TCGAD 25

As the final month of my term drew closer, my body became heavier and more sluggish.

My daily routine was simply to eat breakfast with the cubs, play with them excitedly, take a nap, wake up to eat lunch, play with the cubs some more, eat dinner, and then go to bed. I was really no different from a pet dog being raised.

Having eaten my fill at lunch, I was lying in bed, seeking a deep sleep. The bed was incredibly soft, and with the warm sunlight powdering in through the window, it was truly cozy.

Ah, but suddenly I felt a heavy presence on my thigh. Disturbed from my sleep, I furrowed my brow. Moreover, what was this sticky thing? I mumbled in my sleep at the hard object being slyly rubbed against my g**in.

“Bulkan, why again….”

You couldn’t hold it in and went into heat again. Thinking that, I opened my eyes, but I thought my heart would stop at the figure I encountered. It had a whopping six eyes. Six eyes were flashing a menacing blue light at me.

“Karrreung.”

Cerberus was drooling again as it looked at me. The p**is dangling beneath its belly was as hard as a baseball bat. I had once chanced upon an elephant’s p**is on television, and at the time, I had wondered why it had another trunk attached under its belly. But looking at that thing, it was the exact same situation.

“Bu, Bulkan….”

I scooted backward on my bottom, calling Bulkan’s name. As soon as I finished pronouncing the ‘kan’ syllable with my mouth, a voice came from behind me.

“What is this nonsense?”

I was just about to ask him to save me quickly, but his face was enraged about something.

“Is this what they call an extramarital affair?”

That crazy b**t**d, he’s spouting nonsense at a time like this. I turned pale and quickly stomped my feet, begging him to save me. As Bulkan strode closer with heavy steps, kurrrr, Cerberus rumbled deep in its throat.

“Look at this thing?”

Bulkan’s head tilted more and more to the side. His eyes, sharp as a blade honed relentlessly against a stone, slowly narrowed.

“Are you coveting my female now?”

Cerberus went kurururung, rumbling in its throat and baring its sharp teeth. I was utterly dumbfounded by the conversation and gestures, which made it seem as if they were confronting each other as rivals in love. S**t, these d**n sons of b**ches.

The three heads rushed toward Bulkan all at once, opening their maws wide. Bulkan, with a blank face, picked up the dining table next to him and hit each head once. No more, no less, he struck them exactly three times. Crack, crack, crack! I could really hear the sound of their skulls splitting.

Cerberus’s body fell to the floor with a thud. Its tongue lolled out long from its mouth. Clang, clang! Bulkan dragged over a chain and fastened it around Cerberus’s necks. Then he tied it up in front of the cave entrance.

“Keok, ku-eok, keuk!”

It seemed extremely humiliating as it thrashed about, demanding to be set free, but the chain, seemingly made of something special, looked quite sturdy.

“Kwaruru, kak, kururu!”

Seeing it barking furiously in a frenzy and making a fuss, I did feel a little sorry for it. Of course, the situation would change 180 degrees the moment Bulkan released that leash. When Cerberus’s eyes met mine, it furtively turned its head away.

“Euhaha, it seems you are humiliated?”

Bulkan, in a very vile manner, even bent over at the waist as he taunted it.

“There is no greater shame for a male than to lose a fight over a female!”

These crazy b**t**ds, really, until the very end. Bulkan held me like a spoil of war and jeered relentlessly. Then, looking at the p**is visible beneath Cerberus’s muscle-laden belly, he scoffs, hmph!

“You don’t stand a chance with a thing like that. Go find another female. This one is mine, carrying my cub in its belly.”

It was a situation that could have easily been ridiculous, but the grave expression as he sternly warned the leashed dog was eerily terrifying.

“I called you to guard the gates of h**l, yet you dare invade my nest and covet my bride.”

Bulkan began to keep him in check without hesitation. Only then did I understand why that monstrous dog had come into my room. Today was the day I had to visit the hospital in the village.

Although Lemon sometimes went to the village to fetch a doctor, he said that if I stayed cooped up in the cave too much, mushrooms might start to grow on my body. Lemon had said he would look after the cubs, so I should go out and have some fun in the village.

“Let’s go now.”

I grabbed Bulkan’s arm and led him away, telling him to stop. If I didn’t mediate like this, it seemed the crude, messy dogfight, just like when neighborhood dogs get into a scuffle, would never end.

“Don’t worry about this Lemon and have a good trip!”

Lemon shouted, his hands full of treats. As usual, a bright madness lurked on his face.

“The great Lemon will take charge of this crazy mess!”

The cubs, who normally refused to leave my side, were completely engrossed in the food. Bono was circling around Lemon, and Kkakkah seemed busy today as well, trailing after Haengbok. I thought they could probably hold out like that for a few hours.

