Chiwoo: War God Reborn

Long after Do-yoon had left for the trade,

the hunting party was crossing a mountain ridge.

[Rustle, rustle.]

On the sloping path, mixed with fallen leaves and gravel, the footsteps of two men alternately echoed.

Young-beom, with a makeshift backpack woven from reeds on his back, grumbled.

"What in the world are we doing now? We'll be climbing this mountain all day and all night."

Young-ho followed behind, squinting his eyes and saying.

"You see, my Big Tofu friend. Are there really wild animals living here?"

Hearing that, U-am laughed awkwardly.

"Yes… sometimes horned boars appear here."

"Sometimes? So you're saying they might not appear at all?"

Young-ho stopped and tilted his head.

Then he let out a hollow laugh, straightened his back, and clenched his fists.

"Looks like I'll have to make you into soft tofu, not big tofu, then."

U-am wiped his cold sweat and scratched his head.

"Pung… Pungpyo, you say something too. Are horned boars really found here?"

Then Pungpyo calmly said.

"Horned boars do appear here.

However… they are sensitive to smell, so usually, we lure them by scattering raw meat or potatoes, or ambush them while waiting in trees."

"…So, to put it simply,

we're just wandering the mountain doing useless things without bait?"

"..."

Pungpyo made no reply, looking around and examining the ground.

"What should we do since there are no potatoes?"

Young-beom muttered, resting his chin on his hand.

Then Pungpyo quietly replied.

"…A person can be the bait."

"…Huh?"

"One person can be the bait, and three can hide and handle it with bows.

The rock to the west and the tree to the east, centered here, are suitable ambush spots."

"..."

For a moment, quiet silence.

And at the same time—

Young-ho and Young-beom slowly, looked at U-am.

"Please, don't look at me like that…"

[Pat, pat]

Young-ho patted U-am's shoulder and said.

"If the meat is big, won't a big horned boar come too? Make a sacrifice, my Big Tofu friend."

U-am frantically pointed at Pungpyo.

"Pungpyo's nickname is Fast Foot. Even if a horned boar chases him, he'll be fine."

Young-beom tilted his head for a moment, then looked at Pungpyo.

"If he runs around clumsily, it'll be hard to hit him, won't it? Pungpyo, fancy a run?"

But Pungpyo ignored U-am's desperate gaze and said calmly.

"For a big bait… a big one comes."

At Pungpyo's words, U-am's lips trembled, and he slumped to the ground.

"You traitorous bastard…"

[Rustle— rustle-rustle—]

Immediately after, Pungpyo examined the ground.

The spot he pointed to was damp, covered with a thick layer of twigs and dry leaves.

"Let's dig a trap here.

Since it's a slope, the horned boar won't be able to avoid it when it charges."

Young-ho and Young-beom silently held branches like shovels, digging through stones and excavating the ground up to waist height.

Pungpyo selected leaves and branches to cover it, camouflaging it neatly.

U-am broke into a cold sweat, praying inwardly.

'Don't come out… please don't come out.'

"Alright, bait, lie down there."

Pungpyo said.

U-am turned his head this way and that. No one told him to 'stop'.

"I really trust you, okay? It has to end in one shot.

If I get gored, I could die!

You're confident in hitting, right!?"

"Shut up, and lie in the middle. So you fall into the trap properly."

"You snake…"

U-am swallowed his tears and lay on the trap.

A moment later.

[Rustle, rustle, rustle!]

The sound of footsteps on fallen leaves echoed loudly.

[Hoo! Hoo!]

Beyond, through the trees, a shadow of something brushed past with heavy breathing.

Young-ho narrowed his gaze.

It was definitely an animal.

But its size, its build… it was definitely not an ordinary horned boar.

[SQUEEEEEAL—]

"Whoa, the bait was so real a terrifyingly huge one came!"

"Indeed, Big Tofu is the best bait."

From atop a rock, Young-ho and Young-beom caressed their bows, their lips twitching.

Soon after, the beast revealed itself.

—Thump! Thump!

The size of a house, with grayish-black fur, red eyes, and two massive, split horns in front.

It wasn't a 'horned boar' but closer to a 'monster'.

[Squeal, squeal]

The horned boar, having spotted U-am, tore through the dirt and charged down the mountainside.

[Creeeaak]

Pungpyo in the tree, Young-ho and Young-beom on the rock, drew their bowstrings and aimed.

[SQUEAL, SQUEEEEAAAAAL!!]

A monstrous shriek ripped through the mountain.

U-am reflexively screamed.

"Whoa! Whoa! Shoot! Just shoot!"

[Thwip! Thwip!]

"Oops…"

"Damn it…"

Young-ho and Young-beom's arrows fell barely three steps away, right in front.

