A Very Big Puppy
"Hyung!"
I could see Woo Jumin waving his hands in the distance.
"*Pant, pant...*"
I rowed like my life depended on it.
This wasn't a problem with my strength. The boat and the oars were just insanely heavy to begin with.
How on earth did that ferryman row this thing? He looked like a skeleton of an old man.
I guess beings from mythology really were built different.
*Splash!*
If I had been an ordinary person, I might have gone missing out on this rowboat.
As I rowed with all my might, the boat slowly drifted forward.
*Patter, patter!*
I heard the sound of Woo Jumin running toward me.
"Hyung! Are you okay?"
"No, I'm not..."
Woo Jumin grabbed my arm and immediately cast a heal on me.
*Whoosh...*
Ah. Woo Jumin's skills really were top-notch.
The fatigue and muscle aches from rowing vanished completely. My condition was restored to peak performance.
Only then did I stand up.
Cha Yerin, Woo Jumin, and Baek Harim were each holding something in their hands.
Those must be the random event items.
"Oh, looks like everyone got something good."
Cha Yerin was holding a cute, cat-shaped pouch.
"It's called a [Meow-Meow Hot Pack]. It says it reduces the penalties you get in extreme environments."
"It's unnecessarily cute."
"That's the best part."
Woo Jumin had a translucent ring.
"Mine is a [Ring of Basic Focus]! It says it increases the accuracy of your first attack!"
"But you're a healer."
"S-Still...!"
Baek Harim had a pair of worn fingerless gloves.
"It's called [Balanced Gloves]. It increases weapon proficiency."
"That actually sounds decent."
"Yeah, but it's only by 0.005%."
Ah. I got the picture.
It was like those "Lucky Ten-Dollar Bags" you always see at claw machine arcades.
Not amazing, but not completely useless either. An event that handed out mediocre random items.
Honestly, if I had received something like that, I would have wondered what the point was.
I probably wouldn't even be able to sell it and would have just let it rot in my inventory.
But still...
"It was fun, though. Right?"
"Yeah, Noona! My heart was pounding because I thought a [Resurrection Herb] or something might pop out!"
"Oh, come on, Jumin. There's no way."
"Hehe, you never know! Just in case!"
Watching them laugh and chatter like that was strangely pleasant.
It had definitely been a long time since I felt this kind of 'fun.' The simple joy of laughing and chatting over something trivial.
"By the way, Taepyeong, where did you go?" Baek Harim, who had been laughing, turned to ask me.
"Ah, well. After everyone left, another boat came."
"Another boat?"
"Yes. It was a similar rowboat."
...Though the place it dropped me off was completely different.
"I had a different coin, so I paid with that, and..."
"Whoa, then did you get a random item too, Hyung?" Jumin chimed in eagerly.
I hesitated for a moment, idly playing with the [Cerberus's Whistle] hanging around my neck.
Did this count as a 'random' item too?
"Is that it?" Cha Yerin asked, looking at me with eyes full of curiosity.
"Yes. This is it."
"It's cute!"
"A whistle?"
"What does it do?"
The three of them showered me with questions.
Seeing the playful glint in their eyes, they probably thought this whistle was nothing special either.
Well, of course they did. They had no way of knowing where I had just been...
"This is..."
Their eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Ah, seeing them like this made me want to tease them.
"...If you blow it, a puppy appears."
At that, all three of them burst into laughter at the same time.
Hehe. I laughed along with them.
"A puppy?"
"Yeah, Jumin. Want to trade with mine?"
"N-No way!"
At my words, Jumin quickly slipped the ring onto his finger.
"Then how about you, Yerin-ssi?"
"I have a dog allergy, so..."
"What about Harim-hyung?"
"Haha. I'm satisfied with my gloves."
I shrugged and looked at the three of them.
"Well, nothing I can do then."
"Still, a puppy sounds really cute," Baek Harim said.
Holding the whistle, I asked, "Should I try calling it?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Jumin nodded vigorously on Baek Harim's behalf.
"You're the one who told me to call it, okay?"
Grinning, I put the whistle to my lips.
And then...
*Pweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
A long, sharp sound echoed through the air.
...
...
...
But nothing appeared.
"Hyung, nothing's coming out?"
"Just wait a bit."
I patted Jumin on the shoulder.
However, even after a long while, the 'puppy' was nowhere to be seen.
Jumin slowly began to gauge my reaction.
"Hyung..."
"Yeah?"
"Is it... is it possible to get a broken item...?"
"No way."
After hesitating for a moment, Jumin began to slowly wiggle the [Ring of Basic Focus] off his finger.
"Hyung, now that I think about it, I'm not a damage dealer..."
"Huh?"
"I think it's only right that you have this. And I'll take that whistle... since I like dogs!"
This kid.
Was he worried that I might be heartbroken over getting a useless item?
He had been so happy to get that ring, yet he was offering to give it to me.
What a good kid...
"Forget it, punk."
I gave Jumin a light flick on the forehead.
"Ow," Jumin muttered, but he still tried to take off the ring.
"But..."
"I said it's fine, just wait."
*Hyung is about to show you something amazing. Hehe.*
*Thud, thud, thud...*
*Thump, thump, thump, thump...*
Then, a heavy thumping sound echoed from the distance.
