First Hunt
Even more so than usual, when Seo Jeong was often away from home, Seol Ryeon had come to rely on him in her heart. Today, however, his figure looked especially dashing, and she found herself unable to meet his eyes directly.
“I’m grown now, and since Mother has always worked so hard managing the household alone, I want to help out a little too.”
“Jun-ah, you don’t have to worry about such things yet….”
Seol Ryeon felt a surge of gratitude at Seo Jun’s words, and a faint mist of tears welled in her eyes. Pat, pat.
“Don’t worry, Mother. From now on, I’ll always protect you.”
Seo Jun had approached without her noticing and gently embraced her, lightly patting her back. She’s quite charming.
To Seo Jun now, Seol Ryeon appeared simply as a woman. Even though he had absorbed the memories, Seo Jeong still didn’t feel like a father to him, and his stepmother Seol Ryeon felt even less like a mother.
“Oh my!”
Seol Ryeon’s face flushed bright red at Seo Jun’s unexpected gesture.
“Wait just a moment! I’ll warm up some food for you!”
She quickly shook off his arm and hurried into the kitchen.
After finishing the hearty breakfast Seol Ryeon had prepared—though the side dishes were modest—Seo Jun gathered his weapons and mounted the only horse in the household.
“Whitebeard! Let’s run properly today!”
Passing through the southern gate of Shuofang County, Seo Jun turned southeast toward the hunting grounds he had chosen. North of Shuofang County lay the Yellow River, which could only be crossed by ferry, and the territory was under Xiongnu control, making hunting difficult. Thus, people usually hunted to the south. Southwest of the southern gate was an endless expanse of rock and sand—a true desert. The southeast, however, was a region of dry grasslands mixed with forests of varying sizes around oases. To hunt in Shuofang, one had to head southeast, where one could find wild horses, bison, wolves, deer, and wild boars—though they were not common.
Yet the people of Shuofang rarely went hunting. The Southern Xiongnu, who lived north of the county and had assimilated considerably with the Han, could turn into bandits at any moment. The Northern Qiang, a branch of the Eastern Qiang who shared the southern deserts and grasslands, were fiercely warlike and prone to plunder; even in large groups, encounters with them often meant risking one’s life. Lately, the Qiang had joined forces with the Xianbei and were stirring up trouble, frequently encroaching northward, so extra caution was necessary.
I hope I run into them!
Seo Jun, in fact, hoped to encounter the Qiang. Though he disliked fighting and slaughter, having resolved to live well in this era, the Qiang were nothing more or less than prey that could raise his Karma.
After riding southeast for about an hour, Seo Jun spotted a fairly wide grassland and, between valleys, a forest where trees grew thickly though not densely.
“Since it’s my first hunt, I’ll start lightly here.”
Feels like a good omen.
During his mercenary days, Seo Jun had sharp instincts. Whether it was due to the influence of his unique trait, the Third Eye, or whether his instincts had given rise to the Third Eye, he didn’t know—but his gut feelings had never been wrong.
To minimize noise, Seo Jun dismounted and led his horse by the reins, slowly making his way along the forest path while scanning his surroundings. After walking quietly for some time, he spotted a grassland with lush green grass just beyond the forest’s edge. A small stream ran through its center. A single deer was drinking from the stream.
As expected, my instincts were right. Finding a deer right away.
The deer was a hundred paces away—still too far for Seo Jun’s archery skills to guarantee a perfect hit.
I’ll aim for one powerful shot!
Trusting in his strength, Seo Jun nocked an arrow, hoping it would strike the deer hard wherever it landed.
Twang!
The bowstring was drawn taut, an arrow resting upon it.
Thwack!
Whoosh!
Thud!
Leap!
The arrow flew powerfully through the air and, as Seo Jun had hoped, pierced clean through the deer’s shoulder and neck, leaving only the fletching visible.
Kyaaak~!
The deer let out a piercing cry and leapt into the air from the sudden pain, but it collapsed to the ground and died instantly.
[You have acquired 10 Karma]
“Caught one on the first try—lucky me!”
If messages keep popping up every time I gain Karma, it’ll be distracting.
“Message off.”
Anticipating the flood of notifications that would appear whenever he gained Karma in the future, Seo Jun disabled the message window from displaying.
