Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Sulking White Tiger
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Why is he in there?
I slowly walked toward where Na Baek-ho's tail was sticking out, muttering loudly on purpose.
"Ah, geez. Where's Na Baek-ho? I can't see him anywhere."
Tap tap.
The honest tail thumped against the floor in annoyance.
I fought back a laugh that was threatening to spill from my lips, which had gone all slack, and sat down in front of the bed.
"Na Baek-ho, you really not coming out?"
Twitch.
The white tail quivered once.
This guy was definitely perking up his ears and listening to every word.
"It's been so long since your noona's back. You really gonna stay in there?"
"Kkuung."
Finally, with a small whimper, Na Baek-ho slowly emerged from under the bed.
"Hey, you..."
The sight of him was heartbreaking.
Even accounting for just crawling out from under the bed, his fur was a tangled mess like he hadn't been groomed once the whole time. His eyes, which always sparkled like smooth river pebbles, were darkly sunken.
They'd said he was moping, but I'd never seen Na Baek-ho like this.
I lost my words for a moment and could only stare at him.
In the meantime, Na Baek-ho was the first to move.
He kept a little distance and padded around me in circles.
As if checking whether I had any wounds left on me.
But that was it.
"...Na Baek-ho?"
I'd expected him to come bounding over with his tail wagging like always.
Instead, Na Baek-ho plopped down his butt a few steps away and just stared at me with those dead black eyes.
So this time, I made the move.
I scooted toward him on my butt across the floor.
Thankfully, he didn't run away.
Emboldened, I slowly reached out my hand.
I wanted to comfort Na Baek-ho, who seemed to have been through a lot emotionally.
"Na Baek-ho, you were so worried abou— Uck!"
Thwack!
That was when Na Baek-ho swung his left front paw and smacked my hand away.
The infamous "kitty punch."
But Na Baek-ho wasn't a cat.
He was a tiger, small or not.
Drip, drip.
The sound of small droplets hitting the floor echoed in the quiet room.
Blood trickling from the wound on my hand.
Looking down calmly, I saw three distinct claw marks on the back of my hand.
It stung fiercely, but I didn't flinch.
"Kkuung..."
Na Baek-ho was the one who looked shocked instead.
Seeing the scratches on my hand made his eyes tremble as he stared at his own left paw, like an earthquake had hit.
I opened my mouth quietly to soothe him.
"Na Baek-ho, I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
His deep blue eyes gazing at me in the dim room welled up with tears on the verge of spilling.
"Hey, I said I'm okay."
"Kkuhung."
"Look at this."
I covered the wound with my uninjured hand and activated my skill.
My stamina took a hit, but the scratches Na Baek-ho made vanished clean away.
I held up my now smooth hand.
"See? All gone."
"Kyuuung!"
Na Baek-ho let out a weird squeak and came charging into my arms.
The weight pressing against me felt noticeably lighter than before.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. You were really anxious, huh?"
"Kkuheung, kruu."
Na Baek-ho buried his face in my chest and started mumbling something.
I couldn't understand exactly, but I got the gist—it was a complaint.
"Hey, but I couldn't take you to that dangerous place."
"Kkuuuh."
"No matter how much you whine, some things are off-limits. Once you're bigger, we'll go together then."
I stroked Na Baek-ho's back, trying to soothe him.
His fur wasn't as fluffy as usual—it was a bit dry and messy—but it was still soft.
"Aigoo, when am I ever gonna raise you properly."
I found myself saying the exact same thing my parents used to tell me.
After petting and reassuring him for a good while, Na Baek-ho ended up sprawled across my lap.
"Kruung."
"What, you want the hand?"
I brought the injured hand close, just like he wanted.
Na Baek-ho started licking the spot with his slightly rough pink tongue.
"Uhong, uhong."
I stroked his round head as he cooed apologetically over and over.
But at the same time, I couldn't help letting out a small sigh.
We'd made up this time, but what about next time?
'Can't exactly avoid dungeons forever.'
I decided I'd have to gather the other familiar owners and discuss this sometime, then stroked Na Baek-ho's head once more.
Drip.
A single tear rolled down the tightly shut eye of the white tiger as he licked my hand, falling with a plop.
Na Baek-ho's strange behavior started the next day.
"Urk, urk."
"He's throwing up again?!"
At Lee Yu-eul's shout, I jumped up from my breakfast.
"Vomiting again?!"
This was already the second time he'd stuffed himself silly with snacks until his little belly bulged, only to hurl.
I dashed to Na Baek-ho amid stares from the guildmates, their eyes wide like mine.
"Urk!"
Hiding behind a potted plant, he squeezed his eyes shut in misery and finally puked up what was in his gut.
