Howaking
"Hye-ji! Jeon Hye-ji!"
The thunderclap of a voice snapped Hye-ji back to her senses.
But by the time she came to, it was already too late.
A horse, white as freshly fallen snow, was bearing down on her, its muzzle mere steps away.
And it hadn't charged over just to ram her, either.
Its jaws suddenly gaped open, revealing rows of shark-like serrated teeth.
King of the White Horse. Horse White King. Howaking.
Called by many names, this monster looked almost exactly like a horse. The differences were its near-translucent whiteness, and teeth so sharp and hard they could chew straight through bone.
Speed, crushing strength, and those razor fangs. Then there was the long, branching tail, studded with quills as sharp as a hedgehog's spines.
On top of all that, its hide was so tough that blows barely registered against it.
A 6th-grade monster.
When even a 4th-grade required a gathering of the more capable survivors to bring down, a 6th-grade was a genuinely dangerous beast.
Thwack!
The Howaking flung its jaws wide, aiming to swallow Hye-ji's head whole.
A heartbeat before it could, Won-goo came sprinting in and kicked her clean out of the way.
At the same instant he thrust his warhammer forward, jamming it into the monster's open mouth.
A grim smile curled across Won-goo's face.
"This bastard's strong as hell. Hye-ji! Aim for the eyes — the eyes! Bullets don't do a thing to its body!"
Hye-ji answered without a word, pulling the trigger.
Bang!
The round punched through the Howaking's eye, and the beast thrashed in agony. As it writhed, the Dullahan came charging in and brought it down with a full-body slam. On top of that, Lee Hyun-sung seized its tail with both hands.
"Nice one, Cheol-soo!"
Seizing the opening, Suwon used his claw to sever its neck in one clean stroke.
"Good work, everyone. Hye-ji."
"Yes."
"You were doing fine — what happened? Fatigue catching up?"
"I blanked out for a second. I'm sorry."
"Just be careful next time. Besides, we trained for exactly that kind of situation."
It was a mistake that would have enraged him under normal circumstances, yet he was remarkably forgiving about it.
There was a reason for that.
His crew all looked like absolute hell.
Whatever they'd been through over the past month, they now had the look of people who'd spent a full year rolling around out in the wilds.
The apocalyptic world was brutal. Grotesque monsters appeared without warning, and unpredictable weather lurked around every corner.
Anyone's appearance could go to seed in no time at all.
"A vicious one, that's the part," Mu Beob-sa remarked. He was carrying a massive oval shield.
The spoils of this particular hunt.
Until his mana circuits recovered, Mu Beob-sa had taken on the role of shield-bearer.
"A nasty bastard, yeah."
"Is this one worth decent money, that's the part I'm asking?"
"You think so? It's been a while since this thing went on a rampage around here, and ask yourself why nobody's come to hunt it. Because it doesn't pay. Maybe the hide fetches something? Even that depends on demand, that's the part."
"Then what was the point of all this effort to kill it, that's the part I don't follow."
"Experience. Everyone's worn thin right now — practically at their limit. Hunting a monster like this when you're in that state is exactly the kind of thing that stays with you as experience."
"Are we here on an endurance retreat, that's the part it feels like? Wasn't all of this supposed to be solved with coins?"
"Honestly... you youngsters need to fix this habit of thinking coins can solve everything."
"So coins aren't important, that's what you're saying?"
"They're important. But they aren't everything. There's plenty that matters besides coins. *Sigh*. What's the use of arguing with a whippersnapper. Anyway, keep up. Jo Mu-sa."
"Yes, Director."
"Did you finish treating Hyun-sung's hands? How is it?"
"He's fine. It'll heal quickly."
"Then skin it. There's nothing on that thing worth taking except the hide."
Jo Mu-sa stripped the Howaking's hide with remarkable speed — fast enough to pass for a professional butcher.
"W-what about the tail?"
"We take the tail too. Hyun-sung, cut it off."
Tail secured, the crew boarded the Trailer.
