I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error

Chapter 17

The sunset-stained sky was deepening into indigo twilight.

Chirrr, the quiet sound of insects echoed.

I knew it was about time to head back.

But instead of descending the mountain, I was frantically running around.

‘It’s somewhere in this mountain.’

I had to find it.

‘I can take in another animal.’

I could use a different branch.

Driven by that one desire, I even forgot that I was supposed to deliver the thornflower to Shuniel.

And that was understandable enough.

‘A branch is something you can’t obtain even with a lifetime of effort.’

But now, I had the chance to get it. How could I not go crazy?

‘This way?’

An animal friend is 250m ahead!

As I moved south, watching the distance steadily shrink,

An animal friend is nearby! Let’s hurry and find it!

Seeing the newly appeared message, I became certain.

‘Yes, it’s this way.’

I dashed at full speed in that direction.

While running, something immediately caught my eye.

‘Found it.’

Animal friend discovered!

Unlike ordinary animals, a strangely shaped green shell lay beneath a tree.

It wasn’t hard to guess what kind of animal it was.

‘A turtle?’

Another reptile, huh.

Just like when I first met Hwayo, it might attack me if I wasn’t careful.

As I approached cautiously, a message appeared.

Absolute Shell ‘溺2?B몼’

Level: ???

Traits: ???

Its name wasn’t displayed due to an error.

Judging by its small size, it seemed to be a young one, just like Hwayo.

‘But its condition looks strange.’

Beep, beep.

A labored, weak cry.

Could turtles even make sounds like this?

‘Is it injured?’

Could it have been attacked by another animal?

Looking around the turtle, I was able to guess the situation.

A pink clown mushroom growing under the tree had a bite taken out of it.

‘It ate a poisonous mushroom by mistake.’

That mushroom had a very strong toxicity.

No matter how unusual a magical creature it was, like Hwayo, poison was a force it couldn’t resist.

‘If it isn’t detoxified… it’ll probably die.’

Of course, I had a way to detoxify it.

‘…If I make an antidote with the thornflower, it won’t die.’

An animal friend is sick! You must hurry and treat it!

The system also began urging me.

But I couldn’t act according to its guidance.

‘What should I do about this.’

Gaining one branch was undoubtedly the greatest merit.

But my priority was not my growth, it was protecting the episode.

‘If I treat the turtle, the outcome of the duel with Ren becomes unpredictable.’

With a buff potion, I could be on equal footing with Ren. But if I gave up the potion and chose the turtle?

Even if I awakened a branch, if the compatibility was inferior, I couldn’t stand as his equal.

‘This turtle had better be of the earth branch or the dark branch.’

Ren already had the wind branch.

And during the duel, he would gain electrical abilities belonging to the light branch.

The only branch that had superiority over electricity was earth, and the equal compatibility was dark.

Especially, the dark branch was so rare that only a very few possessed it.

‘Realistically, the only one worth aiming for is the earth branch.’

But even the chance of hitting that earth branch was one out of four.

‘But isn’t a turtle more likely to be water-attribute?’

The first thing that came to mind with turtles was water.

‘Water branch is terribly disadvantaged against electricity.’

Especially since water and electricity were the worst compatibility, it could be worse than having nothing at all.

‘This could turn into the worst situation.’

I understood the turtle’s pitiful state well enough.

But that didn’t mean I could rashly hand over the only thornflower I had.

“Sorry. I can’t do anything either.”

As I looked at the suffering turtle and started to stand up, it happened.

Beep.

The turtle opened its eyes and looked at me. Its feeble flailing made it look unbearably pained.

It was a small, young one.

Maybe it really was hoping for my help.

The animal friend is in great pain! You must help it quickly!

‘I know that. But I can’t do it.’

My heart wavered.

I quickly avoided the turtle’s gaze.

My feet wouldn’t move, but I forced myself to walk in the opposite direction of the turtle.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

The two choices I had been given kept circling in my head.

