Chapter 64: The Roar of Ferocity

After a four-hour car ride, fatigue crept in, even from just sitting still.

Outside, all I could see were trees, water, and the occasional rocks an unchanging landscape that made boredom settle in.

Swinging my legs restlessly, I decided to roll down the window to catch some fresh air.

“Ah, much better.”

The breeze hit my face the moment I stuck my head out.

It was strong enough to make me squint, and as my hair whipped around, it felt like a lion’s mane billowing in the wind.

I imagined this must be how a lion feels when it runs across a savanna.

“Roar!”

I let out a playful roar into the open air, an action with no purpose other than sheer satisfaction.

“Harang, it’s dangerous to stick your head out the window,” Raxy Bora scolded from the seat next to me, tugging me gently back inside.

Her pull brought my wind-tossed hair back into the car.

“Okay, okay. I won’t do it again,” I said, appeased.

The thrill had run its course anyway, and I had no qualms about rolling the window back up.

‘Still bored.’

But there wasn’t much else to do.

Just as I closed my eyes, thinking I’d nap the remaining time away, Yoon Bora’s voice interrupted.

“We’re here.”

Her announcement carried a lively excitement.

After all, she’d been driving alone for the entire four hours.

Her relief was palpable.

‘Yoon Bora must’ve had it rough.’

Since Raxy Bora never left the house and didn’t have a license,

and Jinhyang couldn’t handle machines, including computers, there was no one to share driving duties with her.

Feeling grateful, I decided to express it.

“Yoon Bora,” I called out.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for driving us.”

She responded with a beaming smile. “You’re welcome. Hehe.”

She reached out to ruffle my ear affectionately.

At that moment, Jinhyang opened the car door and stepped out, prompting me to follow her lead.

“Wow.”

The first thing that caught my eye was a large lodge. It wasn’t as massive as Yoon Bora’s house but still impressive in size.

‘So cool.’

The rustic log-cabin look had a romantic charm that stirred a primal admiration.

Curious, I reached out to touch its wooden exterior, only to discover that it was stone masquerading as wood.

‘Oh, come on.’

A tiny wave of disappointment washed over me.

Sliding my fingers along the faux-wood surface, I heard Raxy Bora’s voice from behind.

“Harang, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“They say you can catch Abyssal Fish in the stream out front.”

“Abyssal Fish?”

Abyssal Fish a delicacy among gourmands, sold for astronomical prices.

These rare fish only lived inside dungeons and were almost impossible to catch.

‘But how can dungeon-dwelling fish end up here?’

As I tilted my head in confusion, Jinhyang appeared beside me, carrying luggage.

“A dungeon broke near here recently. Some Abyssal Fish must’ve escaped during the breach.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

A dungeon break a catastrophic event where monsters and other entities within a dungeon spill into the real world if the dungeon isn’t cleared in time.

‘If that’s the case, isn’t this area dangerous?’

It wasn’t just fish that escaped; monsters must’ve poured out too.

As I looked up at Jinhyang with a slightly puzzled expression,

Raxy Bora approached, raising her hands high in excitement.

“It’s not just a few fish, Harang there are hundreds of them!” she exclaimed, her arms stretched wide for emphasis.

“Don’t get too excited,” Jinhyang interrupted. “That’s the reason we’re here in the first place.”

“For the Abyssal Fish?”

“No, for the dungeon break.”

“A dungeon break?” I asked, and Jinhyang nodded.

“This area is rough and isolated, so hunters don’t like coming here. That’s why dungeon breaks happen so frequently.”

“So, you came here to lead by example?”

“More like to guilt-trip other hunters into doing their jobs.”

“Ah…”

Her intentions were clear.

If even Jinhyang’s here, what excuse do you have for not showing up?

Once the association starts hinting at that, other hunters won’t have much choice but to follow suit.

‘She’s incredible.’

Admiration welled up within me as I gazed at Jinhyang.

Noticing my awe, Raxy Bora nudged my shoulder.

“Harang, wanna come catch some Abyssal Fish with me?”

“Yeah, I’d love to!”

I turned to Jinhyang, seeking her permission.

“Go ahead. I’ll handle the luggage.”

“Thank you!”

With her blessing, there was nothing left to hold me back.

‘Hehe, Abyssal Fish…’

If we managed to catch four, we could each have one to ourselves.

With that thought, I sprinted toward the stream.

The stream wasn’t far from the lodge only about a three-minute walk.

“Wow.”

The sight was breathtaking.

The stream was clear, wide, and deep, with a gentle current that seemed safe enough for wading.

“Yay!”

Without hesitation, I dashed into the stream and dipped my feet in.

Splash, splash—

I swirled my legs in the cool water, letting my body adjust to the temperature.

