I had agreed to travel with Encia to Sangam-dong.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that she could drive, making our journey much more comfortable than I had expected.
"Encia, you know how to drive?"
"Yes. I obtained my driver's license two days ago for you and Sophia."
"For me...?"
The thought that she got her license for my sake was touching, yet I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
"Since you and Sophia cannot run like the beast-kin, I thought we would need another means of transportation."
"You didn't have to do that..."
"It's okay. Assisting you is my duty, after all."
Why was Encia so intent on aiding me?
What did she gain from it?
I really couldn't understand.
Alone with her, I decided to try and learn a bit more about her.
"Isn't it bothersome for you, Encia?"
"What do you mean?"
"Helping me with all these things."
Encia shook her head at my question, her response appearing firm and without hesitation.
"Not at all. I take pride in helping you."
"Really...?"
"Yes, that's right."
Do the beast-kin feel pride every time they raise a new one, since their numbers are so few?
I was curious but decided to ask about it later.
We were almost at the gate, after all.
"You seem surprisingly calm about all this, Encia."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you would try to stop me from entering dungeons. It's surprising that you just let me go."
Hmm?
Encia, still holding the steering wheel, rolled her eyes, seeming confused by my words.
"You will surely clear the dungeon."
"Oh..."
Encia was confident that I would clear the dungeon.
It seemed like I was beginning to understand what kind of person she was.
Determined to live up to her trust, I resolved to clear the dungeon.
At that moment, we arrived near the gate.
"We're here."
"Okay..."
After sending Encia back, I walked towards the gate.
I wanted to enter, but someone blocked my way.
"Please turn back, this is a dangerous area."
It was a young man wearing a fluorescent vest, seemingly a government official managing the gate.
I needed to enter the gate.
As I pondered what to say to him, a middle-aged woman in a suit hurried towards us from a distance.
"It's okay, let her through!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, she's from the Daybreak Guild."
The woman lifted the 'No Entry' police tape, signaling me to come inside.
She kept looking around, seemingly uneasy, as if unsure whether what she was doing was right.
"I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do..."
She spoke meaningfully, as if knowing I was about to enter the gate.
"I'm sorry. I'll definitely succeed..."
"You have to. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble too."
"Understood..."
It wasn't just my livelihood at stake, but others' as well.
For everyone's sake, I had to clear the dungeon.
✧✧✧✧✧
Upon entering the gate, a familiar grassland came into view.
It resembled the expansive grassland of the beginner's hunting ground.
"Hmm..."
My body felt more sluggish than usual.
Instinctively, I realized that all the mana had drained from my body.
Fortunately, even without mana, the physical abilities of a beast-kin were superior to those of ordinary humans.
I could hear sounds from hundreds of meters away.
I remembered hunting horned rabbits with an even less stable body.
This level of ability was enough to clear the dungeon.
Using all my senses, I began to search for any traces of people.
My enhanced sense of smell and hearing soon led me to human footprints.
'This is...'
Near the lake, the footprints were chaotically intertwined.
Among the multiple human footprints, there were also small animal tracks.
The mix of blood stains suggested something had happened.
Clearly, a disaster had occurred.
While observing the mixed footprints, I recognized familiar ones – much larger than those of an ordinary person.
They had to be Choi Jinhyuk's.
I decided to follow them.
Utilizing the sensitive physical abilities unique to beast-kin, I began to track him down.
'I hope nothing bad has happened...'
From a quick glance, more than a dozen horned rabbits were following Choi Jin-hyuk.
Worried about his safety, I ran after him like the rabbits.
As I pursued Choi Jinhyuk, the scent of blood grew stronger.
I sensed he was nearby and drew my bow.
From a distance, I spotted him, drenched in blood, confronting six horned rabbits.
He was covered in scratches, but none of the wounds looked serious.
He truly was an exceptional adventurer, facing six horned rabbits at once without mana.
With a sense of admiration, I aimed my bow at a rabbit charging at Choi Jinhyuk.
