I ran non-stop to the hunting ground.
Despite the twenty-minute run, I wasn’t gasping for breath as if I would die.
Had my cardio endurance improved as well?
As I tapped my chest area to take a break, three familiar figures approached me from behind.
“Out hunting early in the morning, I see.”
“Do you want to see blood?”
“Bl-Blood? No, it’s not like that-!”
Were they doing this on purpose?
Or did they really not understand?
Whatever the case, they were definitely not normal.
I decided to ignore them and focus on hunting horned rabbits.
Just as I fiddled with the slingshot in my pocket, the wolf woman handed me a bow from her back.
“Lord Gyeoul, use this. It’s a bow adjusted for your young physique.”
“Th-this one?”
“Yes. The slingshot is a fine weapon, but it’s too light. It can’t compare to the destructive power of a bow.”
A bow.
I didn’t want to accept anything from them, but I couldn’t easily refuse either.
I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to handle a proper weapon.
“Then, shall I try shooting it just once…?”
I nodded, unable to refuse their offer.
The wolf woman then handed me the bow.
“Is this your first time using a bow?”
“Yes…”
“Then, I’ll show you how to position yourself.”
The wolf woman came closer to me.
To teach me, physical contact was necessary.
She held my hand to help me notch the arrow and stroked my back and stomach to fix my posture.
It was just that, but my heart started to pound.
A strange feeling of disliking it yet enjoying it.
I forcibly suppressed a smile and noticed a horned rabbit hopping in the distant meadow.
“Can I shoot that one over there…?”
“Yes. If you follow what I taught you, you’ll definitely hit it.”
That’s unlikely.
It was my first time shooting a bow; there was no way I could hit it.
With no expectations, I shot the bow as the wolf woman had instructed.
Twang!
The arrow was released with the tension of the string.
Despite its incredible speed, my enhanced vision allowed me to follow the arrow’s trajectory.
The quivering arrow shaft pierced through a fluttering leaf.
Beyond the split leaf, a horned rabbit pricked up its ears.
Wait.
It’s going to hit.
Just as I thought that.
Thump!
The arrow pierced through the rabbit’s head and shot out the other side.
“Hm?”
Did I really hit that?
It was my first time shooting a bow.
As I stood bewildered, looking at the fallen rabbit, someone placed a hand on my head.
“Gyeoul! That’s amazing!”
“Ye-Yes…?”
It was a gentle touch, like soothing a child.
Though it felt nice, I knew she was just putting on an act.
She knew I lived alone and was probably trying to manipulate my emotions this way.
The more I experienced her manipulative attitude, the deeper my disappointment grew.
With my head hung low, I cautiously started to back away.
Then the girl hastily lowered her hand.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I too intrusive?”
Intrusive, she says.
Was she aware of what she was doing while saying that?
Annoyed, I kicked at the pebbles on the ground.
“That’s really too much…”
“What, what is? Did I do something wrong…?”
The girl blinked, looking genuinely clueless.
Her sly appearance made me tremble with anger.
After all I had endured.
I decided to vent just a little, really just a tiny bit, of my pent-up frustration.
“You keep tormenting me…”
I bit my lip after blurting out that complaint.
I knew it was presumptuous to say, but it felt relieving.
What would the girl’s reaction be?
Looking at the ground and only lifting my eyes upward, the girl’s response was completely unexpected.
“I tormented Gyeoul… I see…”
“Yes?”
She looked genuinely confused.
I couldn’t tell if it was an act or sincere.
“Oh, of course, I know Gyeoul suffered because of me. I really wanted to beat myself up for it.”
“Beat, beat up is too much…”
Was this a strategy to pressure me so I wouldn’t dare speak up again?
Confused by the situation, I looked down, and the girl bent her knees to match my height.
“Listen, Gyeoul. Can you give me one more chance? I’ll show you I can be better.”
“That, that is…”
Be better.
I had no clue what her intentions were with such a statement.
“I really regret what I did to Gyeoul. Can’t I have just one more chance?”
She was pressuring me into giving her a chance, making it hard to refuse.
Feeling suffocated by the situation, I instinctively ran away, shouting.
“You didn’t even apologize!”