Chapter 64

I'm late <(_ _)>

There was a port of the Rattana Kingdom not far from the capital.

However, there were no ships bound for Saulan, and none were even scheduled to arrive.

Kurahito and YukiwHITE decided to head for the port of Yurifranz, where they were told there would be ships bound for Saulan.

Kurahito and YukiwHITE headed for the port of Maranova in Yurifranz, playfully nuzzling each other.

Their journey was based on a rather crude map, but they proceeded almost in a straight line, treating rough roads as part of their training. YukiwHITE skillfully avoided fatally dangerous places, but used other areas with a delicate touch to enhance Kurahito's survival skills.

They passed through several small countries, but Kurahito and YukiwHITE did not get close to any human settlements.

They just felt that crowds were somewhat bothersome.

Still, they bartered with tattooed mountain tribes, completely explored a small ruin where no one had ever heard of a 'King,' and fought with monsters that YukiwHITE occasionally caught by the scruff of the neck. It was never boring.

For Kurahito, who had hardly ever traveled abroad in Japan, the journey from the southern Rattana Kingdom to Yurifranz, known as the northern gateway, was enjoyable, as there was no need to rush like from Salehad to Oslon.

The only thing that marred the experience was the silent pressure from YukiwHITE, who was urging for a brush.

YukiwHITE's favorite brush had been lost along with the trunk in the sea.

Currently, they were using a makeshift brush made from the hair of a monster pig they had hunted along the way, but it was only a substitute and far from satisfactory for YukiwHITE.

After all, they had been traveling through jungles, swamps, and rugged mountainous forest areas, where there were no deer or horse-like monsters with the kind of fur YukiwHITE preferred.

But, Kurahito looked at the vast grassland stretching before him, hoping that there might be horse or deer-like monsters here.

Beyond the grass, which reached chest height, the entrance to a gentle forest was faintly visible.

The grassland and forest evoked images of horses galloping and deer drinking from a lake in the forest.

According to the map, this area was part of the Barooc Autonomous Region of Yurifranz. Beyond the forest, the city should be in sight.

The wind blew through.

The grass was still green, but a faint scent of withered grass was mixed in.

The temperature gradually dropped as they moved north from the Rattana Kingdom.

It was the 80th day of the Red Moon. When the White Moon began, the temperature would drop sharply, and after the middle of the White Moon, it would even snow in Salehad.

In preparation for the White Moon, when food would become scarce, the monsters were actively moving.

Kurahito gently played with YukiwHITE's cute, small ears, which seemed somewhat restless from the small monster presence felt all over the grassland.

"Would you like a horse-like one or a deer-like one?"

At these words, YukiwHITE looked up at Kurahito.

Kurahito smiled wryly at YukiwHITE's expression, which seemed to say, "If we have that, it can be a brush."

YukiwHITE had been somewhat irritable since leaving the Rattana Kingdom, perhaps due to stress.

Just a brush, yet a significant one.

This journey made him realize that.

YukiwHITE, who usually played with small monsters, ignored them completely, completely suppressing her presence and walking in a low posture.

It was a serious hunting stance.

Kurahito also tried to suppress his presence as much as possible, following YukiwHITE.

His ability to suppress his presence was far inferior to YukiwHITE's.

However, this time it might have been for the best.

Kurahito was suddenly pierced by a strong gaze.

A giant horse stood majestically on the grassland, not even trying to hide.

Its black body, excluding its legs, was larger than YukiwHITE, who was as big as a large tiger, and it had six powerful, muscular legs. The mane on its back rippled like a mirage.

Most importantly, its eyes were not gentle like those of a herbivore but were those of a complete carnivore.

It had a presence that could rival YukiwHITE.

But the six-legged horse monster thought Kurahito was the only one present.

It was completely unguarded, trying to prey on Kurahito.

YukiwHITE was already out of Kurahito's perception range.

When she disappeared, even Kurahito didn't know.

At this point, the battle was already decided.

Kurahito just needed to be a decoy.

He had no objection to being a decoy.

If this made YukiwHITE happy, enduring it was no big deal.

Compared to the glare of an irritable YukiwHITE, which he had seen in the middle of the night, the hungry gaze of the carnivorous horse monster was nothing to fear.

The horse seemed to smirk.

The horse monster suddenly charged.

