Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Vine
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Boom! Boom! Boom!
The peaceful plains were filled with the sounds of impacts as a Rhino Horn and its Named variant clashed.
“Hey, Luna, why are they fighting? Aren’t they on the same team?”
“I’m not sure… Named Monsters are rare, so there’s not much information on them…”
The Named Rhino Horn. He’d call it Iron Horn for now, since it was a darker shade of gray, almost iron-like, and its horn was even darker, almost black.
“Nanobots…?”
A meme from Earth popped into his head.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
This was a good opportunity. They were weakening each other. He’d postpone the hunt and enjoy the show.
Boom! Boom!
“They really live up to their name.”
“They do.”
Their only weapons were their horns, so they just charged and headbutted each other.
“But… are herbivores supposed to be this strong?”
“…As long as we don’t provoke them, it should be fine.”
The impacts were powerful, the sound deafening.
He would be a pile of broken bones if he were caught in the middle of that.
Then…
Boom!
Moooooooooooooooo—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Whoa…!”
Iron Horn’s eyes glowed red as it let out a powerful bellow.
Then, in a shocking turn of events…
Crack! Smash!
…the Rhino Horn’s seemingly indestructible horn shattered.
“…!”
Luna’s eyes widened in surprise.
The clash of horns had ended with Iron Horn’s victory.
This meant he didn’t have to compare the materials himself.
Iron Horn’s horn is superior.
He was about to tell Luna to start the hunt when Iron Horn’s next action made him pause.
“Hey, Luna, am I misunderstanding the definition of ‘herbivore’?”
“…I’m also confused right now.”
Iron Horn was devouring the carcass of the Rhino Horn it had just killed.
It was eating with gusto, seemingly oblivious to its surroundings.
“It looks delicious. Maybe we should ask for leftovers?”
“…Aren’t you nervous? We’re supposed to hunt that thing.”
“Not really.”
He wasn’t one to get nervous.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Nope.”
“…?”
Why bother making plans?
It was too much work.
The world’s greatest father had said:
“Life never goes according to plan!”
So, he didn’t make plans.
“I’ll handle this. Wait here.”
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Luke confidently walked towards Iron Horn.
What’s he going to do now?
Luna thought.
Despite claiming to be magicless, he was a better fighter than most magic users.
His methods were unconventional, but effective.
He reached Iron Horn.
“Hey, buddy, can we talk?”
…?
Unpredictable.
No one could read his mind or anticipate his actions.
He was truly… out there.
“I need your horn. Mind dying quietly?”
She had never seen anyone try to reason with a monster.
People sometimes asked if beastfolk could communicate with monsters or animals, but beastfolk were still human. They couldn’t talk to monsters.
And look. The monster was already preparing to charge.
Something was about to happen.
And she was right.
Iron Horn’s eyes glowed red, and it pawed the ground, ready to attack.
“Luke!”
Iron Horn charged. Luke dodged.
“KYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Run away!”
He started running.
Iron Horn, in hot pursuit, was a terrifying sight.
“Lunaaaaaaaaaaa! Heeeeeelp!”
Luna sighed, facepalming.
He was always causing trouble.
“You’re so reckless!”
Despite her exasperated tone, she immediately channeled her magic, enhancing Luke’s speed with wind.
“Whoa?!”
Was this what it felt like to be Luna all the time?
A speed boost, like Haste in games.
This is awesome!
He ran across the plains, leading Iron Horn towards the other Rhino Horns.
Whenever he encountered a Rhino Horn, he’d jump over it, sometimes even doing a flip.
Iron Horn, unable to stop its momentum, would crash into the Rhino Horn.
Rhino Horns were docile herbivores, but they became aggressive when attacked.
The attacked Rhino Horn would then fight Iron Horn.
And he could just sit back and watch.
“Luna, come here.”
“…Isn’t it over yet?”
“It’s over.”
She hadn’t experienced this before, so she didn’t understand.
This was the ultimate hunting strategy for busy people: efficient, convenient, and profitable.
Automatic hunting.
Luke took out some popcorn from his inventory.
“Want some?”
“When did you…?”
“I bought it before going to the inn yesterday.”
Was this really hunting?
Luna felt a sense of existential dread.
But there was nothing she could do, so she sat beside him.
They say watching a fight is the most entertaining. They were right.
The monsters clashing was like watching an action movie, complete with sound effects and tremors. It was better than 4D.
After a few minutes, the fight was nearing its end.
Iron Horn, unsurprisingly, had the upper hand.
“Luke, it’s almost over. What’s next?”
It would be their turn next, but Luke was just eating popcorn.
“Man, I’m thirsty. I wish I had some cola.”
He tossed a piece of popcorn at a nearby Rhino Horn.
Thud. Thud.
The Rhino Horn didn’t react.
He kept throwing popcorn.
It’s just a monster.
There was a world where throwing a coat hanger was considered murder.
Even rational people got angry when provoked.
A monster, driven by instinct, wouldn’t be able to tolerate this for long.
After about ten popcorn projectiles, the Rhino Horn, its eyes blazing, turned towards the source of the annoyance.
Moooooooooooooooo—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“…?”
Luna, not having seen what Luke had done, was confused by the Rhino Horn’s sudden outburst.
The culprit was, of course, Luke.
It might seem strange for a slave to suspect her master first, but Luke was… eccentric.
Blaming him was usually the right answer.
“Luke, did you do something?”
His answer confirmed her suspicions.
“Aggro.”
“…”
The fight between Iron Horn and the other Rhino Horn ended just as Luke finished luring the new one.
He led the newly aggroed Rhino Horn towards Iron Horn. The cycle of fighting, luring, and watching continued.
“This is getting boring. Let’s speed things up.”
Suddenly bored, Luke started throwing popcorn in all directions.
He aggroed three more Rhino Horns before the current fight even ended, creating a four-on-one situation.
Six Rhino Horn corpses littered the ground.
“Look, Luna, Named Monsters really are strong.”
Moo…
Iron Horn’s once-powerful bellow was now a whimper.
Its body was covered in bruises, and its horn was cracked.
…Poor thing.
For the first time, Luna felt pity for a monster.
“Time to finish this.”
His carefully prepared stakes and ropes were useless, but this was easier, so it was a win.
He could collect them later.
He stood up and walked towards Iron Horn.
It should have been preparing to charge, eyes glowing red, but it was strangely docile, like a well-trained dog, either having lost its will to fight or simply exhausted.
“You should have listened when I asked nicely.”
Why did people always make things difficult for themselves?
Swish.
He severed the head from the body.
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[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
Five levels!
That was the most experience he had gotten from a single monster.
“Status~”
He let out a strange, happy noise.
[ Information ]
Name: Luke
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Magic Power: 0 / 0
Level: 24
[ Skill ]
Inventory (F)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 19
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 0
Stamina: 10
Stat Points: 5
His Strength was steadily increasing.
The only thing he didn’t like was his Intelligence, which was still zero.
It was like calling Einstein an idiot.
And his “Year” status was gone.
Finally.
It should have disappeared when he dropped out.
He grinned, put all his points into Strength, and picked up the severed head.
“I’ll go tell the coachman we’re ready to leave.” Luna said, approaching him.
“What are you talking about? We’re not done yet.”
“Huh…?”
“We have to kill the rest.”
He needed more materials.
That day, merchants traveling through the uneven plains reported seeing headless, limbless monster carcasses and requested an investigation from the Adventurers’ Guild.
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