I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error

Chapter 30

I tried to retrace my blurry memories.

In the beautiful countryside garden, my father was there.

When I ran to him, he greeted me with a warm smile and briefly covered my eyes.

Then, he placed both of his hands over mine and handed me a certain ‘branch’.

And then.

If I opened my eyes, I would see it.

When I opened them at the sound of his voice, the world had completely changed.

“Hello, Karin!”

“Nice to meet you!”

The little spirits that came out of the totem spoke to Karin.

Thanks to her father, who had been a master of Totem Studies, Karin had been able to befriend totems from a young age.

But Karin’s life changed overnight.

Like waking from a happy dream, only to face a cruel reality.

After that, there was nothing but memories she wished she could forget.

‘The only one I can trust is myself.’

Karin was from a fallen noble family so insignificant, it was almost laughable to call her a noble.

Yet she wasn’t a commoner either.

An outcast, belonging nowhere.

In that vague and ambiguous position, Karin naturally became alone.

But she didn’t care.

Because she was certain she could succeed on her own.

Besides, she had always been alone anyway.

‘It won’t be long now.’

If she could just obtain that.

She could once again face that dreamlike landscape she had seen as a child with her father.

Burning with that desire, she kept running through the midnight streets.

After some time, she stopped when she saw a sign reading “7th Street.”

This was the place Villed had spoken of—

‘The place where the treasure is hidden.’

If that, the very thing she so desperately longed for, was hidden here…… there could be nothing better. That much was certain.

But something still bothered her.

‘How did Villed notice it?’

By what method?

She had never shown any signs of it in her daily life.

‘Could it be…… that he’s been spying on me?’

Karin glanced around once again.

She didn’t sense anyone nearby, but suspicion wouldn’t leave her mind.

She was someone so lacking in presence that nobody ever even listened to her.

Thanks to that, she had never spoken a word of this secret to anyone.

‘Then how……?’

For a brief moment, Karin recalled that nobleman.

The image of his lifeless, rotten fish-like eyes lingered vividly in her memory.

But the Villed she saw today was different from what she remembered.

Though she had only seen him briefly, his gaze had a spark of life.

The kind of look only someone with a goal or determination would have.

Almost like her father.

‘He was clearly the same person, yet felt like someone else.’

If someone asked what nonsense that was, Karin wouldn’t be able to answer.

But it truly felt that way—there was no other way to explain it.

‘Before someone comes, I’d better go in quickly.’

Karin once more scanned her surroundings, then began to move.

Here, 7th Street stretched out into a long road lined with trees.

At midnight, it exuded an eerie atmosphere.

But having come this far, she had no choice but to press on.

She walked toward the unseen end through the dense rows of trees.

7th Street was no different from a forest, but it wasn’t as dark as she feared.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps between the branches, lighting the way.

Following it, Karin felt a strange sensation. As though the moonlight itself was guiding her toward the place Villed had mentioned.

Eventually, along the otherwise monotonous road, a disruption appeared.

‘……A mass of vines. Is this it?’

Just as he had said.

On the left side, the tree was covered in countless intertwined vines.

It resembled a door made of vines. It looked like she could pull them apart and step inside.

‘……Will this really be okay?’

Karin still felt doubtful.

She had come because of Villed’s words, but remembering his past, he was hardly trustworthy.

Her hesitation deepened.

Since entering Yggdrasil, she had spent nearly two months wandering the academy searching for the treasure.

So how did Villed know about it?

The closer she drew to the vines, the stronger that doubt grew.

……But standing still in hesitation wouldn’t get her anywhere. First, she needed to confirm whether it was real.

Resolving herself, Karin stepped toward the vines.

It felt like she had entered another world.

Inside the vines, everything was utterly silent.

Not a trace of light entered, leaving her unable to see a thing.

Even stretching her arms out, she could grasp nothing.

Fear prickled at her, but she waited patiently for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

After a few minutes, she could make out faint shapes around her.

‘……This place is?’

Strangely, the only thing inside this space was a single large tree.

Karin walked around, inspecting it.

There was nothing else to be found.

The item she sought was nowhere to be seen.

‘So I was deceived after all.’

Of course.

Karin let out a sigh, ashamed of herself for letting her hopes rise in vain.

And belatedly, unease began to creep in.

‘Staying here is dangerous.’

Shouldn’t she leave immediately?

What if this was a trap?

Especially since it was none other than the infamous Villed who had led her here.

She might suddenly appear—as though she had been waiting all along.

Karin’s hand instinctively reached toward the protective totem in her pocket.

Her unease stirred a flood of thoughts.

‘……?’

Just as she was carefully turning back to find the exit, her gaze happened to fall upon the tree.

There it was—

a small, dry ‘branch’.

……Could it be?

As if drawn in by some unseen force, Karin approached the tree.

The branch was higher than her height, but close enough that she might reach it.

She rose onto her tiptoes and stretched out her arm.

