Chapter 30: Mr. Wet-Pants
Watching the Brown Bear collapse, I wiped the cold sweat from my brow with a sigh of relief.
“Fran, that’s enough. After taking six Stone Lances, even a Brown Bear wouldn’t be able to withstand that.”
“Man, I thought I was going to die,” one of the party members said.
“Who would’ve thought it was lurking in a place like that,” another added.
“Shinya, good job noticing that,” Dorado-san praised.
“I’m sorry. I was so surprised I couldn’t move,” Rebun stammered.
“It can’t be helped since you lack experience,” Dorado-san said kindly.
“That’s the same for you, Shinya-san, but how were you able to jump in like that?” Rebun asked me.
“Yeah, we barely had enough time to ready ourselves, let alone attack,” Dorado-san admitted.
“Seeing Shinya jump in was the first time I felt the fighting spirit to take that bastard on!”
“Didn’t the Killer Bees warn you?” I asked Fran.
“I told you, Bee-chan and the others won’t act unless I’m attacked, and what do you mean, ‘warn me’?” Fran replied.
I wanted to give a warning a bit sooner, but Bee-chan is set up so I can’t directly command them.
As I approached to pull out my Short Spear, I felt something was off. (Tame) [Brown Bear: 6] Shit!
“Nobody get close! Fran! Finish it off!”
“Y-yes!” 〈…Hah!〉
As the seventh Stone Lance sank into its chest, the Brown Bear twitched violently, its death throes began, and it became [Brown Bear: 0].
Never let your guard down until you confirm death. I’m still too soft.
When I pulled out the Short Spear, I saw that only its 50cm tip had pierced the bear.
It was supposed to be a charge with my full body weight behind it, but things don’t always go as planned.
I pulled out the seven Stone Lances, put the Brown Bear into the Magic Bag, and finally took a breath.
I still don’t like hunting Beasts, but I guess I’ll have to endure it for a while longer.
If my hunch is correct, once I Tame a few more and acquire the necessary abilities, things should get easier.
When I stood up at the call to head back, Rebun was still sitting down, looking dejected.
What’s this, Rebun-chan? There are stains on your crotch and on the ground.
“Rebun, lift your head. Most people who get ambushed by a big one for the first time freeze up like that. If you’re ashamed, then next time, brace yourself and participate properly.”
Fran, who he had been harassing, faced the Beast and splendidly defeated it, so he must be embarrassed. I wonder if that personality of his will change.
《Soo-chan, thank you.》
《Master, just say the word!》
Such reliable words. I’m counting on you.
When we get back to the village, I need to examine Soo-chan’s ecology and abilities, and master Jump.
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When we returned to the village and laid out our haul with the village chief and others present, it caused a huge commotion.
Initially, when they saw Fran’s Stone Lance, they were impressed by its power, but she was young and this was her first battle.
Dorado-san and his group were mid-tier Adventurers, but they hadn’t hunted large game like Brown Bears.
The man who accompanied them, me, was an incompetent Tamer, so they had allowed the Brown Bear search with Rebun attached as insurance.
It was supposed to be a search, not a subjugation, but when we finally returned after more than half a month, we reported that we had defeated a Brown Bear.
They thought it was impossible, but the villagers were in an uproar at the sight of the numerous prey laid out in the square.
Brown Bear
Black Bear
Horn Boar
Big Horn
Elk, three of them
They heard that Fran had taken down all of them, while Dorado-san and the rest of Osius’s Fangs acted as backup, mostly just watching.
That night, the village chief permitted a grand feast for the entire village.
Fran looked happy, surrounded by the cheerful village chief and her family. I also had my first taste of alcohol since coming to this world and got a little drunk.
Soo-chan was happily receiving scraps next to me, but being a Tamed Slime, she was a novelty and incredibly popular with the children.
I’d told them not to attack her, so she was being petted, kicked, and treated like a toy by the kids.
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Nine days since I Tamed Soo-chan, the Skill number I checked has decreased from 35 to 26.
If this number disappears, the absorbed abilities should become my own. I’m looking forward to it.
This is a good chance to try out what I’ve been thinking about while I’m in this village.
Plans are tentative, not set in stone.
My pleasant awakening was shattered by the words, “We’re going to Zandra to sell the game!”
Most of the game was in my Magic Bag, and the rest was in Fran’s Magic Bag, so I had no right to refuse.
Dorado-san and his group, Fran’s older brother Gran, me, and Wet-Pants Rebun. It was November and getting colder, so winter preparations were necessary, and I decided to comply obediently.
Soo-chan was staying behind in a cute Shelter Fran made for her.
To prevent her from becoming a toy for the children, I made the entrance about 20cm, but with her soft body and Jump characteristics, she slipped right in.
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When I greeted the old man at the purchasing counter, he looked at the number of people behind me and asked if we had a lot.
I nodded silently, and he told us to go to the back before returning to deal with a new arrival.
There was someone else at the dismantling area, so we waited quietly until the dismantling chief asked, “What did you bring?”
“A Brown Bear, a Black Bear, and five others, all large. We’ll need a wide space,” Dorado-san informed him.
Hearing Dorado-san’s voice, the previous customer turned around and looked us up and down appraisingly.
