Hunter
To treat Hector, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, Woojin headed to a fine restaurant. Claire did not come along. She likely thought that if she joined them, the two men wouldn't be able to speak freely.
When Woojin ordered expensive wine and dishes, Hector nodded in satisfaction.
"It's been a while since I've had such a good meal on someone else's tab. You're not overspending, are you?"
"It's fine. I've been earning fairly well."
"I figured as much. You look a lot better than before. Nice clothes, too. And it seems you're living well with a fine young lady at your side."
The two ate leisurely, chatting as they did. Then Hector suddenly asked,
"So, how does it feel to have achieved your dream?"
How does it feel…
This was the moment he should have answered, Good. But the word wouldn't come. Woojin scratched the back of his neck for a while before finally speaking honestly.
"…I'm not sure. It might sound ungrateful, but lately I've just been bored."
He had come all this way for a single purpose—to live comfortably inside the Wall.
Yet recently, doubts kept surfacing. Was this truly the life he had wanted?
It felt like a belated bout of wandering.
Hector let out a hearty laugh, as if he had expected this state of mind.
"I thought as much."
"How did you know?"
"I just had a feeling. When I was young, I wrestled with the same question."
Woojin, who had been cutting his meat, abruptly lifted his head.
"Could you give me some advice?"
"It's nothing complicated. How should I put it… Jin, do you happen to know why I went to hunt the werewolf?"
"I heard it was for revenge."
That was what Hector himself had told him after killing the werewolf—that several acquaintances in the trade had been slain, and he had come to the Demonic Realm for vengeance.
"That was a lie."
"…Excuse me?"
For a moment, Woojin thought he had misheard. Hector reaffirmed it for him.
"A lie. It's true that people I knew were killed by that werewolf… but that was just a convenient justification. I didn't go after it for revenge."
"Then what was the real reason?"
"For myself. The thrill of facing a powerful foe, the exhilaration of the hunt… Bounties and fame were nothing more than byproducts of pursuing that feeling."
The more infamous the werewolf became, the more Hector's blood boiled. He wanted to hunt that formidable enemy and relive the excitement of his youth.
But Hector had grown old and frail.
He couldn't tell his worried family and friends that he was leaving for the Demonic Realm simply to indulge his own recklessness. So he had cloaked it in the respectable guise of revenge.
"If I told this to anyone else, they'd call me a mad old man… But you, at least, would understand."
Because you're feeling the same thirst I once did.
Hector gazed at him quietly, as if asking for agreement.
Honestly, Woojin didn't want to agree. It felt like admitting he was some battle-starved lunatic.
But he couldn't think of any counterargument. After a long silence, he finally nodded.
"To be honest… hunting demonic beasts is fun."
"Exactly. There's nothing strange about chasing what you enjoy. It's only natural. Which is why this bland greenhouse of a city doesn't suit you."
"How about returning to the Demonic Realm?"
Hector chewed his steak as he offered the suggestion.
From Woojin's perspective, it was unexpected.
"I finally made it into a safe city… Wouldn't going back be a waste?"
"That's a strange thing to say. Why would someone of your ability seek out safety? No matter where you go, it's not as if your life is truly at risk."
"…."
For the second time that evening, Woojin found himself speechless.
Seeing him sit there like a mute, Hector grinned and continued cutting his steak.
"Just the ramblings of an old man. Don't think too hard about it. I'm just talking nonsense under the influence of wine."
"…No. My thoughts are becoming clearer."
Sipping his wine, Woojin mulled over Hector's words as though they were the evening's true delicacy. Sitting there like this, they really did resemble master and disciple.
After a while, Woojin brought up another topic.
"I hear the expedition will begin soon. Did you know?"
"I heard from Bow. He asked if I'd consider joining as an advisor. I declined."
"I'm curious why."
This expedition would surely go down in history. Given Hector's nature, Woojin had assumed he would readily accept such a role—yet unexpectedly, he refused.
At the question, Hector let out a faint sigh. He seemed reluctant to answer. After a moment's patience, he finally spoke.
"After lecturing you so proudly earlier, it's embarrassing to admit this… but when I was pushed to the brink of death, I regretted not treating my family better. I decided to spend the rest of my days here. I suppose I've grown old."
"You made the right choice. It's about time you thought about retirement."
If anything, his retirement was overdue. Most people quit once they grew old or their bodies failed them—and in Hector's case, both applied.
After finishing their meal, they stepped outside.
"Thanks for the meal."
"Take care on your way back."
Hector returned to where his family awaited him.
Left alone, Woojin began walking toward the inn, his mind tangled with thoughts.
"…In my previous life, I lived plainly… but I wasn't unhappy."
Looking back, even when he worked as a factory laborer, he had no great complaints about life.
He had never traveled anywhere. He hadn't indulged in fine food. He hadn't done anything particularly refreshing or exciting. Just the daily repetition of commuting to and from work.
The Woojin of today had once questioned that life. How could a person live so dryly?