“I’m sorry, Lemon…. I’ll be back quickly.”

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Lemon.

“Oh my, my, Lemon would be delighted even if you go out and make a fourth heir!”

Lemon, who had been giggling, instantly put on a serious face. Kkakkah, unable to wait, had leaped up and tapped Lemon’s horn with his front paw. It seemed he had mistaken it for the bone in Lemon’s hand.

“Ahem, Kkakkah.”

I looked at him sternly, held his large front paw, and reasoned with him. Kkakkah whined, kiing, kiing, out of guilt. He stood before Lemon with wide, round eyes and wagged his tail slowly, trying to act cute.

“Oh my, Mister Kkakkah! How can you be so adorable and disobedient at the same time.”

I really wondered if it was right to leave just Lemon like this. I had to move to a new place soon and hire more people. I dragged my feet, procrastinating.

“Come here.”

Bulkan lifted me up in a flash, placed me on the chariot, and then disappeared somewhere for a moment.

“Aack!”

Then suddenly, one side of the chariot tilted with a b**g! Bulkan had loaded a huge wild boar onto the back. And so, leaving the gates of h**l in Cerberus’s temporary care, we set off on the road to the village in the chariot driven by Bulkan himself.

I was lying on a hospital bed that was about to fall apart. My belly, just entering its seventh month, had taken on a pretty proper shape. The doctor looked over my already quite swollen belly from this way and that.

“Uh, uh, right, there’s a hand around here, and yes,… eyes. There have to be eyes.”

He mumbles on and on as if sensing something, his hand lightly placed on my belly. I, for fear of hearing something wrong, idly clenched and unclenched my fists in nervousness.

“This one is still attached just fine for now, looks healthy.”

At his nonchalant words, I finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

“You’ve entered the stable period now, so it’s not a problem to have marital relations.”

Tsk, tsk! The doctor, clicking his tongue, properly chastised me.

“If you get pregnant with one more like last time, you’ll be in for a world of trouble.”

My face flushed hot, and I nodded my head, promising to keep it in mind.

“Mating?”

Bulkan, who had been sitting languidly beside me, grinned. Why on earth was he smiling so slyly? Feeling my face turn red for no reason, I hurried my steps on the way out.

When I stepped outside the hospital, a crowd of young children was gathered at the entrance. The clothes they wore were all shabby, and their faces were grimy, as if they had been smeared with roasted sweet potatoes. They hold out their hands to me, palms up.

“I’m hungry.”

Like underfed chicks, their arms and legs were stick-thin, and only their two eyes were wide. After I had put money in their hands a few times and sent them on their way, they had started guarding the front door like this every time I came to the hospital.

This village was currently experiencing a prosperous time, but that was strictly a matter for the adults. There were still those who used children like this to swindle others. I heard they made these little children beg for money; truly, there are bad people everywhere you go.

Putting money in these children’s hands right now would not be of any help. I placed my hand on one child’s shoulder, bent my knees, and met his gaze.

“Do you guys know what the agora is?”

One by one, the children nodded their heads up and down. The agora was the market in the village, the place where the most people gathered. In one corner, they would share leftover alcohol and food from selling, and sometimes cultural or sporting events were held there.

“If you come there today, there will be meat.”

The children all gulped down their throats. Most of them were drooling, but one of them shook her head, saying no. She was a rather clever-looking little girl.

“There won’t be anything left for us after the adults eat it all.”

The others nodded their heads one by one, agreeing that she was right. Ah, I realized my thinking had been shortsighted. These children were in a blind spot of protection. With greedy adults swarming around, there was no way the meat would make it into the children’s mouths.

“Then hyung will save some for you. Let’s meet there in a little while.”

“Really? Can I bring more friends?”

“Sure.”

As I nodded my head yes, the children cheered, waah, and ran off excitedly. I watched their small backs grow distant. They looked like they would have just entered elementary school at most, but in reality, they were probably older than that. They probably couldn’t even attend school.

“Bulkan, the meat we brought earlier….”

I called for Bulkan and turned around, but a jet-black shadow fell over my body. Startled, I raised my head. The first thing I saw were the dead eyes of the wild boar.

“Euaah….”

Startled, I quickly backed away.

After realizing that even giving money to the children in front of the hospital would ultimately just line someone else’s pockets, I pondered how to feed the children effectively.

Come to think of it, we had plenty of leftover meat in the cave anyway. So I had asked Bulkan to release the meat at the social gathering place. At first, he seemed intensely displeased, but as a competition began over who could bring a larger piece of meat to the gathering, Bulkan became h**l-bent on it and grew very enthusiastic. Last time, he brought a two-headed cow and gave the people at the gathering quite a shock.

