Beta woke up me sister and Bestie. Finally, we arrived in a city, and if I recall correctly, this city was the first one we visited when my teacher and I traveled.
Upon arrival, we were all greeted with an unusual sight.
Beta glanced out the window.
"Still under repair, huh..."
From inside the carriage, we saw many houses and buildings being repaired. Many workers were bustling in the streets when our carriage arrived.
This is just like what the teacher said, the whole world is feeling it, and yes... this city was destroyed by a giant worm.
It seems I was unconscious for quite a while then, so I didn't realize I had gone through a rather long journey back.
"Where to now? You said you have an acquaintance, right? Could it be..."
Sister looked at Beta, sitting in her seat with her arms crossed.
Beta shifted her gaze from the window, looking straight at my sister.
"Of course, we're going to Delta's place."
"I thought so."
What does "Delta's place" mean?
I didn't know what they meant, and they didn't elaborate either.
Afterward, the atmosphere became quiet. Sister closed her eyes, silent. Beta looked out the window, watching the workers. And Bestie?
I didn't know what she had been doing all this time. She kept looking into her bag, as if doing something inside with both her hands submerged.
They were all busy in their own worlds. Even Fel in my bag wasn't doing much; he only poked his head out, and that was what he usually did; his business and his world were only inside the bag.
Speaking of the bag, I was reminded of the book inside mine. Before, I might have ignored it, and afterward, I didn't try to be curious either.
I let it float in the air, and then I saw it lying on the ground. I picked up the book and put it into my bag.
I took the book out of my bag.
"Wait... later. Keep your book when we are at the inn."
Beta stopped me.
"I have many questions for you both, too."
She was referring to my sister and Bestie.
The carriage stopped, and the coachman knocked from outside.
"Well, we've arrived. It seems the coachman was indeed directed here."
We all got out of the carriage.
Outside, a large building stood, although it was still undergoing repairs. But seeing just half of it, I could confirm that this building was quite large when it was intact or before it was destroyed.
"Welcome, Miss Beta."
As we reached the door, we were immediately greeted by two women.
"Where are your mentors?"
Beta looked at the two women.
"They are all here, Miss. Our teachers, all three of them, are in their respective rooms."
"Alright, sorry to disturb. You can get back to your activities."
Then we walked inside.
"Get on my back."
Sister offered me a piggyback ride.
This place was quite large and multi-storied. There were many stairs to go up, and it seemed our destination was the upper floor.
I accepted her offer because I thought I would only slow them down if I tried to walk with a cane.
On the way, I saw many people passing by. From ordinary people in casual clothes to a girl in a student uniform.
Many of them stopped just to greet Beta, and some stopped to greet my sister and Bestie as well.
Like this one.
"It's unusual for you all to be out together..."
A girl greeted us. I didn't know her well, even though I had seen her a few times, but we had never spoken.
"Unusual how?"
"I mean, it's unusual for you all to get along like this."
"Oh... you mean this wild creature?"
"What's wrong, witch? Why are you pointing at me?"
"Hahaha, there it is. This is what you usually do. Well, I still have to deliver this, my teacher is waiting."
She immediately left after provoking a quarrel between my sister and Bestie.
"Hey you two, what's wrong? Come here."
Beta asked us to resume walking after we had momentarily stopped.
"You wait here."
After arriving at a room, Beta asked us to wait outside the door.
A few minutes later, she came out, showing off a bag of coins in her hand.
"Now, with this, we can rent an inn and buy food, but..."
"What's wrong? What's the problem, we already have money, right?"
Bestie responded, and she immediately snatched the bag of coins and checked its contents.
"This is quite a lot, so what's the problem?"
"No problem, it's just... I got a message or a mission from Alpha Warding."
"What did Mother assign you?"
"Go west, for investigation."
"Is that all? Then why be anxious? We just need to go there and provide information, right? In that case, let's go there."
I agreed with Bestie. If it was just an investigation, why be anxious?
"She's not a field officer, this isn't her area. This is a form of punishment from Mother for her."
Beta immediately looked crestfallen afterward.
