Chapter 71: Monsters of the Northern Lands (2)
“Rrrrraaaaaargh!”
“This is our territory! Come any closer and we’ll fight back! Or at least, that’s what it sounds like they’re saying.”
“What’s with the ‘rruun’ at the end?”
“Well, they keep ending their growls with ‘rruun,’ so I thought I’d join in.”
“That’s ridiculous. Just knock them out. They’re big, so let’s keep them as candidates.”
“Understood, rruun!”
“Stop making weird noises!”
“Got it, aaaang!”
“Aaang? What’s that now?”
“Got it! You’re really annoying, you know! I’ll do what I want, rruun!”
Rurin pursed her lips and glared at the white monster, preparing to knock it out. But just then, two smaller white monsters appeared, trembling as they cried, “Ruun! Ruun!” It seemed they were its children.
Behind them, a slightly smaller white monster stood protectively, huddling over the little ones. It looked like their mother.
“Hold on, Rurin.”
I stopped her, feeling uneasy. They looked like a family, and they were shaking in fear. Their crude attempts at wielding clubs showed they weren’t accustomed to fighting.
Unlike ferocious creatures like orcs or ogres, these monsters were trembling. It felt wrong to just knock them out without understanding the situation.
“What’s the matter with you?”
“Try telling them we’re not enemies. They look too pitiful.”
“But they *are* enemies.”
“They don’t seem dangerous. Let’s figure out what kind of monsters they are before making any decisions.”
“You can’t judge monsters by appearances! The trembling ones are often the worst. You’re too soft!”
For once, this dragon was making sense.
But before I could urge her again, more monsters appeared, this time looking furious but rather dimwitted. They were trolls, known for their viciousness.
The trolls were wearing white fur. It was unmistakable—it was the fur of the trembling white monsters. They must have killed these white creatures to use their fur for warmth.
In an instant, I saw the food chain play out in front of me.
“Rurin, we can’t have these trolls managing our lair, can we?”
She shook her head vigorously, her face twisted in disgust. Absolutely not.
I nodded, then summoned a wind spell. A massive tornado whipped up everything within a 500-meter radius, sparing only the center where the white monsters stood.
“Guaaaaaaah!”
The trolls that had surrounded us screamed as they were sucked into the whirlwind and vanished. Everything was clean now. Spotless.
“Rrrrruuuunn…”
The white monster family gaped in disbelief, their faces tinged with despair as they witnessed the incredible scene.
“Heh, I like these white creatures better than the trolls. We’ll go with them.”
Rurin said this with a smirk, approaching the despair-filled white monster.
“Rrrrurrrruun! Ruruuuun!”
“They’re saying, ‘Take my fur, but spare my family!’ Insolent, aren’t they?”
“How dare they try to bargain with me?”
Rurin let out a fierce aura, threatening the white monster family. Realizing who they were dealing with, the white monsters prostrated themselves in submission, still shielding their children.
I felt like the villain here.
I grabbed Rurin by the scruff and pulled her toward me. She clung to my arm, grinning like a child while uttering something ominous.
“They’re cheeky, but we can break their spirits and take them.”
“Come on, they look pretty gentle. There’s no need for that. Try communicating with them.”
“Hmph?”
Rurin didn’t speak their language; instead, she conveyed her thoughts directly into their minds—a special ability dragons possessed. Dragons could make their intentions known to any race by sending their thoughts straight into their heads.
“Ask them what their name is. I’m curious since I’ve never seen monsters like these before.”
Rurin gave me a look that said, *Why bother with a lowly creature’s name?* But when I pressed her, she sighed and glanced at the white monsters.
Soon, the leader of the group muttered something as it prostrated itself.
“Rruuunn!”
“We are called the ‘Ruun’!”
“Rrruruuuun! Ruuuurrunnn!”
“This northern land is our home, but one day, larger creatures came and began hunting us. They stripped our fur, and now we are on the brink of extinction. I’ll do anything if you spare my children and mate!”
Rurin’s translation kicked in without a hitch.
So they’re monsters that originally lived in this northern land?
It made sense, given their thick fur, which seemed perfect for surviving here. They were peaceful creatures, living in harmony in this northern expanse, but when vicious, larger monsters moved in, they were hunted to the brink of extinction.
It felt like a story straight out of history, reminiscent of how Native Americans were pushed out of their lands.
“Were the trolls hunting them earlier? Ask that.”
