Don't Kill Them—Make Them Want to Die

First, don't kill them. Make them want to die.

Park Soyeon was a former B-class hunter now walking the path of a Black Hunter. Honestly, she still harbored no great confidence in the man named Lee Jinhyun, who had newly arrived on the powerful recommendation of the A-class hunter Are.

She did concede that they needed an adjutant. In that sense, recruiting someone who had spent a solid four years as a hunter guild adjutant was a reasonably sound choice. But credentials aside, whether this new adjutant of theirs was truly capable was something she could not judge until she had seen him for herself.

She knew all too well—having once belonged to a hunter guild—that the world was full of people who looked brilliant on the surface and proved worthless underneath. She had watched countless comrades die after entrusting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠their lives to such men. So Soyeon had developed a habit: until she felt she could trust someone, she never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dropped her suspicious gaze.

And that habit was hardly unique to her. A great many B-class Black Hunters carried the same wariness. For most of them, the decisive reason they had left the military in the first ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠place was tied to precisely those kinds of failures.

In that light, the mountain-warfare commission they had taken on this time was a decent opportunity for them as well. Unlike other battles that could be resolved through sheer force of arms even with a mindless frontal charge, fighting across the complex terrain of a forest demanded delicate planning and command. In other words, a battlefield like this was the perfect chance to take the measure of their new adjutant's ability.

I'll be watching. Whether you actually have the skill to earn our trust—or not.

I heard a rumor you parachuted in through your connection to Lee Are… Well, this commission should show us what you're really made of.

With those thoughts, the hunters gathered for their first mission briefing from Jinhyun. And there, Soyeon and the other B-class hunters heard something none of them had expected.

Still carrying the considerable freshness they had felt during the briefing, the hunters now moved carefully through the forest according to the operational plan. At that moment, the instructions Jinhyun had given them beforehand kept circling through their minds.

It's definitely better than just being handed vague orders…

But how do I put this… It feels completely different from anything we imagined.

Thinking that, the hunters followed behind Are. Then, without warning, Are—who had been advancing carefully at the front—raised her hand.

"Three Abysses ahead. All of them Wolf-types."

"Perfect. Then, as planned…"

A thick smile spread across Gwon-sun's lips as she stepped forward. A group of B-class hunters fell in behind her.

"Hey, mutts! Jogus herself has come to play with you, so bring it!"

"Grrrr…!"

Reacting to Gwon-sun's taunt, the Abysses immediately shifted into combat stances. Though they were outnumbered, the creatures—possessing little more than animal intelligence—showed not the slightest intention of backing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down.

"Graaaah!"

An Abyss Wolf lunged, fangs bared, straight at the hunters. Watching them come, the A-class hunter Yu Gwon-sun drew a weapon she did not normally use—a special-alloy club shaped uncannily like a baseball bat. With practiced ease she slipped past the Abysses' attacks. And then—

Thwack!

"Yelp!"

A dull impact rang out, followed by an Abyss's sudden cry of pain. At that signal, the B-class hunters around Gwon-sun pulled out the weapons they had brought—bats similar to hers, sledgehammers, crowbars, steel pipes. What they all shared was a single purpose: not killing, but beating.

"You lot are getting a thrashing today! Kids! Don't go easy—work 'em over!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

For a moment Gwon-sun barked orders like a gang boss. At the same time the hunters swung their weapons and began literally beating the Abysses in front of them like dogs on the hottest day of summer.

"Yelp!"

"Gueeek!"

The Abysses were getting pulverized so thoroughly it was hard to believe they were supposed to be existential threats to humanity. Even so, Gwon-sun and the hunters carefully calibrated every blow so the creatures would not die, taking particular care to leave the legs—essential for movement—as untouched as possible.

And a short while later…

"Guek! Gueeek!"

"Woof! Woof!"

Seizing a lull in the beating, the Abysses bolted into the forest. Watching them flee, Gwon-sun and the B-class hunters found strangely satisfying smiles spreading across their faces.

"This is surprisingly fun."

"How do I put it… The way it sits in your hands is just so—"

"The feel is completely different from putting a bullet in them or taking their heads off with a single swing."

Honestly, combat always came with a certain amount of stress—but this particular "work" felt like it was actually relieving it. Watching them, Are and Glass found a flicker of curiosity rising unbidden.

"Is that really fun…? Though I have to admit, it was a little entertaining to watch."

"I believe I've heard somewhere that a permitted bout of battering can relieve stress…"

With those thoughts, the hunters reformed their ranks and pressed on. On the way to their destination they encountered Abysses several more times—not only Wolf-types, but Hog-types resembling wild boars, and various insectoid Abysses as well. The variety was considerable, and the numbers gradually increased.

But no matter what kind of Abyss appeared before them, their combat method never changed.

Once they made contact, they beat the creatures so savagely that the Abysses would rather die—yet carefully enough that they would not. The only rule: spare the legs and wings as much as possible, so the things could still run.

By the time they reached their destination, they had half-killed dozens of Abysses—and finished off not a single one.

The place was a rocky hill at the highest elevation in the vast forest, with a stream flowing around it on either side.

"We've arrived at the designated destination. Beginning Phase Two of the operation now."

Are reported the situation to Jinhyun. He answered at once over her private channel.

"Of course. I'll keep that in mind, Adjutant."

He had already told her this three times on the way here. And yet every time she heard it, a small smile rose unbidden to Are's lips. Because in Jinhyun's voice she could feel, with absolute clarity, how sincerely he worried for her.

After the call ended, Are looked out at the scene before her. In that moment the landscape was nothing more than a peaceful forest. But she knew. And not only her—anyone among the hunters with even slightly sharp senses would have noticed it at once.

An ominous presence, chillingly distinct and growing stronger by the second.

A moment later, Are and the hunters saw it clearly: trees swaying in the distance. The disturbance was moving toward them, drawing closer and closer—faster, and stronger still. As if something enormous were bearing down on their position.

Watching it come, Are slowly powered on the giant scythe in her hands. Gwon-sun and the other hunters drew their weapons and fixed their eyes on the front—not the bludgeons they had been using moments before, but guns and blades forged solely for killing.

The instant their combat readiness was complete—

From the depths of the forest, they finally burst into view.

Hundreds of Abysses, lured by the bait of their wounded kin and the frenzy that wounding had provoked…