When he slammed the boar he had slung over his shoulder onto the floor of the social gathering place with a thud, everyone’s attention was immediately focused on him. Bulkan beat his chest like a drum and proclaimed.

“It originally had one more head attached. On the way here, my stomach got a little hungry, so this body tore it off and ate it myself.”

A truly complex mix of gazes filled with admiration, awe, jealousy, and fear poured onto Bulkan.

“That’s really amazing, isn’t it? What kind of weapon do you even use to take down something like that?”

Bulkan tilted his head.

“Does one need a weapon to catch something like this? That is merely an accessory. And aren’t accessories meant to be hung on my bride’s body? He has several on him right now. Hey, don’t you dare look, before I kill you.”

Suddenly, he slams his fist down on the boar’s jaw with a thwack. He shatters its molars and then throws them like a shuriken. The molars embedded themselves fiercely into the wall, quivering, parrr. At that monstrous strength, people shivered with a chill. I could hear their resentful muttering, not daring to speak loudly. In the eyes of the scholars who liked to pretend to be genteel, knowledgeable, and possessed of a keen eye for art, there was no eccentric like this one.

“Why does he have to boast so much? So immodest, tsk tsk.”

“Where on earth did that madman pop out from? At this rate, the village itself should be sanctioning him, tsk tsk tsk.”

Bulkan’s overflowing star power was enough to make one’s tongue wag in amazement. I had taken a step back, but soon my waist was pulled and I was held in Bulkan’s arms.

“Ugh….”

As if I were the one head that had originally been attached to the meat. Bulkan held me like a trophy and showed me off here and there.

“Everyone, look, this is mine. Do not touch, only look with your eyes. Anyone who looks for more than 10 seconds, I will caress your eye sockets with my fingers. 10 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second.”

He says he’ll give 10 seconds, but then shamelessly and quickly counts down from 3. For me, who had lived my life believing that living as if I wasn’t there was the greatest virtue, these kinds of gazes were unfamiliar. It was so embarrassing I thought I would die.

Anyway, being so conspicuous, one man actively approached and struck up a conversation.

“To think there was someone like you in our village, it’s amazing I didn’t know until now! Rumor has it you came from across the sea, is that right? No, no, was it that you came over the back mountain riding a tiger?”

Bulkan, paying him no mind, sank his molars into the cork of a wine bottle and j**ked his head back. Pop! As the wine burst forth, he shoved the opening into his throat and began to guzzle it down, kwalkwal. Gulp gulp. He easily received the red wine that poured rapidly from above. It was a clear act of ignoring him, yet the man continued to talk to him.

“Aren’t you competing this time?”

The people here did not know Bulkan’s true identity. Sometimes while walking around the village, I would see works of art decorated with a black dog and be filled with admiration, but other people didn’t know Bulkan when he was in human form, so to them, he was just like a hammer in a pocket that had popped out of nowhere. Perhaps the reason the couple with whom he had a bad connection in the village recognized Bulkan at once was because they had seen him change from a dog to a human.

Fearing that if I ignored him any further, I might earn his dislike, I quickly asked.

“Uh, what is that?”

In truth, I wasn’t the least bit curious, but the man’s eyes, itching to show off his knowledge, sparkled.

“Where have you been all this time? I’m talking about the Olympian Games held at the temple of Zeus.”

So that’s why people were so excited these days. It seemed a festival was soon to be held at the temple dedicated to the god named Zeus.

“My name is Nicholas, I help my father with carpentry. The Olympian Games are a series of events held once every four years. The victor gains immense glory.”

He explained, all worked up and even spluttering saliva. As I listened, the format seemed similar to the Olympics. The thought that it might have its roots here crossed my mind.

“But I’m done for, they say Demetrius, who won last year, is competing, right? You have no idea what a terrifying guy he is.”

Nicholas had a body as thin as my own. Of course, he would be far from this kind of competition. It was only natural, he would feel dizzy after running just a little, and would probably faint just from being poked in the side with a fish cake skewer.

“In the last competition, they say he poked his opponent’s stomach with his fingers and made his intestines spill out.”

He muttered that he had never seen such a brutal man, but I just smiled awkwardly. He was really, really talkative. I felt like blood was going to stream out of my ears. Of course, there was no particular reaction from Bulkan.

“Oho, so this level of things doesn’t surprise you, is that it…?”

As if it were an unexpected reaction, Nicholas lowered his voice as if about to tell a secret.

“Well, they say he completely burst his balls too!”

It was a triumphant remark, uttered as if it were the most gruesome thing imaginable, but a cold wind blew across our table. After chattering on by himself to his heart’s content, Nicholas eventually left.

