Chapter 21: Owlbear (2)

Any animal, when it is a baby, is adorable.

There is even a saying that they survive thanks to that cuteness that awakens the compassion of their enemies.

No matter how fierce an animal may be, most of the time when it is small it radiates a lethal cuteness.

“Kyuu?”

Just like the owlbear cub that was in front of me.

It only tilted its head, but I felt as if my heart had received a direct hit.

If I had to describe an owlbear cub, it would be like this.

A little ball of fur that looks incredibly fluffy is staring at me with wide, round eyes.

The face of an adult owlbear was extremely fierce, but the cub’s was very gentle.

But this is the wild world. Even for an owlbear, surviving as a cub in a place like this is difficult.

So, what should I do now?

“Chu chu chu chu. Chu chu. Come here.”

“Kyuu.”

What else would it be? Touch it once.

I moved my fingers calling it and the owlbear tilted its head before slowly approaching.

Then it buried its nose in my hand and began to sniff. It was the instinct typical of beasts.

While the owlbear sniffed, I slowly moved my other hand.

Swoosh—

Swoosh—

Swoosh—

“Kyuuung?”

Petting its head with one hand something a four-legged animal could never do.

The little owlbear opened its eyes in surprise at that sensation it was experiencing for the first time.

Its round eyes, even too round, and that tuft of bristled hair on top of its head, so typical of owls.

How could such an adorable creature exist?

Besides, its size was like that of a medium dog, so it did not represent a great threat.

“Grrr… grrr.”

Apparently it liked my petting, because it closed its eyes and made a strange sound.

While I continued petting its head, I calmly entered the gallery.

Title) I found an owlbear cub

WildGrills

(photo of the owlbear cub)

(photo of the owlbear cub)

(video petting the owlbear cub)

(video of the owlbear cub smiling)

I killed the mother and when I came out this one was here. It is very adorable.

ㄴIt is too cute haha

ㄴLook how fluffy its fur is

ㄴIt is definitely different from the adult;;

ㄴYou killed the mother of something this cute? You are a real villain

ㄴOrphan maker haha

ㄴOrphan maker haha

ㄴHaha

ㄴLol

ㄴGrills, you are an orphan too. Was it necessary to create another?

ㄴWildGrills) Its mother tried to kill me, I also have to live;;

ㄴWell, surviving comes first haha

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) It is certainly adorable. It looks like a little ball of fur. I would like to hug it once.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Yesss. Just like me.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) ?

ㄴ?

ㄴ?

ㄴDemonPrincess) What is wrong, damn it. If it bothers you, let’s fight.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Insolent. It makes me want to hug you until you burst.

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) I will give a 3-hour ban!

ㄴWildGrills) ??? Hey. Why?

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) If something is adorable, at minimum you must upload 10 photos and 3 videos!

ㄴWildGrills) Was there a rule like that?;;

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) I just created it!

ㄴWildGrills) Master?

ㄴThe power of the moderator haha

ㄴThis is tyranny!

ㄴ hahaha

ㄴLol

ㄴSo can I upload my face? I am cute haha

ㄴHeroDontThrowAway) Posts that cause disgust will be banned!

ㄴHaha

ㄴHaha

ㄴLook how firm he is haha

Most people praised the owlbear cub.

And seeing a ball of fur like that, it would be strange if the heart did not melt.

But nature is always cruel.

Then I found a comment.

ㄴSo what if it is cute? It still has to be killed

ㄴWhy kill something so cute?

ㄴBoo. Trash!

ㄴHey, damn it. Then are you going to raise it? When it gets hungry it will eat Grills first

ㄴI heard a story. A noble raised an owlbear, went on vacation and when he returned it had eaten him

ㄴUgh can they really be raised?

ㄴIf you give it food properly, its loyalty is incredible. If you do not feed it, you become the food haha

ㄴHahaha

ㄴBesides this is nature. How are you going to raise it?

ㄴDo we really have to kill it? It is too cute

ㄴBy the size it looks like a newborn

After reading that comment I looked at the owlbear.

The owlbear was rubbing its face against my hand as if it truly enjoyed my petting.

Just seeing it made any bad mood disappear.

But a wild animal is still a wild animal.

Especially owlbears. They say they have a terrible appetite and that they even devour their owners frequently.

“Kyuuung. Kyuu.”

Would a creature that cute really do that?

I looked at it with some sadness.

If I am cold about it, the best thing would be to kill it myself to avoid problems later.

Someone might say to raise it, but right now I can barely take care of myself.

If even rich nobles have difficulties raising them, what would remain for me?

‘And besides getting food at the auction house is not easy either.’

If it were that simple, I myself would have already bought food.

It is a pity, but there is no other option.

