Prey Becomes the Hunter
“Yi Cho-rin.”
“Yes?”
“I have something I’d like to ask.”
Yi Cho-rin, chewing and swallowing her fish skewer as if it were no big deal, set it down upon seeing Gaon’s serious expression. She recognized the gravity of the moment, placing her hands neatly on her knees as if ready to listen intently, and opened her mouth.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“When you killed those goblins, did you feel anything strange?”
“Strange…?”
“Like your physical abilities getting stronger.”
“…I don’t know what you mean.”
It was a perfectly natural reaction from Yi Cho-rin’s perspective. Killing monsters and getting stronger physically? That sounded like something straight out of a fantasy novel. The problem was, this was a fantasy world.
“I didn’t notice it at first myself. But the more goblins I kill, the stronger I get. As proof, hasn’t my stamina improved a lot compared to the first day?”
“Y-Yeah, now that you mention it?”
On that first day, Gaon had been chased by five goblins, panting and exhausted. But now, just a day later, his breathing stayed far more steady. As his companion, she couldn’t have missed the change.
Yi Cho-rin furrowed her brow. Gaon followed up swiftly.
“So, what I’m saying is, starting tomorrow, how about we go around hunting goblins?”
“H-Hunting?”
“Yes. We need more water skins anyway, and if it’s certain we get stronger this way, we have to do it. It’ll boost our survival rate.”
“……”
There wasn’t a single flaw in Gaon’s logic, so Yi Cho-rin couldn’t easily object. She bit her lip, wrestling with the idea, then reluctantly nodded.
“Got it. So tomorrow, we head back to goblin territory?”
“Yes. We’ll eat a hearty breakfast, skip lunch, hunt, and return here. How’s that sound?”
“Mm… okay. But! I have a condition.”
She thrust up her index finger with a pop!, prompting Gaon to tilt his head curiously.
“A condition?”
What kind of condition? Please don’t let it be anything weird.
His worries proved unfounded. Yi Cho-rin’s words weren’t negative at all—in fact, Gaon would welcome them.
“Yes. Teach me… how to fight!”
“Fight… you mean?”
“Yes! I know my ability is useful, but it only activates after I get hurt. So teach me how to avoid getting hurt in the first place.”
“……”
There was no reason for Gaon to refuse when she was offering herself. He nodded simply.
“Understood. We’ll delay departure a bit and I’ll teach you at dawn. That work?”
“Yes! Looking forward to it!”
“Same here.”
The conversation wrapped up smoothly. Now, it was time for prey and hunter to switch places.
“Huuuuh—”
Gaon exhaled deeply, scattering his focus. The Wind Advance Flow he practiced naturally drew in mana with the storm in his dantian, building inner energy without formal meditation. But it didn’t expand the mana roads. To manifest that energy externally, he had to widen all the mana roads leading there. Fail, and the mana wouldn’t reach—or worse, it could backflow, turning him into a vegetable or killing him outright.
Currently, Gaon was developing mana roads through his arms. Opening them would elevate his realm further. Realms ranged from 1st to 12th stage. In his previous life, he’d reached 11th, but never the pinnacle 12th—demigod territory. This time, he would.
With that inner vow, Gaon rose and headed deeper into the cave. Turning into the hidden inner section revealed a makeshift bed of soft grass. Yi Cho-rin slept soundly atop it. Whether from adaptation or growing comfortable around him, she’d thrashed enough in sleep to flip her skirt up, fully exposing her underwear.
Seeing those alluring black panties for the second time, Gaon smacked his lower half to keep it in check, then approached calmly to wake her.
“Yi Cho-rin. Time to get up. We need to train with the sword.”
“Mmmngh… Gaon, just a bit longer…”
Evidently hating to show her just-woken face, Yi Cho-rin turned away, frantically wiping her face and fixing her hair before facing him.
“Good morning.”
“Yes. Remember what we talked about yesterday?”
“Of course. Two hours of training at dawn? I’m good—let’s start!”
“No. Stretching first.”
“Ah, right!”
Yi Cho-rin sprang up energetically at his words. But as she stood to exit the cave first, there was a problem: her skirt had rolled inward from sleep, exposing her firm rear wrapped in black stockings and panties. It jiggled enticingly with each step, almost like a tease.
Oblivious, Yi Cho-rin marched out excitedly, then glanced back curiously when Gaon didn’t follow.
“Gaon? What’s wrong? Let’s go train!”
“……Yi Cho-rin. Your butt’s showing.”
