The Overpowered Little Cubs and the Hunter’s First Haul
“Ooo… don’t come closer! You absolute monsters!”
The final hunter still clutching a staff was knocked out cold by the Demon King’s windless magic, eyes rolled back like a fish.
‘Whoa, he’s actually that strong?’
The guys who couldn’t even swing a sword in the Demon King’s castle?
“You guys did great.”
But the Demon King and the Hero didn’t even glance at me. They just stared at the knocked-out hunters like they were judging their life choices.
“What are you doing?”
The two little brats just stood there frozen, completely ignoring me.
…Something feels off. Those brats never stay this quiet.
That moment.
“With this much power, it’s more than enough to take down a weakened Demon King!”
“Right now, I can erase you, Hero!”
They charged at each other, ready to kill one another.
Heh, you crazy idiots.
“Die already!!”
“It’s impossible!!”
Yeah, it is impossible.
LT__strong>Kin Reinforcement deactivated
Snap! The buff disappeared instantly.
“?!”
“?!”
The moment the skill ended, the Demon King’s spell scattered in the air.
But the Hero’s fist shot out anyway.
It smacked right across the Demon King’s cheek.
“……”
“……”
Oof, that must hurt.
The silence was deafening.
The Demon King slowly turned her head, hand pressed to her cheek.
Tears welling up in her eyes.
…She must’ve been in a lot of pain.
“Hey, Hero, apologize. Even if you’re a woman, hitting her in the face with a fist? Look at your character development.”
The Hero looked panicked, eyes darting everywhere.
“Mi… mi…”
He stammered.
“Mi… you crazy idiot! You were about to kill me too!”
That insane outburst.
The Demon King’s face slowly twisted from watery eyes into pure fury.
“You dare! I’ll kill you!”
“Why is this my fault, you crazy brat?!”
The two little brats immediately started wrestling each other with their tiny arms.
“Haa, you handle it yourselves…”
I was getting tired of mediating.
And remember that old saying?
Kids grow up through fighting… right?
After bickering for a while, the Demon King and the Hero stood with both hands raised, cheeks puffed out and red.
“Ouch? Why can’t you lift your hands properly?!”
“I… I didn’t do it!”
“It wasn’t me!”
If you’re going to fight, you have to take responsibility afterward. The traditional way? Make them stand facing the wall with hands raised.
“If the two of you fight one more time, the buff doesn’t exist anymore, got it?”
“A… that’s a bit much.”
“Even if it is, that’s way too harsh!”
“A, the holy sword and staff are quite expensive, right?”
“C… careful!”
“W… we’ll be careful.”
The Demon King and Hero stood there with hands raised, looking utterly defeated.
They looked like adorable little kids.
The restriction had them so weak earlier, but once the buff kicked in, they turned into total powerhouses.
It was so simple and brutal.
The E-rank hunters? Taken down in seconds.
They might even reach D-rank, or maybe C-rank.
I’d just learned the buff skill too, but they were already this strong. What would happen when the restriction lifted or the buff got upgraded?
‘Could they reach S-rank?’
Hahaha, I’ve gone too far.
No, the possibility wasn’t zero.
‘Either way, I need to raise them properly.’
With the Hero and Demon King raised well, they could hit S-rank.
Kroo, this is it.
That aside.
“Then let’s collect the spoils.”
Time for happy loot.
The time to strip the gear from the hunters groaning on the floor.
I mean, if I’m going to hit someone in the back, I have to be ready for the same.
Right?
No? What do you mean!
“But you don’t have to kill them, right?”
“Kill? Why?”
The Demon King asked with a completely calm face while saying something terrifying.
“What if they wake up and tell the association that the Tamer robbed them?”
“No, they won’t.”
Never. Absolutely never.
Those guys would never report it to the association.
Telling the association that a Tamer stole from them? That’s the same as saying “I’m weaker than a Tamer.”
In a hunter society where reputation is everything, that kind of stigma meant no parties ever again.
The association wouldn’t even believe them.
A Tamer robbing three E-rank hunters? They’d have to be insane to report that.
‘That terrible Tamer stigma is actually useful sometimes.’
I roughly threw the knocked-out hunters into a corner and stripped all the expensive-looking gear from them.
Smooth, but thorough, like a snake gliding through grass.
I shoved all the pricey equipment into my pockets.
“Sir, you’re not a thief, right? You’re a Tamer.”
“Kuhoooot, a perfect job for you.”
…Hmph, I swear this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this.
The little brats only fought when I told them to.
When I teased them, they had perfect teamwork.
“Lift your hands properly!”
Still E-rank hunters, I guess. A decent amount of expensive gear.
“I can’t carry all this.”
Even if I told the Demon King and Hero to help, it was still a mountain.
The heavy, bulky items I had no choice but to leave on the floor…
Ugh, it hurts. How much money would I get if I sold it?
“Damn, my inventory bag is full.”
The item that every low-rank hunter dreams of! A space magic bag.
The problem? It costs a fortune. The smallest one starts at two million won.
I was barely scraping by on Nabi’s food money. This was something I could only dream about.
Wait a second?!
“Oh right! Nabi!”
I’d completely forgotten about her since the Hero’s “Kin Kick!”
At that moment, the Hero raised his hand and burst out laughing.
“Nabi? The wolf’s name is Nabi? Naming skills.”
“Kuhuoot, the perfect weak and adorable name for you.”
