The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (6)
“A wound? Ah! Where the stone hit you? Well, something like that should heal in a day or two.”
“But it’s going to hurt while those days pass. So let me treat it for you.”
Jang Ga-in felt a small jolt of surprise watching Binston gaze with unexpected tenderness at the Saber Tiger that had been trying to devour him mere moments before.
‘Perhaps because he’s still young as a Spirit Practitioner? These Spirit Practitioners seem far more benevolent than I ever imagined.’
It was a nature he had never witnessed in the Demonic Sect.
“Then please treat it.”
“But you’ll need to hold the Saber Tiger so he doesn’t bite me.”
“Ah, you don’t need to hold him. He won’t bite, so don’t worry.”
“I’m anxious, so please hold him anyway.”
“If you’re that anxious, then perhaps we shouldn’t treat it after all.”
“No, I still want to treat it.”
“Understood. Would it be alright if I held him like this?”
As Jang Ga-in grasped the Saber Tiger’s ear, the creature whimpered.
Binston and Puaring both stifled quiet laughs at the sight.
A moment later, Binston carefully approached the Saber Tiger and placed his hand on its thigh, beginning to channel Spirit Force.
Whiiiiirrrr……
White mist rose around Binston’s hand, soon transforming into small droplets that flowed across the Saber Tiger’s wound, washing away the blood and sealing the torn flesh.
Watching this, Jang Ga-in’s eyes widened in an instant.
‘The wound is closing so fast you can see it happening! Just by the healing power alone, he seems even better than Saeran.’
He had stood beside Saeran when the man healed the Saber Tiger’s shattered jaw, so he could gauge just how extraordinary the boy’s ability truly was.
The Saber Tiger, still whimpering from having its ear held, watched its throbbing thigh pain fade rapidly away, and its eyes grew wide as it gazed at Binston.
“I’m Ga-in. What is the young Spirit Practitioner’s name?”
“Oh! I’m Binston, and this is my friend Puaring.”
“Your ability to heal the Saber Tiger’s wound seems quite exceptional, Binston.”
“Ah! My Spirit Force is specialized more in Healing than in combat, so that’s why.”
“Binston has always been good at treating injured animals. So almost every animal in this area is his friend.”
Upon hearing Puaring’s words, Jang Ga-in’s expression shifted into mild astonishment.
Unlike domesticated animals, wild creatures rarely offer their company to humans, yet friends with such beasts—that was remarkable.
“I see. The fact that Binston treated him so well is clear from how Saber Tiger’s tail is wagging.”
Watching the Saber Tiger’s tail sway, Jang Ga-in released the ear he had been holding.
“Saber Tiger only wags his tail for people he genuinely likes, so there’s no danger even without my hold now.”
“Since I treated his wound, it seems Saber Tiger has taken a liking to me.”
“At this point, it would be safe to stroke his head.”
“Really? Won’t he bite me if he gets upset?”
“No, he absolutely won’t. Go ahead and pet him without worry.”
“Then……”
As Binston carefully stroked the Saber Tiger’s head, the creature lowered its face and made a low, rumbling sound.
“Um, um, may I also pet Saber Tiger’s head?”
At that, Puaring asked from beside him, voice tinged with longing.
“Yes, he’s in such a good mood right now that you can pet him all you like.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
As Puaring too stroked his head, the Saber Tiger rumbled contentedly and even wagged its tail.
“Wow, his fur is incredibly soft.”
“Isn’t it.”
“Puaring, we should go now.”
“Yeah, Ga-in. We need to head back to our friends for training.”
“Yes, your friends must be waiting, so go on.”
“Then we’ll see you next time.”
“Yes, if fate brings us together again.”
As Binston and Puaring gave the Saber Tiger one last pet before leaving, Jang Ga-in smiled softly to himself.
‘Charming young Spirit Practitioners, those two.’
It was a rare kindness—one he had never encountered, not in the Demonic Sect nor in all his wanderings across the Central Plains in search of Mystical Beings.
