The Story of Becoming a Married Man in Another World

037 The End of a Long Hunt Approaches

He held his breath and watched quietly. Something was strange. The goblin village looked different from usual.

Goblins are violent and crude creatures. They always fight among themselves. It was common for one or two to die fighting over a woman.

But today, the goblins seemed even more excited. He could hear several goblins fighting in the cave where they kept the women, and outside, a few were being beaten by dozens.

Keeping a bit of distance, dozens of goblins stood like an island isolated in the sea. But rather than being intimidated, they all seemed excited. They were panting as if they were ready to pounce at any moment.

Even the goblins that were far away seemed to sense something and came closer. The number of goblins gathering in front of the cave was increasing.

‘Perhaps.’

The feared event had occurred. Gus wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants.

There are no female goblins. He had heard that there were female goblins a long time ago, but no one had seen one in recent times. Maybe there were so few females that they went unnoticed, or perhaps they had completely died out. No one really knew what had happened.

Anyway, because of this, goblins coveted human women who could reproduce. The competition for women was fiercer than that of other beasts or monsters. Perhaps the lack of females influenced this. Goblins prioritized their sexual desires over their hunger.

Judging by the atmosphere, something had changed due to a recent attack on humans. Perhaps an insurrection had occurred. He had heard that when their suppressed hunger and sexual desires became unbearable, such things happened occasionally.

When an insurrection occurred, the goblins were expelled from the group. If they were driven out, there was only one place for them to go. A village with women.

‘It’s too early.’

The adventurers hadn’t arrived yet. They were supposed to come this evening. If the goblins came before that, the plan would be ruined.

Gus’s face hardened. He had been carrying an item for such an occasion, thinking this might happen. Today, he might have to use it. He had tried to avoid using it, but with the situation unfolding like this, he had no choice.

Suddenly, the face of the previous mountain keeper’s daughter came to mind. She was a small, unsmiling child. She would hide in the house when people came and always had a blank expression when he saw her.

He didn’t have any special feelings for the child. There were pitiful children everywhere, and there were many children in worse situations than that girl.

However, thinking that she had recently been able to smile made his heart ache a little. His heart wasn’t made of iron. He wasn’t cruel enough to take pleasure in making a child miserable.

‘Besides, that child is not even a target for revenge.’

He is an outsider’s blood. Not the blood of that village. He was not the prey they were aiming for. However.

Gus loosened his grip, which had been tight for a moment. He knew this would happen. Anyway, Joo-hwan’s wife and daughter were destined to be sacrificed. It’s too late to feel guilty now.

Suddenly, he remembered what his father said when he was dying.

[I raised you as a hunter from too young an age. You don’t know much about life as a human. Your personality is perfect for a hunter, but lacking as a human. Son, your life is too unhappy… Not knowing that is also an unfortunate thing. Poor thing, my son.]

Well, maybe that’s true. From around the age of twenty until now, looking at death, he has lived solely to complete the final hunt.

The virtue of a hunter is persistence. For a long time, he meticulously tracks the traces of his prey, steadily advancing with neither too fast nor too slow steps. And he waits for the moment when the prey’s strength is exhausted. Until the right time comes, he just follows without losing the trail and waits. That is hunting.

“….”

It was his father who taught him that. He was delighted and praised him, saying he was a born hunter, and loved him more than his other children, calling him the son who would follow in his footsteps. It would be irresponsible to say it was wrong now.

In his childhood, his father was his idol, but as he grew old and approached death, he became an ordinary man. He was no longer a hunter.

‘Father, you said I was unhappy, but you were wrong.’

What is happiness? If there is something you want to achieve even at the cost of your life, and you feel joy in achieving it, isn’t that happiness?

Gus stared at his hand. It was trembling faintly. It will be completed soon. If he endures a little longer, if he waits a little longer, the long-awaited moment will come. His whole body was saying so and smiling.

‘Isn’t this happiness, Father? You were wrong.’

Moreover, he had a disciple to whom he would teach his final moments. He hadn’t taught him everything, but at least he had laid the foundation for one person to become a hunter.

