Well, this is a dense⌠forest? How do I say it⌠while walking through this place filled with extraordinary tall and ancient trees, a mamono appears. Itâs a horn rat like we saw on the first dayâŚitâs red. With that through, I focus my attention on it. Doing so brings up the mamonoâs name within my field of view.
âThey seem to have different colored fur. It might be a subspecies?â
âIs there a difference in strength?â
âSomewhatâŚI havenât finished analyzing, but according to Taniizumi-kun and the others, they have attribute resistances corresponding to their colors.
Well, itâs within the margin of error. Now that I think about it, Taniizumi-kun and the others would often return carrying mamono corpses of various colors.
Thatâs when 3 of the red horn-rats approach us. Not 1, but 3. Iâm bewildered by the sudden numbers.
The red horn-rats notice us, and charge with clear hostility.
âTheyâre coming! Everybody, get your weapons ready!â
Hiyama-san, despite being the only one to have been promoted by Taniizumi, belittles herself. No, although she has combat experience, this time sheâs fighting as the vanguard. She can be said to have no experience in this. When those guys with combat related abilities go out, they only use them on small fry. The combat experience they have is actually pretty thin. Regardless, we of the base group have abilities unsuitable for battle. Just how much will we accomplish with our current weaponsâŚ?
âDou[1]! AhâŚI missed!â
Hiyama-san slashes at the red horn-rat with her nimble movements. Yet, despite her posture and form, she misreads the distance and misses due to being unfamiliar with her weapon.
The red horn-rat doesnât miss the opening. It points it horn at Hiyama-san and charges. I step in and catch the horn with my onion shield.
Doshin, the overpowering shock from the impact makes me drop my shield. Itâs⌠somewhat stuck to the shield. Without this shield, I wouldâve died!? Eh, wasnât this supposed to be good quality equipment?
Damn⌠my teleportation ability⌠doesnât work in battle!
The red horn-rat moves scurries around the place as I try to target it with my teleportation ability. After that, it attacks me.
My teleportation ability takes 5 minutes to activate. Furthermore, it isnât reactive like Taniizumiâs. Even if I were to wait those 5 minutes, the red horn-rat will have moved someplace else. I could also die in those 5 minutes if Iâm not careful. Itâs natural, of course, but fighting with this ability is difficult.
Actually, could I even win the normal way? There are three of them, but just one is tough. If I wasnât in a party, I would be dead already by now. Anyway, since using my ability is impossible, I have no choice but to defeat it with a sword.
I block the red horn-ratâs attack for the second time. Shigenobu matches his breath with mine and aims for it while its horn is caught on the shield. He calls out to Hiyama-san as he raises his sword overhead.
The red horn-rat seems shaken and shocked by Shigenobuâs attack, but is still alive.
âKu⌠tougher than I thought.â
With those words, Hiyama-san follows up. Then, with a good gass sound ringing out, red horn-ratâs body collapses in on itself. The impact broke a bone. A considerable difference lays between Shigenobu and Hiyama-san. Must be from the massive difference in LV.
As the caught red horn-ratâs horn slips out of the shield, it lets out a cry and dies.
âDonât lower your guard!â
I turn my attention behind me to Himeno-san. She was given a staff along with armor equal to ours. I was worried about fighting, but with my shield in both hands, I am able to block the attacks from the red horn-rats.
âTh-this is a real battle!â
Was it the vigor of the red horn-ratsâŚ? For us, who lived peacefully in Japan, our first experience of killing a live animal is an unsettling sensation. Just a little, I wonder about why weâre doing something like this. But if we donât, we might end up become the slaves of Taniizumi and the others. I think that thought is what pushes our fighting spirit.
While Iâm pondering such, the corpses of 3 red horn-rats appear before us.
âHaaâŚhaaâŚso the first battleâŚis something like thisâŚâ
Shigenobu says, while out of breath. That said, Iâm in the same sorry state. On the first day, Taniizumi and the others were killing these with a single blow? Eh? What? Is there really such a difference in ability?
Or rather, does Hiyama-san have an opinion on Taniizumi, who can do things like this? Amazing⌠I seriously have to respect that. Iâve learned with my whole body how the combat groupcame to be under Taniizumiâs control. I speak as soon as I catch my breath.
âThat was harder than I thought. Completely different from how I imagined.â
âThatâs right. StillâŚitâs something we have to do.â
âUwa⌠nobody hurt?â
Himeno-san calls out to us in worry. Hagisawa seems to be out of breath just like the rest of us.
âIâm fine. Are you guys uninjured?â
âAh, probably cause we were given good equipment? Itâll be harsh, but itâs doable.â
I blocked it was a shield to block, but I also took a charge from a red horn-rat. Still, it might only be with equipment, but I am able to fight.
âHonestly, werenât these just small fries?â
âYeah, theyâre the weakest of all the mamono.â
Seriously⌠weâre having a hard time against the weakest mamono even with decently good equipment.
