episode_0060

In the outskirts of the village, the woodcutter paced anxiously as if waiting for something with great anticipation.

His heart began to beat faster with excitement.

Finally, today he would get back his stolen wife..!

Above all, it was extremely satisfying to know that there would be no more obstacles to stop him.

Since his brother would take care of the hunter, he had nothing to worry about as long as he took good care of his wife. Everything should go smoothly thereafter.

The corners of the woodcutter’s mouth were already drawn up in a smile as if he had succeeded, and they wouldn’t come down.

Of course, he could have just caught her right in front of the hunter’s house without needing to shiver in the cold here, but…

Where else could she go to avoid the tiger besides the village office or somewhere else?

Dragging her along, she would surely try to escape from him throughout the journey, but he thought there was no need to suffer needlessly.

Although he thought that a slap might quickly put an end to any resistance from the women, he knew that if he made even a small mistake and let her slip away, it would be a headache.

In the dark of night, he would have to trudge after her, struggling, and dragging the resisting woman from the hunter’s house, which was quite far from his own home and where his arms and legs were already uncomfortable.

It was a bit daunting.

So, waiting at the entrance of the village, if he caught her in one breath, not only would his home be close by, but there would be no need for further trouble.

“Ugh.. Let’s see, I’ve been rolling this boulder around like crazy!”

The woodcutter boasted to himself, his clothes damp with snow, shaking with cold, blowing on his frozen hands, eagerly awaiting the descent of the woman with a joyful heart.

In the pitch-black midnight, fearing he might lose sight of her, he kept his eyes wide open, guarding the path, until suddenly, the sound of a woman crying and the crunching of footsteps started to approach.

“She’s here! You woman!”

Rushing forward, the woodcutter tried to grab the woman by her hair.

“Yikes!”

Crack!

At that moment, a small puppy jumped out from the woman’s embrace and fiercely bit the woodcutter’s arm, tearing it apart.

“Ahh! My arm! What is this damn dog! Let go of me! You damn dog! Get lost before I smear you with soybean paste!”

Trying to pry the puppy off by waving his arm, he managed to free it somehow, but the puppy fell, twisting its neck and skin, leaving a trail of blood flowing from the torn arm.

The woodcutter’s anger surged to the top.

Already, he had been getting injured left and right to the point of serious injury whenever something happened recently, and now even this tiny puppy had hurt him!

Not even a human, but a mere dog dared to challenge him, so he limped away, chasing after the puppy to punish it.

“Yikes! Yikes!”

“You damn dog, don’t stand there!!”

Avoiding my hands skillfully, the puppy had already fled far away.

As the cold wind blew, trying to chase the puppy further…

“Oh no! This is not the time for this! My target!”

Only then did his original purpose come to mind.

Ignoring the damn dog and turning back, the little figure was already running diligently, far away.

Quickly shouting, he limped back to chase after the woman.

“Don’t come here, you wench! How dare you stick with someone else?”

“Yaaaah!”

Crunch!

“Scream!”

Suddenly, the puppy bit the woodcutter’s ankle from behind.

“You damn dog! Let go of me! Aaah! It hurts! Why are you doing this! Do you really want to die?”

How fiercely it bit into me, the pants were quickly soaked red with blood, and desperate to kick this little guy’s head in while frantically pulling my leg due to the tremendous pain surging from my leg…

Crack!

“Ahhhh! Nooo!”

It felt like kicking a lump of iron.

The thigh burst open, the bone turned gold, and I sank down as it pierced through.

“Ugh.. noo…”

The pain was so intense that even the groans were suppressed.

“Sariya! Come to me quickly! We must go to Master’s house even for a moment!”

“Bark bark!”

At those words, the dog let go of the leg it was biting and quickly ran to the woman.

“Nooo… where… where are you going!”

He couldn’t let her go like this.

Perhaps this could be his last chance to get married…

“This damn woman! I won’t let her go!”

Just in case, he took out the axe he had brought on his back.

An axe with sporadic silver on the jet-black blade.

Swish.

As the lumberjack closed his eyes holding the axe, the black part of the axe turned into dust, and the remaining silver slowly corroded into black.

Simultaneously, the lumberjack’s injured golden leg bones and hands that were starting to heal.

The axe, which had been carefully maintained, gradually deteriorated.

Now it looked more like an impure silver stick than an axe with a silver handle.

“There, woman! You’re my wife! The deer gave you to me!”

As the lumberjack healed, he limped again and chased after the woman.

This incident must have been urgent for him as well.

Despite his limping steps, he swiftly caught up with the woman and grabbed her.

“Ahh! Let go! Monster! I need to go to the village quickly!”

Grasping her by the hair.

The woman screamed.

“You shameless woman! Leaving my husband and fooling around with someone else! You vulgar woman! You better not expect anything. When we get home, I will beat you and your mother-in-law to death!”

