My previous life’s family environment was far from ideal.
My mother, who’d had me after a one-night mistake, would often get drunk and lament her life choices. My father, meanwhile, was barely around.
Their inevitable divorce left me in my mother’s care.
“I’ll definitely come pick you up when I make a lot of money. Until then, can you wait here quietly?”
…
One snowy day, heavy flakes blanketing the world in silence, I was abandoned.
I became an orphan.
If this was going to happen, why did you even give birth to me? Liar…
In my previous life, my parents were nothing more than objects of resentment.
But in this life, things were different.
“I’m back from school!”
“Gyeonwoo, you’re home! You came back early today.”
“Yeah, it was the opening ceremony.”
“How was it? What do you think of your teacher and classmates?”
My mother greeted me warmly, her smile so kind that it warmed my heart.
The mother from my past life never smiled like that.
“I don’t even want to look at you. Every time I do, I see his face.”
Recalling my past life always brought unpleasant emotions. Useless memories I wanted to forget would resurface alongside the useful knowledge of the game.
Maybe that was why, for a moment, I felt overwhelmed.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen at school?”
“…No, I’m just… grateful.”
Without thinking, I hugged my mother tightly.
She seemed surprised at first but soon wrapped her arms around me.
“Did you miss Mom that much?”
“I just wanted to see you today.”
“There wasn’t anything wrong, was there?”
“No, nothing happened.”
“Well, if there is, you have to promise to tell me, okay?”
“I promise.”
“You must be starving since you didn’t eat lunch. I’ll make something for you right away. Just wait a little while.”
“Okay. I’ll play with Mongsil while I wait.”
“Go ahead.”
I felt a little awkward and embarrassed, but my mother’s warmth had a calming effect on me. Both my mind and body began to relax, and even the confusing memories of my past life seemed to settle.
I’m not the same person I was in my past life.
And I’m not the Dog-dog from the game either.
I’m simply Dogyeonwoo.
I released my mother’s hand and resolved to move forward, leaving the baggage of my previous life behind.
Then, I went to see Mongsil.
“Mongsil, hyung is here!”
Keung!
Mongsil, my white rabbit, twitched his nose in response.
I took him out of his cage and offered him some hay.
Chomp, chomp.
Mongsil quietly munched on the hay, enjoying my gentle touch.
“It took a while for us to get close, didn’t it?”
Keung?
Rabbits are sensitive creatures, and it takes time to earn their trust.
Mongsil was especially wary. He had been prepared by the Shingeom Doga as a hunting rabbit, and his natural instincts made him distrustful of people.
Back then, I couldn’t bring myself to kill him. I felt sorry for him and decided to raise him instead.
That decision earned me a nickname within the family: “Rabbit.”
The coward who couldn’t even hunt a rabbit, let alone become a lion.
The name was meant as a taunt.
I smiled bitterly at the memory.
Still, looking at Mongsil, I couldn’t help but think about Yeon-ha-neul.
“It’s going to be hard to get close to her, huh?”
Keung?
Yeon-ha-neul was a rabbit-type Ain. She probably had similar habits to Mongsil.
Or maybe not…?
Watching her earlier had made me think so. If I wanted to befriend her, I’d need to approach her with care.
“Since I don’t have much else to do at school, I might as well put in the effort.”
Delicately, like taming a rabbit.
That’s how I would approach her.
That’s how I hunt rabbits… no, recruit them.
At the Shingeom Doga, a renowned swordsmanship school, the family’s signature style was revered:
The Beast King School (Suwangryu).
Named after the lion, king of beasts, this swordsmanship combined speed, strength, precision, and dominance into a single philosophy.
It was also the very swordsmanship that, in the game, allowed Dogyeonwoo to awaken late and rise to become the best swordsman.
Knowing this, I couldn’t afford to slack off.
“Mom! I’m heading to the swordsmanship school!”
“Already? Isn’t it a bit early?”
“I want to get some extra practice in.”
After lunch, I went straight to the dojo.
The Shingeom Doga operated swordsmanship schools in various populated areas, where anyone willing to pay tuition could learn and train to become a hunter.
Of course, outsiders can’t learn the full Suwangryu techniques.
The schools taught a universal style, but they were popular and always packed.
Today, however, I arrived early, so there were only a few people there.
“… .”
They greeted me with nods, and I returned the gesture before unpacking my things and picking up a wooden sword.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and began practicing.
<Suwangryu Basics, Type 1: Hunting Posture>
Imagine a prey before you.
The lion watches, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Holding its breath, it waits patiently for the prey to let its guard down.
When that moment comes, it pounces, swift and decisive.
I visualized this as I practiced.
Each movement flowed into the next—waiting, striking, resetting.
Once… twice… three times…
Whoosh!
The wooden sword sliced through the air, creating a sharp sound.
I focused on that sound, repeating the motions over and over until they felt natural.
Good.
The sensation was exhilarating. The act of sweating, of putting in effort, felt strangely fulfilling.
For once, my concentration was perfect.
That is, until it was interrupted.
“What? Why are you here so early?”
“Yeah. What’s gotten into you, coward?”
“Practicing alone, are you?”
The words came from three identical faces—the triplets.
Their taunts shattered my focus.
I stopped mid-swing and turned to face them.
I’m angry.
Not just because they interrupted me, but because of what they represented.
These guys… I used to grovel before them?
The triplets were my tormentors, pawns of my cousin, and the main reason for my pitiful past.
The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became.
“What’s the point of practicing alone?”
“Need some sparring partners?”
“Yeah, let us help you!”
I had only one answer for them.
“Let’s do it, then. But let’s make it a real fight.”
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