How Druids Live with the Beast

“Of course, it was a joke. But I do think you’ve lost your memory, don’t you?” Eun-ho said cheerfully.

Tae-ho and Ga-eul looked at each other again.

Something was off.

Had there been a problem with his head?

As their conflicting thoughts collided, Ga-eul decided to wrap it up quickly.

“Then, I’ll make your identity suitable. Is that alright?”

“That’s fine. Just make sure it’s not too suspicious.”

“Then, rest up. I’ll come by around dinner time.”

Tae-ho seemed eager to leave quickly, but Eun-ho waved his hand.

“You have to come! Please don’t leave me alone in this big hospital room.”

“Seo Eun-ho, you’re much more important than I thought, so I’ll definitely come.”

Tae-ho smiled brightly and turned towards the door. As he turned his back on Ga-eul, he quietly spoke to her.

“…That guy looks like he’s got a headache, doesn’t he?”

“Your voice is too loud, Doctor.”

Ga-eul casually said, and Tae-ho cleared his throat awkwardly.

With a forced smile on his face, he turned around.

“Well, you see…”

“Are you really in pain? Is the bandage too tight?”

“Then, I should call a nurse. Rest well.”

Tae-ho rushed out of the room, and Ga-eul gave a polite bow.

“Please understand. He’s not a bad person. He just gets so absorbed in his research that his social skills are a bit lacking.”

Since there was no change in Ga-eul’s expression, Eun-ho simply smiled lightly.

“I understand.”

“Get well soon.”

After Ga-eul left, Eun-ho stared at the ceiling.

The silence seemed even more pronounced.

He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

‘In this world, mythical beasts are treated like outcasts, huh?’

He had never seen such a beautiful creature.

It was still vivid in his mind.

His childhood dream had been to run a zoo, but due to practical, financial issues, and his physical condition, he couldn’t get close to the animals.

‘Is this the opportunity I’ve been waiting for?’

The power of a druid.

He had it.

‘Is this the moment where I can fulfill my dream?’

Though the target had changed to mythical beasts, he saw potential.

Eun-ho stared at his hand.

There was nothing really different except for the bandages wrapped around it.

He turned his head to the left.

A small cactus sat by the window.

Eun-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly, and in a whispering voice, he said:

“Grow.”

It was silent.

He touched his lips with his finger and mimicked reaching out with his hand, trying again.

This time, he was genuinely angry.

The image of his boss popped into his mind, and without any preparation, his emotions flared up.

“By the power of the druid, I wish for you to grow!”

Still, nothing happened. Eun-ho scratched his eyebrow with a sheepish look on his face.

“…Uh, Tablet?”

Eun-ho called out softly.

He suddenly recalled the moment when the tablet had floated in midair earlier.

“It definitely flew to me earlier…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the tablet inside his bag flew out, and Eun-ho couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Yes.]

Words appeared on the screen.

“Wow, it can recognize my voice?”

[Currently, you are registered as ‘Tablet-231258’.]

“Then, Tablet, I have a question. What exactly is a druid? I know about druids from games, but is it similar to that?”

[A druid is someone who is closest to nature. They can communicate with nature and hear its words.]

[I am just a device for recording, and I do not have additional information related to this.]

“Ah, so it’s like the druid in games.”

Eun-ho found the tablet’s explanation incredibly interesting.

[I am currently inputting your situation.]

[You are feeling strong interest.]

“Wow, how do you know that? This is really amazing!”

[I am a support device designed to assist you.]

“Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”

[I am recording today.]

[The first day receiving thanks♡]

Eun-ho chuckled at the heart that was shyly added at the end.

“This tablet is amusing! So, does the memo function work automatically?”

[Yes. If you wish, the record can also be deleted.]

“Great. Then, can I also bring something?”

Eun-ho pointed at his leg, which was broken and immobilized.

“As you can see, my leg is in this condition.”

[It is possible.]

[Please state your request.]

“Could you bring me the bag that the tablet was in?”

The tablet flew over, wrapped the bag, and set it down.

“Thank you.”

Eun-ho smiled slightly and began rummaging through the bag.

This was the only thing he could check right now.

He had clearly moved a plant before, but now it wasn’t working.

Was there something lacking in the conditions?

‘Please, just give me a manual.’

At that moment, something brushed against his palm.

[The Druid’s Guide for Beginners.]

Seeing the title, Eun-ho cheered.

The booklet was thin, only about two pages, but as soon as he opened it, his head spun.

‘What kind of writing is this?’

When Eun-ho handed the manual to the tablet, a clicking sound was heard.

“I haven’t even said anything yet?”

[Input in progress.]

[…Try experiencing it yourself, enjoy meeting various beings. The most important thing is to connect with unfamiliar beings.]

