Chapter 17 (1/2)

Seventeenth Episode 〜 Dangerous Hunting and a Mysterious Experience

It has been several months since I first came to Goldiba village.

The secluded scenery that can be seen from the top of the cliff deep in the mountain has changed considerably, summer welcoming its end has become moderate and russet leaves cover the mountain surface.

Considering to time I lived underground, two years may have pa.s.sed since I first came to this world.

The clear weather of the autumn season when cool and cold air mixes.

It could be said that the climate here is j.a.panesque. Even if the season has changed, training in the spear continues.

Recently I’ve been separating from s.h.i.+sho and Raguren, going off by myself to hunt alone as part of my training.

And thus, today seems to be the same.

“Shuya, may I leave hunting and harvesting to you today?”

“Eh, I don’t mind.”

“Yos.h.i.+, then I’ll ask you to gather, degoza fruit, perri herb, some gra.s.s suitable for netting, rasento, and for collecting some honey, hunt some Buzogu bees.”

“Hai hai. Roger.”

“Nn, nya!”

Rollo the black cat interrupted us there.

“Rollo.”

“Divine beast-sama. It’s no good to go together. This is training for Shuya.”

“Nya…”

Rollo’s ears lay down. Even without touching her feelers, I understand how she feels. Rollo wants to go with me.

“Rollo, I’ll play with you when I come back.”

“Nyanyanyaa.”

Rollo purrs in response to my promise.

Extending a feeler to my cheek, feeling are conveyed.

『I’ll wait』『Play』『Love』『Play』

Mostly it is just the fact that she wants to play.

Aside from Rollo, as always I have my black spear and two magic bags tied to the belt on my waist.

After I fix my equipment I climb down the ladder.

I walk across the small rocky place where I came down. Pa.s.sing over treacherous footing, a forested area spreads out and a river is visible.

I continue deeper into the forest beyond the fast flowing rapids of the river.

The place where gra.s.s can be harvested is further ahead.

Because I’ve been many times with s.h.i.+sho and Raguren I’ve completely memorized the route.

So, I’m able to easily gather the ra.s.sento gra.s.s.

Later is the degoza fruit.

I must be careful about the bear…

The degoza fruit grows thickly in this area.

I arrive at the place where the degoza fruit grows.

The red fruit is spread all over. Pinching the red fruit lightly I place it in the magic bag hanging at my side.

Then, suddenly, I’m worried about my surroundings.

–I activate grasping police. There’s a magic essence reaction.

It is a bear. Chi〜, you showed up in the end.

This reaction must be the bear…it seems to have been disturbed, I’ll throw this bag to the side…

When I throw the magic bag the bear begins the growl.

“Fugogaaaaaaaa! Guooooooooo!”

The bear’s eyes become blood shot.

With a growl which shakes its throat, pus.h.i.+ng out a chest swelling with muscles and covered in fur, the bear spreads its arms out to the left and right.

Standing on two feet

the bear raises both arms.

The body of the bear brings together form a gorilla and skilled karate pract.i.tioner.

The bear is big, almost as big as the dark red monster I saw underground.

It is a little over four meters, I can’t tell if it is male or female from the height…

A huge mouth, and claws that look brutal.

The bear looks at me with an incredibly furious gaze…

White breath coming from its mouth dripping with saliva.

It’s extremely agitated.

Do you not like that I’m taking the degoza fruit?

“Gaa.”

It turns to face me. Using its bulging muscles, it charges at me with tremendous speed.

Facing the direction of the charging bear, I hastily extend my black spear towards the bear’s chest.

However, there is a hard sound and the black spear I thrust out is repelled by the bear’s claws.

“Gafa-”

As the bear roars intensely it swipes at me with its other set of claws.

Quickly I turn the black spear and block with rear of the metal bar, but the bear’s claws are unexpectedly heavy.

Furthermore, the bear’s claw is caught on the black spear, stopping the left half of its body.

My center of gravity lowers and my posture collapses. Then the other set of claws comes around and slashes into my right shoulder, cutting into me.

“Iteeeee-”

On the side of my right shoulder, the claws cut deep into upper back part, I fall and stagger back, to roll back.

My blood is scattered across the plants and roots of the degoza trees.

I taunt the bear that hasn’t had enough to come at. Without eating its favorite red fruit, I walk while smas.h.i.+ng them.

