“Still, the most impressive thing was that ‘Por’ guy.”
“Por… right. But isn’t it a bit too shortened?”
“Well, the name is just so bizarre, isn’t it? ‘The one who guides shadow battles’? For an orc, that’s quite a grand title.”
That orc, with a name so difficult to pronounce, ‘Skug Por Maranabalu-kai,’ managed to pull off a miracle by overcoming the lengthy battle against the evolved ‘Twin Head Ogre’ with the longest time in history.
“Isn’t the combat power of the Twin Head Ogre far greater than its actual rank? If we were to change anything in this perfect ranking system, it would have to be an upgrade for that ogre. But Por managed to defeat it, didn’t he?”
Just as Il-wol had benefitted, in this place where the balance of combat was predicated, the Twin Head Ogre was a special existence—never once allowing defeat, essentially a poorly designed monster.
However, Tanya saw no need to correct that. She believed it was likely a mechanism arranged by her master. And when someone did indeed shatter that, even Tanya clenched her fist in excitement.
The luckiest challenger, Il-wol, and the challenger who overcame the harshest conditions, Por.
“……”
For a moment, Tanya weighed the two in her mind and shook her head.
‘It’s meaningless to put them on the same level.’
The gap between them was so vast.
Il-wol was rapidly growing, but the orc was too, in a world far tougher, fending off relentless enemies.
But Il-wol had a specialness that the orc didn’t possess. If he could utilize that well, who knows what might happen.
“Hmm… today, we’re going to see this child.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
With a few quick gestures, Tanya summoned a square panel in front of her.
“Now, this is called a remote control.”
“Ooh, this is the one that controls the humans trapped inside that box!”
“Well, not exactly, but it’s similar.”
Tanya skillfully pressed the buttons on the remote and flipped through channels.
The channels showed a variety of scenes: the Middle East in fierce conflict for decades, a debate among presidential candidates filled with trash talk, animals suffering from climate change, and a person overindulging in food—stimulating the brown mimic’s interest.
“Ooh…”
Finally, the last screen froze on a different vibe.
Unlike Tanya’s bright space, it was a dark and cramped little area. And in that space, two humans appeared.
“… Wait? That’s that skeleton soldier guy?”
“Yes. Today he transformed into a male human. It seems he’s trying to entertain his master by changing his gender back and forth.”
The brown mimic opened and closed the box a few times, expressing great interest in Tanya’s kind explanation.
Then suddenly, he realized that his earlier worries were pointless. His master had merely begun a new experiment, and he felt ashamed for only focusing on the surface aspects.
“I see! I failed to grasp my master’s deeper intentions and foolishly worried! Please forgive me, my foolish self!”
“Shh— today seems to be different from usual. Let’s observe for a bit.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Thus, the two mimics quietly watched as Il-wol assisted Yeon-hee in her new experiences.
The brown mimic felt great interest in the fresh human’s appearance, yet he found himself puzzled by many aspects.
But seeing his master so focused, he couldn’t simply ask and instead calmly organized his questions in his mind.
“……”
Tanya had been observing Il-wol and his master closely for several days. The summoner was a remarkably special being in this world and for some reason emanated familiarity.
– Aah-! Ugh…! Stop! Please, let me go…!
Watching the summoner squirm in Il-wol’s arms, Tanya couldn’t help but question the situation.
“This is strange. I thought it was to please his master, but he’s in such pain?”
“Indeed. At this rate, it’s a matter of life and death. Rather than protecting my master? Tsk, tsk. Quite pathetic.”
The brown mimic Tiny stuck his little round arm on his waist, not hiding his frustrated feelings. Serving a master wasn’t an easy task.
In truth, while Tanya had observed the world for a long time, she had been focused on major anomalies and historical events, so her learning wasn’t yet thorough regarding the trivial actions of these humans.
No, to be more precise, she was like a girl who excelled in theory but had reached a somewhat adolescent stage.
– Ugh…! Il-wol! S-stop…! Let me out…!
Seeing the summoner desperately knocking on Il-wol’s chest, begging to be freed, Tanya felt a sensation she had never experienced before.
She didn’t know what it was, making it all the more refreshing and truly fascinating.
Whenever she looked at Il-wol, she was having entirely new experiences that she had never known before.
“Oh… Something I’d never seen is leaking from the summoner’s body.”
“He must have bled since he was in pain! How dare he hurt his master? That skeleton guy is truly lacking!”
But the summoner, who had been nestled in Il-wol’s arms for a while, was trembling and had a bizarre expression.
In this telescope-like space created by Tanya, she could see her expression—shielded in Il-wol’s embrace—up close.
That expression was far removed from pain, even for Tanya, who couldn’t deeply empathize with human emotions.
