These Days, Bears Eat Potions, Not Garlic

"Kku-ing..."

Samsaek stared at the potion clutched in his front paw, his expression thoroughly gloomy. Couldn't Master have at least made the color a little prettier?

What on earth is Master going to do without me? Sigh... I'll just have to endure it.

Having finished his little moment of Spiritual Beast pride and his adorable critique of his master, Samsaek popped the potion's cap. Pong — a refreshingly crisp sound that stood in stark contrast to the way he scrunched his entire face, stretched his jaws wide, and dumped the bottle's contents straight down his throat.

"Blaaargh!"

The instant it hit his tongue, a horrific flavor raced up through his taste buds and slammed into his frontal lobe. It was the metallic tang of a rain-soaked puddle left to stagnate for weeks, layered with the rotting stench of a long-dead animal carcass. And it didn't go down clean like water, either. It clung with a slime-like viscosity, coating his tongue and gums and tormenting him at every sticky point of contact. The 180-year-old worst taste in existence that his master had sworn by was no exaggeration.

"Water! Water!"

Samsaek frantically gargled with the water bottle sitting in the cup holder beside the driver's seat. For a split second he wanted to spit the whole mess out along with the water, but he forced himself to swallow it down and drink again, terrified the potion's effects might not take.

He just drank this? Just like that?

To get through this poison with nothing more than a single frown... yes, this was a man worthy of being his master. Samsaek's respect for Karen climbed a notch, in the strangest possible category.

Crunch. Crunch.

Unlike Karen, though, the sound of bones shifting came from inside his own body. Samsaek panicked and scrambled out of the car. Master's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face and hair color had only changed a little, hadn't they?

"Uh... huh?"

Then it clicked. Unlike his master, this tiny body wasn't his true form. He'd only shrunk himself down for convenience. Apparently the potion applied to his original body.

He'd been startled for a moment, but it didn't hurt, so Samsaek quietly waited for the transformation to finish. Soon he was back to his original size — about as big as a compact car — but his appearance had completely changed.

"This is... a bear?"

Samsaek murmured, stroking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his own face as he studied his reflection in the car window. A face as round as a full moon, with two button-like ears poking up. A broad, flat nose and thick front paws. But one thing was distinctly different from an ordinary bear — and unfortunately, it was a difference that jumped right out at you.

"What kind of bear in the world has a calico coat? You botched the potion, Master."

Starting from the nose, his fur split into black, brown, and white. Even the world's greatest alchemist had never tested this on a Spiritual Beast — and this was the side effect. The form had changed, but who would have guessed the fur color wouldn't?

A text from his master buzzed at Samsaek's wrist, impatient — the situation must have been urgent on his end, too. At least Master had made the watchband stretchy. The watch was buried in fur, but it was still attached. Small mercies.

"Kku-ing. Beats me. It's thirty minutes — how much could go wrong? Watch. Set an alarm for thirty minutes."

He couldn't operate anything with these oversized paws, so he activated the function by voice.

Half resigned to his fate, Samsaek charged toward the temple to cause the ruckus Karen had asked for.

The taste is still there. This is so annoying.

He barreled past people frozen mid-gape at the sight of a compact-car-sized bear tearing through downtown Seoul, and at last the white building responsible for this entire mess came into view.

"Kku-ing... wait, I'm a bear now."

If he was going to do this, he was going to do it right. Samsaek cleared his throat, then sucked a lungful of air into his belly. His stomach swelled huge—

"GRAAAAAAAAH!"

Samsaek let out a tremendous roar. And with that magnificent bellow, he set about fulfilling Karen's order with his massive frame and surprisingly agile movements — far too thoroughly.

"Mm... he's doing well."

Karen nodded with a look of satisfaction at the awkward bear roar and the crashing din from outside. For all his grumbling, the kid delivered when it counted. Every meal and every night's sleep he'd provided had been worth it.

