Chapter 57

A small dinosaur with a red and black mottled pattern, about a meter long, emerged from the sand, hopping frantically. It had a slender body, a forward-leaning posture for bipedal walking, agile legs, and a single straight horn extending from its head. Known as the Horn Raptor in the north and the Unicorndragon locally, these creatures were notorious for raiding livestock and fields in packs at night, while they huddled together in the jungle during the day.

Snowwhite targeted the resting Unicorndragons. As the Unicorndragons slept soundly, Snowwhite, an unseen superior magical beast, launched a sudden attack. The Unicorndragons scrambled to their feet in panic. Snowwhite focused on one and pursued it to the beach. Zangren and Yobi were waiting there.

Suddenly, something descended rapidly and decapitated the Unicorndragon, carrying the head away. The speed was incredible. Zangren and Yobi, blinded by the flying sand, realized only the headless Unicorndragon lay on the beach. The head, the proof of the kill, was gone, leaving the body worthless. Zangren glared at the bird person flying away into the sky, but there was little he could do. Snowwhite emerged from the jungle, seeing the headless Unicorndragon and showing a faint sign of irritation. With a flick of its tail, it pointed toward the jungle.

"Jungle, huh?"

Zangren and Yobi followed Snowwhite into the dense jungle. Snowwhite's pace remained unchanged, moving effortlessly through the dense undergrowth. Compared to the Alerdoria Mountains, there was no difference in its agility. Zangren, however, struggled. The undulating roots, the twisted and towering trees with sprawling branches, and the hanging vines and snakes made it feel like they were entering an ancient forest. The environment was vastly different from the Alerdoria Mountains. Even Yobi moved more smoothly than Zangren.

Occasionally, Snowwhite would stop and cast a pitying glance, reminiscent of the early days in the Alerdoria Mountains. Zangren, irritated by the familiar gaze, gritted his teeth, knowing his own inadequacy. He vowed to one day tie Snowwhite's tail in a knot. Remembering the regret he felt after thinking such a thought, Zangren seethed with resentment. Yobi watched the interaction from behind.

Snowwhite was an extraordinary magical beast, extremely intelligent and powerful. Yobi respected Snowwhite as a distinct personality, as their master did. Being strong and as intelligent as a human, Yobi had no objections. Beast people and bird people tended to recognize strength, with intelligence being secondary. Thus, the king was strong and revered for it. Snowwhite, being strong enough to handle a branch manager and sufficiently intelligent, could not be denied.

However, it was Zangren, their master, who played with such a powerful magical beast. Zangren, who had paid a sum equivalent to a decade's salary for a slave and equipped them with the same amount, had trained Yobi to hunt a multicolored rock crab alone, making Yobi a 'Nine-Star' hunter. Despite struggling with the crab and facing various challenges in the city and guild, Zangren remained calm, yet struggled in the jungle. Yobi's intuition was not to be underestimated, and Zangren's strength was hard to gauge.

Snowwhite crouched and stopped, not out of pity for Zangren. Following Snowwhite's gaze, Zangren saw a cluster of Unicorndragons of various sizes sleeping on a pile of fallen logs. Yobi was already crouched, waiting for Zangren's signal. Unicorndragons, individually 'Nine-Star' and 'Eight-Star' in groups, were not particularly strong. They were nocturnal, omnivorous, and not aggressive, but they mercilessly attacked weakened prey and livestock. Being classified as magical beasts, they were sensitive to spirit magic, but a direct attack on their sleeping place was not too difficult. Each Unicorndragon was worth ten pamyts, making them a valuable target.

Zangren planned to use nine earth stakes, while Yobi would release compressed air balls. They aimed to take out ten Unicorndragons.

However, a large rock fell onto the Unicorndragon nest, breaking thin branches. It fell without any sign of spirit magic, suggesting a physical drop. Even Snowwhite, from a distance, would have found it difficult to detect a rock falling from such a height. Snowwhite, frustrated, leaped onto a high branch and glared at the empty sky. The Unicorndragons, scattering like spiders, fled into the jungle. Snowwhite, Zangren, and Yobi could not catch up.

One Unicorndragon, perhaps in a panic, flew directly toward Zangren. Zangren raised his kukri knife, but an arrow pierced the Unicorndragon's head, causing it to fall. Zangren slowly lowered his kukri, staring resentfully at the white-feathered arrow.

"Hmm, are you alright?"

Three bird people descended from the sky, one of them asking. They carried bows, but Zangren deduced they shot from the branches. Observing them, Zangren's frustration peaked. They were clearly targeting their prey.

