Chapter 10
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Tie, Barter
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It was just as I had guessed.
Sure enough, that bear had been tampered with by someone.
Every time it breathed, a faint yellow light flickered dimly.
'If my guess is right, that thing is...'
But I needed certainty, not just a hunch.
Confirm the scene thoroughly, then plan the next move.
That was House Noir's ironclad rule.
'Let's see...'
I reached into my pocket for the item I'd stashed away.
At that moment—
The old tree trunk shook again with a thud.
I staggered for a moment, balance lost, but quickly regained my footing.
Nothing wrong with learning new things,
but I never imagined House Noir's techniques would be used like this.
I thought they were only optimized for stealth and thievery.
'Gotta stop slacking off from now on.'
They say near-death experiences change a person.
Me, the third son of a count's family whose life philosophy was to live comfortably—who would've thought I'd make such a resolution?
I pulled the telescope from my pocket.
It was a birthday gift from my eldest brother, Aron.
The most useful present I'd gotten this year.
Considering what else I received...
A dagger,
wire,
and...
a secret ledger listing stolen goods.
'Who gives stuff like that to a nine-year-old?'
Lamenting my family's abysmal gift sense, I pressed the telescope to my eye.
The bear punched the trunk again.
I steadied myself with the wire and closely examined its chest.
'There it is...!'
My hunch turned to certainty.
Proof: a palm-sized mana stone embedded in the bear's chest.
The faint yellow light leaking out with every breath.
That glow was the afterimage of mana flowing from the stone.
The unnatural movements now made perfect sense.
The bear was being controlled by that mana stone.
'Which means...'
If I could just remove it, the bear would no longer threaten us.
Without the stone, it'd be nothing but an empty shell.
The problem was getting close enough to pull it out.
'Odds are I'd get split in half before I even touched it.'
Still, that was the only way.
Fleeing from the bear had its limits anyway.
I adjusted the telescope lens for a closer look.
The stone was buried in its fur.
Not just attached to the hide—it seemed deeply embedded in the flesh.
'How the hell do I extract that?'
If it were merely stuck on, I could've chipped it off with rocks.
But like that? I'd have to get up close and yank it out.
And that—
was a method perfectly suited to Celen Noir.
The bear slammed the trunk again.
The wood groaned in protest.
Time was running out.
This old tree was nearing its breaking point.
Hanging from the wire, I caught my breath and ran through scenarios in my head.
'Wire use limited to one more time, extraction basically impossible, so...'
Only one option left.
Smash the mana stone enough to disable it.
I drew the small dagger from my belt.
A thin, elongated blade that barely reflected light.
My little brother's prized birthday gift, bought with a fortune, or so he boasted.
I could confidently say this gift
would finally make that little brother somewhat useful in my life.
'If it works, that is.'
I checked the dagger one last time.
The edge was sharp and sturdy—
if thrown right, it could shatter the stone.
The bear swung its paw again.
The trunk tilted, balance badly shaken.
I hurriedly released the wire and hooked it to another tree.
One crossing the bear's path.
The wire pulled taut, forming a long straight line between me and the bear.
Good angle, perfect escape distance.
Except I only had one shot left.
Remaining Mana: 0% The wire's mana was completely drained.
With my pathetic mana reserves, I couldn't recharge the magic tool.
If this one missed, it was truly over.
So I absolutely could not fail.
I took a deep breath and focused every nerve on the bear's movements.
'Now!'
Gripping the wire tight, I launched myself forward.
Fingers clenched around the dagger's hilt.
"Please!"
As I swung toward the opposite tree,
I desperately hoped the bear would expose its broad chest.
But—
My travel speed outpaced
the bear's rise agonizingly slowly.
A slight deviation from the plan, but I hurled the dagger in a pinch.
Full-body power behind the throw.
The blade sliced through the air in a straight line.
'Did it work?!'
The direction was spot on, at least.
I landed lightly on a thick branch of the opposite tree and hurriedly checked the bear.