"If your tummy hurts, you shouldn't eat snacks!"
I grumbled as I cleaned up Na Baek-ho's mess.
But this guy—who'd he get it from?—was as stubborn as they come.
He dragged his exhausted, post-vomit body and wobbled right back toward the snack bin.
I quickly snatched the bin away and hoisted Na Baek-ho up.
"Na Baek-ho, what's really wrong with you?"
"Kruung."
Na Baek-ho clamped his tiny mouth shut and whipped his head away.
This little punk.
"You can't do this. Snacks might be tasty, but you don't need them from the start! You get all the energy you need from me! Those are just supplements at best..."
Wait.
It hit me while I was scolding him.
The reason this guy was forcing down snacks like his life depended on it.
"No matter how much you whine, some things are off-limits. Once you're bigger, we'll go together then."
That's what I'd said yesterday without much thought.
And he'd taken it completely literally.
He thought he had to grow fast to come dungeon with me.
"Aigoo, Na Baek-ho."
I hugged him tight as he still wriggled, trying to go for the snacks.
And patted his plump little butt.
"You wanted to eat snacks to grow big quick? So you could follow me into the dungeon?"
"Kruuung."
Na Baek-ho flinched like I'd hit the nail on the head, then rubbed his face against me like a spoiled child.
"I see. Our Baek-ho was so worried about noona."
I stood there holding him for a bit, rocking him gently to comfort him.
The other familiar owners watching us had complicated expressions too.
Now they knew why Na Baek-ho had been pushing himself to the point of sickness with the snacks.
"Mm."
Kang Han set down his coffee and stroked the small head of Baek Young coiled around his arm.
"To think that far ahead."
Im Cheong-su, looking a bit shocked, hugged the hood pouch where Maeng-i was sleeping—only to get a sharp "Chit!" scolding in return.
Gung-gi just lay on the sofa, impassively observing the whole scene.
I cautiously broached the subject with Kang Han while still holding the sniffling Na Baek-ho.
"For today's mining trip, how about bringing the little ones? What do you think, Guild Master?"
Na Baek-ho, who had been limp and depressed, jerked his head up and barked loudly.
"Cuung!"
There was a reason why Im Cheong-su, Lee Yu-eul, and Lee Yu-chan had all put in for field trip requests on a weekday morning and gathered for breakfast.
The mining rights for the Ansan City C-rank Flame Dungeon we'd cleared last time had come to us for a week.
It was a kind of reward given to the guild that successfully conquered it.
The right to mine mana stones first, before management duties and auction rights for the mining permits went back to the Association.
Large guilds usually handed it off to their dedicated in-house mining teams or outsourced to external companies, like the Incheon Mansu Mountain Dungeon Kang Han and I had first entered.
But Justice Guild had neither the money nor the manpower, so we'd gotten up early to prep and handle it ourselves.
"You sure it'll be okay?"
Kang Han looked down at Baek Young with genuine concern and asked me.
Even if he'd grown a bit, his face showed worries about whether the still-small Baek Young could handle a C-rank Flame Dungeon.
"Ideally, I'd wait for a lower-rank dungeon, but as you can see, Baek-ho's in this state. No one else is going today anyway, and if it gets too tough, we can just send them back to the subsapce right away."
Im Cheong-su, who'd been listening to our conversation, pulled out the sleeping Maeng-i from his pocket and asked.
"Im Maeng-i, wanna come to the dungeon today? It's C-rank—think you can handle it?"
He seemed worried about the scorching heat and flames everywhere in a Flame Dungeon.
"...Chit."
Maeng-i yawned sleepily, answered curtly like it was a dumb question, and dove right back into the warm hood pouch.
"Baek Young."
Kang Han lifted his arm to bring Baek Young to eye level and asked.
"The dungeon... you okay with it?"
At the word "dungeon," Baek Young's closed eyes sparkled open.
No one else could see it, but Baek Young was thrilled.
His little tail wagged happily as he rubbed his small head against Kang Han's face.
"...Baek Young says he's good too. Let's give it a try."
And just like that, three familiars were added to the mining team.
Seong Yo-na, who had been sitting next to Gung-gi stroking his black fur, suddenly winced and spoke up.
"Someone's here at the guild."
"This early? Who?"
At my question, Seong Yo-na picked up the screen remote and turned it on.
The image of the visitor standing in the lobby with dozens of doors soon filled the screen.
"Uh-eng?"
I couldn't believe my eyes and walked right up to the screen.
The towering height coming through even on screen, the muscled build visible despite hands clasped behind his back, the all-black outfit, and the expressionless face.
"Why's that guy here?"
Jeong Je-hwa was knocking at Justice Guild's door.