Chapter 116. The Cub

— Thud!

— Yelp!

The distant noises made one of the werewolves flinch. And yet, despite knowing that a mere human was slaughtering his comrades, he couldn’t bring himself to head there.

How dare a human do this!

Earlier, the Blood Lion had knocked him unconscious and tossed him aside like a rag doll. To his relief, the Blood Lion was nowhere to be seen when he came to. He assumed that the monster had gone to finish off the humans, as per his request.

No matter how powerful the intruders were, they stood no chance against the Blood Lion. Thus, the werewolf had crept to the combat zone, expecting to watch the humans be torn apart.

Instead, all he saw was the Blood Lion, his king, being obliterated and humiliated by a single human. The sight made him flee immediately, gathering what remained of his pack and retreating deep into the forest.

However, the death of their king only emboldened the humans further. They kept advancing and scouring the woods, hunting down the remnants of the wolf clan with brutal efficiency.

Thud!

We have to run away!

Another thunderous noise made the werewolf’s ears twitch. Gyorang’s eyes glinted with a cold, selfish light.

At least I need to survive.

His subordinates would’ve been devastated if they heard that. To gather the remaining wolves, he had to stay alive! It was all for the future of their kind!

Continuously convincing himself, he turned to leave.

"Chief Gyorang!” one of his subordinates called out as they rushed toward him. “We found it!"

Gyorang had given this one a specific task without expecting much.

"Lead the way," Gyorang commanded without hesitation.

He still had something to do before fleeing the scene.

“It’s over there,” the subordinate said.

They quickly reached their destination: a massive, hollowed-out tree stump with a small hole, making it look like a cave.

"If you look closely..." the subordinate pointed at the hole.

Inside was the offspring of the Blood Lion. Gyorang’s eyes slowly turned blood-red filled with dark intent. He wasn’t here to protect the fallen king’s lineage.

I’m going to kill it!

Gyorang and the others had called the Blood Lion their king out of fear of his immense power, not out of respect. If his heir were allowed to grow, history would only repeat itself. Hence, he decided to nip the problem in the bud.

"I hold nothing against you," Gyorang said, yet his eyes were full of hatred and ambition.

If the bloodline were extinguished, there would be no heir to the throne. Perhaps he could even take it for himself.

The next moment, Gyorang reached into the hollow with a sinister grin. His hand slid inside, searching for the cub.

Grr...

"

Agh!

You little—!"

Gyorang yanked his hand back in pain, finding a fresh bite mark on it. The cub’s bite wasn’t strong enough to cause real damage, but it still caught him off guard.

Gyorang’s lips twitched in annoyance. The humiliation that he had suffered under the Blood Lion came rushing back to him. He remembered how his king had beaten him earlier.

"Die!" Gyorang growled.

Swoosh—!

Gyorang’s claws slid out, each one as sharp as a finely crafted blade. With his face twisted in rage, he reached back into the tree stump, ready to skewer the cub.

Whoosh—!

Crack!

However, just as his claws were about to strike, an agonizing pain erupted in his back. He froze in place.

With trembling eyes, Gyorang looked over his shoulder. A long spear had been driven deep into his spine, pinning him against the tree. He recognized it as the very weapon that had slain the Blood Lion.

"This is...” Gyorang struggled to speak.

Crack!

His subordinate suffered the same fate. A second spear flew in, killing the other werewolf before he could even scream.

"How... How is this p—" Gyorang trembled violently.

His vision quickly blurred, and his breathing grew shallow. With his tongue hanging out, he took his last breath.

"How did he manage to run all the way here?"

Kim Do-Joon approached the werewolves shortly after to confirm their deaths.

"

Rawr

—"

Just as he yanked the spear out of Gyorang’s lifeless body, a small growl caught his attention.

"

Huh?

"

It came from a dark, hollow opening in the large tree stump nearby. Unlike the growls of the Therianthropes that Kim Do-Joon had fought so far, it was soft and high-pitched, almost innocent. Curious, he peered into the hollow.

Within the darkness, something small shifted slightly. It was a baby lion.

Unlike the other Therianthropes, who were grotesque blends of animals and humans, the creature before him looked like a pure, ordinary lion cub.

The only unusual feature was its tail, which was tipped with fur as red as blood. The sight of it instantly reminded Kim Do-Joon of someone.

"Could it be...?"

The energy emanating from the cub was also eerily similar to the Blood Lion. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

Kim Do-Joon frowned slightly, realizing that the fallen king had left behind a child.

He didn’t regret killing the Blood Lion. After all, it was either kill or be killed. Besides, if Shin Yoo-Sung, the S-rank Healer, hadn’t been there, many of them would have been permanently disabled.

Nevertheless, unlike Gyorang, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t help but pity the cub. It was alone, without anyone to protect it. As a father himself, he couldn’t shake off his guilt.

Kim Do-Joon reached into the hollow. The cub immediately sank its tiny teeth into his finger, but he remained still. It was just a nip, so it wasn’t painful.

