Horn Rabbit Hunt
A morning breeze slipped through the torn tent during the horn rabbit hunt. Shivering from the chill piercing the blanket, I woke up.
"Mm..."
Another day had begun. Rubbing my eyes, I looked around, but the girl was nowhere in the tent. Maybe some bug had scared her off in the night. For some reason I couldn't pinpoint, a pleasant laugh escaped me at the thought of her gone. It was a joy I hadn't felt in ages.
"Yah-haaack."
I stretched and let out a laugh at the same time. A weird noise slipped out because of it, but I felt so good I didn't care. Life like this isn't for the faint of heart. Just as I was basking in the satisfaction of my superior mental fortitude compared to the girl—
Swish— Someone opened the tent flap and stepped inside.
"Oh, you're awake?"
It was the girl's familiar voice. I jolted upright in surprise.
"W-where did you go...?"
"Just washed up quick. The stream water's so cold, it really wakes you up, you know?"
"Aha..."
Washing her face in the stream at this early hour. She was tougher than I'd imagined. My future already looked far from easy.
"Why were you laughing?"
The girl wiped water from her face with the back of her hand and came over to my side. Her blunt question choked the air from my lungs. She knew exactly why and was just teasing. Scrambling for an excuse, I glanced around and grabbed the tail attached to my lower back.
"I-I was sleeping, and this thing was tickling me..."
"Oh, the tail."
The girl reached for my tail. Whether it was some defense mechanism or not, the tail fled behind my back on its own.
"Ah."
Why'd it move by itself all of a sudden? Tense, I looked up at her wordlessly.
"Sorry, was I too forward?"
The girl apologized and stepped back. Of course, I knew it wasn't sincere at all. She just wanted to test my psychological reactions—surprise, sadness, anger—in different scenarios. Since I'd seen through it, I decided not to react.
"I-I think I'll head out now..."
I stood up, turning my back to her. To survive, I had to start my routine today too.
"Where to?"
"...To catch horn rabbits."
"H-horn... rabbits...?"
The girl gave me a puzzled look. It must've seemed absurd—the girl who'd nearly died to a horn rabbit was going back for more. It was as good as saying I'd be a burden to the guild again. I knew it was embarrassing, but for survival, I'd decided to be shameless.
"I-if I don't catch horn rabbits, I'll die anyway..."
"Mm. Mind if your little sis tags along?"
"...Together?"
Was she worried my hard-earned body would die? Even so, sending me to the hunting ground was probably to gather data on the changed physique. Pathetic as it was, I couldn't refuse even knowing her motives. I nodded to the girl and picked up the dull scissors.
"Then let's just cut my hair and go."
"H-hair?"
"Yeah. Gotta look like a boy."
I grabbed a fistful of hair and was about to snip when the girl thrust her finger between the blades. It was a dangerously close call to slicing her finger off.
She's actually crazy.
Staring up at her in shock, I realized something. With my fragile strength, I couldn't even scratch her skin. It had been needless worry.
"I-I need to cut my hair..."
"W-wait a sec. Why the boy disguise?"
"To avoid bad stuff happening."
"Bad stuff...? Has someone tried something like that?"
The girl's face paled. She was clearly shocked at the idea of the body she'd modified being toyed with by others.
"N-no one's done anything bad yet. I always go around filthy dirty."
"Ah... So that's why..."
She let out a long sigh and grabbed my scissors. Maybe to show the strength difference, she slowly pried them from my hand.
"Sc-scissors...!"
I couldn't go hunting without cutting my hair. In a panic, I reached for them, but she raised her hand out of my reach.
"I'll protect you right by your side, so no cutting hair. Okay?"
No hair cutting—what was her reason? I tried interpreting the meaning behind her words.
Don't touch a single hair on the body I made.
Probably something like that. It was forceful, but not bad for me right now. With that level of obsession, she'd keep others from touching me.
"O-okay. Then I'll just get dirty first."
"C-can't you skip the dirt too? I'll watch you closely."
