Episode 29: Roar of Fury
Bee-chan and the others flew off, so Fran and the rest emerged from the Shelter. Rebun’s cowering posture was almost comical.
“Did they go looking for the Brown Bear?”
“I showed them the Black Bear and asked them to find it, but I wonder how it’ll go. All we can do now is wait.”
“Hmph, useless bees!”
“My, my, Lord Rebun of the Flames. Before we left, you said not to interfere with the Brown Bear subjugation, didn’t you? If we find it, I’ll leave it to you, Lord Rebun of the Flames.”
“Hey, Rebun of the Flames?”
“When did you get a nickname like that?”
“Are you that good of a Fire Magic user? Rebun of the Flames, what an uninspired name.”
Oh dear, Rebun-chan is redder than a Fireball.
“Shinya-san, it’s a Slime!”
“Eh… Where?”
“Beyond the Black Bear. It came to eat the leftover meat.”
“What, is a Slime that rare?”
“I want to catch that one. Fran, please!”
“No, no, I can’t hold back even with Stone Bullet, I’ll shoot right through it, so no. Why don’t you just punch it once, Shinya-san?”
“What will you do if I end up having to drink a Potion again?”
“Why would you drink a Potion for a Slime?”
“Ah… um. The other day, when I tried to catch a Slime, it counterattacked and sent me flying.”
“That was a magnificent counterattack. Shinya-san was sent flying, tumbled over twice, and was bleeding from his head, on the verge of being knocked out.”
Fran’s explanation had them roaring with laughter, and even Rebun-chan was smirking condescendingly.
I took out the stick I’d prepared for the Slime, but I wonder how hard I can hit it without killing it.
“Dorado-san, don’t just laugh, please tell me how hard I should hit it to catch it.”
“Why are you trying to catch a Slime?”
“To Tame it, of course. I tried with a Horned Rabbit and a Goblin, but the Slime counterattacked, so I haven’t succeeded yet.”
“Can you Tame a Slime?”
“I don’t know. I’m a Tamer with Ability 1, after all. Thanks to Tamer God Tina-sama’s Divine Protection, the Killer Bees are protecting me, but I need to try various things.”
“I asked you to help find the Brown Bear, so I’ll catch a Slime for you.”
“Here, lend me that stick.”
“Zebul-san, please get it to the brink of death.”
“That’s a difficult adjustment to make.”
“Once it stops moving, I’ll take care of the rest.”
He returned the Black Bear to his Magic Bag and headed towards the Slime eating the leftover meat beyond it.
After a light practice swing to adjust his strength, with a snort of 〈Hmph〉, there was a 〈Thwack〉 sound, and the Slime deformed.
《Tame》 〔Slime – 2〕
I took the stick from Zebul-san, gave it a light tap. 《Tame》 〔Slime – 2〕
This time, I hit it a bit harder. 《Tame》 〔Slime – 1〕. So, 《Tame, Tame》 〔Slime – 30-1〕 Success!
“Looks like you Tamed it.”
“Thank you very much. It’s tough with the lowest ability.”
“But Taming a Slime won’t be of any use.”
“I learned a little something when I Tamed the Horned Rabbit and the Goblin. I wanted to see what a Slime could do.”
“You say your ability as a Tamer is low, but I think it’s amazing that Killer Bees obey you just with Divine Protection.”
“I want to Tame a wolf someday, so I want to try various things.”
“Heh, a spineless Tamer wanting a wolf, huh?”
《Number 1 to Number 5, fly around this guy and intimidate him.》
《Leave it to us! Should we sting him again?》
《He insulted Master!》
He glared back when I glared at him, but his face changed color the moment Bee-chan and the others started circling around him.
《You can sting him once.》
《Don’t sting him~!》
Even that disgusting antidote Potion would be a waste on him.
When I glared, Bee-chan and the others descended and began to circle around Rebun.
Seeing this, the remaining Bee-chan gathered and hovered, surrounding Rebun.
They started to intimidate him by clicking their mandibles like hornets, and Rebun clutched his head and sat down.
Or rather, his legs gave out, and he collapsed.
《Thank you, everyone. Return to警戒ing the surroundings.》
《Okay~》
《We won’t forgive Master’s enemies!》
《Is it okay not to sting him?》
Oops, I almost forgot about the Slime.
《Can you hear me?》
《Yes, Master.》
《From today, you are Soo-chan. Soo Number 1.》
《Soo-chan, Soo Number 1, understood.》
Alright, now that the naming is done, time to check its Skills.
