There’s No One You Can Trust
Gus hid on a hillside and stared at the goblin settlement.
He wanted to rush out and kill them all right now.
But he couldn’t.
He had to endure.
If he went now, he would only die for nothing.
Gus clenched his teeth tightly.
The goblin settlement, hidden deep in the mountains, had grown too large.
It was already overcrowded.
There was no time.
When goblins run out of food and women, they start fighting and killing each other.
And when one of them loses control and attacks a village, everything collapses.
They rush in blindly, afraid someone else will take all the food and women.
Goblins are known for being stupid.
They only think about food and women.
They don’t think about the future.
In a way, they are worse than animals.
Individually, goblins are not very dangerous.
They are strong, but a few adults working together can easily defeat one.
They fall for traps easily too.
Compared to other monsters, they are weak.
But goblins are terrifying because they form groups—like bees.
And they reproduce as fast as rabbits.
They hide in caves and deep places, kidnapping women to give birth.
The captured women are broken, forced to give birth again and again until they die.
Every woman taken to a goblin nest meets the same fate.
It is so miserable that—
Even if they are found alive, killing them is considered mercy.
Gus narrowed his eyes.
The leader of these goblins seemed intelligent.
They had chosen a remote mountain location.
And there was some level of order among them.
But there were too many.
Even now, they were probably barely holding themselves back.
If something triggered them—
They would explode.
And when spring came…
They would no longer be able to control their urges.
“That’s why they’re goblins.”
Gus muttered quietly and stepped back.
As he walked through the dangerous terrain with his injured leg, he felt anger rising again and again.
“If it weren’t for them…”
Everything he once dreamed of—
Was destroyed by those creatures.
No matter what it cost—
He would never forgive them.
As he descended the icy mountain, he thought of Juhwan.
A rough-looking man—but kind.
A man who probably had never truly hated anyone.
Juhwan always smiled happily when learning something new.
He was sincere.
He trusted Gus.
That thought made Gus’s chest feel cold.
Like pain.
Like guilt.
Gus shook his head.
This was a chance he had waited for a long time.
If he missed it, it would never come again.
He was already old enough to be near death.
“I’m sorry… but I have no choice.”
Even stupid goblins don’t attack villages carelessly.
They know humans have weapons.
At least their leader would try to hold them back until the very end.
There would be time to call adventurers.
Gus stared at the ground with dark eyes.
He remembered Juhwan’s smiling face.
Then whispered quietly:
“I’m sorry.”
The small hut in the mountains—
Would become perfect bait.
Even one woman was enough to attract goblins.
Gus headed toward the village chief’s house.
The chief should have returned by now.
They would call adventurers secretly—
Without telling Juhwan.
Juhwan loved his wife and child too much.
In the end, he would have no choice but to fight alongside them.
If his family died—
Or even if they survived—
There was only one path left.
Kill the goblins.
Late that night, one rabbit returned.
It came near the bamboo pile, looking for food in the cold winter.
But when Juhwan approached, it quickly ran away.
So he set traps nearby.
The next morning—
Two rabbits were caught.
Juhwan sighed softly.
“I guess… I can’t raise them.”
Even if he built a deeper fence, they would escape again.
It couldn’t be helped.
They would have to become meat and fur.
He hung them upside down and drained their blood.
Then he cut around their back legs and peeled off the skin.
The white bodies looked almost like chickens.
He brought the meat and fur back home.
Lizzy’s eyes widened when she saw the rabbits.
They sparkled with happiness.
She smiled brightly.
She quickly put the meat into a container, then started thinking seriously.
“Why? What is it?”
Juhwan asked.
Lizzy held her cheeks and frowned.
“What should we do… roast it, or salt it… I don’t know.”
She glanced at Dorothy.
Dorothy was still asleep.
Her mouth was slightly open, drool on her chin.
Tear marks were still on her cheeks.
She must have cried herself to sleep over the rabbits.
Juhwan understood.
Lizzy usually tried to make food last longer.
Boiling it or salting it.
Not just eating meat freely.
But—
After seeing Dorothy cry yesterday—
She wanted to feed her well.
It was a choice between:
Future survival
or
a child’s tears.
Juhwan pointed at the meat.
“Salt it. I’ll roast.”
Lizzy tilted her head.
Then she understood.
She smiled shyly.
“Thank you. I’ll leave it to you.”
She rubbed salt onto the meat and stuffed pickled vegetables inside.
Like a roasted turkey.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
She was looking forward to eating too.
Juhwan smiled.
“Then I should do it properly.”
He went outside and prepared bamboo.
He placed stones and made a skewer.
Then—
He used fire magic.
Recently, he didn’t use flint anymore.
He could make fire like a lighter.
Still—
He wished for something more magical.
Something that could make perfect food.
Something better than just fire.
As he imagined it—
Suddenly—
Flames burst out and covered the rabbit.
“!”
He panicked and waved his hands.
The fire disappeared instantly.
Juhwan stared at his hand.
Why did it grow stronger just now?
He tried again—
But it was normal again.
Then he realized something.
Maybe magic wasn’t from his body—
But applied to the target.
Like when he used it on the wolf.
So he imagined again—
Fire gently wrapping the meat.
A slow, even roast.
This time—
The fire softly covered the rabbit.
Like heat waves.
The meat cooked perfectly.
Golden brown.
A delicious smell filled the air.
Juhwan stared in shock.
“I… made roasted chicken.”
It looked and smelled exactly like it.
Even if it was rabbit.
He laughed.
“This would sell like crazy.”
He brought it inside.
Lizzy was shocked.
“Juhwan, what is this?”
“Chicken… no, roasted chicken.”
She didn’t understand—but trusted him.
“It’s okay. It’s delicious.”
Lizzy smelled it and swallowed.
“The smell… is really good.”
Dorothy woke up from the smell.
That morning—
They ate together.
Even though people here don’t usually eat breakfast.
The taste—
Was amazing.
Both Lizzy and Dorothy loved it.
Thanks to fire magic.
Now that he understood it, using it became easy.
He could even use it from a short distance.
Juhwan became serious.
“If I can use this on people… this is dangerous.”
He decided to be careful.
Until he understood magic better—
He shouldn’t show it to others.
With healing magic and fire magic—
He could protect Lizzy and Dorothy.
He remembered Santa.
The one who told him to be happy.
“Maybe this power… came from him.”
He stretched and started chopping wood.
No matter what—
Life in the mountains stayed the same.
Water. Firewood. Hunting.
Miss one day—
And survival becomes difficult.
While chopping wood—
Dorothy suddenly shouted from inside.
It seemed—
The baby rabbit could finally move.
Juhwan smiled faintly.
“That one… I probably won’t be able to eat.”