As if to prove Karen's point, an emergency Holy Warrior alert blared from Hangil's wrist. Hangil read the message proclaimed from the altar aloud.

"...That's what it says?"

"The fur color didn't change? So that's a side effect on Spiritual Beasts, huh?"

It was unusual, but Karen didn't figure it would matter much. Nobody was going to connect a cat and a bear just because of their fur colors after they got back. Sure, the bear was distinctive — but calico cats were a dime a dozen the moment you stepped outside.

"All right. Time we headed out."

Karen took the lead, and Hangil followed with Ellie on his back.

Ellie's gaze was drawn, unbidden, to the gleaming silver hair of the man walking ahead. Even in the dim, barely visible corridor of the underground dungeon, his presence shone.

"...It's so pretty."

He wasn't even as big as Hangil, who was carrying her, and yet Karen's back looked so broad.

Would it be all right... with that man?

Ellie, who had never leaned on anyone — who had never been able to — felt a strange comfort and reliability looking at Karen. Was it because the Goddess herself had sent him? Or was it just that easygoing air that was uniquely his?

Squeak!

"Hm?"

The three of them were retracing their steps when a sound familiar to all of them came from underfoot.

"This little—! You again?"

Hangil grimaced and shook his foot. In a way, this white mouse was the one who'd dragged him all the way down here. If this thing hadn't run off with the Holy Relic, they never would have come this far.

Thanks to that, I met the Saintess... so maybe it was a good thing?

Hangil tilted his head for a moment, then took one look at the smug little mouse's face and that charitable thought evaporated. He hopped around trying to kick it away again, but the creature hopped as if laughing at him, scampered up Hangil's body, and climbed onto Ellie.

"I'm so sorry! Aigoo, what do I do?"

A mouse, climbing onto the Saintess... Hangil was at a complete loss. He couldn't shoo it off with his hands without dropping her, and there was nowhere to set her down.

"It's all right. This little one is a Divine Beast sent by Lady Solari. She told me so at the end. I named him Tori."

"I figured as much."

Karen looked at the white mouse nestled in Ellie's arms. If that thing were an ordinary mouse, mice would be running Earth, not humans.

"A D-Divine Beast?"

Hangil's jaw dropped. The annoying mouse he'd been trying to catch was a Divine Beast? Which meant he had been grabbing a Divine Beast with his bare hands and trying to kick it away?

Squeak! Squeak!

The mouse sat up ramrod-straight and looked down at Hangil with an arrogant gleam in its eye. The attitude said, well? Aren't you going to apologize?

"Don't do that. He's the one who saved me. And Tori, you were in the wrong too."

Squeeeak...

At Ellie's gentle scolding, her hand softly stroking his fur, Tori wilted and hung his head. Then he hopped over to Hangil and nuzzled against his chest.

"He says he's sorry for everything he's done."

"It's quite all right. I was in the wrong too. Receiving an apology from a Divine Beast... I've had quite a few new experiences today."

Squeak!

"Huh?"

Pop. The Tori right in front of his eyes vanished with a squeak, and Hangil's eyes went round.

"He says he'll come visit again. He has a teleportation ability, so he can come wherever I am."

"Hahaha. Teleportation... well, that would do it."

The mystery was finally solved. That was why the trail had gone cold at the door to an underground dungeon that didn't even have a mouse hole.

Hangil, having more or less transcended surprise itself, let out a hollow laugh. After today, it was going to take a lot to startle him. Over the past few hours, his threshold for shock hadn't merely risen — it had detonated.

Beep. Beep!

In contrast to the warm atmosphere of the dungeon, the sound of things shattering and collapsing echoed from outside, and the emergency alert on Hangil's wrist went off again.

"...That Samsaek. He must be really pissed off."

Karen muttered to himself as he looked at the message on Hangil's wrist. Just as the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠alert described, the place was in an uproar — people evacuating from the suddenly appeared monster, Holy Warriors sprinting every which way.

As luck would have it, Karen's group had just reached the foot of the underground stairs they'd come down earlier.

