Adaptation #007
“Gaon-ssi! Where did you learn your spear techniques?”
“…From my master, who lived in seclusion in the mountains.”
Not some hermit in Jirisan. It was obviously a lie, of course. Gaon himself had no idea where he'd learned spear arts. He was just pulling something out of thin air. It was easier to handle reactions to an absurd story like this than to cobble together a half-baked falsehood. Whether she actually bought it or just figured he didn't want to talk about it and brushed it off—either way worked.
“Uh, uh… R-right, I see! What an unusual person. Are you, like, a naturalist or something?”
As expected, Yi Cho-rin floundered in shock at the completely unforeseen answer. And there she went mentioning naturalists again.
“You really seem to like naturalists.”
“Ahaha… Was that annoying? Sorry.”
“No, not at all. It's not wrong, really. You could call him that, I suppose.”
“That's so fascinating…”
She called it fascinating, but her clear, sparkling eyes showed she wasn't buying it. Still, Gaon inwardly cheered that she wasn't pressing further. It had worked exactly as intended.
They'd already been wandering the forest for an hour. Unlike yesterday, Yi Cho-rin was wearing shoes, so she seemed much more at ease physically. Of course, Gaon was far more composed than that.
Southeast should do it.
Drawing on memories from his previous life, Gaon pinpointed their current location. Since they'd run into goblins, they had to be slightly west of center. The neutral zone stretched long and thin toward the middle, so a short trek southeast would bring them to the water source.
The problem was that area belonged to the orcs. If they ran into them now, it'd be a tough fight. Gaon could handle it, but Yi Cho-rin absolutely couldn't.
Glancing at her, he saw Yi Cho-rin vigilantly scanning their surroundings. Her once-moist lips were parched now, thirst clearly setting in.
“…Where might water be?”
“Who knows. Let's keep moving for now.”
After that, conversation died. Yi Cho-rin was starting to tire, so she conserved energy by not chatting. About thirty minutes later, just as her breathing grew ragged, Gaon halted.
“Stop.”
“…What's wrong?”
Hiding in the underbrush with only his face peeking out, Gaon whispered. The ominous vibe spiked her tension.
“Goblins ahead.”
“Ah… Then let's run, quick.”
They hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. Their stamina was way down compared to normal. Fighting monsters now would be disastrous—that was Yi Cho-rin's judgment.
But Gaon readied himself to charge.
There were three goblins ahead. Two wielded daggers, one carried a bow. A scouting party. This spot marked the border with the orcs' territory, so they patrolled frequently to guard against raids. Their gear was leagues beyond the ones who'd ambushed them first.
The goblin archer's waist held a canteen. Gaon adjusted his grip on his spear and pointed at it with a finger.
“Yi Cho-rin-ssi. One of the goblins has water.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. It's true.”
At the word water, Yi Cho-rin peeked beside him to confirm. She swallowed hard and stared at Gaon.
“W-what do we do?”
“We kill them, obviously. Running won't help—we'll run into them again eventually.”
“Right…”
Yi Cho-rin gripped her dagger with both hands and bowed her head. The idea of ending a life—even a monster's—shook her. But if she didn't kill, she'd be killed. Or worse, meet an even more miserable end.
After wrestling with it, she lifted her head. Her body was rigid with tension, but her eyes burned with resolve.
“Let's do it.”
“Good choice. Stay here. Once I take out the archer with a surprise attack, charge in.”
“Yes!”
At her crisp reply, Gaon moved. Concealed in the brush, he crept forward like a ghost, making only the faintest sounds.
Goblins' physical prowess wasn't impressive. They barely noticed tiny noises. Their negligence stemmed from endless routine patrols, of course.
He'd told Yi Cho-rin to help after the archer fell, but truthfully, Gaon could handle three in seconds. He'd wiped out five yesterday in a blink—why struggle now?
No, he just wanted her to steel herself. In this world, she had to shed her Earthling mindset. Face the law of the jungle head-on, adapt, or die.
Steadily closing in without pause, Gaon soon reached point-blank range. He lay in wait along their path, and as the archer passed—
“Hup!”
