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Chapter 5
Heyeon’s bold attempt to tame a unicorn that started with -3% affection continued for about an hour.
She fed it young branches from Echtech Forest, performed little tricks to entertain it, brushed its mane, and even tried feeding it Golden Meru Tree Fruits just in case.
Only after the beautiful unicorn had eaten thirty Meru fruits did its affection finally reach the minimum requirement.
[Echtech Forest Unicorn Current Affection: 27% (Minimum affection required for taming: 26.3%)]
[Would you like to tame it?]
Heyeon refused.
Twenty-seven percent wasn’t a safe number to attempt taming with.
She couldn’t trust a success rate that was barely over one in four.
She still had 115 Golden Meru Tree Fruits left.
The young Echtech branches had raised its affection by 8%.
Brushing and entertaining it had increased it by another 4%.
That meant the remaining 18% had come from the thirty Meru fruits.
In other words, ten Meru fruits increased affection by roughly 6%.
If she fed it all the remaining fruits, the unicorn’s affection would reach 90%.
Heyeon steadied her breathing.
The unicorn leisurely watched her.
Investments backed by numbers and certainty weren’t wasteful!
Now that she had confidence in the outcome, there was no way she’d give up simply because feeding a unicorn fruit was tiring.
The sweet scent of Meru fruits filled the air as the unicorn diligently chewed.
Heyeon busily moved her hands.
And finally—
[You have tamed the Unicorn of Echtech Forest!]
[Quest <The Desert Fox’s Sorrow> conditions fulfilled! Return to receive your reward!]
“I did it!”
The unicorn, which had been watching the ecstatic Heyeon shout in delight, snorted and rose to its feet.
Approaching the girl who was practically bouncing with joy, it lowered its head and nudged her, inviting her to stroke its mane.
This was the power of a 90% affection relationship.
Heyeon forgot all the hardships she’d endured and felt a flutter in her chest.
Its fluffy, silky mane.
Its warm golden horn.
Its gentle golden eyes.
The lingering sweet scent of Meru fruit.
The proud and aloof unicorn had openly displayed its affection the moment the taming succeeded.
So this is why people do animal therapy!
Smiling brightly, Heyeon gazed at the unicorn with the same sweetness she associated with Meru fruits.
[Please give the Unicorn of Echtech Forest a name.]
Gently stroking the unicorn’s nose, Heyeon said,
“Echte.”
If something already had a cool name, borrowing from it was usually the right answer.
In Heyeon’s opinion, Echtech Forest sounded pretty impressive.
It was better than coming up with something weird.
[<Echte>: The Unicorn of Echtech Forest has been bound to ‘Charge of the Snow Ducks.’]
“…”
Yeah.
Just like that nickname.
It had seemed fine when she’d first made it…
“Can I change my nickname?”
“Echte, belonging to Charge of the Snow Ducks!”
It somehow felt disrespectful toward the unicorn.
When creating her character, the little star had only said appearances couldn’t be changed. It hadn’t said anything about names.
Maybe there was a way.
After all, she’d already seen names like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and The Magic World Is Doomed.
Surely those couldn’t have been their original names…
…Right?
Surely they hadn’t actually chosen those from the beginning?
No answer would come from dwelling on it.
Heyeon decided to stop thinking about pointless things.
Echte willingly allowed its new owner to climb onto its back.
The system kindly granted her the Riding skill immediately.
Without any training or explanation, Heyeon found herself mounting Echte effortlessly, as if someone else were guiding her body.
Echte ran through the forest with the swiftness of the wind.
Once it seemed satisfied that Heyeon had adapted, its horn glimmered.
Then, like a bird taking flight, it kicked powerfully off the ground.
Cool wind brushed against her cheeks.
The unicorn had taken to the sky.
To be honest, flying was a little terrifying.
But feeling Echte’s sturdy presence supporting her naturally brought warmth and peace to her heart.
When veteran players saw Heyeon returning atop the elegant unicorn, some stood up to applaud and set off fireworks.
Those sincerely congratulating her contrasted sharply with those staring wide-eyed and whispering among themselves.
They’re still here?
“…Seriously, why?”
She genuinely couldn’t understand why they were so excited.
Honestly, the few whose eyes gleamed with obvious greed were easier to understand.
Heyeon deliberately avoided looking at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who was wiping tears away as if he were proud of her.
“Wow! That’s incredible!”
Echte kindly lowered itself so Heyeon could dismount easily.
After patting its mane and climbing down, Heyeon was immediately greeted by the Desert Fox running toward her.
Its fluffy tail swayed excitedly.
[Quest <The Desert Fox’s Sorrow> Complete!]
[The Desert Fox’s affection has increased!]
[The tamed animal originates from Echtech Forest. The Desert Fox is extremely pleased!]
[The tamed animal is the Unicorn of Echtech Forest. The Desert Fox is astonished!]
[The tamed animal’s affection is 90%! The Desert Fox is so happy that it’s jumping around!]
