Chapter 114

A scholar once said that the beginning of civilization was a broken leg bone that was reattached.

Typically, if a leg bone is broken in the wilderness, survival becomes incredibly tough. Therefore, most just abandon it.

No matter how much a wild beast loves its young, if it can’t walk or seems hopeless, it will cast it away without hesitation. That’s the cruelty of the wild.

On the other hand, civilization is different. Even if a leg bone is broken, people do what they can to protect and sustain it, and that becomes a driving force that strengthens their bonds.

In that sense, my decision to euthanize the baby Usuk was simply the way of nature. A cub without a mother cannot survive in the wild.

Even if it somehow grows up, it might harbor a hatred for humans, given that I killed its mother.

Usuk is a monster that academy students can’t handle, so it’s better to prevent issues beforehand.

“…Sivar’s actions are justified. It may seem cruel, but it’s best to cut off risk early.”

Sara, who was confused by my actions, finally came to my defense. Being from Frozen, she must know a fair bit about the wild.

The students still had faces of confusion despite her explanation. Luna seemed to somewhat understand, though.

The reason beasts and monsters are dangerous is the same: they have a high probability of harming humans.

Even herbivores aren’t a guarantee for safety; just look at large dogs—they can kill people.

In such cases, the principle is to shoot without question. Even if it’s a beloved pet.

“If Usuk grows up, it would deal significant damage to the academy. Plus, being a single individual, it has no future.”

“Still, killing a cub is…”

“Where do you plan to send it back? The grasslands where Usuk resides take over a week to navigate, even internally.”

“…”

At Sara’s counterargument, the students fell silent. The shock of killing the cub seemed considerable.

After all, baby Usuk looks much cuter than the adult. Most cubs share that trait.

“I heard it’s because cubs are cute to avoid being attacked.”

I had saved a few back in the day. But then those cubs grew up and backstabbed me.

Since then, I’ve never spared even a cub. There’s a saying for nothing—raising tiger cubs isn’t a joke.

“Right now, the urgent matter is handling Usuk. Sivar.”

“?”

“Can you possibly drag that corpse over? It seems to have immense strength.”

Sara pointed to the mother Usuk with its head crushed. Next to it lay the baby Usuk.

From its appearance, I knew Usuk weighed several tons. I could lift it using magic power, but that seemed too bothersome.

If I had a proper rope, I could drag it easily enough. I took a slow look at Usuk, then asked Sara.

“I need a rope.”

“Hmm. Sure thing. Just wait a moment.”

Sara began speaking into her communicator, which was strapped to her wrist like a watch.

This communicator is usually allotted per guardian, but Grace took hers instead.

Additionally, it has features for indicating directions, so before long, they could all gather here.

“Wow. You caught Usuk all by yourself? That sounds incredibly tough!”

“Looks like its blade-like fangs are broken. Just how strong was it?”

Before long, people began to gather. Everyone whispered, marveling at the elephant-sized Usuk corpse.

Even the professors seemed impressed, so one could gauge Usuk’s value. Conversely, this means the balance of the forest is severely shaken.

“Sivar! What if you suddenly dashed out alone? I was worried!”

“Sorry.”

While professors were detecting the Usuk corpse, I got scolded by Eli. I couldn’t really defend myself in this situation.

Although I had no choice but to rush out after hearing Usuk roar, neglecting everything else was still my fault.

No matter how much Grace and Lee Yeon-joo protect me, there’s no remedy if a monster like Usuk pops out.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Show me your hands.”

“…”

“Hey? Why aren’t you showing?”

With blood on my hands, it would be apparent I was injured. That would undoubtedly lead to a lecture.

I tried my best to hide my hands while listening to Eli. But the more I did, the angrier her expression became.

Even with that scowl, given her looks, she still seemed adorable. Frankly, she wasn’t angry; just pouting.

“Just leave him be. Besides, he’ll recover quickly even if he’s hurt. And honestly, it’d be strange if he didn’t get hurt after taking down a monster that size.”

Fortunately, a savior approached at just the right moment. It was Kara, casually linking arms with me.

Eli slightly frowned at Kara’s friendly gesture before letting out a sigh.

“…Still, it doesn’t feel great that Sivar got hurt. You want him to get hurt?”

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But as a combat type, you have to accept some level of risk. This is our norm.”

“Right, right.”

Kara’s words were spot on. I echoed her remarks.

As a combat type, getting hurt is a part of life; it’s practically unavoidable.

Eli seemed to have nothing to say about that either, gazing at Kara with pointed eyes before sighing.

