TPA 03

Chapter 3

Wolf and Hunter (3)

A creature lower than a beast.

“Good heavens, he’s covered in blood! What do I do, what do I do? He’s going to die like this!”

Rena… if I hadn’t met you…

“Hey! Are you okay? Snap out of it!”

He must have continued living a wretched life all this time. Not as a human, but as a monster… wandering endlessly in a darkness with no end in sight.

That day, your hand was both salvation and a ray of light, and at the same time, it was hope.

For the first time, he had felt the hope that he could live his future as a ‘human,’ not a monster. That small hope, the feeling that he could survive as long as you were there, became an unconditional obsession toward you.

That brief light he believed would lead to happiness is now gone from memory.

You became another monster, and I returned to being a monster by your side.

“I understand. It must be confusing right now… but soon, you’ll understand. Until then, I’ll wait.”

“….”

“Let’s meet again.”

Even as he thought it fortunate to have met you, he also regretted it.

Rena, is all of this heaven’s punishment for my sins?

Perhaps I should have realized it sooner—how precious and happy those days were, when I could live as a human.

Now, I can no longer live as a human.

I have truly become a monster.

I have lost all sense of direction in life.

Where to go, what to do, he has no idea. When will this aimless life finally reach its end?

After some time had passed since Misa had left, Ul awoke from his sleep.

Blinking dazedly, he suddenly sat upright.

‘Was I really asleep…?’

Any living being sleeps. So, sleeping itself isn’t extraordinary. But for Ul, it was.

‘…Not even once.’

Since becoming a non-human beast, he had never truly rested, suffering from insomnia for nearly a millennium.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the faces of those who had died by his hand, and if he let his mind wander, he would be consumed by the fear of when he might kill again.

Every day, he was tormented by nightmares.

Eventually, he had abandoned sleep out of fear of those nightmares. And as time passed, the growing urges within him made it impossible to sleep.

Yet, for the first time in what felt like forever, he had slept comfortably.

Why?

‘…Could it be because of that human woman?’

Was it not a coincidence?

Ul jumped out of bed.

‘I need to find her.’

It felt as if the world had opened up before him.

The feeling was similar to when he first met Rena, when she reached out her hand to him while he wandered hopelessly in the darkness.

A life that had been wandering without direction suddenly felt saved.

If this human woman truly had this effect on him, she might be able to lift him from this hellish life.

He could not let her slip away.

He had to find her.

One of the questions people often asked was why she, a woman, risked her life in such dangerous situations.

Misa would counter: why should being a woman prevent her from doing this?

People would reply again: because you’re a woman, you’re weaker than men. Women should be protected by strong men.

Unfortunately, this country was full of such prejudices. Women accepted passive lives and assumed male protection as a given.

Men, meanwhile, used their natural strength to protect women, but also to dominate, suppress, and oppress them.

Yet no one spoke against it. This society normalized such a mindset, and women were limited in what they could do, constantly scrutinized under biased eyes.

Misa had endured countless hardships to reach this point.

But the more she faced, the more fiercely she persisted.

She became the youngest ever to pass the hunter exam, despite being a woman.

She proved to herself that being a woman does not limit capability—if one has the skill, anything is possible.

“That gun is said to be bestowed by the king himself to hunters,” said the man.

“Correct. It’s a weapon specially designed to kill creatures like you.”

“So that means you’re a hunter. Interesting—never seen a female hunter before.”

Misa’s expression remained neutral as she surveyed the grisly scene around her.

The blood-soaked, mutilated corpses reminded her of her own mother’s body.

“Must be your first time. You probably assumed women were easy prey.”

“They are weak, stupid, and easy to hunt.”

“Would they still say that if their skulls were blown open by a woman like me?”

Those were human? No, they were beasts in human guise—monsters.

Their actions, beliefs, and eyes all told the truth. Two innocent lives had been murdered here.

Those who cut open a pregnant woman to devour her child—are they human? No, they hide their monstrosity behind a human mask. They are ready to commit any atrocity to achieve their goals.

“Sure, the gun you’re aiming is dangerous. Feels exciting, after a long time. Especially against a woman.”

“Why keep repeating ‘woman, woman’? Is it instinct? That’s why you only kill women and children?”

“Women and children are perfect prey.”

The man, despite having a gun aimed at the back of his head, smiled and answered calmly.

“It’s not that we dislike men. There are just easier targets nearby. Why waste more effort?”

