Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Kindling Romance
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Thwack!
The blood wolf that took an axe handle to the back of its skull dropped dead on the spot. Heuk Do-san didn't stop there. He hacked off its front legs at the points closest to its body.
Next, he fetched Gong Cheon-ak's spear from a short distance away and rammed it sideways into the wolf's hindquarters with all his might. The spear pierced through the hide, shattered bone, skewered the body, and buried itself deep in the ground.
The others froze in the middle of tending their wounds and stared at Heuk Do-san. Why was he chopping off the legs of a wolf that was already dead? And why spear it in the ass?
Whenever Heuk Do-san did something bizarre like this, it always meant he was crafting something. The same question popped into everyone's mind.
'What the hell is that devilish bastard making this time?'
Heuk Do-san pinned the blood wolf to the ground and sliced a circle around its torso, starting just above its hindquarters.
Then he wedged his knife between the hide and the meat to create a gap, grabbed both edges, and peeled it upward in one long strip.
The onlookers gasped.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Gong Cheon-ak squeezed out through gritted teeth.
"Can't you see? I'm skinning it."
"The blood wolves are watching from the woods!"
"I know."
"Then why the fuck are you doing this?"
"You scared?"
"No need to provoke them on purpose."
"It's not provocation. It's a lesson. No matter how sharp your fangs and claws, to humans you're just a quality hide."
"What?"
"Keep a sharp eye out. A pissed-off one might charge us any second."
"You mad bastard!"
Heuk Do-san peeled the hide all the way up to the nape of the neck. From there, he carefully sliced along the seam where flesh met scalp to avoid damaging the head skin.
Before long, the entire blood wolf lay skinned from head to tail. He spread the hide out flat, flesh-side up, and scraped off the clinging fat like he was shaving it clean.
"What're you planning to do with the hide?"
Gong Cheon-ak asked again.
"Make clothes."
"Clothes? Without needle or thread? Never heard such bullshit in my life."
"You'll see."
Once all the fat was scraped off, he rummaged through the fire pit with a stick and scraped out a pile of fine ash.
He sprinkled the ash evenly over the flesh side of the hide and rubbed it in vigorously with his hands.
"Why the ash now?"
"Fresh hides rot easy and stiffen up like boards when they dry. Rubbing in ash like this keeps 'em soft even after drying. Holds up to rain for a while, too."
"Where the hell do you learn all this shit?"
Gong Cheon-ak suddenly recalled asking something similar aboard the ship.
Just what the hell was this guy's deal?
He was dying to know.
"That morning before I shipped out to the battlefield, my master told me killing ain't just about swords. Starvation, cold, disease, straggling, wounds—those are the real killers. Most soldiers die from that shit. So I asked him: how do you survive? He said: follow the old vets around."
So he'd learned from old soldiers after all. He'd said the same last time.
Gong Cheon-ak knew old battlefield vets had their survival tricks for harsh conditions.
But this guy and his master were missing the big picture.
"Foolish talk. In war, what matters most is fearless courage and loyalty. That's what makes a general's strategy shine. Yet this 'master' sends his disciple off to war with nothing but 'follow the old soldiers'?"
"That's your world. For grunts like me, staying alive is the only goal. That's why vets' experience matters."
"Hell no. Victory in war is the only way everyone lives. That takes every soldier united as one. But you? Just looking out for your own skin. Selfish to the bone."
"And that's kept me breathing this long. Looks like you lot have benefited plenty these past few days, too."
"......!"
Gong Cheon-ak was struck dumb.
From waking wrecked on the ship to dodging death multiple times since, they'd survived thanks to this devilish bastard's tricks. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn't.
'Damn irritating prick.'
Judging the ash soaked in enough, Heuk Do-san cut a cross-shaped hole under the chin.
He shook out the hide in the air, scattering ash. Then he flipped it fur-side out and pulled it over himself. He threaded his arms through the holes where the front legs had been severed and shoved his head through the chin hole.
Finally, he untied his belt, cinched it around his waist, and that was that. A fur coat, ready in seconds.
Heuk Do-san stroked the fluffy scruff around the neck, clearly pleased.
"Warm."
Everyone's jaws dropped.
Skinning it before the blood even cooled and wearing it as a fur coat. Without a single stitch.
"But why leave the scalp on?"
Bing-seol asked.
Heuk Do-san flipped the dangling wolf scalp over his head without a word. It settled perfectly, eyes lining up with the sockets.
"For this."
The scalp made a fur hat. Blizzard-proof, no doubt.
"Truly ingenious."
Bing-seol looked ready to applaud.
"This ain't much."
That's when Heuk Do-san spotted something off with Dang Yak-ran, standing rigidly off to the side. Bright red blood dripped steadily from her lowered fingertips.
Yet she made no move to treat it. Heuk Do-san turned to the group.
"You all saw how it's done? We'll cross the snow-capped mountains soon. No firewood there, and a blizzard means game over. Don't want to freeze solid? Make your own fur coats."
