Is She Coming This Way?
Yeonwoo tilted her head, eyeing the crazy woman approaching from afar. There was no reason for her to come straight at her. But there was no reason she couldn't pass this way either. The Wild Sanctuary on the Eve of the Final Battle was a vast ruin in its adult form, but once you entered the adult zone, there were plenty of narrow passages.
Yeonwoo shrugged it off and pocketed her dagger. But she'd been too focused on the joy of the dagger and the woman's sudden appearance to notice what was happening behind her. Not that she needed to. The footsteps she sensed weren't a wolf's—they were human.
Yeonwoo glanced back casually. Four men were approaching from that direction too, even closer than the crazy woman. They stared right at her, like they'd been waiting.
What the hell. Two of them are the guys who got beat up earlier.
Two out of the four were the ones who'd taken a thrashing from the crazy woman. They headed straight for Yeonwoo. But something about their disorganized vibe felt off.
"How'd you end up here all alone?"
"Werewolves come out around here—it's dangerous. You could get in real trouble if your luck's bad."
The lines came out smooth, like they'd rehearsed them. Obvious dialogue, obvious intent. Yeonwoo's eyes narrowed naturally.
Ah. This could happen.
She was a little surprised, honestly. Not shocked, but it was one of those scenarios that popped up now and then inside gates. As a veteran hunter who'd rolled around like a dog her whole life, she'd seen every damn situation imaginable. Including the dark underbelly of the hunter world, more times than she cared to count.
Is it just this place that's wild, or is the hunter life wildness itself?
Guys like Nade Man, whom she'd run into at the Hunter Center? Child's play. Annoying, sure, but he'd paid good money for weapons and mercenaries to use on her behalf.
But a hunter's raw physical strength? That power was more primal, more absolute. Hunters with that kind of might throwing it around to pick up women? It happened all the time. Scandals between famous hunters and celebrities had even blown up publicly. But in the isolated bubble of a gate, uglier crimes went down too—and most never saw the light of day.
On the flip side, there were hunters who weaponized their looks, latching onto the strong ones to climb the ladder.
I thought it was just other people's problems.
It had nothing to do with her, of course. Even if she'd lived like a dog her whole life, she'd done it with her head held high, no shame. But who would've thought she'd get tangled up in something like this.
"I've got a party, but we got separated for a bit."
Yeonwoo responded calmly. She forced a smile, waving them off like it was no big deal. What she really wanted was to tell them to fuck off. But there were four of them. Not gate monsters—four burly guys. She was alone. Numbers trumped skill by a mile. A many-vs-many fight? Sure. She'd handled eight with two before, using experience and know-how. But one against four? Whole different ballgame.
"Nah, you don't."
"Huh?"
Yeonwoo shot back at the abrupt jab. She hadn't seen that coming.
"Looks like you're solo to me. Why lie?"
"Yeah, makes us sound like the bad guys."
Ah. Her mind went blank for a second. Yeonwoo blinked wide-eyed, several times. This time, she was genuinely flustered.
Maybe I got too complacent.
Could be the Ant Nest had gone too smoothly. The anomaly was brutal, but the rookies there had been chill. Things were different now. Their intentions finally clicked into sharp focus.
These crazy bastards for real.
As realization hit, so did their stares—roaming her face, her body. Managing her expression got tough. No telling how far they'd push it. Maybe they'd just sweet-talk her into their party with fake kindness. Or in the worst case, they'd use their numbers to force it.
Didn't seem like they'd go that far.
From watching those two get beat earlier, they didn't strike her as total animals. Still, no room for complacency. Those slimy gazes were unbearable. Pure physiological revulsion stabbed at her. And then...
A strange unease washed over her body.
This is...
It wasn't fear. But it was anxiety she'd never felt before—a shape her old life never allowed.
"Ha..."
She couldn't even speak right. No clue what to say. She'd brushed it off before. Her body was flexible where it lacked raw power, that's all. But this body was different. The way others saw her was worlds apart. Her first real crisis. The first threat she'd faced as a woman.
...Four of them. Tiers probably II, maybe III at highest.
Yeonwoo slipped her hand behind her back. Ready to draw a weapon anytime. A surprise strike would be ideal.
"Hey, doesn't she kinda look like that girl? The one who schooled that Gold tier a while back. It was trending, right?"
"Dude, that's old news. Haven't seen her since."
"That was mostly fake. This one's got a totally different vibe. Like, precious. Just... yeah."
"Too bad. Was hoping for a schooling myself."
Did they think they'd fully taken control? Or figured her frail look meant she was passive? Now they were chatting among themselves, all relaxed. Meanwhile, Yeonwoo's gaze on them darkened by the second.
At least one Gold. Take him first if it comes to blows.
Grateful for their yapping—it gave her the lay of the land.
Against humans... dagger it is.
Yeonwoo steeled herself. She watched their movements closely, timing her moment. Just as she moved to reshape her weapon behind her back...