On the beach and in the jungle, the coincidences were too many. Hunters taking each other's prey was not allowed, especially if intentional. It was a matter of pride. Even in Sarehad, while there were interferences, there were no local poachings. It was dangerous and could lead to deadly conflicts.

"Taking someone's prey and acting so smug about it."

"Really? It looked like you were in trouble. You don't seem very high-ranked. This area isn't usually visited by low-rankers."

"Is there a rule that low-rankers can't come here?"

"Well, no."

"Then your judgment was wrong."

"… Hunters help each other. If it looks dangerous, they step in."

Zangren clenched his teeth. If they were here to kill, he would have acted, but he couldn't attack bird people without a valid reason. If he did, and it was witnessed, he would be blamed. Even if it was a serious violation, he couldn't kill them without leaving evidence. The three bird people smiled thinly.

"We're taking this. We helped you, so it's our right."

Snowwhite silently landed, unnoticed by the bird people. Known as the White Phantom, it was not to be underestimated.

"… This is my hunting beast. I won't attack unless provoked. Unless you provoke me, that is."

Snowwhite bared its fangs, a warning. It knew the situation but was only threatening. If not, it would happen again, and that was unacceptable. The bird people, unfamiliar with Ilneek, quickly realized they were outmatched and fled, leaving behind the Unicorndragon horns.

"…"

"Don't look so sour. We knew this would happen."

"… But—"

"Let it go. We just need to stay calm. Being here near the capital is already a nuisance to them. They'll come soon."

Zangren, stroking Snowwhite's head, said to Yobi. "Still, failing a request is frustrating."

Zangren looked at Snowwhite, who seemed slightly more cheerful. With a wry smile, Zangren asked Snowwhite for help. For a normal hunter, it would be embarrassing, but Zangren, acknowledged as Snowwhite's dependent, had no qualms. If all else failed, he would rely on Snowwhite.

The bird people continued to interfere, but the first group they encountered in the jungle was not seen again, likely due to fear of Snowwhite. In the end, Zangren and Yobi could not hunt the Unicorndragons before the bird people.

Zangren, Yobi, and Snowwhite were at the guild. Zangren placed ten Unicorndragon horns on the counter. The bird person clerk's face twitched. Zangren handed over two tags and received fifty pamyts as reward, ignoring the clerk.

The bird person clerk, visibly irritated, glared at Zangren. "Excuse me, can I ask you something?"

Zangren, not yet finished with the counter, turned to the dog-eared female clerk. "Yes, what is it?"

The clerk, aware of Zangren's reputation and yesterday's events, had a slightly tense expression but remained composed. "While hunting Unicorndragons, bird people hunters have been poaching or destroying nests. Is such behavior allowed in the Rattana Kingdom's guild?"

The cow-type beast person clerk beside her gasped, and the bird person clerk on the other side glared.

"But, is it really not a coincidence?"

"Coincidence? If it's a coincidence, they would share the prey equally. They just fly away, so it's not a coincidence. And it's not just once or twice."

"… Do you have any evidence?"

A bird person clerk, who had confronted Zangren about Snowwhite yesterday, interjected. "There's no evidence, right? Without evidence, it's just a baseless claim."

"Right. I'm just reporting it. Make sure it's recorded. The rest is up to you. Goodbye."

Zangren, knowing it would be a fruitless argument, left for the café. From now on, he would hunt without accepting requests and complete them later. Accepting requests from the guild would only lead to more interference. The bird person clerk or others were likely leaking their request information to other hunters.

Today, he had managed, but he preferred not to use the same method. Zangren left the hunting to Snowwhite. With its speed, it could hunt each Unicorndragon individually, making interference impossible. He ensured they had ten horns. Normally, he wouldn't do this, but with the interference, it was necessary. Reporting it was a preventive measure. If he accidentally killed a bird person hunter, having reported the issue would make a difference in how it was handled.

Zangren ordered a roasted Gick bird from the usual cat-type beast person girl. The fifty pamyts reward was gone, but it was Snowwhite's earnings, so it didn't matter. The cat-type beast person girl, with bird legs, negotiated with Snowwhite. Snowwhite, knowing there was no need to be cautious, bit into the bird leg. The girl, instead of being angry, was delighted.

Snowwhite, with short ears twitching, ate the bird leg and caressed the girl's head with its tail. The girl, smiling, buried her face in Snowwhite's fluffy body.

The chef, a bald man with cat ears, brought the roasted Gick bird. "Where's Mil? Oh, never mind."

Seeing Snowwhite and the girl, he smiled and began disassembling the bird. "Just remove the legs. The rest, Snowwhite will eat."

"Sure thing."

"… S-Sorry!"

Mil, jumping from Snowwhite's body,