"Time to head back. Everyone did well. Until we arrive, don't let your guard down. Once we're back, you rest. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
* * *
The road back to the Shelter went smoothly. The reason survivors' earnings weren't as fat as one might expect lay in all the nasty things that happened out in the Field — above all, people got lost on the return trip and ran into trouble. Won-goo's crew was never among them.
It was thanks to Suwon's Gift. With his near-supernatural memory of any route he'd traveled once, the way home was never hard to find, and it let them range far deeper into the wilds to hunt than any other party.
That was an enormous advantage, no question.
On top of that, Geum Chul-soo had adapted as well, delivering crisp, timely warnings about incoming weather.
He couldn't conjure clean rainfall on demand like divining for an oasis every time. But at the very least, he thoroughly prevented accidents caused by the weather itself.
"We're here. Everyone go get some rest — you too, Hyun-sung."
"No, Hyeong-nim. I'll stay to see the items handled."
"Don't bother. It's all getting handed to Dinosaur anyway, so it'll be quick. Go rest. Just come running when I call — we need to hit the Coin Exchange."
"At the very least, I'll unload the loot."
"Go. You rascal. Dinosaur won't be here for a while yet, so there's no rush. When you head off, the others can rest easy too. Except that old fart, obviously."
Mu Beob-sa had already dropped his gear and was vanishing off to one side.
"Then I'll get going, Hyeong-nim."
"Right. Everyone go wash up first."
"Understood, Hyeong-nim."
The crew scattered quickly, and Won-goo called for Dinosaur.
The Trainer's shop still had its sign up, and the interior was untouched. The door hadn't even been locked.
There'd been no need to lock it in the first place.
Anyone who knew Won-goo's crew had claimed this place wouldn't come within a hundred paces of it.
And there was nothing valuable inside anyway. His crew kept every last bit of their gear in the Trailer, not the shop.
Even if the place got ransacked, it wouldn't have mattered a bit.
"Director. Reporting in."
"There he is. Been behaving yourself?"
"Of course, Director. You were gone a long time this round."
"A month-long Course, right? Anything happen while we were out?"
"The Shelter's been quiet. Oh — that's right. Just like you predicted, Director, the customer count is up."
The corners of Won-goo's mouth lifted.
"See? People want certain safety. The kind of service where if someone causes a scene, you clean it up — for good!"
"Exactly, Director."
"Dinosaur. First off — I got the thing you've been collecting."
"Which thing?"
"Howaking hide. Weren't you still looking for that?"
"Ooh! I'm still after it even now!"
Won-goo answered with a glance toward the pile of loot instead of words.
"That's the stuff, right? Howaking hide."
"Ah... thank you."
"Just price it fairly. Fairly, that's all."
"Of course. This time I'll move every last piece."
"No need for that. Keep a reasonable cut for yourself. I'm saying don't shortchange yourself."
"Yes! Naturally!"
"You really are something. Skins off a monster with hardly any market value... Well, I suppose pretty counts as value too. Fashion matters, after all."
"It does."
Dinosaur cradled the hide in both hands, visibly delighted.
"Who's it for, anyway?"
"There's... someone."
"Unbelievable... Then again, I guess clothes made from that would look sharp. The color's anything but ordinary."
As he spoke, Won-goo pulled out a cigarette and lit up.
Dinosaur carefully folded the Howaking hide, set it down, and started inspecting the loot.
"Nothing here needs special appraisal. It's all from the hunting grounds we've been circling."
"Right. Though the haul's a bit large this time."
"Crew's grown, and everyone's stronger, so the hunts go faster."
"Ah... isn't this giant spider silk?"
"It is. Almost forgot about that. That was the highlight of this hunt."
"How on earth did you hunt that?"
"Nearly crossed the Samdocheon trying. Why is that thing so fast? It scurries across the ceiling like it's running a hundred-meter dash — I honestly thought I was going to die. That's a bit much, no?"
"It certainly is. And on top of that, that silk goes into every piece of quality armor. Gear made with this silk is the kind that doesn't fall apart."
"I know that much."
"But it's gotten scarce lately, so the price has climbed quite a bit."
"Oh...?"