* * *
Upon reaching the forest that formed the boundary of Spirit Village, the three of them left Jang Ga-in and the Saber Tiger there and entered the village proper.
“Elena. We’re back.”
Elena, who had been studying a rather thick tome in deep concentration, opened her eyes wide upon seeing the three.
“Oh! Kailin, Saeran, Eldom. You’ve returned. What a relief. I was so worried when you three went off to hunt that Ogre.”
“Yes.”
“Well done, well done. I knew you wouldn’t do something so reckless.”
Elder Elena spoke with genuine concern.
“Your departed parents would wish you happiness above all else—not the danger of avenging them by fighting Ogres.”
……
Only then did the three of them understand what Elder Elena meant.
Kailin spoke up.
“We killed the Ogre.”
Elder Elena’s eyes widened in an instant.
“What? What are you saying? You don’t mean to tell me that you… killed the Ogre?”
“Ah, we didn’t kill it ourselves. We were able to kill it with the help of an outsider we happened to meet.”
At Kailin’s words, Saeran lowered the pouch he’d been carrying on his back, which contained Ogre Hide and Ogre Blood.
They’d fed roughly half of it to Saber Tiger on the way here, so only half remained, though it was still a considerable amount.
“This is the hide and blood from that dead Ogre.”
Elder Elena approached with an expression of disbelief.
“This—this can’t be! It really is Ogre Hide! How on earth? You said an outsider helped? Who was this person that could kill an Ogre…?”
“A wandering knight who wielded Aura with great skill. Elder, but more importantly, could you please treat Eldom’s wounds?”
“Eldom is injured? Let me see to that first.”
Elder Elena laid Eldom down and examined his body.
“My, these are no small wounds. Fortunately the internal bleeding has stopped, but he’s only just clinging to life. Had you arrived even a few days later, he would have been burdened with chronic illness forever.”
Elder Elena placed her hand on Eldom’s abdomen.
Moments later, a blue light flowed from Elder Elena’s palm, filling his abdomen. For some ten minutes this continued, and gradually Eldom’s cheeks began to flush with color.
“Now that the critical danger has passed, be careful not to strain yourself for a while.”
“Yes.”
Elder Elena looked at Kailin and Saeran and spoke.
“You have the Intermediate Potion I gave you before? Don’t spare it—use it on Eldom.”
“Ah, about that…”
Kailin scratched her head as she continued.
“We’ve already used it all on Eldom.”
“What? You used both Healing and a potion, and this is still the result? Eldom truly was at death’s door!”
“Yes, so about that…”
Kailin drew out a small cloth from her breast.
“Could we obtain a Superior Potion with this?”
“What is that?”
“It’s the Inner Core that came from the Ogre we killed.”
In that instant, Elder Elena’s eyes opened wide as saucers.
“A Mana Stone!”
A Mana Stone was an Inner Core from a monster that, over the years, had absorbed magical power and hardened into something like stone.
“For an Ogre to produce such a Mana Stone, it must have been quite a formidable creature.”
“Yes, that’s…”
“May I examine it directly?”
“Yes, here is the Mana Stone…”
Whoooosh!
As Kailin began to unwrap the cloth to reveal the Ogre Hide, suddenly a strong wind began to rise from Elder Elena’s hand.
The wind lifted the Ogre Hide before her into the air, then seized its limbs and stretched it out completely.
Then the massive form of the Ogre, well over six meters in length, was revealed.
Elder Elena reached out and directly touched the severed edge of the Ogre Hide.
“This is extraordinary. Truly an Ogre of tremendous size. With a creature of this caliber, it makes perfect sense that it would possess such a Mana Stone. The hide is remarkably resilient, and this firmness…”
……
“With just the hide and blood alone, giving you a Superior Potion is hardly any loss at all.”
Elder Elena drew a potion from a box beside her and handed it over—a small vial filled with a luminous liquid tinged red. Then, using the wind spirits, she hung the Ogre Hide on a large branch like laundry to dry, and collected the leather pouch containing the blood.
“You keep this Mana Stone.”
After examining the Mana Stone for a moment, Elder Elena held it out to Kailin, and her expression grew uncertain.
