Chapter 296
Chapter 296
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 296
Chapter Title: Chill
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Indeed, ganging up three against one made it feel a bit anticlimactic.
The ancient sages weren't wrong when they said that. Come to think of it, our current lineup was perfect: the rival, the guide, and the sorceress. Adults really did know best—never a wrong word.
Suddenly, I was craving some gam.
Spurt, spurt.
Hot blood gushed from the severed neck like a burst pipe. Personally, I wasn't a fan of offal. The distinct smell and slimy texture always turned my stomach.
That's why I couldn't enjoy scenes like this, with blood pouring everywhere.
Maybe that's what turned me into a pacifist... Shed blood was a sorrow that could never be gathered back up. The tears of discriminated Black folk, the blood of civilians massacred by war criminals.
All I felt was pity.
I grabbed the Owl Bear's severed head.
"Winia. From what I can tell, this beak looks like it'd fetch a good price."
Body parts from powerful monsters usually sold well. Cockatrice beaks went for a high price, after all, so this should too.
"Of course it does. Blackie, we only need the beak—slice that off and ditch the rest."
"Got it."
Claudy was staring at the Owl Bear's neck, still spurting blood. What had caught her eye? She poked around like she wanted to confirm the kill herself, fiddling with feathers and such.
For now, let it bleed out a bit, then gut it, skin it—that should do it.
Shing.
I pulled out my knife and sawed at the base of its beak. Scrape, scrape. It wasn't cutting as smoothly as I'd hoped.
"Damn thing."
I pinned the head to the ground and sawed harder. The blade sank in, and crushed blood squirted out. That got the beak off, and I set it aside.
"Claudy. Help me with the skinning."
"Sure thing."
"First, let's flip it over."
Thud!
At my words, Claudy kicked the corpse hard. The impact flipped it, exposing the belly.
Now that was some serious leg power.
"Whoa, badass! What a kick!"
The side that took the hit was even caved in.
"Hee hee."
Grinning happily, Claudy yanked out the arm from behind its back. She pulled it free like it was nothing—insane strength, as expected.
"Sis, their claws are valuable too. Get the front and back ones—all of 'em."
Slash!
Claudy swung her knife lightly, and the claws sheared off cleanly, flying into the air. Four quick strokes, and the job was done.
Worlds apart from my beak work.
Look at those perfect cuts. Nothing like my hack job. Might take me a century to match her skill.
"Whoa. Clean slices."
I gathered the fallen claws and placed them next to the beak.
Up close, they looked brutally sharp and tough. Three swordsmen against this?
Its arms were ridiculously long, too—keeping distance would be tricky.
If one tanked head-on as bait, the other two would need to sever vitals in one shot to kill it.
Compared to real top-tier beasts, its size was human-like, so targeting vitals wasn't impossible... but still dicey.
Three pros like me? Sure. But Kobson, Meria, and company? They'd be in deep shit.
Meria's shield would've been smashed to bits, Kobson launched into the distance, and that's when I'd finish it off.
Next time I see Kobson, gotta tell him to wake up and smell reality.
"Winia. Anything else worth grabbing besides that?"
"Heart and gall bladder?"
"And the rest?"
"Toss it. Useless."
Winia found a spot to sit and rest.
She'd poured extra mana into Chain Lightning to take down the Owl Bear for sure.
Recalling the hobgoblin massacre, that last one looked even stronger. Big monsters probably needed more output.
"Gotta carry this back too?"
"What, our Blackie was planning to ditch it?"
"But hauling the pelt seems like a pain."
"Blackie. Just say yes or no next time."
Damn, fair point.
My bad.
"Heh heh heh. Hop on, then. Don't worry."
"Heh heh. Idiot."
"Ow."
Anyway, Claudy and I stood in front of the Owl Bear.
Now, how to butcher this thing. I gripped my knife reverse and aimed just below what looked like its solar plexus.
Stab deep, slice the belly, gut it—easy.
"Katt, need a hand?"
Claudy came up behind me, hugging my waist and wrapping her hands around mine. Her strength flowed through.
"Aim dead center and stab straight."
I let her guide me and thrust down. Stab. The softer belly gave way easily with her added power.
Felt like an industrial press.
"Now down."
Slice.
Belly opened without a hitch.
Hot blood sloshed out like stew from a bowl. But with the head off, it drained quick.
"Where's the gall bladder, though?"
"Under the liver, probably?"
"Yeah?"
Stab.
Gloveless Claudy plunged her hand into the bloody guts. Hey, I was gonna do that.
I wanted the dirty work.
She rummaged a bit and soon pulled out something gall-bladder-shaped.