He burst from the brush, thrusting his spear with all that momentum.
Puk!
The spear tip pierced the heart, then withdrew in a flash. Brushing past the collapsing archer, he smashed the spear shaft into the knee of one turning in alarm.
Crack!
Cartilage shattered in one blow. Ignoring the goblin crumpling, he turned to the last one charging in. He sidestepped the dagger thrust effortlessly, then knuckle-rapped its throat with his middle finger's second joint cocked like a flick to the forehead.
“Kek!”
Its windpipe ruptured. As it clawed at its throat with bulging eyes, Gaon exploited the opening. His spinning spear lanced out again, severing its breath.
“Hoo!”
Less than three seconds. Gaon exhaled sharply, then swung at the goblin with the busted knee—not to kill, but to shatter its limbs and prevent resistance. Someone else would finish it.
“Kieeeek!!”
It shrieked each time a limb broke, a grating screech like nails on metal, but Gaon ignored it. Once all four limbs were ruined, he called to Yi Cho-rin, who hesitated at the brush's edge.
“Yi Cho-rin-ssi. Come here, quick.”
“Ah, y-yes! Coming!”
Even as she answered, her eyes fixed on the goblins. She glanced at the shrieking one, then the cooling corpses bleeding out. Her face paled, stomach churning. She clamped her mouth shut against nausea and averted her gaze as she approached.
“Th-that was quick.”
“Yes. They weren't strong. The archer could've been trouble, but only if it got the drop on us.”
“Come to think of it, you took on five yesterday, right? I wasn't any help again.”
Relief and self-loathing mingled on Yi Cho-rin's face. No blood on her hands, but she'd burdened Gaon again.
But that was viewing Gaon too kindly. He'd never planned to make her fight yet. Not until she adapted first. Specifically…
“Yi Cho-rin-ssi. Kill this one.”
To slaughter.
Pointing his spear at the still-screaming, limb-broken goblin, Gaon's words made Yi Cho-rin's eyes widen. Her pupils quaked like an earthquake, then fixed on it and flinched harder. She glanced at her daggers, swallowed, and looked back at Gaon. He met her gaze with unyielding resolve—no compromise here. The pressure was undeniable.
Trembling hands clutched the daggers as she stood over it, deep breaths steadying her. Staring straight into its screaming face, she knelt.
Even then, it reached for her, but Gaon pinned its back with his spear.
Now fully subdued, Yi Cho-rin knelt beside it, raised both daggers high, and slammed them down.
Puk!
“Kiiiiieeeek!!”
The blades sank into its chest. It thrashed to escape, but Yi Cho-rin held firm. The daggers tore wider, blood gushing from the gashes. Heart and lungs shredded, blood bubbled from its mouth as convulsions slowed to a stop. Light faded from its eyes—a life ended. Yi Cho-rin watched it all, eyes wide open, as if refusing to look away from her sin.
Moments later, as it went fully still, Yi Cho-rin staggered to her feet. Her shoulders heaved. Hands shook, then the daggers slipped from limp fingers to roll in the dirt.
Staring at the blood on her hands, her breaths grew ragged.
“Haa… haa! Hnngh…!”
Inhales and exhales shortened—hyperventilation incoming.
Gaon rushed over, gripped her shoulders hard, and shouted.
“Yi Cho-rin-ssi! Snap out of it!”
His shaking and booming voice in her ear jolted her back. She gulped a huge breath, exhaled slowly, and looked up at him.
“Ah, aa… G-Gaon-ssi…”
“Calm down. It wasn't your fault. I told you to do it. Got it?”
“……”
Her eyes slowly refocused. Pupils contracted, reason returning with a spark. Blinking deliberately, she regained composure. Gaon sighed in relief and released her shoulders.
Stepping back to watch, he saw her close her eyes, take a deep breath, and lift her head.
“Thank you, Gaon-ssi. I calmed down thanks to you.”
“Good. Rest. I'll loot them.”
“…Please. Just this once… I'll rest. Next time, I'll help.”
“Of course.”
Only after she slumped against a nearby tree did Gaon move to grab the canteen.