#55 "Taming a Horse":
Kim Chun-bae tensed up.
"I refuse."
"Pity. Men like you are rare."
"……?"
Kim Chun-bae, who had braced himself for a fight, was taken aback by Cheoldu's casual surrender.
"...So you won't force the issue?"
"Haha, you're not the kind of man who can be won over by force."
Coercion might work for recruiting lackeys, but never for true warriors.
Tribal wars could yield slaves, but never a chieftain. Such conflicts always ended in the leader's execution.
"If you change your mind, come find me."
"...I'll remember that."
What an unpredictable man.
"Now, let's go get you a horse!"
"Do you have an inventory?"
"I do."
"Good. We'll need to create a pet pouch inside it. Unfortunately, I don't have the materials on hand."
"How do we make one?"
"......"
Kim Chun-bae hesitated.
Teaching them how to craft a pet pouch would mean revealing the process.
"I'll teach you. But you must promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Keep this knowledge between us. Don't share it with anyone else."
"Why go to such lengths to hide it?"
"Aside from the advantage of horses, we're outmatched by New Seoul in every other way. If we're wiped out, this city has no future."
"......?"
Cheoldu was puzzled.
If this were simply about withholding strategic weapons from enemies, he'd understand. But for the city's sake?
"You have a talent for dressing cowardice in grand words."
"It may sound that way, but it's the truth. We're the only ones seriously pushing forward in New Seoul."
"Hmm."
"Even if the government acquires horses, they'll focus on village expansion while neglecting exploration. They'll use their military to crush rebellions rather than hunt monsters. And we'll be their first target."
"......"
"The current balance is perfect. We explore the map while New Seoul develops their villages. Eventually, even the homeland will recognize my vision."
"A petty man mimicking the words of a great one."
"Keh keh keh. Not entirely wrong."
Bandit Leader Kim Chun-bae laughed, but his men flinched, their expressions darkening. Some openly scowled.
Cheoldu smirked.
Whatever their beliefs, what did it matter to him?
"Fine. I promise. I'll only use this knowledge for myself and my mercenaries. Teach me."
"Good. I'll trust you then. First, to get a horse, you'll need to activate a pet pouch. To make one, you'll need two materials: a Potsne infused with magic and an item-qualified bag. Man-made items won't work."
The magic-infused Potsne could be found in Ogre Mountain, while the item-qualified bag was in the Mimic Cave.
"We'll split up. The Mimic Cave is significantly less dangerous."
"Jin-tae. You handle that side."
"Got it."
The bandits divided, half heading for the cave and half for the mountain.
"This is what it looks like."
Kim Chun-bae produced a root resembling ginseng but with bright red, carrot-like tendrils.
"Only the magic-infused ones are usable as materials. The regular Potsne can still be used to raise a horse's affinity, so gather them all."
"Good. I'll handle the ogre."
"...With just these numbers?"
Ogres were raid-level monsters.
With their current forces, injuries were inevitable.
"Hahaha, I'll take it alone. Just focus on gathering the herbs."
They weren't just herbs - but Cheoldu's attention was already fixed on the ogre.
How could he pass up such a perfect opportunity?
"Uooooooh!"
Cheoldu's battle cry echoed through the mountains.
"Grooooooar!"
An answering ogre roar from the slopes startled the bandits.
It was much closer than expected.
"P-prepare for battle!"
"Hahaha, I've got this."
Cheoldu sprinted toward the sound.
Too curious to continue gathering Potsne, Kim Chun-bae and his men followed.
"Hahaha, perfect!"
A giant, dwarfing even Ogre Juniors, bellowed at the intruder in its territory.
"Grooooooar!"
Each swing of its massive club uprooted trees, clearing the area.
"Good!"
His fighting spirit surged.
Cheoldu drew the borrowed axe, gripping it tightly.
The weight felt perfect in his hands.
Just how much destruction could it unleash?
Suppressing his excitement, he coolly assessed his opponent.
He dismissed the idea of taking a hit to test the ogre's strength.
This was no opponent to toy with.
A beast beyond mere savagery.
Cheoldu focused completely.
Whoosh!
The club narrowly missed him.
Huuuu!
His whole body tingled with adrenaline.
Dodging the swing, he pivoted and struck at the ogre's hamstring.
Crash!
As expected, its reflexes lagged behind its brute strength.
The axe bit deep, drawing a howl of pain.
"Grooooooar!"
The enraged ogre flailed wildly, but Cheoldu had already retreated beyond its reach.
Watching like a hawk, he seized his chance.
Now.
Swish!
Leaping with panther-like grace, he pounced like a tiger.
Whoosh!
With a powerful jump, he poured all his strength and mana into the descending axe.
If this missed, he'd learn exactly how hard an ogre could hit - and how much punishment his body could take.