It sounded as if a thousand horses were galloping all at once, or as if an earthquake was erupting nearby. It was a terrifying sound.
"...?!"
"...!!!"
The footsteps were growing faster and closer.
Cha Yerin and Baek Harim immediately drew their weapons.
But even before Baek Harim could notch an arrow to his bow...
*Growwwwwl!*
A massive shadow loomed over us.
"Aaaaah!"
Jumin shrieked, curling into a ball in terror.
Cha Yerin and Baek Harim prepared to strike simultaneously, but I stepped in front of them.
"T-Taepyeong-ssi!"
"Taepyeong!"
The black beast, which had been rushing forward with bared fangs, suddenly—
"Down."
It immediately prostrated itself before me as if it had never been aggressive.
Of course, given its massive size, even lying down, it was still taller than me.
*Whimper. Whimper. Whimper.*
Cerberus glanced at me, then rolled over onto its back, exposing its belly.
*Whine! Whine! Whine!*
As if to show just how submissive it was to me, it wagged its tail furiously, whining like a desperate puppy.
I walked over to Cerberus.
"Now you're being good."
I gently stroked its middle head.
Perhaps the left and right heads hadn't fully recovered yet, as they still seemed completely out of it. Both had their tongues hanging out and their eyes rolled back.
Only the middle head, which was conscious, looked at me with pitiful eyes, practically begging for absolute submission.
"Yeah, good boy, good boy."
*Pat, pat, pat.*
"Good dog. Good dog."
*Scratch, scratch, scratch!*
While I casually petted Cerberus, the other three stared at me with faces full of sheer horror.
*Thud.*
Actually, make that two people. Jumin had fainted on the spot.
Only Cha Yerin and Baek Harim stood there, mouths agape, staring up at Cerberus.
"T-T-T-Taepyeong-ssi..."
"Taepyeong, what on earth is this...?"
Their voices were thick with confusion.
I scratched the back of my head and replied.
"I got this from the box."
"Th-That?"
"To be precise, a whistle that summons this mutt."
"..."
A brief silence fell over us.
Even Baek Harim, who had climbed the tower for a long time, seemed unable to comprehend this.
"But you're not a summoner, are you...?"
"Yeah. But I guess the item itself has the summoning ability."
"..."
Though it was an utterly incomprehensible situation, the two of them nodded as if trying their best to accept it.
"Th-They definitely said it was a random item event, but there must have been some kind of mistake..."
"Maybe the Administration Office knows something..."
While Cha Yerin and Baek Harim muttered to each other, I was busy petting Cerberus... no, the mutt.
Its fur was surprisingly soft. It even had a nice, glossy sheen.
"Tsk, sorry about earlier."
*Whimper...*
"But you have to understand."
*Whine...*
"If I knew I'd get an item like this, would I have beaten you up so badly?"
"..."
"I didn't know either."
*Whine...*
Perhaps recalling the painful memory, tears welled up in Cerberus's eyes.
Sigh... As someone who used to enjoy watching TV Animal Farm, I didn't feel entirely comfortable either.
Still, since it was mine now...
"I won't hit you ever again."
At those words, Cerberus's eyes sparkled.
Looking at it like this, it was almost cute.
"Wait here."
I opened my inventory and pulled out some suitable recovery items.
It would be great if Jumin could heal it, but he looked like he needed healing himself right now...
"Eat up."
*Slurp.*
I poured the potions down its tongue, and Cerberus eagerly lapped them up.
Only then did the left and right heads regain consciousness.
I pulled out two more potions from my inventory and poured them down the left and right heads as well.
*Should I call them Lefty and Righty from now on?*
And the middle one... Goldie?
"Pfft..."
I chuckled, admiring my own naming sense, when—
"*Gasp, pant...!*"
Jumin, who had been lying on the ground, finally woke up.
"Jumin, are you okay?" Cha Yerin asked, helping him up.
"N-Noona, just now, a monster..."
Jumin swallowed hard and looked around.
And then—
"Aaaaah!"
The moment his eyes met Lefty, Righty, and Goldie, Jumin screamed at the top of his lungs.
And once again...
*Thud!*
He collapsed, fainting once more.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"I guess Jumin needs some time to adjust."
At my words, Cha Yerin and Baek Harim nodded in agreement.
"Sigh..."
How could a guy be so easily frightened?
I slung the unconscious Jumin over my back.
"Well, let's head back for now."
After we returned,
the Hunter Administration Office was thrown into chaos.
It was essentially revealed that what they thought was a normal 'event' was anything but.
Even if they wanted to conduct a detailed investigation, most awakened had already participated in the normal event and obtained their items.
In this state, even if they re-entered the tower, they wouldn't be able to access the event map. The map itself was a one-time-use zone.
Man, Koreans really do move fast.
"So, there hasn't been anyone else like me so far?"
"Yes. It seems that place can only be accessed if you have a special item like the [Tower Coin]..."
Kang Mina let out a deep sigh.
"For now, we're checking if there are similar cases in other countries."
Ah. Right.
The event had started simultaneously in other countries too, hadn't it?
"Understood. Please let me know if any new information comes up."
With a brief farewell, I returned to my quarters.
Without having any idea of what was about to happen next.