Chapter 77

Wyvern (3)

As I stepped out of the cave, Ttyong very naturally followed behind me.

Since he seemed to be in a good mood, he kept scratching the walls of the passage with his wings and tried to nuzzle me, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

We've only known each other for less than 10 minutes, but anyone who sees us would think we've known each other for 10 years.

"Quite a character, huh."

Neohu, who had been looking at me with a puzzled expression, said.

"Is this one of the abilities of the 7th Lord? Controlling the minds of monsters to manipulate them."

I replied, feeling exasperated.

"Is that even a question?"

"It's not normal for a wyvern to be so obedient from the start, is it?"

Well... that's true.

But I didn't know why this guy was so obedient to me.

Could it be because we played together in the game, and he recognized me as his master?

It's a good thing, but it's a mystery.

"Is it possible that he's just a wyvern who is obedient to anyone...?"

Neohu said as she cautiously approached Ttyong.

Then, the growling creature suddenly turned hostile and roared.

Kiaak!

She frowned and stepped back.

I, who was right next to him, also felt the impact on my eardrums, so I tapped his neck. This guy, and it's even more resonant in a cave.

【Lv. 70】

Ttyong's level was a whopping 70, higher than the wyverns of Neohu and the royal guard knight, and all the wyverns we encountered on the way here.

In the game, wyverns were only used for flying due to system limitations, but here they could be used in combat.

At level 70, while not an overwhelmingly powerful force, he could still wreak havoc and slaughter a fairly strong combat unit on his own.

'Wyvern scales are particularly resistant to magic, right?'

We soon emerged from the cave.

The wyverns of Neohu and the royal guard knight, who had been waiting on the cliff for their masters, growled lowly at Ttyong.

Ttyong, a black wyvern, was noticeably larger than the others.

Despite their hostility, Ttyong exhaled a short breath and ignored them. Is he actually scoffing?

"Anyway, this should be the end of our business, right?"

Neohu asked, turning to me.

I nodded.

Since I had obtained the wyvern I was aiming for, there was no reason to stay in these mountains any longer. There was no reason to continue traveling with these two either.

"We'll part ways here."

"Those are the words I was hoping to hear."

Then the royal guard knight spoke.

"If you need a saddle, I can give you mine."

I was secretly delighted.

I was already thinking about how I would ride back without a saddle, and she brought it up first.

"Is that okay?"

"Yes."

Although I felt a bit guilty, since she was more skilled, she would be less uncomfortable than me.

I decided to accept her kindness without refusing.

Of course, Neohu, who had been listening to our conversation, looked displeased and glared at both of us.

Grrr!

At that moment, the wyverns let out a rough growl.

I turned to see what was happening and found Ttyong approaching Neohu's wyvern and provoking it.

"That little thing..."

Neohu emitted a mix of disbelief and anger.

Startled, Ttyong quickly ran behind me to hide.

I looked at him, feeling bewildered.

'What are you doing, you?'

Was this guy always like this?

In many ways, he seemed very different from a typical wyvern.

Anyway, I received the saddle from the royal guard knight and put it on him.

Since I didn't know how to do it, she did it for me.

"Stay still, Ttyong."

Whether it was the saddle or the touch of another person, Ttyong tried to struggle, but he calmed down when I petted him.

He seemed intelligent, so communication was relatively smooth.

"·····Ttyong? Did you already name him? That's an unusual name."

Neohu's sudden comment almost made me burst out laughing.

Although it was in Korean, which she didn't understand, it was funny to hear her say the name so casually.

'Damn, it just fits.'

Anyway, after the saddle was fully attached, I climbed onto his back.

Ttyong flapped his wings, ready to take off.

I turned to Neohu one last time.

"See you at the next meeting, 2nd Lord."

"·····Sure. Don't try to use me for such pointless tasks again."

I also said to the royal guard knight.

"Thanks for the saddle. I'll keep it at the castle and return it later."

"Yes, 7th Lord. Please take care."

Flap!

The two took off first, and I watched them quickly disappear into the sky before tapping Ttyong's neck.

"Let's go. That way."

With a powerful roar, Ttyong flapped his wings and took off in the direction I pointed.

***

We returned to the 7th Lord's territory by retracing our steps.

Since we would be traveling together from now on, I observed Ttyong closely to learn more about him.

