Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 030
Chapter Title: Wolf Pack
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Three wolves sat obediently in place. They fidgeted awkwardly, just like new recruits who had just transferred in.
'What should I do with these guys?'
The unexpected situation left him a bit flustered. Woojin scratched his chin as he scanned each of the wolves' faces, then suddenly turned to look at Rex.
Rex lay flat on the ground, peeking up at Woojin cautiously. His posture was strangely rigid. This cheeky wolf was far more tense than usual.
Wondering why, Woojin realized...
He was waiting for permission. Whether to accept the wolves into the pack or not was a decision for the alpha, the one at the top of the hierarchy.
Woojin thought for a moment before speaking.
"Rex. If these guys cause any trouble, it's on you. You ready for that?"
Rex nodded eagerly at the question. Woojin had no idea how long that resolve would last, but getting the verbal commitment was what mattered.
Woojin rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a pouch of jerky. He tossed a piece to each wolf. They looked puzzled, but Rex's face lit up—he understood the gesture.
"Eat."
Woojin commanded. Though they couldn't understand words, the wolves smartly picked up the jerky in front of them and ate. With that, the simple welcoming ceremony was over.
'Now I've got three more mouths to feed.'
He wondered if he'd made the right call.
Still, with more companions traveling alongside, the journey wouldn't be boring.
He walked toward the city with the wolves.
He'd been a little worried about how to feed them...
But it was needless concern. The wolves hunted surrounding beasts on their own to fill their bellies and voluntarily offered up the cores from those beasts to Woojin.
Thud.
Rex placed a core at Woojin's feet and stepped back. This was already the third one offered up. Woojin started to get suspicious.
'These aren't the kind of guys who'd do something this dutiful...'
Before, Rex would've secretly gobbled it up and played dumb. But ever since getting subordinates, he'd been acting like a loyal hound—something not in his stars.
He must've wanted to show respect for the hierarchy in front of his underlings. Thanks to that, Woojin just had to sit back while cores rolled in one by one.
"Here, take it."
Woojin handed the core back to Rex. He'd accepted a couple out of courtesy, but since he felt no real change, it was better to let Rex have them.
Rex then kept funneling the cores to one particular wolf—a pretty one with light gray fur. The pack's only female.
'The others are gonna get resentful.'
At this rate, she'd hog all the cores, so Woojin started distributing the rest directly to the other two. The neglected males began serving Woojin even more devotedly.
Looking back now, it seemed like exactly what Rex had intended.
Maybe from his experience tightrope-walking under a brutal Werewolf, Rex had naturally seized control of the pecking order. Thanks to him, Woojin didn't have to worry about managing the wolves.
'That aside, I should give these guys names too.'
It was a small but important detail. Woojin wasn't great at naming things.
Take Rex—even that was just the name of some guy who'd gotten chomped by a wolf, slapped on because naming was a hassle.
Now he had three more to name. What should he call them? As he pondered, their destination came into view.
The Third Pioneer City. Woojin headed toward the entrance with the wolves.
'I've gotta bring them inside the city.'
That was his decision. With just Rex, he could've left him outside without worry, but now there were four wolves. Leaving them around a pioneer city could spell trouble if anything went wrong.
Plus, splitting up every time he entered a city and reuniting later was a pain. Might as well push the issue this once.
With that thought, he approached the city...
As expected, the guards at the gate panicked and leveled their spear tips at him.
"Back off right now!"
One guard bellowed. The wolves, excited by the shout, bared their fangs in unison.
Grrrrr.
They growled threateningly, throats rumbling. As the startled guards moved to call for backup, Woojin whistled sharply.
Pheeew!
The short, firm whistle. At the signal, the wolves snapped their jaws shut and sat obediently.
The guards stared in stunned silence. Wolves acting like well-trained hunting dogs. They'd never heard of such a thing.
The situation had calmed. Judging it safe, Woojin pulled a recommendation token from his pocket.
"No need to be tense, everyone. I'm here on Elder Bow's invitation."
"...Hand it over."
The most senior-looking guard stepped forward bravely. He checked the token and gave Woojin a strange look.
"The name engraved here... it's not Elder Bow."
Woojin checked it himself. Sure enough, it was Archbishop Conrad.
'Oh, right. I got another one.'
With all the wolf training, he'd forgotten. Feeling sheepish, Woojin dug out the other token.
"This should be the one."
"...Yes. Confirmed."
The guard's attitude was far more polite now. But they still couldn't enter right away.