"Aaaaagh!!"

U-am sprang up, screaming, and rolled out of the trap.

At that moment—

[Thwack! Whoosh!]

Pungpyo's arrow tore through the leaves and flew.

The arrowhead, cutting through the wind, directly pierced the monster's eye.

[Thud—!]

"Squeal, Squeeeeeal!"

Before it could even shriek, the horned boar staggered and charged.

But—

[Crack! Snap!]

Branches broke, and fallen leaves flew.

The beast plunged directly into the pit trap.

[Squeal! Squeal!]

The horned boar writhed in sharp pain.

As its huge body convulsed, threatening to burst out of the pit—

[Thump-thump-thump!]

Young-beom dashed like lightning.

Pushing off the rolling fallen leaves, he leaped from the edge of the pit—

[Whirl!]

He spun once in the air.

His foot aimed at the arrow shaft lodged in the horned boar's eye.

[Thwack!]

As his foot landed, the arrow shaft was driven deep into the beast's skull.

[Thud.]

The monster trembled violently—then stopped moving.

"You alive, Big Tofu?"

Young-beom asked, looking at U-am's dazed eyes.

U-am, covered in dust, leaned against a rock and muttered.

"…Potatoes… if only I had potatoes, I wouldn't have been thrown around like this…"

Young-ho came down, chuckling.

"Big Tofu gets the most credit, indeed."

Young-beom also leaned on a tree and laughed.

"That's what I mean, no worries about meat then."

Pungpyo, as if making a final check, retrieved the arrow that had pierced the dead monster's eye and said.

"Fresh live bait is the best. For monsters or anything."

"You're the best live bait for thrashing around and running!"

[Hahaha—]

Their laughter echoed through the mountains.

The hunt was over, and U-am vowed.

Someday… he would throw Pungpyo among those demons.

And at that hour, in the village, opinions were divided over the relocation site.

"What do you think about descending south of the mountain and settling on flat ground?"

Kim Gab-su cautiously opened his mouth.

Then Park Sang-cheol crossed his arms and shook his head.

"That would be difficult. If 200 people suddenly descend and say, 'This is our land now'… they wouldn't accept it, would they? Even in this other world, humans are all the same. It's said to be a world where slavery is taken for granted."

At Park Sang-cheol's words, Gab-su sighed and nodded.

"Indeed… if we don't have the power to protect ourselves, it would be meaningless."

"Even having that power is a problem."

Sang-cheol continued calmly.

"The reason they might not accept us isn't because we're weak… but because we're unfamiliar. An unfamiliar group, armed, descending en masse? It could be seen as an act of war."

Into the gap, Tae-geon quietly spoke.

"For now, we still need a place to hide. Our population is far too small… and above all, we need to gradually gain acceptance through interaction."

Everyone's gaze turned to him.

"It seems right to look for a place without descending the mountain. For now… water is the most important thing. The mountain is quite large, so there might be valleys or springs."

"A valley, you say…"

Gab-su stroked his chin, muttering.

"If water is secured, then cultivation or breeding can somehow be managed."

At his words, Sang-cheol nodded and continued.

"Then, once the hunting party and Do-yoon return, let's immediately form a reconnaissance team. There's no time to waste.

Divide into two elite teams and be ready to respond to external threats immediately."

Noya also nodded, reacting immediately.

"I will include U-am and Pungpyo."

Then Tae-geon, with a cautious but firm voice, offered his opinion.

"Considering the purpose of the reconnaissance and the team composition…

Team 1: myself, Young-ho, Do-yoon, Pungpyo.

Team 2: Min-chan, Dam-bi, Young-beom, and U-am.

This formation seems most appropriate."

Gab-su, after a moment of deliberation, quietly nodded.

"Good.

Once the hunting party and Do-yoon return, we'll leave tomorrow.

Let's split in two from here and search as widely as possible."

It was near sunset.

The sound of something heavy being dragged could be heard from beyond the village entrance.

[Thud. Scrape… Thud. Scrape…]

The villagers who had already returned to the village raised their heads.

"Whoa! What is that?!"

"Is that, seriously… a horned boar?!"

The carcass of a monster, larger than an ox and the size of a house, was slowly being dragged towards the village entrance.

The ground scraped under its weight, and the wooden sledge, dragged without wheels, creaked and slid.

"Why aren't you running over to help, you slowpokes?!"

Young-ho shouted, his shoulders soaked with sweat.

"I'm gonna die from this weight… my back, oh my back."

Young-beom grumbled, patting his back.

Pungpyo, still expressionless, lowered the wooden rope and said.

"You can be surprised later. Help now."

At his words, people scrambled to gather and began pulling the monster's carcass.

And behind them, pushing the wooden sledge,

the dust-covered U-am trudged out.