Was his name Nicol? What was it. His name was already fading. It seemed he considered Bulkan, who neither poured him a drink nor reacted to him, quite rude. Whether he did or not, Bulkan continued to s**k down his drink roughly. The surrounding gazes flickered toward Bulkan. Every single one of them had a strange frown on their face.

“That fellow doesn’t seem to water down his wine, how utterly barbaric!”

“Doesn’t drinking wine straight from the source bring madness? Did he sell his soul to Dionysus and lose it?”

But listening closely, it seemed to make some sense.

“Could it be true…?”

I muttered to myself. Looking at Bulkan, it was a rather convincing statement. To the point where I wondered if someone had made up the saying with Bulkan in mind. With a small hope, I picked up a water bottle and poured a little into his drink. Gulp gulp, Bulkan, who drank the wine, roughly wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“The taste of the wine has gotten even better.”

The words he utters, his nose all wrinkled up, were,

“Did you perhaps mix your urine in here? I’m asking if you’ve marked your territory.”

This sort of thing. I looked at him with a coldly disapproving face. Bulkan chuckled. No, he was pretending to laugh, but seeing him l**k his lower lip with his tongue, this was clearly him being excited.

“Ah.”

I let out a small groan. I don’t think I should be blaming the innocent wine for this. Bulkan, having drunk his fill, pulled me into his arms and continuously muttered how pretty I was, while s**king on my hair.

“I want to catch a fantastically fattened fox and put it in your mouth.”

“Uh, right, thank you….”

I thanked him awkwardly, then, realizing he might actually want to do such a thing, I quickly added that I would just accept the sentiment. Bulkan’s eyes narrow into slits. At those eyes full of impurity, I furrowed my brow slightly.

“I understand.”

“What now all of a sudden….”

His two eyes were gleaming strangely, his madness was no ordinary thing. A sense of unease crept over me.

“You’ve put honey in your hair, haven’t you?”

Ah, I let my guard down. I should have just pretended I didn’t hear him, since he was going to spout nonsense anyway.

“It melts on the tip of my tongue, so it must be true?”

With his rough hands, he even v**garly fumbles with my thigh. The owner of the place goes ahem, ahem, clearing his throat and looking over. As I wandered around the village and mingled with people, I came to realize a few things I hadn’t known before.

Among them, the most shocking to me was the fact that homosexuality was rampant. Even here right now, there were quite a few couples of men sitting together, drinking with a suggestive atmosphere and sharing subtle skinship.

But no matter how you look at it, this kind of blatant skinship was strange. Even just hugging or kissing in a public place would be extremely embarrassing, but s**king on hair. No matter how you looked at it, he was not in his right mind. This was something anyone would find strange.

“Bulkan, other people are watching.”

Just in case I might upset his foul mood, I purposely spoke with an awkward smile.

“Who is it that is stealing glances at my bride?”

Instantly, Bulkan’s eyes sharpened. It was a look that wouldn’t be strange if he stabbed someone to death, so I quickly stepped in to stop him.

“No, that’s not it.”

“Who is it that considers their two eyes a luxury?”

But like a can of cola opened after being shaken for a long time, Bulkan was already in an uncontrollable state. Soon, he grabbed the owner by the scruff of the neck, asking if he was the one who had coveted his bride, and even spouted nonsensical things like his bride had sold his soul to the goddess of beauty, so a nobody like him couldn’t dare to desire him.

We were already drawing the attention of those around us, but now it felt like even the ants would come out of their anthill to watch us. I cleverly hid my face with the plate Bulkan had emptied. While his attention was elsewhere, I quietly stood up from my seat.

“Bulkan, I’m just going to step out for a bit.”

I whispered softly. From a few past experiences, it was obvious that trying to stop him in such cases wouldn’t work. Before I embarrassed myself any further, my plan was to slip away and see the children’s faces one more time. Although I had personally brought the meat to the children earlier, I wanted to see with my own two eyes that they were eating well. However. In the time I had been covering my eyes with the plate, someone had come up close, and I ended up bumping shoulders with him.

“Don’t you watch where you’re going?!”

Feeling something bump into me with a thud, I was startled and quickly stepped back, but it was already too late. The wine in the other person’s hand had already splashed widely onto his clothes. Moreover…. Gulp, I swallowed dryly. I slowly raised my head. The other person was so tall that it truly felt like a huge wall was blocking my way.

“I-I’m sorry.”

The other person made eye contact with the companions he was with. His two eyes sparkled with interest, and a strange smile hung on his lips. I’m fucked, was the thought that came to mind. I already knew those eyes all too well. It was clearly the look of someone who was bored and thought, you’re just what I needed.

“If you’re sorry, isn’t it the privilege of us men to pay the proper price for our sins?”

“I’m really sorry, I’ll definitely pay for the clothes… Uht.”