“Ha… Fine. But next time, you can’t just leap out without warning, okay? Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. Now let’s go apologize to Grace and Lee Yeon-joo.”

Eli smiled brightly as if she hadn’t just been angry, taking my hand gently.

It seemed we were heading off to retrieve Grace and Lee Yeon-joo.

“Kara! Can you help me for a second?”

Coincidentally, Malboro called out to Kara. She let go of my arm and approached him.

I silently followed after, holding Eli’s hand. The neglect was my mistake, so I intended to apologize as well.

“Oh! Here you are. I brought Sivar with me.”

“Sivar? Are you aware of what you’ve done wrong?”

“Yeah.”

“This time I’ll let it slide. But from now on, you need to explain your reasons before running off. You’re my ‘escort,’ after all.”

Grace emphasized the ‘escort’ part. Eli must have sensed it too, as her expression became subtle.

Grace glanced at me with crossed arms, then suggested cautiously.

“Oh, or perhaps it’d be better to give separate training this time. Do you have any free time?”

“Hmm… Do I not know?”

“Then it wouldn’t be bad for me to set up a schedule for you. Let’s adjust it soon.”

Grace started to adjust my schedule as though it were a flowing river. As long as it doesn’t infringe on my personal time, that’s fine.

Honestly, doing things this way doesn’t seem bad at all. Once my tasks are done, it’ll all be free time.

Grace must be aware of this, so she likely won’t take too much of my time.

“However, during that time, you must stay by my side. Just like today, in case something happens. Understood?”

“Isn’t being an escort supposed to be more lenient?”

Eli displayed her confusion at Grace’s explanation. It might seem too harsh in a way.

But that’s simply how being an escort works. If you fail to protect your subject, a terrifying consequence awaits.

If an escort goes off doing something else and their charge gets hurt, the responsibility just becomes heavier.

“Normally, yes. But Sivar could dart off at any moment, you see? It’s for honing your judgment.”

“Aha. Thank goodness for that.”

Who do they take me for, a ticking time bomb? It’s my karma, but it’s still a bit disheartening.

“An escort, huh…”

While I was silently grumbling, Lee Yeon-joo, who had been quietly watching from behind, muttered softly.

It seemed she was careful not to let anyone else hear, but I caught it all. I turned to look at her.

Just then, Lee Yeon-joo’s eyes met mine. She erased her serious expression and greeted me with her usual goofy face.

‘Speaking of which, when does the new student from Hwan Empire arrive?’

I only knew they were coming during the semester, but I couldn’t remember when exactly.

Perhaps they’ll come after the final exam. Not that it matters.

I waved my hand slowly at Lee Yeon-joo. She awkwardly waved back with a smile.

“Sivar! Could you come over here for a moment?”

At that moment, Malboro called out for me in a booming voice. It seemed the preparations were nearly finished.

I paused mid-step to seek Grace’s allowance.

Seeing me ask for permission, Grace wore a satisfied smile. She then spoke in a pleased voice.

“That’s not something you need to ask for. You did well, so I’ll treat you to cake later.”

“Oh.”

Just for asking for permission, and I’m getting cake? What an insane value for money.

I praised Grace in my mind while making my way over to Malboro. He was near the Usuk corpse.

When I arrived at the Usuk corpse, I saw the mother Usuk tied up with ropes, and the baby Usuk lying beside it.

As I mentioned to Sara earlier, they seemed to have tied it up for easier dragging.

“Normally, it’d be best to dismantle it, but it’s too dangerous here. Can you help drag it? Other professors will join in too.”

“Hmm…”

I looked at the rope-bound Usuk and nodded. There was a rope laid out on the ground for pulling it along.

It seemed that was the way to go. I proceeded without hesitation, pulling on the rope.

Swoosh-

It felt a bit heavy, but I could definitely manage it alone. I nodded to Malboro and said,

“I can do it by myself.”

“What?”

“I can handle it.”

“…”

Malboro looked startled for a moment at my declaration. He then glanced at the elephant-sized Usuk.

Patting its chin, he seemed conflicted about whether this was the right move.

“Actually, let’s drag it together. It won’t look good otherwise.”

“Got it. Or, sure.”

“Ha ha.”

Malboro laughed heartily at my switch from casual language to formal. He lightly tousled my hair.

Afterward, we decided that strong individuals like Malboro and Kara would each pull on the rope.

Honestly, I could manage pulling it alone, but like Malboro said, it would look odd.

“This is my first time seeing Usuk. Is it edible?”

Kara, who was pulling the rope next to me, asked. I shrugged at her question.