"…Potatoes… Pungpyo… it's all because of potatoes…"

Seeing U-am muttering to himself, his eyes unfocused, people asked.

"Is he… out of his mind?"

Pungpyo shrugged once and said.

"His mind is perfectly fine. He was just… a little short on potatoes."

At that moment, U-am glared at Pungpyo with unfocused eyes. His lips twitched. A strangely twisted murmur escaped his mouth.

"You snake… I'll definitely throw you as bait. With potatoes."

That night, the village was filled with the rich smell of meat.

The horned boar's carcass was laid out in a wide open space, and Sang-cheol and Gab-su personally supervised its butchering.

"Wow… look at the thickness of the fat layer. If we render the oil well, we'll get a whole barrel."

Gab-su said, cutting tendons with an axe.

"With just this one, we'll have not only meat but also enough dried provisions for storage."

Sang-cheol cleaned the blood from his hands as he separated bones.

Young-ho and Young-beom were next to him, moving chunks of horned boar meat onto wooden boards.

Pungpyo quietly organized the areas to be sewn up, then spoke.

"Half of this needs to be dried. If smoked, it'll last at least ten days."

"Right. We need to go on reconnaissance tomorrow, so we have to stock up."

Gab-su nodded and continued.

"Do-yoon hasn't returned yet…"

At his words, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Then Noya quietly approached and spoke.

"Director, the people who went for trade… I wonder if something happened."

Gab-su looked at Noya and asked.

"How long does it take to get to the abandoned quarry, the trade location?"

"At a brisk pace, half a day. At a normal pace, about a day.

If they return with cargo, it could take up to two days."

"…If there's no contact by tomorrow, we'll send additional personnel.

For now, let's focus on preparation."

At his words, Noya and Sang-cheol nodded simultaneously.

The mountain wind died down, and evening smoke slowly rose above the village.

The night, thus, quietly passed.

---

[The next day – Training Preparation]

Before the dawn mist had even lifted, wails echoed through the mountain valley.

"Aargh! My back is going to break!"

"Oh, my ancestors!"

[Ugh! Ugh!]

A chaotic mess of screams, groans, and the sour smell of vomit.

There was a man sitting, using his shield as a hat because he couldn't even hold it,

and another was stealthily lying on the ground, trying to close his eyes.

"Don't lie down there! This is training, training!"

At Tae-geon's roar, people sprang up. He stomped his feet on the ground and shouted.

"Physical strength is fundamental! Will you stay like that even if a monster's teeth, or an enemy's spear, are right in front of you? You can save your life with just one step!"

The Guryeo tribesmen, startled by Tae-geon's shout, got up.

But what they couldn't take their eyes off even more was just next to them, beyond the plaza.

[Huff… huff…]

[Groan.]

[Arrrgh!!]

Sang-cheol's shouts erupted one after another, and Min-chan, Young-ho, and Young-beom, drenched in sweat, were sprinting across the plaza.

"Run faster!! You've gotten stronger, so you should run twice as fast!

The last one gets an extra lap, understood!?"

On the shoulders of the three, rested a rock twice the size of an adult's head.

Tightly secured with ropes, it pressed down on their shoulders and back as if crushing them,

and even their breathing was heavily suppressed.

"Oh, I'm dying… my limbs are shaking, I'm gonna collapse…!"

Young-beom staggered and swayed.

"If you're going to fall, fall quickly!"

Young-ho snapped.

Even then, his two legs didn't stop.

Min-chan said nothing.

Sweat ran down his forehead, stinging his eyes,

but he neither closed his eyes nor turned his head.

'I need to get stronger… here, you never know what could happen.'

Then, Sang-cheol's shout rang out again.

"Min-chan! You get an extra stone next lap!"

"…Yes!"

Min-chan gritted his teeth and raised his head.

His pace did not slow.

Rather, he looked like someone ready to run even if a heavier rock was added.

The Guryeo people stared blankly at the scene.

Someone muttered softly.

"…Those people, they're monsters…"

At that, Tae-geon quietly chuckled and replied.

"This training… is to turn people into monsters.

You all… will become like that soon."

Then.

Beyond the plaza, from the direction of the mountain ridge, someone came running breathlessly.

It was one of the young Guryeo men who had gone on the trade with Do-yoon.

His face was pale, drained of blood, and he gasped for breath as he shouted.

"We have a big problem!

The people who went for trade…

They've been captured!"

The heat in the plaza instantly cooled with that one remark.

As everyone froze,

Min-chan's eyes flashed.

Slowly raising his head, he silently clenched his fists.

And quietly, in a low voice, he opened his mouth.

"…This is why we trained."

His words were small.

But they were heavier than anyone else's,

and echoed throughout the entire plaza.