Chapter 115: Taming a Fantastical Creature (1)
“Bibeong!”
A thunderous cry rang aloud, shaking up the whole lake with force enough to turn the world upside down. Lloyd, who was hiding in the bush with the White Cavalry, was confused when he heard its cry.
Eh?
What is that? Why is it crying like that? It sounds so familiar. It sounded like a fantastical creature.
Just when Lloyd thought so, another ferocious outcry roared beneath the nest once again.
“Bibeo-beong! Bibeong!”
Fwoosh!
This time, his cry came louder. The clamorous noise created several ripples in the lake. The lancers of the White Cavalry reflexively tightened the shovel in their hands in nervousness. But Lloyd was different. He wasn’t nervous at all. He was rather curious and confused because of King Storma’s roar, which he could understand its meaning.
“Wait a minute. He just shouted, ‘Who broke my dam?!’ right? Did I hear it correctly?” asked Lloyd.
“Ppodong!”
When Lloyd asked Ppodong as he looked down at his embrace, Ppodong nodded his head hard.
“Ppo-do-dong. Ppodong. Ppo-do-dong!”
“Right?” confirmed Lloyd once more.
“Ppodong!”
“Yeah, it sounded like that to me too.”
Lloyd was absolutely certain about what King Storma said.
It was as if an automatic translator was lodged in my head when he spoke. His words were so clear and vivid. This feels so familiar.
It was only natural as he experienced it all the time. It was always like that when he talked to Ppodong, Bangul, and Hamang.
So this was something he experienced only when dealing with fantastical creatures.
The mechanism behind the translation was a mystery to Lloyd as well, since it had simply started happening from the moment he first summoned Ppodong. For some inexplicable reasons, Ppodong’s language made clear sense to him as though a real-time translation tool was at work in his head or as though he was born with a top fantastical creature certification. He just could understand them.
But why is that happening right now?
King Storma was supposed to be an evil creature. So it was a wonder for Lloyd why the latter’s outcry sounded like that of a fantastical creature. Lloyd was jostled out of his curious state when he heard another ferocious roar.
“Bibeo-beong! Bibeo-beo-beo-beo-beong!”
Thwack!
A blare of noise thundered along with the roar. One side of the nest jerked upward, causing an explosive water spray. A gigantic shape slowly emerged to reveal a round and chubby silhouette that stood tall and high.
Splaaash!
The creature’s 65-foot tail, whose flat and wide shape resembled an oar of a ship, hit the water. The monster then stood up on his short and thick hind legs, propping him firm and stable. Lloyd noticed the monster’s bloated belly, his short front legs, and huge and round head. His water-soaked fur was dark brown and wide open mouth revealed a set of square front teeth. He stood upright, his towering height reaching 328 feet. And once again, he roared aloud.
“Bibeong!”
Fwoosh!
The tumultuous roar echoed through the lake and range dozens of times. At last, a realization hit Lloyd.
That’s not a beaver-like creature! It’s literally a beaver!
Lloyd was indeed right. King Storma, who finally emerged from his nest, didn’t just act akin to a beaver. It was his looks as well. King Storma plainly looked like a giant 328-foot beaver. What he did after he let out another cry was much like the animal as well.
Splash! King Storma leaned forward and smoothly dove into the water. And he started to swim toward the spot destroyed by Javier’s mana blast”
Okay, it’s going as planned”
Beavers manifested an infinite obsession over the dams they created out of their hands, and Lloyd planned out this operation based on that very nature. The plan was now going exactly the way Lloyd had devised, for the giant beaver made for the dam to repair it.
Good job. Just go straight and fix the broken dam.
Lloyd internally cheered for King Storma, hoping that he would swim toward the destroyed spot. But things evolved against Lloyd’s wish as King Storma stopped dead in his tracks in the water. And he started to glance around, sniffing hard and letting out a curious cry all of a sudden.
“Bibeo-beong? Bibeong?”
Of course, his words were comprehensible to Lloyd as well. And they meant…
Something smells off…? What?
