The White Wolf, Baekrang, quietly gazed at the sleeping lizard.

The lizard was snoring softly, completely at ease.

Baekrang wondered how this lizard had become the Serpent Queen’s companion.

She was well aware of the situation in the jungle.

The long-standing rivalry between the Serpent Queen and the Bird King.

And finally, this time, the two had clashed, as reported by the parrots.

From what Baekrang knew, the Serpent Queen couldn’t defeat the Sakaegwa.

It was simply that the Sakaegwa couldn’t easily defeat the Serpent Queen either, resulting in a stalemate.

She couldn’t interfere in a war that seemed unwinnable.

If the Serpent Queen were to lose, it might be possible to save her life to some extent.

That was her thought process.

It wasn’t because of her loyalty to her; rather, a spirit of that caliber could owe a favor.

But the outcome of the war was different from what Baekrang had anticipated.

The Serpent Queen had defeated the Sakaegwa.

This meant that there was an additional force involved beyond what she knew.

The black lizard, whom the parrots called the pillar.

It had undoubtedly played an important role.

After all, she wore the Serpent Queen's token around her neck, and her size was certainly impressive.

Moreover, the energy she emanated was so profound that even Baekrang couldn’t fully gauge it.

It was impossible to tell how many layers of inner energy and elixirs were mixed in.

In simple terms, that lizard was stronger than her.

Of course, just because it was stronger didn’t mean it could automatically defeat her.

Baekrang led the pack, and her abilities were focused on strengthening the group.

However, her pack was precious to her.

Even if she could win against that lizard, it wouldn’t mean much if her pack got hurt.

Thus, even if that lizard tried to intimidate her with sheer power, she had little leverage against it.

She could either pull her pack back and confront the lizard or simply escape with them.

She might try to exert her dominance to drive it away, but that approach wouldn’t work either.

If it had that level of strength, it would certainly feel offended by her attitude, yet Baekrang had accepted her request.

Since both had ties to the Serpent Queen, it wasn’t entirely strange.

However, that lizard was peculiar.

No matter how you looked at it, it was absurd for a creature she had never met before to sleep so peacefully.

What would it do if it got attacked while asleep?

Was it naïve or just foolish?

Of course, Baekrang had no intention of harming the lizard.

But it was hard to understand how it could be so carefree.

The wild was a place where one couldn’t survive without suspicion.

Baekrang and the wolf pack knew this better than anyone.

Even among their kind, they couldn’t afford to trust completely.

That was also why there were no males in the pack.

Anyone living in the wild would know this fact.

To not understand it meant that one was still inexperienced.

Baekrang thought that the lizard might be younger than she initially believed.

Perhaps even younger than the successor the Serpent Queen had boasted about.

Baekrang chuckled at her own thoughts.

Look at that lizard’s female companions.

There was no way a lizard less than a year old could exhibit such behavior.

It was courting the Serpent Queen, enticing birds and spiders.

There was no way that could happen in such a short time.

Moreover, they were all different species.

It would be more believable if that lizard were the disciple of the sect leader of the Celestial Horse Sect.

As she entertained such absurd thoughts, she chuckled again.

“Ha ha ha.”

Look at that.

Even now, it was rubbing its belly against one of the wolves while asleep.

“…Hey!”

How could it be touching a wolf like that in its sleep?

That lizard must be a sly one.

An old lizard that preferred females.

Of course, Baekrang thought it was just a joke, but considering the lizard’s past exploits, she felt a bit uneasy.

Still, she and her pack would not fall for the lizard's wicked charms.

As she pondered this, Baekrang prepared to scold the wolves who had fallen under the lizard's spell.

*

Ah, I had been sleeping so well; why was this happening?

Baekrang was glaring at me.

Beside me was one wolf rolling around and sticking out its tongue.

“Chillang, wake up and come here.”

“Ugh?”

Chillang. The wolf I had been petting in my sleep raised its head.

“Irjang, Ilang. Are you just going to sit there and watch?”

“Eeeeh….”

The two relatively larger wolves were hesitating.

Ilang, Irjang.

And Chillang.

Could it be they named themselves in order of age?

It seemed that this one didn’t have much creativity.

Compared to my immortal names like Shwikki or Jjaekjaek, it seemed too early for them.

“Ugh ugh.”

Chillang seemed to come to its senses and stood up.

“No, why is a lizard naturally rubbing the belly of a wolf?”

That was a bit disappointing.

Though they were wolves, they seemed more like large puppies.

A puppy snuggling in my arms.

How healing it was to rub that puppy’s belly.

“Geck geck.”

“And Chillang, you too. Why are you wagging your tail?”