“…Huh? My b-butt…? Ah, aaah! W-Wait! Don’t look!”
As Gaon turned away politely, Yi Cho-rin reached back, realized the truth, and fumbled to untangle her skirt from her blouse, face crumpling in embarrassment. Shame flushed her cheeks red. Her eyes darted between Gaon and the cave walls, unable to hide her fluster.
The mood turned awkward in an instant. Gaon waited silently until her face returned to normal, then stepped out without a word. He glanced at the head-down Yi Cho-rin trailing him and stopped in the clearing beside the cave.
“…Yi Cho-rin.”
She jumped at his low call.
“Y-Y-Yes!”
“To cut to the chase, I won’t teach you proper swordsmanship.”
“Th-Then…?”
“Just the basics. Sorry to say it, but your body isn’t suited for advanced techniques.”
“Can’t be helped. I’m grateful even for that. I’ll follow your lead.”
Aware of her own poor athleticism, Yi Cho-rin didn’t argue and nodded readily. Gaon extended his hand.
“Hand over the dagger first? I’ll teach you the grip.”
“Here!”
Gaon took the dagger without hesitation and gripped it properly—for ambushes, thumb over the fist. Ideal for thrusting or stabbing with force. Short range was a drawback, but he never expected her to face goblins head-on anyway.
“Wow… You handle spears and swords? Impressive!”
“Not that hard. Listen carefully—I’ll explain now.”
“Yes! I’m all ears!”
The panty incident seemed forgotten; her earlier awkwardness vanished, replaced by sparkling curiosity. Relieved, Gaon proceeded.
“This grip is for ambushes—”
…The first day focused on drilling basics into her head.
“Shh—”
Gaon halted upon spotting the goblin pack, signaling Yi Cho-rin to stay quiet before observing slowly. They wandered, searching—what for? Unlike last time, their grim mood suggested more than scouting.
The scout party’s death must’ve spread.
More like their disappearance. Just a day passed, so these were likely searchers for the ones Gaon killed. Neutral zone wasn’t safe anymore. The tree hollow wasn’t ideal anyway—no regrets. Risky, but shifting to yesterday’s cave seemed best. Close to the lake, orcs avoided the area. Solid choice.
“Yi Cho-rin. I’ll circle around opposite. Draw their eyes—then you ambush when the chance comes.”
“Yes, got it!”
Hunting goblins built karma for strength, sure—but mostly, it was to give Yi Cho-rin real combat experience. She’d have to save herself someday.
Exchanging a final glance, Gaon slipped through the brush to intercept their path. Yi Cho-rin crept to their blind spot. Gaon reached his spot, tracked her via bush rustles, and sprang like a spring when they entered range.
Archers backline, flanked by two spear goblins. Front two shielded with shield and sword, alert. Their gear looked familiar—especially the spear, matching Gaon’s exactly. Looted from summoned humans. Their fates were obvious.
“Hup!”
Channeling his charge’s momentum, Gaon thrust fiercely at the throat. The blade tore flesh, snapped bone, pierced clean through. But he didn’t stop—trajectory caught the second goblin, ending it too. He withdrew the heavy, skewered spear, shook off blood, and stepped back.
Thwip!
An arrow whistled past his former spot—chest hit if he’d stayed. Gaon retreated teasingly, baiting. The two spear guards lunged, gripping tight, breathing ragged—but predictable. Gaon parried leisurely, dragging time.
Swish—
Bushes behind the archers shook. Exposed, the archer fell to Yi Cho-rin’s ambush.
“Hyaah!”
Using the taught grip, she plunged the dagger into the flailing goblin’s back.
“Keeeek!!”
No heart pierce—it thrashed, shoving her. Goblin nails were sharp. Yi Cho-rin disengaged smartly, dagger yanking free in a spray of blood. She charged the next.
Superior weight slammed it down, rolling. Even odds, she might’ve struggled—but gear mattered. Its wooden bow was harmless; her dagger lethal. Pinned, it took a vital stab and died.
“Haa… haa!”
Yi Cho-rin rose shakily, finished the crawling archer, then panted heavily. Gaon swept his spear to dispatch the last two and approached. Her trembling eyes met his, staring at bloodied hands.
“Yi Cho-rin. You did great. Excellent.”
“R-Really? Haha…”
“Let’s head back. Good for today.”
“Yes…”
She’d exceeded expectations. One kill was plenty for a first ambush, but she’d wrestled and slain the second too. Mission accomplished. Grabbing water skins, a shield, and a spear, they returned.