The woman was stunned by the young man's request.
"A level two singularity?"
She said it in disbelief, glancing back and forth at the horned Bengal tiger as if she needed confirmation that she hadn't misheard.
The young man held her gaze with determination.
For a moment—just one—she imagined cutting off his head.
Not out of cruelty, but because of the insolence. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to her with such disregard. And certainly not a seeker's apprentice: young, weak, exhausted, almost completely spent.
Yet there was something in his eyes, dark as ink, that she could not decipher.
And that amused her just as much as it irritated her.
She looked down at her full bag. Reaching inside, she had to dig all the way to the bottom. Level three singularities were worth many times more than level two ones. She had already obtained three in a single exchange.
And if she traded the yellow lightning one for the deep blue one…
The profit would be even greater.
She pulled a singularity out of the bag.
It was white, and its glow had nothing to envy from the level three ones.
She tossed it toward him with a quick motion, a storm of emotions passing through her chest.
The young man almost dropped it.
Clumsily, he fumbled for a moment before catching it in the last instant, feeling a faint shiver run through his fingers.
Without wasting time, he placed it into his own bag and, with a mixture of expectation and caution, handed the deep navy singularity to the woman.
When she received it, her expression shifted into open delight. She held it a moment longer than necessary before placing it in the bag where the other two waited—the fire and earth singularities.
Then she stroked the horned Bengal tiger's head.
The massive beast closed its eyes and released a deep rumble, behaving like a cat enjoying affection.
With a swift motion, she leapt up and mounted the tiger's back. From above, she looked down at the young man.
"Shall we go?" she asked.
The young man approached the horned tiger.
Seeing it up close, he realized that although it resembled a normal Bengal tiger, it was considerably larger.
From its paws to its shoulders, standing on all fours, it stood around one meter forty tall. Its length easily exceeded three meters.
Only then did he realize how small he looked beside it.
His body was thin, almost malnourished. His physique resembled that of a fourteen-year-old boy. He barely stood one meter sixty tall.
Even standing upright, the horned tiger's head nearly reached his face.
He tried to climb up.
Failed.
He tried again, but the weakness still lingering in his body made him look clumsy, useless. His hands lacked the strength to pull himself up.
He tried a third time.
Same result.
From above, the woman watched him with a look of growing disappointment.
He ignored it and kept trying… until a vein bulged on her forehead.
Tired of the spectacle, she extended a hand.
When he saw the gesture, the young man couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was—even irritated.
He took her hand and gripped it firmly.
Then he felt her lift him with a strength that embarrassed him more than any insult could have.
He said nothing while settling himself onto the tiger's back.
But silently he swore that one day he would be the one offering a hand… not the one who needed it.
Sitting atop the tiger, he felt the softness of its white fur and was surprised by how comfortable it was.
He had expected to feel the animal's spine or ribs beneath his weight, but there was nothing.
He patted the beast twice and said with genuine fascination,
"What a magnificent beast…"
His eyes shone with sincere interest.
The tiger began to move.
At first it walked slowly, almost lazily.
Immediately, the young man wrapped his arms around the woman's waist from behind, anticipating the moment the beast might suddenly burst into speed.
She blushed slightly, more from discomfort than embarrassment.
Then she laughed softly and pushed him away with gentle force.
"There's no need to hold me like that. Grabbing the fur is enough."
He frowned.
"You want me to go flying?"
She smiled faintly without turning around.
"You'll see."
Suddenly the tiger's footsteps began to accelerate.
It went from walking…
to trotting…
and then—
Its speed surpassed any reasonable limit.
By instinct, he clutched the fur tightly. His head tilted back slightly as his body tensed, and he watched the landscape blur around them in a way that felt almost unreal.
But after a few seconds that felt eternal, something didn't make sense.
There was no air resistance.
No turbulence.
He didn't feel wind slamming against his face or the brutal pull of inertia.
Slowly, he loosened his grip.
The speed was absurd.
And yet the motion was smooth.
Too smooth.
Keeping one hand on the tiger's fur, the young man asked seriously,
"Why can't I feel the wind?"
The woman turned her head slightly.
"Are you stupid?"
The young man fell silent.
Heh.
She snorted, amused by his restrained expression.
"It's a companion-type singularity," she said, glancing at the tiger. "These exist everywhere, but the rare and valuable ones are those large enough to carry you. Their price depends on their capacity… and their speed. But what truly makes them special is the bond."
She paused briefly.
"Some can become extremely close to their seeker, almost as if they share the same existence. Those have no price. They aren't just mounts—they become part of you."
The young man narrowed his eyes.
"So… the larger the beast, the more expensive?"
She shook her head slightly.
"Not exactly. The larger it is, the greater its carrying capacity. You can transport more people, more weight… even heavy equipment. But you lose speed. A lot of it."
The tiger made a long leap, almost floating between two rocky formations.
"The small ones are fast, but limited. The enormous ones are slow… though they can carry an army."
The young man watched the landscape warp at the edges without the wind touching his face.
There was no resistance.
No roaring air.
Only a faint sensation, as if something invisible surrounded them.
The woman smiled faintly.
"Did you really think I'd let the wind rip your head off?"
The tiger accelerated.
And this time, the young man held on—not out of fear…
but with a restrained smile.