And three days passed.
Yoo Baekjun had been nursing the young snow tiger and protecting Jin Seoyeon
with utmost care during that time.
"Why am I even doing this?"
He hadn't slept properly for three days.
On top of that, he had to deal with monsters drawn in by the mana, so the
thought was inevitable.
–Kyahoooo...…
The young snow tiger's condition had improved significantly.
Recalling his past playthroughs, he figured it was about time the cub would
regain consciousness.
And Jin Seoyeon as well.
Ssssss.
She had almost completed a unique mana breathing technique.
The mana barrier surrounding Jin Seoyeon thinned, and the mana within the
chamber had mostly disappeared.
She had absorbed it all.
'I took a bit of it too.'
He had been so exhausted that he used the Heaven-Surging Mind Technique to
ease his fatigue. In that process, he absorbed some of the mana in the chamber,
but it probably wouldn't matter.
Yoo Baekjun waited for Jin Seoyeon to open her eyes."......."
Not long after, Jin Seoyeon opened her eyes. Her glowing blue eyes scanned the
surroundings.
"How much time has passed?"
"About three days. It went as expected."
"Hmm... I feel refreshed. Nice."
Despite having been unconscious for three days, Jin Seoyeon looked lively.
She glanced toward the entrance. There, the corpses of monsters were piled
high.
"Looks like you had a rough time...?"
"More or less."
"Surprising. Honestly, I was a bit uneasy, so I made preparations just in case, but
they weren't necessary."
"You think I've lived my whole life being underestimated? Just trust me a bit."
Yoo Baekjun stood up. Jin Seoyeon let out a satisfied hum.
"I'm tired. Let's head back quickly."
"Sure."
Yoo Baekjun was about to leave the cave right away. But then something
wriggled in his arms.
–Ahoo!"Looks like it's awake."
The young snow tiger was starting to stir.
Jin Seoyeon suddenly leaned in close. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she
looked at the cub.
–Krrng? Krrrng...?
The young snow tiger opened its eyes.
Its gaze met Jin Seoyeon's. It blinked a few times.
–Kyaaaang!
"......!"
It suddenly swung its claws.
Having expected this, Yoo Baekjun reached out his hand and caught the swipe.
Jin Seoyeon's eyes widened.
"Did it just try to claw me?"
"Well, it's a wild animal. You think it's going to be friendly toward people? Don't
overwhelm it. Step back."
"This is the first time anything's reacted like this to me."
"What kind of cliché line is that…"
Yoo Baekjun picked up the young snow tiger.
It squirmed, trying to escape from his arms. Yoo Baekjun met its eyes.
"......."–Krrrng?
The young snow tiger blinked.
Jin Seoyeon expected it to lash out again, but it didn't.
–Purr... purr...
"What? Why is it reacting differently to you?"
Instead, it rubbed its face against him.
Well, that made sense. Yoo Baekjun still carried the energy the snow tiger's
mother had passed on to him.
It must have felt like family.
–Purr, purr... ha!
After a while, the snow tiger suddenly lifted its head as if it had remembered
something.
It wriggled out of Yoo Baekjun's arms and looked around the now-empty chamber
with dazed eyes.
–Kyawoong! Kyahoooo!
The young snow tiger wandered around the chamber.
As if it were looking for something.
There was no need to think hard about what that was—its mother.
"...."
It searched for the mother who should've been there, but no one was.–Grrrrrrrr…
No matter how much it searched, it would never find her. The snow tiger had
already passed on to the spirit world.
It would have been nice if they'd had a proper farewell, but there hadn't been
time for that.
–Whimper, Kyang, Kyaooo!
"Your mother's gone to the spirit world."
Yoo Baekjun stepped forward. The young snow tiger looked back with red eyes.
"She left you in my care. And… you know what happened, right?"
–Grrrr…
The young snow tiger recalled its memories.
Being captured by strange humans, its mother pushing herself to save it, and
then falling unconscious and into the ice.
–Grrr…
The young snow tiger growled like a beast.
It was a growl filled with rage. Yoo Baekjun knelt on one knee before it.
"You want revenge, don't you?"
–Grrrrng!
"I know where those bastards are. I've got business with them too, so I'll help
you."
Yoo Baekjun slowly reached out his hand."Come with me. I'll make sure you get to see your mother again in the spirit world
someday."
The young snow tiger didn't respond.
But Yoo Baekjun saw it nod its head—just slightly.
"........"
Yoo Baekjun stepped back.
The young snow tiger looked around the chamber once more and glanced
toward the den where it had rested.
As if trying to imprint it in its memory.
–Waa... waaaaah…
After a while, it suddenly burst into tears. Jin Seoyeon tried to approach, but Yoo
Baekjun stopped her.
"Why is it crying?"
"It's grieving."
"Why?"
"Because its family died."
Jin Seoyeon tilted her head.
"Is that something to be sad about?"
"Well…"
Yoo Baekjun let out a small sigh.Normally, it's something to be sad about. But in places like the magic tower or the
Sword Saint Clan—places twisted beyond reason—it's not always mourned.
"…Usually, it's a sad thing."
"I see. So it is something sad."
Jin Seoyeon absentmindedly nodded.
'That girl and this body of hers… such a strange life.'
Yoo Baekjun quietly watched the young snow tiger cry.
As it should be, this event named Tears of the Snowfield ended with the sound of
weeping.
"........"
Yoo Baekjun watched the young snow tiger until it finished crying.
***
The next day, Yoo Baekjun returned to his family house.
The one who welcomed him was Choi Seungmin.
"Welcome back, Young master... huh?"
Choi Seungmin greeted him, then noticed Yoo Baekjun's now-rounded stomach.
It was even squirming.
"...Did you gain weight?"
