The Strongest Guild Kidnapped Me

Chapter 123

"Endurance training, huh..."

The adventurers in this world never hesitated to take on grueling training. If it were me, I wouldn’t last more than a few hits.

Even more, the punches from adventurers here were on a whole different level compared to the people in my old world. The thought of them enduring such things with pure grit was astonishing.

It seemed that people here had a much higher tolerance for pain. Watching them with a mix of admiration and awe, I suddenly had a realization that left me stunned—I, too, was an adventurer, just like them.

"Um... should I be doing endurance training too?"

Honestly, I didn't want to. I disliked being hit so much that I chose long-range weapons specifically to avoid close combat. But if it was a necessary part of being an adventurer, I would try my best to endure it.

"Oh... Gyeoul, you don’t need to."

Midsummer waved both her hands, reassuring me. I found it a bit odd. Endurance training was something even fighters back in my old world went through. Taking a few hits helps lessen fear and builds pain resistance. As an adventurer who fights monsters, there was no reason for me to skip it.

"But don’t all adventurers go through it?"

"Well, yeah, but what’s there to hit on you, Gyeoul?"

At her words, I looked down at myself. Sure, I was small, but there were still places to hit—like my back or face.

"What about my solar plexus?"

"No, absolutely not."

Midsummer shook her head firmly, and Jung Yuna and Cha Ju-yeon both wore similarly determined expressions.

"But isn’t enduring pain necessary for growth?"

"Everyone has their own way to grow. As someone experienced in this, I can say that getting hit won’t help you grow, Gyeoul."

"If you say so..."

If Midsummer said so, it must be true. It felt strange, but I decided to trust her for now.

"So, what kind of training would be right for me?"

"Your best bet is sensory training. That’s something you’re already very skilled at. It’s best for adventurers to hone their strengths."

"Oh..."

It was true; my senses were sharper than most. If I focused, I could pick up sounds from hundreds of meters away and distinguish dozens of different scents. In battle, arrows seemed to move in slow motion.

What would happen if I focused my training on these senses? The idea filled me with anticipation.

"Everyone has their own training methods, huh?"

"Yeah. Want some help?"

"No, I’ll try it on my own."

If I asked for help with everything, I wouldn’t grow. Figuring out the method for myself would be a valuable experience.

"Good attitude."

Midsummer gave me a thumbs-up, and my tail swayed happily in response.

"I’ll go start training, then."

"Alright. We have some things to discuss, so we’ll head off first."

The three women waved goodbye and walked off. I watched them go, then headed to the bench near the pond.

Sitting on the bench, I closed my eyes, tuning in to the world through sound alone. The splashes of fish jumping in the pond, the hum of engines from distant cars, the faint sounds of insects hiding in the grass—one by one, I separated each sound.

The goal wasn’t just to distinguish sounds but to pinpoint their sources. If I could judge distance perfectly, I’d be able to locate someone without even opening my eyes.

‘There are a lot of people here.’

There were about twelve people nearby. As I was focusing on locating each one, someone started running toward me.

*Tap tap tap*—the light, scampering footsteps gave them away. I instantly knew it was Levinas.

"Hey, hey!"

"Yes?"

I didn’t open my eyes but answered her. Even without seeing, I could tell she was tilting her head in front of me, her breaths soft and close.

At this rate, I could live without sight entirely! Feeling a bit smug, I sensed Levinas plop down next to me.

"Hey, what are you doing with your eyes closed?"

"I’m training."

"Training?"

"Mm-hm."

I could feel Levinas staring at the side of my face, her every move revealed through sound alone.

"Are you training to sleep? I can teach you the best way to sleep!"

*Plop*—I felt a weight on my thigh and looked down. Levinas had made herself comfortable, using my leg as a pillow.

Giggling, she didn’t seem like someone who was planning to sleep anytime soon. I playfully placed my hand over her eyes.

"No, it’s not sleep training—it’s sensory training."

