Now that Gold had rejoined his pack, it was only logical for me to join Ji Chang-soo’s group.

    If Gold knew my location and decided to lead his pack to kill me, I’d be defenseless.

    “With Hunter Park Gyu on our side, it’s like we’ve gained a thousand reinforcements!”

    Ji Chang-soo’s subordinates, former employees of his company, didn’t look particularly reliable. But their weapons were good, and their numbers offered strength.

    Mutations are honest enemies.

    Without sufficient firepower, they’re a living nightmare. But with enough firepower, hunting them isn’t much different from the safaris white men once conducted in Africa.

    “Don’t fire too early. Wait until you can see the whites of their eyes, then fire in volleys. Accuracy is more important than anything else.”

    Hiding our forces behind a gentle hill, I climbed the hill alone to scout.

    There they were.

    Five mutated dogs.

    That’s a manageable number—challenging for rifles alone but no match for a heavy machine gun.

    But something seemed off.

    Where were the rest? The pack I saw earlier numbered at least ten.

    And more importantly, where was Gold?

    I didn’t see him. He had clearly been accepted back into the pack.

    It wasn’t a bad thing, though.

    If Gold wasn’t here, he wouldn’t get caught up in the impending slaughter.

    Half relieved, I fired a shot at one of the mutated dogs.

    Bang!

    Blood sprayed from its shoulder, but that was it.

    Mutated dogs don’t die from a single bullet.

    To kill one in a single shot, you’d need to target the soft cartilage under its jaw to destroy its brain or aim for the small gaps in its shoulder blade to pierce its heart. But attempting that in the heat of battle is near impossible.

    The mutated dogs locked onto me and began growling in unison. Moments later, they charged with terrifying speed.

    The battle had begun.

    I quickly retreated down the hill, shouting to Ji Chang-soo and his team as they fumbled with their weapons.

    “They’re coming. Get ready.”

    I didn’t expect this fight to be particularly difficult.

    As long as we held our ground and shot each one as they appeared, we’d win.

    We had seven people armed with 5.56mm automatic rifles, not mere popguns.

    Even if their aim was off, the heavy machine gun would clean up the rest while the dogs were distracted by us.

    No matter how strong their tendons and bones were, mutated dogs couldn’t withstand the punch of a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.

    The gunner, Jung Joong-sa, was reliable—a veteran soldier with experience on the front lines, recruited by Ji Chang-soo.

    As a contingency, Ji Young-hee was at the bus’s wheel, engine running, ready to plow through the dogs and extract us if necessary.

    And most importantly, I, Park Gyu, was here.

    Even if Ji Chang-soo’s group only performed half as well as expected, I could handle the rest.

    If only Kim Daram were still in contact, we could kill them all with ease.

    Click.

    I loaded an extra round into my magazine, unwilling to waste even a single bullet, and attached it to my rifle.

    “Here they come.”

    I could hear the dogs’ heavy breathing beyond the ridge.

    The first one appeared at the base of the hill.

    Tat-tat-tat!

    The heavy machine gun roared, and with just three rounds, one mutated dog exploded into a spray of blood.

    I gave a thumbs-up.

    “Nice shot.”

    But then...

    “Damn it.”

    I had underestimated them—or rather, I had underestimated Gold.

    This was the same Gold who had survived countless hunts and extermination squads, who had ruled as the lord of the southwest since the early days of the war.

    If he were human, he would’ve been considered a founding monarch.

    Facing him now, I could see why. He was no ordinary dog—he was a cunning, intelligent adversary, like a person on four legs.

    Gold was targeting the bus.

    “Jung Joong-sa!”

    I shouted a warning to the gunner.

    True to his training, Jung Joong-sa quickly ducked back into the vent where he had been exposed. But Gold wasn’t after him.

    Clang!

    Gold’s jaws clamped down on the heavy machine gun’s barrel, crushing it with incredible force.

    “Grrrrr.”

    We lost our most powerful weapon at the very start of the fight.

    Ji Young-hee slammed the accelerator, shaking Gold off the bus. But the damage was done—the machine gun was useless.

    Meanwhile, more massive dogs began appearing over the ridge.

    Ji Chang-soo’s subordinates paled and started retreating in panic.

    “Stay calm. It’s not over yet. Just follow my lead—”

    This battle was...

    “Young-hee! Young-hee! Get over here!”

    “Aaaaah!”

    “We shouldn’t have come!”

    “Run!”

    “Where?!”

    Hopeless.

    Or perhaps my mistake was underestimating Gold in the first place.

    Who would’ve thought a dog could behave like this?

    Gold wasn’t just a dog.

    If he had been born human, he would’ve been an exceptional warrior.

    Tat-tat-tat!

    I fired my rifle, killing a dog mid-leap with a shot that tore through its mouth and out the back of its skull.

    Tat-tat!