That man might hate and resent him and never forgive him, but anyway, he inherited his hunting skills.

Joo-hwan still has a lot to learn. He is still an immature hunter.

But Gus taught him everything unique he had. He may not know it now, but later Joo-hwan will understand.

Even if Joo-hwan himself is not a complete hunter, the things he learned by watching will surely come back to him later.

Yes, what Gus taught will surely become a wonderful seed and bloom in that man. The image of the hunter he couldn’t become, the one he wanted to be, will be completed through Joo-hwan. Gus knew that.

‘Father, my life is perfect.’

No one can deny it. His life was completed by Joo-hwan coming here.

Gus turned his gaze back to the goblin village.

A goblin that looked like the chief came out of the cave. It seemed to be about a head taller than the other goblins. The chief held a wooden club.

The chief slowly approached the fallen ones. He struck one of them with the club. The goblin’s scream echoed through the air.

The group that seemed to have staged a coup appeared to be on the same side as the beaten goblin, but they did not resist. Some were excitedly shaking their bodies or moving as if they were about to jump, but none dared to attack the chief.

The chief goblin persistently beat only one. He stopped only after the face was completely crushed and limp.

The chief threw away the club he was holding and picked up a sword that seemed to have been taken from a human.

As he growled and roared threateningly at the coup group, about fifty goblins flinched and stepped back.

Other goblins in the village gradually approached the coup group. The coup group was gradually pushed back and eventually left the village as if they were being driven out.

—

Gus moved in the direction the rebellious goblin group was heading. He mustn’t get too close. Keeping a distance and occasionally checking for traces, Gus quietly followed them.

Goblins live a primitive lifestyle, but they have their own language and strategies. Naturally, they knew the location of the village where the woman was.

‘As expected, this path.’

Juhwan’s hut was on the way to the village, but there was another path that didn’t pass by the hut. The goblin group was taking the path that bypassed the hut.

Gus took out a small pouch from his waist. Inside was a small box sealed tightly with wax. Inside the box was a powder made from the dried body of a musk deer.

It is said that a few generations ago, a lord brought deer from a distant foreign land to this mountain.

The musk deer, as it is called, has a unique scent that the male uses to attract females. This scent was once popular among nobles for its supposed aphrodisiac properties.

However, the attempt to breed them failed, and most of the imported deer died. It is said that they no longer exist, but Gus had accidentally discovered one. A goblin in heat was madly chasing the musk deer.

Knowing that musk attracts goblins, Gus had searched for the deer for a long time. A few years ago, he finally managed to catch the deer and obtain the powder. It was a very small amount, but it would be enough.

Gus opened the wax-sealed box to lure the rebellious goblins.

The powder was divided into several small cloth pouches, each containing a tiny amount. It was so little that it was more like a slight dusting than actual powder.

He took out one of the pouches and gently shook it in the direction the wind was blowing.

One of the goblins in the distance seemed to flinch and sniffed the air. It looked around in all directions.

A smile spread across Gus’s face. As expected, it worked.

As soon as one goblin reacted, the others seemed to catch the scent as well. The rebellious group became agitated.

Gus rubbed the cloth pouches on a few trees and then put them back in the box.

He quickly left the area and ran in the direction of the hut. As he ran, he rubbed the scent on trees here and there. He left only a small amount of scent to keep the goblins from catching up too quickly.

The goblins ran straight towards the hut, just as Gus intended.

*

Juhwan sighed.

The flame that came from his fingertips was still as small as a lighter. Even when he tried to burn something, he couldn’t create a large fire.

He could incinerate something the size of a rabbit in an instant, but it was difficult with larger objects. He had never created a large fire like the one when he first encountered the wolf.

Moreover, it seemed he couldn’t easily kill living creatures. He had experimented once when he caught a rabbit, but it didn’t die easily.

Part of its body caught fire, but it seemed to require more power or time to engulf the whole body.

In the end, Juhwan had to finish off the half-burnt rabbit with a knife. He felt sorry for causing it pain, but he convinced himself it was necessary.

