Jijel's voice trembled. "I must have seen it wrong... No."

To her surprise, the Curare Lizards were approaching them. Why? she wondered. These lizards were clever monsters. They usually targeted prey that was paralyzed and slow-moving, not threatening mages like them. Why were they being pursued?

-! !-

-!

The lizards, now more agitated than before, hissed sharply and shot their paralyzing venom.

"Splash! Splatter!" It was evident that they were infuriated, their venomous anger palpable.

"Persistent creatures," Yi-Han muttered, commanding his bones to attack. "Bones, strike! Strike! Strike!" His bone shards rained down like a shower, slashing the ground and tearing through the bushes. The lizards hastily dodged and howled even louder.

-!!-

"Ah," Yi-Han realized why the Curare Lizards had abandoned the weaker prey and were pursuing them instead. Jijel realized it too.

"They're chasing us just because we hit them a bit," she said.

"Exactly," Yi-Han agreed, restraining himself from cursing. Arguing with allies would serve no purpose.

"Wardanaz... Moradi..." the retreating students from the White Tiger shouted hoarsely. They clearly misunderstood, thinking Yi-Han and Jijel were sacrificing themselves for them.

"These damn fools," Yi-Han grumbled.

"What?"

"Just ignore them and retreat!" Although he wanted to lash out, he held back, planning to gloat about it later.

"Thud!" One lizard, unable to contain its fury, charged. It collided with a swiftly approaching shield and howled.

"Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!" Yi-Han showed no mercy, bombarding the lizard with bone shards. Dazed, the creature fled.

This isn't good. Yi-Han knew the lizards' patience was wearing thin, a bad omen. If the growing number of lizards attacked simultaneously, even he would struggle to fend them off. A successful attack from just one would mean defeat.

Jijel, sensing the same danger, drew her dual swords and shouted fiercely, "Wardanaz. I'll buy time! When will your mana recover?"

She seemed to misunderstand that Yi-Han's mana was temporarily depleted. Otherwise, there was no reason for him, who had easily defeated the White Tiger students, to rely solely on dark magic.

"It's not a mana issue!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"It's not mana. I'm just too exhausted for precise control after staying up all night."

"Are you insane... Urgh!" Jijel stabbed at the mouth of an attacking lizard and retreated.

"You're telling me this now? Why did you stay up all night?!" Climbing a mountain was physically demanding; she couldn't fathom why he would do so without rest.

"Too much homework," Yi-Han replied casually.

...

Jijel was speechless, unable to counter such an unexpected response.

-Come to the riverbank-

...

A commanding voice suddenly instructed, which startled them.

-Come to the riverbank. Those lizards dislike this stream, so they won't follow you.-

They didnt know who was the one talking, but both quickly headed towards the riverbank. In their current situation, they had nothing to lose.

-... -

"Splash... Splash..." As they waded into the river up to their waists, the Curare Lizards, seemingly despising the water, halted and glared furiously but did not follow.

Jijel spoke, disbelief in her tone.

"Do you see that? Why are those lizards behaving like that? Wardanaz? ...Wardanaz!"

Jijel's eyes widened in shock as she saw Yi-Han fall forward.

'Paralyzing venom?!' She was certain he hadn't been hit by the lizards' attack. Why then?

-He's just collapsed from exhaustion.-

"...What?"

-He's tired, that's all. Are you a freshman? It's unusual for freshmen to study until they collapse from exhaustion. Quite remarkable.-

"..."

When Yi-Han opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a shield floating in the air.

'Where am I?'

Lying on a soft animal hide, he realized he wasn't on the street but must have been taken into some sort of cabin.

Turning his head, he saw Moradi sitting on a chair. Yi-Han checked his coat pocket for his belongings first.

'Hm. Nothing's been taken.'

-Are you checking for lost items? You haven't lost anything.-

"!" Yi-Han was startled by the voice coming from above and looked up.

A giant he had never seen before was sitting at the cave entrance, facing Moradi.

Moradi had her fingers on her temples, intensely focused on the table in front of her, seemingly unaware that Yi-Han had awoken.

'What's going on?'

Not sensing hostility from the giant, Yi-Han stood up and approached.

Surprisingly, what lay between them was a chessboard.

'It's the endgame.'

Yi-Han, observing the pieces and their arrangement on the board, realized the game was in its late stages. And Moradi was in a disadvantageous position.

-Isn't it about time you make your move? No amount of pondering will change the outcome. You can recover from a mistake in the opening during the middlegame, and from the middlegame in the endgame. But in the endgame, there's no next step.-

'Hmm. He sure knows how to make his opponent feel bad during a chess game.'

Apparently hitting the mark, Jijel bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

After much contemplation, Jijel finally laid her white king on its side, signifying defeat.

"...I've lost."

-Don't take it too hard. Not all giants are dumb, you know.-

The giant spoke in a gentle tone, but it was no consolation to Jijel. Yi-Han understood her feelings.

Losing a game of chess to a giant, notoriously known for their lack of intelligence, must be frustrating. Would it feel the same to lose to Gainando?

"Um... If it's not too rude, may I ask your name?"

-That's not hard to answer.-

The giant shared that he had lived in this area for a long time and occasionally enjoyed casual conversations or bets with students and professors from the magic academy.

"But, um..."

-You're curious about the source of my uncharacteristic intelligence for a giant?-

"If my question was impolite, I apologize."

-No, it's a natural curiosity. But I'm afraid I can't provide a satisfactory explanation. Think of it this way. Aren't there particularly unintelligent people among humans?-

The giant's logic was sound. Yi-Han found it hard to argue.

"I understand."

-Good. I appreciate your understanding.-

"...But why chess?"

Hearing the question, the giant shrugged.

-I mentioned I like bets.-

"A bet at a time like this?"

Yi-Han was astonished by Moradi's greed.

How much greed does one have...

Jijel shouted irritably, "You collapsed, you bastard!"

According to the giant, while he would talk to passersby, he never forced anyone into a bet.

However, the situation changed when debts or favors were involved.

Since the giant had brought the collapsed Yi-Han to his cave and cared for him, the mages owed him a corresponding gratitude, according to the giant's logic.

"What kind of repayment are you talking about?"

-There are a few options.-

The giant tapped on the wall, revealing lists written in crooked letters.

-Tasks for the mages who lost the bet-

Clean the cave's cellar (Make sure to throw away all the expired potions and relabel them)