Just then, Raxy Bora appeared, holding a long tree branch.

“Harang!”

“Yeah?”

“So… how exactly are we supposed to catch the fish?”

“Uh…”

That was a good question. We had neither fishing rods nor nets.

‘I’ve heard Abyssal Fish are incredibly fast.’

Even if I was quick, I wouldn’t stand a chance against a fish in its natural habitat.

Catching a fish that even dungeon monsters avoid wasn’t something I could do barehanded.

“Ugh…”

Resigned to the fact that we wouldn’t be catching any fish today, I splashed around in the water instead.

Crunch—

From behind a nearby tree, the sound of footsteps reached my ears.

‘Huh?’

Someone was hiding between the trees and bushes, just out of sight.

I sniffed the air but didn’t detect the familiar scents of Yoon Bora or Jinhyang.

‘Who’s there?’

I tensed slightly, wondering if it was a dangerous individual.

However, the amateurish attempts at hiding failing to mask their footsteps or the faint fragrance of their perfume gave them away.

‘Doesn’t seem like they’re very strong.’

Though they tried to conceal themselves, their ineptitude made it clear they weren’t much of a threat.

Watching the clumsy movements of the person hiding, a thought crossed my mind maybe I could win if it came to a fight.

‘Should I… try?’

With Raxy Bora here as backup, we could handle someone a bit stronger.

Yes, let’s do this.

I nodded slightly and raised my voice toward the tree where the presence was hiding.

“I know you’re there. Come out.”

“Harang?”

Raxy Bora called my name, but I quickly gestured for her to stay quiet, like a leader sensing imminent danger.

‘Wow.’

That was pretty cool of me.

Even though my tail wagged in excitement, jingling softly, I worked hard to maintain a serious expression.

‘Not coming out, huh?’

Surely, they knew they’d been caught. Were they just being stubborn?

It seemed I needed to give them a stronger warning.

“You have no idea how scary I can be—”

“W-wait a moment!”

Before I could finish, a girl with a strikingly foreign appearance emerged from behind the tree.

She was slightly taller than me.

“Who are you?”

Seeing her up close made me a bit nervous.

After all, what reason could a foreign girl have for being in the middle of a remote forest with no infrastructure?

‘Maybe she’s lost?’

I kept my guard up as I watched her take a cautious step forward.

“P-please, Tiger Spirit, spare me…”

“Tiger Spirit…?”

Raxy Bora and I murmured in unison, exchanging confused glances.

The “Tiger Spirit” she referred to was most likely me.

“Y-yes. The Tiger Spirit looked so scary I had to hide,” she said, pointing a trembling finger at me.

“Ahem.”

So that’s it. She’d been hiding because she was scared of me.

I could understand.

A predator didn’t need to roar or bare its fangs to seem threatening just standing there could exude raw power.

For a timid girl, it wasn’t unreasonable to feel frightened by my presence.

‘Poor thing.’

How terrifying must I have seemed?

I moved toward her, intending to reassure her that I wasn’t dangerous.

But before I could, Raxy Bora grabbed my shoulder.

“Harang, doesn’t she seem suspicious?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“What about you is so scary that she’s acting like this…?”

“…?”

What did she mean? I am scary, right?

‘Even Raxy fell over once because she was scared of me.’

Feeling flustered, I glanced up at her. She leaned in close and whispered into my ear.

“Harang, how about doing your roar? Just once.”

“But if I do, she might cry…”

Especially since she was an outsider. My roars tended to be unforgiving in such cases.

I didn’t want to do it, but Raxy Bora clasped my hand, her eyes pleading.

“Just this once, please. I’m begging you.”

“Alright.”

I sighed in resignation.

I would never do this for a regular person.

But since she asked so earnestly, I couldn’t refuse.

“Raaaargh!”

“Eeek!”

At the sound of my roar, the girl collapsed, trembling in a tight ball.

She was clearly terrified if this was an act, she deserved an award for her performance.

“Oh dear.”

I made a mistake.

I had scared the poor girl for no reason.

Though I felt a bit bad for her, a strange sense of satisfaction lingered.

There was something undeniably enjoyable about proving my ferocity.

“That… can’t be…?”

Raxy Bora’s eyes widened as she alternated between looking at the girl and me.

Her mouth hung open, clearly shocked by what she had witnessed.

That was understandable.

I had been deliberately suppressing my fierceness around her.

“Raxy Bora.”

“Yeah?”

“This is my true nature. How do you feel scared?”

“Uh… y-yeah.”

She stammered, visibly shaken.

It seemed like I needed to comfort her a bit.

“Don’t worry. I won’t be this scary around you,” I reassured her.

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

Raxy Bora slowly reached up and gently patted my head.

I was glad to see that she had managed to overcome her fear.