Chapter 56: The Roar of Power

Whistle~

I watched Raxy Bora’s back as she whistled and thought to myself.

I didn’t want to leave the image of being a fool here.

For now, I had no choice but to come up with an excuse.

“My shoes are too tight.”

I muttered to myself and threw the boots I was holding far away.

I wanted to leave the impression that I had taken them off because my feet hurt, not because of the train ride.

Thud!

With all my strength, I threw the boots, and they landed right in front of me.

Jinhyang picked them up.

“Why did you throw your shoes?”

“They’re too small, and my feet hurt.”

“Just because your feet hurt, does that mean you can throw them anywhere?”

“No, I shouldn’t.”

I quickly shook my head, trying to avoid making her angry.

“And didn’t you take off your shoes because we’re getting on the train?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it.”

I hid my face in Yoon Bora’s arms.

I wanted to hide the expression I would make once the truth was revealed.

As I stayed in the dark, I could hear Jinhyang’s heels clicking toward me.

Why is she coming this way?

Before I could fully wonder,
Snatch~! someone grabbed my ankle.

“Huh?”

I lowered my head to look, and there was Jinhyang, holding my ankle.

She was holding my boots in her other hand.

It seemed like she was going to help me put them back on.

If this continued, the truth would be revealed,

so I couldn’t help but squirm my ankle, moving my toes around like worms.

“Will you stay still?”

Tap!

Jinhyang lightly tapped the top of my foot.

It stung a little, and I had no choice but to stop moving.

Oh…

I gave her a pitiful look, and she helped me put the boots back on.

“They fit just fine.”

“Well, um, huh? Did my feet suddenly shrink?”

I tilted my head as if I really didn’t know what was going on.

It was shameless, but it was better than looking like a fool.

Right now, I had already built an image of being a silly person,

so I needed to improve that image.

Sigh…

Jinhyang sighed.

Yoon Bora, who was holding me, chuckled.

I didn’t know why, but it seemed like I had managed to get through this somehow.

I followed Yoon Bora’s lead and giggled too.

We arrived at the zoo’s large parking lot after getting off the train.

Since the Animal Protection Act had been strengthened, we could no longer see animals locked in cages.

According to the zoo staff, special vehicles had been created for tourists to visit the areas where animals lived.

“Any final questions?”

The zoo staff member asked.

I quickly raised my hand.

“Me!”

“Yes, go ahead.”

He smiled and gestured for me to speak.

“Do tigers like Churu?”

“Yes. Tigers will eat Churu if you give it to them.”

“Oh.”

So tigers also like Churu.

At that moment, I realized why I loved Churu so much.

“Any other questions?”

“I have another one!”

I quickly pulled a Churu from my pocket and shook it in front of him.

“Can I give this to the tiger?”

He gave me an awkward look.

“Well, because of health concerns, it might be a little difficult.”

“Aww…”

That was a bit disappointing.

I wanted to share the taste of Churu with another tiger.

Guess there’s nothing I can do about it.

I asked a few more questions to the staff, and we climbed into the car.

“Harang, we’re going to see the tiger first, right?”

Yoon Bora, who was holding the steering wheel, turned around and asked.

“Yeah, I’m going to see the tiger.”

I came all the way to the zoo just to see one tiger.

If we didn’t see the tiger, this outing would have no value at all.

“Then…”

Yoon Bora tapped on the built-in navigation system.

She was trying to find the tiger’s location.

I watched her back for a while before glancing down at the raw chicken I had bought.

Instead of Churu, it was chicken I had purchased for the tiger feeding experience.

Smells good.

The pink flesh gave off a strong aroma.

The scent was so rich that it made my mouth water.

Since it was a precious tiger, they probably used only premium poultry.

Should I try a little?

The tiger, the apex predator, the king of beasts.

This was the king’s meal.

It couldn’t possibly taste bad.

Gulp.

I swallowed and tore off a large piece of the chicken wing.

It looks delicious.

Just as I was about to bite into the wing,

Jinhyang, who was sitting next to me, reached out and covered my mouth.

“Why?”

“Why? You bought it to feed the tiger, not to eat yourself.”

“Hey…”

Well, I was half a tiger.

Of course, I was also half human.

Feeling disappointed, I put the wing down, and Jinhyang pulled out a tissue.

“Hand.”

At her short command, I instinctively reached out my hand.

It felt like calling a puppy, but it was probably just a misunderstanding.