“Then, is there a way to communicate with mythical beasts?”

[There is a method. I will display the explanation.]

[At first, you won’t be able to hear the speech of unfamiliar beings, so you’ll attempt training.]

“Isn’t there a faster and easier way? That would be the best.”

[Touch the image of the discovered being and call its species name.]

“Oh, that sounds good.”

Eun-ho looked at the two separate screens.

When he tapped on a photo of the black dog, two buttons appeared.

They were displayed as small icons at the bottom, and when he pressed them, the left one was the summoning button for a mythical beast he had already met, while the right was for summoning one he had not met yet.

‘…I guess it’s better to summon the black dog I’ve already met?’

He wasn’t sure why he was doing this, but Eun-ho followed the instructions.

“Black dog.”

As soon as he finished speaking, text appeared on the screen.

[Searching for the closest mythical beast.]

[Searching.]

[This may take some time.]

[.]

[.]

At first, Eun-ho watched with curiosity, but as the same text kept appearing, he yawned out of boredom.

It felt like it had been about 10 minutes when suddenly, the surroundings grew dark, and he turned his head.

Two sharp yellow eyes were staring at him.

‘…It’s the black dog.’

Why was the black dog here?

Slowly, the creature moved its gaze towards the tablet.

[This is a method of calling the being with the power of a druid. If you are not yet close, please do not use it (laughs).]

“…No, no, that’s not what I meant, Tablet.”

Grrr…

A low growl sounded, and Eun-ho jumped in surprise.

“Shh, shh! Wait a minute, pup. You can’t bark now. There are bad men downstairs.”

Eun-ho swung his hands as much as he could, but the message didn’t get through.

Grrr…

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Eun-ho’s face twisted.

It was his fault for summoning the black dog, so he was in a bit of a panic.

“Tablet, please tell me quickly.”

[Now, take the headset from your bag.]

Eun-ho rummaged through the bag.

It was supposed to be about the size of a crossbody bag, but it was deeper than he expected, and he found a headset that hadn’t been visible earlier.

‘How did this fit in here? …Never mind, don’t think about it. Just use it now.’

Eun-ho put on the headset, though only one side fit properly.

“How did I summon it?”

“……?”

With a heavy voice, Eun-ho lowered the hand that was holding the headset.

‘The voice…’

It trickled down and then stopped.

‘I can hear it.’

Grrr…

As the beast-like sound reached him, Eun-ho hurriedly adjusted the headset, relieved that he wasn’t imagining things.

“I’m sorry for calling you suddenly, but we need to run away quickly.”

“…?”

The black dog, already large, widened its eyes.

It stared at Eun-ho, then furrowed its brow.

Suddenly, black smoke seemed to rush past Eun-ho, brushing against him.

“What did you just say? Run away?”

The voice came from behind.

Eun-ho shut his lips, seeing the black dog slightly bent as its head touched the ceiling.

This wasn’t the time to smile.

“You heard well. This is no time to hesitate, we need to escape.”

“I don’t run away.”

“You ran away just fine last time.”

“…Human speech is difficult.”

Eun-ho barely held back his laughter at the black dog’s attempt to dodge the situation.

“Come on, pup. Be a good dog.”

Eun-ho reached his hand toward the black dog, but it immediately growled.

“How rude, human. If you reach out again, I’ll bite!”

The sharp teeth bared in a flash, and one tooth was much larger than Eun-ho’s head.

“Isn’t a dog supposed to be angry?”

“That’s included. I was abandoned by humans, so I helped, but you lack the basics.”

“What exactly does reaching out your hand mean?”

When Eun-ho reached his hand out again, the black dog’s face contorted in anger.

“It’s an insult. It means you’re calling me a mutt. I am not a dog.”

“…You weren’t a dog? The species name already has ‘dog’ in it.”

“That’s a name humans gave me.”

“A wolf…?”

“I’m not a wolf. Don’t compare me to that creature.”

“Honestly, you do look a bit like one.”

“Rude human.”

“My name is Seo Eun-ho. Seo Eun-ho.”

“Poor-sighted human.”

“Yeah, pup.”

At those words, the black dog snorted in disdain.

It looked at Eun-ho with a condescending gaze.

“Human, your loud mouth is bothering me, but I won’t run away. Neither will you.”

“Me…? Why all of a sudden?”

“I cannot allow myself to leave while there is injustice before my eyes.”

The black dog proudly raised its nose, but the ceiling blocked it.

It forced its head up, and with a cracking sound, the ceiling split.

“…Ugh.”

Eun-ho scratched his brow, watching the debris fall.

It was a mess that had happened before he could even stop it, and his vision went dark.

