Chapter 44: A Lesson in Strength and Pride

“Student Raxy, this here is called a fraction,” I said, pointing to the first question on the worksheet.

“I know that much, okay?” Raxy’s clenched fists trembled as they rested on the desk.

“But then why don’t you know how to simplify fractions?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. My gaze made her quiver even more.

“Harang, I told you, I’m just really bad at math, only math!”

“Hmm…” Mimicking Jinhyang’s characteristic nasal hum, I stared at her.

“Student Raxy, would you like the teacher to teach you math?”

“H-Harang?”

“Ah-ah! You should address me as ‘Teacher,’ remember?”

With hands on my hips, I glared at her, trying to establish authority. That’s when Jinhyang’s voice came from behind us.

“What are you two doing?”

“Ugh, unnie!” Raxy jumped in surprise, quickly turning toward her sister.

“I told you to tutor the kid, but why does it look like you’re the one getting lessons?”

“That’s… uh…” Raxy stammered, her lips moving but no coherent words coming out.

Jinhyang’s tail coiled neatly around my waist like a snug belt, while her knuckles lightly knocked on  Raxy’s shoulder—more like gentle taps than actual hits.

“Are you seriously learning from a child? Aren’t you embarrassed, Raxy?”

With every soft knock on Raxy’s shoulder, the sensation of Jinhyang’s tail twitching made it feel as if I was the one being nudged.

“Unnie, you already know this. I’m only bad at math, just math!”

“That may be true, but isn’t this elementary-level work?”

“T-that’s… well…” Raxy hung her head in shame.

Curious, I turned to Jinhyang.

“Boss, is it true that Raxy is really only bad at math?”

“Yup. She’s exceptionally bad at it.”

“Hmm…”

It seemed to be the truth.

If only Raxy weren’t so good at everything else, I could’ve gloated over this small victory. Feeling a tad disappointed, I propped my chin on my hand and stared at her. Then Jinhyang, noticing my shift in demeanor, started tapping me instead.

With her tail’s consistent twitching, it felt like I was hitting myself.

“Why are you imitating me?”

“After hearing it so often, it kind of sticks?”

“Hmm…” Jinhyang hummed again, and I couldn’t resist copying her peculiar accent.

“Hmm…” I echoed.

“Pfft.”

That cracked Raxy up, her laughter slipping out as she covered her mouth.

“Raxy, why are you laughing?” Jinhyang asked.

“It’s just… it’s like watching a kid mimic their mom.”

“Mom?” Jinhyang stuttered, visibly flustered.

Watching her reaction, I thought to myself: These people really do treat me like a child.

It seemed they’d developed a peculiar habit of infantilizing me. Perhaps it was time to set some boundaries.

“Attention, everyone.”

“Huh?”

Both women turned to face me.

“I don’t mind if you treat me like a child.”

I paused dramatically, making sure to hold eye contact with both of them. Their widened eyes showed they were surprised by my serious tone.

“But remember this: I am a wild beast, unable to suppress my instincts.”

“A w-wild beast?” Jinhyang stuttered, taken aback.

Judging by her reaction, I had successfully instilled fear.

Good.

Satisfied, I nodded to myself. But then, Raxy raised her hand.

“Teacher, I have a question!”

A question?

“What is it?”

“What happens if the wild beast gets unleashed?”

“Well… uh… it becomes very, very ferocious.”

“Mm… I still don’t get it,” Raxy said, tilting her head in confusion.

It seemed I needed to provide a demonstration.

“Remember earlier, Raxy?”

“Earlier?” she asked.

“Yeah. When I growled at you, you were so startled you almost fell over.”

“Oh, right! But, Harang, didn’t you just call my name instead of actually growling?”

…Maybe she was right.

“Anyway, Raxy, imagine if I had actually attacked then. Things could’ve gotten really dangerous, you know?”

“Like how, for example?”

“Like… like clawing at you!” I raised my hands, showing her my fingers as if they were sharp claws.

“But aren’t Harang’s nails trimmed and dull?”

“Oh, right.” I quickly lowered my hands in embarrassment.

“A tiger with no fangs or claws, huh?” Jinhyang laughed behind her hand, clearly amused at my attempt.

“Hey! My teeth are still sharp!”

Without a second thought, I grabbed Jinhyang’s hand and bit down. But I had forgotten that her tail was still wrapped around me.

“Ouch!”

I accidentally bit down harder, sinking my fangs into the soft tail, and tears pricked my eyes from the sharp pain.

“Harang!” Raxy exclaimed.

“Are you alright?” Jinhyang asked, examining her tail where I’d bitten it.

“It hurts,” I whimpered, a single tear sliding down my cheek.

She patted her tail a few times, reassuring me. “It’s okay; no blood.”

Taking her tail in both hands, I held it tightly, and the warmth made the pain ease a little.

