Chapter 7

“By the way, what should I call you?”

After our talk with the Elder concluded, I was left alone with the wolf girl.

The detailed explanation of my training would have to wait until after the Pack Leader finished his “discipline” session. Since it was decided that I needed a chaperone and she was the one chosen, we stayed together. That’s when the thought occurred to me.

“Hmm… how about ‘Milady’?”

“I thought you weren’t big on formal titles.”

“In this place, I can’t just let you use my name so easily. A ‘name’ is a very important thing here.”

Apparently, that was the case. What humans view as common names have a completely different meaning to monsters. Giving a name to a monster is an act of affirming its very existence. It’s even said that the namer shares a portion of their soul with the named.

In fact, there were stories of people who tried to form contracts with various monsters by naming them, only for their souls to rot and wither away before they could even command them. Since the amount of soul consumed depends on the monster’s strength, trying to be a “godparent” to many would mean giving away your entire soul—a suicidal endeavor.

In some countries, naming a monster is even considered a taboo. In short, “naming” is a dangerous act that consumes one’s soul.

“Then… how about ‘Lady’? It’s not too formal, right?”

“Hmm. Well, I suppose that’s harmless enough.”

“Alright, ‘Lady’ it is from now on.”

That settled it. It’s just too inconvenient not having something to call her.

“And I’ll keep calling you Ryu.”

“Yeah. No problem there.”

And so, the very next morning, my first day of training began. The curriculum: hunting with Lady and her pack. Our target was a “Pig-Faced Magic Beast” (Orc)—apparently a weak monster chosen to match my level.

“To be honest, this is my first time actually hunting anything…”

“Do humans not hunt?”

“Well, some do, but…”

I mean, look at me—I’m a commoner, an apprentice Tamer. Hunting is usually left to the warrior classes like “Hunters” or “Knights.”

“Don’t humans worry about those classes a bit too much?”

…Maybe so. But I’m different; I might be a Tamer, but I’m giving it my all.

“Anyway, at least give me something that looks like a weapon. I’m empty-handed here.”

“That’s already taken care of. I brought this from Grandfather.”

What she produced was… a fragment of a fang?

“What kind of fang is this?”

“It’s one of Grandfather’s. He said to give it to you as an additional thanks.”

The Elder’s fang? This isn’t just a rare item; its value is off the charts. It was about the size of a dagger. It didn’t have much reach, but it looked easy to handle.

“I’ll have to thank the old man later.”

“You should. Though I think he’d be happier if you brought back an orc as a souvenir.”

Yeah, yeah, I get it—you just want to get to the hunt. Message received.

Before long, we were near the entrance of the forest. Since Lady’s subordinates were handling the scouting, finding the orcs was a breeze!

“Eventually, Ryu, you’ll have to be able to do this all by yourself.”

“…Eventually. Let’s stick to ‘eventually.’”

First, I had to build up my body.

After walking for a bit, we spotted six orcs. This was my first time seeing one up close. They really were just pigs walking on two legs!

“Ryu. You just need to take down one. We’ll handle the others, so focus on your target.”

“Thanks. That helps.”

Now, which one should I go for? They seemed to have some level of intelligence since they were carrying weapons—mostly just clubs, though. Getting hit would hurt, but since they’re monsters, I couldn’t afford to be careless. I’d have to dodge as much as possible.

“When should I strike?”

“Whenever you like.”

They were letting me set the pace. I appreciated that.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Lady and the others dropped into their sprinting stances. The orcs started to get restless; I guess that “wild instinct” exists in every creature. I took a deep breath. My first hunt. Naturally, I was nervous, but this was the first step to becoming stronger!!

I lunged out from the bushes.

Whoa, fast! Lady and the others were so quick that it became a one-on-one before I knew it! What kind of speed was that?! Even the orc was terrified! Well, who wouldn’t be?!

In that opening, I sliced off the arm holding the club! I immediately circled behind it and went for the leg! The orc tried to dodge as it realized I’d moved behind it, but I cut its pivot leg first! As it fell backward, I severed the remaining arm! The orc looked shocked, but I didn’t let up—I finished it by taking off the head.

“Pant… pant…”

I managed to kill one. I wasn’t injured, but I was exhausted. I guess that’s the pressure of a life-or-death situation…

“You certainly made a mess of it.”

“Lady…”

Damn, even just standing up was a struggle.

“Honestly, it’s going to be a pain to carry. You can leave the head behind, at least.”

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking about that. Sorry.”

I had been too focused on just killing it safely.

“You should have just gone for the head from the start.”

Don’t nag me. I was desperate over here.

“Man, I’m beat.”

For now, let’s head back. It looked like we were taking these orcs with us. The two subordinates were already collecting the carcasses, so I shouldered my one orc and began the trek back.