(Skill) 〔Shinya, Human – 18 years old. Tamer – Ability 1, Amadeus’s Blessing – Tina’s Blessing, Life Magic – Magical Power 10/10, Search Intermediate Mid, Presence Detection Intermediate Mid, Stealth Intermediate Mid – Tree Climbing – Poison Immunity – Killer Bee Domination〕
〔Killer Bee, 50-50, Compound Eyes, Poison Immunity〕
〔Slime, 30-1, Soft Body, Jump, 35〕
The Slime has Soft Body and Jump, huh? Its body is squishy, so Soft Body… I don’t need a konjac-like body.
I selected Jump and checked the Skills again: 〔Tree Climbing, Poison Immunity, Killer Bee Domination, Jump〕.
I want to try various things, but for now, I’ll just tell them I managed to Tame it.
《Soo-chan, come here. You can eat the meat.》
《Thank you, Master.》
《Come to me when you’re done eating.》
《Okay~》
“How is it?”
“I Tamed it. I’m going to investigate various things from now on.”
I can’t tell Fran either, so I’ll have to check the Jump ability later.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
A little past noon, a swarm of Killer Bees returned and told me, 《Master, we found a big furball.》
The direction was 《This way,》 they said, flying off and returning from what seemed to be north-northeast.
I placed some meat on a branch as a thank you, and Bee-chan and the others joined in for a meal before leaving.
“Dorado-san, it seems to be in the north-northeast direction from here.”
“Distance?”
“Don’t be unreasonable. The Killer Bees are flying. I can’t compare it to our walking speed.”
“That’s true. I don’t know how far the Killer Bees flew, but shall we go for now?”
At the signal to depart, we started walking. The Slime kept up, hopping along beside me without falling behind.
I wondered if I should carry it, but after it said, 《I’ll follow!》 I decided to bring it along. I had forgotten that the Slime had the Jump ability.
That body attack back then was also intense.
《Soo-chan, how high can you jump?》
《Hmm~》 Just as I thought it quivered, it suddenly leaped up. Estimated height… about 3.5 times Fran’s height.
《About this high, Master.》
Fran’s height is… if she’s 180cm, then 3.5 times that is 6.3m.
Soo-chan’s estimated diameter is a little over 30cm, so it jumped about 20 times its own height?
If it can jump 20 times vertically, it can probably jump 30 to 40 times forward.
Soo-chan’s body attack must be intense.
Koo-chan’s Tree Climbing, too, I haven’t tried it seriously in front of Fran, but I can climb easily.
Soo-chan’s Jump could also be a powerful weapon depending on how it’s used.
From behind, I could hear surprised voices saying, 〈Slimes can jump that high?〉
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
On the morning of the third day since we started heading north-northeast, I asked Bee-chan and the others to scout in a fan formation and set off.
Ever since the harassment incident, I walked while listening to Rebun’s grumbling, who had been moved behind me.
Since then, we’ve defeated one cow called a Big Horn and three elk, but it seems we’ve finally encountered our main target.
《Master, the furball is a little further ahead.》
《It’s big~!》
《Thank you. Help me if it gets dangerous.》
《Leave it to us~!》
《But our stingers can’t reach the furball.》
《Its nose is hard too…》
Oh, they’re sounding a little discouraged.
Now, I wonder when Yans the scout will notice.
I was thinking idly, but I sensed an unpleasant presence from the bushes beside our path. Yans the scout hadn’t noticed.
It’s less than 50 meters away now.
“Fran, there’s an unpleasant presence from the bushes to the front right!”
Simultaneously with my warning, a huge figure leaped out of the bushes and rushed towards us.
“Fran, put up your shield!”
Fran, who had frozen in surprise, hastily put up her shield, but the charging behemoth easily dodged it and closed in.
“Fire Stone Lance!”
She tried to follow my instructions, but with no cover and surprised by the Brown Bear’s ambush, her movements were sluggish.
《Soo-chan, charge at its nose!》
《Yes, Master!》
Everyone readied their spears and swords, but they were hesitant because the opponent was too big.
If Fran gets taken out, we’re all doomed.
While I was taking out a Short Spear from my Magic Pouch, the Brown Bear, having received Soo-chan’s body slam to its nose, let out a roar of fury.
To think I’d have to suddenly test out the Jump ability I got from Soo-chan… I’m unlucky.
As the Brown Bear rose with an angry roar, I readied my Short Spear, aimed for its throat, took a short run-up, and Jumped.
My lack of practice was all too apparent; I slammed into it just below the throat, almost like a body tackle, and tumbled to the ground.
The Short Spear remained embedded in the Brown Bear’s chest, and it was clawing at it, trying to pull it out.
“Fran! Shoot! Shoot!”
At my voice, Dorado slapped Fran’s back and bellowed, 《Shoot!》.
The next moment, a Stone Lance erupted from Fran’s palm and was sucked into its chest.
Five Stone Lances followed in succession, piercing its chest one after another.
(Tame) [Brown Bear – 46…]
(Tame) [Brown Bear – 23…]