Meat Walks In
Meat walked toward me.
It was a wild boar.
It was incomparably larger than any I'd seen on Earth. At least one and a half times bigger—maybe even twice as large.
It was making a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl. It seemed excited. Even from a distance, I could almost feel the wind rushing from its round nostrils.
Apparently, the field I'd chosen was either within this boar's territory or its home.
The creature lifted its head toward me. Our eyes met.
I once thought the scariest moment of my life was locking eyes with a dog that had escaped from a kennel. Even after that, meeting murderers or men with axes hadn't been as terrifying. But that record seemed broken now. That wild boar was scarier than the dog back then.
Normally, my first instinct would have been to run. To survive, you need to know how much stronger your opponent is, and this boar was far, far stronger than me. One thrust from those massive tusks would kill me instantly—a real one-hit kill. So I should run, but my brain seemed to have gone haywire.
The moment I saw the boar, the word that popped into my head was "meat." With a creature that big, how many people could eat, and for how long? Marinated and boiled would be fine, but even just grilling it over fire and dipping it in salt would taste amazing. The thought of a huge slab of grilled meat made my mouth water just imagining it.
I'd been too busy surviving in this world to notice, but I must have been quite starved for food all this time. Especially meat. I wanted meat.
'Can we hunt it?'
If everyone here joined forces, and with Popcorn added to that, could we catch that boar? Could we kill it?
'It might be possible.'
I was a city person, but the others were people who'd lived in this harsh medieval world. They might be used to hunting boars. Plus, I had Popcorn.
'Alright.'
Popcorn, I believe in you. We hadn't been together long since you were born, but you're a spirit, and the Spirit Tree guaranteed my happiness. So yeah, I think I'll definitely be fine. I really believe that, Popcorn.
As I muttered to myself, someone seemed to have spotted the boar. A shout rang out from afar.
"It's a boar! A wild boar has appeared!"
Soon after, I heard the sound of people running over. I couldn't take my eyes off the boar—I felt like it would charge the moment I looked away. Popcorn either knew about my crisis or didn't, but it still wasn't showing up. Would it only come if the boar attacked? No, was it even coming at all? Had it forgotten about me while playing?
As I swallowed nervously, I saw the village men at the edge of my vision. Some had spears, but most were holding axes and pickaxes. They must have grabbed whatever was nearby while working and rushed over. And for some reason, instead of standing beside or behind me, they lined up between me and the boar, as if clearing a path. The villagers looked like roadside trees lining the path connecting me and the boar. If things stayed like this, the boar would charge straight at me.
The men shouted.
"Don't worry. We'll make sure it doesn't veer off elsewhere."
"Don't worry about us."
"Let's all give it our best!"
"If we catch this thing, we'll have enough to eat for months without a problem. Don't let it get away even if it kills us!"
I see. These people had come to hunt the boar with me, but it seemed they weren't planning to kill it themselves—they wanted to drive it toward me.
Ji-geu's father and a few others arrived a bit late and ran to my side. They probably thought they'd help while I used magic. The village men must have figured I couldn't handle it alone.
The problem was that I couldn't use magic at all, and Popcorn, whom I was counting on, wasn't nearby.
'It's fine, it's fine. There are so many people here, after all.'
If we all worked together, we should be able to catch one boar. Even if it was an enormous creature the size of an elephant, unlike anything I'd ever seen.
I'd encountered countless accidents and incidents back on Earth, but I'd always survived unscathed. I was lucky like that. Even facing a giant boar like this, I wouldn't die. I'd built up enough experience to have at least that much faith. Probably.
I steeled myself for the fight with the boar and slowly lowered my body. I picked up the hoe lying on the ground.
Whether it thought that was the start of the fight or got excited because of the people around it, the boar moved its body roughly. The village men waved their spears and shovels to keep it from running elsewhere. That seemed to have really angered it. The boar shook its head and charged at the people.
The villagers waved their spears and farming tools to block it, but one of them seemed to have misstepped. He fell backward. The boar scraped the ground with its hooves. It looked like it was about to charge and trample him, so a shout burst out of me without thinking.
"You bastard! Your opponent's right here!"
I must have gone crazy. As if snapping to attention at my shout, the people on the other side shouted "Whoa!" They waved their tools to threaten the boar. The enraged boar roughly turned its body and charged in that direction. In the meantime, another person helped the fallen man to his feet.
Good. Just as I was relieved, the boar changed direction and looked at me. It made that strange growling sound and started running toward me. I could hear Ji-geu's father breathing heavily right beside me. He'd come to help me, but he seemed scared too. I was scared as well. But if I panicked and flinched here, I'd really die.
There's a saying that even if a tiger bites you, you'll survive if you keep your wits about you. Conversely, that means if you don't stay sharp, you'll die. I really needed to stay focused.
I shouted to the side.
"If it comes this way, turn your body and dodge to the back right before it hits you. You'll die if you try to block it head-on. Always go around to the back. If multiple people do it together, it'll get confused too."
Someone could land the finishing blow in that opening. The nearby men seemed a bit puzzled by my words, but I ignored them and gripped the hoe tightly. The boar was charging, shaking the ground, and Popcorn wasn't here. We had to survive on our own.
