Chapter 128: I paid it all off

I returned to the village riding the tiger. A senior I met at the entrance immediately showed interest.

“Oh my. What’s that?”

Blonde hair and a pure white robe. Despite being a blocky voxel, even her slightly vacant large eyes were accurately rendered. It was Yuzuha Ciel, a 2nd generation senior.

“Hello, Senior. It’s nice to meet you.”

I hadn’t had a chance to see Senior, as she usually streamed in the mornings, but it seemed she was online until the evening today.

“Leah. I’ve heard a lot about you. That you cause a lot of trouble…”

“…That’s not entirely true.”

“Anyway, that tiger is really cool. It’s really big too… How did you get it? From a box?”

“No. A new jungle area opened up, and I caught it there.”

“In the jungle… I should go there sometime. Could you perhaps take me for a ride?”

“Of course.”

I urged the tiger onward, and Senior Ciel quickly disappeared behind me.

– Kyaa
– The speed is crazy
– This is why you get a new ride…
– Tiger Leah lol
– Hovrogini lol

Senior, who finally caught up after a while, let out a gasp of admiration.

“Isn’t it too unfair that it’s this fast too?”

And Senior typed in the general chat.

📢 [Yuzuha_Ciel: Leah brought a tiger. Huge. Really huge. Come to the square quickly.]

At her words, people quickly gathered.

“What! You got it after all? It actually drops!”

“Is Leah the first on the server? Jealous, jealous, jealous…”

“0.5% seems doable… This doesn’t feel like Voxel Craft. It’s like she’s playing a different game. The vibe is seriously…”

Surrounded by compliments, I felt a bit proud and made the tiger jump and roar.

“Rooooar—”

“Kyaaa!”

It was amusing to see a few people step back in surprise.

“You cheater!!”

A loud voice, almost comparable to the tiger’s roar just now, echoed. It was Koharu, pushing her way through the crowd.

“Are you kidding me!? 0.5% twice in one day? Okay. Just you wait. I’ve got evidence of probability manipulation. I’m going to find Sera. I’m going to…”

“Koharu. Calm down. The tiger didn’t come from a box. I caught it in the jungle.”

“What…”

Senior Ayame, who had been watching, asked a question.

“So, does that mean you have another rare mount?”

I put the tiger away and showed myself mounted on the unicorn.

“Ooo…”

“Crazy, crazy…”

“So pretty.”

“Leah. Can you be next to me when I open boxes? Like a totem…”

The unicorn wasn’t any slower than the tiger. The gathered people took turns admiring both mounts to their hearts’ content.

– It’s like a parade lol It’s cute how they’re all following her
– It’s cutest how excited she is lol
– Leah’s just the server’s protagonist…
– I admit it today

“Hey, then. That means we can catch a tiger too, right? Even if we can’t get a unicorn.”

“This wasn’t the time to be messing with blocks. Let’s go to the jungle!”

– My mount? I shall give it to you if you wish… Find it!
– The Great Jungle Era created by Leah lol
– But can they even catch it… Leah didn’t have it easy
– I think they’re all going to hit a wall lol

The square, emptied of the people who had decided to head to the jungle, left only Senior Ciel behind. She approached me and whispered.

“Sister… this way…”

A quiet alleyway.

“I kept thinking while watching. A unicorn… white, elegant, mystical… a holy being, right? Then… who would it suit?”

As I just stared without answering, Senior continued.

“Right. A saint. Wouldn’t it be me, the only saint on the server?”

“That’s wrong.”

I said firmly.

“Unicorns are indeed pure and holy beings. But that holiness isn’t something created like the doctrines of a church. It’s an order born from nature itself. I’ve seen unicorns covered in the blood of their enemies. That image was, literally, sharp, blade-like righteousness. Not a pretty, gentle being, but a strength that protects what must be protected.”

“Oh, oh… I see.”

– Speechless
– Challenging Leah to an RP battle? lol
– Ciel needs to taste Leah’s lore dumping lol
– Something about a saint… immediately shut down!
– Nope, it’s mine~ I’m not giving it away~
– There’s nothing to say after that…
– What can you say when she claims she’s seen it herself lol

Senior closed her mouth for a moment, then shook her head and said,

“O-Of course. I wasn’t just asking for it. It doesn’t suit me the… best, but I was asking you to sell it to me.”

