How to Tame a Cat (1)
The next day.
I woke up early in the morning, stretched, and stepped out of my room.
“Who knew even the unused rooms would have beds like this.”
The landlord had basically told me to fuck off, but whoever built this place clearly designed it for multiple people living together.
Otherwise, why would there be such a plush, comfy bed just sitting there as decoration?
I rolled my neck and glanced around.
“Am I the first one up?”
Gini's door was shut tight, as expected.
Elpinire's door was closed too—she'd said there was nothing left for her in the forest anyway, so she hadn't gone back.
Cheori had slept right next to me the whole time, so yeah, looks like it was just me awake.
“Hmm.”
What to do.
There was less to do than I'd thought.
No, not less—there was straight-up nothing.
“Can't go out into the forest alone anyway...”
Heading into that murky woods without Elpinire would be like declaring I wanted to get lost forever.
So, only one option left for me right now.
“Chill.”
I've been busting my ass for the past month, right?
Time to relax a bit.
I'm on vacation—stretch out these legs and kick back.
“Kkung...”
“What? You up?”
I turned at the voice behind me and grabbed Cheori slithering out from the open door.
She rubbed her head against my hand, climbed up my arm, and settled on my shoulder.
“Cheori, what should we do?”
“Kkung...”
“Just chill?”
“Kkung.”
“Yeah, fair enough.”
Even Cheori's voting for downtime, so what can I do?
I messed around with her while prepping breakfast.
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
Poke, poke.
Elpinire wolfed down breakfast the second she woke up and headed out of the cabin.
Gini still hadn't come out no matter how long we waited, so I followed Elpinire outside.
Now she couldn't just leave the empty front and back yards alone—she was planting stuff.
I'd said she could just stomp her foot and make it grow, but apparently plants didn't love that method.
They preferred a gentle touch, so unless it was urgent, this was her go-to. Honestly, from where I'm sitting, I can't tell the difference.
Squatting in the back yard, I watched Elpinire diligently plant away since morning.
Could call it a waste of time, and you'd be right.
It is a waste of time.
Nothing pressing to do right now, and no clue what I need for the next floor.
What the hell even counts as “lowering her guard”?
...Come to think of it, it was kinda like this in the Evergreen Tower too.
Getting recognition from Elspier or Elpinire—vague as hell conditions.
But those made some sense once I got a feel for it, and they weren't too bad. This? No grip whatsoever.
How the hell do you lower her guard?
Whatever, it'll come to me if I mull it over slow.
Gini hasn't kicked us out yet.
More like she can't, but close enough.
Anyway, we can stay in this cabin as long as it takes to figure it out—no rush.
Elpinire straightened up from her bent posture, let out a soft breath, and mana flared in her hand.
Evergreen mana bloomed, and the dirt and dust on her hands dropped straight to the ground.
No wiping needed—her hands were spotless. She put them on her hips and turned to me.
“There was something I forgot to mention yesterday.”
“What?”
“When you fought that Im Seung-hun guy on Earth. I saw my own form overlapping yours in your stance. Not a fluke, right?”
I nodded.
In most fights where I didn't use Black Dragon, I'd drawn heavily from Elpinire's techniques.
They were the best martial arts I'd seen up close, after all.
Maybe that's why—before I could say it, Elpinire grinned wide and stepped up to me.
“Then why didn't you just say so, Master?”
She beamed like it was the best news ever and held out her hand.
“Master. Let me take a look myself.”
“...But isn't copying that stuff dangerous without permission?”
“True enough. Anyone else, I'd probably rearrange their joints backward. But you're my master, so it's fine.”
Got it.
She's going easy 'cause I'm her master.
I nodded at her words.
Guess I shouldn't complain when she calls me master from now on.
Pain sucks, even if I can't die.
No lie detected in her voice—I shuddered a bit and stood up.
“But if you're teaching me, how?”
“Hm... Dunno.”
“You know how to teach?”
“Roughly, yeah.”
She muttered, snapped into stance in an instant, and threw a punch at me.
I barely raised my arms in time to block.
No direct body hit, but both arms shattered completely.
Arms dangling limp, I let out a dry laugh and stared at Elpinire.
She was already perfectly posed again.
“What're you waiting for? Get in stance, Master.”
“This is how you teach?”
“That's how Grandpa taught me.”
How the hell did they teach a kid like that?
I sighed long and hard, then lifted my arms—now healed by Ultra Regeneration Blessing.
“Wrap yourself in mist, Master.”
“Got it.”
Whoosh.
I cloaked myself in mist.
Elpinire nodded approvingly, then—
“Don't hold grudges.”
Short warning.
And lightning-fast punch.
Gini had been hiding behind the wall, watching for a while now.
Truth was, she'd been up before Han Mir even came out to the living room.
She hadn't slept.
She loved sleep more than anything, but someone else in the house? No way she could drift off.
So she'd kept watch.
What are they even here for...?
To her, they seemed aimless.
Look at them now.
Morning routine: make food.
Then head out and plant stuff.
About 100 meters away, so voices didn't carry, but she eyed every move, on high alert.
“Omen. You can't see me right now, right...?”
She whispered, glancing sideways.