âThe combat group fights against mamono like these every trip.â
Fighting without abilities and only weapons, itâs harsh. If we had fought empty-handed, our party might have been destroyed. It took two weeks to prepare this equipment, but it really was the correct decision.
âIâm sure Iâm depending on my ability, but fighting was pretty fun.â
âThis is fun? HmmâŚâ
I just endured all that, so Iâm not too sure myself. Would it be fun if I could easily defeat my opponents?
âStrangely, Iâm not really feeling much of a rush after thatâŚâ
Shigenobu also tilts his head some.
âBut our first match was a victory!â
Himeno-sanâs words captures everyones feelings of victory. Certainly, that is an unmistakable fact. More important than anything else is that this is proof we can fight mamono. Never again will we be designated as noncombatants.
âFor now, Yukinari, can you transport this mamono corpses to my houseâs workshop?â
I transport the remains of the mamono to Shigenobuâs home. Since I had already decided where to send the killed mamono from the start, it was easy to create an image. Although long chants are a disadvantage, Shigenobu uses that time to check the wear on everybodyâs equipment while Himeno-san heals the group. Hiyama-san turns her attention to Hagisawa, who also looks to Hiyama-san for help. Eventually the red horn-rat corpses in front of me disappear.
âI also got a few points.â
âAh, although this was a 2 hour expedition, even just earning a little isnât a loss. Letâs continuing fighting like this and get used to it.â
We nod at Shigenobuâs words and start moving. Next to appear are the 5 greenish rhinoceros beetles known as the Opal Green Beetles. Honestly, I think it looks more like a jewel beetle with its strange coloration and large size. Overall, itâs about fifty centimeters long. This feels like a monster hunting game.
And⌠I reach a conclusion. This, isnât a place members of the base group can venture alone. This isnât good, 5 mamono⌠the previous 3 mamono were hard enough, now we have to fight 2 more. Without a flame ability like Taniizumiâs, thisâll be tough.
With a strange chirp that doesnât become a voice, the Opal Green Beetles attack.
âTheyâre too fast. I canât hit them!â
Hiyama-san is used to fighting them. She dodges the attack of an Opal Green Beetle, flanks it and thrusts her sword into the gap between its head and torso before snapping it in two.
Paki, a good sound rings⌠uwa, gross! The Opal Green Beetleâs head splits from its torso as it dies.
âThis is its weak spot. Remember it!â
âAlthough I can deal with their speed, I think it would be better for all of you to counter right after it strikes.â
With that, we aim for each of the rhinoceros beetlesâ necks. I deflect a rhinoceros beetle my shield and Himeno-san comes to strike it down. Sheâs more spirited than I thought.
âWellâŚactually Iâm not good with insects.â
Himeno-san agrees with me. Honestly, there isnât much of a difference between rhinoceros beetles and cockroaches. Iâm also bad with cicadas. I guess what Iâm trying to say is that Iâm not into girls who like insects. Hiyama-san⌠I wonder if she likes them?
I too put my strength into it, and defeat a rhinoceros beetle the same way Hiyama-san did. Thatâs when I notice all the rhinoceros beetles are being defeated one at a turn. âŚLooks like theyâre manageable if you know the strategy.
âHowever, the shells of these Opal Green Beetles are excellent materials for weapons and armor.â
Shigenobu says with a thumbs up. I see, theyâre good from the perspective of raw materials. There are many games where equipment can be made from insect materials.
âDismantling theseâŚâ
The base group is tasked with dismantling the mamono brought back by the combat group. At any rate, all the troublesome matters seem to be done by the base group.
âHanebashi-kun, looks like youâre fine with anything other than insects, huh?â
âHm? WellâŚIâm just used to it. I do it like I would a fish. Rather than say I like this, I dislike it.â
Iâm just bad with bugs. LikeâŚone time when I was small, a dragonfly got stuck to my clothes. I flicked it away with my hand. Seeing only its head remaining attached to my
Clothes left me traumatized. Itâs a bad memory.
Another time was when I was walking around my house in the dark one night and accidently stepped on and crushed a cockroach with my bare feet. Another was when I got stung by a hornet. Theyâre just stupid traumas I canât do anything about.
Most recently was summer of last year. I was heading to Shigenobuâs house and saw Ono collecting insects in the woods. I approached him, wondering what he was doing, when I heard the dreadful shrill of a cicada. I took a peek and saw that he was
plucking the wings of cicada with a smile on his face. That sight and sound were burned into my eyes and ears. Naturally, I felt uncomfortable and escaped from that place. Fortunately, Ono didnât notice me.
Well, thatâs the real reason I dislike Ono. Whenever I see him, I feel like I can hear the shrills of those cicada. Itâs not like I actually hate insects or anything.
âHeâs been bad with cicadas and rhinoceros beetles ever since we were young. Bees get the strongest reaction out of him.â
Theyâre something Iâd avoid if I could. That said, weâre not in a situation where I can.