“See? It hurts when you’re bitten, doesn’t it?”

“Yes… It really hurt.”

“And you were planning to bite others like that?” Jinhyang asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry. I won’t bite anyone again,” I promised. If I’d bitten even a little harder, there might’ve been a hole in her tail.

“Now apologize to Raxy too.”

I turned to her. “Raxy, I’m sorry for scaring you. I won’t do it again.”

She laughed softly, patting my head. “It’s okay, Harang.”

Crisis averted—though there was still one thing left to clear up.

“But just so you know, I wasn’t lying about the wild beast inside me.”

Sometimes, those instincts would just surge up without warning.

“Is that so?” Jinhyang asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hmm…” Jinhyang tapped her chin thoughtfully. Just then, Raxy raised her hand excitedly.

“Harang, then instead of math, how about we focus on physical training?”

“Physical training?”

“Yeah! Maybe if you work hard, you can keep the wild side of you under control!”

It wasn’t a bad idea. After all, a healthy body led to a healthy mind. Most Hunters had exceptional self-control for a reason.

“But I’m not great at physical activities.”

“That’s okay! I’ll teach you step by step.”

“Thanks.”

Without hesitation, Raxy leapt up, tossing the math book aside.

“Let’s go, Harang!”

“Uh, but… where are we going?”

“The training grounds!” Raxy scooped me up in her arms, seemingly eager to make up for her math embarrassment with some physical prowess.

“We’re off, unnie!” she called out to Jinhyang.

“Just be careful not to let her get hurt.”

“Yes!”

At the training ground, we found Yoon Bora sweating as she worked out with some equipment. She was casually lifting a dumbbell that looked way heavier than her own body, showcasing her remarkable strength.

I glanced down at my own arm.
‘Could I do that too?’

Even though my arm was thinner than Yoon Bora’s, I knew that a Hunter’s strength didn’t come from muscle size alone. While I wasn’t a Hunter, the possibility still lingered.

I sighed with envy, catching Raxy’s attention as she waved excitedly at Yoon Bora.

“Yoon Bora!”

Yoon Bora looked up at us, setting down her dumbbell with a heavy thud that echoed across the room.

‘Wow.’

Just how heavy was that thing? Curiosity got the better of me, and I approached the dumbbell, attempting to lift it with both hands.

“Urgh!”

No matter how hard I pulled, it wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Harang, that’s too heavy for you,” Yoon Bora said, gently holding my wrist, as if telling me to stop.

I couldn’t help but feel my pride get bruised. I was supposed to be a fierce beast, after all. How could I not lift a mere dumbbell?

“Yoon Bora, what’s the weight of this thing?”

“It’s about a hundred kilos. It’s pretty light, actually, just a warm-up weight.”

“A hundred…”

Even if I were a guy, I wouldn’t be able to lift that.

‘Well, I’m more of an agility type, anyway.’

Everyone knows agile characters usually have less strength, so there was no need to feel bad about it. Reassuring myself, I nodded, feeling a bit better.

Just then, Raxy brought over another dumbbell.

“Harang, this is the one I used when I was little. Wanna try it?”

The weight on it read 20 kg, something I could manage.

“Sure. Could you place it here for me?”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

Raxy set the dumbbell on a machine at a good height for me.

“Alright… here goes!”

I gripped the dumbbell and tried to lift it. But to my surprise, it didn’t even budge.

“Harang, don’t push yourself. You might get hurt.”

“It’s not too heavy for me,” I insisted, pretending to stretch my neck as if to prepare. Of course, no sound came out because my body was way too flexible.

“Let’s do this!”

Using both hands, I gave it my all. The dumbbell finally started to move, though barely.

‘Just a little more!’

I was almost out of strength, just a sliver away from lifting it. Just when I was about to give up, I remembered that I had one body part others didn’t.

‘My… tail.’

Quickly, I wrapped my tail around the dumbbell a few times, adding extra support.

“Urgh!”

Using my arms and tail together, I managed to lift the dumbbell up and down once before I let it drop.

Thud!

As I set it down, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, but there was also a sense of satisfaction.

“Harang, you did it!” Raxy cheered.

“Yep,” I said, smiling and shaking out my hands. It felt like I’d already gotten a callus.

“Raxy, how old were you when you could lift this?”

“Yoon Bora lifted it when she was five, and I could only manage it at six.”

“…Five?”

“Yeah.”

Could a five-year-old really lift this?

“Did you use both hands?”

“Nope, just one.”

“What?”

She sounded so genuine that I found myself staring blankly at the dumbbell. I’d just given it my all to lift that thing, but someone else managed it effortlessly at five years old?

‘So, this is… the gap in talent…’

Feeling a bit defeated, I flopped down on the floor, already feeling like exercise wasn’t all that fun.