Pick Me Up!

At the entrance to the passage, I stopped my steps.

‘……’

I looked down at the floor.

Instead of the usual metallic hallway, the floor was covered with grass and soil. As I looked ahead, I could see the occasional shadow of trees in the distance. Grass, soil, wood, and flowers. It was interior decor bought with gold.

‘Anytng went this far, huh?’

It was a small forest.

Even the air retained its characteristic moisture. I carried Lacari, who had collapsed, on my shoulder and walked inside. I noticed several log cabins scattered around.

“Who are you?”

A response came immediately.

They were wearing dresses made of animal skin. They resembled Lacari in appearance, but they were clearly adults. One of them looked at Lacari.

“That child…”

“Weren’t you guys who sent her?”

There was no need to see anything here.

I gently placed Lacari on the dirt floor.

“Why did you use a child like a spy? She didn’t do anything properly. Just so you know, I didn’t do anything outrageous. I just asked her to calm down a bit since she was running around.”

“If that’s the one that person mentioned…”

“Then, among humans…”

I narrowed my eyebrows.

The two of them started muttering among themselves. I had my hand on the hilt of my sword in case of any unforeseen circumstances, but they didn’t openly show hostility. They seemed a bit cautious and curious. I checked on Lacari at my feet.

“Hmm…”

She didn’t seem to have completely passed out.

The woman on the left quickly approached Lacari and then disappeared with her.

‘They’re not much different from humans.’

They were beastfolk, but there were no noticeable differences. At most, they wore slightly unusual clothing and had sharp nails. There were no animal ears or tails sticking out as distinctive features.

“Are you Han Israt?”

The remaining beastwoman asked.

“How do you know my name?”

“We’ve been waiting.”

After finishing her sentence, the woman jumped away.

A few meters in leaping distance. It was an amazingly agile move.

I clicked my tongue.

I had wanted to talk to them, but they only asked what they needed to know and disappeared. But I didn’t feel like chasing after them either.

‘I don’t understand their intentions.’

However, they weren’t openly hostile towards me, that much was clear.

I continued to walk with my hand still on the hilt of my sword. There was a dirt path leading further inside.

‘They’ve created an exclusive space.’

In one part of the forest, I could see scarecrows made of straw and various obstacles made from trees.

It seemed like a temporary training ground for the Third Party. I kept going. In the center of the forest, there was a large open area. And in the center of the open area, a girl stood tall.

“I’ve been waiting. Ahahaha!”

The girl laughed loudly.

Her voice didn’t match her petite stature.

Brown hair extended like fur behind the girl. In terms of appearance, she wasn’t much different from Lacari.

“I’m Kishasha Vikchavi. Nice to meet you. You’re Han Israt, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the strongest male in this waiting room, right?”

“The strongest male?”

“I even got to see scenes of you fighting with the Master’s strange magic. It was amazing! I haven’t been this excited in a long time.”

Kishasha raised her right hand.

Swoosh. Her small white hand extended into sharp claws.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

It wasn’t for the purpose of showing off or mocking her.

Just pure,

“Warrior Han Israt!”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s have a match!”

In an instant, the ground beneath Kishasha’s feet sank.

Leaves and piles of dirt swirled, and her petite body approached me at an incredible speed. Her right hand disappeared with a trace. I drew my sword and clashed with her.

Clang!

The sword and claws intersected.

A solid impact traveled from my wrist to my shoulder. My muscles tingled.

When I regained my posture, my body had already moved back several steps.

“You blocked it!”

Kishasha’s mouth twisted as if she were delighted.

Thunk!

At the same time, a kick shot out like a cannonball.

I lowered my head. The tree behind me snapped in half like a twig.

‘What up with this incredible power?’

“Yesterday, that warrior was overflowing with determination. But he couldn’t satisfy me. How about you!”

“You wanted to fight me?”

“Of course. There’s nothing as enjoyable as fighting a strong warrior, whether they’re human or a fellow of our kind!”

Kishasha crouched down.

Then she leaped towards me. Her movements were like watching a cheetah.

Clang! Clang!

Flames burst as the sword and claws clashed.

Even with the solid blade, Bifrost, Kishasha’s claws didn’t have a single scratch.

‘Is this some kind of martial art using claws?’

I positioned Bifrost to the side.

Kishasha’s extended hands scraped against the blade, producing a fierce frictional sound. At the same time, she kicked in.

Her movements, connecting seamlessly from hands to feet, were as smooth as flowing water. And…

‘How is this little one so strong?’

Thud!

As her claws dug into the earth, a small pit was created in an instant.

Though her hands and feet appeared soft like a child’s, they possessed the power to crush things like twigs.

Her claws brushed my shoulders one after the other.

The leather armor split open like tofu, revealing my skin. I took a step back and swung the sword broadly. Kishasha, who had jumped 2 meters high, avoided it and then descended, thrusting her claws downward. I immediately recovered with my sword and blocked it.

Bang!

Dust and leaves flew up into the air.

Kishasha, who had swiftly retreated, dashed at me again.

Her quick retreat, combined with her fluid movements, made it impossible to predict the timing of her attacks and defenses. She was an opponent of a style I had never faced before.

I concentrated my strength throughout my body and swung the sword.

Kishasha evaded it instantly. I used the recoil of my muscles to bend the sword diagonally and swung it. She raised her claws to block it, but…

Thwack!

Kishasha was sent flying several meters and crashed into the grass.

She swiftly got up, pushing aside the blades of grass.

“You’re different. I didn’t expect you to be this strong.”

Kishasha wiped the blood from her mouth with a smirk.

I lowered my sword. When I looked at my left forearm, blood was flowing. I had scraped my forearm in the process.

‘Status window.’

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