Chapter 34
1014 Words
The creature’s eyes scanned the cavern, and as everyone stood still, Hye heard the griffin shout:
"Don’t approach! Leave now!"
Its claws marked the rock beneath its lion paws, and its eyes missed no movement from any of the three invaders present.
Kreeee!
Its eyes gleamed, and with the rise of black dust, Samantha prepared to attack. However, observing the creature, Hye stepped forward while sheathing his dagger.
"Kreee! Don’t come closer! I’ve already told you!"
"What are you doing?" With the light fading from her eyes, Samantha tried to restrain Hye. "Go back and stay close to me."
A griffin, a guardian creature known for protecting many treasures, but... in such an empty cavern with nothing of value in sight, only one thing could be seen as a great treasure. Well, perhaps not for those willing to invade its home, but certainly for them.
"Let’s make a deal. Maybe not everyone needs to die. I will protect your hatchling, but in return, you will have to die without resisting."
The beast paused, and everyone fell silent. Despite knowing that for it, these words were likely irrelevant, even Samantha couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Kree...
Tilting its head slightly, the creature looked at the egg for a moment and, hesitantly, lowered its wings slowly while turning its gaze towards Hye.
"Why should I trust you...? You killed my companion!"
"Indeed, I killed your companion. And that’s precisely why I’m making this offer—to see if my conclusion is correct or not."
Kree...
"A test...? To it, this is nothing but a test...?" Frowning, Samantha wondered, just before shifting her gaze to the dumbfounded man beside her. "And this idiot... how could he do such a thing in front of others?"
The idea that these beings had the capacity to think and, based on the griffin’s last action when it was killed by the poisonous dagger, also to feel, piqued her curiosity. How far does this intellect reach? What are the limits of these feelings they seem to experience? Due to the constraints of the situation, Hye knew he couldn’t get answers to all these questions, but at least for now, he could answer part of the last one.
"Does this silence mean no?"
His palm glowed, and after the grip, the black blade with a slight greenish hue and vibrant green lines appeared from thin air.
"I’ll take that as a yes then."
[Telekinesis skill activated]
Lightning spread from his hand to the dagger, and seeing the golden glow reflecting in its cold eyes, the creature quickly looked back at the egg.
"Wait! Kreee!"
Beating its wings, a wind strong enough to sway the golden lightning was generated, and, sheathing the dagger, Hye deactivated his skill again.
[Telekinesis skill deactivated]
"Wait..."
With the golden glow fading, its wings stopped beating, and the griffin looked back at its hatchling for a brief moment.
Kree...
Bringing its head closer and gently caressing the egg with it, a tear appeared in the creature’s eyes.
"Can you promise me one thing..? Please... keep it safe, ensure it lives a happy life and..."
The phrase "and try to love it if possible" crossed its mind, but upon looking into those eyes, the creature realized such a thing was certainly impossible.
"Don’t worry, I promise, and promises are unbreakable, so I will do everything to ensure it."
After nodding, the creature walked slowly towards Hye. Head held high and eyes full of trust. Upon reaching him, it looked into his eyes for a few moments, and after the coldness and indifference made it clear that it didn’t mean much to him, but that its words were true as it could feel that, the griffin bowed, lowering its head close to the ground, and closed its eyes.
With the touch of the cold blade against the first feather on its neck, silence and darkness were all that remained.
[Congratulations]
[Level one of the third floor of the Tower of Six has been successfully completed]
"Well... unfortunately, I don’t have any human reference to compare..."
Heavy footsteps approached, and while swinging his blade to remove the remaining blood of the griffin, Hye lifted his face.
"What do you think you’re doing..? Come on, speak!"
His face burned, and despite his great resistance, it hurt more than expected. A slap... no matter what he did or said, Samantha had never done such a thing, only scolded him. This strange situation he had never heard of or witnessed... Hye didn’t know how to respond.
"It doesn’t matter if they’re creatures or not, do you think life is a toy?! Who gave you the right to do this?! Come on, speak! Say something now!"
"I..."
"Shut up!"
His mouth moved, but before he could finish his sentence, his cheek burned again. With wide eyes, Hye looked at her, but as expected, he couldn’t hate or feel anger towards her.
Clenching her teeth tightly, Samantha turned away, closing her fists. A clicking sound echoed, and Hye heard it perfectly... that strange sound full of disgust...
"Take that egg and don’t say another word from now on... It seems I really didn’t raise you well enough..."
Staring at the creature’s body, the man, whose skin was growing paler, questioned:
‘He was... talking to the griffin...?!’
Raising his head, his eyes turned to Hye, who was crouching to pick up the egg from the stone.
‘An irregular..? No, but he isn’t strong to that level... But his system is really strange... including, that lightning skill came from a stone, didn’t it..? What is this kid? Or rather... what are these people...? After all, she seemed to understand everything they were saying too...’
[???]
[Alert!]
[Error!]
[Alert!]
[Error!]
[The third floor of the Tower of Six will be deleted]
Hearing the system, Samantha immediately turned, and Hye held the egg with as much strength as possible without breaking it. She jumped, but the ground beneath her feet opened. The chasm extended, and emptiness appeared before their eyes.
[Welcome to the Prince of Seraphim’s Resting Place]
- Writer