I was in the middle of saying I would definitely pay for the clothes, but a cold liquid trickled down from above my head. The man had poured his drink over my head. I heard gasps of heek from those around me. From the top of my head down to the tunic that concealed my belly, everything was completely soaked.

“…….”

A cold silence fell over the social gathering place. What broke that silence was the sound of footsteps, jeobeok. Jeobeok jeobeok. Those fast and clear footsteps drew closer and closer to me. The moment a large shadow opened its jaws wide and mockingly devoured my own shadow, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Why has my bride become all w**?”

Of all things, what could possibly possess someone to mess with me when I’m with Bulkan? This guy with such terrible luck…

“Ah, was he your same-s** lover?”

The guy seemed to have heard of Bulkan’s reputation.

“Well, well. I didn’t recognize you?”

He sauntered over and stood in front of Bulkan. He was quite tall himself, but Bulkan’s line of sight was about half a hand’s span higher. When Bulkan looked down at him, his pride seemed incredibly wounded, as he cleared his throat with a hmm hmm and purposely strained his neck to look down, his eyes wide.

“What am I to do, I seem to have committed a rudeness…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Bulkan grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. The 0.1-ton weight, which at a glance seemed to be well over 100 kilograms, was lifted slightly into the air. The guy’s eyes widened in surprise at that monstrous strength.

“Did you urinate on my bride?”

The atmosphere became murderously heated. I quickly went over and wrapped my arms around Bulkan’s waist. His torso was so thick that my arms couldn’t easily encircle it. Lately, he’d been teaching the cubs how to hunt, and with the cubs’ appetites increasing, he’d been going out to hunt often, so his muscles were pumped to the max. If a fight broke out in this state, that man was truly a dead man.

“Bu, Bulkan, he said it was a mistake.”

I muttered ceaselessly, clinging to him like a limpet.

“You promised me, huh?”

Although he now acts like a well-trained fierce dog in front of me, I knew that he was still as ferocious as ever towards other beasts. Since we couldn’t just come to the village without any precautions, I had earnestly pleaded with Bulkan.

…The people living in the village are a much weaker race than you, so it is a virtue to endure and let it go even if they do something a little unpleasant. We promised each other over and over again not to fight under any circumstances.

‘Why in the world must this body do that?’

Bulkan was quite displeased. He didn’t seem to understand the reason why he shouldn’t punish those who annoyed him. I was completely at a loss for words.

‘Why, do I have to…’

Compassion and mercy grow from the heart; they are not things that can be learned from letters. The thought that my method might have been wrong from the start occurred to me.

Thus, I gave up on making him understand. I simply made him memorize it. Do not touch the weak. Just leave them alone since it’s no fun anyway.

‘If I see you bullying the weak, I might look down on you.’

Of course, this applied to vile people who were weak to the strong and strong to the weak, not to someone like Bulkan who just straight up beat his opponents.

‘Look down on me?’

But for Bulkan, who hated being looked down upon by others, it was very effective.

‘You would look down on me?’

Bulkan walked around the cave in circles, very dissatisfied. And so, he promised me that he would never again raise his fist against a human. But I don’t know why the situation has turned out like this again.

“You promised me you wouldn’t harm people.”

I can feel Bulkan’s panting breath within my arms. His body temperature must have risen, as our skin, pressed together, was incredibly hot.

“Yes, come on.”

As I shook Bulkan’s arm, the strength in his grip gradually loosened. The body of the other guy, who had been dangling in the air, began to sink downwards.

“What? Who’s harming whom?”

But the other guy, having heard my words, suddenly cut in and burst out laughing, wahaha! It seemed he was putting on a bigger bluff because of the humiliation of being lifted into the air.

“You must not know me since you’re unfamiliar faces. I am Demetrius, who has won the Olympian Games a total of two times!”

A great lion’s roar echoed throughout the establishment. I had thought his build was formidable, and it seems this guy was the champion I had heard about earlier.

“The year before last, I struck my opponent’s abdomen, broke his ribs, and stopped his heart. And last year, with this one finger, I jabbed my opponent’s abdomen and made his intestines spill out.”

At those gruesome words, sounds of gulping dry saliva leaked from those around. No one dared to step forward, they were only observing the situation. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly one of fear.

But suddenly, truly suddenly, an unexpected word flowed from Bulkan’s mouth.

“In that case, if I go out there, I can beat the s**t out of that piglet?”

I momentarily swayed. What is this dog saying right now?

“P-piglet?”

The big guy’s body trembled, but he soon regained his composure and chuckled.

“Yeah, mister. Why don’t you come out and get beaten to a pulp by me.”

He brought his face close to Bulkan’s and spoke ominously.

“I’ll beat you into a pulp and make you my s** toy.”

