The next day.
Woojin tried speaking to the wolf a few more times.
But the response he got back was lukewarm at best. The wolf merely tilted its head, then scratched the back of its head awkwardly with a hind leg.
'Was it just a coincidence?'
He wasn't sure.
After watching the wolf's movements closely for quite a while, Woojin suddenly lost interest and simply tossed the jerky he was holding. The wolf caught the flying strip of meat neatly in its mouth.
Chomp, chomp—
The wolf chewed the jerky with relish. In the blink of an eye, it had devoured it and was staring back at him again, smacking its lips as if it wanted more.
'Should I give it one more?'
Just as Woojin reached toward his pouch of jerky, the wolf's ears suddenly pricked straight up. Lifting its head high, it fixed its gaze somewhere in the distance.
Woojin narrowed his eyes as well. From behind, he sensed multiple noisy presences approaching.
'Someone's coming this way.'
The wolf must have reached the same conclusion. It sprang to its feet and hurried into a nearby thicket, hiding itself among the bushes.
Soon, five well-built men swaggered toward him. One of the faces was familiar—hair beginning to recede and a scar slashed across his cheek.
"Jacob. What brings you here?"
Woojin greeted him coolly. Jacob answered with a genial smile.
"I came to make a deal with you. Surely you haven't lost that werewolf hide already?"
"As you can see."
The hide was still securely tied to his pack.
After confirming it, Jacob's grin widened further. The scar on his cheek twisted grotesquely.
"Hand that hide over. If you comply quietly, I'll make sure my friends don't slit your throat."
A thinly veiled threat. Woojin roughly grasped what was going on.
"So this was your plan from the beginning when you traded with Hector."
Whenever Hector succeeded in a hunt, Jacob would take the spoils. To do that, he had spent years trading with him, currying his favor.
As Woojin shot him a hostile glare, Jacob wagged a finger side to side, as if eager to correct him.
"Let's be precise. I merely invested. Hector's territory is far too remote—transporting goods there was always a loss. To make up for the mounting deficit, I need that hide."
"So this makes it justified?"
"Of course. After my friends beat you senseless, you'll come to agree."
Jacob gestured. The men snickered as they surrounded Woojin.
One of them stood out. He was larger than the rest and, for some reason, wore no shirt—his upper body completely bare.
Seeing that sight, Woojin couldn't help but ask,
"Is that exhibitionist idiot one of your friends too? Why's he the only one freezing his ass off?"
Jacob shook his head with a laugh.
"Hah! Now even if I wanted to spare you, it'd be difficult. To insult a barbarian without fear…"
"A barbarian? That guy?"
"Indeed. 'Rex of the Twin Axes.' You'd best remember the name of the man who's about to tear you apart."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the man called Rex drew two hand axes.
His face was red as a boiled octopus—apparently Woojin's earlier taunt had struck a nerve. Gripping an axe in each hand, the warrior strode forward.
Rex brushed past the thicket. Seeing that, Woojin said casually,
"Bite."
A crimson shadow burst out from the bushes. The wolf lunged and clamped its jaws around Rex's neck.
"Ghk— Guaaah!!"
Rex screamed wildly as he tumbled across the dirt. The wolf shook its head with violent force. Rex's neck tore open, blood spraying like a fountain.
Watching the scene, Woojin clicked his tongue.
"That's why you should wear armor or something. Not that you had much skill to begin with…"
It was practically a natural death.
In any case, one down—four to go. Woojin scratched the bridge of his nose and glanced at Jacob and his lackeys one by one.
Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, they were stammering like fools. Woojin drew his machete and started walking toward them.
Thud!
The men shoved Jacob to the ground and fled. The movement was so natural it was as if they had agreed on it beforehand.
"Y-you bastards! Get back here!!"
The mercenaries ran off, sacrificing their employer without a backward glance. No matter how much Jacob shouted, they never turned around.
They'd probably live long lives.
Thinking that, Woojin approached Jacob. The merchant lay flat against the ground.
"…Ha ha, let's talk this over."
"Talking's good."
Honestly, it was a troubling situation.
'I've never killed a person before.'
Woojin had never taken a human life with his own hands. Naturally—there weren't many chances to even meet people in this world.
Should he kill him? Or let him live?
It was his first time in such a situation, and he couldn't easily judge what the right course of action was. Not a decision to make lightly.
While Woojin deliberated, Jacob kept rambling on his own.
"I've collected quite a few treasures as a traveling merchant. I've got connections too. I'll do anything for you. If you want, I can draft up a contract right now. What do you say? Letting me go would be best for both of us, wouldn't it?"
Listening to him was almost laughable.
"You really have that much money?"
"I do! If you doubt me, I'll prove it. Just wait a moment. My wallet should be somewhere around here—"
As Jacob rummaged through his clothes, he suddenly pulled out a dagger and thrust it forward. Woojin instinctively grabbed his wrist.
"…Ha, ha ha."
With his wrist seized, Jacob let out a pathetic laugh. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"Hey, friend… can't you just let me live?"
