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Chapter 10
“Are you ignoring me right now?!”
“If you wish, then come at me.”
“You—! You bastard!”
The man, enraged by the guard’s indifferent reply and the fact that he didn’t even bother to look at him, grabbed his sword with both hands and charged forward.
‘Just a mere watchdog guarding a pleasure house!’
The man was convinced he could win. He had trained for years under a well-known martial artist and had often been praised for his talent.
He was certain—within three moves, he would defeat this guard dog and earn entry into Cheonwolru.
Half the men who came to Cheonwolru did so just to catch a glimpse of Sehwa’s face.
And he was sure he would be one of the lucky ones to see her.
“Urgh!”
But before he could even swing his sword down, something smashed into his right shin with incredible force.
A sickening crack rang in his ears as his bone gave way under the impact.
“AAAAARGH!”
He dropped his sword—a blade that was more ornamental than practical—and rolled on the ground, clutching his broken leg.
With great effort, he lifted his head to see what had struck him.
“Grrrowl!”
It was a tiger—with striking yellow fur and black stripes. A small tiger, barely more than a cub.
“What the—? A cat? No, a tiger? Why is there a tiger cub here?!”
The man wasn’t the only one shocked.
“What’s that thing? Isn’t that a cat?”
“No, that’s a tiger cub!”
“Are they keeping tigers at Cheonwolru now?”
“Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that the Master of Cheonwolru recently brought in a tiger cub…”
The onlookers watching the duel began murmuring among themselves.
A tiger cub was a rare sight—almost legendary.
Wherever there was a cub, there would be a mother tiger nearby. Naturally, a mother tiger would never tolerate anyone approaching her young.
Normally, seeing a tiger cub meant risking your life.
But now—such a cub had appeared at Cheonwolru? And it had attacked a challenger?
The crowd’s interest grew. They began glancing back and forth between the man and the tiger cub with eager eyes.
“Another fool trying to challenge Cheonwolru today, huh?”
“Still, they’re raising a tiger cub now? Incredible.”
“Clicking his tongue. Couldn’t even swing his sword once and already down. Looks like he’s hurt—wonder if the duel’s over.”
Spectating these so-called challengers had become a popular pastime, so naturally, a crowd gathered in no time.
The man’s face turned red with humiliation.
Wounded pride burning, he grabbed his fallen sword again.
Even if he couldn’t step foot inside Cheonwolru, he couldn’t stand being beaten by some beast—especially one that broke his leg.
“Krrrk!”
But the next instant, the man saw a huge, soft, black paw descending upon him—and fainted on the spot.
What’s his problem? Why was he leaking killing intent at me?
All I did was lightly tap his cheek with my paw because he was being annoying.
And he fainted?
Humans are such fragile creatures.
Feeling oddly both annoyed and sympathetic, I poked the unconscious man’s nose a few times.
But the man, bleeding from both nostrils, didn’t look like he’d be waking up anytime soon.
“This little one…”
“Isn’t that the tiger cub the Master brought?”
“The Master?”
Two of the guards at the gate of Cheonwolru were now staring at me.
The fox chose them well.
Earlier, I hadn’t been in the right state of mind to pay attention, but now I could tell—they were strong.
Stronger than any other humans I’d seen so far.
If they’re from Cheonwolru…
…Should I try being cute?
As I debated what to do, the fox appeared in my line of sight.
“San-gun!”
“Grr?”
[Why did you follow me?]
[How could I not? You ran off before I even finished explaining the precautions!]
The fox sighed deeply and scooped me into her arms. Then, turning to the two guards—now standing stiffly at attention—she spoke.
“We greet the Master!”
“You’re doing well.”
The fox didn’t even glance at the unconscious man.
Cradling me, she walked back toward Cheonwolru and patted the shoulder of the guard who had been watching me.
“Once your shift is done, go to the kitchen. I’ll tell the cook to prepare some wine and snacks for you.”
“Thank you, Master!”
“Those who work hard deserve a reward.”
“Grr.”
[…It just doesn’t suit her. Every time I see her like this, it feels wrong.]
[San-gun, just stay still. Seriously—your body may be young, but does your mind have to act young too?]
[What did you say? I’m over a thousand years old!]
[Exactly. A thousand-year-old spirit beast acting like this—it’s absurd. You need to listen to my instructions if you don’t want a repeat of today.]
[That’s unfair. He was the one who sent killing intent first! I just responded.]
[Even weakened, you’re still far stronger than an average human.]
[Apparently not all humans are strong. I thought all of them were fierce since they always fought against spirit beasts.]
[There’s a huge difference between individuals.]
As we talked, I was nestled in the fox’s arms when Sehwa came rushing toward us.
“Master, San-gun is…”
“Here. San-gun—would you rather stay in my arms or Sehwa’s?”
No need to think. I looked straight at Sehwa.
Seeing that, the fox handed me over with a small smile.
“Seems San-gun prefers you. Hold him carefully.”
“Yes, Master.”
Sehwa answered politely and held me gently against her chest.
“And this time, don’t go running off, San-gun. You still need to hear the full list of precautions.”
[I thought the transformation would last longer…]
Remembering the disappointment of my height dropping and my limbs shrinking back into soft little paws, I drooped my ears.
“You keep forgetting, but please remember your current state, San-gun.”
The fox’s scolding made me wilt further.
We returned to the secluded room where I had first attempted my transformation.
But I still couldn’t shake off the shock—how short-lived it had been.
For me— me! —to fail to maintain such a simple transformation spell for long…
I had eaten Inhyeongsam for a reason—to recover my inner energy so I could move freely among humans again.
I’d thought once I recovered enough, I could personally investigate the Blood Sect and slowly build up the strength to exact revenge.
But it all fell apart before I could even begin.
“San-gun…”
Sehwa stroked my head gently, but it didn’t help. Sweet as she was, my situation was still bleak.
Absorbing the Inhyeongsam’s energy wasn’t hard. But still…
If just one ginseng and a few herbs were enough to restore thousands of years of inner power, spirit beasts wouldn’t spend centuries in harsh training.
[I know you’re disappointed, but listen first, San-gun.]
[Fine. Explain.]
[Transformation arts require more energy than you think. You fooled human eyes completely, right? That’s no easy feat—you have to hide your ears and tail, and change fur into skin.]
Hmm. That made sense.
[And with your current state, the best you can manage is transforming into a child—maybe around ten years old.]
[And even that doesn’t last long.]
[That’s because you got overexcited and ran off right after transforming. You tripped, lost focus, and the spell broke.]
[Well… it was my first time being human. I got curious and… carried away.]
[Understandable, but still.]
After hearing the fox’s explanation, I glanced over my body. Judging by how little energy had actually been spent, she was right.
I tapped Sehwa’s arm with my paw, and understanding my intent, she gently set me down.
Now I could try again.
“Oh my…”
Even though she’d seen it once already, Sehwa still gasped as I transformed again.
“Good. It’s working.”
[Just stay calm—focus. You can’t become a full-grown adult yet, not until your energy’s fully recovered.]
[If I train hard, I’ll manage it soon enough.]
I said that confidently, then looked at Sehwa.
Despite witnessing something completely beyond human comprehension, she stayed calm. Surprised, yes—but she didn’t question it. She simply folded her hands and waited quietly.
That, somehow, impressed me.
