164. The Squirrel's Dilemma
Pfuk-!
He kept mumbling apologies under his breath, but his body was brutally honest.
Against his rational mind screaming that he shouldn't hit this poor creature, the battle instincts etched into his bones made Carpe's body move on autopilot.
Pfuk!
The first Permafrost landed perfectly, followed by a surprise Ma Sword Penetration Mirror that struck true. The aftermath made the Unicorn Raid unfold with shocking ease—almost disappointingly so.
Pfufufuk!
Carpe's +14 gauntlets spat fire. In the midst of it all, every single familiar burst out and swarmed the unicorn.
Carpe and his familiars hounded the unicorn relentlessly, and it collapsed pathetically before it could even regain its rhythm.
“Prurrrrk……”
Before collapsing, the unicorn shot one wistful glance at Mukhyang—probably just a coincidence.
All that remained where the unicorn turned to ash was its horn.
Grr! Unicorns aren't supposed to go down this easy. Smooth as butter. All thanks to this body's perfect strategy... Huh? Why's the mood like this?
Cheonma started hyping himself up alone, then caught the vibe and lowered his voice.
They'd finally bagged the unicorn they'd longed for, but aside from Cheonma and Mirage, everyone else's expressions were... ambiguous, to put it mildly.
“Mm. Indeed. Your strategy was flawless, Strategist. Luring the enemy into complacency—a brilliant tactic. Brilliant... yes, brilliant...”
Tina kept muttering, “Yes... it must be my fault for feeling pity for the enemy...”
She seemed locked in a fierce internal battle between her warrior's resolve and her love for cute things.
“Strategist! That was awesome! You were like a ruthless villain!”
But for Mirage, who had a mild case of chuunibyou, Cheonma's plan was pure satisfaction.
Hm. On the battlefield, it's unavoidable. The optics are a bit rough, but it was a rational call. Good judgment, Strategist.
Gillian, who'd rolled through battlefields his whole life, accepted it calmly.
From his perspective—having endured and inflicted far worse—this plan was downright peaceful and mild.
“Sorry... humans are sorry.”
Pfft, making a fuss over one unicorn? Come on.
“You heartless human!”
Heartless? It's already dead—no body, no blood or tears.
Carpe grumbled, but Cheonma hadn't taken even 1 damage.
How efficient is that? Post this hunting method on the forums, and it'd top the guides. Comments would be pure praise. Bet the Castle Ring skill card price triples.
“Scary stuff. My lord, these outsiders all have devilish hearts. Makes me reflect on my own weak resolve.”
“No, Tina. Not all outsiders are like that! Well, maybe some are, but not me!”
Bullshit. Be honest, Carpe. I still can't forget you shoving a knife up that Legendary Box's ass 'cause you were obsessed. That was the most brutal attack I've seen in over 10 years of RaSe.
“Kyuung?!”
“No! Hyan, that's not it! Bro, what kinda talk is that in front of the kid?!”
Startled, Mukhyang tried covering its butt with its front paws, but sadly, squirrel physiology meant those paws couldn't reach.
Short-armed and sorrowful beast—that's the squirrel for you.
Mukhyang gave up, drooping its ears and trembling pitifully.
“You're scaring the kid! Bro, why are you always so thoughtless? Hyan's at that sensitive age where feelings run deep!”
I didn't make shit up...
“And if you're gonna pull that tactic, at least warn Hyan first. Imagine the shock from a backstab out of nowhere. It was crying earlier!”
Oh, that reminds me—KyuKyu's the cutest when crying. Admit it?
“Wow, 'admit it'? Is your humanity even real?”
Never heard 'fool your allies first to fool the enemy'? If I'd told you ahead, you'd have acted all Method and blown it.
“……Grr. Fair point.”
With your goody-two-shoes personality, knowing it was a ploy would've made it awkward and obvious.
Even as he said it, Cheonma seemed a bit concerned and approached Mukhyang.
KyuKyu.
“Kyit!”
As expected, Mukhyang whipped its head away, ignoring the call. But Cheonma, as if anticipating it, continued calmly.
Well done. You're the MVP of this op. Yeah, it hurts, but the world ain't kind. No friends in a eat-or-be-eaten jungle—just predators and prey.
“Teaching the kid some great life lessons...”
Hey, I'm comforting here—don't interrupt. Ahem. Anyway, point is, unicorns are born with horns. Death's inevitable. You know.
