The First Hunt is Special
A rabbit was caught in the snare.
It still had strength, so it must not have been caught long ago. Maybe at dawn or in the morning.
Good.
Having this much strength made it perfect as a first prey.
Gus glanced at Juhwan.
Juhwan looked strangely confused as he stared at the trapped rabbit. From his reaction, it felt like he had never seen a rabbit before.
This man is strange.
It was hard to explain exactly why, but something about him didn’t quite fit. Like the lid of a box that never fully closes.
‘But it doesn’t matter.’
Whether noble or commoner, priest or criminal—it didn’t matter.
Hunting animals was completely separate from human life.
In the end, only one fact remained: a human kills a beast.
Gus grinned when he saw Juhwan calm down after his brief confusion.
He could roughly guess what Juhwan was thinking.
‘But…’
Just because someone had killed a beast before didn’t mean they wouldn’t hesitate while hunting.
Killing a beast that attacks you and hunting a harmless animal are completely different things.
Like everything else, hunting becomes easier with time. You get used to it. You become dull.
But the first shock… the first feeling… stays forever.
“That’s why the first hunt is important.”
Gus’s first hunt was when he was twelve.
That day, his father allowed him to hunt with a bow for the first time. Everything felt familiar—except for one thing: he was the one shooting.
The mountain and the sound of birds, more familiar than any house in the village, calmed his beating heart.
His fingers trembled—not from fear, but from excitement.
Unlike other children forced into hunting, Gus was different.
He had calmly helped cut animals and touched their blood without hesitation. In fact, he was eager.
His first hunt was the same.
He was happy to be recognized by his skilled father, proud to shoot the arrow himself.
His first prey was a newborn roe deer.
The mother was nearby, but as soon as she realized the baby would die, she ran away.
That day, his father did not hunt the better prey—the mother.
He left everything to Gus.
That hunt belonged entirely to him.
Even so, his father was watching.
He was safe.
His first hunt happened in safety, and he believed he was part of the mountain.
He thought he was blessed.
That he belonged there.
And that was why he got hurt by a goblin later.
He had believed, deep inside, that he would always be safe.
That even if others suffered accidents, he never would.
So he failed to notice the black hole opening beneath his feet.
That feeling still remained somewhere inside him, even now.
Even though he knew it wasn’t true.
Gus slowly breathed out into the forest, then spoke to Juhwan.
“Take out the arrow I gave you.”
Juhwan understood quickly and nodded.
But he misunderstood, and handed Gus the metal-tipped arrow instead.
Gus shook his head and pointed at Juhwan’s bow, gesturing for him to load it.
Then he said:
“You will hunt. This is your first hunt.”
“I will teach you that hunting is cruel.”
“You will never forget today.”
Gus pushed Juhwan forward.
They walked closer to the snare until the distance was close enough to hit without missing.
Juhwan looked confused, switching his gaze between Gus and the rabbit.
He didn’t understand why he had to shoot a trapped rabbit.
But he was smart.
He knew Gus was teaching him something.
Even without understanding, he raised his bow and looked at Gus.
“Shoot. Aim for the leg first.”
You must not kill it in one strike.
First the leg.
Then places far from the heart.
You must train to hit a living, moving prey.
First a calm target.
Then a screaming one.
Then…
You gain something from that process.
Juhwan was smart. He would learn something even better than Gus himself knew.
Gus spoke again when Juhwan hesitated.
“Now, shoot.”
“The mountain is fair.”
It does not favor humans.
It is equally kind—and equally cruel—to both humans and beasts.
Gus quietly looked at Juhwan’s face.
This man would become a great hunter.
He wasn’t sure if he would live to see it, but his old hunter’s instincts told him so.
But even the best hunters make mistakes.
The moment you feel safe… the moment you think you are special…
That is when danger comes.
“If you want to return home safely, never forget today.”
A hunter is someone who targets even a mother feeding her young.
The mountain knows that.
The hunted animals know that.
Only humans fail to understand it.
When Gus told him to bring a bow, Juhwan thought they would hunt deer or birds.
Not a trapped animal.
Even he knew that.
He thought they would kill the rabbit with a knife and divide the meat and fur.
If there were two, they’d split them.
If one, they’d divide meat and fur.
The more valuable one would go to Gus.
He didn’t mind either.
He didn’t think Gus would take everything.
Because Gus never killed animals himself in front of him.
Even when he had chances, he didn’t shoot.
Maybe hunting was forbidden for him.
But Juhwan knew—
Gus was secretly hunting.
The blood stains.
The changing arrows.
His deep knowledge of the mountain.
There were many clues.
And Gus didn’t try hard to hide it.
Maybe the villagers knew too.
Maybe they allowed it in exchange for meat.
So Gus wasn’t the type to be greedy over one rabbit.
Juhwan had come to understand that.
That’s why Gus’s words felt unexpected.
Shooting the rabbit’s leg would not kill it.
It would only cause pain.
A bad feeling rose in Juhwan’s throat.
Gus pointed again.
“Start… rabbit… leg… head… keep shooting…”
Juhwan began to understand.
This was training.
Training to shoot a living creature.
The rabbit sensed danger and began to move violently.
The more it struggled, the tighter the snare became.
It let out strange cries—whether from pain or fear.
Juhwan took a breath and aimed.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, he remembered the wagon.
The starving people.
The dead bodies.
The cruel fight for survival.
Even he had survived by taking from the dead.
He didn’t understand hunting.
He didn’t understand this world fully.
But he knew one thing:
Gus was training him to live as a hunter.
Juhwan exhaled and aimed again.
The rabbit struggled wildly.
He waited for a clear shot.
A moving animal was completely different from a still target.
It wasn’t just harder to aim—
The fear in its eyes shook his heart.
The rabbit twisted.
An opening appeared.
Before thinking—
He released the arrow.
Thud!
The arrow pierced its leg and hit the ground.
The rabbit screamed.
Gus spoke again.
Juhwan didn’t understand.
So Gus tapped his own arm.
Front leg.
Juhwan looked at him.
Gus did not move.
Their eyes met.
Juhwan looked away first.
He could tell—
Gus believed this was necessary.
Juhwan thought of Lizzy and Dorothy.
He raised his bow again.
The rabbit trembled in fear.
This world was dangerous.
There could be beasts worse than wolves.
Even bears.
Or worse.
If Gus said this was needed, then there must be a reason.
“Before feeling pity for the animal… think of Lizzy and Dorothy first.”
“To protect them… I can become anything.”
“Even a monster.”
“It’s just a beast.”
“Just a beast…”
He ignored the cries.
He released the arrow again.
It missed slightly, passing through near its head.
Gus walked over.
He stepped on the rabbit and pulled out the arrow.
Now Juhwan understood why Gus gave him metal-tipped arrows.
So they could be easily removed.
Gus handed him another arrow.
“Front leg.”
The rabbit’s screams filled the forest.
Juhwan shot again.
This time, he hit the front leg.
Again.
The last leg.
The rabbit did not die.
It only screamed louder.
Silence.
Gus said nothing.
The rabbit’s cries became softer.
Like it was calling someone.
Juhwan raised his bow one last time.
The final arrow pierced its head.
The rabbit trembled—
Then stopped.
For a moment, Dorothy’s bright face appeared in his mind.
Then disappeared.
“To live… I have to kill.”
He would kill many more animals in the future.
Juhwan let out a small breath.
The taste in his mouth felt bitter.