MNP Ch4

The hunter rummaged through the bag and pulled out some dried jerky, holding it out. The pungent smell of the jerky rose as it touched Seokha’s lips, perhaps in consideration of his tied hands.

“Here.”

“…I can’t eat it.”

Seokha spoke barely moving his lips, lest the piece of meat enter his mouth. The hunter’s eyes widened.

“Huh? Oh, right. You guys… can only eat food from the ‘Blue Land’, right? I didn’t think it would be true.”

Seokha shrugged. That’s what people usually thought.

The hunter took back the jerky and put it in his own mouth, chewing noisily. For Seokha, who once had the experience of violently throwing up after eating regular food that had been mixed in with trade goods, jerky was something he couldn’t eat even if his stomach was stuck to his back from hunger.

“Well. It’s my job to catch and sell you guys, and it’s not exactly safe work… But you guys are really pitiful.”

“Your blood is used for Nute medicine, and you can’t eat anything except the weeds that grow in Nute land.” The words mumbled while chewing the jerky echoed in his ears. Seokha, who knew the position of his kind well, didn’t feel particularly angry or upset.

“If you feel sorry for me, why don’t you let me go?”

Seokha clasped his tied hands, hoping the hunter, sitting close enough for their knees to touch, wouldn’t notice the last resort hidden just one layer below. His hands were terribly cold, to the point where he couldn’t feel his fingertips.

“I too.”

The hunter tore off a new piece of jerky with his teeth.

“Have to make a living.”

His sharp teeth gleamed as they tore the dark dried meat. Yeah, I didn’t expect anything. Seokha relaxed his tense body and slowly leaned back again. As he was about to close his drowsy eyes, he heard the hunter’s voice.

“Want me to tell you a story?”

“Get down quickly!”

Seokha’s eyes flew open. He must have dozed off. He first checked if the revolver was still inside his clothes. The muzzle was barely touching his forearm. The hunter, who might have also dozed off, was getting up while pressing down his disheveled hair.

The driver pulled back the thick cloth covering the truck. Seokha squinted slightly at the sunlight directly hitting his face.

“Get up.”

Seokha flinched at the sudden grip on his arm. His body, crumpled for a long time, was forcibly raised.

“Time to make money.”

The driver walked ahead, while the hunter walked beside Seokha, firmly gripping his arm. The surroundings were noisy. People caged in wooden pens, others with just their hands bound like Seokha, with merchants standing nearby. It seemed the market hadn’t opened yet. As they moved towards the corner of the marketplace, the signs of people diminished.

“We’ve gotten quite close, you know.”

The hunter whispered in a voice too low for the driver to hear. Seokha, astounded by the young hunter’s brazenness, couldn’t help but laugh. The hunter, acting friendly as if he had received agreement, continued with words that were far from comforting.

‘Just stay quiet. Everything will work out for you.’

Instead of answering, Seokha held out his bound hands.

“Untie this. We’re here now. It’s uncomfortable.”

“Hmm. Well, alright.”

The hunter readily took out the key from his pocket. “We’ve come this far, and we’ve gotten quite close. I wish we could be friends.” The hunter liked Seokha, who seemed to understand him. Although it was almost a one-sided conversation, the hunter didn’t mind much. And he even made a useless assumption that it would have been nice if they hadn’t met like this. Unaware that his generous assessment of Seokha might completely disrupt his future plans.

The key turned in the keyhole, and the heavy handcuffs binding Seokha fell to the ground. As the hunter bent down to pick up the handcuffs, Seokha looked around. Then he reached into his clothes. What had been stuck earlier now came out smoothly into his hand, as if it had been a lie.

“Unnecessarily heavy…”

Seokha pressed the muzzle against the forehead of the hunter who was rising with the handcuffs in his hand. The hunter’s blue eyes still seemed unaware of the situation. Looking down at the hunter who hadn’t fully stood up, Seokha smiled the most refreshing smile he had ever shown.

“Goodbye.”

Bang-

A ear-splitting gunshot echoed through the dark back alley of the marketplace.

Before the driver could turn around, Seokha threw himself under a stall stretched out along the side of the road. The driver’s thunderous shout followed. As he quickly crawled out from under the stall floor, the opposite market street appeared. He wanted to laugh out loud in triumph, but the sun was slowly rising overhead. He blended into the crowd of people rather than taking the side street. People were stirring due to the loud gunshot. Should he stay among the people a bit longer? Or should he leave immediately? Seokha pondered between these two options as he moved his feet quickly.

“What happened?”

Just then, a small truck stopped next to a fruit shop. The truck driver got out with a puzzled expression.

“Looks like another slave escaped.”

