisted a little more. His face seemed to ask, You think I'd relax? Sa-yoon obediently gripped Geon-ju's shoulders and spun his body 180 degrees toward the forest.
Tap tap.
Sa-yoon patted his shoulders.
"What're you waiting for, pretty?"
"...You really mean it?"
"What, you want fake? I'll release it in three minutes—full speed ahead."
Werewolves had keen noses.
Sa-yoon let it sniff the cloth he'd used to clean Geon-ju's wounds, imprinting the blood scent, then shoved his back.
As if reluctant about what was to come, Geon-ju took a couple steps purely from the push before abruptly hanging his head and ruffling his hair.
—Kyung!
"Haa."
The werewolf let out a warning howl, and only then did the feet of the stubborn twenty-two-year-old rookie hunter finally start moving.