Sight, smell, hearing, vision. She had to focus on every sense.

When she extended her head outside the den, the lingering smoke from the smoke bomb was still visible.

Seizing the opportunity, Yeonwoo, crouching low in the smoke, moved her body behind a tree in a hurry.

The available weapons were only a bow, a quiver of arrows, and the traps set when capturing the tiger.

Yeonwoo, with no combat experience, had limitations in facing an unspecified number of enemies alone. Therefore, luring the assailants into the traps she had set was crucial for Yeonwoo to have a chance of winning.

‘You may think of us as prey while you are the hunters.’

Leaning against a tree, Yeonwoo closed her eyes and focused on every sense.

‘But you’re wrong.’

Yeonwoo took a deep breath inwardly.

‘When you least expect it, I’ll be the one hunting you.’

As if making a pledge, Yeonwoo opened her eyes that had been closed.

Deliberately giving a signal, Yeonwoo moved to a tree on the opposite side, hiding her body.

—Twang!

A familiar arrow flew again and struck the tree behind which Yeonwoo concealed herself.

It seemed like the assailants had confirmed Yeonwoo’s position.

‘Come on, follow me.’

Using the trees in the mountains as shields, Yeonwoo dodged arrows skillfully, leading the pursuers towards the traps.

—Swish!

Another arrow flew and brushed against Yeonwoo’s clothing.

Though the torn fabric allowed blood to seep through, Yeonwoo had no time to feel the pain of her skin tearing.

She only ran towards the traps, relentlessly avoiding arrows while keeping her senses sharp.

When the traps came into view, Yeonwoo stopped her hurried steps and hid behind a nearby rock.

That was the moment.

—Shurururuk!

“Aaah!”

With the sound of falling leaves nearby, the screams of the assailants echoed.

‘Success!’

She couldn’t tell how many fell into the traps, but it was evident that some of the assailants were caught.

Since she had aimed the arrows towards the sky, considering the depth of the pits, the assailants would have died instantly.

Then, a stranger’s voice shouted.

“Stop!”

The footsteps rushing forward came to an abrupt halt.

“Tsk. They’re dead.”

The man seemed to have discovered the assailants fallen into the pit.

“Be careful where you step. He set traps around here.”

“Yes.”

“He couldn’t have gone far.”

The voices belonged to two individuals.

When Yeonwoo cautiously peered out, she saw the backs of two men wearing black masks not too far away.

Perhaps these two were the last remaining assailants.
Yeonwoo pulled the bowstring and held her breath.

“Hooeup!”

Releasing the bowstring as if flicking it away, the arrow swiftly pierced through the enemy.

“Cough!”

One assailant groaned and fell, prompting the remaining one to quickly turn their head.

The moment Yeonwoo and their eyes met, the assailant with a scar on the right eye drew a dagger and threw it at Yeonwoo.

—Shwik!

Yeonwoo hastily hid her face behind a tree, avoiding the dagger.

However, the blade of the dagger grazed her cheek, leaving a red line on her cheek.

Amidst the red mark, blood trickled down.

Yeonwoo, accustomed to this level of pain, paid it no heed.

From the other side of the tree, the voice of the wounded assailant rose.

“You little rat…!”

In a situation where one mistake could cost lives, Yeonwoo’s back was drenched in cold sweat.

The aggressive tone of the wounded assailant continued.

“Your location is already exposed. Don’t even think about dying gracefully after sending my subordinates to their deaths.”

Shooting with the bow here was impractical. She had to find another way to deal with the assailant.

All that remained were the tiger trap, snare, and the pitfalls.

However, the assailant detected the traps she had set in advance and dismantled the nearby snare.

—Hooddeuk!

The torn snare fell to the ground with a thud.

“A snare? Hah! Don’t tell me you thought you could lure me with something like this?”

Subsequently, sounds of other traps being dismantled were heard.

—Cheolkook!

—Cheolkodeuk!

The assailant threw the dismantled traps towards the tree where Yeonwoo hid.

All the traps she had set were pulled out.

“You may have used your brain, but unfortunately, it’s over.”

Mocking, the assailant’s voice made Yeonwoo bite her lips tightly.

Capturing the assailant with the remaining traps was a failure. She had to find another way.

—Basslak, basslak.

Contrary to Yeonwoo’s urgent situation, the leisurely sound of the assailant stepping on leaves echoed. The sound gradually approached in the direction where Yeonwoo was.

“Don’t struggle in vain. You’re just a rat trapped in poison.”

“We’ll see about that.”

At that moment, when Yeonwoo was hiding behind a tree trunk, the figure of the assailant was revealed.

Simultaneously, Yeonwoo and the assailant threw their respective traps, the snare for Yeonwoo, and the dagger for the assailant.

“!”

Whether due to an unexpected bomb or losing concentration, the dagger thrown by the assailant narrowly missed Yeonwoo’s head, grazing her bare scalp.

As a result of the dagger, Yeonwoo’s bun was undone, and her long black hair poured down like a dark waterfall.

At the same time, the explosion sound echoed through the mountains.

—Kwaguang!

“Kraaack!”

Mixed with the assailant’s agonizing scream, hazy smoke enveloped the surroundings.

Not missing the chance, Yeonwoo loaded an arrow and aimed at where the assailant might be.

As the smoke cleared, a blurry figure came into Inyoung’s sight.

The injured assailant staggered out through the mist, holding a hand over the area around their heart. Upon seeing the long-haired Yeonwoo aiming at them, the assailant widened their eyes in surprise.

“How can a woman be…!”

—Taang!

The arrow released from Yeonwoo’s hand flew towards the assailant.

“Cough!”

Struck in the vicinity of the heart, the assailant collapsed without a moment’s hesitation.

With the defeat of the last remaining assailant, it seemed like Yeonwoo’s nightmarish ordeal was finally coming to an end.

Yeonwoo quickly gathered the medicinal herbs needed for Geon’s treatment and rushed straight to him. Geon’s condition was such that his breath could cease at any moment, so haste was necessary.

Upon entering the tiger’s den, Geon appeared even more drenched in blood than when she last saw him.

The area around the arrow lodged in Geon’s chest was dyed red, and a blood-stained arrow was still clutched in his hand. It seemed he had managed to remove the arrow from his chest by himself.
However, Geon’s body, with closed eyes, showed no signs of any small movements.

—Thunk.

The bow that Yeonwoo had been holding fell to the ground.

“…Nari?”

It couldn’t be. He promised to wait.

He wasn’t someone who would easily break a promise. He wasn’t someone who would easily crumble like this.

Yeonwoo approached Geon immediately.

“Nari, pull yourself together! Nari!”

Despite Yeonwoo’s earnest call, Geon did not move.

Her voice began to tremble.

“T-This can’t be happening. There’s no way Nari could die!”

Yeonwoo’s suppressed tears finally burst forth. Large teardrops fell from her eyes.

“W-What will happen if you go like this? Get up, Nari!”

Yeonwoo’s trembling hands touched Geon’s face. As they did, Geon’s slightly warm temperature was transmitted through her palms.

As if sensing the touch on his face, Geon, with great effort, opened his eyes and looked at Yeonwoo with a blurred gaze.

“N-Nari! Are you coming to your senses?!”

Yeonwoo’s tear-stained face instantly brightened.

Geon slowly raised his hand, untouched by blood, and gently touched Yeonwoo’s cheek. His large hand wiped away the tears streaming down Yeonwoo’s face.

Geon, struggling to move his lips, finally managed to open them.

“Hong Yeonho, a wanderer… is it you?”

At that moment, Yeonwoo’s heart sank with a thud.