Chapter 92 One-horned tribe (2) (1/2)

After telling Yanu to wait for him where he was, Yeon-woo returned to the Phoenix’s nest.

『Are you leaving now?』

Yeon-woo answered with a smile.

“I’ll be back soon.”

『I believe you will. But I do not think my child believes you.』

The Phoenix smiled.

As she said that, Chirpy came flying from inside the cave and landed on top of the egg.

Tweet!

She was asking where he was going.

Though he tried to put on a serious expression, Yeon-woo ended up laughing again.

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long.”

Tweet! Tweet!

She asked him to leave her friend with her in the nest.

Yeon-woo found himself in an awkward situation.

『What are you going to do now?』

There was a hint of laughter in the Phoenix’s voice as if she found the whole situation to be funny.

Yeon-woo reached out his hand and petted Chirpy’s head. He then began to explain his situation in a serious voice while keeping eye contact with her.

If there was something he realized about life, it was that he had to be as truthful as he could to avoid possible misunderstandings.

“I’m taking the egg with me in order to find a way to help your friend break out of its shell. You also want to meet your friend as soon as possible, don’t you? If so, I need you to let us go. But don’t worry, as I said, I will try to come back as soon as possible.”

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Though Chirpy was still pouty at the situation,

『My child.』

The Phoenix whispered to Chirpy in a soft voice. Only then Chirpy did finally decided to let go of the egg.

Instead, this time, Chirpy started jumping in place and continuously chirping out loud.

Tweet! Tweet!

She was telling him to come back as soon as possible.

And only after giving reassuring her several times did he manage to take the egg from her.

The Phoenix watched the two of them with warm eyes.

『Now, I understand you will be heading to where the One-horned tribe is, but how will you carry your egg?』

Yeon-woo looked at his beast egg and shook his head at how big his egg was.

The previously three-meter-tall egg had grown even taller since the last time he checked it.

Fortunately enough, its growth speed had dropped at least.

But growth was still growth. The egg had been constantly getting both bigger and heavier, to the point that now it was impossible for the Phoenix to move the egg with her powers.

Regardless, if Yeon-woo wanted to visit the One-horned tribe, he had to somehow carry the egg to the Outer District.

Which meant that he also had to carry his egg to where Yanu was, all on his own.

And that was what Phoenix was worried about.

However,

“Come out.”

Yeon-woo solved that problem by simply ordering his Spirit Familiars.

At first, not knowing what to do, the spirits became a bit flustered. But after a few seconds, they turned their bodies into gray mist and enveloped the egg from the bottom.

Then, the egg started to slowly levitate from the ground.

‘This way there shouldn’t be any problem carrying the egg.’

『Oh, that is quite convenient. I remember their ability to exert physical power was not this great before. How did they become so powerful?』

“I noticed they could grow stronger by consuming other spirits. So I fed them with all sorts of spirits from beasts, monsters, and even players. Now, they’ve reached the limits of a Familiar Spirit.”

『I see. I am quite surprised to see that you have already mastered that bracelet. What an interesting human. I wonder how much your spirits will have changed the next time we meet.』

“As I said earlier, I won’t be away for that long.”

『And I believe you will. For you will need to prepare many things in order to pass the tests of the other Legendary Beasts.』

Yeon-woo’s eyes widened underneath his mask.

‘I don’t remember telling her about that. How did she know?’

『Oh, I can already tell what you are thinking. And I also know that you did not tell me about this, worrying that you might hurt my feelings. But worry not. I do not mind.』

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Yeon-woo thought perhaps the biggest reward he earned after leaving the Beginner Zone was meeting the Phoenix.

Although most players feared the Phoenix, to him, she was just a kind, generous and good-natured lady.

‘Come to think of it, the various fellows I’ve gotten involved with up until this point have all been good people.’

If it weren’t for them, he might have ruined himself while being driven solely by anger and revenge.

He had been able to remain sane thanks to all the people he had met in The Tower. And the Phoenix was definitely one of them.

However, more than a good friend…

‘She reminds me of… mom.’

Putting these thoughts aside, Yeon-woo finally decided to leave the nest.

“See you soon.”

『Take care.』

*   *   *

Yeon-woo soon walked out of the nest.

Standing just outside the nest, Yanu’s jaw once again dropped at the sight of the giant egg.

“Wow… I think this is even taller than 3 meters.”

While doing his own trial and watching other tribe members undergo theirs, Yanu had seen many different beast eggs, but never in his life had he seen one of this size.

“I’m ready to go. But before we leave, let me get this straight. Am I really allowed to visit your tribe? I heard outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering your village.”

Yeon-woo asked while thinking about the explanation he had read in the diary.

The One-horned tribe is said to have been brought by one of the three creators of The Tower, the ‘Trinity Wonder’.

The members of the tribe are Demi-humans, and they share common features such as purple eyes and a single horn sticking out from their heads. Most of them are born with innate talent for martial arts, making them great experts.

They are also known as the founders of ‘Mugong’, a series of skills devised to control mana.

They’re a race blessed with overwhelming physical strength, and aided by their use of Mugong, their battle prowess is incomparable to that of humans.

In short, they were born to climb The Tower.

Lots of humans and other Demi-human races also envied their origin. But despite their popularity, not many things were known about the One-horned tribe.

It was because thanks to their arrogant nature, the One-horned tribe abhorred interacting with outsiders.

Some say that they’re loyal people that would go out on a limb for their friends without hesitation.

However, those who have met players from the One-horned tribe often deny such rumors, as it is nearly impossible to become friends with them.

If someone wanted to have a fair conversation with them, they had to first prove themselves ‘worthy’.

Naturally, the tribe became alienated in The Tower.

But the One-horned tribe did not care about this either. Rather, they chose solitude for themselves.

They built a village somewhere outside The Tower and covered it with a mysterious spell to keep others away from entering as well as to keep themselves away from the rest of the world.