Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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After dropping off the puppies at the animal protection association and arriving at the guild, dawn was already creeping in.
The sky was still dark, but it was about time for Kang Han and Jang Su-ho to wake up for their early morning training.
"Okay, you guys. We have to be quiet. Got it?"
The black spirit beast I was holding didn't react at all to my words, while only the white tiger nodded in response.
"Good boy."
I gave the white tiger's round head a pat, and it pushed its head in even closer.
I held my breath as I quietly opened the guild's front door.
Then, the sub-space created by Seong Yona unfolded, and countless doors appeared.
"Ah, right. This is here."
I spun around once in place, checking the shapes of the doors.
Fortunately, finding the real one wasn't hard.
Among the doors in various forms, a pale green one was glowing faintly.
Click.
Even with lingering anxiety, the doorknob turned smoothly.
Before crossing the threshold, I checked my surroundings—the guild interior was still deathly quiet.
"Can you climb the stairs?"
The white tiger nodded once more.
On the way up to my room on the fourth floor, my footsteps inevitably made the tiniest sounds, but the white tiger used its paw pads so masterfully that they drew even more attention to that.
Once I reached my room and closed the door, it felt like all the strength drained from my body.
Somehow, sneaking into the guild quietly was harder than stealing dogs from the pound.
"Haa."
I exhaled the breath I'd been holding and tossed the hat and mask I was still wearing onto the desk.
"You guys rest here for now."
I placed the black spirit beast I'd been carrying the whole time onto the dog cushion by the bed.
It was the one I'd bought along with the mask, advertised as an 'X-medicine cushion.'
I'd gotten a large one since I wasn't sure about their sizes, and it was plenty big enough for two young spirit beasts.
The black spirit beast fidgeted a bit on the new cushion before switching back to power-saving mode.
The obedient white tiger lay down neatly beside it.
"Wait here. I'll be out after I wash up."
Feeling the white tiger's gaze following me from behind, I headed to the bathroom.
After driving for the first time in forever, plus the tension from stealing the dogs alone from enemy territory...
My tensed-up body loosened somewhat under the hot shower.
I changed into comfortable clothes, roughly dried my hair with a towel, and stepped out.
"Huh? Why are you here?"
The white tiger was lying on the bath mat in front of the bathroom.
It must have stayed right there while I showered; it stretched and toddled over to me.
Then it licked the lingering moisture from my ankle.
"W-what?"
Salty?
No, I just washed.
Having never kept a pet in my life, I froze in place.
Rather than licking one spot repeatedly, it seemed to be meticulously checking—maybe trying to dry me off?
"Uh, th-thanks...?"
"Khrng."
Confirming no more water on my ankle, the white tiger let out a snort-like sound and tilted its head up slightly.
Proud... of itself?
I tilted my head, then followed behind the white tiger as it led the way.
It still toddled along the same way, but there was something oddly dignified about its steps.
Then it plopped down right next to the black spirit beast again, as if that was its spot.
I sat on the edge of the bed and picked up my phone.
"You're definitely the white tiger. But what about this one?"
The status window didn't specify the spirit beast's type, so the black one's identity was still unclear.
There wasn't anything like it even in [Sejong Mask].
I asked the white tiger first.
"Who's this guy?"
A speech bubble popped up above the white tiger's head.
"Yeah, it's cute and all. But who's the black one?"
"Just adding an exclamation mark doesn't explain it."
Unable to communicate properly with the spirit beast yet, I was the one feeling inconvenienced.
I gave up asking the white tiger and turned on my phone to start searching.
"White... tiger."
"Chung."
"No, I wasn't calling you."
I glanced at the sulking white tiger, then scrolled through the search results.
As expected, searching 'white tiger' only brought up info on this guy.
"Then black... mythical creature."
This time, only black tiger images came up.
"Argh, what the heck is it?"
I started racking my brain.
Spirit beasts are mostly imaginary animals.
Creatures humans had believed in for ages, once revered as semi-divine beings.
So then.
"Black imaginary animal... legend."
But this time too, nonsense like the three-legged crow popped up.
That's when it happened.
The white tiger, who had been watching me while lying down, placed one front paw on top of the black spirit beast.
Like throwing an arm around its shoulder.
"You? Related to you?"
The white tiger nodded vigorously.
"Friends?"
The white tiger's small head shook side to side.
"Brothers?"
This time, its eyes sparkled wide open.
Getting closer.
In that case.
"Twins?"
"Chung!"
The white tiger had a twin?
First I'd heard of it.
The Four Guardian white tiger having a twin.
Besides, they didn't look alike except for being felines.
I picked up my phone again anyway.
"White tiger twin..."
As I typed that far, a related search term appeared below.
"...Qiongqi?"
The change wasn't just on my rectangular phone screen.
The black spirit beast, eyes closed the whole time, slowly lifted its head, revealing red eyes.
And it stared right at me.
As if asking how I knew that name.
"Wait, hold on. Just wait."
I searched for 'Qiongqi.'
"Not one of the Four Guardians, but one of the Four Evils."
Oh, Four Evils.
"Eats people from the head down... um."
True to the Four Evils name, nothing good.
Then one line caught my eye.
"When the white tiger was born, the evil part of its body split off to become Qiongqi... huh."
I looked up again at the black spirit beast—no, Qiongqi.
Four Evils. Evil part.
"Real twins, then?"
Looking again, they did seem a bit similar?
So what if it's a Four Evil? So what if it's the evil twin?
Spirit beasts depend on their master anyway.
No matter how vicious Qiongqi is, if engraved to someone like Kang Han, it'd get disciplined a few times, shed tears, and reborn as a good boy.
"Which means the master is what matters."
I muttered to myself while looking at the white tiger and Qiongqi.
"Who should I pair you guys with?"
Qiongqi was like a surprise gift, so no candidates came to mind, but the white tiger was different.
I had some people in mind.
I'd mentioned Kang Han as an example for Qiongqi, but that'd be tough.
He already had Baek Young, and spirit beasts choose masters like themselves.
Same for the white tiger.
Righteous, protector of people—that's the white tiger.
So the person needs that personality for engraving to happen.
Ultimately, the spirit beast chooses.
"Hmm. Who would the white tiger like?"
I pictured Justice Guild members for my own use first.
Jang Su-ho, hot-headed and hot-hearted?
Lee Yu-eul, always at the front in battle?
Or Han Ji-seong would be good too.
As a rear attacker, having the white tiger guard him would be solid.
I was thinking that when—
The white tiger that had been sticking by Qiongqi hopped onto the bed where I was sitting.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about who to pair you with right n— what the heck is this paw?"
The white tiger lifted the same paw it had used to buddy up with Qiongqi earlier and pressed down firmly on my thigh.
Hey, no way.
"Me?"
Nod.
"For real, me?"
"Chung."
"No. Think again."
I counted on my fingers, explaining to the white tiger.
"First, I'm not righteous. Second, I'm not combat-class. Third, my personality isn't as nice as yours... eep."
Lick.
The white tiger placed both front paws on my thigh, stretched out, and licked the back of my hand.
Then it looked up at me without blinking its blue eyes.
As if saying I'm the one.
"Argh, dude, not me. If you hang with me, you'll end up doing bad... well, not bad, but kinda shady stuff, you know?"
"Kyaaang."
No, this little punk.
While I was telling it all this for its own good, now it was rubbing its cheek against my hand.
"Haa, gonna lose my mind."
This... must be the butler selection.