Yuna suddenly burst in, her face brimming with excitement as she peppered questions one after another. Normally, I might have understood some of them, but now she was speaking so fast that I couldn’t make out a single word.
Why does such a language even exist, and why hasn’t it disappeared yet? Myungho was busy trying to explain everything away as misunderstandings, while Yuna was just as busy bombarding him with more questions.
In the midst of all this chaos, the word “boyfriend” from earlier rang loud and clear in my ears. Boyfriend… I tried imagining someone by my side for a moment.
It sounds weird hearing about a former man dating another man, but since this is hypothetical, it doesn’t really matter, right?
I tried picturing it once, but the more I thought about it, the more troubled I became. The idea of me acting cute, clinging tightly, and whispering sweet nothings to someone just wouldn’t come together in my mind.
Myungho? Hmm… Sure, he’s taller than me, but he’s weak, lacks courage, and isn’t assertive enough. Honestly, in his current state, no way.
But if he were to become stronger than me… Honestly, it might not be so bad. For now, though, not really appealing.
“Alterra, tell her you were just learning how to speak! She’s not listening to me at all!”
He might be fine as a friend. Cutting off my thoughts, I decided to help Myungho out of his predicament and awkwardly relayed only the facts to Yuna.
“We’re learning how to talk. Myungho isn’t my boyfriend. He’s a friend, yes. Boyfriend, no.”
“Did you hear that?! He’s not my boyfriend! I’ve been saying this the whole time!”
When Myungho denied being a boyfriend, he looked like he had been wounded emotionally for a moment, but quickly shook it off and insisted on his innocence to Yuna.
Is he really being this persistent? Well, this is the first time I’ve seen Yuna get this excited since traveling with them. Even Myungho must not see this side of her often.
That’s probably why he’s stomping around, unsure how to handle the situation. After hearing both mine and Myungho’s explanations, Yuna finally returned to her usual emotionless self.
“Hmm… Looks like I jumped to conclusions. Sorry, Myungho. And sorry, Alterra. You must’ve seen an ugly side of me.”
“Well, it’s not that serious… But still, try to listen to others next time. It was really frustrating just now.”
She has calmed down. Apologizing humbly, Yuna sat down. Then, as if offering help, she sat next to Myungho and began assisting him in teaching me.
For some reason, seeing that bothered me, so I also sat next to Myungho. At first, when Yuna sat down, Myungho didn’t seem too bothered, but when I sat down, he reacted.
“…Alterra? Wouldn’t it be easier to sit on the other side?”
“Does it matter where I sit? And is there any reason I can’t sit next to you?”
Yuna smiled slightly, as if understanding something, and said something to Myungho. Realizing he had nothing to counter with, Myungho simply agreed and started teaching me.
Despite appearing uncomfortable, Myungho soon threw himself into teaching me, diving deep into the text as if trying to extract every last bit of knowledge.
“…Why do we read 80 this way? Why…? Four times 20? Isn’t there a word that directly represents 80? We read 70 straightforwardly, so what’s wrong with this language…?”
“I think this word should disappear too. But people keep using it, don’t they? Probably impossible to change. Everyone else must find it inconvenient too but still uses it.”
Pushing aside these confusing words, I pondered why I was sitting here. Definitely not because of affection.
If I had to pinpoint it… maybe it’s possessiveness. This felt simpler to understand.
This is my only friend, and the sudden annoyance at seeing someone else getting close made me realize how petty I was being.
“Well, for 90, you add 10 to four times 20. Understand? I’d also like to go find whoever came up with these words and bash their heads with a dictionary.”
“Ahem. By the way, wasn’t there supposed to be a giant beast hunt tomorrow? Have you decided your roles? Regular attacker or herder?”
“When did you start listening?”
“Well, ever since you two checked my room and went back to yours. I was just curious about something and ended up listening.”
“I think I’ll be the herder. I have the skills for it, and I want the fame, right?”
“Hey, could you fill me in on what you’re talking about? I have no idea what’s going on.”
Realizing he had been enthusiastically talking to himself again, Myungho apologized and briefly explained what a herder was.
“So, a herder basically lures the giant beast to a place where the attack team can unleash their full force. You need to be quick and strong enough to avoid being caught or hurt by the beast, and you must occasionally grab its attention along the way…”
“Why do you need to lure it? Can’t you just catch it there? Isn’t it unnecessarily troublesome?”
