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Hiding inside the shelter, with my ears perked up, I heard people's voices.
Among them was the voice of a girl I knew.
"Is the person who consumed the blessing living here?"
"Ah, for now, yes..."
Who is this person they say consumed the blessing and lives here?
I was puzzled, but kept my mouth firmly shut.
I planned to stay hidden and silent until they left.
'Please don't find me.'
Much to my dismay, the group of people stopped right in front of my tent.
Fortunately, they didn't seem like the type to rudely enter someone else's home.
"Gyeoul, can I come in?"
"..."'
"Why did the girl bring all these people here?'
I didn't respond to the girl's question.
I just waited quietly for them to leave, but then someone started walking towards me.
"Gyeoul, are you here?"
Thud Thud
The girl knocked on the outer wall of the shelter.
Knowing I was there but still asking felt spiteful.
I hadn't made a sound; how did she find me?
Suppressing a sigh that threatened to escape, I opened the shelter lid slightly and peeked out.
"Oh my, Gyeoul, you were here?"
"Yes..."
The girl pretended to be shocked, as if she really didn't know.
Her act, despite knowing all along, was despicable.
"Why are you hiding? Did a wild boar come while I was gone?"
Something scarier than a wild boar had come.
I looked up at the girl, frowning deeply.
"I was just playing by myself..."
"By–by yourself...?"
"Yes. It's cozy inside the shelter."
Was there something odd about my answer?
Her gaze drifted to my ears above my head.
"Is it because you're a cat?"
"A cat?"
"No, no. Just talking to myself."
The girl forced a smile and waved her hand awkwardly.
She clearly had some strange thought, but since I couldn't read human minds, I let it go.
More dangerous beings were outside the tent.
"Why are there so many people outside...?"
The girl inside was familiar, but the three waiting outside the tent were a different story.
What were these people doing in the deep mountains?
I looked up at her, puzzled.
"Well... there are people who want to see Gyeoul. I'm sorry to disturb your rest, but could you spare some time?"
She asked as if it were okay, but I knew I had no choice.
Reluctantly, I nodded.
"Yes..."
✱✱✱
Kang Jinho, the Guild Master of South Korea strongest Guild — The Daybreak surveyed the tent from a distance.
He had heard about the child's living situation, but this harsh environment was beyond his expectations.
He wanted to take the child to the guild immediately, but he trusted Yeoreum's decision and refrained from doing so.
'She doesn't like getting things for free, does she.'
Rather than disliking it, it's more accurate to say she fears it.
From the look of it, this girl never experienced getting anything for free in human relationships.
Tsk.
As Kang Jinho crossed his arms and clicked his tongue, a small girl emerged from the tent.
Her ears and tail drooped powerlessly.
Seemingly frightened by the sudden visit, she clutched her clothes and looked down at the ground.
It was heartbreaking to see her glance around nervously and quickly avert her eyes upon making eye contact.
'This is severe.'
The guild must bear some responsibility for the girl ending up like this.
For the first time in a long while, Kang Jinho felt a sense of misery.
"Hello, Gyeoul. My name is Encia Bluemayr."
The wolf woman, introducing herself as Encia, bowed to Gyeoul.
She seemed to have learned Korean etiquette, placing her hands respectfully on her stomach.
Gyeoul looked at the woman's ears and tail, thinking that she must have been modified by Yeoreum too.
Despite her fear, a sense of kinship enabled her to speak.
"I, I am Jeong... Gyeoul..."
Han Gyeoul.
Yeoreum closed her eyes, realizing Gyeoul was using the name she had given her.
Perhaps this is what they mean by having no regrets even in death.
Yeoreum decided to savor this brief moment of ecstasy.
"Are you Jeong Gyeoul?"
"No, no. I'm Han Gyeoul..."
'Jeong' was her name in a past life.
Gyeoul felt heavy-hearted about having to abandon her past name, but she knew it didn't suit her current body.
Reluctantly, she decided to use the name Yeoreum had given her.
"Yes, Han Gyeoul. May I ask you a few questions, if it's not too much trouble?"
"Questions...?"
"Yes. There's something I need to confirm."
Something to confirm.
Did Yeoreum give her something?
Gyeoul involuntarily swallowed hard.
"Only a few, please..."