"You're truly pathetic."
"Just this once. There's no gain in killing a pathetic fool like me, right? Huh? Isn't that so?"
"I wasn't talking to you."
"Then…?"
Woojin let out a faint snort and snatched the dagger away.
"I feel like an idiot for agonizing over this."
Thud—
The dagger pierced straight through Jacob's throat. A gush of red blood spilled across the ground. Jacob's swaying body soon toppled backward.
Without even sparing the corpse a glance, Woojin stood up. True to his reputation as a capable merchant, Jacob had carried several valuable ornaments—but Woojin felt no desire whatsoever to touch them.
"…Let's go."
He set off down the road.
For some reason, the wolf continued to stay by Woojin's side.
He wanted to know why, but there was no way to find out. The red wolf was intelligent enough to understand human speech, yet it lacked the ability to speak like a person.
Having grown somewhat attached to it, Woojin eventually accepted the wolf as a companion.
'I should give this guy a name.'
He pondered. Naming something was surprisingly difficult. Historically, Woojin had never been particularly talented at it.
"Rex. From now on, your name is Rex."
Thus, he decided to pass the dead man's name onto the wolf.
Apparently displeased, the wolf let out a low growl.
"Then should I call you Jacob?"
"…."
The wolf accepted being called Rex.
To soothe its mood, Woojin tossed it a strip of jerky. His food pouch grew noticeably lighter.
'I should restock supplies soon.'
With two mouths to feed, their provisions were being consumed that much faster. At this rate, they would soon run out. Conveniently, there was a village nearby—he planned to buy food there.
Woojin and Rex walked on, chewing their jerky. Soon, a large village came into view.
'It's much bigger than the last one.'
The Fifth Frontier City.
Calling it a city was a bit generous, but for a village, it was quite large. Numbered frontier cities were major hubs that the expedition corps paid particular attention to.
…Naturally, he couldn't bring a wolf-type magical beast into such a place.
"Wait here for a while. If people come, avoid them on your own."
"Rrr."
Rex gave a questioning sound, as if in reluctant agreement. Leaving him behind, Woojin headed toward the village.
The gatekeepers standing before the wooden palisade stared at him intently. It seemed they were about to demand a toll. Woojin rummaged through his pocket and handed over a silver coin he had prepared in advance.
"Ah, that won't be necessary."
The guards refused the money. Woojin frowned slightly in confusion.
"Isn't there an entrance fee?"
"In our city, it is customary not to charge magical-beast hunters. Please, go right in."
The gatekeepers stepped aside without hesitation. Judging by Woojin's appearance, they must have guessed his profession. Thanks to that, he entered the village without spending a single coin.
Perhaps because it was midday, the village brimmed with vitality.
People bustled about, pulling carts in search of work. Lively chatter spilled out from the shops lined up in rows.
Most striking of all was the smell of food from the street stalls. Woojin stopped in front of one as if drawn by instinct.
A female vendor was busily skewering chunks of meat. The skewers sizzled as they browned over a wood fire. This was impossible to resist.
"How much for one?"
"Eight copper coins each."
"I'll take two."
Woojin paid half a silver coin and received four copper coins in change. Half a silver coin was worth twenty copper coins.
Crunch.
He took a large bite of the freshly grilled, steaming meat. The crisped skin, the chewy flesh, the occasional burst of coarse salt—
It was surprisingly delicious.
"…What kind of meat is this to taste so good?"
He muttered without thinking. The woman tending the skewers smiled and leaned closer.
"It's smoked turkey. More expensive than jerky and doesn't keep as long, but nothing beats the taste."
"Did it come from inside the Barrier?"
"Yes. All the food sold here does. It's difficult to obtain ingredients in the Demonic Realm."
In the Demonic Realm, it was nearly impossible for a city-sized population to sustain itself. The meat of magical beasts tasted terrible, and the land was too barren for plants and animals to thrive.
It was only because of magical beasts with exceptional transport capabilities—the Tarasque—that frontier cities could be maintained.
"Are you a magical-beast hunter?"
This time, the woman asked. Woojin merely nodded while chewing.
"I knew it! It seems many people are challenging the current subjugation. I hope you achieve good results."
"…What do you mean?"
After swallowing his food, he asked. The woman looked slightly taken aback.
"Uh… you didn't know? The whole city's been in an uproar lately because of a magical beast at the quarry."
"That's the first I've heard of it. It's my first time in this region."
Curiosity stirred within him.
"Do you know anything about that magical beast?"
"I only overheard the name in passing. Madstone… was it? I can't quite remember."
"Madskull?"
"Oh, yes! I think that was it."
Madskull.
He had encountered the creature several times before. A magical beast with a skull as hard as steel and the ferocity of a lunatic.
"It won't be easy to kill that one."
"Oh, really? I wondered why the bounty was set so high… I guess there's a reason."
"How much is the bounty?"
"Seventy gold coins."
…It was not an amount one could easily ignore.