At the top (3)

"But if you don't become a magician, you won't feel flattered. Don't you think so, Shirone?"

"Eh? Oh, of course."

"Doing something with other people's money is leaving your life in the hands of others. It doesn't matter if you succeed, but if you fail, there's nothing left. Shirone, you shouldn't do that either. You should find a way to earn a living for your parents and learn magic. Are you going to live off your parents for the rest of your life? But that doesn't mean you're strong enough to work."

Even if you don't become a magician, you can get a job with the knowledge you've learned. He was a commoner anyway, so there were many places Shirone could turn to if he swallowed his pride. But it was also true that he had never considered failure, as Althor said.

How is it possible? Is it Bae Sujin or pride? If he couldn't become a magician, what kind of life would he have?

I felt nauseous. Failure. Anyone could fail, and Shirone was no exception. Shirone's heart grew cold in the face of the boys' realistic questions in Hwajeon Minchon.

When the mood calmed down, Althor proposed a game. On the other hand, it was also a proposal to regain his authority as a leader.

"Well, that's enough of a complicated story. Hey, Shirone. Should we arm wrestle for the first time in a long time?

"Eh? With me?"

"Yes, you used to be unexpectedly strong. Let's see if there's any muscle left."

The boys pounded the table to incite a showdown.

"Oh! Warrior against a magician! It's the fight of the century!"

As the party atmosphere heated up, Shirone set aside his melancholic thoughts and regained his laughter. Arm wrestling with an adult. Aside from pride, it was absurd.

"What do you think? Shall we bet on drinks?"

When Althor put his thick forearms on the table, Shirone extended his hand without hesitation. A man's pride was that he had no choice but to accept the bet, whether he won or lost.

"Well, let's give it a try. You can't let me off the hook."

"Of course."

The moment they clasped hands, Shirone felt like he was holding a block of stone. If he could walk on photonization magic, the price of alcohol would be a waste, but it was just an interesting imagination.

Martin offered to be the referee.

"Now, get ready... start!"

Shirone exerted all his strength. However, Althor's strength was like a wave and went to the other side regardless of his will. Falling under the table, he hit his elbow. It wasn't a matter of strength but sheer numerical strength.

"Ouch, that's really strong!"

"Wow! That's Althor. Shirone is a magician, but you did it in one go."

Magic had nothing to do with arm wrestling, but to the kids, the title of magician seemed to carry a lot of weight.

"Of course! Althor has hunted bears before!"

Only then did Althor, who had regained his authority, burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You're really weak, aren't you? It wasn't like this before. This has turned into a strange bet. I'll pay for the wine, Shirone."

Lumina came over and helped Shirone. Her eyes were filled with feelings of apology.

"Shirone, are you okay? Anyway, Althor, how can you be so ignorant?"

He was a resident of Hwajeon Minchon, so there was no way he didn't know why Althor had bested him so decisively. However, Shirone wasn't disappointed because he was also familiar with the life of a mountain dweller.

"It's okay, but Altor is really strong."

As Shirone got up, the bag of gold fell. Opening his mouth, the gold coins with charming names rolled everywhere. The eyes of the children in Hwajeon Minchon widened.

"Oh, this is real gold coin!"

"What? Where? Where?!"

"Wow! Really! There are five!"

Even the children at the end of the table gathered around, fascinated by the gold coins. It was rare for adults to use gold coins in Hwajeon Minchon. The gold coin seemed sacred to the kids who still earned a small sum of money through their leisure activities.

"You have a lot of money. Why do you carry five gold coins?"

Shirone, picking up the gold coins shyly, asked.

"I brought many just in case. I really want to buy a book, but if I don't have money, I'm in trouble."

"But books are expensive."

The kids knew Shirone liked books since he always carried a book with him when he was with Vincent. The people of Hwajeonminchon, who couldn't read, weren't interested in books. However, they could tell, just by looking at the amount of gold coins that fell, how well Shirone was living.

"Shirone, can you use it however you like? Since it's yours, you'll buy what you want, right?"

Shirone seemed thoughtful. He had never wasted money before. Because, as Althor said, the money he received was from others. However, the kids seemed awed just by having a large amount of money. He carefully chose his words because he thought they could impact their lives.

"I hardly ever have to spend my money. Most of the time, I skip meals because I have a lot of classes at school."

"Well, you can still pay for the drinks, right? Because I lost the bet."

"A bet? Oh, right."

Shirone clearly heard what Althor had said he would pay, but he thought it would make him even angrier if he showed a coin and pretended not to know. Althor was also ignorant, even though he knew nothing, so he let the atmosphere flow naturally.

"Alright, I'll pay. Because I lost, right?"

The children cheered for Shirone's words.

"Yes! Then we'll use gold coins, right? Shirone, can you give me the money upfront for the drinks? I've never touched a gold coin before."

"I'll pay the bill. It's always been my lifelong wish to hand out gold coins."

"No! I'll do it!"

Unconsciously, the leader of the children was Shirone. Lumina watched Althor anxiously. As expected, his face showed his miserable feelings.

However, the reason he didn't get angry was because he was the same as Lumina. She had been watching him since he was a child, and she knew. Shirone hadn't changed at all. He used to be a good kid who thought of others first.

"Stop! Kids, you know, you just look at a gold coin and feel like it's candy! When will you grow up? Let's talk about something else."

