Raising Legends in Roger's Shadow

Chapter 363: Beat My Son First

The massive Marine warship had turned into something strangely mixed.On one side were the disciplined soldiers, still on guard, still busy with their duties. On the other were the villagers from Kacha Island, now temporarily settled, along with the exotic beasts that had shrunk back to normal size and grown noticeably calmer under Buffon's influence.

To be honest, when they weren't in battle mode, they actually looked… kind of cute.

A-Yang and A-Xing had both toughened up quite a bit after their time being "trained" by Ritter. Their stamina and courage had improved, though Ritter hadn't taught them any real techniques yet. For now, it was just physical conditioning. Especially A-Yang, whose body had been badly worn down before, still needed time to recover.

Once the initial fear faded, the two boys became intensely curious about the beasts. These creatures looked powerful, but there was a certain clumsy charm to them too. Maybe it was just Ritter's imagination, but after shrinking down, they even seemed rounder.

"Wow! Its fur looks so soft!" A-Xing's eyes sparkled as he stared at a giant tiger dozing nearby.

"And its horns are huge! Like trees!" A-Yang was fascinated by a massive antlered beast resembling a moose.

Without Buffon's emotional amplification and commands, the beasts had shed most of their aggression, revealing their natural temperaments. Many looked lazy, even a little goofy, and some curiously observed the two-legged humans aboard the ship.

A buffalo-like beast lowered its head toward A-Yang.

A-Yang blinked. "Whoa, this one's polite. It's bowing to me!"

So he bowed back.

The beast froze.

Buffon froze too.

He quickly rushed between them. "A-Yang, what are you doing?"

A-Yang scratched his head. "It bowed to me, so I bowed back."

Buffon covered his face. "That wasn't a bow. It was challenging you to a duel. Bowing back means you accepted."

A-Yang's face went pale. "A duel?! No, no, no! I just thought it was being polite…"

The buffalo beast seemed to realize the misunderstanding. It shook its massive head, looking faintly exasperated, then turned and wandered off to find a quiet place to rest.

Buffon chuckled and patted A-Yang's shoulder. "It's fine. It's actually one of the gentler ones. Just takes things seriously. It thought you looked strong enough and wanted a proper match."

He gestured toward the other beasts lounging nearby. "If you want to play, try one of the others."

Then he added more seriously, "But not that one. It's one of the strongest here. You're not ready for it."

A-Yang and A-Xing exchanged a glance. Both of their eyes lit up.

They had been training under Ritter nonstop. They were itching to test themselves.

"Don't even think about it," Buffon warned. "If you secretly challenge it, I'm telling Ritter."

Gales, standing nearby, twitched. Since when did they start calling Ritter "big brother"?

"Hey, come on, Buffon, we're friends!" A-Yang slung an arm around him. "Just a friendly spar."

Buffon sighed, still trying to suggest safer options.

But A-Yang had already run off.

He stopped in front of the dozing tiger, struck the stance Ritter had taught him, and declared, "Let's fight! Let's see who's stronger!"

A-Xing followed suit, nervously facing the antlered beast. "M-me too!"

Buffon relaxed slightly. At least it was the tiger and the moose. That was manageable.

The tiger lazily opened one eye, glanced at the tiny challengers, and let out a massive yawn, baring its sharp fangs.

A-Yang grinned. "Yeah. This is more like it."

Then the tiger rolled over, turned its back to them, and went back to sleep. Its tail flicked lazily, sweeping A-Yang aside like a nuisance.

The antlered beast gently nudged A-Xing, then tilted its head toward the sea. With a light shake of its antlers, it stirred up a splash of waves before looking back at him and nodding.

Buffon translated, "She says she's too strong for you right now. But she's looking forward to fighting you once you've grown stronger. She believes you will."

A-Xing straightened up, serious. "I will. Thank you, big sister."

A-Yang shuffled over. "What about Tiger? Did he say anything to me?"

Buffon hesitated.

A-Yang leaned in, eyes shining.

Buffon wiped sweat from his forehead. "He said… 'Kid, go play somewhere else.'"

Both boys deflated instantly.

Just then, a chubby, round-headed bear caught their attention. It sat there scratching its head, its small eyes full of curiosity, clearly enjoying the show.

A-Yang brightened again. "Hey, big guy! You fight me!"

The bear tilted its head, thinking.

Then it slowly turned around, presenting its round backside, and began rummaging through its thick fur.

Everyone nearby watched in confusion.

After a moment, the bear carefully pulled out something from its fur… a smaller, equally round, sleepy little brown bear.

The cub tumbled onto the ground with a soft thump, rubbing its eyes and letting out a confused little "Huh?"

It was unbearably cute.

The big bear pointed at its son, then at A-Yang.

The meaning was crystal clear.

Fight?

Sure.

But first, beat my son.

Then we'll talk.

"Pfft!"

Not far away, Ritter, who had been secretly watching, burst out laughing.

And he wasn't the only one watching. The girl beside him had been sneaking glances too.

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