"I'll take a look."

Karen checked beyond the door. The evacuees were gone and the Holy Warriors had all headed out — the corridor outside was empty.

Karen waved them forward. Hangil understood the signal, came up, and at last they were all out of the underground dungeon.

Emerging from the near-lightless underground into a suddenly bright world, Ellie clenched her lips against the pain in her eyes.

I have to endure it.

These people were going through so much because of her. She couldn't act weak over something this small. Tears welled as her eyes tried to protect themselves, and Ellie's vision blurred.

"Huh?"

Then a shadow fell across her, and her eyes eased. Ellie reached up to wipe away the tears so she could see what it was. Something caught against her fingers with a soft tap.

"Glasses?"

Karen had shaped them from translucent Shield Magic. This was a completely different dimension from forming simple blades or weapons — it was practically an art. He'd layered dozens of wafer-thin sheets of translucent shield into lenses, so she should at least be able to see, however faintly.

"From now on, if it hurts, say so. You've got that in common with her, too."

"...Thank you."

Ellie didn't know what he meant, but she thanked him anyway. Watching Karen's blurry figure walk ahead, she lightly touched the temple of the glasses. A smooth, pleasant sensation met her fingertips.

"This way, please. I'll guide you from here. The Holy Warriors have a separate passage for going outside. There shouldn't be anyone there right now."

"Good. Then shall we give our accomplice one last chance to run wild?"

"Even more than that?"

Hangil paled and tried to stop him, but Karen had already sent the text.

"WAAAAAH! Enemy of my food!"

"What the hell is that thing saying? The bear's talking nonsense! Catch it!"

As expected, poking his obsession with food was devastatingly effective. With the sound of an even more enthusiastically rampaging Samsaek as their soundtrack, Karen and his companions slipped out of the temple unharmed.

The moment Karen's group made it safely out of the temple, Samsaek received a text from Karen.

"Kku-ing!"

Samsaek read the text, then raked the ground hard with his front paws.

"Cough, cough."

Dust exploded upward in an instant, and the Holy Warriors facing him doubled over coughing, their vision completely blocked.

"Time remaining?"

The timing was perfect. Samsaek kicked off the ground and bolted toward the residential streets.

"Aaaah! The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bear's charging this way!"

People who'd been filming from a distance despite the evacuation order screamed, but Samsaek sailed right over them and plunged into the residential area. He tore through several blocks in an instant, and at last the secluded alley he'd been looking for came into view.

There it is.

Samsaek snorted and ducked in quickly, Holy Warriors pounding after him.

"After it! It went into that alley!"

But when they chased the bear into the alley, all they found was a high wall that had to be several meters tall. The holy knights searched every inch of the place, but there was nothing but the usual cigarette butts and scraps of trash.

"It's a complete dead end."

"It definitely came in here, though?"

No matter how they thought about it, a bear that massive shouldn't have been able to jump this wall. And even if it had, a body that size leaping over would have left claw marks on the wall at the very least, or they would have heard it land on the other side.

"Huh? That's a cat."

One of the Holy Warriors spotted a cat sitting on top of a boxy dumpster, the kind you found in any back alley.

"It's cute... hey there."

"Is this really the time to fuss over a cat? Get it together."

"But this cat has the same pattern as that bear."

"Never seen a calico cat before? What, you think that giant bear turned into this cute little cat?"

"Meow...?"

The cat shrank back a little, licking a front paw and letting out a mewl as if something about that had hit a nerve. But none of the Holy Warriors found it strange. Cats, as a species, had always defied human expectations.

"Obviously not. Let's just search the area already."

"Yeah."

Once the Holy Warriors disappeared to search elsewhere, the cat let out a sigh.

"Kku-ing... this is the life of a Spiritual Beast. I'm definitely making Master buy me something delicious later."

The cat grumbled, then hopped clean over the dead-end wall the holy knights had sworn nothing could cross, and vanished.