And like a mirage dissipating, it vanished from Kurahito's sight.

Kurahito readied his Ice Warrior's round shield and deployed a wall of ice soil. Inside, the first barrier, an autonomous physical barrier like a shelter, and the second barrier, a life essence physical barrier like skin, were already deployed.

Only the sound of hooves striking the ground approached.

The sound of hooves, resonating in his heart, heightened the tension.

The position was completely unknown.

Suddenly, a volcanic bomb-like body slam from behind.

The ice soil wall was destroyed as if by an explosion, penetrating the first barrier and breaking the second barrier.

It was an extraordinary monster.

Even after breaking through four barriers, the impact of YukiwHITE's playful body slam was transmitted.

It had an incredible mass.

The giant body of the horse monster, looking down at Kurahito, raised its powerful front legs.

The massive hooves aimed for Kurahito's head.

But suddenly, the horse monster was knocked sideways.

Lying on its side, it was breathing heavily, but its neck bone was broken, and it was barely alive.

It was YukiwHITE.

At the moment the horse monster's leg was about to strike, YukiwHITE bit into its throat from the side, knocked it down, and tore out its throat.

It was probably a monster of the same caliber, but YukiwHITE, who had traveled with Kurahito and secretly fought various monsters in different places, had honed her fangs.

More than anything, she had a strong desire for a brush.

To YukiwHITE, the horse monster was nothing but a brush.

The power of the monster and its position as a predator were no longer on par.

-- That brush was snatched away from the side.

A green giant shadow passed in front of them, accompanied by a violent wind, swaying the long grass.

The dead body of the horse monster was gone, and Kurahito, who had been following the green giant shadow, could still see it.

It was flying unsteadily.

Apparently, the prey was too large.

The culprit who had stolen YukiwHITE's prey was a large, winged green dragon.

Kurahito saw a proper dragon for the first time since coming to this world.

A body large enough to carry an adult male, with wings that far exceeded it.

A scaly body that looked hard and bumpy.

A mane around the neck like a lion, with no hint of the sluggish image often associated with dinosaurs.

Kurahito was a little moved.

Such an extraordinary creature was flying in the sky.

However, his extraordinary partner was looking up at the sky.

Without any sign of emotion, but with a menacing gaze.

Whether or not the veins on his face were standing out, it was impossible to tell under the fluffy white fur, but his anger was palpable.

It felt as if the temperature had dropped even further.

YukiwHITE turned her calm, ash-gray eyes to Kurahito and gestured for him to get on her back.

Kurahito complied without resistance.

The journey from the Rattana Kingdom would have been much faster if he could have ridden YukiwHITE.

YukiwHITE, who had grown larger, could carry him, but her priority was training, and she didn't let him have it easy.

But now she said, "Get on."

When Kurahito mounted, YukiwHITE's tail wrapped around his abdomen.

Kurahito clung tightly to YukiwHITE.

YukiwHITE was serious.

Her prey had been stolen right in front of her.

It seemed to have deeply wounded her pride.

As soon as Kurahito clung to her, YukiwHITE took off.

In just two steps, she reached her top speed.

YukiwHITE ran through the grassland, heading for the wobbly flying dragon.

The dragon was approaching the forest.

It seemed unaware of the silent YukiwHITE.

She was already within range.

YukiwHITE leaped.

She pounced on the back of the dragon, high in the sky, without even considering the poisonous tail.

The dragon, the ruler of the sky, was confused by the sudden attack.

The pain of the strong claws piercing its back intensified the confusion.

A thunderous gunshot.

A sound it had never heard before.

The scales at the base of its wings were shattered, and the flesh was torn.

It was all a blur.

This was its territory, and there was no one to fear.

If the prey had been alive, it would have been uncatchable, but it was not a creature to fear.

A human?

Or the white beast?

Without knowing the enemy, the dragon began to fall.

YukiwHITE stepped on the head of the struggling dragon with her front legs,

-- Roar

and with one roar, she subdued it.

The dragon's body stiffened, and for some reason, it tucked its long tail between its legs.

It seemed that YukiwHITE liked this style of subduing prey.

She had done the same with a young birdman she had captured.

Now, she looked down at the dragon as if to say, "Do you have anything to say?"

Dragons, depending on the region, are considered to have the same difficulty level as Ilneiks.

Considering the high difficulty level of Ilneiks due