An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 16 Is it slime at first?

…I’ve been dealing with pigeon extermination in the guild warehouse for three whole days. The number of pigeons I’ve exterminated has exceeded 200.

I’ve managed to greatly reduce their numbers, so now it’s just a matter of waiting for stray pigeons to fly in. It’s a rather idle job.

During my free time, I conduct market research.

Axes, saws, knives, and other iron products that the elves buy from merchants, you see.

Upon investigation, it turns out that the elves are buying them at about 1.5 to 2 times the wholesale price here.

I can’t say the merchants are ripping them off too much. Considering the effort they put into traveling to the elf village and the danger allowance for escorting hunters, it seems like a fair deal.

“I would say the merchants who come to the elf village are decent folks. It’s best to treat them well.”

“If Shin says so, then it must be true. I’ll also mention it to the village chief.”

“But, you know, I’m starting to feel like I want to take on a bigger job soon.”

“Yeah, I’ve been getting a bit frustrated too.”

Hmm, I’ve been making Saran endure a bit too much.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, sorry. I appreciate your help. Now, eat up.”

Guild Master Buffalo Bal brought me lunch.

It’s a bottle of fruit juice and a sandwich with meat in it. He bought them from a food stall.

Pigeons are filled with bacteria. I always wash my hands thoroughly before eating.

“They’ve almost completely disappeared, huh?”

“Well, with crows, if you hang up a dead body, they won’t come back. But pigeons don’t care at all even if their fellow’s dead body is hanging.”

It’s really difficult to drive away pigeons, even in Japan. Annihilation strategy is the only choice.

“We’ve been doing this much, so how about introducing a lucrative job, Bal-san?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Bal scratches his head while Saran complains.

“What kind of things can you catch?”

“Foxes, crows, pigeons, ducks, raccoons, rabbits, deer…”

“Bears, bison, wolves, and even monsters.”

…Is that lineup alright, Saran? Those are all things I’ve never done…

“You can catch anything, it seems. Impressive.”

“I’ve always wondered, how do you differentiate between wild animals and monsters?”

“Animals run away when they see humans, while monsters attack.”

“Even among elves, it’s the same. Crocodiles, giant snakes, slimes, goblins, orcs, they’re all considered monsters.”

…Are there really such things? Do they attack? That’s scary. The only thing that attacked me while I was hunting was a wounded bear.

“The demon race too. Demon kings, demons, ghouls, zombies, and creatures that have turned into demonic beings like werewolves… well, they only appear when the Demon King is resurrected.”

“There’s a Demon King…?”

“It happens about once every hundred years. Right now, it’s peaceful.”

But that peace might be gone in another hundred years. That’s what Goddess Nanotesu said.

“There’s an increase in slimes in the rice fields. There’s talk of dispatching several level 6 parties to take care of it, but the young ones don’t seem eager to do it. Will you guys do it?”

“Absolutely!”

“Well, if Shin wants to do it…”

Speaking of slimes, even I, who is not well-versed in games, know about them. They’re like water droplets and are the weakest monsters, right? I want to see them!

I went to check the bulletin board.

So there’s a major outbreak near the rice fields. Clear them all and get ten gold coins. It seems doable.

Alright. Let’s go with this.

“They spit acid, so be careful not to get too close. It’s best to attack from a distance. With Shin’s gun, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

“What about Saran?”

“Arrows are a waste. I’ll use my spear. You put it in the bag for me, right?”

“Yeah.”

I pull out Saran’s spear from the magic bag.

…It’s a spear that’s about 2.5 meters long.

“It’s made with mithril blades, so it’s resistant to acid. This is perfect against slimes.”

“Oh, really…”

Looking at it again, the blade part is made of titanium…

So, the famous fantasy mithril steel is actually titanium…

They refine it with magic. There are few elves who can do it nowadays.

“If you sell this, it would fetch a tremendous price!”

“There are no craftsmen left in Kopori Village. It’s a shame, though.”

That’s really unfortunate. I’d love to be introduced to a village where I can become an apprentice.

I wonder if even the hard metal adamantine is actually tungsten or something.

“Remington M870, Extension Magazine +3”

I go shopping with my magic bag.

This is a part that extends the magazine of my beloved Remington M870, increasing the current 4-round capacity to 7 rounds. It costs $55. It would be illegal in Japan.

It’s easy to install; just replace the spring and attach it instead of the magazine cap. (Note 1)

Now my M870 looks like a double-barreled shotgun, with the lower tube extending forward the length of the barrel. With one round in the chamber, it can hold a maximum of 8 rounds—7+1.

Since there seems to be a large number of targets this time, I want to make sure I have plenty of firepower.

That’s the beauty of the M870—you can easily get these kinds of parts at affordable prices.

There are always “I wish I had this kind of part” moments.

For ammunition, let’s go with the most powerful buckshot for now.

$18 for a box of 25 rounds. I’ll buy four boxes and get change from one gold coin.

