Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Hunt (2)
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"What."
One of the men approaching me.
The man named Victor, who had been fidgeting from afar and hurling axes, suddenly stared at me with panicked eyes as I drew my sword and charged straight at him.
But soon enough, that gaze filled with a mix of ridicule and a hint of anger.
"An E-rank punk who only throws axes from a distance!!"
From my experience as an adventurer, I'd noticed that adventurers often formed cliques based on the weapons they used, with perceptions varying accordingly.
Sword users preached the greatness of the blade, spear wielders stuck together in their own groups, and archers looked down on the infantry...
And among them, those who used thrown weapons?
"What gives a coward like you the confidence!!"
They were seen as gutless types who lacked the skill for close combat.
It was a fitting assessment for me, since that's exactly why I'd chosen thrown weapons.
Of course, there were rare masters who never missed their throws and slaughtered hordes of enemies... but that sure didn't apply to E-rank adventurers like me.
-Shing!!!
A sword slid free from its sheath at his waist.
Victor, who had been watching my approach, blocked my strike with his shield, then moved his other hand toward his waist where his weapon hung, likely planning a counterattack while using the shield to cover himself.
"Can't hold it steady with just one hand."
"What."
The moment his arm left the shield to draw his weapon, I rushed in and slammed my shoulder into his one-armed defense.
The momentum from my charge converted straight into impact, hitting him hard. Already unstable on the uneven mountain path, he lost his balance and staggered.
"Y-You crazy bastard...!!"
Stunned by my move of drawing and then shoulder-checking him, Victor toppled to the ground, pinned under his own raised shield.
I didn't miss the opening, thrusting my drawn sword downward at his exposed ankle as he lay there.
-Slash!!!
"Gaaahhh!!!!"
His flailing ankle severed cleanly.
I felt a slight resistance through the blade, but my now much stronger body crushed bone and sliced flesh without mercy.
"Fuck! Fuuuuck!!!"
"Victor!!!"
Seeing their comrade fall, the other two men discarded their shields and charged in desperately.
I kicked the screaming Victor—his ankle hacked off—into silence, then raised my sword, calming my mind as I faced them.
The metallic tang of blood filled the air from the fresh dismemberment, but oddly, the scent sharpened my focus even more.
"You bastard...!!"
Surprisingly, the first to rush me was the man named Leban.
Even though the leader had been closer.
Instead of questioning it, I fixed my eyes on his wildly stabbing sword and shifted my body.
-Whoosh!!
"Kuh?"
The blade grazed my collar by a hair's breadth, and Leban swung again in panic.
Each time, I evaded with minimal movement.
'I can see it.'
It was strange.
Over my time as an adventurer, I'd gotten into scraps now and then—fistfights when trouble found me—so I had some experience.
But my skills? They were downright mediocre at best.
The only edge I had was a slightly better build than most men in this world, thanks to nutritious 21st-century Earth food.
I'd never trained properly, so my body handling was clumsy, and my nerves were shot—violence up close always froze me solid.
But now...
-Swish! Swoosh!!
"Y-You little shit...!!"
My body responded precisely as I willed, and I could clearly picture the arc of his next swing.
A razor-sharp blade whistled past my nose, yet no fear rose up.
'This is killer.'
For someone who'd always taken beatings in past brawls, this sensation was thrilling.
Like I'd become a combat prodigy.
As I dodged his attacks, fury-driven Leban swung wide, and I spotted the opening clear as day.
'Right here.'
Instinct screamed where to strike, and I thrust without hesitation.
-Stab!!!
"Guh...!!"
The sword plunged between his ribs, and Leban froze mid-thrash with a choked scream.
A twist of the wrist would hack him in half, my gut told me—then a chill prickled my spine.
-Thud!!!
"Tch!!"
I didn't ignore it, hoisting Leban—still impaled on my sword—as a shield, just as a sharp whistle cut the air and something pierced his body.
Beyond the bleeding corpse, I saw the leader aiming a crossbow at me.
'That's why he kept his distance.'
No— he'd even widened the gap during the chaos.
Why not use it sooner? But as he pulled the trigger again, I got it.
"Goddamn awful aim."
"...Shut up!!"
His follow-up bolt missed me entirely, veering off wildly—barely even aimed my way.
Whether he heard me or not, his face flushed red as he kept retreating, crossbow trained on me.
'Axes... no. Can't replicate more right now.'
I'd considered copying an axe to throw, but my energy was tapped out from overusing the ability too soon.