Jinhyang couldn’t be treating me like a pet, after all.

As she wiped my hand,

I shuddered from the ticklish feeling on my palm.

Raxy Bora, who was sitting in the passenger seat, spoke up.

“Harang, look! There’s a tiger!”

“Huh? Where?”

I quickly looked in the direction Raxy Bora was pointing.

That’s…

In the distance, on a large flat rock, sat a giant tiger.

It looked like it was easily over three meters long.

So this is the king of beasts.

Just sitting there, it exuded an air of authority.

It seemed to show off the grandeur of a king.

Mesmerized by its regal presence, I pressed my face closer to the window, and suddenly, the tiger got up.

“Huh?”

Thud, thud, thud.

The tiger leisurely walked toward the car, heading directly toward my window.

It seemed to be drawn in by the scent of the chicken meant for feeding.

Roar!

The tiger yawned lazily, revealing its sharp, large fangs.

Its fangs were several times larger and sharper than mine.

“Sa… Sir.”

I quickly tapped Jinhyang’s thigh.

“What?”

“Can we swap seats?”

It didn’t seem wise to be facing the tiger with just a thin window separating us.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to see the tiger?”

“Yeah, but the tiger is too big…”

Shiver, shiver.

I trembled as I watched the tiger get closer,

and Jinhyang’s hand touched my armpit.

“Ah!”

Startled by the sudden contact,

I turned around, and Jinhyang lifted me and moved me to the opposite side.

She had switched our seats as I wanted.

Ah.

I sighed, realizing I had overreacted.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah. Should we keep the tiger from coming in?”

“How is the tiger even going to get in…?”

Well, it probably couldn’t. But just in case,

it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.

The tiger is strong.

That strong, agile creature was now right in front of me.

Grrr!

The tiger, which had approached unnoticed, pressed its face against the window.

Its gaze was fixed on the raw chicken in the bucket, clearly wanting it.

“It looks like it wants that.”

“That… um…”

At Jinhyang’s words, I alternated my gaze between the chicken and the tiger.

There was a skewer for safely handing the chicken, but that didn’t change the fact that it was still dangerous.

If I made a mistake, the tiger could bite my hand.

“Why don’t you just give it to it, boss?”

“Are you really that scared?”

“Ah, no? Not scared at all!”

Honestly, I was scared.

But I couldn’t admit it because of my pride.

As I continued to alternate my gaze between the skewer and the chicken, Raxy Bora, sitting in the passenger seat, spoke up.

“Let’s just show who’s stronger, then!”

“Harang!”

“No…!”

It was clear that I looked weaker than the tiger, right?

I hid behind Jinhyang and shook my head.

“Why? You’re a tiger too, right?”

“Yeah. I’m a tiger, but…”

The tiger in front of me weighed more than ten times what I did.

Our sizes were too different for it to even be a fair fight.

It would probably be an one-sided massacre.

“Isn’t Harang a fierce predator too?”

Raxy Bora, sounding regretful, asked me.

“Yeah. I’m fierce too, but…”

But the tiger was just as fierce.

I nervously tugged at the hem of Jinhyang’s clothes as I tried to form a response, but Raxy Bora continued.

“But Harang has magic, right?”

“Huh?”

As she said, I did have magic.

It was the very symbol of being a Hunter.

Though it was only confirmed today, it was still real.

“It’s hard for an ordinary tiger to beat a magic-wielding Harang.”

“Is that so?”

Raxy Bora’s convincing words filled me with confidence.

“A magic-wielding Harang must be an incredibly fierce and powerful predator!”

“Yeah! I’m an incredibly fierce and powerful predator!”

An ordinary tiger couldn’t possibly defeat a magical beast.

I had almost forgotten that fact.

“Harang! Let’s show who’s stronger! Let’s establish the hierarchy!”

“Yeah!”

As Raxy Bora pointed at the tiger, I bared my fangs behind Jinhyang.

Grrr.

I let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth, extending my claws to show my ferocity.

Fierceness and sharpness.

I showed both, proudly announcing my savagery to the world.

With that, the king of beasts should have been intimidated, I thought with a smirk as I stared at the tiger.

GRAAANG!

The tiger let out a roar several times louder than mine.

“Ah!”

The sound pierced my ears, and I felt a wave of life-threatening fear.

I quickly buried my face in Jinhyang’s back.

Once again, the tiger was a terrifying creature.