Just a little more.

Just a tiny bit further.

……

Snap.

With only the touch of her finger, the branch fell free.

Karin swiftly caught it in her hand.

At that moment,

her vision went completely dark.

“Once you open your eyes, you’ll see.”

Why was it?

She thought she had just heard her father’s voice.

When she slowly opened her eyes, the first thing that poured in was radiant sunlight.

Even that light alone filled her with longing.

Drawn by it, she carefully looked around.

At first, she thought it was an empty void. But no—

Memories long past spread out before her.

The scene overlapped with the dreamlike landscape she had seen only in her sleep.

“This place is…….”

A lush meadow stretched around a towering tree.

Flowers of every color, a clear sky,

and the whole world bathed in golden brilliance.

Paradise.

If there truly existed a haven where one could rest without worry, surely it was here.

There was no way Karin could forget this place.

The tree beneath which she first conversed with the totems as a child.

The backyard where she had always been with her father, planting lettuce and tomatoes together.

A special place, formed by Karin’s memories as the medium, interwoven with the totem spirits.

Yes—that was the truth.

What she now held in her hand was the very thing she had longed for so desperately: the ‘Branch of Life’.

Realizing it, Karin whispered in a trembling voice,

“It really…… was here all along…….”

“Karin!”

She felt a voice she had yearned for.

Not through her ears, but in her heart.

Looking down, a spirit peeked out from her pocket.

“Karin, it’s so nice to see you again!”

“It’s been a while! Have you been well?”

As its name suggested, the Branch of Life awakened the spirits within the totem, bringing them back to life simply by being held.

“Ah, ahaha……”

How long had it been since she last laughed?

A smile welled up from relief.

She had reunited with her dearest friends.

They were exactly as she remembered from her childhood.

As past memories overlapped, tears gathered in Karin’s eyes.

*You couldn’t see us, but we were always by your side, Karin!*

Ever since her father’s passing, the spirits had vanished from sight—

But all along, they had been watching over her.

“……Thank you, everyone.”

Once again, she stood before that hidden little world.

Just like when she had first found it, as a young girl.

Exactly as her father had shown her, before her family’s downfall.

“Sorry I’m late.”

Smiling brightly, a single tear fell.

---

Only the moonlight and a small bonfire lit the pitch-black night.

“Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen……”

I was in the middle of doing push-ups by the fire.

My arms were reaching their limit.

Rising to my feet, I wiped sweat off with the back of my hand.

I walked over to the parchment posted inside the storage room.

“Phew, that’s a new record.”

I wrote the number down.

A solid twenty reps.

Not many, but progress nonetheless.

‘On the first day, I couldn’t even do one.’

Compared to that pitiful start, this was remarkable growth.

I touched the faint line of muscle that had formed on my arm. With enough grit and repetition, I had managed to do it.

Of course, the stat boosts I’d gained through livestock shed work had helped too.

I sat before the bonfire, sparks crackling and dancing.

‘It’s true. Compared to when I had no hope at all, I’ve come a long way.’

My strength was still below average.

I had no talent, no outstanding qualities.

But ever since I started using the ✿Animal✿Farm✿ ability, I had been growing steadily.

And it wasn’t just strength.

I had learned ways to finish barn work faster, ways to draw out card powers more efficiently.

Day by day, I was building up my own know-how for survival and combat in this world.

There was no teacher who could teach me. My ability was one-of-a-kind. So the only way was to discover things myself.

My eyes flicked toward a corner of the storage.

A white object, resembling ivory.

About the size of my fist.

None other than a fragment of an Ice Dragon’s horn.

One of the highest-grade materials for crafting powerful accessories.

Not something I had acquired—it had been entrusted to me by Keirin for a necklace commission.

‘He’s already strong enough…… Won’t this just break the balance even more?’

Though honestly, his very existence was already a balance-breaker.

Still, since he was going to be Ren’s companion, the stronger the better.

At any rate, a fragment of that size was more than enough to craft the requested item.

And Keirin had told me I could do as I pleased with any leftovers.

‘Much obliged, Keirin.’

I could probably fashion a small ring out of it.

Even if it was just scrap, a ring made from a top-grade material would surely supplement the parts where I was lacking.

‘Anyway, with all that prepared…… there’s only one problem left.’

A companion.

Someone to form a team with for the upcoming two-night, three-day field trip.

Of course, who would want to team up with someone like me?

Rustle!

Speak of the tiger. Right on cue, I heard movement not far off.

Rustle, rustle—

The sound of grass being stepped on drew closer.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Without turning my head, I chuckled lightly and said,

“Impatient, aren’t you? I didn’t mean *right away*.”

“……You’re the one who said I could come anytime.”

Karin slowly approached and sat down by the bonfire.

The firelight made her sky-blue hair shine even more brilliantly.

“……”

She gazed at me with a look that was both confident and faintly uncertain.

The flames flickered in her eyes.