It was a highly dramatic scene, but Bulkan just stared at him with a blank expression. The big guy and his gang noisily left the social gathering place, and the revolving door spun around, pinggeureureu. The people left behind were just murmuring amongst themselves.

“A showdown between a newly emerged powerhouse and Demetrius. This is truly going to be the match of the century. A huge amount of money will be made soon.”

“Even for that man, to go against Demetrius…. He might have to run for his life if he wants to stay alive.”

Bulkan’s ominous voice cut through the noisy gap.

“You definitely said I could beat the s**t out of him?”

The guy named Nicol or whatever from before popped up again and chimed in.

“If you win the match, not only will it be an honor for our village, but you can also achieve great success…”

He was so excited he tried to continue speaking, but Bulkan, whose mind was already fixed on one thing, muttered ominously to himself.

“My bride needs nutritious pork right now. I will beat him soundly with my fists, skewer him, and roast him over a fire to eat.”

I had to feel as if the world before my eyes was burning away. My temples throbbed, and I pressed my hand to my forehead.

For that reason, Bulkan ended up participating in the Olympian Games, which had not been planned. The day the games were held happened to be a day when the hot sun was blazing down. There wasn’t even a common awning. It was so dusty that my throat was sore. Even in these poor conditions, the audience waited for the athletes, full of excitement.

I was anxiously mixed in with the crowd. The priest cut open a pig’s belly, placed it on the altar, and prayed for abundance.

“Hey, weakling. Where did your sugar daddy go?”

That big guy approached again, with his gang strung along like Vienna sausages. Up close, he wasn’t as big as Bulkan, but his build was truly intimidatingly large. It felt as if my breath was being choked out of me.

“Don’t tell me he got scared and ran away?”

Euhahaha, I looked at the guys who were laughing their heads off with a blank expression. Why are such insignificant guys so desperate to have little s**ts like goldfish poop trailing after them? It was a science that transcended time and place.

“Odeu.”

I heard Bulkan’s voice from behind me. A dark shadow fell over my head. I had wondered where he had gone, and it turns out he had picked up a large leaf from somewhere. Then, he abruptly scanned the group that followed Demetrius. He grabbed one of them by the scruff of his neck and dragged him over. It was the tallest one.

“You are a strong one.”

“Y-yes?”

At the sudden declaration, the guy’s eyes went wide. His neck was shrunk down like a turtle’s. The guy who had been so boastful and mocking of Bulkan from behind Demetrius was now cowering after being dragged to the front.

“You fucking idiot, I said you’re a strong one.”

His height was like a telephone pole, but his arms were as thin as tree branches and his legs were as skinny as a praying mantis’s. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t look like a strong person, so what was this sudden talk of being strong.

“Listen if you don’t want to get beaten.”

Only then did I realize Bulkan’s intention. I had told him not to bully the weak, so he was arbitrarily giving his opponent the title of ‘strong one’ and then threatening him.

“You should know that if you go over to that side, you can never come back to this side.”

Demetrius, who was about to lose his goldfish poop in an instant, spoke in a similar manner.

“W-what should I do….”

The innocent goldfish poop was completely cornered. With a pale face, he repeatedly glanced between Demetrius’s face and Bulkan’s fist. Then, he noticed the veins bulging on Bulkan’s brown fist and carefully picked up the leaf.

“I, I…!”

Of course, Demetrius ground his teeth in defeat.

As the tallest guy held up the leaf like an umbrella, a shadow fell over my face. The sunlight that had been painfully piercing my eyes disappeared, and the surrounding air naturally cooled down. The situation had become much better.

“I like it.”

Only after seeing my body completely hidden in the shade did Bulkan put a satisfied smile on his lips. Demetrius, who had been watching the events unfold before him as if in disbelief, spoke belatedly.

“So the pretty boy who’s all for show has finally appeared before me, has he?”

The corners of Bulkan’s eyes narrowed keenly.

“Who are you?”

Flinch, Demetrius stiffened. He quickly erased the look of bewilderment and forced a vile smile.

“But you remember my name clearly in your head, don’t you? You were probably too scared to sleep at night, right? Did you burrow into your lover’s side because you were afraid of wetting the bed?”

“What is this pig d**k?”

Bulkan asked me. I then heard a voice muttering what sounded like ‘digital?’. No, that was wrong. That was very wrong. The opponent, overcome with anger, punched the wall with a thwack.

“You just get ready to kneel under me today. The loser has to s**k the d**k?”

The man shot words filled with ridicule. It may have been his own version of a witty comeback, but his opponent was Bulkan. A being who would chew up logic, not spare a single corner of his mind for thought, and act first.

“Do you wish to become my concubine?”