The meat of Usuk is delicious, at least in the Soul World. They say the juices pour out, and the meat melts in your mouth.

Even though someone without butchering skills roughly cut and cooked it, it still tasted wonderful.

“Just so you know, since Sivar took it down alone, he holds all rights. That means you can do whatever you want with it.”

Malboro’s words among those pulling the rope suggested he was worried someone might try to snatch Usuk away.

Usuk is a top-tier monster, whether as material for equipment or cooking. As I mentioned previously, it should be auctioned off.

“It seems it’d be best if Kara assisted in this. Have you ever participated in an auction?”

“Is there an auction house at the Academy?”

“There certainly is. It opens every weekend, so participating once wouldn’t hurt. Besides, if rumors spread, many people will approach you first.”

That is inevitable. Especially with many trying to swindle him into something.

In their eyes, I would be a prime target, an easy meal to scoop up Usuk at a bargain price.

“I’ve heard that the Tartar people are quite sensitive when it comes to money. I’ll leave this matter to you.”

“Hmm… Understood. This week, I’ll need to investigate Usuk’s market value. How are taxes taken off?”

I couldn’t grasp what that meant at all. It seems I’d have to leave the entire auction in Kara’s hands.

Anyway, as we chatted, we quickly reached the safe zone.

As soon as we arrived, a patrolling guard was startled to see the Usuk corpse, which was merely an added bonus.

Now all that remains is to report on Usuk and do some simple dismantling.

“What should we do with this blade-like fang? Since it’s broken in half, it probably has no value for display.”

“Well, we’ll send it to the blacksmith. But first, let’s ask Sivar.”

It was the blade-like fang that I broke first. I already had a plan for it beforehand.

I looked at the fang that seemed like it could cut just by looking, scanning my surroundings. I was looking for Luna.

‘Wait, wouldn’t that make item dependence way too high?’

I’d love to gift it to Luna, but weapons made from the blade-like fang would at least be of S rank.

However, if that happened, it’d lead to a strong tendency towards item dependence. Right now, Luna’s individual growth is much more important.

‘Later, I could make even better weapons.’

To achieve better performance, I should hand it over not to the academy but elsewhere. But even being the academy’s blacksmith is enough.

So, right now, there’s only one person it’d be suitable for. I turned to Kara, who was wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead.

“Kara.”

“Huh? What’s up?”

She seemed to have worked hard, wiping perspiration from her shirt and revealing her toned abs.

I glanced at her abs for a moment before looking her straight in the eyes.

“This.”

“…Why this?”

“Use it, Kara.”

“What?”

As I held out the giant blade-like fang and told her to use it, she looked taken aback. The others seemed equally stunned.

It’s understandable; after all, this is a monster I personally took down. Telling someone to use it without any price would surprise anyone.

Just how flustered must she be? Kara stuttered, trying to respond with a panicking voice as I offered it without compensation.

“Umm… Sivar? You seem to not understand, but this is incredibly valuable. You can make excellent weapons with this.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not alright with that. No matter what…”

“You don’t want it?”

That would hurt my feelings. I puffed out my lips when Kara vehemently refused.

Seeing my change in expression seemed to add to her fluster. It appeared she had never anticipated my reaction.

“Just accept it. It’s my gift.”

“Gift?”

“Yup.”

“…Hehe.”

Upon hearing “gift,” Kara chuckled slightly. She then accepted the fang from me.

Kuuugh!

“Ugh!”

But it seemed heavier than expected, causing her to immediately topple over. A unique scream was a bonus.

Kara cautiously lifted the fang. By the look on her face, it was indeed quite heavy.

“T-thank you. I’ll receive it well. Can I make your weapon with this?”

“I have one, though?”

“That originally belonged to my father. I’ll need to return it later. I’ll even get it engraved while I’m at it.”

In that case, she could become a dual-axe warrior. What a romantic combination.

As the heartwarming moment unfolded, I heard whispers around me.

‘This is strange. Sivar seems to match better with Kara…’

‘Is it possible that he’s grown distant from Luna?’

‘That can’t be. It could just be goodwill.’

The murmurs ringing in my ears made no sense to me, so I let them wash over and ignored them.

Having given Kara a gift, I walked toward the baby Usuk. There’s only one task remaining.

“Here we go.”

“Why the baby Usuk?”

Just then, Luna approached me. Kara was heading toward the blacksmith with the blade-like fang.

“I’m going to eat it.”

“…What?”

I asked the bewildered Luna.

“Do you want to eat it too?”

Without hesitation, I responded to her request. Luna looked at the baby Usuk, pondering.

“…Is it tasty?”

“Probably.”

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