How far did she plan to control me? It was scary, but for now, I had no choice but to obey.
"Y-yeah..."
The Beginner Hunting Ground was a thirty-minute walk away. I wanted to go on foot, but her insistent attitude forced us to take the car.
"Coming by car is way faster. Right?"
"Yep, much faster."
It took less than ten minutes by car. Satisfied with the time saved, I surveyed the inside of the Beginner Hunting Ground.
More people than usual today.
The Beginner Hunting Ground was a vast meadow. There were civilians hunting as a hobby, young students training in groups, and novice adventurers building basics.
"Hey! Slime incoming!"
Thwack—!
A slime the size of a person's head slammed into a boy's body. He rolled three times on the ground from the impact on his head but got right back up like nothing happened.
"Ugh, if you miss, just say so quick."
"Sorry, sorry."
Kekeke.
The boy who'd missed the slime apologized through laughter. The one who'd rolled clutched his stomach, giggling too—probably amused by his own tumble.
...Amazing.
If it'd been me, my skull would've cracked open and I'd be dead. I envied their carefree hunting without fear of death. If only I'd had the bare minimum mana...
Sighing deeply in regret, the girl came up beside me.
"Gyeowol, you okay? Your face looks down."
"Too many people."
"Yeah, more competition makes it harder to catch 'em."
I was about to say yes when I heard a small creature rustling in nearby grass. The sound of a four-legged beast hopping about.
"Hm?"
Hidden in the grass, I couldn't see it, but I instinctively knew it was a horn rabbit. My ears perked up on their own, as if tracking it.
Have my ears gotten better...?
Beast ears should be sharper than human ones. Ignoring it, I loaded a steel pellet into my handmade slingshot. Pricey ones at 200 won each.
A horn rabbit's weakness was its finger-sized horn. Tough, but packed with nerves—shatter it, and the rabbit dies.
I deliberately made noise as I approached. Horn rabbits had the habit of lifting their heads at sounds.
—Pip?
The horn rabbit raised its head amid the swaying grass. It took about a second to check and flee or attack. Before that, I shot a pellet at the raised horn.
Crack—!
"Kik!"
The coin-sized pellet shattered the horn rabbit's horn. Incredibly accurate.
"Gasp."
Had my physical abilities improved post-modification? Too stunned, I looked up at the girl with wide eyes. She smiled down at me.
"Wow, amazing. You got one already?"
Clap clap clap—
She gave a small applause. Unfamiliar praise made me look down. It'd been years since I'd heard any—not bad.
"Hehe..."
Scratching the back of my head in embarrassment, I quickly hardened my face. I'd realized too late she was praising the modified body, not me.
She's toying with my heart.
Hmph. Ignoring her, I ran to the horn rabbit. She followed behind.
"How many horn rabbits do you catch a day, Gyeowol?"
"M-me?"
"Yeah."
Lucky days: one every three. Bad days: one a week. Should I tell her the truth? Deciding on bravado to not seem easy, I bluffed.
"I catch one every two days."
"One every two days?"
"Y-yeah..."
Too much? Not even retrieving the dead rabbit, I just eyed her reaction.
"That's 5,000 won a day, then?"
"F-five thousand won?"
"Yeah. Horn rabbits are 10,000 won each, right?"
10,000 won each? She was clueless about the world.
"What? No, horn rabbits are 3,000 won each."
"...What?"
"The exchange over there buys 'em for 3,000 won each."
Her gaze shifted to the exchange. Even from afar, my improved eyesight let me read the sign.
──PURCHASE──
- Horn Rabbit [Market Price]
- Slime [Market Price]
- Ground Squirrel [Market Price]
─────
"See the 'market price' there? On good days, they give 3,500 won each."
Today, I hoped for even 100 won more. Just as I picked up the horn rabbit expectantly—
The girl dropped a bombshell.
"No, you've been scammed all this time..."
"W-what...?"
No way? Horn rabbits were 3,000 won? Stunned, I froze mid-pickup.