Bulkan’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Are you coveting my bride’s position? I have no intention of s**king your b**asts. They would smell as filthy and disgusting as an old goat’s teats.”

Pfft, a laugh burst out from the side. It was the fellow who was making a shade for me with a leaf. As everyone’s gazes converged on him like a funnel, he flinched in surprise and pretended to clear his throat with a hmm hmm.

“We’ll see, I’ll defeat you with victory, like a man!”

Demetrius’s face turned red and blue with rage as he huffed and returned to the stadium. His goldfish poop followers trailed after him in a crowd. I let out a small sigh as I watched them disappear. I stood under the shade and looked up at Bulkan. It was because a needless anxiety was crawling across my chest like a centipede.

When the referee raised his staff, the muscular giant standing next to him beat the drum, kung kung kung!

The match had begun. Waaaaaaah, a great roar shook the surroundings. The sandstorm kicked up violently, and my vision blurred. Chariots pulled by horses appeared one by one. For some reason, all the events were held in the nude. Since they were not wearing a single thread, it was not easy to distinguish their faces.

However, the one running in the lead was immediately recognizable. The owner of that massive, elephant-like body was undoubtedly… Demetrius, the winner of last year’s competition.

“It’s Demetrius! Demetrius is in the lead again!”

There was a considerable gap, and it was the moment when victory was almost certain.

“What on earth is that?”

But suddenly, something appeared that caught everyone’s eye. Was it not Cerberus, the three-headed hellhound, attached to a chariot and cutting through the air at an incredible speed?

“Giddy-up!”

People were all busy trying to find the rider, wondering who on earth was on top of it. He was so fast that his identity was unknown, but the shout uttered by the lips visible below him struck my ears precisely.

“Giddy-up!”

I couldn’t believe how loud the shout was as he fiercely beat the Cerberus with a whip made from a horse’s tail. It was so loud that the very earth seemed to roar. This was, of course, a game that was no contest. It was like everyone else was barely driving along on sputtering scooters while he alone brought a racing car and breezed through the finish line.

The crowd, which was at first bewildered by the black chariot that was putting on an incredible spurt, began to get excited.

“Come on, run, run!”

As the black chariot passed the finish line at an incredible speed, the people let out a roar of uooooo, and began to take off their clothes and shoes and throw them all at once into the stadium.

The sandstorm that had kicked up vanished like a hazy smog. And the body of the hero revealed was nothing short of a rock.

The people here were particularly interested in a man’s physique, and his shoulders were as broad as a great hawk with its wings spread wide on both sides. The muscles clinging to his wide back were as splendid as a peacock showing off its feathers, making it hard to find a place to rest one’s eyes. In addition, the large club-like thing positioned between his legs made it impossible not to stare at him.

In the midst of the crucible of enthusiasm, the other participants all raised their voices, saying it was unfair.

“What is this, this is unfair!”

Demetrius’s protest was especially fierce. He scurried over to the referee, brought his face up close, and continued to appeal the unfairness. From a distance, he was so aggressive that it looked like he was trying to kiss him.

“Does it make sense to use a Cerberus in a chariot race?”

“…Hmm, what to do about this.”

Even the referee seemed to be at a loss. To declare Bulkan disqualified for a foul like this would obviously draw boos from the crowd. But to ignore it and move on, the protests were piling up and no joke. I waited anxiously for the result. I felt it would be more comfortable for me if he were eliminated at this point, so I just timidly added my voice.

“That’s right, it was a race pulled by horses.”

But suddenly, a person popped out and started defending Bulkan.

“But was there any law that said something other than a horse could not pull a chariot?”

Thanks to that, my words were powerlessly covered up. I wondered who was being so tactlessly forward. It was the man I had seen at the agora. The one whose name was Nicholas or something.

“If you’re so upset about it, why don’t you go bring that Cerberus and have it pull you?”

At Nicholas’s words, everyone’s attention was drawn to the Cerberus that was held by Bulkan. Cerberus, unable to calm its excitement yet, was continuously scratching the ground of the square with its front paws.

“Kurreureung.”

Its muscles were well-developed and cracked like a rocky mountain, and its front paw alone was comparable in size to a child’s head. It was clear that anyone who got on its bad side would be left with nothing but a bare skull.

“If there is anyone who can go now and put a bridle on the head of that fierce hellhound, then it would be fine to declare the winner disqualified for a foul.”

In other words, it meant, go offer up your life. Demetrius shut his mouth completely. The competitors were just looking at each other’s faces. I bit my lower lip. I couldn’t understand why that b**t**d had suddenly acquired such logical skills.

In the end, the winner of the day was decided to be Bulkan, but it was inevitable that a strange feeling of unease remained among the competitors.

“Are you okay?”