Lumina scolded the children to get back to their seats. Shirone thanked her.

Martin, who was quick to perceive, changed the subject.

"By the way, did you hear that? I heard it appeared in the mountains behind him yesterday."

"Oh, I heard that too. At this rate, there

won't be any wildlife left. How long do they plan to eat it?"

"It must be the Cowbear with a cub inside, they said. It has a huge appetite."

The cowbear is the largest gray bear in the bear family. In particular, it was a troublesome animal for hunters because females often eat twice as much as usual predators when they have cubs.

Shirone was also interested in hunting because he had hunted quite a bit.

"The cowbear came this far? Doesn't it live in the back of the mountain range? It must be in a pinch."

"Don't mention it. My father is a hunter, but he's a fool to encounter these days. I can't do it because the wild beasts are dying."

"Then, should we all get together and catch it, right? Cowbears aren't particularly violent, so five people should be enough."

"We're in logging season these days, so there aren't enough people. Everyone will blame, and no one will help. Still, if you look at its location, it won't have a cub here. It'll return to normal in a few weeks."

"I understand. They must be going through a tough time."

Altor wagged his finger with bright eyes.

"Hey, Brad. Why don't we hunt that cowbear?"

"What? Us? Isn't it dangerous?"

"How can you look at me and say that? I've hunted red bears known for their violence. It has nothing to do with a cowbear."

Althor intended to regain his tarnished reputation with this hunt. Their strength and hunting skills had allowed him to gain the upper hand over Shirone, and somehow, it was an opportunity given by God.

"Hey, how about it? Will you come, too? We'll all help Brad."

"Well, I'd appreciate it."

If they couldn't get their prey, their families would have to go hungry. The children who knew the fact couldn't resist Brad's situation. Besides, if it were Althor, he would have caught the red bear, which is smaller but more cruel.

"Well, then let's go and catch the Cowbear tomorrow!"

"Wow! My blood is boiling!"

"Brad, don't worry! I'm sure I can put an arrow in the bear's forehead!"

"Would it be you? We can leave it to the trap and Althor."

"I'll go tomorrow morning! Are you coming, right?"

Althor asked, with bright eyes. To regain the leader's position, Shirone had to go along. Knowing this fact, Shirone nodded, thinking it was for the best.

"All right. I've learned some things from my father, so I can do my part."

"Great! Let's toast!"

The frothy beer pitcher clashed in the air.

* * *

The next morning.

Shirone got up early in the morning to prepare for the hunt.

The specialized tools would be shared by the boys, but the basic gear had to be individually equipped.

The rope was coiled large so it wouldn't twist, hung in the backpack, and he checked his bow and arrows.

He brought cloth and glue to make torches, and also equipped himself with bamboo stakes and hammers.

He put an extra arrowhead in his leather pocket and carefully packed dried food and a whistle in case of danger.

When he lifted the backpack, the familiar weight made him feel good.

Shirone, the man, opened the door, thinking he still wasn't dead, and all the boys with their gear gathered at the door.

"Hey, Shirone," "It's too late. This fell off. (Laughs)"

Shirone smiled uncomfortably. As expected, country people looked different no matter what they did.

"Hehe."

Lumina smiled shyly. The children had certainly changed a lot, considering they would have made a fuss about paying for their meals. But it was a good change, and Shirone was relieved that his friends were doing well.

"If you're done, let's move on. I think it's up there."

Althor led the boys to the center of the mountain. As if his prediction was correct, bears marked their territory on every tree. Martin pointed to a tree with severe claw marks.

"Look at this," "The tree is completely sunken. It must be very strong."

Althor approached and carefully examined the claw marks.

"Well, that's not a problem. I don't think its feet are that big."

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"The bear has a reputation for being powerful. It's faster than it looks. But cowbears are slow to move. I can hunt it with enough people like this."

Shirone examined the claw marks on the trees' hind legs. Then he frowned gently with a sense of unease. It was just a scar carved on a tree, but he couldn't imagine a bear marking its territory there by force.

"It's strange. I don't think it did it by force. Rather, something very fast and sharp seemed to have struck it...".

At this point, Althor pulled out his bow. He leaned his upper body forward with his arrow loaded and looked back.

"Anyway, I think we should start here, so be careful. Let's go a little higher and set a trap."

The children who followed Althor climbed the mountain, pushing themselves. Perhaps because this kind of life was their daily routine, they were all skilled.

Shirone entered the Spirit Zone and felt the whole place. A 40-meter diameter was not as good as an experienced hunter's view, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious as long as he felt uneasy.

When they reached the summit, a rather unpleasant energy was transmitted through synesthesia. When Shirone stopped and tried to understand the true nature of the sensation, Althor turned around and asked,

"What are you doing, Shirone? We're not setting a trap here."

"Althor. Something's not right."

"What's wrong with you? I don't feel anything."

Althor blocked Shirone's opinion in advance. No matter how clever Shirone was, he didn't think he was an expert in hunting. But Shirone remained steadfast and left the heat and walked to somewhere. Althor followed him with an angry look. Altruistic behavior in the mountains could have endangered everyone.

"Shirone. If you keep doing this, just get off... Ugh!"

Althor was shocked when he saw what was in front of him. At that moment, Shirone was speechless. Vomit flooded his mouth, and the smell of the sheep's milk cheese he had eaten earlier flowed back.

"What is this...?"