Make the buff potion, or treat the turtle.

‘I….’

I lifted my head and looked up at the sky that had turned indigo.

“Senpai!”

I burst through the door and ran into the Alchemy Department.

Shuniel looked a little surprised, but quickly regained her usual smile.

“Did you bring it? I’ll make the potion for you right away.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“Please make me an antidote.”

“…Antidote? Wasn’t it that recipe’s potion you needed?”

Only then did I show her what I had been carrying.

“Ah.”

Shuniel let out a short gasp when she saw the turtle wheezing painfully, struggling to breathe.

“It must have eaten a poisonous mushroom. We need to detoxify it immediately.”

“Alright. Just wait a moment.”

Shuniel quickly prepared to make an antidote. Seeing that, I carefully placed the turtle on her desk.

‘I really must be crazy.’

In the end, I abandoned the guaranteed path of the buff potion and chose the uncertain turtle.

‘Gambling isn’t even my style.’

I knew the future.

The method to choose the certain thing and walk the best path was in my head.

My mind had commanded me to leave the turtle and make the buff potion.

But in the end, my body carried this small life all the way here.

‘Using such a precious material like this…’

I felt a little regret, but I knew even if I turned back time, I would choose the turtle again.

‘Yeah, what’s the point of regretting now. This is the path I chose.’

As I sat on a nearby chair, I looked at the turtle blowing bubbles.

“I’ll help too.”

Was she still in the room?

Keirin approached and snapped her fingers.

“Slow.”

A green light began to radiate around the turtle. It was an ability of the earth branch.

‘The ability to slow down everything of the target.’

It wasn’t a healing ability, but it would help delay the spread of poison through its body.

“Thank you.”

When I replied, Keirin gave me a bright smile.

“Nari, I’ve never seen you look so desperate before.”

“Desperate?”

Villed must have always looked like he had a scowling face.

How did she know my expression so well?

“With Senpai Shuniel making the medicine, it’ll heal just fine. Don’t worry.”

She patted my broad back with her small hand.

“Nari, you gave up the potion just to treat this one, didn’t you. You’re kind.”

“That’s not it, so don’t misunderstand.”

Yes.

The turtle’s situation was pitiful, that was true.

But I didn’t treat it purely out of goodwill.

‘This is no different than placing a bet.’

The turtle was a magical creature that provided special abilities like Hwayo.

‘By helping this turtle, I gain a branch.’

The odds of getting the branch I wanted were one in four.

I needed to hit the earth branch, and it also had to grant a defensive ability.

The chance of all that aligning wasn’t high.

‘But maybe it will. Maybe my choice is right.’

There was enough reason to believe so.

‘Normally, turtles make you think of the water branch.’

But since this was a land turtle in the mountains, not the sea, there was every possibility it could be earth branch.

‘And besides, when it comes to turtles, they give off more of a defensive image than an offensive one.’

Of course, that was purely a gamer’s sense.

‘If this succeeds, I could gain an ability greater than a buff potion.’

Ren had grown at an incredible rate, and even his stats surpassed mine.

But if I gained an earth branch ability with type advantage, I could overwhelm Ren instead.

‘So please, don’t die.’

Both you and I have to live, don’t we.

Watching the turtle eat the antidote, I clasped my hands together as if in prayer.

“Now all that’s left is to watch its condition.”

Sitting in the chair, I looked down at the turtle placed on the desk.

How much time had passed like that?

Flash!

The turtle opened its eyes.

It looked clear-headed, lifting its neck and glancing around.

Shuniel quickly responded in a cheerful voice.

“Thank goodness. This little one lived.”

Hearing that it was safe, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘I really was on edge.’

If I had wasted the material and still failed to save the turtle, it would have been a huge loss.

Now, no longer in pain, the turtle stopped making its weak cries.

“Look. Doesn’t it seem like it’s saying thank you?”