I shifted my center of gravity to my lower body and took a deep breath.
Alright, don't dodge early. If you dodge too soon, it'll chase you. Wait until the very end, until it's right in front of you, then move.
I focused and waited as the boar drew closer and closer.
"...."
It was enormous. I'd guessed its size from afar, but up close, the sense of intimidation was beyond imagination. The closer it got, the more the ground rumbled, and I started doubting whether we could really kill this thing. Even stabbing it with a spear probably wouldn't draw a single drop of blood.
When the boar was right in front of me, a shout burst out of me without thinking.
"Popcorn!"
Where the hell did you go, you little punk.
The moment my words echoed in the air—
"Pipipipipipi!"
As if answering, Popcorn shot past me like an arrow. Its round rear was aimed straight at the boar's tusks.
"Pipipit!"
The moment Popcorn's body poked into the tusks, the boar was lifted into the air and pushed backward. The boar flew dozens of meters through the air before crashing down with a thud.
Oh... wow... that was something. Unlike a person, that boar probably weighed over 200, no, 400 kilograms, yet it was sent flying so easily.
As if it knew I was impressed, Popcorn spun its body and looked at me. It was hard to tell front from back, but its actions suggested as much.
"Pipipit!"
Popcorn stretched both hands upward, stuck its rear out to the side, and paused for a moment. Then, still in that pose, it started spinning in circles in the air. It looked like a victory performance.
"Whoooooooa!"
"We caught the boar!"
A beat late, a loud cheer erupted from the people.
It wasn't time to relax yet. What if the boar woke up? Worried, I approached, and saw that the boar's neck was bent at an odd angle. It must have landed strangely when it fell.
"...."
Popcorn, you're really amazing. How does such strength come from that tiny body? Even if you're a spirit, this is incredible.
Popcorn was still dancing in that strange pose in the air. When I looked at it, it went "Pipit!" and flew over to me, spinning. Both hands stretched out, rear tilted to the side.
Haha, I couldn't help but laugh, and Popcorn, seeming pleased, spun like a top and flew over to bump its body against my palm.
"Good job. Thanks."
"Pipipi pipi!"
I wasn't sure if it understood my words, but it seemed to get that I was thanking it. Popcorn rubbed its entire body against my palm as it moved around.
I just thought of something—maybe Popcorn comes to me like it's being summoned the moment I call.
With the tension gone, my muscles felt like they were melting away. My lower back felt a bit weak.
The villagers excitedly surrounded me, chattering noisily. Everyone seemed happy to have meat.
"It's all thanks to you, Mage. My goodness, catching a boar."
"If people from other villages heard, they'd be shocked out of their minds."
For some reason, the way they spoke felt odd.
"Have you never hunted a boar before?"
When I asked, the people burst into loud laughter.
"When a boar appears, you run first. If it's small, maybe, but something this big, you can't catch it."
"Even if you stab it with a spear, it doesn't die easily."
"If you mess with it wrong, it gets even more violent."
"Boars are surprisingly smart, you know."
No way, these people.
I looked at them in disbelief when the children came running over.
"Amazing!"
"I've never seen a boar fly before."
"Mister, are you a wind mage?"
"I'm telling you, if wind goes 'bang,' you're a wind mage."
"But it could be something else."
The children argued among themselves.
Someone tugged at my clothes, and when I looked, Ji-geu was staring up at me with sparkling eyes.
"Mister, I saw it. A light flashed and it hit the boar. It hit its tusk."
"...."
It might be better to just be honest rather than lie about this. I'd wanted to hide Popcorn being a spirit simply because I thought no one would believe it.
"I see."
"Is that a spirit?"
"Yeah."
"Mages are close with spirits, right?"
"I don't know."
That, I wasn't sure about. The only spirit I could see was Popcorn.
"The only spirit I'm close with is one."
Ji-geu looked around to see if anyone was listening. Everyone was gathered around the boar. Even the noisy children were now busy looking at the boar.
"Mister, can you pass on a message to that spirit? We need a bride for our house. A bride who can have lots of children."
"Why do you want lots of children?"
At my question, Ji-geu looked around again. After confirming no one was listening, he spoke quietly.
"Dad... after my brother died, he was really sad. I saw him crying at night, saying my brother's name. But if there are lots of kids, even if one dies, there are still others, so it won't be as sad."
"...."
That wasn't how it worked. Having more children didn't mean the grief of losing one was divided among them. To parents, each child held equal weight.
When I explained that, Ji-geu looked a bit disappointed.
"That's a problem. Then we'd be incredibly sad every time one of us dies."
"That's what children are to parents."
Ji-geu slumped his shoulders. He started to leave but suddenly turned back.
"Still, can you ask for me?"
"Sure. I don't know if it'll work. It doesn't seem like the spirit has that kind of power. Plus, I'm not even sure if it understands me. But I'll pass on your message."
Popcorn was right in front of me. There was nothing to pass on.
At my words, Ji-geu smiled brightly.
"Thank you!"
Popcorn seemed to like Ji-geu. It flew around with the brightly smiling child, circling around his nose.
Ji-geu's father, who had been talking with someone near the boar, was quietly watching Ji-geu.