"Damn it..."
I'd feared as much.
The dagger had lodged in the mana stone but failed to shatter it.
Just a nine-year-old kid.
Pathetic strength, so I'd tried to borrow acceleration force.
But the bear's slow rise ruined my speed—fatal mistake.
Yellow light burst from the mana stone.
Mana surged so wildly even I, with my feeble reserves, could feel it.
'Damn, I just pissed it off.'
It looked seriously enraged.
Both the bear before me
and its mystery puppeteer.
The bear rose on the spot and roared, shaking the forest.
Terrain wrecked,
no wire for escape.
I was just nine, and the bear was furious.
This was really the end.
If it were anyone else—
But
I'm a Noir.
'Little brother, if this is junk, I'll rip every hair off your head.'
I extended my hand toward the bear.
A familiar energy tingled at my fingertips.
Mana flowed from my hand, softly enveloping the bear like moonlight.
Moments later—
Something filled my palm.
A chunk of shattered yellow mana stone.
Stolen from the bear in exchange for my little brother's dagger.
Its size...
A bit larger than my thumbnail.
Way too small to stop the bear.
"You con artist—!"
Sure enough, my little brother was utterly useless in my life.
Bragging for months about how expensive it was.
How cheap was it that all I got was this scrap?!
And the flashy packaging just made it more infuriating.
The bear finished roaring and charged at full speed.
Having lost part of its mana stone,
its unnatural movements seemed even worse.
'Won't stop it completely, but it created an opening.'
That meant a second chance for me.
I activated the thumbnail-sized mana stone
and pressed it to the wire magic tool to recharge.
Remaining Mana: 3% A tiny recovery, but enough.
I threaded the wire through the ring on Aron's telescope and pulled it out.
Then tied it into a large noose.
Big enough for the bear's head.
The bear hurtled toward me, kicking off the ground.
I timed it perfectly and hurled the noose at its head with all my might.
"Get caught—!"
The bear swung its forepaw to dodge,
but its sluggish reflexes fell short.
The wire settled around its neck and constricted like a snake.
"Ruena might be clueless, but Aron gave something pricey—!"
Undeniably the most useful and normal among us.
Unlike my little brother, comparing him to trash
would be an insult to the trash—
Aron was the one in our family they point to and say, 'At least one's normal.'
I reached toward the bear again.
Traded the telescope and stole another mana stone.
Moments later—
A heavy weight in my hand.
An egg-sized mana stone, incomparable to before.
'One more time—!'
I threw the wire magic tool at the bear.
It flew swiftly toward it.
Finally, sacrificed the tool's worth to claim the last mana stone.
"It's over..."
As I spoke, the bear's massive forepaw dropped limply.
The glaring eyes, heaving with ragged breaths, slowly dulled, then it collapsed to the ground.
Thud—!
A heavy impact that shook the earth.
The bear moved no more.
I gasped for the breath I'd held back and scanned the ground below.
Utter chaos around me,
wire soaked in blood,
Aron's telescope crushed under the bear.
And far off, the hilt of that cheap dagger.
'Should I thank little brother or curse him?'
I landed lightly on the ground without a sound.
One final check on the bear—
then released the wire from its neck and pocketed it.
'This one was insanely useful.'
Recharged the magic tool with the stolen mana stones and surveyed the surroundings.
Bear down, now find Ruena.
Even a level-headed girl like her must be shaken in a situation like this.
'Where could she be...'
I headed in the direction Ruena had fled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The spot where Celen had left.
Yellow light began to creep up again from the bear's chest.
Scattered mana stone fragments gathered together,
and just as the central core seemed about to reform—
Crunch—!
With the sound of bone and flesh pulverizing, the bear's head exploded into pieces.
Its body went fully limp.
Soon after, what had been the bear
was reduced to a gruesome mash of fur, hide, and meat.
Blood splattered on her clothes and face.
Ruena wiped it off with a blank expression and walked away.