A passerby chimed in. Seokha passed by the man who was moving towards where the gunshot had sounded. He jumped into the wide-open driver’s seat and turned the key that was already in the ignition. Seokha smiled awkwardly as he made eye contact with the man who had turned around.

“W-What are you doing!”

“I’m just borrowing it for a bit…”

Seokha started to reverse as he saw the man running towards him, panting.

I’m in a hurry. I’ll definitely come back to repay you. I’m sorry… Seokha apologized in his heart to the approaching man, raising his voice internally. As he sharply turned the steering wheel, several people stepped back in surprise. He was not good at driving. Seokha placed the revolver on his thigh and looked for the market exit. People were starting to gather. As he turned the steering wheel this way and that, he couldn’t gain much speed.

“Where am I even going?”

There were too many alleys. He turned into an alley, trying to increase his speed as much as possible while avoiding people. Suddenly, a figure jumped out in front, causing Seokha to stop abruptly. The rear wheels lifted slightly from the recoil. Seokha slowly raised his head from the steering wheel and couldn’t hold back a curse.

“…You’re not dead?”

“I thought we had gotten quite close. And you stab me in the back like this?”

The hunter’s fist came down, denting the car’s bumper in its shape. If he had shot from that distance, normally the head would have been shattered. Blood was flowing down his forehead, but the hunter looked unnaturally fine. As if he wasn’t an ordinary person… Ah. A dejected voice came from Seokha’s mouth.

“…Nute.”

The blue eyes, contrasting with the red blood, gleamed. Come to think of it, it was strange that he didn’t think the hunter was a Nute with that build. He would never thought those guys would be out hunting. Seokha sincerely wanted to ask the hunter. Why are you doing such work? But now wasn’t the time to ask.

“Come along quietly. Like you’ve been doing until now.”

The hunter closed the distance. Seokha grabbed the revolver on his thigh and aimed it.

“As you can see, that doesn’t work on me.”

“Yeah. Seems so.”

Seokha threw the gun onto the passenger seat and backed up slightly. The hunter’s expression changed. The stupid face that could have potentially become a friend reappeared.

“This probably won’t kill you.”

Since you’re a Nute anyway. Seokha stepped on the accelerator with all his might. No matter how strong a species was, they couldn’t do anything against an oncoming car. The impact of hitting a rock spread throughout his body.

“Ugh…”

Seokha narrowed his eyes and drove on without reducing speed. Whether the hunter had been thrown off or slipped between the wheels, he couldn’t see because his eyes were so narrowed. However, from the cursing shouts behind him, he could tell that the hunter was still alive.

“I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth! You bastard!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Seokha confirmed in the mirror that people were gathering around the hunter who had collapsed on the street, and made an inaudible response. The truck quickly exited the market at high speed. Thinking they had driven far enough, Seokha pulled over to the side of the road. After searching the glove compartment, under the seat, and in the door cracks, he found a worn-out map.

Even if he wanted to return to the village immediately, Seokha lacked the ability to find his way through the sand dunes. Moreover, he wasn’t sure if he could make it to the desert even with a map. His shrunken stomach, having gone without food for so long, didn’t even make a sound.

Necessary supplies: food, map, Barn…

All he had was a map of unknown age. Leaning his head on the steering wheel and closing his eyes, the world seemed to spin. He needed to eat something first. He parked the small truck by the roadside and got out. While pondering where to find something edible, he absentmindedly scanned the truck’s cargo area.

“…Well, well.”

[Fruit from the Green Land – Special Price -]

No wonder the small truck felt heavy… Seeing the fruit boxes neatly stacked in the cargo area, Seokha rubbed his tired face. He felt a twinge of conscience he thought he didn’t have, at this unexpected stroke of luck.

It couldn’t be helped. Seokha took out a green apple from a new box, wiped it roughly on his clothes, and had his first meal after a long fast. If he had known he’d go hungry for this long, he would have eaten the apple from the teacher before it spoiled.

After filling his stomach somewhat, Seokha got back in the truck and drove slowly. Befitting an area with the largest market, stalls lined the streets endlessly. They sold everything from humans to flowers, food, and daily necessities.

With so many people, the truck moved slower than walking pace. Tapping the steering wheel with his index finger, he waited for the road to clear. As he waited, he suddenly recalled the hunter’s chatter.

‘Want to hear a story?’

Assuming it would be another far-fetched tale, Seokha didn’t bother trying to keep his drooping eyelids open.

His eyes were getting heavy.

‘They say there are seeds from the Green Land in the Nute’s fortress. If you plant them… they’ll bear fruit on any land.’

The hunter’s voice seemed to crumble, as if coming from far away.

‘Don’t know if it’s true though.’

‘Ah, but why am I telling this story? Hey, just forget it.’

‘…Are you sleeping? You bastard, after I… Never mind. Sleep, sleep.’