Interestingly, I had never fired buckshot until I faced the kidnapping gang.

In Hokkaido, the use of shotgun shells with a diameter exceeding 7mm is prohibited.

Buckshot has a diameter of over 8mm. But even I know that if you’re using it against humans, this is the one to go for. It’s famous, after all.

The two of us leave through the eastern gate and walk along steadily.

“The human fields are so big! There are so many incredible farmers.”

“The population difference between humans and elves is staggering, isn’t it?”

“Even though humans have such short lifespans, they multiply so much. It’s enviable.”

“Yeah, humans are humans, and elves are elves.”

“Sure.”

Vegetable fields, wheat fields… The variety of vegetables is more abundant than among the elves.

“Humans eat such good food…”

“Well, you know, there are more humans working in professions other than agriculture. They not only produce for themselves but also for selling.”

“Reaching this level of development might be a bit challenging for us carefree elves.”

“You guys are self-sufficient, right?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s actually great. I’m glad to be a part of the elven community.”

“If you feel that way, I’m happy too.”

There’s something really nice about traveling together like this, being affectionate with each other.

After consulting the map we received from the guild, we walk through the rural area, reaching near the marshlands. We talk to the nearby farmers and have now arrived close to the rice fields where the slime outbreak is occurring.

Though they call it rice fields, they aren’t actually cultivating rice but rather some kind of lotus-like plants. It’s a bit disappointing. When I hear rice fields, I expect to be able to eat rice…

It seems that potato-like crops grow underwater.

“They’re here, they’re here!”

“Whoa…”

It’s like a gooey, wriggling blue water balloon.

There are over a hundred of them, right? Should I say they’re amoebas magnified to a size of around 70-100cm, as if viewed under a microscope?

Saran swings her spear and swiftly cuts through them. It’s reminiscent of naginata techniques.

Their cross-section looks like pudding or jelly. When sliced, they collapse into a gooey mess.

They shoot liquid at us, but Saran skillfully avoids it. The range of their liquid seems to be around 3m. She takes them down safely one by one.

“Alright, let’s give it a try!”

I fire one buckshot round at each of them.

Thud, slice, thud, slice.

We approach within about 10m, fire 5-6 rounds, then retreat.

The tube magazine of the M870 allows us to keep a shotshell in the chamber while continuously adding more shotshells to the magazine, reducing the chances of running out of ammunition compared to other firearms.

“Aim for the center! That’s where the nucleus is!”

“Got it!”

Thud!

When I shoot them, they collapse into a gooey mess. There’s no splattering of bodily fluids; it’s more like they just get absorbed. It’s like ballistic gelatin used to observe the trajectory when it enters the human body. I’m relieved that it didn’t turn into a situation where their acidic bodily fluids were sprayed around like in an alien movie…

Honestly, it feels great. I could even say it’s fun.

I have to be careful not to get carried away and get surrounded, though.

Saran handles that part skillfully. We make a great team, don’t we?

I just have to make sure I don’t accidentally hit Saran.

Just because it’s close-range shotgun shooting doesn’t mean I’ll shoot from the hip like in manga or games. I properly shoulder the shotgun and aim. After all, this is the most accurate way to hit the target, so there’s no need to use a shooting technique that increases the chances of missing.

The shotgun has open sights, with a front sight post at the tip, but no rear sight. This is normal for shotguns. Since we’re shooting at moving targets, it’s enough to focus on the front sight. The key is always maintaining a steady stance. That’s the trick to shooting a shotgun.

Shotguns have quite a recoil, so if you shoot from the hip, there’s a risk of injuring your trigger finger due to the recoil. Unless you have strong arms, it’s best for regular people to avoid shooting from the hip.

By the time I’ve used up seventy shotgun shells, they’re completely gone.

“Saran, how many did you take down?”

“About forty, I think.”

Wow, that’s amazing with a spear, Saran.

“I admit defeat, I admit defeat.”

“We weren’t competing.”

“While I took down one, you took down about two, right?”

“Well, Saran attracted them to her. If I were alone, I would have been surrounded and eaten.”

“Hahaha.”

“Let’s never think of it as a competition from now on. It’s the worst way to hunt, guaranteed to cause injuries.”

“…Shin, sometimes you say things like the village chief… You seem inexperienced at times, but also strangely knowledgeable. You’re a mysterious man, Shin.”

Well, I’ve been trained by the old man, after all.

That day, we made a fire on the field’s path and took turns standing guard and watching over the crops.

When it was my turn, a few hours later…

Squelch. Squelch.

Thud! Thud!

“You’re so noisy!!”

…I’m sorry… But what should I do…

The next morning, we have the farmer take a look at the field where the slimes have completely disappeared.

They seem pleased.

It’s the most rewarding moment as a hunter.

We have them sign the completion form on the request and head back.

“To think the two of you took down over a hundred slimes without a scratch. I want to brag about it to the other level 6 hunters.”