Sniff! Sniff! Sniff! King Storma’s nose sucked in the air continuously, and he could catch a faint yet strange odor hanging in the air, an odor that didn’t go well with the soil, trees, and lake. Something metallic. The smell of metal wafted out in the air, stimulating his senses.
Bibeong? Bibeo-beong?
King Storma thought to himself as he continued to sniff.
I’m sure. This thick smell of metal has to belong to humans. Only such a weak and greedy race goes around, leaving traces of this heavy, metallic smell. That could only mean one thing…
“Bibeo-beong! Bibeo-beong!”
King Storma’s gaze moved toward the dam, the place he felt the vibration that woke him up a while ago. He looked at the portion of the dam.
“Bibeong!”
At last, things cleared for King Storma. He realized that the dam didn’t break due to old age or by coincidence. It was the doing of humans that smelled like metal. They must have broken them for whatever reason they had. How dare they touch his precious dam!
“Bibeo-beo-beong!”
King Storma’s large black eyes held a glint of rage. He combed the area around the lake with a burning gaze. And because of that, Lloyd gulped in nervousness.
He’s looking for us right now.
King Storma’s enraged outcry naturally translated in his head, just like when he chatted with his fantastical creatures.
He’s saying that he can smell metal. That humans are around here. That it’s the humans that woke him up and ruined his dam… Dang, he can deduce very well.
King Storma was no joke. Lloyd realized that the latter didn’t simply have the intelligence of a beast or an evil creature. He turned out to be as intelligent as Ppodong, Bangul, or Hamang, who all could reason and infer as much as the humans.
I think I need to rethink my plan.
Lloyd’s expression hardened, and he immediately collected his thoughts.
Okay, so originally, I planned to keep damaging the dam to wake King Storma up and repair the dam over and over again. I meant to repeat the same process once King Storma goes back in hibernation after finishing with the repair until the monster domino phenomenon was over. I planned to repeat the process for about a year.
Lloyd intended to semi-doom King Storma to endless work, just like the beavers Lloyd saw on TV and like Sisyphus bound to roll up the rock forever. But now, from the looks of it, Lloyd realized that he could get hurt unless he tweaked the plan.
He’s much smarter than I expected.
Lloyd had thought King Storma would be an evil creature like the Gigatitan. A beast. It never occurred to Lloyd that he would manifest the same characteristics as a fantastical creature.
So, I don’t think we can go on with our current operation as planned.
It may work this very first time, but judging by King Storma’s reasoning capacity, Lloyd would be caught two or three tries later. That was why…
I need a counterattack.
Lloyd started to rack his brain, analyzing his original plan and King Storma’s nature and intelligence. He disassembled the facts as though they were pieces of a puzzle. Placing every piece on the mind floor, Lloyd allowed himself to go back to square one. He started to fit a new type of puzzle. And at last, he found the answer.
“Javier?”
Lloyd’s gaze moved after finishing up the calculation, and looking straight into Javier’s eyes, he said, “I need you to play the villain today.”
“I’m not sure what you mean…” Javier asked with a dissatisfied look on his face.
Lloyd rolled up a corner of his lips.
“It’s just as I said. I need you to be the villain. That is, to King Storma.”
“To King Storma? Does that mean…” Javier’s eyes glimmered for a second as he paused. “That I should kill him?”
“No. No, no! Never!” Lloyd hurriedly objected as he shook his hand hard. “You can’t kill him. Come on, man. Think about it. Think what would happen if you killed him. Who’s going to scare and stop the monster herds rushing into the barony because of the domino phenomenon?”
“Then…” Javier murmured, discouraged.
“King Storma’s looking for someone to put the blame on.”
“Excuse me? Someone to put the blame on?” asked Javier”
“Yeah, to add to that a bit, he’s now searching for the trace of the culprit who ruined the dam.”
“Is that the reason why he stopped approaching the dam and started to look around?”
“Yeah, can you see him sniffing now?” asked Lloyd”
“Yes.”
“He must be searching for the source of the metallic smell.”
“He must have concluded that it was a human’s doing,” concluded Javier.
“Yes, that’s it.” Lloyd grinned and continued, “So my dear brave, chic, and cynical Sir Asrahan. Will you please work on behalf of humanity today?”
