Chapter 11
Shiver, shiver.
Tia was literally trembling as she pressed herself flat against Basto’s back.
In front of her was the entrance to a cave filled with a sinister atmosphere.
The cave near the gate was called “Tenebraum.”
“It used to be a food storage area. But once a mana stone formed inside, it became a monster nest.”
At Veil’s explanation, Tia swallowed hard.
At this very moment, only one thought filled her mind.
A Tyrannosaurus screaming and jumping out of the cave.
With a huge mouth opening wide, showing a hundred sharp teeth inside…
“Sc… scary…”
Her body shrank instinctively.
Tia looked between Basto and Veil’s faces.
In the end, Tia was excluded from this raid.
Even a small mana stone was dangerous, and Basto strongly opposed her participation.
At first, she tried to beg him.
But after hearing the Tyrannosaurus story, she couldn’t push any further.
‘Maybe… clearing mana stones isn’t as easy as I thought.’
Now that she thought about it, her father had said something similar.
Monsters come in many types. That makes their attacks hard to predict.
Flying monsters, human-like monsters, even monsters with five legs.
So when raiding mana stones, you must never let your guard down. Even a moment of carelessness can get you seriously hurt. I actually simplified things before so you wouldn’t get scared, Tia. Remember this—monsters are extremely dangerous.
Now she had no choice but to accept it.
‘I was being too careless.’
She had only heard about monsters. She had never actually seen one.
And yet she tried to follow Basto and Veil without thinking.
‘I can’t be childish!’
It seemed Basto also decided to make her wait outside because of that.
“Then, Astie.”
At that moment, Basto knelt down on one knee.
After Tia climbed down from his broad back, he spoke seriously.
“Wait outside with Grandpa Nordics. We will return before dawn.”
Tia turned her head.
A few steps away stood an old man in a gray robe, smiling kindly.
“Don’t worry, child. Monsters have never once come out of this cave.”
The old man who had accompanied them from the gate was named Nordics.
He was an old friend of the innkeeper grandfather.
His job was… what was it again?
Something like reading stars and predicting the future… a divi— divina—?
“Fortune teller, idiot.”
As if reading her thoughts, Veil cut in.
He smirked.
“Is it all a lie that you’re smart?”
Tia froze in shock, then flared up.
“N-No! Tia is really smart! Teachers and friends all say Tia is smart! I just forgot for a moment!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Veil patted her head roughly, cutting her off.
“Just stay here and behave while we’re gone, okay? Don’t cry when I’m not around.”
“I won’t cry! I’m not a baby!”
Veil widened his eyes, then grinned mischievously.
“A baby? Really? You cried and begged to be saved when you first met Basto, didn’t you?”
“Grrr…!”
Tia’s eyes burned with anger as she stomped her foot.
“Tia is a child! Not a ba-by!”
Veil tilted his head.
“…What’s the difference?”
“It’s different! A child is… and a baby is…”
Her thoughts spun in circles.
“Baby” was what adults used when they looked down on her.
“Child” was what people used when they respected her!
But explaining it made her tongue twist.
“Baby is… like… a spoiled baby! And child is…”
“Pfft. So what about kid? Or little brat? Are those different too? What about old man and elder? Or young man and youth? Aren’t those all different words too, little kid?”
“T-That’s different!”
Veil was holding his stomach laughing when—
“Enough.”
Basto sighed and stepped between them.
Tia shut her mouth tightly, still upset.
Veil, on the other hand, stuck his tongue out at her.
Basto then bowed slightly toward Nordics.
“Please take care of Astie.”
“May fortune be with you.”
The forest had already grown dark.
That meant monster activity time was approaching.
Tenebraum was a large and deep cave.
Inside its maze-like tunnels, small mana stones appeared in scattered locations.
Basto and Veil intended to raid one of them.
But—
‘Honestly, I’m a bit uneasy.’
Veil knew Basto was skilled.
Last night, he even went to the black market to gather information.
Surprisingly, Basto Paerix had quite a history.
He had lost his family in Banra Village and became a wanderer—but before that, he had been a vice-captain of Death Hound.
‘That’s unfortunate for him… but maybe good for me.’
In this field, there was a certain level only those who had lost something precious could reach.
When a warrior finally let go of everything.
When they abandoned emotions and relied only on instinct like revenge and rage.
Veil casually said to Basto:
“Just so you know, I’m going to try my best.”
“Same here.”
Before entering the cave, both of them looked back at Tia one last time.
Tia looked at Basto with a gloomy expression.
“Basto-uncle… goodbye…”
Seeing her worried face, Veil clicked his tongue.
“Hey! What about me?”
Tia finally looked at him.
Then, reluctantly, she waved her hand a little.
“…Oppa, come back safely.”
Veil suppressed a smile and stepped into the cave.
‘Well.’
They couldn’t waste any more time at the gate anyway.
As they walked deeper, Veil turned on a lantern powered by mana stones.
From far inside the cave, an ominous roar echoed.
Tia sat under an elm tree about five minutes away from the cave.
Despite his bent back, Grandpa Nordics was surprisingly skilled at setting up a tent—nearly as neatly as Basto.
“Jax gave me some dried meat.”
For dinner, Tia ate two pieces of dried meat the old man offered.
It was extremely salty and delicious.
When the sky darkened and stars appeared, Nordics began to doze off.
But Tia couldn’t sleep at all.
Even though she knew Basto and Veil were strong…
She worried anyway and hugged her kindergarten backpack containing Kkamangi tightly.
It had already been a week since Kkamangi turned back into a stone.
‘At first I thought it would wake up soon.’
But the longer it stayed asleep, the more anxious Tia became.
When Nordics wasn’t looking, she quietly opened the bag.
Inside was a smooth, black stone.
“Kkamangi… wake up soon.”
I have so much to tell you.
While she stared at the stone—
RUMBLE—
The earth suddenly shook violently.
Startled, Tia quickly put Kkamangi back into her bag and looked up.
A flash of red light burst in the distance.
She stared at it, mesmerized—
“Child!”
Suddenly, Grandpa Nordics grabbed her by the collar.
Before she could react, she was thrown backward and rolled across the ground.
BOOOOM—!
The next instant, a massive fireball crashed down right in front of her.
Tia froze completely, forgetting even how to breathe.
The place where the fireball landed…
Was exactly where she and the old man had been standing just moments ago.