Do I look tasty like this…

Such a bear leans its body forwards and showing its fangs prepares to release a roar.

-I can’t be eaten so easily!

I roll to the ground avoid the bear’s head.

The bear hits its head on the ground, hard.

Having hit its head, the bear releases a rough unsteady breath. However, the bear shakes its head back and forth and again springs at me.

I thrust while sitting on the ground, without letting go I move the black spear vertically. To the jaw of the bear that jumped I swing up the b.u.t.t end of my metal spear like an upper cut. The sharp teeth of the bear slam together with a clank and it staggers leaning back.

The bear is bleeding heavily from its mouth.

Its jaw seems to be broken. It’s from the shock of the b.u.t.t end of my spear.

Eh, success.

Seemingly shocked by the impact the bear lets out a “guoo” while shaking its head back and forth.

The Degozabear shakes its head back and forth.

Scowling at such a bear, I stand up quickly while using the black spear like a walking stick. Blood streams down my arm from my injured shoulder and flows over the black spear. The wound seems to be deeper than I thought, it is regenerating but blood is still flowing out.

Right now looks like a good time to test it.

It’s a chance to use my blood.

I stretch out my injured arm. I activate <b.l.o.o.d.y chain=”” feast=””> at the same time. The moment I activate the skill, the blood flowing from my wounds change into a chain. The blood becomes two big chains spiraling around the bear.

The blood chains both move differently.

From a bystander’s perspective they seem to move in a spiral, the blood chains seem to move in a spiral together to form an intense rotation inside.

The degozabear which repelled my black spear with its claws earlier is probably going to do the same with my blood chain, with no such trouble the blood chains is shot to attack from the beginning. Far from the blood chain stabbing through the bear’s hand, it stabs through and pulverizes the bear’s arm.

“Guyaaaaaaaaaa-”

The Degozabear issues a shriek of pain.

I understand the response well. The blood chain caves in the bear’s arm, grinding up the bear’s flesh inside while chunks of flesh fly out. Chainsaw, making a sound similar to a lawn mower, the blood chain plunges into the bear’s arm.

With the sound of its flesh and bone being destroyed, the right hand of the bear swells. Finally the main steam of the blood chain penetrates the bear’s thick right shoulder.

What wonderful power.

Mm? Ara, the rotation is slowing down.

Ah, it’s gone.

Thinking the momentum of the blood chain was slowing, the blood chain disappears.

I look at my own damaged right shoulder. I can’t see too much, but the wound in my shoulder seems to have closed up.

The wound has completely recovered and the blood has stopped flowing.

Once the source of blood is gone, the blood chain seems to disappear.

“Gigaaaaaaaaaaa!”

The bear roars while scattering its blood.

“Annoying-”

While coolly swearing I shoot <chain> at the bear from my left hand.

The normal fired chain penetrates through the head of the roaring bear.

The degozabear falls back and collapses.

It would be easy if I normally used <chain> from the start.

However, because I’ve become good at handling the spear I wanted to defeat it that way.

However, such a thing does not matter.

Blood chain is too strong. The power of firing the normal chain is already adequate, the power of the blood chain earlier was ma.s.sive. The power enfolds everything and pulverizes it.

<b.l.o.o.d.y chain=”” feast=””> will become a power weapon.

Since it can’t be used without receiving an injury it’s still not good enough…

Ma, it’s a fact that the bear was strong.

It’s still a hard fight one on one.

While complaining I let the chain disappear. I take a knife out from my bag and retrieve the magic bag I threw aside earlier.

And now, it is time to dismantle it.

There should be a magic stone.

I continue dismantling the bear with my knife.

I don’t forget to suck its blood either.

Unfortunately, there are no magic stones in the bear’s meat. If I’m not mistaken, the fat from the internal organs can be used as materials.

I put it to the side like that with my hand, dividing up the parts from the internal organs to the eyes, I fill the bag with its hide and any of the meat that seems edible.

Because I haven’t collected all of the degoza fruit yet I finish collecting them before moving on to the next location.

I walk through the forest until evening is near.

The objective is the ra.s.sento herb, white leaves that grow in bundles in the trees.

Around this ra.s.sento herb a buzoku bee seems to have made its nest. I look for the points s.h.i.+sho told me about.