Rurin nodded and looked at the Ruun. They bowed even more fervently, their trembling bodies signaling a clear ‘yes.’
“Ruuunn!”
“They say yes.”
“Then tell them they don’t need to worry. We won’t harm them. Let’s not mess with endangered creatures; we can find something else.”
“If you say so. I’m kind-hearted after all. But in return, you owe me a favor.”
“Why are you bringing that up now? It’s not even related.”
“Ruun! Ruun!”
“Mimicking them won’t help. Just pass on the message.”
“Fine, fine!”
Rurin glared at the Ruun family. Why was she glaring?
In response, the Ruun suddenly began bowing and crying out even louder.
“They say they want to repay us for saving them from the trolls. At least they have manners. Hehe.”
Rurin nodded, and the leader of the Ruun gestured toward its mate before offering us a fluffy, black object. It looked like they wanted us to follow them.
They led us to a makeshift shelter made of wood. It wasn’t much compared to human-built cabins, but it seemed to provide enough space to stay dry and lie down.
“Living like this, always on the run…”
The leader of the Ruun rummaged through the nearby trees and pulled something out.
“They’re offering this instead of fur? It’s a black lump.”
Sure enough, it was a black lump, but something about it felt familiar.
“It’s their favorite food. Looks awful!”
“Wait, Rurin.”
I took the black lump from her and sniffed it. The smell was unmistakable. This black lump was a truffle. A real truffle.
The kind that sells for over a billion won per kilogram in the modern world. The price is insane, even if the taste can be subjective.
“They’re offering *this*? Ask if they have more.”
Rurin, clearly unimpressed, nodded lazily. The Ruun leader nodded eagerly in response, pulling out even more truffles from the tree.
Then the Ruun made a sniffing gesture, indicating they could find these underground.
“Rrruruuuunn!”
“They said they can sniff them out from the ground. Not sure why they’re so proud of that, though.”
“That’s actually a big deal.”
I patted Rurin’s head, who still looked confused.
“To people who know, this is considered one of the finest delicacies in the world. Some love it, some don’t, but it’s valuable.”
“This *thing*?”
Curious, Rurin bit into one of the truffles. Her face quickly scrunched up in disgust.
First-time truffle eaters often react like that. It has a strong, strange flavor, like a mix of vinegar and meat. Rurin, accustomed to the mushrooms I used, wouldn’t be used to this.
But truffles were incredibly valuable, especially in modern times.
“Ugh, it tastes awful!”
“That’s fine. It’s expensive, so we can make good use of it. Can they really find more?”
The idea of recruiting the Ruun to manage the lair suddenly seemed appealing. If they could find more truffles, it would be a win-win situation. They could live safely, and I could get these valuable mushrooms.
As Rurin grimaced from the taste, the Ruun family watched her with a mix of pity and confusion.
“Rrrurrruun!”
“What’s going on now?”
The Ruun family huddled together in fear as the howls of trolls echoed through the forest. Far more trolls were gathering than before, swarming from every direction.
It seemed these trolls were the dominant monsters of this region.
“Those dumb creatures are back,” Rurin remarked.
“Seems like it.”
“Ruun!”
“They say we should run. They think we’re crazy for eating that stuff.”
“Well, they’re not wrong to warn us. But it’s not as bad as you think. It’s considered a delicacy, you know? Anyway, this works out. I’ve been meaning to test something.”
I grabbed Rurin’s hand and turned toward the approaching trolls. Then I began channeling my mana.
The other night, I felt as if I had surpassed my mana limit due to the influence of the Dragon Orb.
The once confined flow of mana now surged like a wave, breaking through barriers. It’s hard to describe, but I needed to test it. I couldn’t do that in Grayke, though. Too many eyes watching.
But here, in the vast expanse of the northern lands, we only had monsters as witnesses.
I gathered my power, preparing to cast *Meteor*—the most powerful spell I knew.
The mana surged toward the sky and spread out.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
A massive meteor was summoned, aimed at the trolls. It was about the size of the Ruun family huddled together. Even at this size, it was enough to create craters and devastate the area.
Up until now, I could only summon one meteor at a time.
But this time, I managed to summon *four*.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Four meteors crashed into the earth, reducing the land to craters and obliterating the trolls. Those who survived fled in terror, leaving the landscape flattened.
The only untouched spot was where Rurin and the Ruun family stood.
Dust swirled everywhere.
“Oho! You’ve gotten so strong! You’re amazing!” Rurin shouted joyfully, leaping into my arms.