She remembered.
Oh. That crazy woman from earlier.
Yeonwoo peeked back. ...She's gone?
No sign of the woman who'd been heading their way. Just the four-man hunter crew approaching.
"It's dangerous here, so stick with us for now..."
"Here for a picnic?"
The cheerful voice pierced her ears. The source? Up above.
"Huh."
"Huh?!"
A tall woman. The crazy one. Her wild long black hair whipped as she thrust her knee down hard, plummeting toward the ground. Right at a human face.
Crack!
"...Guh!"
The woman knee-smashed the face of the guy who'd been leading the approach on Yeonwoo. The weighted blow slammed him into the dirt.
"Hngh... ugh...!"
Blood sprayed from his nose and mouth. Even his front teeth were gone.
"Sh-Shin Gaon?"
"You crazy bitch! What the hell's your problem now?!"
The other hunters pointed at the tall woman called Shin Gaon, trembling with rage. Teeth gritted, fists clenched—they looked ready to lunge.
"Saw you assholes up to no good again. Had to stop it."
Shin Gaon just grinned, shrugging casually. But then she glanced down and scowled.
"Fuckin' gross."
She grabbed the hem of the downed hunter's clothes. Hoisted him up like nothing, then wiped the blood off her knee with his shirt. Her strength was insane, but her unhinged thought process was even more wild.
"P-Put me down, you psycho!"
"Drop him and get out! Don't pull this shit!"
The hunters bellowed. They'd tangled with Shin Gaon before. They knew from head to toe she was unpredictable.
"Shut the fuck up already."
Shin Gaon dropped the shirt. Instead, she toed his waist as he fell, kicking him back to his buddies.
Thud!
He skidded across the ground, eyes rolled back, delivered unconscious.
"Y-You wanna go, you freak?!"
"Told you to send him back. Did it. Why whine?"
Shin Gaon scratched the back of her head like it was a hassle. Her entrance and every move were outrageously bold.
"What the hell did we even do to you?!"
"No matter how strong you are, y-you think you'd walk away if all four of us went at you for real?!"
The remaining three roared threats at Shin Gaon. Like wolves barking from a distance. Pure fear masked as bravado. Pathetic, knowing her strength but frozen.
She's that strong, huh?
Yeonwoo relaxed a bit. Three left? She could've handled that even without the tall crazy woman called Shin Gaon.
"Yeah?"
Shin Gaon cocked her head, brow furrowed like she didn't get it. Then she strode toward the hunters and swung her long, muscled thigh hard.
Thwack!
No scream. She'd kicked the already-out guy in the ribs again.
"Y-You're really gonna kill us, you maniac?!"
"Nah. You said four, so I figured the rest were fine."
"We were just talking!"
"Oh. Oops. My bad. Sorry."
Shin Gaon chuckled. Not mocking—genuinely sheepish.
"Shoulda spoken up clearer. Why make me look bad? Huh?"
It wasn't even sarcasm. That was the scary part. The hunters' faces drained white.
Damn. She's nuts.
Yeonwoo was convinced. And now her principles were on trial. Best to steer clear of crazies. But getting saved by one? What now?
Yeonwoo pondered.
"Hmm."
Surprisingly, the crazy woman moved first. Shin Gaon turned to Yeonwoo, leaning in to peer at her face intently. Propped her chin with one hand, tilting Yeonwoo's head this way and that, admiring from every angle.
Psycho bitch.
Nothing else came to mind. No filter in that brain of hers—just pure, unbridled action, like her debut.
"Nice."
Finally, Shin Gaon nodded. Grinning wide enough to show teeth, she slung an arm over Yeonwoo's shoulder.
"What'd they do?"
"N-Nothing yet!"
"We just said hi! Told her she was pretty and we should party up—that's all!"
The terrified hunters yelled. Desperately pleading innocence.
"Your faces didn't look that innocent."
Shin Gaon drawled back, swaying lazily. The motion transferred through her arm—heavy, solid, even casual like that.
Can't dodge this kind of crazy.
Yeonwoo made her call. If they were all nuts anyway, she'd play nuts too.
"...Weapon."
She deliberately softened her voice, mumbling weakly.
"Huh?"
"...?"
That frail whimper froze Shin Gaon and the hunters alike. They stared blankly, waiting for more.
"They took my weapon."
The bombshell dropped from Yeonwoo's lips.
Damn.
Even she thought it was a shocker. The hunters recoiled like they'd been zapped.
"Wh-What? Us? Wh-When?!"
"You guys are real scum."
"Wait, no! We didn't do shit!"
"Who knows? Ask her. She might tell ya."
Shin Gaon flexed her fist demonstratively.
"Leave it to big sis."
She leaned to whisper in Yeonwoo's ear, then strode forward confidently.
"...!"
But in the process, the hand on her shoulder slid down Yeonwoo's arm like a caress before letting go.