This time, he had sworn not to repeat that mistake.
Live joyfully. That was why he had come to the walled city of Yurgis.
"…But this isn't the life I want."
There was no joy here.
Others might feel differently—but from his perspective, that was the truth.
And once he realized that, he also understood why his old life hadn't been unhappy.
"I've been enjoying myself all along."
Every time he dreamed, he fought monsters. He had always thought of those dreams as nightmares—but not anymore.
Having reached that conclusion, Woojin quickened his pace. Before long, he returned to the inn and knocked on Claire's door.
"Claire. May I come in for a moment?"
"Yes, just a second…"
She opened the door shortly after.
Stepping inside, Woojin got straight to the point.
"I'm thinking of leaving this place soon."
"Ah… so suddenly? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to join the expedition."
He was returning to the Demonic Realm.
Claire was startled by the sudden declaration. But she quickly composed herself. Woojin had often shown signs that he couldn't quite adapt to city life.
"Alright. Watching the expedition from nearby sounds interesting in its own way. When do we leave?"
"I can't take you with me."
"…What?"
She stared at him as if she had misheard. Woojin added with a small smile,
"You said your dream was to enter a Mage Tower."
He set down a small travel bag. It landed on the wooden floor with a heavy thud. Inside, gold coins gleamed in abundance.
"There are a hundred gold coins in there. That should be enough to get you into a Mage Tower, right?"
"Jin, I can't accept this much!"
Claire raised her voice in shock. But Woojin had already made up his mind.
"Claire. I earned this in a month. You saw it yourself. It's not that enormous a sum, so don't feel burdened."
"Even so, I can't just take this… I'm fine living as I am. Please take it back."
"I'm not fine. Don't make me repeat myself—just take it. If you don't, I'll go to a gambling den and lose every last coin."
"Then go ahead!"
They bickered back and forth.
Mid-argument, Woojin suddenly stopped speaking. Claire's sniffling had grown more frequent. Moisture gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"…Hey. Crying is cheating."
"I'm not crying!"
In Woojin's experience, no one who said that ever truly wasn't. And sure enough, this time was no exception. As if unwilling to show her tears, Claire turned away.
He couldn't miss such a rare sight.
"Really? You're absolutely sure you're not crying?"
He teasingly sidestepped to look at her face. Claire quickly turned her body the other way.
Woojin followed her movements, stepping around to keep her in view. As a result, Claire had no choice but to keep turning in place as well.
Round and round—
They spun like they were dancing.
Then Woojin abruptly stopped. Claire, who had been turning out of habit, ended up facing him directly. Before she could turn away again, he reached out and caught her.
"This isn't some lovers' quarrel. What are we even doing?"
"…Heh, heh."
In the end, Claire laughed too. Even she seemed to realize how absurd the situation was.
She had been too emotional, and Woojin had brought up the matter too abruptly. Since both bore some fault, they reconciled and resumed their conversation.
This time, it was unhurried. After all, time was the one thing that overflowed in this dull city.
***
Woojin prepared to step beyond the Wall once more. He put on his outer coat made from demonic beast hide and slung a heavy pack over his shoulder.
Claire, her eyes swollen from crying, came out to see him off.
"…Jin."
She called his name softly.
When he turned to look at her, Claire silently opened her arms. Reading her intent, Woojin stepped forward and embraced her tightly.
"When things settle down with the expedition, I'll head to a Mage Tower."
"Be careful. Don't get hurt."
They murmured those words into each other's ears, then stepped back at the same time.
Claire forced a smile and waved. Woojin walked backward for a few steps, waving in return, until the distance between them widened. Then he turned around.
Farewells always left a trace of longing. But this was not the end of their connection, so he did not feel sorrow.
There were such bonds even in the Demonic Realm.
He made his way toward the deep forest.
After about ten minutes of walking, something familiar caught his eye—a tree bearing the claw marks of a wolf.
Until a few days ago, he hadn't understood their meaning.
Now he did.
Whistle—
Woojin let out a sharp whistle.
In response, something emerged from the forest's ominous shadows and ran toward him.
A wolf with crimson fur.
Rex.
"Did you expect I'd return to the Demonic Realm?"
Rex immediately nodded.
When he had left those claw marks on the tree before, it had been a sign—that he would remain near this spot.
The wolf must have sensed long ago that Woojin would never adapt to city life.
And it wasn't just Rex. Hector, Claire… everyone around him had likely anticipated that things would turn out this way.
"I guess I was the only one who didn't realize."
They say the bluebird of happiness isn't far away. After traveling such a long road, he had returned to the starting line.
Woojin turned his head and looked toward the Demonic Realm.
Dark clouds hung low on the horizon. Dense shadows stretched across the land. The cries of crows echoed in the air. The farther he moved from the Wall, the more the grass turned blackened. He inhaled deeply, taking in the damp, moldy scent—
It felt like coming home.
"…Let's go."
Hunter Kim Woojin headed into the Demonic Realm.
…