[The stag was definitely preyed upon—but why wasn't it eaten? What would they gain from this? Judging by the wounds, it was attacked by a group. Considering the current conditions—snow, cold weather—there's only one creature that hunts in packs during times like this. They often leave behind their prey and immediately hunt again. It must be snow wolves.]
"Let me free you from your pain," Master said, and drove his sword into the stag, ending its suffering.
He returned from the carcass and opened the carriage door again. Glancing around once more, he looked at me and said,
"Attu, get out of the carriage!"
Upon hearing Master's words, I immediately jumped down from the carriage. The moment my feet hit the snow, I felt a strange sensation in my chest—like something was approaching us.
"Do you see anything clearly?"
"The heavy snow is blocking my view."
"And your hearing?"
"I don't hear anything nearby yet."
At that moment, Scott, who was seated at the front of the carriage and couldn't understand what we were discussing, called out to us.
" Valorant, what's going on?"
"The snow wolves have set a trap. They're hunting us."
"Why did you make the boy get down? He's blind! How is someone who can't see supposed to help you?"
"Everything's fine. Don't worry," Master replied.
Just then, the horses started neighing violently.
"Scott, get inside the carriage. Now!"
Without another word, Scott obeyed, jumping into the carriage and peering nervously out the window. The horses were beginning to panic, tugging against their harnesses and trying to flee.
While I watched them, I heard something else hidden within the whistling of the wind—footsteps, swift and multiplying. Something was running toward us. I realized then: wolves.
"Two are coming from the right, and there's another behind the carriage."
"I'll take the two," Master said, leaping over the carriage roof in a single bound.
"The one in the back is mine," I said, dashing behind the carriage.
[Attu's warning was right—as expected. Now I need to deal with my target.]
Master Valorant reached the two wolves before they could get too close and cut them down effortlessly, slicing through both side-by-side in a single strike.
Then he turned and headed to the back of the carriage. By that time, I had already slain the first wolf.
As the beast came rushing toward me, I waited for it to leap. Just as it did, I dodged to the side and thrust my sword upward into its belly.
The blade sank deep into the creature, but the wolf refused to die easily and tried to strike me again. I gripped the embedded hilt tightly and dragged the sword deeper, finally finishing it off.
It was an unsettling feeling—taking a life. As I killed the wolf, my hands trembled, and my breath grew shaky. This… was fear. Fear that gripped my limbs and made me want to freeze up. But I fought it. I refused to be controlled by fear. I walked over to the first wolf I had slain and pulled my sword free.
Behind me, I sensed Master Valorant's presence, and I also heard more footsteps approaching from the direction of the carriage.
"Four from the front. Two from the right."
Master took off toward the front, while I moved to the right side of the carriage to intercept the next threat.
The wolves didn't make me wait long. Two of them were charging straight at me. I held my sword out and impaled one. The second used the moment to leap at me. I struggled to pull my blade free in time—but I did—and struck down the second wolf as well.
The wolf landed directly on top of me, and its blood splattered onto my face and clothes. We both collapsed beside the carriage.
It had been quite some time since I started training under Master Valorant, yet I still struggled to kill just two wolves. If I hadn't gotten lucky, I would've been dinner.
I pushed the dead wolf off and stood up, only to hear more sounds—this time, many more.
"More are coming. A lot more this time."
"Leave the rest to me. You climb on top of the carriage."
Master was definitely preparing something. But what?
[What's he planning? How can he take on an entire pack alone?]
I did as he said and climbed onto the top of the carriage, watching him carefully. What I saw… stunned me.
Master's sword had begun to glow with a strange green flame—his own elemental magic.
[What the…? What is this? Master's about to do something incredible.]
He stepped forward a few paces from the carriage and readied his stance. Holding his sword in his right hand, he angled it back while his left foot moved forward and bent slightly.
He stared down the wolves. Once they were close enough, he swung his blade horizontally—not at any specific target, just into the air.
Nothing was in front of him. But where his sword had cut the air, a green flame erupted and surged forward—along the exact arc of his swing. It struck the charging wolves, slicing them in two.
[What… what just happened?! That slash left behind a trail of green fire that flew forward and cut the wolves down?! How is that even possible?!]
With just a few swings, Master Valorant destroyed the entire pack of snow wolves. The few that survived turned and fled.
I was in awe. I jumped down from the carriage to ask him what he'd just done.
"Master Val—" I started, but the carriage door suddenly burst open and slammed straight into my face, knocking me to the ground.
It was Scott. He leapt from the carriage and ran straight to Master.
" Valorant! That was magnificent. I knew you could take them all on your own."
"Thanks for the praise. How's Attu?"
Just then, I was barely managing to stand up, using the carriage for support. I hadn't expected the door to hit me that hard.
When Master heard Scott's answer, he turned toward the carriage and saw me struggling to my feet.
"Are you okay? What happened? Why are you bleeding from your nose?"
[My nose is bleeding?! I didn't even notice… I didn't think the door hit me that hard.]
"The wolves were tough… One of them swiped my face," I lied.
"Ugh, how pathetic. You should really learn from Valorant! Look how strong and wise he is. If you train hard enough under him, you'll never end up in a state like this again."
[Who asked you, anyway? This all happened because of you—haven't they taught you how to open a door properly?]
"Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I'm okay."
"Sit back in the carriage. I have something to finish."
"Let me help you. Just tell me what to do."
I listened to my master and climbed back into the carriage, waiting as he finished his work. My hands were still trembling. It was the first time I had ever killed a living being to protect myself. I looked at my hands and clenched them into fists, trying to stop the shaking.
I turned to look outside the carriage window. The snow was still falling. As I watched it quietly blanket everything around us, something caught my eye.
[These wolves... they seem different from ordinary ones. Do they have horns on their heads? Master is cutting those horns off. Why is he collecting them?]
Master Valorant cut the horns off the wolves he'd slain and placed them into bags. Then he returned to the carriage and threw the bags inside. Curious, I asked him:
"What are you going to do with those horns?"
"We'll sell them."
I didn't know where one would sell something like wolf horns, so more questions came to mind.
"Where will we sell them?"
"You'll see once we reach the city."
"Are they worth anything?"
"Not sure exactly. They'll appraise the value when we get there."
"Can I see one?"
"Sure, here you go!"
As I reached out to take one of the horns, my trembling hands didn't escape Master's notice, so I quickly snatched it from his hand.
"Hold it tightly!"
"Got it."
"You still have a lot to get used to. You're lacking bloodlust—and aura."
"Bloodlust? Like a wild beast?"
Valorant nodded.
"Yes, something like that. You're still young, and all you've done so far is train. That fear of blood, that hesitation to kill… it's normal. But one day, after you've killed enough beasts, you'll start to get used to the sight of blood. Eventually, killing won't scare you. Then… you'll start to crave it. That's bloodlust."
"What exactly is bloodlust?"
"It's a type of aura. It's common in predators. For example, when the wolves charged at you, did you feel fear?"
"Yes, it felt like they were going to devour me."
"That's bloodlust. Wolves grow up hunting to survive. That builds an aura in them. A rabbit, on the other hand, eats only plants and vegetables. If a rabbit comes across a wolf, it either freezes in fear or runs away. When people like you—who've never seen blood—encounter a wolf's aura, the same thing happens."
"So you're saying bloodlust is used to intimidate prey?"
"Bloodlust makes your opponent feel like prey, and you like the predator. That's why they call it an aura."