"And at this quantity? Enough to bring that price back down considerably."
"So it's a jackpot, then?"
"More than qualifies. By the way, where exactly did you—"
"Whoa there. Dinosaur, don't go crossing the line."
"F-forgive me, Director."
"Why? Want me to drag you out hunting too? Feel it's a waste of your talents rusting away?"
"N-no, sir. I am currently 1,000% satisfied with my life."
"Then keep being satisfied. And keep to your side of the line."
"Yes, sir."
"Give me a rough estimate. Twenty coins for the lot — you think it reaches that?"
"This much easily will."
"Meaning it won't come in under that?"
"Of course not."
"Then I'll leave it with you in good faith."
"You don't need to buy anything, though."
"We're joining the market proper from now on, aren't we."
"Ah... true."
"Don't get too sentimental about it. You'll keep handling our goods, after all. Whatever you skim off the top on your end, I won't say a word about."
"Yes, Director."
"Oh, right. Is Il-chul still doing his job properly?"
"Il-chul, sir?"
"The ones protesting in front of Youngjae Pharmacy. Is he doing his work or not?"
"Huh? About that...?"
"What?"
Won-goo's brow furrowed.
"From what I heard, the guys doing that protest got beaten like dogs by Dr. Woo's family?"
"What?"
At that moment, something flashed through Won-goo's mind.
"Ah! Right. I asked him to hold out for just one month."
"Sir?"
"Never mind. Keep at the job."
With that, Won-goo stepped out of the shop. He flicked away the nearly finished cigarette and pulled out a fresh one.
"Fuck. My bad. How did I forget that? Ha... honestly..."
Won-goo had told the Shelter Director to station the beastman in front of Youngjae Pharmacy for exactly one month, no more.
The Shelter Director, true to the promise, had pulled the beastman out once the month was up — and Il-chul, knowing nothing of this, had been protesting away as usual when he got caught and beaten like a dog.
"Is he even alive? Guess I'd better pay him a get-well visit."
Won-goo immediately began making inquiries after Il-chul.
* * *
The Shelter had a handful of pharmacies. Most survivors headed to one whenever they were injured.
That wasn't to say there were no hospitals.
The Shelter had one too — though it was a far cry from anything predating the apocalypse.
The Shelter's hospital was not a place that practiced modern medicine. It was a place that healed through Gifts and abilities.
Therapists were stationed there around the clock.
"Aigoo... Il-chul... A month means you withdraw. Why did you work that hard?"
"Yeesss?"
Il-chul and his two friends lay in beds, wrapped head to toe in bandages.
For the moment, none of the three could stand, that much was certain.
"I told you — one month, exactly. Why'd you keep going?"
"Since when! You told us to keep going!"
Il-chul roared and tried to sit up, only to collapse back onto the bed.
"Whoa, whoa. You need rest. But what is it — the pain got to you? Our Il-chul's voice has gotten awfully loud. Is the treatment wearing off? This pointy little thing here. Should I rewind it to before its makeover show?"
"N-no... sir. But you told us to keep going."
"Did I? Didn't I say to pull out?"
"..."
"Il-chul, listen. When you do business, sometimes communication breaks down a little. It happens to everyone. But apparently Dr. Woo had the decency to hold back at least. I'd call that respectable."
"..."
"Anyway, good work. I'll make sure you're well compensated — treatment costs and wages alike."
"W-wait a moment."
"What?"
"The job isn't finished!"
"What?"
"The job isn't finished yet! That pharmacy of Dr. Woo's family — I'd rather die than watch it open its doors!"
At that, his two friends — lying in even worse shape than Il-chul — convulsed violently in their beds.
"Mmmmph!"
"Mmmph!"
Both had taken such damage to their mouths that they couldn't even pronounce their words properly.
"What the hell are you two saying?"
"Please... station the beastman again."
"You want to keep going?"
"Yep! We cannot retreat like this."
"It's doable, but... you'll be all right? You're not in pain?"
"We're fine. Compared to your treatment, Director, this is nothing."
Won-goo could only wonder if his therapy had perhaps worked a little too well.