He stayed calm until the cub eventually let go, realizing that the hand wasn’t a threat. It stopped growling, no longer as tense as when Gyorang had tried to kill it earlier.

Kim Do-Joon smiled as he withdrew his hand.

"Gyorang!"

"That damn human!"

Angry voices echoed from behind him. The remnants of the werewolves had caught his scent. They stood there, glaring at Kim Do-Joon with bloodthirsty eyes. Their gazes lingered on the corpse of their fallen chief.

Kim Do-Joon’s smile vanished, and he stood up, gripping his spear.

"Kill him!"

"He killed Gyorang! Tear him to shreds!"

Snarling furiously, the werewolves charged toward Kim Do-Joon.

Crunch! Crack!

Boom!

Deafening noises reverberated as the battle began. Meanwhile, the curious cub, still hiding inside the tree hollow, couldn’t resist peeking his head out.

A lone human, surrounded by dozens of enraged werewolves, cut through them with ease. The cub’s eyes widened, mesmerized by the sight of the fearless warrior.

***

Through aerial photographs, people confirmed that the Giant Woodland was slowly shrinking. Its massive trees were disintegrating, starting from the edges and working inward, like withered roots. The subjugation was nearing its end.

"

Uh

, Mr. Do-Joon... I heard you were the one who caught me earlier," said Yeon Hong-Ah.

When she regained consciousness, she thanked Shin Yoo-Sung, thinking that the man hadn’t only healed her but also caught her when she was sent flying and subsequently passed out.

Unexpectedly, Shin Yoo-Sung told her that it was Kim Do-Joon, who had joined the group at the last second.

She didn’t even know Kim Do-Joon was there, which made his actions even more surprising.

“Thank you, Mr. Do-Joon. If it weren’t for you, I could have hit something and gotten seriously hurt.”

“It’s nothing. Anyone would’ve done the same,” Kim Do-Joon replied.

Yeon Hong-Ah smiled. He just gave her a typical response, yet it somehow made her feel good.

With the thanks out of the way, she finally asked what had been bothering her all this time.

She glanced behind her and tilted her head. “By the way, what’s that?”

“I’m not sure,” Kim Do-Joon answered, turning around to look where she pointed.

A lion cub was following him, keeping a bit of distance. When Kim Do-Joon stopped and looked back, the cub paused too. It awkwardly glanced around, as if trying to act casual.

"I was going to just leave him, but he won’t stop following me," Kim Do-Joon explained.

"Is that... a monster?" Yeon Hong-Ah asked with a confused look.

"It looks like an ordinary animal, but yeah, probably. He lives here, after all.”

“You're not planning on taking him home, are you? He’s a monster.”

Technically, the cub wasn’t just any ordinary monster since the Therianthropes were intelligent beings. However, the fact remained that he lived in a perilous dungeon.

“I was thinking about asking him a favor. He might refuse if it’s too much hassle, though,” Kim Do-Joon said thoughtfully.

“A favor? Who are you going to ask?” Yeon Hong-Ah asked, confused.

She wondered if he was referring to the Association President.

***

After finishing the mission and parting ways with the others, Kim Do-Joon returned home and sat in the living room across from Jecheon Seong. The lion cub sat between them.

“Would you mind looking after him for me while I’m away?” Kim Do-Joon asked.

Jecheon Seong raised an eyebrow at the cub. “What... is that?”

Kim Do-Joon explained how he had come across the cub. He told him about the fierce monster called the Blood Lion, which he had defeated during the hunt, and how he had found this cub afterward. He also shared his suspicion that it could be the Blood Lion's offspring.

He could have killed the cub, which was technically a monster. However, it had followed him so persistently, tugging at his conscience. In the end, he had no choice but to take him home.

However, he was often away in dungeons, and he had a six-year-old daughter at home. He needed others to help him raise the cub.

“I was thinking of asking the Association President if you can’t help, but...”

“No, it’s fine. I’ve been feeling a bit lonely lately with everyone out of the house anyway. This will keep me company,” Jecheon Seong replied, much to Kim Do-Joon's surprise.

Raising the cub wouldn’t be that difficult because he wasn’t a regular animal. It was stronger and likely far more intelligent, so communication wouldn’t be an issue.

As they chatted, Jecheon Seong picked up the cub. The little lion, sensing the immense power radiating from him, remained calm.

Just then, the door slid open, and Kim So-Eun and Siwelin entered.

“I’m home!” Kim So-Eun cheerfully exclaimed. Noticing her father’s shoes by the door, she asked, “Daddy, are you back already?”

She sprinted into the living room, and her eyes lit up when she spotted the cub in Jecheon Seong’s arms.

“Puppy!” Kim So-Eun exclaimed, beaming.

Technically, lions were more like cats, not dogs, but Kim Do-Joon decided to keep that to himself. Now wasn’t the time to correct her; he was more concerned about the possibility of the cub harming Kim So-Eun.

Kim Do-Joon tensed up and fixed his eyes on the two, ready to intervene at any moment.