Clicking my tongue, I dropped the excellent meat-shield Leban and snatched up the man's discarded shield instead.
"Fuck. That retarded fuck...!!"
As I grabbed the shield, despair etched the man's face, and he cursed the dead, shield-less Leban needlessly.
"You killed him."
"Shut up!"
I pointed out that his bolt—not my stab—had finished Leban, and veins bulged in his neck as he screamed and fired again.
-Thuck!!
His frantic shots deflected harmlessly off my upheld shield.
-Thud thud thud!!!
Confirmed the shield could take it, I charged like a bull, shield forward.
Sloppy stance, heavy shield in hand, treacherous mountain path—yet my speed outpaced any normal man's sprint.
"S-Stay back, you fuck!!"
-Clang! Clang!!
His face drained pale as he backpedaled, desperately reloading and firing.
But the gap closed fast. Just a few more steps to sword range...
-Crack!!
"Huh."
Then disaster struck.
The shield itself had held—pocked with holes and cracked—but the handle I'd gripped tore free, dropping it to the dirt.
"......Fuck. This was probably from Hammer Uncle too... Does that guy have no shame?"
The city's only blacksmith, Hammer Uncle, must've sold them this junk too. What the hell with the durability?
No conscience at all, peddling crap like this...
"....! Dieeee!!!"
As I tsked at the shoddy gear, hope flickered in the man's despairing eyes, and he loaded his fastest bolt yet.
-Twang!!!
No time to retrieve the shield—the bolt hurtled toward me.
'You fucking...!!'
Chill racing down my spine, I reacted on pure reflex.
Dropped hand to my waist, drew the sword I'd sheathed while shielding, and swung.
-Slash!!!
".....Insane!"
"....Whoa."
Two contrasting exclamations burst out.
The shooter gaped in denial; I stared, dumbfounded, at what I'd done.
'Sliced the bolt?'
A point-blank crossbow bolt, intuited and cleaved mid-air before it reached me.
Amazed or not, no distractions in combat—I charged to prevent any tricks.
Range gone, he tossed the crossbow and drew his sword.
"D-Damn... damn it! Don't underestimate me! I'm no E-rank like you—I'm D-rank...!!"
Before he finished, I closed in and whipped my sword like lightning. He swung late in panic.
-Clang!!
The clear ring of metal on metal echoed. The result was instant.
"Guhhh!!"
One clash.
Just one, and his poorly swung sword flew from his grip.
Disarmed in a single exchange, he fell on his ass, scooting back with a terrified plea.
"W-Wait..! I surrender. Surrender...! Just spare my life!"
"...You were trying to kill me with that crossbow a second ago, and now you want mercy?"
"P-Please...! I-I'll give you everything I have! I only joined because those dead guys talked me into it...!"
Pathetic begging, raw desperation for life—but it stirred nothing in me.
Instead, I asked flatly.
"Any other comrades besides you three?"
"N-No! We hadn't even planned fully—just heard you left town and rushed out...!"
"Anyone see you leave town?"
"......."
My questions clearly weren't from someone planning mercy, so he switched tactics from groveling.
"I-If you kill me, you're a murderer too... got it? Word gets out, your adventurer license gets revoked, and the guards hunt you down...!"
"Thanks for the advice."
"W-Wait....."
-Slash!!!
The gruesome tear of flesh rang out, and the forest fell silent.
I turned, methodically finishing off the survivors without a second thought.
One lesson since arriving in this world: never leave loose ends.
'....Brings back memories.'
Dispatching them so cleanly stirred a past event.
My first kill after transferring here.
The bandit who'd ambushed me—I'd lacked the guts to finish him, let him live sloppily, and nearly died in his counterattack soon after.
Back then, even in self-defense—hell, after almost dying myself—the shock of killing kept me tormented for days.
But now...
'....Nothing.'
Five men dead by my hand, and I felt zilch.
Had two years of ordeals toughened my mind? Or had my spirit changed with my body?
Either way...
".....Not bad."
Honestly, the shift didn't feel bad at all.
.
.
.
I ditched anything that could identify them, pocketing only their coin pouches, then hiked another two days out of the mountains.
Off the trails, I followed faint paths of human passage until I reached my goal.
A bustling metropolis, worlds apart from the backwater I'd worked for two years.
Unlike that village with D-ranks at best, maybe C-ranks if lucky, this place even had A-rank adventurers.
Rivel.