52. Cave

52. Cave

A red light split in half.

The mechanical worm was sliced in two and stopped abruptly, then collapsed onto the ground with a huge roar.

A moment later, the dust that had been swirling throughout the cave settled. The sound of machinery moving inside the worm could still be heard due to residual inertia from its operation, but that too soon subsided.

“Did, did I defeat it…? Huk!”

Good heavens, I did something like Seol-gu! I accidentally set a flag!

The moment I spoke, I heard the sound of mechanical spiders rushing from the depths of the cave. I hastily covered my mouth, but it seemed to be no use.

Tudududud-

It sounded like hundreds of insects rushing in unison. No, it actually was. Although they were mechanical, they were still spiders.

The thought of countless insects crawling all over my body sent shivers down my spine, and my tail puffed up. I screamed.

“Seol-ah, come behind Sister!”

“Uh, yes! Seol-gu, over here!”

I quickly put Seol-gu on my head and headed behind Sister. Clutching Sister’s tail tightly, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Clang-!

“Hieek…!”

The sound of metal clashing against metal. My body trembled.

Only after dozens of sword swings did the sound finally stop.

“Seol-ah, it’s okay now. You can open your eyes.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

The situation in the cave when I opened my eyes was devastating. Mechanical debris and robot spiders lay scattered everywhere, and in the center, the carcass of the super-giant mechanical worm was buried under collapsed dirt. Scars from sword strikes were also visible everywhere, on the floor, walls, and ceiling.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No….”

“That’s a relief, I’m not too late….”

Fortunately, except for one tail hair that was scorched black by the spider’s laser beam, both Seol-gu and I were completely unharmed.

Sister knelt down and hugged me tightly. Sister’s familiar warmth and scent enveloped me. Only then did I feel safe, and my tension completely dissipated.

“Ah….”

“Seol-ah.”

Sister picked me up as I was about to collapse. I wanted to say that it wasn’t necessary, but my body wouldn’t move as I wished.

In the end, I had to entrust myself to Sister.

“Let’s go back to the entrance for now. It might be a bit cold because of the wind, but this place could collapse if something goes wrong.”

“Yes.”

The debris blocking the cave had a hole just big enough for Sister and me to pass through. It was reinforced with branches to prevent collapse, and it must have been done by Sister.

I looked at Sister’s face as she carried me and strode towards the entrance. Sister’s appearance as she rescued us felt so magnificent.

That was the image of who I wanted to become.

Strong, powerful, big, and cool… a wolf.

I’m still small and weak, but when I grow up, I’ll surely become like that. Plus, I can use magic, so I’ll definitely become an even cooler wolf…!

Just thinking about it makes me feel good.

Okay, I’ll surprise Sister with this. I’ll keep the fact that I can use magic a secret, and then one day, I’ll surprise Sister by showing her my magic. It’s a perfect plan.

As far as I know, there hasn’t been a single wolf that uses magic. I am the first. Even though I use the stone Seol-gu gave me, the fact that I am destined to make a mark in the history of the Wolf Tribe remains unchanged.

Heh heh… You can be proud of me with all your might later, Sister!

“We’re here.”

“Ah, yes.”

The cave entrance was unchanged from when we first arrived. The dark outer landscape with swirling snowstorms, the crackling campfire, and the mat.

Except for the various tools scattered on the ground, as if Sister had tried every possible means to rescue us, it looked just like the time we first entered the cave.

By the way, how much time did we spend in this cave? I have no idea. It feels like a long time has passed, but on the other hand, it doesn’t feel like that much time has gone by.

My sense of time is strange.

It’s probably because I haven’t eaten properly. I think I vaguely heard that eating has a big impact on one’s biological rhythm.

I couldn’t eat meat properly, and Seol-gu stole the only marshmallow I had, so it’s natural that I don’t have any strength.

“Hmm….”

… Wait a minute. I ignored it earlier because it was an emergency, but now that I think about it, isn’t it all Seol-gu’s fault that I was separated from Sister, fell into danger, and am hungry?

“Huk…!”

You wicked, wicked fox…!

At my fierce gaze, Seol-gu tilted his head. He had a face that didn’t know what he did wrong.