Even so, killing it did not make me feel good either.

It would be better to return it to nature.

I made that decision.

ㄴWildGrills) For now I will return it to nature. I can barely feed myself.

ㄴDon’t you have a sense of responsibility?

ㄴWildGrills) Hey, damn it. Its mother tried to kill me. What responsibility?

ㄴWell, that is also true

ㄴQuick acceptance haha

ㄴBuy meat at the auction house. Don’t you have a lot of money, Grills?

ㄴWildGrills) If that were the case I would have already bought it for myself

ㄴHey;; you have money. Can’t you feed a cub?

ㄴWildGrills) Then why would I have to raise it? Besides, I am saving just in case

ㄴHow much money do you have?

Let’s see. How much money did I have?

Last time Allfather gave me quite a lot of money, so I was not exactly in trouble.

But raising an animal costs a lot of money.

And it is not a dog or a cat, it is a huge “bear.”

Even if it is still a cub, its appetite will not disappear.

ㄴWildGrills) I have quite a lot, but investing it in this…

ㄴAre you stupid? You could take the owlbear with you as an escort

ㄴWildGrills) What are you talking about?

ㄴYou know how strong an owlbear is. When it becomes an adult there is no more reliable bodyguard. Take it with you as if it were your escort knight

ㄴThat actually… makes sense!

ㄴHonestly, that sounds pretty good

ㄴMaybe it really would be better to raise it

That comment was quite convincing.

I looked at the owlbear.

When this adorable ball of fur grows up, it will become that fierce monster.

Besides, if its appetite can be satisfied, its loyalty will also be very high.

‘…I also feel a little lonely.’

Even if I have the gallery, it cannot be compared with interacting with a living being.

I met the curious gaze of the owlbear.

Thinking about it, using this guy as an escort does not seem like a bad option either.

If I ever ran out of money, I could always sell a mandrake or hunt a golden frog.

‘But… what does this eat?’

Bears are omnivores that even eat decomposing corpses.

But this is an owlbear.

To find out its diet, I wrote in the gallery.

Title) What do owlbears eat?

WildGrills

ㄴDon’t they eat everything?

ㄴLike the one above said. Their diet is basically the same as a bear’s

ㄴWildGrills) Do they like honey?

ㄴThey love it haha

Good. Then I will try giving it some.

I entered the auction house and searched for honey.

Just in case, I also did not forget to read the reviews carefully.

Apparently, it was an apiary farm with three generations of tradition.

And the proof they showed was quite impressive.

ㄴHow do we know that is real honey?

ㄴ(photo of a face swollen from bee stings)

ㄴAh… I see;; I will buy two jars

ㄴThat is convincing proof haha

Something like that.

Thanks to that, I could buy it without hesitation.

After buying the honey, I also bought a large spoon.

A wooden spoon.

Then I scooped some honey with the spoon and offered it to the little owlbear.

“Kyuu?”

“Try it. It is delicious.”

“Sniff. Sniff.”

As if it were the first time seeing honey, the cub was cautious.

I felt like every drop of honey falling from the spoon was a waste.

But perhaps because its sense of smell was highly developed, it did not take long before it opened its mouth.

“Nom.”

“Is it tasty?”

“…”

The little one who had tasted the honey stayed still for a moment and then—

“Kyuuuu!”

“Huh, huh?”

“Kyuaaah!”

It began devouring the honey while making strange sounds.

Surprised, I placed the jar on the ground and stepped back a couple of steps.

“Chap chap chap chap.”

“…”

Wow, it really eats with enthusiasm.

It is also curious to see how such a long tongue comes out of that short beak.

The little owlbear was completely fascinated by the sweet taste of honey, something it was tasting for the first time.

It did not even let me try a bite.

If I had known, I would have tasted some first.

Anyway, it seems it liked it, so that is fine.

It will take it some time to finish all of that.

‘What name should I give it?’

I decided to raise it for my survival and mental stability.

I have never had pets, but I know that the name is important.

‘It is a fluffy ball of fur… Bokseul?’

Was that too improvised?

But there is not really another name that suits it better.

Ask the gallery to suggest names.

That does not seem like a good idea.

Surely very strange names would appear.

“Bokseul.”

“Chap chap chap chap!”

“Bokseul?”

“Chap chap chap!”

Maybe it does not hear me because it is busy eating honey?

Well, I already decided the name, so with time it will get used to it.

Before that, I will upload a photo.

I cannot keep something this adorable to myself.

Title) I already decided the name

WildGrills

(photo of the owlbear cub eating honey)

Its name is Bokseul.

I named it that because its fur is fluffy. I do not accept objections.

ㄴThat name really took no effort haha

ㄴHow is it different from “Nureongi”? haha

ㄴTotally haha

ㄴWildGrills) Then you give it a name haha

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) How about Wonmo, which means “round fur”?