“Why should I do it?”
“Because you’re handsome.”
Javier shut his mouth while Lloyd grinned viciously.
“Look around you,” said Lloyd, “Is there anyone who’s more handsome than you?”
“No one.”
“Wow. It didn’t even take a second for you to answer that.”
“It’s a clear fact,” Javier drawled”
“Right. So that makes you the representative of us.”
“What kind of logic is that…”
“To to be more specific, I want you to go where King Storma can notice you easily, and draw his attention, acting as if you’re the one who ruined his dam today.”
“You must have something in mind,” said Javier.
“Indeed. I do have something in mind. And technically speaking, you’re the one who ruined the dam anyway. Am I wrong?”
“But that was a collective effort…”
“Well, yeah, but you hit it the last,” reasoned Lloyd.
“…”
Oh, what a filthy and nasty young master you are. Javier looked daggers at Lloyd for a moment, but he soon nodded after accepting his predicament.
“Okay. I will do it. But on one condition, Master Lloyd,” said Javier.
“Do you have a favor to ask?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes.”
“Nah, I refuse.”
“…”
“What? Why? What? You think I’d immediately take up your offer if you put on serious air right now?”
“Whew, no.”
“Right? Good call. Come on. Off you go. Don’t forget to fight in the shallow water, so the lake doesn’t overflow,” instructed Lloyd finally.
“Yes. Well then.”
Javier sighed, thinking about what he meant to ask for as a favor: Don’t take risks regardless of whatever it is that you plan to do. Javier lowered his body with resignation and started to walk under a bush, sneaking off for a long time until the distance between him and the others reached about 300 yards. He then got up and stood on a noticeable rock in the lake.
Swish!
A sword came out of the sheath as Javier activated the Asrahan Core Technique. He then ferociously collided with the two circles.
Boom!
A powerful mana blast ejected out of his sword, creating a loud explosive sound in the air as it cut across the wind. King Storma, which had been glancing around till then, snapped his head to immediately discover a man standing on the rock. Javier.
“Bibeong!”
King Storma clearly remembered this explosive sound. It was the booming noise he faintly heard during his sweet slumber that was interrupted. It was the noise that smashed his precious dam. The two noises were the same. King Storma was certain about it, so it was concluded that the silver-haired man standing across the lake with a sword in his hand was the culprit who ruined his beloved dam!
“Bibeo-beong! Bibeong!”
He let out a savage roar before diving into the cold water. He swam his giant body through the lake.
Swoosh!
Because King Storma had a giant body, his movement appeared slow when it wasn’t actually. The oar-like flat and wide tail whisked a huge amount of water as it moved, powerfully propelling the 328-foot body forward. It had taken only a few strokes for King Storma to arrive at the water Javier was standing.
“Bibeong!”
Splash!
He emerged from the water and instantly struck Javier down with his short and thick front leg.
Crash! His mammoth body split the rock in half. No, it was shattered to pieces. King Storma studied the smashed rock as he breathed heavily in anger. But he failed to find the body of the despicable man. Just then…
“I’m right here.”
All of a sudden, King Storma heard an icy voice about 20 yards away. A powerful shockwave charged right at him at the same time.
Kaboom! The mana blast brushed King Storma right over his head. King Storma was taken aback by the blow.
“Bibeong! (Shoot! You surprised me!)”
Surprise evolved into rage”
“Bibeo-beong! Bibeong!”
From then on, King Storma became more ferocious and wild. He let his wild nature guide him to kill this despicable human for destroying his dam. But each time he attacked, Javier easily dodged him as though he was a fruit fly. And he fired mana blasts at times, intentionally missing them. Thanks to his strategy, King Storma soon grew obsessed with Javier. Each time Javier avoided and escaped, King Storma used all his senses to focus on Javier.
“Bibeong! Bibeo-beong!”
King Storma grew more aggressive as time progressed. And so, he was completely unaware of a human devising another plan. Lloyd.
Okay. Good.
Lloyd was furtively approaching behind King Storma. And in his hand carried a sure-fire weapon that would subdue the giant beaver. It was the food that downsized fantastical creatures: the blue sunflower seed.