As he approached the deer, memories surfaced of how deer antlers and deer blood were considered potent tonics by ordinary people and fetched high prices. Seo Jun removed only the arrowhead from the carcass to prevent further bleeding, then tied the deer securely onto Whitebeard’s back.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
Thud, thud, thud.
Suddenly, the ground trembled with the sound of hooves from beyond the hill in the valley. It was the sound of a herd of animals running.
Huh—wild horses or bison this time? My first hunt is full of good fortune.
He quickly led Whitebeard to a hiding spot and tied him to a tree.
This time, I’ll try to capture them alive.
Horses and cattle were far more valuable alive than as carcasses. Grabbing some rope, Seo Jun climbed one of the trees growing by the stream.
Horses!
A herd of horses thundered in and began drinking at the stream.
If I can catch even one or two of them, today will be a real windfall.
Seo Jun held his breath atop the tree and waited quietly. Clip, clop, clip.
Several horses grazing nearby wandered closer to the tree where he was hidden.
I’ll throw the rope at one and jump down to grab the other myself!
Deciding to catch two, Seo Jun formed a loop in the rope, secured the other end firmly to the tree, and prepared to throw.
Now!
The moment the black horse passed directly beneath him, he hurled the looped rope at the spotted horse following behind and leapt down onto the black horse’s back.
Thud!
Neighhh~!
Startled by the sudden weight, the black horse began bucking wildly to throw Seo Jun off.
Hrrgh!!!
Seo Jun’s powerful grunt echoed through the forest. Neigh! Neigh!
Clinging tightly to the horse’s neck while hanging from its back, Seo Jun waited for an opening. He felt the black horse’s strength wane as it tried to catch its breath.
Hah!
Releasing one hand from the horse’s neck, Seo Jun dropped to the ground, planted his feet, and with a mighty heave flipped the horse onto its side using his outer leg.
Crash!!
Pressing down on the fallen horse with his body, Seo Jun pinned it in place.
“Stay still! It’s over now.”
Seo Jun stared into the horse’s eyes with a fierce gaze. Snort~!Sniff!
The black horse snorted and glared defiantly, but soon its eyes lowered and its head turned away.
Got it!
Seo Jun quickly looped the rope around the horse’s neck and slowly helped it to its feet. Neigh!
Though it resisted briefly, the black horse soon yielded to the pull of the rope and followed Seo Jun toward the spotted horse.
When he reached the tree where he had thrown the rope at the spotted horse, he found it standing calmly nearby, the rope wound around the trunk after the horse had circled it in panic.
“Jackpot on my first hunt!!”
“Let’s head straight back today!”
“Lulululu~”
Leading the two horses behind Whitebeard with ropes, Seo Jun hummed cheerfully atop his mount.
“The antlers and blood should fetch a good price if I sell them to that tall merchant who just took a concubine. And one of the horses too.”
In high spirits, Seo Jun passed quickly through the southern gate and headed straight for the tall merchant who ran the horse market in Shuofang County. After a brief negotiation, he sold the fresh antlers, blood, and the spotted horse at a good price. He kept the strong black horse—the leader of the herd—for himself.
The profit Seo Jun earned from today’s hunt was thirty bushels of mixed grain—equivalent to what Seo Jeong would earn in ten months. Watching the cart borrowed from the merchant fill with grain, a smile spread across Seo Jun’s face.
Leading Whitebeard, the black horse, and the grain cart, he headed home.
“Brother!”
As he neared the house, a cute little girl came running toward him, calling out.
“Wan-ah!”
It was his stepsister, Ju Wan. Though still a young girl, she resembled her mother Seol Ryeon with delicate features that promised future beauty.
“White Dragon Brother, what’s all this?”
Staring at the majestic black horse with its flowing mane, the deer on Whitebeard’s back, and the cart overflowing with grain, Ju Wan asked with eyes full of curiosity.
“Your brother went hunting today and sold what he caught.”
Seo Jun smiled and gently patted the cute girl’s head.
“Really? So all of this belongs to our family?”
“That’s right!”
“Truly?”
“Yes!”
Ju Wan, already sensing the family’s tightening circumstances, understood all too well.