The hesitation and shock he felt when he first shot and killed a rabbit seemed like a lie now. He still didn’t fully understand the meaning behind Gus’s instructions. Perhaps there was a deeper intention beyond what Juhwan had thought. Maybe one day, he would understand Gus’s true intentions.

But at least, he had less hesitation in killing and using animals for his purposes. The experience of catching and killing rabbits every day had dulled his senses.

“….”

Juhwan shook his head. The image of the rabbit still lingered in his mind. It hadn’t disappeared. But the feeling of disgust had faded.

‘Indeed, I’ve changed.’

—

It felt like a layer of asphalt had been laid over my heart. Just as the river cannot stay in one place, I too am changing. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Juhwan moved his steps again. Checking the traps every day, he inspected the mountains around his house. Today, too, there was nothing unusual around. It’s okay. No wolves, no dangerous animals.

But this is a mountain with beasts like horned rabbits. You never know what might appear. You always have to be on guard.

Moreover, since the mountain is so vast, even if you circle around it, it’s not perfect. There are places you can’t check and miss. Quite a few. Maybe it’s impossible to perfectly circle around such a big mountain with the house at the center.

‘Shall I take a slightly different path today?’

There was still time. Thanks to becoming a bit more familiar, he had checked all the usual paths, but there was still time left until lunch.

Juhwan picked up a small twig from the ground. He cut it to the size of his palm and infused it with magic as he walked.

From noble mtl dot come

He wasn’t trying to burn it. The purpose was to keep the fire on the twig. If he could keep part of the wood burning, its utility would increase. Right now, the only thing that came to mind was a fire arrow, but something else might be possible.

But it’s not easy. The moment he infused it with magic and ignited it, it burned up completely. His power seemed too strong for the small wood.

‘Sigh.’

He knew it. Life isn’t easy. If there’s any consolation, it’s that he’s getting a bit more skilled at using fire magic.

Even if it doesn’t look different on the outside, it feels different. Within the limits of what he feels, he can now infuse a bit less magic. But it’s still strong enough to burn up in one go.

Juhwan sighed and infused another new twig with power. It burned up again. He took another long breath.

‘Maybe if I skip a few meals, it might work.’

The fire infused with magic isn’t hot when it’s in his hand. But once it leaves his hand, it becomes as hot as any other fire, so he can’t touch it. Maybe it’s because the magic is connected when it’s touching his body. He wasn’t sure why.

Juhwan waited until the twig, now a red ember, had completely cooled before throwing it on the ground and picking up another new twig.

Even if it seems like nothing right now, it’s something he must train for.

Like with punching, maintaining a proper pace is important. If you use too much strength at the beginning, you might end up failing at the last moment.

He hadn’t faced such a danger yet, but you never know what the future holds. Just as a healthy person can die in an accident tomorrow, danger can strike like lightning at any time.

‘I’ve been through that a few times.’

One day, he might face countless enemies or something stronger than himself. If he were alone, he might somehow escape, but now he has Lizzy and Dorothy. He can’t afford to lose no matter what happens.

But why is it not working? Suppressing the feeling of self-pity, Juhwan infused the twig with magic again. Another failure. But he tried again.

Next time, he might really have to try after skipping a few meals. Suddenly, he seemed to hear Dorothy’s voice saying, “Poor dad.”

“….”

It was when he took a path he usually didn’t take and went a bit further. Something suddenly jumped out of the bushes.

“!”

It was a deer. It seemed slightly bigger than a Korean water deer. He hadn’t seen one even when he was with Gus, but it had come down here. He was startled.

The deer, also startled, with round eyes, jumped into the forest.

“Ah.”

He belatedly thought he should have caught it. It would have provided more food than a wolf. He grabbed his arrow a moment too late, and the deer’s figure had already disappeared into the forest.

—

—

Tsk, I won’t miss it next time.

Juhwan clicked his tongue and started walking again.

It was at that moment that he discovered the unfamiliar footprints.

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