Episode 133
I followed Lucy outside the house to see the egg that was supposedly hatching.
After the battle with Ballakk, the elves had taken full responsibility for looking after Cheondung, who had turned into an egg.
Was it because they were a non-human race that truly loved nature?
They cared for the egg with the utmost devotion.
Perhaps thanks to that, it hatched much faster than expected.
"...It really is."
The large egg, lying on the soft pile of straw the elves had prepared, already had its shell half-broken.
Through the gap, the newborn Thunder Elephant Bird suddenly stuck its head out and cried out powerfully.
"Kkiek!"
"Wow, it ca out! It's out!"
Lucy and the elves, who had been watching with bated breath, exclaid in awe.
"Kkik, kkiiii..."
Finally, the ancient bird monster, which had been struggling and wiggling, pulled itself completely out of the egg.
It was a wondrous mont, but unlike the elves, I couldn't be entirely happy.
Perhaps because it had reverted to an egg due to a fatal attack, Cheondung had lost its forr majestic and enormous body entirely.
'...I guess it can't be helped.'
For now, it was a massive relief that Cheondung hadn't died.
Looking at the bird, which had beco quite tiny, about the size of a small dog, I composed my troubled heart.
Then I suddenly spotted the letters floating above Cheondung's head.
[Lv.??? Thunder Elephant Bird]
"What. Why is the level..."
The level, which should have been displayed, was marked with question marks.
As I was montarily confused, Elaine's sister, Elena, who was standing nearby, must have heard mutter, as she kindly explained.
"Newborn monsters often have unknown biological information because they haven't awakened their powers yet."
"Ah..."
"What's more, according to ancient docunts passed down among the elves, I've heard that sotis an ancient monster's level rises each ti it's reborn."
"Its level rises?!"
At Elena's addition, I was startled and looked at the newborn monster anew.
Flap, flutter!
Just then, I made eye contact with Cheondung, who was flapping its dark brown wings and vigorously shaking off its wet feathers.
"Kkueeeek!"
It saw , suddenly cried out thunderously, and took off with a fwump!
I tensed up a bit, watching it tilt precariously, still unused to flying.
'What. Does it want to fight?'
No matter how small it had beco, a monster was a monster.
Besides, that bastard hadn't been particularly fond of from the start.
So, if it shot a laser beam at , I would punish it imdiately.
Just as I made up my mind.
"Kkueeek!"
Fwump!
The creature, flapping in mid-air, suddenly did sothing unexpected.
It wasn't shooting a beam; it was charging straight at .
"Ugh!"
I had no ti to dodge.
Smack!
I staggered, hit by that bastard Cheondung as it flew into my chest like an arrow.
"This thing, has it lost its...!"
The mont I reflexively raised my fist at the absurd situation.
[Lv.??? Thunder Elephant Bird feels a deep connection with you.]
[Please show love and affection to your adorable pet!]
A system window popped up out of nowhere.
As I froze at the sight of it, Cheondung, who had buried itself in my chest, started rubbing its head like a baby bird.
"Kkueeeek..."
Just as the system window said, it really seed to be trying to act cute.
I, who had montarily thought it was an attack, hesitated, feeling awkward.
"Goodness! It must recognize its owner, Shari!"
"My goodness, what a moving and warm scene..."
"It's a baby bird! Hug it, onni! Babies need hugs!"
Instead of , who didn't have a shred of sentintality, Elena, Lucy, and the other elves were moved to tears.
Unable to refuse their urging, I hesitated before gently placing a hand on Cheondung's head.
As if to announce it was alive, I felt a warm heat and a strong pulse through its soft feathers.
It felt a little strange.
It was just a rare pet I got in a ga.
"...I'm glad you're okay."
I whispered, as if pushed by the elves' fuss.
I belatedly realized that this warmth, starting from my palm and spreading to my chest, resembled relief.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Cheondung, which had been stuck to , ate its fill of the chunks of at the elves brought a little later and quickly fell asleep.
I glanced at everyone and returned to my room.
And I thought about the first test of the tournant, which should be wrapping up by now.
The first test really wasn't much.
To weed out those who had entered through tricks or luck, they mobilized mages to open a portal to a monster habitat in the arena.
And you had to fight the horde of monsters that poured out for a limited ti.
They were just low-to-mid-grade monsters, but there were so many that those without the skills would quickly give up.
'...So that's what that "magic-tool-prohibiting barrier" crap was about.'
Thinking about the first test, I ca to a belated, unpleasant realization.
"A barrier was activated a short while ago, preventing anyone other than tournant participants from using magic tools inside the arena."