The Desert Fox really was hopping around Heyeon in excitement.
“Wow! Wow! Amazing! This is incredible! This is only the second time I’ve ever seen such an outstanding result!”
The second time?
Someone had already gone through that insane taming process?
Regardless of what Heyeon thought, the delighted fox circled around her feet and sang happily,
“Being with you makes me happy. If you were coming to meet me at four in the afternoon, I’d already start feeling happy from three.”
It was one of the famous lines spoken by the fox in The Little Prince.
The fact that it said those words to her meant the quest had been a complete success.
The Desert Fox rubbed affectionately against her for quite some time before continuing.
“There is a path suited to your honesty and perseverance.
It is also the path of encounters most fitting for one who wanders.
May the roses blooming in your future fill the entire desert.”
[Quest settlement complete!]
[Desert Fox’s Favor! A special benefit will activate upon class advancement.]
[You have obtained a Special Fragment of Story!]
The Desert Fox flashed one final mischievous smile before disappearing into the forest.
Until its fluffy tail vanished completely, Heyeon and Echte watched it go.
Come to think of it, wasn’t the Desert Fox itself an animal?
Shouldn’t it have been tamable too?
While Heyeon regretted not attempting to tame the fox due to her narrow-minded assumptions, a veteran player cautiously approached her.
“Excuse me… would you consider selling the unicorn?”
“…What?”
What had this person just said to her?
Suppressing the urge to frown, Heyeon looked at him.
Her arms instinctively wrapped tightly around Echte’s neck.
It was her own way of declaring:
I’m absolutely not giving Echte away.
The player wore an awkward expression.
His hand slowly drifted toward the dagger hanging at his waist.
“You’re a newbie anyway.
Even if you have a unicorn, you’ll only use it as a mount.
But a unicorn is too valuable to be used only for riding.
If it stays with you, it won’t be able to fulfill its true worth.”
“…My unicorn already fulfills more than enough worth simply by existing.”
“Ah… Just sell it already.”
Heyeon glanced around.
Most people had returned to what they were doing.
The area had become much quieter.
No one seemed likely to help.
“…”
Should I just run?
Wouldn’t flying away with Echte solve everything?
But she immediately discarded the idea.
The bow on his back wasn’t decorative.
She knew exactly what would happen next.
Just as Heyeon was about to speak with the determination to protect Echte even if it cost her life—
A familiar black cloak fluttered behind the man.
“Behind you—”
“You think I’d fall for tha—”
“AGH!”
SMACK!
“What the heck? Why’s there a thug here?”
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named looked utterly incredulous as he casually smacked the man’s head.
“I wondered why someone who spent all day PK-ing low-level players came here. So this was your reason?”
“Hey! Why are you hitting people in the head?!”
“Attention everyone! There’s a scumbag here trying to steal from a precious newbie!”
“Don’t do that, you lunatic!”
The two players were incredibly noisy.
Naturally, other players chatting in the distance turned their attention toward them.
Heyeon quietly retreated with Echte.
“There’s a scumbag trying to rob a newbie—!”
“Shut up already!”
Several curious players wandered over and asked Heyeon,
“What’s going on?”
Their faces were filled with interest and amusement.
“…That person was trying to take my unicorn.”
Their attitudes changed instantly.
They looked at the unicorn.
Then at Heyeon.
Then at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Then at the PK player desperately trying to cover his mouth.
Without hesitation, they joined the fray.
“Oh dear! You shameless punk!”
“Couldn’t find anyone else to rob, so you targeted a newbie?! Don’t ever come around here again!”
“Why are all of you hitting me too?! Ow! Stop! Ouch! Stop it! Who used a skill on me?!”
After being smacked repeatedly by several people, the tattered player tearfully protested,
“But it’s a unicorn!
I wasn’t asking for it for free!
I said I’d buy it!”
“That’s the problem! It’s not some random rabbit! Who sells a unicorn?”
“There’s not even any unicorn material listed in the auction house! What am I supposed to do?!”
“That’s your problem! Why threaten an innocent newbie?! Just pay Nick for it!”
“He doesn’t even have a unicorn!”
“He’s still the only supplier! Go talk to him!”
“But I don’t need blood or fur—I need an alicorn—”
Having somehow become a complete spectator, Heyeon sighed in relief as it seemed everything had worked itself out.
Based on their conversation, she could guess why he’d targeted Echte.
Apparently, unicorns were far rarer and more valuable than she’d imagined.
She suddenly worried whether she’d run into more unicorn kidnappers in the future.
As Heyeon’s concerns deepened, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—having left the PK player in everyone else’s hands—quietly approached her.
“Newbie, congratulations! Even if it’s a little late!”
“Ah…”
“How did you even find a unicorn?
You managed to tame a unicorn without knowing anything at all!
That’s seriously amazing!”
Remembering how Heyeon’s very first experience in the game had been dragged into chaos, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tried to sound even more cheerful.
But the truth was, he really was genuinely astonished.
His voice carried sincere admiration.
