I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-Chapter 536: Tree Maze 1

The deep forest layer beginning on the 61st floor could easily be called a treasure hunting layer. We needed to find forest fairy villages and collect their emblems, hunt or capture the named monster shadow fang tiger, and find something called "fragrance" whose identity we still didn't know.

While the 51st floor's plains layer had to be pushed through with brute force to minimize damage, the 61st floor's deep forest layer seemed to require thoroughly searching every corner to find everything needed for events or boss battles.

I'd have preferred to just rush through and head for the 70th floor... but seeing the quest log suddenly activate suggested a warning from the Goddess. It felt like she was hinting that ignoring the fang tiger, like we'd ignored the ogre before, would lead to serious trouble.

"It's really obedient."

"I think it's scared of Roland. It's pretty perceptive."

Thanks to this, the shadow fang tiger had completely submitted after sensing our killing intent while we debated whether to kill or spare it. We could now head back toward the gate to the 60th floor without having to rip out its fangs and rename it "shadow tiger."

The spiny tail I'd crushed was gone for good, leaving the creature to walk obediently on a leash beside Irene like a large dog with its tail docked for cosmetic reasons. The fang tiger, larger than a human, had somehow sensed that Irene was the only one friendly toward it and walked beside her like a well-trained guard dog, which was honestly a bit funny to watch.

Whether or not this creature had eaten forest fairies in the past, the 61st floor had only been open for a short time, so it probably hadn't eaten any humans yet... not that it mattered, since we were going to sell it to the Magic Tower regardless.

"But with teeth shaped like that, how does it eat? Should we try giving it some jerky?"

"Hmm... I am curious."

My companions chatted casually, seemingly more at ease after seeing how docile it remained even when they'd put their hands in its mouth. Thinking about it, this fang tiger was certainly a creature with a fascinating appearance.

True to its name, it had a sleek body like a black panther with jet-black, glossy fur. Fitting its debuff-immune super armor, it was remarkably clean for a wild animal, without a speck of dirt.

The missing tail detracted somewhat from its elegant body, but its appearance was still captivating enough to steal everyone's attention. And of course, the protruding fangs that gave it its name inevitably sparked curiosity.

What kind of animal has fangs bigger than an orc's tusks?

"Oh, ohh. It eats sideways."

"Does it have to tilt its head every time it eats?"

"It looks similar to a panther, but seems more inconvenient."

Like a cat eating treats from its owner before getting neutered at the vet, the creature chomped on the jerky Han Se-ah had given it. It seemed she was clearing out the cheap jerky that had remained in her inventory after buying plenty of expensive jerky to grill over the campfire.

...She bought all those arrows, ingredients, bombs, and whatnot, constantly cycling items through her inventory, so why did she still have cheap jerky in there? Was Han Se-ah the type who hoarded junk items until her inventory was full because she couldn't bear to throw anything away?

As I wondered why Han Se-ah's inventory contained such shoddy, stale jerky—unworthy of a top-tier adventurer party—the creature suddenly lifted its head.

"Huh, what's happening?!"

"Wait, Katie! It's not trying to attack—I think it's found something!"

"Irene's right. It seems to have discovered something."

The round cat-like ears that had been sloped toward its nape began twitching, and it dropped the jerky it had been chewing to stare intently at something.

The shadow fang tiger lowered its posture, sniffed the air, perked up its ears, and began to growl. Katie, apparently still on guard, drew her sword as if to behead it right then and there... but Irene and Grace stopped her.

The creature kept staring into the dim forest shadows, oblivious to how close it had come to having its neck severed. Was it another shadow fang tiger, or perhaps the "fragrance" hinted at in the quest window?

"Alright, give me the leash!"

"Here you go. Grace, be careful, okay?"

As I pulled out my warhammer with those thoughts, Grace took the leash and charged into the forest. Apparently intending to run ahead and identify what they'd found, she dashed in the direction the fang tiger had been staring.