"Will you come with me, to the west?"
"Uh, this door is so big, it must be very expensive."
Sister pretended to look at the door.
"Wow, these coins are gold-colored, oh, there's silver too."
Bestie was counting the coins in the bag.
They were ignoring Beta.
I pulled their ears.
"Fine, fine, we'll go."
"Of course, we'll go there together."
I knew they just didn't want the hassle, but this was necessary because I didn't know where to go myself, and with this, even for a moment, we had a purpose.
I also didn't want to let Beta go alone.
"Thank you..."
Beta immediately hugged the three of us. She was very happy after we agreed to help her carry out her punishment.
"So what do we have to do there?"
"Before that, let's find an inn first."
We all finally got money and decided to go look for an inn.
After running all night in the forest, chased by monsters, and then spending all day in a horse-drawn carriage, we finally arrived at this place in the late afternoon.
"Where is an inn that is still open?"
Bestie was immediately confused, just like I was when we were outside.
There were many buildings or inns here, but perhaps not all were serving, considering many were still under repair.
"They all can serve, because if they don't... they will lose their livelihood and it will be difficult to make repairs. But of course, the service won't be as good as usual."
"Ah, I see. Well, anywhere I can sleep, as long as there is good food there."
The coachman opened the door for us.
"Leave the task of finding an inn to me. Of course, I will take you to an inn with the best food."
The coachman overheard Beta and Bestie's conversation. He was immediately confident about the place he would recommend.
After a few minutes, the carriage finally stopped at an inn.
"Please, ladies, I guarantee the food here is delicious."
"Ah, is that so? Then let's go inside, and of course, you will also eat with us."
Beta pulled the coachman to join us. On the inn's veranda, a young woman stood behind the counter.
"We order three rooms, two rooms with two beds, and one more for one person."
"Very well, Miss. And if I may ask, how long will you be staying?"
"Not sure. Just take this, no need to return it, and if it's not enough, give the bill to me."
"Very well, Miss. Here are your room keys, please..."
"Oh, and please deliver food for the four of us, and this old man. And don't forget hot water in the morning."
"Certainly, Miss. Please wait."
I felt like the Beta in front of me was a different person. She was very reliable; we didn't even need to speak, and she had already ordered everything we needed.
"Now, I want you to tell me what happened while I was unconscious."
After ordering the rooms, we all gathered in one room to talk.
"This creature is Fenrir, whom you previously assumed with your hypothesis."
Sister was the first to speak. We all sat in a circle on the floor, with Fel in the middle.
"Yes, I knew that and was sure from the start, especially after witnessing it change form."
"But you were unconscious and didn't see it fight."
"I know, I know. I told you before, I am weak and not as strong as you in terms of physical strength. And considering the monster that appeared was no ordinary monster, and you were scared of it too, weren't you?"
Bestie looked away.
"Ah no, that's just your feeling. I'm never scared, especially of monsters."
"What about your sister?"
"Ah... well, in that case... it's better to run than to face her."
Beta immediately looked at me.
"The giant lion we met is one of the legendary ancient creatures. There are many records of it, but they are not very detailed in revealing it. Everything is based on stories and experiences, there are no guides or anything like that. Now, I want to know, what happened to that book?"
I took out the book from my bag along with my notebook and wrote something.
Beta came closer and looked at the book in my hand.
"Hmm... the book glowed and floated, then a page appeared."
She read my writing.
"Then what's in it?"
I opened the book.
APPELLATION: Ur-Zahan
TITLE / EPITHET: King of the Monsters, The Fierce Father, Primordial Claw
CLASSIFICATION:
Primary: Mythological (Essence source: cosmic concept of natural predation and dominance)
Status: Active (The king always reigns)
Scale: Global (Its influence is felt by all beasts in the world)
Level: PRIMAL (A fundamental force of the wild, raw and untaught)
ORIGIN: Ur-Zahan is not the creation of a god or the result of evolution. It was born from the first act of intentional violence. When the first creature hunted and killed not purely for survival, but to assert dominance, the echo of that pure predatory will merged and crystallized. From there, Ur-Zahan manifested, becoming the living essence of the top of the food chain.