You guys are watching this, right?
“Even if it’s Nabi, she’s my senior kin. You’re ignoring that she came before you?”
“Seniority doesn’t matter! Strength is everything!”
“This time I agree with the Hero!”
“Aaa… really?”
These brats still aren’t over their buff high.
Unlike the little kids who turn back to normal once the buff wears off.
Nabi was the one who took on Beginner’s Tower monsters even without a buff.
“Nabi, if you’re awake, come over here.”
Well, showing it off once would be faster.
Hearing something a hundred times is slower than just doing it once, right?
“Got it!”
Huh? Who said that?
“It’s me!”
“Nabi? You’re the one who said that?”
“Yes!”
The world is going crazy! Our Nabi is speaking!
“What nonsense is this?”
“Who said that? I only hear wolf sounds.”
“You don’t hear anything? This voice?”
“I only hear wolf sounds, what are you talking about?”
“Exactly.”
The Demon King and Hero looked like they couldn’t hear Nabi’s voice.
Only I can hear it?
Suddenly, the skill I’d acquired last time popped into my mind.
‘Oh, right, Kin Communion. It works on Nabi too?’
Is that skill too broken?
“Nabi, come here.”
“Yes!”
Nabi bounded over with her tail wagging happily.
“You’re awake now?!”
“Yes!”
The Hero and Demon King stared with mouths wide open, completely forgetting the battle they’d just had.
They’re scared, huh?
“……”
“……”
“Oh, Nabi.”
“Wong?”
“Since they’re your juniors, teach them well.”
“Juniors? What’s that?”
“Like little siblings.”
“Siblings?”
Nabi walked over to the Hero and Demon King, sniffing the air.
Occasionally rubbing her nose on them, like she was marking her territory.
‘Is this her way of claiming ownership?’
“I remember the smell!”
“Yeah.”
Even in the middle of that, our little brats stayed completely silent.
“Why? Try the same thing as before.”
“……”
“……”
They stayed completely quiet even when I teased them.
…Are they really that scared?
The guys who didn’t flinch even when facing E-rank hunters.
Are they afraid of puppies? Wait, they’re wolves.
“……”
The Demon King narrowed her eyes and thought.
‘That damned human who tamed the Demon King.
Her kin called Nabi.’
At first glance, it was just some ordinary wolf-type monster.
But the appearance I saw earlier, the overwhelming presence…
‘Fenrir.’
It matched the legendary beast that could bring down an entire country.
‘At first I thought it was a misunderstanding.’
But the Hero’s reaction when he saw Nabi sealed the deal.
‘But… why does a creature like that exist in a human like this?!’
And they even seem to be communicating with each other?!
“Huff, this is tough.”
I’d collected the gear from the E-rank hunters, scrubbing them clean.
Well, I couldn’t carry it all by myself, so I had the little ones help too…
“How far do we need to carry it? My arms are going to fall off.”
“The Demon King doing this kind of work…”
“It’s tough.”
Even the little brats and Nabi looked exhausted.
“Once we’re done, hang in there a little longer.”
Yeah, we’d taken everything from inside the tower.
After comforting them, we finally made it outside the tower.
‘Ugh… I’ll buy an inventory bag someday.’
The way back was the same.
Thanks to the monsters fleeing at the sight of Nabi, we moved without a single fight and feasted on easy gains.
But that was just the easy part. Carrying the heavy stuff was heavy.
“H-How much longer do we have to go?”
“Huff… huff… I’m a mage…”
“It’s too hard!”
“Done! We’re here!”
The item-buying shop finally came into view.
It had a downside—higher prices than regular shops inside the city—but who cares.
“Can’t carry any more.”
“Me neither.”
“It’s too hard…”
For anyone who couldn’t haul everything from the tower to a regular shop, this was the only option.
“Welcome!”
The cheerful voice and smiling face of the staff made them look like an angel.
“I want to sell some items!”
“Sure! What kind of item…”
“Wait! Everyone, take everything out! If I get caught stealing, there won’t be dinner tonight?”
Did my suspicious expression give me away?
“Am I the owner?”
“Huff… that can’t be…”
“Meat!”
One by one, they started taking out the gear.
“Take out every tiny thing too.”
The mountain of items kept growing.
“…Eh?”
The staff member’s smile slowly vanished, replaced by wide-eyed shock.
“A-All of this?”
“Yes, we’re selling.”
It’s a lot, right?
“Thank you. Come again.”
The receipt from the staff showed a clean five million won.
“This… is this what hunters make?”
Five million won landed straight into my account.
“First dungeon run and this much income? The world is insane. That’s why they call it hunting.”
Well, it was from special dungeons and the hunters who tried to rob me, but still!
Gurgle.
At that moment, Nabi’s stomach let out a loud growl.
“I’m hungry! Meat!”
Oh, dinner time already?
“Hehehe.”
“Why are you laughing?”
“Finally snapped out of it.”
You guys keep chatting all you want.
With my wallet finally full, dinner no longer felt scary.
This feeling was new! It felt amazing!
“Yeah, Nabi, let’s go eat meat.”
Since I felt good, I’d treat you all to a meal. Mmm.
But first.
“Let’s go to the clothing store.”
“Clothing?”
“Why the store?”
“You don’t have any clothes.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“You two are wearing rags.”
“Ah.”
“Oh.”
If I walked around with you in those rags, I’d get reported for child abuse.