"Sorry, but could you wait here? Bringing a wolf pack into the city is so unusual... I need to report to the Church Alliance first."
"Go ahead."
With permission granted, the guard dashed inside clutching the token. Woojin waited with the wolves, chewing jerky.
About ten minutes passed.
A familiar old man approached, escorted by a guard. Woojin grinned and walked up to him.
"Long time no see."
"Indeed. Thanks for accepting my offer. That said... you sure know how to pick the flashy moves."
Conrad must've given you his token too, huh.
Bow muttered as he approached the wolves. They didn't react to the stranger drawing near, just sat still.
Bow chuckled, intrigued.
"Huh, young beasts, but they've got impressive patience... Still, that's not enough. Mind if I test if they're truly tamed?"
"Go for it."
With Woojin's okay, Bow swiftly yanked a few hairs from a wolf's fur. It flinched but held its position.
Crunch!
Bow stomped on the tip of its tail. The wolf's body trembled in pain. He even strolled back and forth, stepping on each tail in turn.
Anyone would've snapped at that...
But the wolves endured, eyes squeezed shut. Their patience was astonishing. Bow nodded repeatedly in approval.
"Not a hint of anger. Good. Obedient pups deserve a reward."
Bow beckoned a guard, who approached holding something thick like a belt.
Bow fastened them around the wolves' necks. Up close, they were collars—dog collars emblazoned with the Church Alliance symbol.
"Proof that these wolf beasts are tamed. Show these, and they can enter any city freely."
"My thanks for the consideration."
"No need... Anyway, you heard him. Clear the way."
At Bow's words, the guards parted. Woojin and Bow entered the city, followed leisurely by the four wolves.
Citizens gawked in shock. Ignoring the stares, Woojin chatted amiably with his lucky companion.
"No sign of Raymond. I figured he'd love seeing the wolf beasts."
"He's busy with messenger duties lately. Looks like the expedition's about to kick off... Honestly, still doesn't feel real. Who'd have thought we'd actually go through with it."
Bow muttered, then added as if struck by a thought.
"Need anything? Just say the word. We're supporting expedition participants. Long as it's not too much, I'll make it happen."
Perfect timing—Woojin had something in mind.
"If possible, I'd like to properly learn Mana Arts. Any way to make that happen?"
Bow pondered briefly before replying.
"I could teach you the basics... but advanced techniques are tricky. They're not easy to pick up, and they're secret arts not meant to leak out."
"Basics are enough."
"Then follow me to the training grounds."
Why not? True to his impatient nature, Bow headed straight there. Woojin, who wanted this anyway, followed without protest.
Like last time, the two stood in the center of the arena. The wolves huddled in a corner, watching.
"Do you know how to sense mana?"
"I've got that down."
"Show me."
Woojin sat and performed the breathing technique Claire had taught him. Bow's expression turned peculiar.
"...Where'd you learn that breathing method?"
"From a mage friend. Something wrong?"
"Just surprised—it's an old-school technique. Hard to master, so people avoid it these days... Fascinating."
Taking in mana through the crown of the head.
This imagery wasn't easy to grasp. The entry barrier was too high, so most shunned it. But in terms of efficiency, nothing beat it.
"This means I can teach you the foundations today. Jin, ever heard of the 'mental image world'?"
"Plenty of times."
The mental image world.
A term he'd heard often studying magic with Claire. A person's power, abilities, and tendencies manifesting as a world-like realm.
Everyone developed a unique one based on their life. Warriors pursuing martial arts had simple ones.
How to strike faster, stronger, more efficiently. The struggles and grueling training in pursuit of that honed it razor-sharp.
"Mana Arts shine when backed by such a mental image world. It's the art of pulling a warrior's pursued imagery into reality using mana. By the way, you've done it once before."
"...Me?"
As Woojin blinked in confusion, Bow grinned and held up his palms like he was about to clap. Seeing it clicked.
Back then, their palms had clashed here. The impact tore Woojin's hand and sent Bow flying into the wall. It could've been a serious injury.
Woojin had thought it was just a force miscalculation...
"...I used mana unconsciously?"
"Exactly. You mimicked my attack style. Caught me off guard. Recall that memory well, and you can use Mana Arts."
"No clue how I did it..."
It had been so instinctive, he couldn't remember the details. Bow gave a knowing smile.
"Take a few beatings like back then, and it'll come back."
As always, he'd have to learn it the hard way—with his body.