We started laying out the game as instructed by the dismantling chief, but the previous customer and the parties that came after us were noisy.
Brown Bear
Black Bear
Horn Boar
Big Horn
Elk, three of them
〈That’s an amazing haul!〉
〈Which party are they?〉
〈That’s not game from around here.〉
〈There are no big ones like that nearby.〉
〈They have Magic Bags?〉
〈And two of them are kids!〉
〈They took them down in mostly one or two hits!〉
〈They’re incredibly skilled!〉
〈Though it looks like they had a tough time with the Brown Bear.〉
I entrusted Dorado-san with my Guild Card and went to the dining hall, ordered an ale, and waited for the appraisal to finish.
〈Hey, someone brought in some huge game!〉
〈A Brown Bear and a Black Bear!〉
〈The Horn Boar is ridiculously huge too, it’s terrifying!〉
As Dorado-san and the others were smirking at Fran, who was looking down shyly, a familiar old man appeared.
“It was Shinya and Fran, right? I have something to discuss with you about that matter from the other day. Come to my room.”
The Guild Master himself coming over to talk to rookies like us made us the center of attention.
Dorado-san, his group, and Rebun looked bewildered, and Fran’s brother turned pale, grilling Fran about what she had done, so I hurriedly stopped him.
This wasn’t something we could discuss here, so I reluctantly stood up.
“Brother, don’t worry, just wait here. Fran, let’s go.”
“I guess we have no choice,” Fran sighed.
We followed the Guild Master, and I felt like I was about to blush from all the attention and hushed whispers.
“The reason I called you here is none other than about those guys from before; they’ve informed us of a deposit, so go confirm it. Also, Owen has vanished without a trace.”
“I understand about the deposit, but why are you telling us about the former Guild Master?”
“I saw the game you brought in. Fran, was it? You’ve got good skills for a rookie. Show me your Guild Card.”
Fran hurriedly handed over her Guild Card. “You’re E-Rank starting today. Get a new card at the reception later,” he said with a laugh.
“Can’t you tell us about the former Guild Master?” I pressed.
“Warrants for him have been circulated domestically and internationally, but there’s no information. This means he’s almost certainly hiding in the forest.”
“So you’re telling us to be careful?”
“He’s a former A-Rank elite Adventurer. It’s thought he’s moving through the forests, so if you happen to encounter him, I’m counting on you.”
“He was Owen the Hellfire, wasn’t he? You think we can ‘count on’ handling someone that skilled?”
“A skilled Earth Magic User and a Tamer with Divine Protection, and you have Killer Bee escorts, don’t you? Besides, there’s a 100 Gold Coin bounty on him.”
“Huh, first I’ve heard of it.”
“Haven’t you guys been looking at the notice board?”
“We’ve been rather busy with one thing or another.”
“It’s posted next to the request board, so take a look.”
With just that, he waved his hand, and we left the room.
“If he’s telling us there was a deposit, we can expect quite a bit, can’t we?” Fran said.
“Nah, the Guild Master’s cut isn’t in there, so it’ll be just so-so. He’s probably trying to egg us on to do some bounty hunting.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Fran said.
“I don’t want to get involved in anything that troublesome either,” I agreed.
“What was that all about?” came the immediate question when we returned to the dining hall.
“It was about Fran’s rank promotion. And a little about that other matter,” I replied.
Dorado-san, understanding, changed the subject.
“The appraisal is finished.”
The paper handed to us read:
Brown Bear, 460,000 Dahla
Black Bear, 370,000 Dahla
Horn Boar, 160,000 Dahla
Big Horn, 220,000 Dahla
Elk, 140,000 Dahla x 3 = 420,000 Dahla
Total: 1,630,000 Dahla
“These are all good prices,” Fran commented.
“They said they were all large specimens with few injuries, so the appraiser really put in the effort. Now, about this, the village covers all the expenses for our hunts. For that, we contribute 20% of our earnings to the village, but since this was under the pretext of an investigation, I hadn’t told you,” Dorado-san explained.
“That’s fine with me. I’m just an extra, anyway.”
“Sorry about that. Divided among eight people, it’s 183,000 Dahla each.”
“Wait, Dorado-san. Shinya just tagged along, didn’t he? Why are you giving a share to someone like him? That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? He even said himself that he’s like an extra, so there’s no need to give him anything!”
“Rebun, in that case, you just tagged along too, didn’t you? By your logic, you have no right to receive anything.”
“What! Just because you can use a little magic now, you’ve got a big attitude!”
“Dorado-san, since Rebun is saying that, you don’t need to worry about my share.”
“Shinya!”
“Fran, calm down. It’s true I just tagged along. And so did you.”
I grinned and pointed at Rebun.
“What did you say!”
“Dorado-san, the village chief said it was an investigation of the Brown Bear, right?”
“Yeah, he said that, and added Rebun because he was worried about Fran being the only magic user.”
“So, an extra for the investigation, then.”
Dorado-san grinned and opened his mouth.
“I understand Rebun’s dissatisfaction well enough, but if we go by those words, then Rebun doesn’t have the right to receive anything either.”
“Why is that!” Rebun’s face changed color as he shot to his feet.