Although I lacked mana, the effort of shooting hundreds of arrows daily hadn't gone to waste.
I had even practiced shooting arrows without mana the day I shot down the tent.
Such experiences and efforts were enough to compensate for my shortcomings.
I let go of all doubts and released an arrow towards a horned rabbit.
The arrow flew slower than I expected, missing its intended target, the horn, and instead hit the rabbit in the eye.
With a thud, the rabbit hit the ground, lifeless.
The arrow striking the eye, one of the few weak points of the horned rabbit, was a stroke of luck.
If it had hit the hide, it might not have been fatal.
"—!"
At the sudden death of the horned rabbit, Choi Jinhyuk and the nearby horned rabbits turned to look at me.
Seizing the moment, I quickly fired another arrow.
This time, I had fully adjusted for the slower speed of the arrow, allowing it to precisely shatter the horn of the rabbit.
To think that I could kill horned rabbits this easily, even without mana.
The physical prowess of the beast-kin truly was astonishing, greatly surpassing that of ordinary humans.
Squeak!
Sensing danger, the remaining horned rabbits started to flee.
Though fierce, they were the lowest class of monsters, inherently fearful of their natural predators.
"Are–are you okay?!"
I hurried over to Choi Jinhyuk, who sighed and slumped down.
"Thanks for helping me..."
"Okay..."
Choi Jinhyuk scanned me from top to bottom, and I awkwardly averted my gaze in the awkward situation.
"So, why did you enter this dangerous place?"
"...Catching horned rabbits without mana is my specialty."
"...Is that so."
"Yes... I'll teach you how to catch them..."
I cautiously spoke, watching Choi Jinhyuk's reaction.
He nodded and stood up.
"Is there a special method to hunt horned rabbits?"
"Yes, you can exploit the habits of the horned rabbits."
"Habits?"
Choi Jinhyuk looked puzzled, as if wondering what habits I was talking about.
As Sophia had said, Choi Jinhyuk, being too strong, was unaware of the habits of beginner-level monsters like horned rabbits.
The other adventurers here would likely be in a similar state.
For their sake, I needed to share the information I had accumulated over the years about horned rabbits.
"Without mana, attacks won't be effective except on the eyes and horns."
"Really?"
"Yes. The hide of the horned rabbit is protected by mana."
I took Choi Jinhyuk with me in search of horned rabbits.
Using my beast-kin enhanced hearing, I detected a rabbit hiding in the grass of the meadow.
"Do you see that horned rabbit there?"
"Where...?"
"Over there, in the bushes."
"Ah, yes."
Choi Jinhyuk squinted, trying to see the distant rabbit.
His vision seemed to have worsened without mana.
"When catching horned rabbits from a distance, it's important to make a noise on purpose."
"A noise?"
"Yes. Horned rabbits raise their heads when they hear a sound. That's the best time to attack."
I nocked an arrow on the bowstring and deliberately stepped on a rotten branch nearby.
Crack!
The breaking of the branch caused the rabbit to perk up its ears and lift its head.
Frozen in place, only its ears moved, trying to locate the sound.
I exploited this trait of the rabbit, quickly firing the arrow.
Thud!
The shot arrow hit the horned rabbit's horn precisely.
It stood still as if waiting to be hit, so there was no need for me to focus before shooting.
"···That's impressive."
Choi Jinhyuk's face brightened, perhaps with newfound hope of escaping the dungeon.
"If we catch them one by one like this, we should be fine."
I took out a slingshot and some steel balls from my bag and handed them to Choi Jinhyuk.
"A slingshot...?"
"Yes. Use this."
"I don't know how to use ranged weapons..."
"Still, use it. It's dangerous to fight horned rabbits up close without mana."
Choi Jinhyuk hesitantly accepted the slingshot I offered.
I could have given him a bow, but I wanted to use it myself.
Not for any significant reason, just a bit of greed.
<+>
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