FORM / ESSENCE: Its essence is Natural Dominance. It is the law of the jungle given form; the principle that there is always a stronger predator. Its form is a lion of impossible proportions. Its mane looks like a dark storm cloud, its eyes shine like molten gold, and its thick hide is covered in ancient scars that look like chasms. It is the archetype of all beasts.
APPEARANCE & PERCEPTION: Its presence is not preceded by whispers or magical omens, but by primal instinct. The air around it feels heavy and smells of ozone, dry savanna, and fresh blood. Long before it is seen, the low thrum of its growl will be felt in your ribs. An encounter with it triggers the most fundamental terror-the genetic fear of prey before its apex predator. The instinct to flee or fight becomes paralyzed, leaving only the instinctive desire to submit. Its roar is not merely a sound; it is a wave of conceptual force that shatters the will.
VULNERABILITIES & COUNTERMEASURES:
One-on-One Challenge: As the embodiment of dominance, it is conceptually bound by the rule of predator honor. It cannot refuse a direct and honorable challenge for its throne. If a creature with sufficient strength and courage challenges it to a duel, it is obliged to accept.
Sincere Sacrifice: It cannot comprehend an act of sincere self-sacrifice, where one creature protects another not out of fear, but out of love. This "unnatural" logic can confuse it and momentarily halt its hunt.
King, Not Butcher: It kills to assert dominance, not out of bloodlust. Once its prey has been defeated or submitted, it will lose interest.
ECHOES IN HISTORY & MYTH: The Myth of the Lion, the monster with impenetrable skin, is believed to be one of the first offspring of Ur-Zahan. Additionally, there is a legendary artifact called the Crown of Zahan's Fangs. Ancient, tyrannical kings would hunt the descendants of Ur-Zahan to obtain its fangs. It is said that a crown adorned with these fangs grants its wearer an aura of absolute dominance, but slowly transforms the king into a ravenous, power-hungry monster, just like its prey.
WHISPERS & FRAGMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE:
"Don't run. It will only make the hunt more interesting for him."
"In his kingdom, there is no golden throne. His throne is a pile of bones of previous challengers."
"All monsters fear something. That something fears him."
Notes from The Scribe's: Recording this entity feels different. There is no existential terror or confusing paradox like with other abstract entities. The fear it inspires is honest, raw, and easier to understand. It is a reminder that before there was law, magic, or even gods, there was one oldest rule: the strong will prevail. There is a terrifying honesty in its power.
Then I conveyed the important points through my writing, but on the condition that Beta had to answer my question about the teacher.
"Alright, thank you, and now it's all clear that the book is reactive and not an ordinary book. This is why even I, who hold the rank of Beta, don't have much information about it."
"The appellation Ur-Zahan, King of the Monsters, with the form of a giant lion, and this is certainly very compatible with the giant lion last night, considering the monsters bowed when it appeared."
"With this, we must be more careful even though we have Fel here. Just like before, when the big snake appeared and left, ordinary monsters might ignore us, but if something that plays on the same level as Fel appears, I don't know what will happen next."
"Hey wait, so the big snake wasn't afraid of my sword?"
"No, it was because Fel was with us."
"Beta, you got what you wanted, now answer my sister's question."
"Ah, of course, but remember not to get emotional."
I nodded.
"Actually, the Alphas at the previous meeting did not know what happened to your teacher. She suddenly disappeared without a trace. The Warding team and the Questers who were sent did not find her body, while the Preservation team that searched for signs of her whereabouts found nothing."
"So, she was declared missing because no trace was left, but also perhaps..."
Sister immediately covered Beta's mouth with her hand.
This was the first time someone spoke up when I asked. Previously, even Alpha Preservation only lowered her head in silence.
"Okay then, now it's clear, Bestie... let's go find out where your teacher is."
Bestie immediately picked up her bag and sword, standing near the door.
"Where are you going?"
Sister asked.
"To find Teacher Sigma, of course."
"Idiot, do you know where she is?"
"No..."