Grrr!

The most impressive thing was his enormous appetite.

I watched as Ttyong tore apart a few giant wolves he had caught, bones and all.

While the wyverns of Neohu and the royal guard knight hunted and ate on their own while I was eating, Ttyong's meat consumption was about a third of his body size, which was enormous.

I don't remember the wyverns of Neohu and the royal guard knight eating that much.

Anyway, analyzing other behaviors besides his eating habits was meaningless.

Because Ttyong followed me without any signs of dislike, no matter what I did.

And during this time, I discovered one more thing...

'Does he actually understand what I say?'

The fact that communication with him was so smooth without any gestures made me think he might understand me.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to communicate so smoothly with a wyvern I hadn't trained.

While eating and resting, I made eye contact with the crouching Ttyong and said,

"Stand up."

He immediately stood up.

"Sit down."

He plopped back down.

"Roll over."

Grr?

He seemed a bit surprised this time, but he tucked his wings and rolled over.

I marveled internally and petted him.

'Really understands everything.'

I wondered how this was possible, but since it was a fantasy world, it wasn't that surprising.

I petted him.

Since he followed my commands so well, there shouldn't be any problems in the future.

As time passed, we arrived at the Lord's castle.

I flew over the castle walls and looked for a place to land among the gathering knights.

'Ah, did they mistake us for an attack?'

Seeing the knights drawing their swords, I slowed my landing.

The knights had never seen my wyvern before.

As I got closer, someone recognized me and shouted to stop the others.

The knights, looking flustered, quickly sheathed their swords.

"Sorry, my Lord! We mistook you for an enemy attack!"

"It's fine. Go about your business."

After dismounting from the wyvern, I dismissed the knights.

The butler soon appeared.

"Welcome back, my Lord."

The butler's gaze, slightly surprised, fell on Ttyong.

I pointed to Ttyong and asked,

"Is there a place in the castle where we can keep this guy?"

"Yes, of course. Please follow me."

Following the butler, we arrived at a large, iron-fenced enclosure on one side of the castle.

It was more like an open field than an enclosure.

Ttyong followed me inside.

As soon as we entered, he looked around, as if he realized this would be his new home.

"The butler will immediately prepare dedicated servants to take care of the wyvern."

The butler immediately brought a few people.

Ttyong growled as more unfamiliar people approached. The servants flinched and stepped back.

"Stay still."

I calmed Ttyong and said calmly,

"These people will help you adapt to this place. Do not attack or show hostility. Understand?"

Grr.

Ttyong seemed to understand and immediately calmed down.

After leaving Ttyong with the servants, I entered the building.

'Where is Ashel?'

It wasn't strange for her to have come out earlier, but she still hadn't shown up. I wanted to show off Ttyong to her.

Feeling curious, I entered the castle's hall and faintly sensed mana surging from the lower floor.

"·····?"

This is Ashel's mana.

I could recognize it immediately since I felt it all the time.

I went straight to the training ground on the lower floor.

There, I found the Rief siblings and Ashel, who was standing with her eyes closed.

She had used her racial trait to turn her body completely white, and a faint, pure white mana mist swirled around her like flames.

When I asked what was happening, Rief, surprised, replied,

"I'm not sure. Lady Ashel was sparring with Rigen, but she suddenly stopped, closed her eyes, and... like this..."

Rigen, standing next to her, breathing heavily and holding his sword, also looked bewildered.

I watched Ashel, who remained motionless, and let out a small exclamation.

'Ah, could it be...?'

Did she have some kind of epiphany?

From what Rief said, it seemed like she had a sudden realization while sparring with Rigen.

Since her face looked peaceful, it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with her body, so I decided to wait and watch.

Swoosh.

Soon, the surging mana was quickly absorbed back into her body, and I witnessed an amazing sight.

【Lv. 82】

Her level, which had been floating above her head, had increased.

Returning to her normal state, Ashel slowly opened her eyes and wore an expression of both satisfaction and regret.

Then, she noticed me standing to the side and was startled.

"Lord Ron, how long have you been...?"

Not knowing what to say, I just nodded and said softly,

"You've grown even more."

Ashel, who had been flustered, gave a slightly awkward smile.

But really, what's with this sudden, unexpected level-up?