"Grooo!"
The ogre turned its head at the last moment -
Crunch!
Instead of cleaving its skull, the axe buried into its collarbone, driving downward.
Riiiiip!
The ogre's thick hide split like paper.
The heavy blade tore through effortlessly.
From collarbone to pelvis, the axe emerged. A slightly wider blade might have cleaved the ogre clean in two.
Grooooooan.
But the deep gash was enough.
The heart in its path had been crushed, its movement stopped forever.
Cheoldu grinned as the ogre dissolved into light, leaving behind 30 coins and a black orb.
"Lucky."
A special trait orb.
He already possessed Giant's Hide - could this be Giant's Strength?
Too curious to wait, he activated it immediately.
<Giant's Strength>
With mana, unleash strength surpassing your race's limits.
Now, by channeling mana, he could double his power at will - just like Jang Ho-cheol.
"Hahaha."
An unexpected windfall.
While acquiring the Potsne was important, encountering the ogre was the real prize.
"Holy shit!"
"Is this for real?"
"H-he soloed an ogre."
Among the stunned bandits, Kim Chun-bae was the most shaken.
......
The strongest in New Seoul was Lee Eun-young.
But Kim Chun-bae, who had fought her before, knew better. Even then, he'd been half a step ahead.
Three years later, the gap had only widened.
While she played at being "Korea's Greatest Swordsman" within the city walls, he'd roamed uncharted lands, claiming first-clear rewards and gaining new strength.
Now, he was confident he could defeat her in under ten moves.
Though unofficially ranked as New Seoul's top fighter, even Kim Chun-bae couldn't accomplish that.
An ogre?
If even half the rumors were true, he's dangerous...
He'd thought them exaggerated, but they were accurate. The mountain stronghold had indeed been wiped out by Kang Cheoldu alone.
Looking back, if he'd insisted on fighting earlier, they wouldn't have suffered half their forces - they'd have been completely annihilated.
We almost died for nothing.
He was profoundly grateful he'd trusted his instincts. Stubborn pride would have ended the bandits today.
"Did you gather all the herbs?"
"W-we're about to start."
Kim Chun-bae's tone had shifted entirely.
He could no longer afford to underestimate Kang Cheol-ho.
This wasn't about testing his strength.
It wasn't even about winning or losing.
If things go wrong, we die.
The bandits quickly gathered the carrot-like roots and soon reunited with the Mimic team.
They ran and ran.
Even after meeting up with the Mimic Cave team, they ran another full day.
"Wow, I must be really lucky. I got four of these."
Kim Jin-tae had obtained four bags from the random loot dropped by Mimics.
Given they'd hunted over 300, the drop rate was abysmal.
"That's the Abandoned Alchemist's Laboratory."
<Abandoned Alchemist's Laboratory>
Items can be synthesized here.
Required coins vary by type and quantity.
"Nice!"
Cheoldu entered the crumbling temple-like structure and approached the cauldron.
"Just put them in here?"
"Correct."
He placed the magic-infused Potsne and pouch-like bag inside and closed the lid.
<Use 78 coins to synthesize the item?>
Pop.
Light seeped into the cauldron. Opening it revealed the Potsne had disappeared, leaving only the pouch.
Creates a pet pouch in your inventory. Activate with 10 coins.
Cheoldu activated it immediately.
Pop.
A small circle appeared on his forearm.
It was empty for now, but his inventory now displayed a pet-exclusive slot beside the regular five.
"Hahaha."
Finally, a pet slot.
He quickly made three more - one for Jin-tae to activate and two spares stored in his bag.
"Now we just need to reach the horse habitat."
The habitat was another two days west, requiring intermittent camping along the way.
Excited at the prospect of getting a horse, Cheoldu pushed the pace, though the others' fatigue forced occasional breaks.
Only when they reached the map's edge, where the transparent barrier was nearly visible, did they finally spot the horses.
"Choose one and work on its affinity. They love Potsne, so feed and soothe them. Once affinity reaches a certain level, channel mana to imprint it as your pet."
"Hmmm."
Cheoldu frowned at the frolicking horses.
"Don't you have any bigger ones?"
"That's the only breed. We've scoured the entire frontier, but this is it. They're surprisingly sturdy and strong, though."
"Still seems unreliable."
"But there are no alternatives."
Neeeigh!
Suddenly, the peacefully grazing horses scattered in panic - fleeing from a massive zebra-like creature.
"Huh?"
"Tch, that's a monster. Completely untamable. Don't waste your time."
Cheoldu didn't hear Kim Chun-bae.
That one.
Half again as large as the horses.
Two bull-like horns protruding near its ears.
This was fate calling.
"Hahaha."
Affinity be damned.
You will be my pet.
Unless you want to die.