“Ugh….”

Don’t scold too much.

Isn’t it normal for a puppy to act that way?

“You’re wolves, not dogs. Even domesticated dogs are treated as a joke, so how does a lizard get away with that?”

Baekrang began scolding the wolves from Ilang to Chillang.

“Auwooo….”

“…You’re saying it feels really nice? Chillang, where did you learn that?”

“Ugh….”

The relationships among these wolves seemed a bit peculiar.

Baekrang was indeed the leader, but it felt like watching a lively older sister.

It was a bit different from an ordinary wolf pack.

Of course, wolf packs themselves were families, and they understood how tightly intertwined they were.

But this seemed even tighter.

While I could think that, I had a feeling there was something else I didn’t know.

The absence of males in the pack felt suspicious.

“Look at those claws. What will you do if you get scratched?”

“Auwooo….”

“What? You think it’s okay just because you’re being touched?”

“Auwoo….”

“No way! How can you get that close after just one day? Especially to our baby?”

Baekrang spoke incredulously.

She was the one who had brought up maintaining body temperature first.

I had only petted the lizard when it was right in front of me.

If I had encountered other creatures, I would have just brushed it off, but Baekrang was unusually persistent.

….

Wait, was it that the other creatures were strange, and Baekrang was normal?

Thinking about it, that seemed likely.

“Ha, this won’t do. You there, lizard. You should come over here and sit down.”

“Geck?”

Why was the sudden attention directed at me?

*

After a while of being scolded by Baekrang, dawn broke.

Dawn meant it was time to commence the operation.

“For now, I’ll stay back and watch. Strangely enough, they charge at me madly when they see me. Being nearby would only be a hindrance.”

“Geck geck.”

Baekrang was beside me, while the other wolves waited in the cave.

“One more thing to mention, don’t touch my pack. I had thought I could relax since our species are different, but if you can’t hold back your urge to touch….”

If someone heard that, they would misunderstand.

If there was a fluffy puppy, wouldn’t it be natural to pet it?

“…Just finish the task at hand. If it gets dangerous, I’ll help.”

Baekrang halted her steps.

That meant she would wait here.

As for the Unicorne’s location… 

I could see it over there.

【Arsinotherium lv50】

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【Arsinotherium】

A massive rhinoceros-like creature, about 4m long and weighing up to 4 tons. Its two sharp horns, which can grow up to 80cm, serve as a menacing weapon that prevents most predators from even thinking about approaching the Arsinotherium.

__________________________

If the Unicorne looked like that, then this one would likely appear similar.

I held a bit of hope but didn’t expect too much.

The difference between the Unicorne and this one would be that they operated in packs.

I could see at least ten of them from my vantage point.

I understood why they had subcontracted the task to me.

If they all charged at once, even a typical beast would likely turn into jerky.

“Auwooo….”

They had spotted me.

The familiar howl echoed.

“Unicorn!” 

However, their ending was different.

An overwhelming presence could be felt.

I instinctively understood that they were ready to sacrifice everything for their beliefs.

Thud thud thud!

The Unicorne charged at me with tremendous speed.

Dust swirled up from their enormous size.

“Unicorn! Unicorn!”

….

The fierce presence of the Unicorne dissipated.

They slowed down and began to make strange noises around me.

“Catch it! Catch it!”

As they circled around me,

 their tails wagged, indicating they had no intention of attacking.

Their gazes had softened too.

Hmm, this seems a bit different from what Baekrang said?

“Unicorn! Unicorn!”

They were much gentler than I expected.

If these wolves were acting this way towards me, it meant they would likely be even gentler towards regular beasts.

“Catch it! Catch it!”

“Huuhhhh!”

“Unicorn!”

Waving their tails, the Unicorne cheered.

They were large but somewhat cute.

I didn’t know what their cries meant, though.

[Alosaurus achieved a remarkable feat!]

A sudden message appeared.

It had been a long time since I last received such an achievement.

But to achieve it at this timing?

Even at the Alosaurus level?

[You have been acknowledged by the Unicorne.]

Wow, what have I done?

[You have obtained the title, “Black Sun.”]

It was a title I hadn’t seen in a while.

But what did “Black Sun” mean?

It seemed like a good thing since it had the sun in its name.

**Black Sun**
A legendary being among the Unicorne, known to possess boundless life force akin to the sun. They can infinitely increase their companions without failing in their duties.

Your power increases significantly.

The effect was astounding.

The notion of gaining significant strength.

Though it was a brief description, the effect was destructive.

…But it felt like nothing had really changed.

It didn’t seem like my physical strength had increased at all…

What kind of power had strengthened?