“You’ve been a troublesome human from the start, with your loud mouth. But since you were tied by some strange device, I’ll save you again.”

“Wait a minute!”

The black dog opened its mouth instead of responding.

It placed Eun-ho inside its mouth and tore apart the device that had been holding his leg.

“Don’t worry. I won’t abandon you, even if you have a loud mouth.”

[It has a straightforward personality. It has a strong ego and is inflexible.]

The tablet displayed this message on the screen in front of Eun-ho.

‘I didn’t need to be shown that, Tablet.’

The problem was something else.

The nurse was about to arrive.

“Wait a second, pup. If others see this…”

Knock knock.

At the sound of a knock, Eun-ho quickly closed his mouth.

“Patient Seo Eun-ho…”

Clank!

The nurse dropped the medical supplies she was holding and stared fearfully at the black dog at the door.

“It’s a misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“That’s right. I’m just trying to help. Don’t misunderstand.”

Following Eun-ho’s words, the black dog calmly spoke, but its voice drowned out Eun-ho’s words and sounded like a massive thunderclap to the nurse.

Grrr… Grrrr…

The nurse quickly ran off, and Tae-ho rushed to close the door in a hurry.

‘…Oh my.’

Tae-ho stood in front of the door, panting heavily.

He had just stepped out and returned, but he never expected the black dog to show up at the hospital.

“So, what I’m saying is…”

“Just now… just now, a person…?”

“Haha… haha. Did you see how the magical beast loves me? This is exactly like what I’ve heard about…”

Crash!

The sound of the window shattering made Tae-ho’s eyelids tremble.

“…Right now, I’m playing with a magical beast. I’m actually the head of the Magical Beast Research Institute.”

Tae-ho knew this was a ridiculous excuse.

With the nurse giving him a look that screamed ‘Are you crazy?’ he was at a loss for words.

“…So, so…”

“Help! The magical beast took the patient!”

The nurse hurried off, and Tae-ho slumped down in place.

He opened the door slightly, and the wind rushed through the broken wall.

‘Someone, please tell me this is just a dream!’

Whoooosh!

The sound of a powerful stream of water rushing down made Eun-ho’s ears ring.

“…Do you know this is kidnapping, or not?”

Despite his words, Eun-ho lay comfortably, looking at the black dog.

The black dog had taken him to a cave hidden behind a waterfall.

“I don’t know what that is. It’s the first time I’ve heard that word.”

“It means you took me without my consent.”

“I saved you. I have no regrets about my actions.”

“…Ah, I guess that could be true.”

Perhaps this was the difference in perspective between a magical beast and a human.

Eun-ho thought to himself.

“I’ve heard that humans are smart.”

With those words, the black dog’s gaze toward Eun-ho changed strangely.

It seemed to pity him, or perhaps there was a trace of sympathy.

“What’s with that look?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, you’re the one who destroyed the building and left without thinking. Why should I get such a look?”

Eun-ho was baffled.

Anyone could see that he was the smarter one.

“I clearly said I saved you. Are the people who tied you up really that great?”

“No. Not really… But you’re different. I liked you from the first time I saw you. You were beautiful.”

Eun-ho smiled brightly, and the black dog snorted and quickly turned its head.

“Are you embarrassed? You’re embarrassed, aren’t you? Woof… No, wait. I can’t keep calling you ‘puppy.’ What’s your name?”

“I cannot tell you that. You shouldn’t be so foolish to ask, nor should you reveal your own name.”

The black dog responded coldly, almost excessively sensitive.

“You said you didn’t like being called a puppy. So can I keep calling you that? Should I?”

“You don’t understand anything. You’re a lot of trouble.”

The black dog sighed, and Eun-ho felt even more pleased.

“If you don’t like it, then tell me why.”

“Giving you my name means submission. If you tell me your name, it means you submitted to me. You made a foolish choice.”

“…Me? To you?”

“Yes.”

“This is a bit of a blow to my pride, but fine. I’ll call you ‘Puppy’ from now on.”

“…”

The black dog’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ve rarely been called ‘older brother’ by anyone. Consider it an honor.”

“Fine, I accept it.”

As the black dog’s attitude became more dignified, Eun-ho laughed.

“What’s this? You actually like this kind of thing? Do you act like this with other magical beasts too?”

“I don’t know.”

The constant barrage of questions made the black dog think that he was tired of this.

Why were there so many questions?

“Then, among your own kind, are there beings who call each other older brother, younger brother?”

For a moment, the black dog’s eyes wavered.

Although Eun-ho knew it was just a curious question, the black dog couldn’t suppress the emotions rushing through him.

“…You all killed them.”

A deep sadness seeped through the black dog’s voice, and Eun-ho slapped his own mouth.