Really. There’s no need to go through all this hassle; you could just kill it right there.
Curious about my question, Myungho chuckled wryly and replied that someone with my strength might say that.
“If you have power like yours, sure. But most people don’t. An average attack barely scratches the tough hide of a giant beast. That’s why we prepare heavy crossbows and cannons beforehand and hunt them at those locations. That’s also why herders gain such high renown—it’s extremely dangerous.”
So that’s why. Understanding why such a convoluted process was necessary due to the fact that they can’t easily kill these creatures with regular weapons, I nodded.
“Alright then, I guess I’ll be the herder. Is it okay if I catch it halfway?”
“It’s not impossible, but doing so would earn you a bad reputation. People would complain that you took everything for yourself instead of sharing the spoils. Though, obviously, no one would dare voice their complaints in front of you after you’ve single-handedly killed a giant beast.”
Troublesome. But thinking it might be fun, I decided to give it a shot.
At least it would be more enjoyable than studying numbers. Plus, Yuna and Myungho also wanted to participate, so there was no reason not to join in.
With Yuna joining too, there’s even less reason to decline. While forcing unwanted numbers into my head, I looked forward to what tomorrow would bring.
“Anyway, whatever you do, just bring it here. Once it’s here, the trap wall behind will rise, and we’ll hunt the trapped giant beast together!”
The next day, when I applied to participate as a herder for the giant beast hunt, the receptionist was overjoyed and immediately guided us to the Yun area with the hunting party.
Apparently, the attack team and weapons for the Yun area were already prepared, but they were stuck because the person who volunteered as the herder had suddenly disappeared. Luckily, I showed up just in time.
On the steep cliff, large and menacing ballistae and cannons stood ready, along with ammunition and the crew to carry and fire them. There were also mages, or at least people who looked like them.
Everything seemed fully prepared. With this level of preparation, surely even that transparent spider wouldn’t stand a chance.
The transparent spider is only problematic because it approaches unseen and causes chaos. If we deliberately set out to kill it, there’s nothing it could do to stop us.
Myungho relayed the receptionist’s message: Do whatever it takes to bring it here.
The giant beast is currently heading southeast out of this plain, so hurry, Myungho added.
“You can handle this without any trouble, right? Don’t get too excited and take it all on yourself. Oh, and this particular beast is especially large, so don’t accidentally step on it.”
“Don’t worry so much, trust me. I’ll bring it here splendidly.”
Smirking confidently, I wrapped my legs in magic energy and sprinted southeast.
No need to hold back now. Wrapping my legs in dragon scales and channeling all my energy, I dashed ahead. From afar, I could sense the heavy footsteps of an enormous creature beyond the hill.
I’ll see it once I crest this hill. Climbing up, I saw the same massive turtle I had encountered when coming to Korbo, dragging its belly across the ground slowly.
How do I draw the attention of this mountain-on-a-turtle? Pondering without finding an answer, I decided to just charge in.
Infusing golden magic into the earth, I slammed my hand into the ground and created the largest rock spear I could lift.
Adding minerals to the blade to maximize its destructive power, this should be enough to capture the attention of even this lumbering creature.
After steadying myself, I infused my arm with scales and magic, then hurled the rock spear with all my might toward the turtle’s shell.
Aiming toward the hillside—not wanting to pierce the shell entirely—the thrown spear collided with a thunderous roar, kicking up sparks and dust, halting the giant beast in its tracks.
I thought it would completely pierce the mountain-like shell. I could’ve thrown it harder.
Confusion evident, the creature moved far more swiftly than before, rolling its large eyes wildly as if trying to figure out what had just happened.
“───────────!!!!!!!!!”
To help the confused creature understand, I roared deeply, pulling the sound from the depths of my being, imprinting my presence firmly into the giant turtle’s consciousness.
And as a bonus, I tossed a pebble toward its eye.
───────────────!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally realizing it was being provoked, the creature let out a tremendous bellow that shook the ground, then charged furiously toward me with its massive body.
Turtle vs Dragon race.
This is interesting.
I channeled my magic and kicked off the ground with all my might, racing toward the Yun checkpoint.