After briefly locking eyes with Shuniel and Keirin, the turtle began to crawl toward me.

‘Is it trying to come to me?’

Did it recognize me?

Before I knew it, it had crawled into my arms.

“Wow, so cute!”

Keirin looked at the turtle hiding snugly in my arms with sparkling eyes.

Looking down at the turtle, it held my gaze for a long time.

‘Is this its way of showing thanks for saving it?’

Even animals knew their benefactor.

Without realizing, a small laugh slipped out.

“I heard you work at the livestock shed, Villed. You must really like animals.”

Shuniel gave a gentle smile.

“Giving up precious materials to save a small life. That was truly moving. There are very few who would make such a choice.”

“You’re overestimating me. I saved it only because it’s a rare species I’d been looking for.”

“It’s not an overestimation. I can see no greed in your eyes, Villed.”

Before I could reply, Keirin puffed out her chest proudly as if it were her own matter.

“Senpai, see? Didn’t you say Nari was different from other nobles, that he was interesting?”

“Yes, Keirin. Rumors are just rumors.”

“……”

I didn’t bother answering the two of them and instead held onto the turtle’s foot.

“Animal registration.”

When I answered in a low voice, a different message appeared than the one with Hwayo.

The animal friend doesn’t have a name yet! Please give it a pretty name!

‘A name, huh….’

I remembered that the turtle’s name hadn’t shown earlier due to a system error.

I quickly answered with the first thing that came to mind.

“Boogie.”

Registration of Absolute Shell ‘Boogie’ is complete!

A second animal friend has arrived at the farm!

The formal registration was finished.

‘This means it’s now my animal.’

Having managed to find a second animal already, I felt a sense of accomplishment and reward.

While I was briefly savoring that joy, Keirin butted in.

“Boogie, is that supposed to be the turtle’s name?”

“It’s cute, I like it.”

Both Keirin and Shuniel agreed with me.

“You named it ‘Boogie’ after turtle, didn’t you. Nari, you actually have a cute side.”

Keirin stood up and ruffled my hair.

Since coming to this world, it was the first time someone had patted my head.

I felt a bit embarrassed.

“Stop that.”

“Nari, are you shy?”

Keirin stuck out her tongue and grinned at me.

Shuniel also seemed unable to hold back her laughter at the sight.

If I had been the original Villed, or any other noble, no one would have even imagined such a scene.

‘Well, both of them did help me. There’s no need to get angry in this situation.’

It was just a little embarrassing, not upsetting.

I checked Boogie’s condition again.

Absolute Shell ‘Boogie’

Level: 2

Mood: Happy, refreshed, stress 1%.

Traits: ???

‘Boogie’s level is 2.’

Combat abilities activated starting from level 3.

If I let it rest in Happy Nest, it would awaken its abilities in two or three days.

‘So the results come out then.’

I had to wait a little longer to know what its ability was.

When I glanced outside, the sky had already turned dark.

Shuniel spoke up first.

“It’s late at night. Let’s head back now.”

Following Shuniel’s words, we stepped outside the building.

“Take care. If it’s about medicine, I can help you anytime, so come see me.”

Shuniel and Keirin waved as they watched me heading for the livestock shed.

I gave a simple nod and returned to the shed.

‘Now, what will happen next.’

I placed Boogie into the ✿Animal✿Farm✿ system.

Perhaps because it had just been detoxified, Boogie instinctively went to the nest and fell asleep.

Popong?

Hwayo, whose nest had been taken by Boogie, wandered around looking flustered.

‘Wait, are they going to fight?’

I grew anxious, worried Hwayo might get angry and pick a fight with Boogie.

Popong.

Instead, Hwayo curled up in a corner and went to sleep.

‘Did it give up its nest?’

Even though it had breathed fire at me without warning.

‘It’s kinder than I thought.’

They would probably get along fine from now on.

With that thought, I sank my body into the warm water of the bath.