To others, it'd look like staring at empty air—but there floated a massive black bat only she could see.
Omen, upper darkness spirit.
Spirits are special mana aggregates born from mana gathering in nature, gaining self-awareness.
Unique existences—only the chosen can see or sense them, barring a few great ones.
Omen had been with Gini since she arrived in Darkness—a true friend.
The giant bat nodded at her.
Darkness spirit power had her invisible now.
Hiding in shadows—no one would spot her unless right up close.
Gini peeked out hesitantly from behind the wall, crouching to watch.
“...Huh?”
Thwack!
While she chatted with Omen, the two intruders suddenly started trading punches.
Gini blinked hard, eyes trembling as she watched.
“W-what? Why are they fighting?”
The woman called Elpinire kicked Han Mir square in the gut.
He blocked lightly, then swung back the same way.
“Haha! Not bad, Master!?”
She's calling him master.
From what Gini knew, only slaves called someone master.
But Elpinire didn't act enslaved at all.
They looked more like close friends.
“Grit your teeth, Master.”
“That's what I wanna say.”
Crack!
Fists smashed into chins.
Heads snapped back in sync.
No calling who hit first—both spat blood, grinned, and charged again.
“Ah...”
Then it hit Gini.
This wasn't a fight.
It was training.
And Elpinire was the teacher.
“...”
A slave teaching her master.
Was that even possible?
She didn't know.
By her common sense, no way.
So Gini shut her mouth and kept watching quietly.
“Let's call it here for today.”
Sparring finally over.
We'd gone hours without a break.
Ultra Regeneration Blessing kept my body fine, but my mind was fried.
Been ages since I pushed this hard.
I tugged up my shirt, wiping sweat from my jaw.
Soaked through, unlike bone-dry Elpinire.
I flopped to the ground, spread-eagled, staring at the sky.
“Still pitch black...”
Gini said it's always dark here.
Sure enough—hours later, no change.
Staring blankly, a black snake popped into view.
“Cheori.”
“Kkung.”
“Hungry?”
“Kkung kkung.”
She shook her head no.
Then started licking my face.
“Worried about me?”
“Kkung.”
“Thanks, for real.”
You're all I've got.
I scratched her forehead gently.
All I've got.
Look at that vicious elf over there.
She could go more but nah, smacking her lips like it's a shame.
Master this, summon that—bottom line, it's you for me.
I hugged Cheori close, lying there, and called to Elpinire.
“Oh yeah, she said this place is home to darkness spirits. Elpinire, you know about spirits?”
“Spirits? Roughly, yeah.”
“Ooh, tell me then.”
Earth has spirits too.
And spirit users.
But even they can't explain what spirits really are.
Hunters who handle them are clueless too.
So I was curious—glad she knows.
Elpinire stroked her chin thoughtfully before speaking.
“Master. You know mana is the power of life, right?”
“Think Elspier mentioned it.”
World Tree keeps life's power—mana—pure, or something.
Remember 'cause it was Elspier.
I nodded; she looked relieved and continued easily.
“Mana's life's power, so all life has it. Even roadside weeds.”
“That's how you hear plants' wills, huh?”
She nodded faintly, pointing at empty air.
“Mana's right there where I'm pointing. Invisible, but everywhere.”
Life's power mana exists everywhere.
Just unseen.
Normally it circulates evenly, but sometimes clumps in one spot.
Fierce winds, scorching heat—special environments.
Mana gathers there, condenses slowly, takes form.
“That's a spirit.”
To bloom as true life, mana needs a vessel.
But one day, sans vessel, special conditions condensed it anyway.
Born without flesh bodies.
Special lifeforms called spirits.
“This place must be perfect for them to spawn and settle.”
“Hmm...”
“Probably just a sunless forest at first. But darkness spirits kept popping up till light vanished completely.”
Makes sense to me.
24/7 night? Doesn't add up otherwise.
Not like eternal polar night here.
“Anyway, back to the cabin.”
Worried what Gin's up to.
She better not bolt.
Back at the cabin, I glanced at the still-closed door.
Gini's room, shut tight.
Stew still on the table—she hadn't come out.
Or maybe not.
Just didn't eat.
I smacked my lips, picked up the bowl, eyed the pot.
Lazy morning, so I'd made a huge tomato stew batch.
Lid off—enough for dinner too.
I dumped the cold stew back in, muttering.
“Hmm... Big problem though.”
“What?”
“Food we brought is running low already.”
Cheori can breathe fire.
So no packed lunches that need special storage.
Fresh potatoes, tomatoes, jerky, hardtack—preserved stuff mainly.
But after a few meals, supplies dwindling fast.
“How much potato and tomato left?”
“One more boil and we're out.”
“Hmm. Leave it to me.”
She eyed the pot reluctantly.
“I'll grow crops with my power.”
“That okay? You said earlier plants prefer hand-planting.”
“Priorities. Right now, Mother and Master come first.”
Equating me with the World Tree.
Truly touched.
“Then I'm counting on you.”
Food crisis solved easier than expected.
Next up, though.
“So, what now?”
“...”
Short silence, then I headed out again.
“Master, where to?”
“Wash up.”
Nothing to do—might as well hit the well.
And so the day slipped by.