"Yep, that's it. Nice size."
Winia, who'd snuck up, took it and bottled it. Then she circled the corpse, inspecting.
"Claudy, your hand okay?"
"My hand?"
Her forearm was drenched in blood, like a brutal warrior's.
"Gonna feel cold from all that blood."
"Oh yeah, it does. But we gotta gut it anyway."
I took off my gauntlet and rolled up my sleeve.
Then Claudy and I yanked out the innards like we were stuffing kimchi. Total visual match—chili powder everywhere.
Ah, kimchi.
Haven't had that in years.
Someday, if I get the chance, I should make my own batch.
And force it on everyone around me.
They'd hate it, for sure.
"Heh heh."
But that's the joy of shoving kimchi at foreigners. Entertaining those inhuman, cruel thoughts, I pulled out a long intestine.
Each organ was huge. Most useless, though—no need to keep 'em. Tossed into the snow, cleared the cavity clean.
"Whoa, heart's massive."
Only heart and gall mattered.
Low-tier monsters' byproducts were trash, but big ones like this had plenty of uses.
Guts done—now the pelt.
I grabbed my knife to stab in, but Claudy spoke up.
"Katt. First, long vertical cut from top to bottom."
"Vertical?"
"Yeah. Head's off, so start below and go down."
I'd skinned before, but never professionally. Did as told... Wait, flashing back—first met Claudy while skinning a Scale Wolf.
"Skinning takes me back. Like when we first met."
"Catching that Scale Wolf? Heh heh, yeah."
She smiled.
Never imagined it'd lead here. Anyway, sliced the meat away. Time for full disassembly.
Rummage, rummage.
But damn, the size made it tough. I'd only hunted small fry—no big game experience. First time skinning something this huge.
Tricky.
Hands shaking, worried about ruining the pelt. Then Claudy grabbed my wrist.
"Katt, let me handle it."
"Ah... I should be doing this. Feels embarrassing."
"Nothing to be ashamed of. It's your first time, right?"
"Yeah, but..."
"Just watch and learn. Deal?"
She smiled kindly, rubbing her cheek against mine.
"Okay."
She took the knife, slid it expertly between meat and skin, and peeled it off with force.
Peel, peel.
Skin separated in seconds, revealing pink flesh underneath.
I helped by lifting arms and such. Her knife moved at lightning speed.
"Whoa, sis is pro. Blackie, study up good."
"You bet."
Soon, the Owl Bear was truly naked. Feathers and fur stripped clean, every secret inch exposed.
The stripped monster looked pathetically frail.
This must've been its weakest, most hidden side. Now just a plump meal, pink and inviting.
"Mm... wonder if it tastes good?"
Claudy, folding the pelt, eyed the meaty remains, licking her lips like she craved a bite.
"Nah. Too tough."
Winia's reply suggested she'd tried it.
"Winia, you've eaten it?"
"Once or twice. Not my thing."
"Tough, huh..."
For reference, Claudy loved chewy meat.
Hearing that, she stabbed the flesh and sliced off prime cuts with expert ease.
Born butcher, that one.
Gonna have a lot to haul now.
"Katt. Take some meat too. Wanna eat it."
"Looks fresh enough to try."
Prime wild game, still steaming. Worth a taste. Packed it tight with claws and beak in my bag.
"Alright, let's head back."
Handed the bag to Claudy, shouldered the pelt. Big and heavy, but manageable. Ignored the dripping blood.
Bit late, so hustled down the mountain.
"Mm... getting chilly."
"Yeah, feels like it."
Claudy and Winia shivered as they spoke.
Battle adrenaline faded, cold seeped in.
"Sweat drying off. Walking'll warm us up."
We hurried toward the city.
Ran into a few adventurer groups, but no trouble. Who'd mess with folks hauling Owl Bear pelt?
Even dumb bandits knew you needed to be stronger than the hunter to steal it.
Parading it openly kept 'em at bay. Bandits needed a good look to get the hint.
Assuming those adventurers weren't bandits, anyway.
"Katt."
"Yeah?"
"Too cold. Skin feels icy."
She pressed against my side.
"Gonna have to thaw me out when we get back?"
"Hell yeah!"
"Hell yeah! Blackie, I'm freezing too?"
"I'll melt you both!"
No rest for the weary tonight!
Anyway, reached the city around sunset.
"Whoa, Owl Bear pelt?"
"Yes, sir. Thanks for your service."
The guards took interest.
Told 'em we got it mid-mountain, passed through. Sun dipping, and now I was freezing. Wanted in, stat.
Had to sell our haul first, so headed to the inn where merchants hung out.