"Okay. Here's the first question. It's nothing major, but do you live here?"
"Yes..."
Why ask if she lives here when Yeoreum should already know?
Gyeoul was puzzled.
Then a thought struck her.
'They're testing if I'm lying!'
They're asking about something they already know to see if she tells the truth.
Gyeoul was astounded by Yeoreum's cunning tactic.
"How long have you been living here, Gyeoul?"
"Th–three years..."
"Three years?"
Encia glanced surreptitiously at Yeoreum, standing behind Gyeoul.
She remembered hearing from Yeoreum that the child was eight years old.
'If she's been here for three years, then that would mean she's been living like this since she was five...'
Could a human child really survive alone like this?
Encia surveyed the surroundings to verify the truth.
The sand near the campfire was pitch black.
It must be from ash accumulated over a long time.
Similar to the campfire, other tools also bore the signs of time.
Among them, the most telling was the girl's attire.
Her clothes were torn in random parts, and smeared with the rawness of nature, it's as if she had embraced nature as it is.
'This can't be.'
Even beast-kin, known for their affinity with nature, wouldn't have survived alone in the wild since the age of five.
She had been disappointed by the girl's naivety, but in fact, she had been hiding a rugged wildness within her.
This generation's king possessed qualities greater than any king before!
'She is going to be a strong king! Much stronger than her predecessor!'
Encia's tail began to wag frantically.
However, unlike her tail, her expression remained utterly impassive.
As a representative of the beast-kin, she had to control her emotions.
"Hmm... You might not be fully qualified yet, but with a bit more training, you'll make it."
Despite her immense potential, Encia deliberately didn't show any excitement, fearing it might lead to arrogance.
Kang Jinho, observing Encia, muttered to himself.
'Not fully qualified?'
Did she really think no one saw her tail wagging wildly?
He had never seen a beast-kin wag their tail like that, it's like looking at a domesticated dog.
Although her tail was wagging as fast as many dogs that he had seen in the pet store, Kang Jinho decided to remain silent.
He felt relieved realizing that this beast-kin representative was more naive than he thought.
It seemed unlikely that the child would be harmed by the beast-kin.
✱✱✱
Seated by the campfire, a lizardman and a wolf woman sat opposite me.
I was in agony, feeling interrogated, and spent a long time just staring at the ground.
"What is your primary weapon?"
"A sling..."
"A sling! How primitive! So wild!"
The lizardman slammed his long tail on the ground.
The wolf woman, too, seemed to enjoy it, wagging her tail so fast it blurred.
"If you prefer ranged attacks, how about a bow?"
"A b, bow hurts my hands..."
"Yes. You're still young. Start with a bow that has a lighter draw weight."
They want me to learn archery?
But why?
Confused, I looked at the girl watching from afar.
I knew she was the mastermind behind this situation.
'Please, stop.'
As I looked at her with pleading eyes, she slowly walked over to me.
"Let's leave it at that for both of you."
"Al–already? But I still have more questions to ask..."
The wolf woman's tail drooped.
Though expressionless, it was nice to be able to read their emotions through their ears and tails.
"Today is Gyeoul's day to rest fully. She needs to rest well to train hard later."
"Oh... Yes..."
The wolf woman bowed her head and stood up.
The lizardman followed her lead.
"Young leader, we'll come again!"
Thump-! Thump-!
The lizardman beast-kin attacked a nearby tree with his tail, which caused several branches to fall from above.
It was clear that the side effect of the girl's modification had reduced their intelligence.
How sad.
"Leader? It's not confirmed yet..."
"Eh? Really? But she'll be a great leader!"
"Qu–quiet! Be quiet!"
The wolf woman hurriedly pulled the lizardman away.
As they became distant, the woman shouted at me in a loud voice.
"I'll come again tomorrow!"
"Ye–yes...?"
What are they planning to do by coming again tomorrow?
Why do they make their statements and then leave so noisily?
Confused by the situation, I looked around only to hear the lizardman shout in the loudest voice I'd ever heard.
"Leader! From now on, it's Gyeoul the leader!"
"Le–leader...?"
Why am I the leader?
Could it be because I'm the most outstanding among those modified by the girl?
I fixed my trembling eyes on the girl.
Perhaps she was a monster beyond my imagination.