After the break time was over, the four of them did not immediately get up, choosing instead to stay seated a little longer while enjoying the fruit juice Knox had prepared, their attention drifting naturally toward the scenery around them.
The forest stretched out endlessly, layers of green overlapping under soft sunlight that filtered through the leaves above, while a gentle breeze passed through from time to time, carrying a calm atmosphere that made it easy to relax, even though they were still in the middle of a hunting session.
Cindy leaned back slightly as she drank, clearly satisfied with the moment.
"Sigh… eating and resting like this is really good~"
Merida, who had been quietly sitting beside her, added without any change in expression, her tone as serious as ever,
"Add sleeping as well."
Claudia turned toward her and couldn't hold back a small laugh.
"Pfft… Merida, why are you making that kind of serious face just for that answer?"
Merida remained completely unfazed, as if she had just delivered a perfectly reasonable statement.
"Well, the scenery is beautiful… although it's just trees everywhere."
Cindy spoke while glancing around again, still looking interested despite her own comment.
A light laughter spread between them, blending naturally with the quiet sound of the wind moving through the trees, creating a brief moment of ease that felt far removed from the earlier tension.
After that small moment passed, Claudia shifted slightly, her posture becoming a little more rigid than before, as if she was gathering courage for something.
"By the way… although this is a bit sudden… my family and close friends usually call me 'Clara', so… you guys can just call me that too."
The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere changed.
Knox, Cindy, and Merida all looked at her at the same time, their gazes landing on her almost in sync, and none of them said anything right away, as if they were still processing what she had just said.
The silence that followed stretched longer than expected.
Claudia slowly realized what was happening, and the embarrassment hit her all at once.
Her body stiffened, her gaze dropped slightly, and she could feel her face heating up as if all the courage she had just gathered immediately turned against her.
At this point, it genuinely felt like her toes were trying to dig into the ground on their own, just to escape the situation.
Meanwhile, the three of them were still looking at her.
Knox tilted his head slightly, clearly thinking about something.
Cindy blinked a few times, as if trying to figure out how to react.
Merida simply kept staring, her expression unchanged, which somehow made everything even worse.
The longer the silence continued, the heavier the embarrassment became.
"Yo-you guys! Say something! Why are you just staring at me?!" Claudia protested, her reaction sharp and flustered, like a cat whose fur had suddenly bristled.
Knox couldn't hold it in any longer as a laugh escaped him, his shoulders shaking lightly before he finally spoke, still smiling.
"Pfft, hahaha… my bad, Claudia—eh, I mean, Clara."
The way he said it was casual, but the soft, genuine smile on his face, combined with the calm background of the forest, somehow made the moment feel strangely warm, almost like a scene straight out of a painting.
Claudia froze for a second.
Her thoughts seemed to stall, her gaze unfocused as if she had briefly zoned out, and before she realized it, a faint blush spread across her face. Hearing her nickname from Knox made the corners of her lips lift slightly without her noticing.
Meanwhile, Cindy and Merida were watching her closely.
Both of them leaned in just a little, their eyes fixed on Claudia's expression as they quietly whispered to each other.
"What, what~? The atmosphere between those two feels kind of weird~," Cindy muttered, clearly amused.
"Hmmm… you're right," Merida replied in the same low tone, her expression as calm as ever.
That was enough to snap Claudia back.
Like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, she immediately reacted, her face turning even redder as she turned toward the two of them.
"You guys! What are you saying?!"
Without waiting for an answer, she lunged forward.
Cindy reacted instantly and ran.
"Hahaha! I didn't say anything, Clara!" she shouted while laughing, clearly enjoying the situation.
Merida, surprisingly, also started running right beside Cindy, moving much faster than usual, as if her life actually depended on it.
"…Clara, just chase Cindy."
Just after they finally stopped chasing each other and caught their breath, Knox's expression shifted slightly, his attention snapping toward the distance as if he had sensed something approaching.
