TPA 02

Chapter 2

The Wolf and the Hunter (2)

Despite being human, the strange sense radiating from her bones made Misa question: could it be…?

Her instinct warned her that the man standing in front of her might not even be human, that he was extremely dangerous. Her blood surged, almost boiling throughout her body.

“Go… if you don’t want to die.”

His growling warning was weak somehow, lacking real strength.

Misa, frozen for a moment, finally snapped out of it and carefully observed the man.

“He’s covered in blood…”

Flesh seemed to have been ripped away, scattered around him, and the dried, caked blood left stark evidence of a serious wound.

A mortal injury. A wound that would have killed any ordinary human.

“Are you okay? We need to treat your injuries first.”

Regardless of her suspicion that he might not be human, she knew if she ignored him, he could die.

Just as she couldn’t pass by an injured animal without intervening, she couldn’t leave a dying human—or something like a human—alone.

She hurriedly approached the man lying on the ground.

He rejected her touch and pushed her hand away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“How much blood have you lost?”

“I told you to leave.”

“I can see you’re dying… How can you tell me to leave?”

He let out a light, incredulous chuckle. Up close, the wounds looked far worse than she had imagined, yet his expression was calm, almost advising her:

“If I could die from a wound like this, life wouldn’t have been so difficult for me.”

“You need immediate treatment. We should get you to a hospital…”

“To your naïve eyes, I must look human, don’t I?”

That one sentence made Misa freeze in place.

“What do you mean…?”

Her mind cleared suddenly. She had already suspected it—this man might not be entirely human. And if he wasn’t fully human, there was only one conclusion: he was a beastman.

His white hair and blue eyes weren’t unusual here. On the continent to the west, people had a wide variety of hair and eye colors, so just from appearances, one couldn’t tell a beastman from a human.

Yet Misa guessed he might be a beastman because of the countless encounters she’d had with them over the years—she could sense the unique aura of a beastman.

“I had a rough idea… but I don’t even know why I’m here.”

She didn’t know why she hadn’t run. The most reasonable explanation was that he was gravely injured, seriously enough that it overrode everything else.

For a brief moment, she considered he might be the culprit behind recent local incidents—but she quickly dismissed that. His wounds were old and untreated, and he was barely able to speak. He wasn’t in a state to roam around committing murders.

“So funny… you come here without fear even knowing I’m a beastman.”

“That’s right. As a hunter, I should probably just kill you right here.”

“I expected a hunter. Your body reeks of all sorts of lowlifes.”

They deserved to die. These were monsters—humans for no reason, they killed, they devoured, they committed evil acts for pleasure.

“Why help me? Even if you kill me here, it wouldn’t matter to you, right?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re the first beastman like you I’ve met?”

There were intelligent beastmen. She had seen plenty. But such creatures always showed excessive malice toward humans, even at the moment of death. Only when completely immobilized would they stop.

“Even hurt, beastmen still attack humans until their very last breath.”

Her hesitation to flee or her curiosity about his injuries came partly from this.

“I don’t want to treat you like the others.”

“I never did. You’re different, which makes you interesting.”

“There aren’t any beastmen friendly to humans. I don’t trust any of them.”

“But you’re behaving far more gently than any beastman I’ve encountered before.”

The man glared at her, annoyed by her incessant chatter, but she seemed oblivious.

Most humans would have run from someone covered in blood. But Misa didn’t flee—she examined him with the curiosity of someone discovering a rare specimen.

“Stop being annoying. Go before I kill you.”

He growled, threatening her, but she continued examining him.

“How did you get these wounds? I heard beastmen’s skin is harder than an elephant’s. Did you get hurt fighting another beastman over territory?”

“….”

“These cuts are from sharp claws, the missing flesh from fangs…”

She inspected him as though studying an experiment.

It had been a long time since he’d faced a human, and he was genuinely flustered. He had heard that beastmen had become numerous and now struck terror into humans.

“You’re not afraid of me?”

“No! Of course I’m afraid.”

“You say you’re afraid, yet you’re touching me…”

He laughed at the absurdity.

“If I really wanted to kill you, I would have done it by now.”

“Fear and curiosity are separate. I’ve hunted for a long time, and you’re the first beastman like this I’ve encountered. Naturally, I’m curious.”

“All creatures are capricious. Humans, animals, beastmen alike. My mood can change at any moment; I could kill you right now.”

“But you’re reacting far too calmly.”

“….”

“You haven’t hunted humans in a long time, have you?”

He fell silent, as if struck by her insight.

“I’ve studied why beastmen kill humans. They have certain desires stronger than normal humans,” she explained.

“….”

“Most are driven by appetite, hunting humans as prey. Once they taste humans, they go mad, obsessed with hunting them.”

Not entirely correct—but not wrong either.