ㄴWildGrills) Master?;;

ㄴYou can tell she is an old lady

ㄴBut the name sounds good. Wonmo!

ㄴFrom now on your name is Wonmo haha

ㄴSwordmaster [1]) Bokseul is not bad either. Besides it is cute

ㄴWildGrills) Can you not come up with another?

ㄴSwordmaster) Is it female or male?

ㄴWildGrills) Wait a moment

After seeing that comment, I carefully approached the back of the owlbear.

Then I lowered my head and saw two small round balls.

It was male without any doubt.

There was no clearer way to check.

ㄴWildGrills) It is male

ㄴSwordmaster) Alexander II. What about that? It sounds great

ㄴWildGrills) ;;;

ㄴIsn’t that the name of a general?

ㄴYes, the name of a great Messiah general haha

ㄴIf it were female it would be Alexandria haha

ㄴDemonPrincess) What about Naldo?

ㄴWho is Naldo?

ㄴHe exists. A Chayu football player

ㄴDemonPrincess) I have been discovered haha

ㄴDiscovered for what? haha

ㄴLook how shameless haha

ㄴSunForEver) Sultan. At first glance he has the face of a king

ㄴFrom where? That pig?

ㄴSunForEver) Even pigs have the appearance of a king

ㄴReally?

ㄴSunForEver) Yes, my son too

ㄴWhy are you betting on your son? haha

Look at that.

All kinds of strange names are appearing.

Before asking the gallery, it is better that I simply call it Bokseul.

But it seems the gallery does not intend to leave it like that.

ㄴThere are too many names, better decide with a vote

ㄴBokseul, Wonmo, Alexander, Naldo, Sultan. Five options?

ㄴWill more be added? If not, I will post the poll

ㄴShouldn’t Grills post it?

ㄴNo. He will definitely choose Bokseul

ㄴWildGrills) ??? I am the owner, why are you the ones deciding?

It is absurd.

I am the one who decided to raise it, and they choose the name however they want?

But who are the gallery users?

People who never listen to what others say.

As expected, they completely ignored my opinion and the vote began.

Title) Vote for the owlbear cub’s name

1. Bokseul: 1%

2. Wonmo: 39%

3. Alexander: 21%

4. Naldo: 19%

5. Sultan: 20%

By the principle of the majority, Wonmo has been decided! Bang bang bang!

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) Everyone has good taste. I feel proud.

ㄴSwordmaster) No. How did it end up being Wonmo? That name is so outdated?

ㄴDemonPrincess) I cannot accept it.

ㄴSunForEver) What a shame. He had the face to become a king.

ㄴWildGrills) Hey. It is my pet, right? Why are you the ones deciding the name?;;

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) If you do not like it, give it the name you want. I will respect your opinion.

ㄴYou can feel the disappointment in that comment;;

ㄴGrills, an elder is asking you like that. Are you going to refuse?

ㄴIf you refuse, you are really a bad person.

ㄴWildGrills) ;;;

What a damned situation.

Like this I have no choice but to call it Wonmo.

On top of that HeavenlyDemon has helped me many times, so it is not easy to refuse her.

I rubbed my face and let out a sigh.

What the hell is this gallery.

‘Although… the name Wonmo is not that bad, is it?’

Wonmo.

It is a name someone would give in an old countryside village.

It has a rustic air, even somewhat clumsy.

‘Well, at least it is not called Dolsoe.’

Hmm.

Although Dolsoe might be better?

I am not sure.

I looked at the owlbear cub that was still eating honey.

Now, the one who had become Wonmo.

I calmly opened my mouth.

“Wonmo.”

“Kyuu?”

Hey.

Just a moment ago you did not even lift your head.

And now you do when I call you Wonmo?

I looked at the owlbear cub, now Wonmo, with an incredulous expression.

But the more I looked at those round eyes, the more I felt my mind calm down.

‘Ah, whatever.’

I approached him.

Honey was still dripping from his beak.

Then I patted his head to make it perfectly clear.

“From now on your name is Wonmo. Understood?”

“Kyuu!”

He smiled with a bright expression, as if he loved it.

Why?

***

Meanwhile, at a similar hour.

“Hehe.”

HeavenlyDemon, Yu Sowol, showed a satisfied smile.

The name she had proposed, Wonmo, had become the name of the owlbear cub.

The gallery was already in an uproar asking for more photos of Wonmo to be uploaded.

That meant Wonmo’s impact was enormous.

What could be more satisfying than something like that?

‘Even in the gallery it is receiving so much reaction. Surely Grills will also like it.’

If Grills had heard that, he probably would have foamed at the mouth.