“It’s character-bound, so I can’t sell it.”

“There’s a character-binding removal scroll.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know.”

Senior then asked, puzzled,

“Weren’t you supposed to catch Lunatas for the people you made agreements with? That’s what I heard. How were you going to give them if you didn’t know about this?”

“…Well, now you know, don’t you?”

– Right, knowing now is enough lol
– Leah’s shamelessness lol
– She was wandering the wilderness all last week without knowing this lol

To be fair, I hadn’t planned on giving up if it was impossible. If I couldn’t give them, I would have found a way. And since everyone agreed without objection back then, I assumed there was some way.

“Yes. Anyway, the important thing is that it can be traded. Are you willing to give me the unicorn?”

“How much are you thinking?”

“…1400 coins. My entire fortune.”
– Hmm…
– Some people can’t get it even after spending 2040 coins…
– And Leah is rich right now
– Don’t sell the unicorn! It’s a symbol of your bond with your Pia!
– Yeah, selling it is considered breaking your virgin oath
– Did Leah ever make such an oath? (Genuinely curious)

When I didn’t answer, Senior Ciel hurriedly added,

“Of course, that’s not all! That’s 50%! A down payment! I’ll give you the rest when I earn more coins. A total of 2800 coins!”

Her voice sounded quite sincere. Although she was smiling, she couldn’t hide the expectation in her voice.

After a brief thought, I shook my head.

“I’m sorry. I’m not going to sell it.”

It wasn’t because of what my Pia said… After riding Tata, I kind of… liked it.

“…I see.”

A brief silence hung in the Discord before Senior Ciel spoke again.

“It’s okay. Let me know if you change your mind. If I earn a lot of money… 3000 is possible too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After parting with Senior, I returned to building my house.

The trees had grown considerably, and I had used up most of the materials I had gathered. I’ll need more materials tomorrow… As I was thinking that.

– The jungle’s a mess right now lol
– 6-person party wiped lol
– King Tiger lol
– Just a graze and instant death lol
– I came from a tiger hunting party, how did you solo that??
– Wow, is the tiger that strong? lol
– Just another day for Leah
– I don’t have many materials, but let’s go watch lol

“Yes. I am a bit curious. It was a tough opponent, but definitely not one that a 6-person party should struggle with. Right?”

I took out the tiger and asked it a question. As if in agreement, it scraped the ground with its front paws. I mounted it and headed for the jungle.

Should I say I was a little late? The tiger was gone, and the party members, after witnessing their HP vanish in one hit, decided to disband.

– Koharu’s the only one who hasn’t given up
– She’s still holding on lol
– Did she find something else?
– No, she really wants to catch it

“…Koharu?”

As I cautiously approached, I saw a single voxel silhouette crouched in the shade. Squatting on the grass, holding a bow and staring into the darkness behind a rock.

“Koharu.”

She flinched slightly at my call and turned around.

“Leah…? What, you came all the way here too?”

“Yes. I heard you were struggling with the tiger.”

“That thing is a total monster. But I found something better.”

“Something better…?”

Something was crouched at the end of her gaze.

Thick arms, constantly moving shoulders, and a heavy breathing sound.

“…That’s a gorilla.”

“Right. Isn’t it awesome?”

“More than the tiger?”

“Of course. Think about it. Tigers are too typical.”

“I don’t think so…”

“No. Fast, agile, roaring. That’s… the ‘coolness’ anyone can think of, right? But gorillas are different. They’re heavy. Broad backs. Even the riding posture looks funny. That’s what makes it fun. That’s the real deal.”

“…I see.”

“Besides, wouldn’t I look cool riding it? In this server, there’s only one person riding a gorilla. Koharu. Gorilla. The names even kind of match.”

– That’s a bit of a stretch lol
– She’s resorting to mental gymnastics… ㅜㅜ
– Koharu riding a gorilla lol
– I can’t agree that the names match

“I just have a good feeling. If I miss this gorilla at this timing, I feel like a big turning point in my streaming future will disappear.”

“Is it that serious?”

“…You don’t understand. The resentment of 102 failed pulls.”

I looked down at Koharu like that and slowly raised my bow.

“Then, Koharu.”

“Huh?”

“With this, I’ve fully repaid the debt I owed.”

The sharpened arrowhead, aimed at the gorilla’s shadow, flew, as if tearing through the silent forest.