    I aimed suppressive fire at another dog circling to my side, while picking up a discarded rifle to fend off a third flanking from the opposite side.

    Bang!

    “Yelp!”

    Blood sprayed from the dog’s side, but it was likely just a minor wound.

    Two dogs lunged at me simultaneously, as if they had planned it.

    Perhaps it wasn’t either.

    Maybe it was simply the deep-seated instinct of a dog—an instinct so powerful that even the intelligence granted by mutation couldn’t override it.

    After all, without humans, dogs are just another kind of wolf.

    *

    Ji Chang-soo’s quest for his former master ended in vain.

    Though no lives were lost, the group had forfeited a critical weapon, and the spirit of its members had been broken.

    His subordinates, former employees of his company, whispered about me as though I were a monster.

    “Is he even human? I’ve seen Awakened before, but he’s on a whole other level.”

    “So the rumors about him being an S-Class Hunter were true. But what was with that dog?”

    “I don’t know. Everything’s just so confusing.”

    Amid their murmurs, Ji Young-hee walked straight toward me, her gaze unflinching.

    Her intense stare made me uncomfortable until she abruptly spoke.

    “Would you like to come to Jeju Island with us?”

    “Pardon?”

    “A ship to Jeju is departing soon. We have tickets. With them, we can secure a good place to stay there.”

    “That’s... quite sudden.”

    “You know how important Jeju Island is right now, don’t you?”

    “I understand that, but why should I go?”

    “You’re single, aren’t you?”

    Ji Young-hee smiled warmly.

    Even with her disheveled hair and slight dirtiness, her natural beauty made her presence striking.

    Feeling overwhelmed by her forwardness, I averted my gaze.

    “That’s true, but...”

    She looked up at the sky as she continued.

    “They say even a brief encounter is fate. This is our second meeting, isn’t it?”

    “...”

    “I feel like someone like you wouldn’t leave me widowed a second time. I also think I’d adapt more easily to a new life on Jeju with you.”

    She clasped her hands, fidgeting with her fingers.

    I noticed she was removing her ring.

    The sight of the shimmering band slipping off her elegant fingers momentarily caught my attention.

    I turned to her and asked, “Is this... a proposal?”

    “Yes. A serious proposal.”

    Holding up the ring, she gave a coy smile before glancing at the carcasses of the mutated dogs strewn around us.

    “It’s that kind of world now, isn’t it?”

    “...”

    I understood her reasoning, but a marriage proposal out of nowhere was still bewildering.

    Sure, she was beautiful, came from a good family, and had the means to survive in this hellish era—evidenced by the bus, mercenaries, and a heavy machine gun her group had secured. But this was too sudden.

    “...I’m sorry, but I’m not thinking about marriage right now.”

    I took a step back.

    “You’re not exactly young. Aren’t you already in your mid-thirties?”

    “Still early thirties, thank you very much.”

    “Am I the problem?”

    Ji Young-hee stepped closer.

    The faint scent of her presence reached my nose, a subtle but noticeable fragrance that teased my instincts.

    It was the calculated move of a woman who knew her allure and how to wield it.

    She was undeniably attractive.

    Letting her go would leave a tinge of regret.

    And as a man, it was impossible not to feel drawn to a young, beautiful woman.

    But this wasn’t the way.

    I knew too little about her, and this wasn’t a reasonable arrangement.

    Above all, I could see her intent.

    The kind of intent that only humans—or rather, only the cunning—could possess.

    “You’re more than charming enough, Young-hee.”

    “So?”

    She looked at me expectantly, but my answer had been decided from the start.

    “I must decline your proposal.”

    Surprise flickered across her face, but only briefly.

    Her expression softened into a faint smile as she nodded and stepped away.

    “I see. I’m sorry for saying something so foolish.”

    This was the result I wanted.

    Yet, as I watched her walk away, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

    “...Hah.”

    In the distance, the howls of dogs echoed.

    Black dots dotted the abandoned field, gradually fading from sight.

    It was Gold and his new pack.

    After fighting alongside me in the brutal battle, the dogs had sensed defeat and begun to retreat.

    Gold swiftly left my side and reasserted himself as their leader.

    He had returned to where he belonged.

    In the end, the true victor of this battle might very well be that cunning dog.

    With a gesture of respect, I raised my thumb toward the retreating figure.

    In response, a bark echoed back—a sound that felt oddly like a birthday song.

    *

    Since then, animal carcasses occasionally appeared at the edge of my territory.

    Deer, boars, and even the occasional wild cow—once, Gold even dragged in a feral yellow dog.

    I owned books on butchering and dismembering game, though I’d never tried it before due to my meticulous nature.

    Now, I might have to.

    My meat supply was running low, after all.

    When patrolling my territory, I sometimes felt it.

    From the ridge beyond, Gold’s golden fur would glint in the sunlight as he watched over me.

    I never posted this story on the forums.