Becoming a beastman brings strong, consistent urges to kill humans. Eating humans is not necessary—they could live without consuming food. Killing and tasting human flesh just amplifies their violent urges.

“There are some who kill humans without eating them. Why they do this is still unclear.”

All beastmen are born with the urge to kill humans. For some, it evolves into appetite or sexual desire, but it always ends in death. The ones with self-control can manage these urges.

“You don’t show any such urges. Even with me right here, you don’t react. A true beastman would.”

“My wounds are severe,” he said.

“No. Beastmen bite until the very last moment. That doesn’t make sense.”

“At least I know you’re not the culprit behind recent incidents.”

Indeed, he hadn’t harmed humans around here. He had promised himself not to act like a monster. Though he had become one, he didn’t want to live like one. His violent urges were expressed through self-inflicted wounds, which healed and reappeared.

“And no one can just watch a creature die, right? Especially you… you seem more human than other beastmen I’ve met. Calm, almost like a normal human.”

Calm. That word made her senses sharpen.

“You…”

“What?”

“What’s your name?”

“Misa, my name’s Misa.”

She hadn’t realized she had been distracted.

His wounds were inflicted by the urge to kill. But now, she sensed peace. His murderous instinct wasn’t active. He wasn’t burning to kill.

Why…?

He should have gone berserk at the sight of a human, yet he didn’t.

“You… what are you?”

“That’s what I want to ask you. What are you?”

Was it because of her? Did she have some effect on him? His calmness wasn’t coincidence.

He stared blankly at her while she wrapped his wounds, and he noticed he couldn’t push her away. Yet he denied it in his mind. This fleeting peace couldn’t come from a mere human girl—he crushed any hope and expectation immediately.

Meanwhile…

“Please… save me! Just once… save me!”

A woman’s desperate screams were drowned by heavy rain. Her face, covered with tears and rain, trembled as she begged for her life.

The man sitting beside her had eyes like a fox’s, slanting unnaturally. Every time she screamed, his eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Do more. Keep going.”

“Please… save me…”

“Why should I? Why should I save you?”

“I… I’m pregnant… please save me.”

“Oh? Is that so? There’s a child inside you?”

The man’s voice was calm, almost soothing.

Hope flickered briefly in the woman’s eyes, but it was quickly extinguished.

“What does that have to do with me?”

“…….”

“Explain. Why does your baby’s existence mean I should save you?”

Tears prevented her from answering. He never expected an answer; he wanted to dominate her. She knew instinctively she would be violated and killed.

“If a wild beast like a bear or tiger were here, would you still plead because you’re pregnant?”

“….”

“No. Animals don’t know that. Morality is human-made. I’m not human, so why should I save you? Does your pregnancy make your life worth more?”

The questions were meaningless. His intent was singular: to terrorize.

“You’re so careless, even being pregnant.”

“…….”

“Didn’t anyone teach you the world is dangerous? Weak women traveling alone become easy prey, didn’t you learn that?”

“…….”

“If you’d stayed home quietly, none of this would have happened, right?”

He smiled, pressing a knife to her neck.

“Don’t look so unjustly upset. That’s your fate.”

He grinned wickedly, touching her cheek.

“It’s not my fault. It’s yours. Killing others is wrong by human standards, but I don’t abide by human morals. I pursue pleasure by killing humans. No one can stop that.”

He trembled with delight, laughing menacingly.

“First, I’ll cut open your belly and eat the child inside. Then your liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart. I don’t like muscle meat—innards are my preference.”

“You’re weak. What can I do?”

“The world favors the strong, and the weak are devoured. That’s nature.”

“Today, I’ll have a sumptuous meal.”

Slice. Squish. Red liquid gushed like a fountain.

Blood mixed with rain soaked the ground; the scent of gore filled the air. His laughter echoed through the stillness.

Misa stared at the sleeping man and hurriedly stood.

“I’m crazy! What did I do…?”

Why had she treated the wounds of a beastman—a monster that killed and devoured humans?

Something human about him had drawn her in. She couldn’t leave him to die.

“It was compassion. Seeing someone—animal or human—about to die, I couldn’t leave them.”

Or perhaps she hoped, foolishly, that a beastman could actually be friendly to humans.

“No, there’s no such beastman. They’re all our enemies. Monsters. Nothing more.”

She calmed herself and tried to regain composure.

Her attention was caught by something immediately ahead.

“The baby’s organs are tasty but tiny… barely enough liver.”

Her dark eyes hardened. She drew the gun hidden between her thighs and strode toward the scene of slaughter without hesitation.

Click.

“These monsters… pure evil to the bone.”

As she aimed at the back of his head, the man turned sharply, his expression chilling.

Their eyes met. Misa twisted her lips into a grim smile and whispered:

“Found you, you beast below beasts.”