I feel like I’ll only feel better if I bite that annoying fox’s tail with a “Kkang.” Maybe he’ll repent his sins a little after my mouth shape leaves marks on his fluffy tail fur!

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes….”

But I don’t even have the strength to bark “Kkang” anymore. Instead, my stomach rumbled loudly, which was a little embarrassing.

“You can’t eat… salted meat, can you?”

“… No.”

The saying “A hungry wolf will eat stones” seems to be wrong. Recalling the taste of that incredibly salty meat, even though my stomach was sticking to my back from hunger, I had no appetite for it.

No, salted meat must be meat with salt sprinkled on it, but preserved meat was on another level. It would be more accurate to call it salted meat, which is meat soaked in salt.

Sister sat me down by the campfire as I groaned and rummaged through her bag. Soon, something appeared in Sister’s hand.

However, I didn’t look closely. I didn’t have the strength to, and I wasn’t expecting much either. At best, it would be another preserved food, not salted meat.

Having tasted the terrible preserved meat, I had no expectations for other preserved foods. To escape this endless hunger, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep-

“Want a marshmallow?”

“Yes!”

-I shouldn’t! How can I sleep when a marshmallow is waiting right in front of me!

Sister held three small, soft, white marshmallows. Three of them! Seol-gu stole one, and now three times that amount was in front of my eyes!

“Kkang…!”

The sweet, fluffy scent was already wafting over. As expected, Seol-gu, the culprit of all problems, also perked up his body upon smelling the marshmallow.

“Kkaeng!”

“W-wait!”

Before I could stop him, Seol-gu charged towards the marshmallow. The ball of fur flew into the air.

Just as tears welled up, thinking I might lose the marshmallow again, Seol-gu suddenly stopped in mid-air.

“Kkang…?”

“Seol-gu eats meat when he’s hungry. This was originally brought for Seol-ah.”

“Kkang…?!”

Sister had grabbed Seol-gu’s tail as he flew like a missile!

Seol-gu wagged his tail frantically, wriggling towards the marshmallow, but Seol-gu, being just a fox, couldn’t overcome the grip of an adult wolf.

Finally, the marshmallow was in my hand. It was on a small skewer, perfectly roasted to a crisp golden brown. There were three of them. All of them were mine.

“Kkaeng…!”

Seol-gu whimpered, looking at the marshmallow. He looked as if he was saying he was wronged and asking if he could have just one since there were so many.

His eyes were so bright that I felt like I might reach out and give him a marshmallow without realizing it. Seol-gu’s face, like a white mochi cake, was captivating.

“No!”

But I won’t be fooled by the cunning fox’s tricks!

As I said firmly, Seol-gu looked shocked. Then, his tail drooped powerlessly.

But this is all Seol-gu’s own doing.

There were a total of 4 marshmallows. Originally, I would have given half to Seol-gu, unable to resist his intense gaze. After all, I am a good wolf who shares food with friends.

Then, Seol-gu and I would have each eaten 2 marshmallows. Sharing half each sounds like an ideal outcome.

But!

Because Seol-gu couldn’t resist and stole my marshmallow earlier, my desire to share marshmallows with Seol-gu has completely disappeared!

No one wants to share something with a fox with sticky fingers. Therefore, these 3 marshmallows will all go into my stomach.

It’s not an unfair treatment. After all, these marshmallows were originally mine, and it’s all Seol-gu’s fault.

Ultimately, due to Seol-gu’s short-sighted judgment, unable to resist the temptation before him, Seol-gu will only eat 1 marshmallow instead of 2.

This is what the marshmallow experiment is all about, heh heh.

“Kkaeng! Kki-ing….”

“Hee hee… What can you do by just whining like that!”

I have Sister with me now! With the most reliable backing behind me, there’s no way Seol-gu can beat me!

Seol-gu’s losing point is that he’s the only fox here.

With one fox and two wolves, it’s natural for the wolves to win. As they say, charity begins at home.

“Bon appétit!!”

There was no reason to delay any longer. Marshmallows are best eaten when they’re warm.

After sticking out my tongue at Seol-gu one last time, I put a marshmallow in my mouth for the first time in my life.

“Uwaaang!! H-hgeoo!!”

And I burned the roof of my mouth.