I asked casually, covering Bulkan’s body with a cloth. Unlike the other athletes who were exhausted and lying flat on the field, Bulkan was as calm as if nothing had happened.

“I just got some fresh air. The sweat pores and g**ins of the males gave off a lot of filthy smells, and it was extremely unpleasant for my nose.”

At his blunt words, the opposing athletes around us shot him sharp glances. Of course, they couldn’t glare at him openly in front of Bulkan, but only stared at him gloomily from behind. In the midst of that, a thought suddenly came to me, and I quickly asked Bulkan.

“By the way, who’s guarding the gates of h**l?”

I whispered softly so that other people wouldn’t be surprised if they heard, but the answer that came back was very much like him.

“I caught another guy and made him guard the gate.”

He was so proud and pleased with himself that he wore a grin on his lips. I let out a deep sigh.

The event held the next day was running, and they had to run across a wide open field without any equipment. It was a game where only one’s physical abilities and stamina determined the winner, and thanks to that, the talk of it being unfair completely disappeared. Bulkan, literally like a racehorse born just for this day, dashed through the air with a sssaeng.

The very muscles he used for his arms and legs were different from those of ordinary humans. The power of his sturdy thighs kicking off the ground, and the veins that shot out in his calves with a padeudeuk every time he momentarily exerted force, looked just like old tree trunks. His arms, which he swung forward as if to cut through the air, were very threatening.

“That human, hah, is like, heok, not the same species as us, heok….”

I heard the words of a competitor who was completely overwhelmed. That day ended with Bulkan’s victory without any dispute.

Even at the agora where we stopped for a quick drink, there was an overflow of excitement from the results of the day’s games and anticipation for the next day’s event.

“Come on, once the game has started, begging on your knees won’t be accepted. Hurry up and place your bets on who will win!”

Seizing the opportunity, the owner quickly sold lottery tickets, urging people to place their bets.

“I’ll bet on Demetrius. No matter how crazy the opponent is, our Mimi is a hero among heroes who has won twice in a row!”

“That’s right, that’s right! Mimi has never lost in the event held tomorrow, you know?”

“What are you all talking about?”

A curly-haired head popped out from the crowd. It was that Nicholas guy again.

“You all didn’t get a proper look at that black-haired man running across the field, did you?”

When he asked triumphantly, everyone just looked at each other’s faces.

“I guess so! He was really incredibly fast. I saw him from the very front, and I’m telling you, he wasn’t human! He was a complete winged beast!”

At Nicholas’s words, the place went into a frenzy.

“In that case, I’ll bet on the black-haired man!”

“Me too, me too!”

The tide of the betting had completely turned, and everyone was raising their bills and shouting that they would bet on the black-haired man. Nicholas, who was watching the scene with great satisfaction, approached us and acted as if we were close, offering to buy us a drink.

“Wasn’t I the one who told this amazing rookie to compete in the games? I recognized at a glance that he was no ordinary person, you know?”

He acted all friendly and was about to fearlessly put his arm around Bulkan’s shoulder. I was so startled that I quickly pulled Bulkan away. Nicholas’s forehead was also dripping with cold sweat; it seemed he wanted to act friendly, but he was indeed scared.

“Hey! I’ve bet a huge amount of money on you! I wish you the best of luck!”

A man I had never seen before shook his wine glass in the air, and the red liquid sloshed and overflowed. I thought Bulkan would naturally ignore that extremely flashy action.

“Of course, we must have a festival to catch the piglet.”

When he responded like that, the cheers were no joke. I closed my eyes tightly, my head aching. I thought that if Bulkan were a sports player, he would truly be a star who would make headlines every day in many ways. Everyone was in a festive mood, but I alone was trembling with anxiety.

What I was actually worried about was the event held the next day. It was an event called pankration, and at first glance, it looked similar to mixed martial arts, but the rules were so incredibly violent that it was beyond words.

A sport where everything was allowed except for scratching with fingernails, biting with teeth, and poking eyes. To put it bluntly, it was even possible to burst an opponent’s t**ticles. It was truly a crazy sport.

‘In the last competition, they say he poked his opponent’s stomach with his fingers and made his intestines spill out.’

No matter how strong Bulkan was, I couldn’t help but worry when his opponent used such dirty methods.

“Bulkan, do you really have to go on with this?”

Bulkan, who was quenching his thirst by continuously drinking wine with me tucked under his arm, snorted with a hmph, as if he had heard something he didn’t like.

“Doesn’t a b**t**d like that deserve to lose his life in the match?”

I furrowed my brow slightly. Of course, it’s not that I’m not worried about Demetrius, that b**t**d. I detested the kind of people who committed evil acts against those weaker than them the most, but with the small affection I had left for humanity, I was worried just a little. Its size probably wouldn’t be smaller than a pinky fingernail.