"Sensory training?"

"Yeah. I’m reading the world with sound alone."

"Oh! Levinas can do that too!"

She perked up her ears, and her curiosity was clear, as rabbits were known for their excellent hearing.

"Levinas, what sounds do you hear?"

"I can hear the wind!"

"Right."

Suddenly, a strong wind picked up. It blew the leaves around, enough for me to train my dynamic vision by tracking them. Just as I looked up to count the leaves, I noticed something flying toward us.

'What is that...'

A hat. Someone’s hat must have blown off in the wind, and it was heading straight for Levinas’ face. Though it wouldn’t hurt if it hit her, I placed my hand in front of her face just in case.

"Oof!"

Levinas stiffened, hands reaching up to touch the hat now perched on her head.

"Wow, hey, there’s something on my face!"

"Yeah, a hat blew over here."

"A hat?"

She reached up, feeling the hat covering her face. After poking it all over, she suddenly stood up, looking slightly irritated.

"What’s wrong?"

"Levinas hates hats! They’re the worst!"

With a huff, she made as if to throw the hat down but only mimed it, not actually tossing it.

"Why do you hate hats...?"

Levinas rarely got upset, so this strong reaction was surprising. Maybe she’d had a bad experience with hats?

"I used to like hats! But they don’t like me back!"

"Uh, really...?"

I had no idea what she meant. Was this something only a child could understand? All I could do was listen to her grumbling.

"Hats are evil! Hats are bad!"

"Levinas, why do you hate hats?"

"You’d understand if you tried one!"

Huffing, she reluctantly put the hat back on. It sat on her head, covering her eyebrows and fitting surprisingly well.

"Hm?"

She had only put it on, but I couldn’t see any reason for her to hate it. As a question mark hovered in my mind, something unexpected happened.

*Boing!*

The hat suddenly sprang off her head, as if propelled by a spring. Puzzled, I watched, and soon realized what had happened—her flexible ears had popped it right off.

"Oh."

I hadn’t anticipated that. My tail stopped mid-sway, struck by the strangeness of it.

"Did you see that, Gyeoul?"

"Y-yeah..."

Levinas’ ears were more flexible than I’d thought. I hadn’t expected them to be able to launch a hat.

I picked up the hat and placed it back on her head.

*Boing!*

It bounced off again, like those toys where a spring-loaded pirate would pop out. It was funny to watch, though I held back my laughter since Levinas didn’t seem too amused.

"I hate hats."

"Yeah, I get it."

She still seemed confused as to why hats couldn’t stay on her head. Finding it endearing, I decided to wait a bit before explaining it to her.

---

A sudden gust of wind had blown someone’s hat away. Kwon Arin, training with her teammates, chased after the hat.

‘Found it.’

She saw two familiar beastkin children holding the hat. They must have picked it up when it blew over. Leading her teammates, she approached the children but stopped in her tracks.

Gyeoul was placing the bucket hat on Levinas’ head, and each time, the hat sprang off. Gyeoul seemed to enjoy it, repeating the process over and over.

*Boing!*

"Hats are my enemy."

*Boing!*

"I won’t give any carrots to hats."

Each time the hat flew off, Levinas would grumble a complaint. Though she scowled, she didn’t resist Gyeoul putting it back on.

Was she letting Gyeoul play with her, or did she secretly want to wear the hat? Either way, it was an adorable scene. Even Kwon Arin’s teammate, who loved cute things, blushed watching them.

‘Can’t they just put holes in the hat for her ears?’

Gyeoul was smart enough to figure that out but seemed to be enjoying herself playing with Levinas’ ears.

Seeing Gyeoul’s tail wagging, Kwon Arin decided to just watch a bit longer. Levinas’ puffed-up, pouty cheeks were simply too cute.

"Why... why do hats hate only me...! I actually like hats!"

*Thump thump*

Levinas waved her little fists in frustration, while Gyeoul continued silently placing the hat back on her head.