“What?”
“You’ll need to experience the world during your years of training. This Mana Stone will prove invaluable to you then.”
“But this is payment for the potion…”
“The hide and blood alone are more than sufficient payment for the potion. Ah yes, you said you used up all the potions you had?”
Elder Elena held out another vial, this one containing a liquid tinged red, though slightly duller than the first.
“Take this as well. With the Ogre Blood you’ve brought, merchants could craft five more Superior Potions, so this is nothing.”
“Thank you so much, Elder.”
All three bowed their heads in unison.
“Good. Now that you’ve avenged your parents, when do you plan to depart for training?”
“I plan to stay for a few days, bid farewell to the village people, and then depart.”
“If you’re to experience the world, there’s much to prepare. I have things to give you, so stop by once more before you leave.”
“Of course.”
“Oh, and Elder. The knight who helped us slay the ogre—we’d like to let him stay at the village for a few days if possible. Would that be all right?”
Elena heard Eldom’s request and, after a moment’s hesitation, shook her head.
“Hmm. Even if he helped you greatly, I’m afraid that won’t do. I can permit him to pitch a tent outside the village and stay for a few days, but he cannot enter the village itself.”
“Ah, I understand.”
When Elena refused, the three said nothing more and left the elder’s chamber.
* * *
Kailin, Saeran, and Eldom gave Jang Ga-in the tent they had used, allowing him to set up temporary quarters, and they provided him with daily necessities to last several days.
After doing so, they spent several days exchanging farewells with the villagers, and finally they visited Elena one last time.
“Elder, we’ve come to pay our respects before departing on our training journey.”
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Take this.”
“What is this?”
The three received the small bundle Elena offered, their expressions puzzled.
“Currency used by the empire’s people, medicine for treating light ailments like colds, and a map made by your seniors who left on their training journey before you.”
“Thank you so much.”
“The map notes dangerous places and precautions you should take depending on the characteristics of each region—it will be of great help during your training.”
Kailin placed the small bundle Elena had given them into their luggage, then tilted her head slightly.
“Elder, by the way, where has Elder Malata gone? I went to greet him yesterday but didn’t find him, and he wasn’t at home this morning either.”
“Ah, well, the teachers who took the children for training at Decana Lake haven’t been in contact since yesterday, so Malata went to find out what happened.”
The teachers who instructed the children were those who had undergone more than five years of training outside the village after their Coming of Age Ceremony and returned with diverse knowledge, and they were fundamentally skilled in both martial arts and Spirit Practitioner techniques.
They weren’t the sort of people to be swayed by ordinary problems, yet even they couldn’t make contact?
“If they departed yesterday, they should have arrived by now.”
“That’s why I’ve been waiting for word.”
Elena gazed at a Crystal Orb placed deep within the chamber, and the three turned their heads in that direction as well.
Flash.
The Crystal Orb then emitted light, revealing a faint silhouette.
“Contact at last. Elder Malata, please tell us the situation at Decana Lake first.”
―We arrived a short while ago and surveyed the area…… We found arrows used by humans and bloodstains. It appears the children were abducted by human hunters.
“Human hunters……”
Elena’s jaw clenched as anger flashed across her face.
“What happened to the barrier the teachers had set up?”
―The barrier was destroyed as well.
“…… They came thoroughly prepared.”
―Our people are now using wind spirits to track the hunters, so we’ll pursue them shortly…… Ah! We’ve just found the hunters’ trail. Elder Elena, I’ll contact you again.
“Yes, I’ll stay near the Communication Device at all times. Contact me whenever you have news.”
―Then I’ll go.
As the light from the Crystal Orb faded, Elena released a weary sigh, her expression vacant.
“There have been reports of human hunters in the forest recently, so I specially warned people to be vigilant…… How could this happen?”
“Elder, we’ll go find Elder Malata and help search for the missing ones too.”
“You three! Your help wouldn’t amount to much…… Wait. No, that’s right. You said you killed the ogre with the help of that wandering knight, didn’t you?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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