“……”
Tanya abruptly realized her palm was damp. Such a bodily reaction had never occurred in her life…
She wiped her palm on her thigh and refocused her gaze on the screen. Though she didn’t understand why, it was just too entertaining. Was this what her master referred to as fun?
The summoner, who had been taking harsh breaths, wore the most satisfied expression she had seen since Tanya began observing them, yet she suddenly stood up, staggered, and harshly punished Il-wol?!
“What, what?!”
“Of course! I expected that! In the end, he’s getting punished!”
As the great golden mimic Tanya realized, Il-wol had briefly faced a crisis approaching the annihilation of existence.
“…… That punishment is excessive.”
Of course, Tanya knew it wasn’t the summoner’s intention. However, she couldn’t help but feel a burning and frustrating sensation at the summoner’s careless actions.
But being a cold and rational being, Tanya swiftly dismissed those feelings and faced the fragment of existence that resided in the space Il-wol had entered.
And she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“That existence is… what the hell…”
Tanya, who had never been so astonished in her mimic life, suddenly realized a gigantic, vertically torn eye was gazing at her.
Boom──!
“Kuh—!”
“Master?!”
As the corridor she was observing was forcefully shut by the power of the enormous being, the recoil impacted Tanya hard.
She sank to the ground, quietly closed her eyes, and stroked the head of the brown box, reassuring him that she was okay.
Drip—
From Tanya’s eyes, bright red blood poured down like a waterfall.
Seeing that, the brown mimic fainted from the shock. It seemed the impact of meeting that eye affected Tiny too.
“……”
It was an extraordinary existence. If one were to be precise, that existence could rival her master… or perhaps…
“Huh… That can’t be…”
Tanya quickly dismissed the improbable conjecture and resolved to focus on recovering her spent energy for a while.
“Il-wol—”
Now that name didn’t just evoke a distant sense. The skeleton soldier had suddenly entered a space directly connected to such an existence.
“What on earth are you?”
* * *
We arrived home and followed our usual routine. We also began to look for a new place to move.
Though things had been calm lately, it was clear that this damn neighborhood wasn’t a suitable place.
Then, Kang Yeon-su called, and while Yeon-hee had a casual conversation, she cautiously inquired about moving.
– Well, it’s actually not a good place there. I didn’t mention it in case it made you uncomfortable.
Kang Yeon-su spoke as though she had some ability to read the situation, suggesting we move quickly elsewhere as if she had known all along.
– Don’t worry about the money. Join the guild, pay off your debts within three months, and you can make a fresh start.
“Oh… okay.”
We were already earning enough money. It seemed Kang Yeon-su wasn’t yet aware of our income.
– By the way, can you reach C-rank before heading into the guild? There’s just over a month left. Nargul won’t easily let you pass.
Kang Yeon-su pretended to be worried but was leaning towards testing us. Depending on Yeon-hee’s response, she could potentially attach someone to our party.
“We’re more than capable. Don’t worry.”
– … Really? Haha! That’s the spirit. Who did you think picked you up?
‘Seems like I surprised her.’
Kang Yeon-su’s voice reflected astonishment at Yeon-hee’s calm response, as it was apparent what her mindset was like with just a bit of listening.
– I’ll contact you again~ Oh! By the way, do you know someone named Maeng Seong-yong? You remember, right? She was the examiner for Yeon-hee’s rank-up.
‘Why is that name coming up out of nowhere?’
“Yeah, I remember. He’s incredibly strong…”
– *Pfft*! That old man? Well, he’s tough enough, but still. If he tries to sweet-talk you, never fall for it. Understand? You should know that a person offering candy is someone not to follow.
“Oh… got it. Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yeon-hee confirmed several times before finally hanging up the call.
Maeng Seong-yong…
‘If Kang Yeon-su is wary, he must be a significant figure.’
At least it meant she had something to be cautious about enough to warn me over the phone. And it likely had to do with the organization the association was preparing or that already existed, preventing Yeon-hee from being scouted.
‘Increasing our value isn’t a bad thing. It’s a part where Kang Yeon-su will pay more attention to us.’
Kang Yeon-su, who had to serve as a restraint for Jo Gi-man, wouldn’t be leaving her side anytime soon. However, I had to prepare for things in advance.
‘I really hope to fix my pronunciation and set a meeting with that man soon.’
Of course, I couldn’t afford to get caught in a situation where I’d be trapped by that person, so I needed to strengthen my power even more.
‘To prepare for activities, I should continue in this form.’
My articulation, perhaps due to being in my own body, was better than it was in Yeon-hee’s form, and I felt like I could reach a conversational level within a month at this rate.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