Finally caught her! The lumberjack felt like he was flying. He would not let her go now.

Laughing with a triumphant smile, he pulled her by the hair, intending to drag her home.

Thud!

“Aaah!”

Suddenly screaming, the lumberjack flew away.

Thump! Making a sound, his body hit the tree and fell.

The lumberjack realized that his spine had broken in his lower body that was not moving.

In front of him… Slowly thump… thump… something unknown approaching him…

The lumberjack couldn’t understand the current situation.

‘W-what is that! I never knew such a thing existed even in my dreams!! What on earth is that!’

“Hieeeek…! Don’t come! Don’t come!”

He wanted to run away, but with his spine broken, his legs wouldn’t move.

Even in the pitch-black night, the presence of the huge unknown being felt vividly…

Terrified of the unknown entity, the lumberjack forgot all about the pain spreading throughout his body and, like a bug, crawled on the ground with one arm that still had not lost its strength.

‘My, my wife isn’t important. I just need to survive for now! Whatever it takes, I have to stay alive!’

The giant arm of the monster looming over him.

“Please spare me! B-brother! In fact, I’m your younger brother! Our mother abandoned a monster cub long ago! S-so please spare me!”

Thump! Vibrating echo.

“Eeeek! Monster, p-please spare me!”

Although he tried a method that had proven effective before, the creature continued to emit hostility towards him without understanding his words, slowly advancing towards him.

With each step, the ground cracked open, and the creature’s feet stuck to the ground as if covered in honey, not moving.

The rising arm of the monster… At the moment when that immense presence descended upon him!

[Roar!]

Crash!

A tiger pounced on the lumberjack.

“Brother!”

.

.

.

.

Having chased the tiger vigorously, he could see the enlarged figure of the woman in the distance.

Thud!

As his footsteps shook the earth, the ground split,

The moment the giant sari raised its arm to crush the woodcutter, the tiger swiftly bit the woodcutter and whisked him away.

Thud!

The empty ground collapsed, shattering like a frozen wasteland.

[Grrrr…]

The tiger growled, revealing its teeth and threatening Sari, but the fearless attitude from before was nowhere to be seen. Overwhelmed by Sari’s imposing presence, it couldn’t rush in recklessly.

Thud!

Sari struck with its arm again…

Dodging Sari’s attack with agile movements, the tiger safely placed the woodcutter far away and turned back towards Sari.

“As expected… Sari’s increased size makes it too slow compared to the tiger.”

Disappointed. If things hadn’t gone awry, I could have taken advantage of its carelessness…

The tiger’s yellow eyes gleamed in the dark moonlight, scanning the surroundings restlessly, moving here and there…

Those eyes glanced at Heesun behind Sari, then swiftly turned and met mine.

That weakling.

Since force might not work against Sari, it seemed to be considering starting from an easier target.

Evading Sari and rushing to kill me, the tiger ran towards me.

Sari chased after with its massive body swaying, but it couldn’t match the tiger’s insane speed.

I stood my ground, waiting for it to charge.

The hunter’s virtue, the third.

Life is on the narrowest path.

We must fight.

The distance with the charging tiger rapidly decreased, growing larger.

Leaping forward as if soaring, claws extended, mouth agape, charging at that moment!

Concentrating, I thrust the spear towards the tiger’s gaping mouth!

Whoosh!

[Roar!]

“K… Kkweut!”

Swiftly skewering the shoulder skin with the spear, leaving only a bloody mark on the leather despite its sharpness, the yellow fur fluttered around.

“What a disaster.”

The landing tiger.

Will I have a second chance?

In an instant, the tiger leaped again, jaws wide open towards me.

“I won’t die like this…!”

Strangely… my reaction speed against the tiger did not lag at all.

A second chance gained through an unknown power!

Once again, I thrust the spear towards the tiger.

“Raaawr!”

“Pierce through!”

Whoosh!

The spear pierced the tiger’s chest, gradually penetrating the skin.

…It pierced! Now, if I push it in…

Swish-

The approaching massive foreleg.

“…Huh?”

Time seemed to slow down.

Thud!

The sound reverberated through my body as the sharp tiger claw grazed past my chest.

The missed opportunity… the spear lingered briefly in the air before falling to the ground.

Thud!

“Aaah! Father!”

Heesun’s sharp cry echoed.

“Moo!”

Sari roared loudly, striking the spot where the tiger had been with a thud.

With the spear stuck in its chest, the fleeing tiger quickly dodged to a distant place.

Sari quickly shielded me with its massive body, preventing the tiger from getting closer…

Heesun rushed over and embraced me.

“Heesun… You’re beautiful…”

Tears streaming down Heesun’s beautiful face…

Capturing that beauty until the final moment, I closed my eyes.