[Royard's soul stone chimes in agreement that it's the right story.]
“Kyut!”
Horns ain't a big deal? Sure, as a squirrel, you can think that. How 'bout this? What if the unicorn had a giant acorn on its forehead instead?
“……Kyuung?”
At "acorn," Mukhyang's head tilted slightly toward Cheonma.
Yeah, acorn. Not just any—the world's tastiest. Can't get it anywhere else; only by hunting unicorns.
“Kyuung……”
Cheonma's sophistry made Mukhyang's eyes spin.
Thoroughly confused. Seizing the moment, Cheonma slithered his snake tongue into overdrive.
Or think of it like this: No acorns anywhere else in the world—only from unicorns.
“Kyuuut?!”
She could've shot back that such a world didn't exist, but innocent Mukhyang was shocked into empathy.
Exactly. If there'd been a substitute horn elsewhere, we wouldn't have hunted it. Nature's cruel—whaddya gonna do?
“Kyuu……”
Mukhyang's head nodded slowly.
But I did use you, so curse me out. For the world's tastiest acorn, I exploited you—let it all out! If that clears your grudge, I'll humbly accept.
Before long, the unicorn horn had morphed into the world's tastiest acorn, and Cheonma became the noble villain forced by greater good.
……The world was seriously messed up.
I'll take responsibility and leave the party.
Bound familiar my ass—you ain't going anywhere.
Carpe nearly blurted it out but held back with superhuman patience.
“Kyuu...! Kyuu!”
“Kyit! Kkit!”
What? Forgiving the exploiter? Sniff. You...
Mukhyang bounced around Cheonma like it had never sulked, leaving Carpe with mixed feelings as he watched.
Is it okay to mess with such a pure kid like this?
Was Bro a con artist in his past life?
All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind, but he soon gave up thinking.
Fine. The process was iffy, but the result's good, right?
Resolving to give Hyan extra acorns, Carpe picked up the dropped unicorn horn.
Now, just Pegasus wings left... What's with that face?
“Nah, just wondering if we're pulling the same trick on Pegasus.”
The similar roles of unicorn and Pegasus naturally sparked the thought.
At Carpe's question, Cheonma clicked his tongue regretfully and shook his head.
Tsk. Sadly, no. Unlike the unicorn, Pegasus lives on its own hype. Hates everyone but itself—total narcissist. Gotta go straight at it.
“Gotcha.”
Relief? Or disappointment at no freebie this time?
Human hearts are so fickle.
Pegasus turf is the holy nation Saint Ru Hal. Others exist, but easiest there.
“Saint Ru Hal...... One of the four great powers, right? Bet it's packed with stuff.”
Tons. Let's snag a hidden quest on the way.
“Ooh, 'hidden quest' always gets my heart racing. Oh yeah, Saint Ru Hal has a must-visit spot.”
Yep, gotta do that. Routes line up perfect. Not far from Pegasus either.
The must-do quest was none other than Carpe's ongoing epic quest.
He'd picked it up in Lunderia Mine, fought the 'demon' dream demon during it.
Dwarves couldn't read the orb it left, but there was another way.
Experts who tracked demon traces.
Exactly—Saint Ru Hal, demon-hating demon specialists, where he could continue the epic quest.
[Lunderia's Deep Darkness (4)]
📍 Type: Epic Quest
🎁 Description: The black orb left by the dream demon faintly holds demonic energy. Sadly, you can't decipher it, so seek one who can.
📍 Head to: Holy Nation Saint Ru Hal. They are demon specialists. Experts in demons may trace the lingering traces in the orb.
📍 Success: Links to next quest
📍 Failure: Permanent hostility with Lunderia Federation
“So, where in Saint Ru Hal? Capital again?”
Nope. City called Henet this time. Pegasus haunts the nearby gorge.
“Aha.”
Henet was one of Saint Ru Hal's major cities, like Ruana's beach hub.
Second biggest cathedral there. Ask about demons there.
“Perfect. Heading out.”
Carpe warped several times to reach Saint Ru Hal's metropolis, Henet.
And the moment he arrived in Henet.
He ran into a totally unexpected face by sheer coincidence.
“Huh? What're you doing here?”
“Nay, 'tis Tado Tusin! What a fateful coincidence! Verily, our bond spans reincarnations!”
Hanjo greeted the newly arrived Carpe with delight.
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