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Settlement*
[Defeated five leaders of the black wolves. Stamina increased by 2.]
[Consistently honed Shadow Swordsmanship/Sorcery, enabling more efficient use. Magic increased by 2.]
[Surrounded by numerous wolves but fought alongside companions without giving up, achieving a new record. Strength and Agility each increased by 1.]
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Title*
[Obtained 〈Slaughterer of Black Wolves〉.]
A title granted to those who have hunted hundreds of black wolves.
-Deals 3% additional damage when striking black wolves, reduces the effect and duration of wolf howls by 20%.
-Intimidates all types of wolves when hunting them. However, named or boss wolves are unaffected.
└ Intimidation (Passive): Reduces wolve’s movement and attack speed by 5%.
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「Status Window」
[Name: Yuda Arche]
[Title: Slaughterer of Black Wolves(1)]
[Level: 19]
[Class: Black Claw _ Shadow Magic Swordsman(Hidden_A)]
[Revival Count: 1]
[Strength: 41(C) / Potential A]
[Stamina: 40(C) / Potential S]
[Agility: 42(C) / Potential SS]
[Mana: 43(C) / Potential B]
[Mana Resistance: 52(C) / Potential S]
[Knowledge: 17(F) / Potential B] ◀ Special
[Luck: 84(A) / Potential S] ◀ Special
[Remaining Points: 4]
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Despite hunting wolves for about a year and eight months, Yuda found the results unsatisfactory. Although his level and stats had risen, the increase was smaller than he expected. Of course, he earned a title, and with Jeanne’s help, hunting wolves became easier, so the modest gains made sense. Still, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed that the easy gains were over.
“Sigh, is it time to move on?”
Yes, it felt like the time to leave was near. Seeing Jeanne, his temporary companion, depart today made it even clearer. Come to think of it, he was already almost 15. March was here, all with its fresh spring breeze blowing in the wind. In about three months, his birthday would arrive.
This birthday held special significance. Celebrating his birth and eating delicious food was the same as always, but on his fifteenth birthday, unlike other days, he would undergo his coming-of-age ceremony.
It was also the day Yuda could open the lucky pouch given by Sian, the first monarch. That’s when things would truly begin. Obtaining the fragment would trigger an automatic save, so from that point, he could steadily follow the original game storyline.
After getting the fragment, he planned to find Jeanne, the blue lance knight, in the western forest, recruit her as a true companion, and then leave Serenia Castle to search for the next fragment.
Leaving Tia behind.
The choice to leave her behind was painful, but unavoidable. Ignoring the bond built over years with her was no easy feat. Naturally, he wanted to take her along. That was his honest desire. But thinking rationally, bringing her wasn’t a good option.
If only Tia’s potential stats were a bit higher, he wouldn’t be agonizing over this.
Taking her along out of affection, with her ambiguous potential stats, felt too risky and uncertain.
Of course, her current level was high enough to make early story progression easier, but her limits would soon become apparent. Worse, in battles to obtain fragments, she could die. That risk would grow with each fragment acquired.
‘It doesn’t matter if I die.’
If possible, he didn’t want to see her die. The one who he may have grown attached to…
“If she dies because of my mistake…”
Such an idea brought Judah tremendous grief. His 〈Player〉 trait might keep him from turning insane, but the trauma could cause him to lose motivation in everything. It was terrifying just. Just thinking about it made his chest tighten. Without a doubt, to bring her back, he would go as far as to take his own life and turn back time.
Here, Yuda’s eyes narrowed. His thoughts spiraled, imagining the worst scenarios. Not just her death—how long could he keep repeating suicides to revive any cherished companion who died?
What if he grew accustomed to companions dying at some point?
If he started thinking he had to give up, becoming numb to their deaths, that would be its own kind of torment. At the very least, he didn’t want Tia to be part of that process.
At that moment, the bathroom door swung open with a bang. Tia glanced at Yuda lying on the sofa, went to her room to change into casual clothes, and came out. Yuda set aside his earlier thoughts and smiled at her.
“You better bring back something tasty.”
“Hmph, got it~ I’ll bring something, so don’t fall asleep while waiting.”
Tia approached Yuda, who was lying on the sofa waving lazily, and kissed his forehead pretty harshly. The fresh scent of soap wafted from her freshly showered body. But her eyes held a hint of dissatisfaction, as if something wasn’t enough.
“Not going?”
“Wait a sec. Nope, this won’t do.”
This time, she kissed his lips lightly, finally showing a satisfied expression. Saying “I’ll be back,” she waved and left with lively steps. Yuda touched his lips, still feeling the soft sensation. The thought of leaving her behind, which he’d been mulling over, made his heart ache even more.
Sighing softly, he checked her status window. Her favorability, exceeding 90, stood out above all else. At the threshold between lover and spouse, her high favorability translated into natural displays of physical closeness and love.
Yuda was very much tempted to give in to her a few times, but he always found himself hesitating at the last minute, so they never had a proper relationship.
Thanks to that, Yuda endured torturous nights, mentally reciting the national anthem to fall asleep. Because of Tia, he could remember the national anthem without forgetting it, years after arriving here. Hearing the door click shut, he let out a deep sigh and sank deeper into the sofa.
“If this were just a game, I wouldn’t have to wrestle with these worries.”
In a game, you could take up to five companions. He could bring Tia early on, swap her out at an inn when the party was full, and later bring her back to build affection when the story progressed smoothly…
The problem was, this world wasn’t a game with such a system.
It borrowed some system elements, but everything was starkly real. All NPCs lived, breathed, thought, and acted on their own. There was no function to swap companions freely at an inn.
Feeling a headache from the endless complex thoughts, Yuda shook his head vigorously. His mind was made up.