"It ans that even if you tear that, you can't escape this ti."
The words Kassel had said to right before I fled.
Well, it's not like he'd mobilize the mages' precious mana just to catch .
I don't rember clearly, but this must also be one of the tournant's settings.
'Then why did he say it like it was activated because of !'
Honestly, I had to admit I was really flustered back then.
To think that bastard Kassel had also been stalling for ti, just as I was stalling for the forced summon, on top of stopping from using teleport scrolls just to throw in the palace dungeon...
I was furious, as if I'd been betrayed.
"What betrayal!"
At the fleeting thought, I hastily grabbed my head and shook it.
And I desperately tried to recall what happened after.
That bastard's face, the look of having been sucker-punched as he watched fall from the railing.
Recalling that, the absurd, nonsensical thoughts receded, and a sense of satisfaction washed over .
'He must be seriously pissed off right now.'
I smiled, picturing in the air that bastard's bright red, horrified eyes just before I fell.
"Go ahead and search all you want. See if I show my face."
He could search the Solenian royal lineage until his eyes popped out; he wouldn't find a single trace.
Thinking of Kassel's dumbfounded expression when he greets the real royalty arriving tomorrow, I couldn't stop laughing.
It was then.
Zzziiiing, zzziiiiing.
[High-Grade Communication Crystal]
Suddenly, the communication crystal I'd left on the bedside table began to glitter and vibrate.
It seed the first test of the Hero Selection Tournant had just ended.
"Ahem, hem!"
I, who had been smiling brightly for the first ti in a while thinking about that bastard Kassel, quickly cleared my throat.
And I picked up the crystal and tapped it a couple of tis.
A familiar voice imdiately poured out.
[Teacher Apothecary-noona!]
It was a good thing I'd given Elaine the crystal beforehand, not knowing how the temple quest would turn out.
Pleased with the crystal, which was comndably doing its job, I quickly asked.
"How did the test go?"
[Tch! Shouldn't you ask if I'm hurt first? Employer-abusing owner-noona.]
Judging by his slick voice, which was no different from usual, he seed perfectly fine, without a single injury.
However, that bastard Elaine held a grudge, so I asked as a courtesy.
"...Are you hurt? From just that?"
[Just that! There were so many monsters, and so many people gave up...!]
At my unenthusiastic voice, Elaine got excited and started rattling on.
I tapped the crystal to lower the volu for a bit, and when Elaine quieted down, I asked again.
"Who got first place?"
[It was just catching low-to-mid-grade monsters, but the first test ranking was also important.]
[Because they counted the number of monsters caught and assigned dungeons according to rank.]
Elaine answered my question quite triumphantly.
[That was, of course…]
"You?!"
[...not . It was this guy nad Adam Hailey, who's pretty like a girl. He did it.]
[Sothing about him being the Crown Prince's lackey, and isn't it cheating for an Imperial Palace knight to participate.
I don't know what he didn't like, but Elaine bad-mouthed Adam a few more tis after that.
[It was just a little funny, one pretty boy cussing out another pretty boy.]
"So what place did you get?"
[I got ninth place. You told to be discreet and take it easy.]
Elaine replied grumpily, as if he was disappointed by my request.
'He got ninth place?'
I was inwardly surprised by the high ranking, compared to Elaine's commonly known rank.
Elaine's first test rank, as known on the community forums, was far outside the top 500.
That's why he was assigned a crappy dungeon and went around from dungeon to dungeon, kill-stealing bosses.
But if he's in the top 10 from the start...
'Good. He definitely must have caught Kassel's eye.'
While I was filled with hope that he could get a carry from Adam, he kept grumbling.
[I had plenty of onions, I could have done better!]
[Can't I just get first place?!]
"Enough. Were your party and dungeon assigned?"
[Yes.]
"Where? You're obviously tead up with Adam, right?"
Elaine was also high-ranking, and Kassel was probably paying attention to him because of , so there was a high chance he'd be assigned to the sa dungeon as Adam.
[Nope? I don't have a party?]
But Elaine's cheerful voice in response was completely different from what I'd expected.
[And Adam Hailey was assigned to the highest-grade Ogre Dungeon.[
"Huh? Then what about you?"
[? I was assigned to the Imperial Palace. By myself.]
"The Imp... Palace?"
[Yeah. They must have monsters at the Imperial Palace too, noona!]
[I never knew…]
Elaine's endlessly chattering voice slowly faded.
The Imperial Palace? I tried so hard to avoid it, so why the Imperial Palace of all places!
'Don't tell ... that bastard Kassel did this on purpose?'
A chilling thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
That maybe I was the one who got sucker-punched...
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