Since the fang tiger had detected something, it must be within Grace's detection range too, so she ran forward without hesitation. The shadow fang tiger followed, scampering after Grace who held its leash, like a hunting dog with its hunter.

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"Wow, that's a hunter-pet combo. Seeing how obedient it is, I'm almost tempted to adopt it... Don't you think that holy power nullifying poison could be useful for boss fights if modified through alchemy? Healing reduction is always effective."

-The hunter and pet is an ancient combination recorded in Goguryeo watermelon diagrams as a raid guideline

-Honestly, healing reduction is tempting. Though with our composition, no one but you would apply it

-Porter/ mage/ debuffer/ ground-digger/ faucet/ food shuttle/ lighter/ That Long One

-Actually she's the one with more titles than the fang tiger, so I don't know why we call the tiger "That Long One"

-A beauty with an animal in nature is classic and turns me on

...Maybe from listening to the viewers too much, but it felt like a fundamental combination—should I raise it if possible?

※

Being perceptive means knowing how to work in sync.

Unlike the clumsy Han Se-ah, Grace ran silently over dry fallen leaves and bare branches. Her movements were so acrobatic and beautiful that the camera drone's AI would have lost track of her if it were even slightly less intelligent.

When Grace disappeared into the darkness created by branches and leaves, the camera drone naturally panned down to capture what was below.

True to its name, the shadow fang tiger followed without making a sound, its leash dangling from its neck as it swam through the branches. Despite having the opportunity to escape, it followed Grace without any sign of malice.

More precisely, it seemed to be clinging to Grace's shadow, perhaps due to its lack of stamina.

"Will Grace be alright? I think we should follow right away."

"Don't worry, Irene. Remember how even the forest fairies noticed her? She won't be detected under normal circumstances."

Irene showed signs of concern as she watched Grace quickly disappear from sight. Katie, being someone who used her body directly in combat, seemed to have gauged Grace's capabilities, but Irene, who provided support from the rear, couldn't help but worry.

Katie and I flanked Irene protectively as she moved anxiously forward, following Han Se-ah who pretended to sense mana while actually checking her minimap.

Han Se-ah had completely mastered the art of disguising player privileges like minimaps, inventories, and quests as unique magic. I glimpsed the viewers' laughter erupting at this fraudulent behavior while using Han Se-ah's broadcast to check on Grace's situation.

"It doesn't seem too far? I'm really curious about what she found. If we had time, I'd open a betting house on what it might be."

The location was close enough for Han Se-ah to joke with her viewers—just a few minutes' sprint away for Grace who had dashed off at full speed.

Grace stood silently after her intense run, showing no signs of being out of breath—so naturally concealing herself within the shadows created by the branches that she could have passed for an assassin rather than an archer.

The shadow fang tiger also seemed to read the mood, slipping into Grace's shadow as she crouched on a branch, poking out only its eyes like a submerged crocodile and perking up its ears.

"...Grace is just beyond there. But if we get any closer, we might be detected by whatever's there."

"We can just wait here for Grace to come back, I guess."

"You're right. We can't conceal our presence, so waiting here makes sense."

So while Grace observed the enemy just beyond the camera's view, cautiously examining it from different angles, Han Se-ah stopped us. She seemed to have roughly estimated the detection range using the minimap coordinates and halted our advance.

At her words, Irene lowered her voice to a whisper while Katie unhesitatingly leaned against a tree. Seeing their completely opposite personalities made me smile as I too leaned against a suitable tree.

The quiet silence created by trust in a companion, the broadcast system, and the people secretly watching that broadcast. The forest silence, still devoid of insect sounds, was broken by Grace's stealthy return.

"Um, Roland?"

"What did you find, Grace?"

"Uh, well, if a flower is walking around, is it a monster or a fairy's friend?"

She responded with a puzzled expression and an incomprehensible answer.

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