No sooner had he finished than Yeom Jin-sang leaped into action. He picked a blood wolf with light wounds and a build matching his own, hacking off the front legs.
As Yeom Jin-sang skinned it, Heuk Do-san approached Dang Yak-ran. He glared with narrowed eyes.
"What're you doing?"
"What?"
"You're hurt."
"Me?"
Heuk Do-san was dumbfounded.
She hadn't even noticed the gash on her hand. Proof her adrenaline hadn't worn off yet. She'd been scared shitless.
Now that he looked, her legs trembled faintly. Just putting on a brave face in front of the others.
Anyone would freak with dozens of blood wolves charging, blue eyes flashing.
"Let me see."
Heuk Do-san snatched her wrist and gently peeled off the armored gauntlet.
Only then did pain hit; she winced slightly. Moments later, her blood-soaked hand emerged.
The deepest cut was on the knuckles where bone protruded when fisted. Mishap from an unfamiliar gauntlet.
"You fought like this?"
"It'll be fine soon."
Dang Yak-ran yanked her hand back and hid it, cheeks flushing unwittingly.
"Hold still."
Heuk Do-san selected a birch log he'd fetched earlier, stripped the bark, then peeled off the thin inner layer like rice paper and wrapped it directly around her hand.
Gong Cheon-ak and Bing-seol watched in bewilderment. Had this guy ever been so kind to anyone else?
'What the hell's going on?'
Heuk Do-san ignored them, focused on bandaging.
"I hear northern folk wrap wounds with birch inner bark after hunts. First time trying it myself, so ditch it if it feels off."
"Danpi."
"......?"
"Healers call birch inner bark 'danpi.' It has oils that heal wounds—one of the herbs in gold wound salve for cuts from blades, spears, arrows. Stuff murim folk always carry."
"Forgot you're from the Tang Clan of Sichuan. You wrote characters for the young master."
"No need. If you hadn't stripped and bound it, I wouldn't have thought of it either. First time seeing a live birch tree, actually."
"All set. No gauntlets for a while."
"Thank you."
"No thanks needed. Like I keep saying, nothing's free. Pay me back later. Cash preferred."
"Got it."
Dang Yak-ran was genuinely grateful. He could've just told her birch bark works and left it. Given his usual personality, he'd have. Yet he'd peeled and applied it himself.
Because he knew she was terrified. Mouthy, selfish-seeming, but really warm-hearted.
The idea he favored Bing-seol and treated her like yesterday's rice was a misunderstanding. Why else give her a real blade and now treat her wound?
Then she caught her heart racing from this small kindness and blushed. Not strange. For some time now, she'd felt ripples of emotion in her heart.
It was romance.
'Crazy girl. In a time like this......'
"Done."
Yeom Jin-sang suddenly shouted.
Beside him lay a fully skinned blood wolf hide.
Blood loss made his chills worse, so he'd hastily rubbed in ash, tanned it rough, and was about to don the coat.
Then he spotted Gong Cheon-ak glaring daggers and froze.
"......?"
"......"
'Why's he staring like that? He wants it? Is he nuts? Why should I give him what I skinned? Just 'cause I'm Demonic Cult?'
Filthy.
If he wore it now, Gong Cheon-ak looked ready to beat him for lacking loyalty.
Recalling that sharp punch, Yeom Jin-sang grimaced and offered the coat politely.
"Seventh Star Lord, here you go."
"Made for me?"
"Of course."
"Then why's it so damn small?"
"Eyeballed it. Guess it's a bit snug. Makes sense with your impressive build, Lord. Guess I'll take it then......"
He moved to wear it.
Gong Cheon-ak spoke again.
"Seems about right for Bing-seol."
Yeom Jin-sang's bulging eyes darted between Gong Cheon-ak and Bing-seol.
Even if he wore this one, he'd need a new one for Gong Cheon-ak. Giving it to Bing-seol meant two more after.
'What kinda dogshit luck......'
Yeom Jin-sang ground his teeth and handed the coat to Bing-seol.
She took it, threaded her arms and head through the holes like Heuk Do-san. The thick fur enveloped her warmly. Only issue: it was comically oversized, hem reaching her thighs.
"A bit big for me."
"Loose is good for fur coats. Wrap up tight at night, doubles as a blanket."
"You think?"
"Yeah."
'Tear them apart!'
As Yeom Jin-sang skinned another wolf, Heuk Do-san chopped the carcass he'd killed earlier into chunks with the axe.
He laid them atop searing-hot stones and started grilling with sizzles.
Gong Cheon-ak's eyes bulged in shock. Bing-seol and Dang Yak-ran stared aghast. Everyone knew the blood wolves lurked in the woods, watching.
Blue eyes glinting everywhere—how could they not? Yet Heuk Do-san skinned them and now grilled the meat.
"What insanity is this now?"
Gong Cheon-ak growled.
Heuk Do-san shrugged it off.
"Gotta eat."