"I climbed a mountain. You think I gained weight doing that? Huh?"
"Maybe you did. If you just ate cup noodles and rice wine up there, who knows.""You know drinking up there would've killed me."
Yoo Baekjun sighed and pulled open his robe. There, nestled against his
stomach, the young snow tiger slept soundly.
"My goodness, Young master! Poaching?!"
"Is your servant always like this?"
"I have no defense…"
Choi Seungmin laughed, saying it was a joke, and handed them something warm
to drink.
"Both of you should rest in the mansion. We've been keeping the place heated
since we didn't know when you'd return."
"Warmth sounds nice. Oh, and could you call the pharmacist Joo Joongwon? For
the cub's food."
"Understood, Young master."
Choi Seungmin bowed and withdrew.
Yoo Baekjun told Jin Seoyeon to rest, then turned to head back to the mansion.
Then he saw the look in her eyes.
"........"
She was staring longingly at the young snow tiger.
'Right, she had that thing about loving pets… Ah, yeah. She used to have one.'
When she was younger, she had a pet, but Jin Baekcheon made her kill it.What was it again? Something about how anyone destined to lead the magic
tower must be colder than anyone else.
'That father of hers, and mine... completely unhinged.'
Yoo Baekjun thought for a moment.
"…Well, you're free to visit and see it whenever you want while you're staying
here."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"There's no reason not to."
Jin Seoyeon's eyes sparkled.
That look felt unfamiliar—but thinking about it, she was only twenty-two.
Compared to the 'me' in the real world, still very young.
'I can't really think of her as a little sister, but… maybe I'll try.'
Yoo Baekjun carried the young snow tiger back to the mansion. Jin Seoyeon said
she'd wash up and follow later.
"Young master, welcome ba… huh?"
Han Seonga greeted him at the mansion.
Yoo Baekjun handed her the young snow tiger.
"Where did you pick this up? It doesn't look like an ordinary tiger."
"Some things happened. When Master Joo Joongwon gets here, show it to him.
It's still recovering."
"Understood. What about you, Young master?""I'll be in my room for a bit."
Yoo Baekjun entered his room.
And immediately opened the Martial God's Book.
'Now then, it took a bit longer than expected…'
He had descended Seorak Mountain about two days later than planned. But that
was within acceptable delay.
"My father should be calling for me soon."
Around this time, Yoo Moohak would summon Yoo Baekjun to give him a
command.
That command being:
'Go clear the Gate.'
Four Gates had appeared across the Seorak region, and each family member
was to clear one of them.
"Mine's the trickiest one."
There was one location where a dungeon and a Gate had overlapped. It was so
tough, the other siblings avoided it.
But he planned to take it on.
The reason was simple.
'The traces of the Martial God are there.'
A faint smile played on Yoo Baekjun's lips.Originally sealed away, those traces were released when the Gate appeared.
Now was the perfect time to retrieve them.
'Time to activate the Achievement System.'
But to do that, he needed a certain skill.
With a Gate and a dungeon combined, there would be plenty of monsters—and
even guardians.
He needed a skill that could make quick work of them.
'I need a buff skill.'
There was one that was just right for the job.
Yoo Baekjun quickly flipped through the Martial God's Book and found the skill.
[Berserker (B+)]
–A skill only mad warriors of battle can learn. Temporarily boosts stats and
physical speed, with the effects strengthening as more enemies are defeated.
–Has side effects once the effect ends.
It cost 500 points.
A B+ grade skill, but because of its side effects, it came cheap. The side effects
were strong—but manageable.
'There's even a side event I can trigger with this.'
Yoo Baekjun closed the Martial God's Book.
Once the Achievement System was active, he planned to travel all over South
Korea, clearing achievements.To earn points and learn high-level skills.
–Kyahoooo!
–Ugh! Y-Young master!
–Oh no! That one's a real wild beast!
He heard chaos outside.
With a sigh, Yoo Baekjun opened the door. Sure enough, the young snow tiger
was rampaging.
–Beeeep!
The moment it saw Yoo Baekjun, it leapt into his arms.
Han Seonga, who had been chasing after it, clicked her tongue.
"Young master… I don't know where you found it, but that's one fierce creature
you've brought."
"It's just shy."
"Shy, huh."
Han Seonga showed him the back of her hand. The snow tiger had bitten her,
leaving a wound.
If she hadn't been a Hunter, it might've turned into a serious injury.
"Hm…"
Yoo Baekjun thought for a moment, then explained how he had found the cub."You'll have to train it well, Youngest Master. Maybe it's a mythical creature? It's
more vicious than usual."
"Mythical creature?! This is a mythical beast?"
Han Seonga's eyes widened in surprise.
"No wonder. I thought it looked different from normal tigers."
"I checked it over. You did well treating it. It should recover fully soon."
"That's a relief."
Yoo Baekjun looked at the young snow tiger in his arms.
"Did you name it yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Tsk tsk. You should name it. Mythical creatures are smart. Once you name it, it'll
understand."
"True…"
He couldn't just keep calling it 'young snow tiger' forever.
What name would be good?
"Seol Young."
A name popped into his head.
"Hmm, 'Snow Shadow,' huh? A bit off-the-cuff, but it sounds nice."
"I like it too, Young master."Their reactions weren't bad. Yoo Baekjun lifted Seol Young and looked into its
eyes.
"Your name is Seol Young. How's that? Like it?"
–Beeep?
Seol Young tilted its head.
It pretended not to understand, but its intelligence was equal to—or better
than—a human's.
It definitely understood.
"I'm tired. Let's get some sleep."
–Kyahwoong...
Yoo Baekjun returned to his room.
By tomorrow, his father would surely call.
'Time to move.'
There was much to do.