“…Hunting?”

“Yes. We are people who cannot go a single day without killing humans. The urge is unbearable; we must kill!”

He laughed maniacally, wiping blood from his mouth.

“Male flesh isn’t tasty. Tough and chewy. Men don’t react much, either. Women and children scream, struggle, fight—they’re more fun to play with. We don’t need to exert much effort to hunt them.”

He called killing ‘fun.’

Killing people for fun…

“That woman begged for her life, said she was pregnant. Pathetic. She thought it had something to do with me. Seeing her hope was amusing. Truly idiotic.”

“….”

“Truly filthy and stupid. That’s why it’s fun. No need to use extra force, and she’s easier to toy with than a man.”

“…….”

“It’s not our fault. They’re stupid. Even though three around them were killed, they had no caution. So, wandering at that late hour, they caught my eye. Not my fault, their own carelessness.”

There was no point listening further.

Victim-blaming rationalizations have no value.

Misa pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

The bullet, laced with deadly venom, pierced through the man’s skull, black blood spilling out.

It was over.

She had struck the vital point perfectly. The man would die, and delivering his body to the authorities would be the end of it.

Misa felt the blood matched their nature—dark, evil, and repulsive.

“Ahhh, it hurts!”

Even as black blood poured, he did not show pain—a typical reaction for all beast-men. Misa turned away, unconcerned.

But Ul, from his experience, noticed her momentary lapse. He laughed aloud and grabbed her long black hair, pulling her toward him.

“Ugh.”

“Thought it was over, you foolish woman!”

How? She had hit a vital spot…

“Ha, I thought I’d die from that. Could’ve been fatal.”

“…How?”

“How? My weak spot is in a different place than others.”

Usually, beast-men have a vital point on the forehead, applicable to all. But his was different—a mutation.

He wiped the wet blood and grabbed Misa by the neck.

“You humans are foolish.”

“…Ugh.”

“We’ve existed far longer than you think, adapting over time. Know that?”

“…Let go.”

“Just as humans mutate, so do we beast-men.”

A mutation? His vital point is different?

“And there are far more like me than you imagine. Heh.”

Misa, struggling, drew a hidden dagger from her inner thigh, plunging it into his neck.

He flinched, then violently tossed her aside, sending her crashing into a rock.

“You are indeed different from other women. Even in this situation, no fear in your eyes.”

Thunk—

A heavy, solid blow struck her head. Legs buckled, vision blurred, mind went white.

Warm liquid trickled down her cheek—blood.

“Curious how long you’ll last. A human unafraid of death—fascinating!”

Even a slight swing could kill a human instantly. That is why they are beasts, monsters.

The gap in strength between humans and beast-men is absolute.

They overpower humans easily, even taking down massive predators with bare hands.

Humans cannot oppose them without weapons.

‘Must find the vital point…’

But Misa realized it was nearly impossible.

Her body wouldn’t move as intended. The previous blow had shaken her; legs trembled. Not fear, but her body disobeyed.

Despite the desperate desire to kill that abominable beast, she could do nothing.

Frustration boiled.

The lives of victims, ripped apart by that filth, were unjust. She hated the undeniable, vast difference in strength.

Blood pooled at her feet.

Dizziness from too much blood loss. Vision blurred.

Yet he continued kicking.

“Cry! Beg for your life! Who knows, I might let you live.”

He smiled confidently.

Misa’s anger surged. She hated the frailty of humans, and hated that a vicious criminal might escape her grasp and survive.

She knew leaving him alive would lead to more victims.

“Even if I die here, others will ensure you beast-men are exterminated.”

“…What?”

“…The souls of those you killed! Their families! The human will to survive will wipe you out, erase your kind from this land!”

“….”

“You beastly filth, phooey!”

Misa spat blood at his face, smiling.

His face contorted in rage, hands tightening on her neck.

At that moment—

“Krrk!”

He fell to the ground, gasping in pain.

Misa, struggling to lift her eyes, saw the hand that had pierced his forehead.

She slowly stood, facing the owner of the hand.

“….”

Silver hair fluttered in the wind.

A white-haired man stood with the sun at his back, bloodied.

Locking eyes with his blue gaze, Misa froze, paralyzed with unprecedented fear and intimidation.

A faint smile crossed his stoic face.

In a soft, joyful whisper, he said:

“Can’t have you killing him.”

He straightened and embraced Misa.

“He’s mine.”