"Hmm? Hoo… here I was just thinking about where to find you, and yet you're coming straight to us on your own."
Before the other three could even ask what he meant, Knox's tone changed.
"Guys, be ready. Our target is coming."
Hearing that, the three immediately dropped their relaxed state and moved into position, their earlier playfulness disappearing as they prepared to attack and defend.
Then the sound came.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The footsteps grew heavier and faster, each impact pressing against the ground with increasing force as Knox's group fixed their gaze forward, scanning the surroundings without letting their guard down.
Then—
The bushes ahead burst open violently.
What emerged was a Nusluck far larger than any they had seen before.
"This size… it's really the boss!" Cindy exclaimed.
"…It really is huge," Merida added, her voice low.
The creature stood at least two heads taller than the regular Nuslucks, its body covered in countless wounds that told of repeated battles. In several places, the fur had been torn away completely, exposing raw flesh beneath, giving it a rough and unsettling appearance.
"Guruk… Gururururuk…"
It lowered its stance, its front heavy with a bulging belly while its back remained lean and flexible, its spine visibly outlined beneath its skin as it shifted its weight.
Knox narrowed his eyes, still staring at it.
"Seriously… does this thing have some kind of connection with Congalala? Why does it keep reminding me of that?"
"Knox, I don't know what Congalala is, but what I do know is that we should take this thing down right now," Claudia replied, her focus already locked onto the target.
"It's coming!" Cindy shouted.
The Nusluck didn't hesitate. It charged straight toward them.
Then, Knox decided, to fight this Congalala, cough, fight it with his summon.
He raised his hand slightly.
"Mem, it's showtime!"
A soft pink light appeared above his hand, glowing gently as it gathered into one point, slowly forming as if something inside it was about to come out.
"Mimi!"
A small pink creature came out from the light.
It floated forward lightly, its round body glowing faintly, while its tiny limbs moved in a soft, playful way, giving off a presence that felt completely out of place on the battlefield.
Mem hovered beside Knox, as if ready.
In front of them stood the massive Nusluck.
And beside Knox was a small, harmless-looking pink creature.
Seeing Mem come out, the three girls' attention immediately shifted away from the Nusluck and locked onto the small pink creature.
"Mem!" Cindy called out.
"So cute!" Claudia said without hiding her reaction.
"Fluffy…" Merida added quietly.
Mem gently waved at them while floating in place, its small body moving lightly.
"Miuu ~♪"
The effect was immediate.
The three of them froze for a moment, then as if they had just taken a critical hit, their bodies gave in and they dropped down at the same time, completely defeated by cuteness.
Knox, who witnessed the entire scene, could only twitch his mouth slightly before letting out a quiet sigh, clearly not expecting things to go in this direction.
"Alright, guys, focus. That's our target, and we cannot damage the body too much. But well, you three just rest for now. Let me and Mem handle this."
"Mimi!" Mem responded, her tone filled with energy, as if she fully agreed with Knox.
Knox then stepped forward, his movement calm but direct as he began closing the distance toward the Nusluck boss, while Mem floated beside him, matching his pace without falling behind.
In the next instant, Knox's position shifted sharply, appearing on the right side of the Nusluck's face, while Mem aligned herself on the opposite side, hovering at the same height as its head.
Their timing matched perfectly.
At the same moment, both of them struck.
Knox's fist connected from the right, while Mem struck from the left, their attacks landing simultaneously on both sides of the Nusluck's head.
The moment the hits landed, the massive creature's movement completely halted, its body locking in place as if time itself had paused for a split second. The air around the impact rippled outward, forming a visible wave that spread from the point of contact.
Then, as that brief moment passed, the Nusluck's body lost all stability.
Its large frame tilted, then fell heavily to the ground.
From the side, Cindy, Claudia, and Merida could only watch in silence, their eyes fixed on what had just happened, their thoughts unable to catch up with what they had seen.
In their minds, only one question remained.
Is this cuteness…?
Is cuteness really this dangerous?