He wouldn’t take her.
Instead, as he had once mentioned, he would entrust the house to her. He wanted her to wait for him here. If she fell in love with another man… it would hurt, but he would willingly bless her. Asking her to wait indefinitely when he didn’t know when he would return felt too selfish. But call it greed or selfishness—he wanted her to wait.
“…No. I need to think about something else.”
Dwelling on leaving her made him gloomy. He had prepared for this, but his heart didn't bend so easily. Deciding to think of something else, he checked his status window, skills, and items, when he recalled a quest from the lord.
「Lord’s Request」
[The lord, annoyed by the black wolves expanding their territory into the Eastern Forest, hopes you will reduce their numbers.]
[It’s not a task to request one person, but this is an opportunity. Should you hunt the wolves and defeat their bosses, you will be celebrated by the inhabitants of the castle as well as the lord.]
[Rewards vary based on the number of wolves hunted and end when you claim them from the lord.]
Come to think of it, there had been a request like that. Two years had passed since, and because the rewards couldn’t be claimed immediately, he hadn’t paid any attention to it. As he scrolled down the window, the number of wolves hunted came into view.
[Current Black Wolves Hunted]
[Regular Wolves: 698]
[Leader Wolves: 5]
“That’s a lot I killed…”
He had hunted them relentlessly, but many black wolves still remained. They no longer appeared near the eastern forest, but in the southern forest, they were pretty easy to find.
Despite hunting so many, he hadn’t seen 〈Requiem〉, the boss of the black wolves, since the 1:1 duel with Korcan. Even if he encountered it, he wasn’t confident in winning a one-on-one, so he wasn’t eager to meet it.
Still, with this many kills, the reward—whatever it was—should be worth anticipating. Armor or weapons would be nice, but money would be even better.
After obtaining the 〈24th Fragment, Carpe Diem〉 in Serenia Castle, the next fragment was the 〈10th Fragment, Artemisia〉. Acquiring it was quite simple.
All you needed was money. With enough, you could buy it from its owner. But no one in this world knew that. So, wealthy tycoons who coveted fragments searched for ways to obtain them but came up empty.
“What will the lord give as a reward…?”
Perhaps he would need to soon visit the lord.
Yawn
Lying down, he yawned. He had planned to wait for Tia’s return.
Should he get up, move around, and stay awake, or just drift off lazily like this?
…Too much hassle. let’s just sleep. He didn’t know when Tia would return, but it was likely to be an hour or two. With nothing to do in the meantime, Yuda closed his eyes.
+ + +
Bang bang bang!
“Doorr! Open it, Yuuudaaa!”
Yuda, who’d fallen asleep on the sofa, woke to the sound of the door being pounded and got up. It sounded like Tia, and she seemed drunk. Sighing at the relentless banging that threatened to bring the house down, he stood. He wasn’t sure how long he had slept, but checking the system, 22:47:32 appeared in his vision.
“She’s back earlier than I thought.”
Turning the knob, the door opened smoothly without resistance.
Oh, right. Yuda hadn't locked the door after Tia left. There was no way he forgot to lock it—he wasn't the type to be too lazy to walk to the entrance.
…?
Then why didn’t she just come in?
When Yuda opened the door, he saw her slumped against the wall, as if she had collapsed. By the smell of alcohol, she had drunk heavily. Seeing Yuda, she broke into a bright smile.
“Yuda! Your teacher, your big sis, brought something awesome!”
Giggling, she raised her hand. In it was a neatly packaged paper box, the name of a familiar shop printed on it. Pretending not to know, he asked,
“Chicken?”
“Exactly!”
She sprang up like a cat and threw herself into Yuda’s arms. He braced himself to bear her weight, instinctively tensing his legs to avoid dropping the chicken box if they fell. Luckily, she held onto the box tightly, and they didn’t topple.
“How’s that? Awesome, right? Adorable, right? Happy, right? Bringing chicken was a genius move, right!”
Clinging to him, she peppered his cheeks with kisses, her hands roaming over his body. When Yuda blushed and told her it was ticklish, she responded with a giggle. She was all drunk in all shape and form, her defenseless behavior was reserved solely for Yuda.
Happily enduring her barrage of kisses, he carefully supported her. She shouted, “Over there, over there!” pointing at the sofa. Reaching it, she flung herself onto it, tossing the chicken box onto the table with a whoosh.
“Eat it!”
Lying on the sofa with a proud expression, she spread her arms, seemingly asking for a hug. But knowing that would make it impossible to eat the chicken, he refused. Nudging her with his hip to make space, Yuda sat and opened the box. Inside was warm, freshly fried chicken—boneless, no less. Chicken is always divine. Overjoyed, Yuda began eating with his fingers.
“Thanks for the food!”
Tia watched him munch the chicken with a satisfied smile, as if possessed by a ravenous spirit. Too focused on eating to notice, Yuda didn’t see her dreamy expression—like a woman gazing at her beloved.
“Tasty?”
“Yeah, want some Tia?”
“Hehe, gonna feed me?”
Tia opened her mouth like a baby bird and fixed her moist, tempting eyes on Yuda.
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***Author’s Note***
Guess how many left till~
Q. I’m really curious. Why does Tia, a tiger beastkin, only like cigarettes, alcohol, greens, bread, and grain-based sandwiches? As a tiger-human hybrid, shouldn’t she be all about meat?
A. The sandwiches Tia likes are meat-filled. She eats grains normally because she gorges on wolf meat during hunts. It’s said she’s mindful of her health and figure.
Q. Author, could you compile the Tips that appear every few chapters and post them in the story’s setting section once enough accumulate?
A. Sure, I’ll post them in the setting section once about 20-30 pile up.
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