An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 34

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 34  Big Job at joint party

“Alright, now that we have the opportunity, what should we do?”

We gather around and discuss over the breakfast made by Saran.

Since I provided the salt and pepper, we can add a touch of Elven-style cooking to make everything even more delicious. It truly showcases her wonderful culinary skills.

Indeed, this is the home of a second-class party.

It’s a single-family house, and we were given the attic as our special space.

Let’s try not to cause too much commotion and shake the house. We should respect that it’s someone else’s home.

“I think it would be better for us to stay away from the town until things calm down.”

Bartil suggests.

“Yeah, we should take on a big job after a long time!”

“With this many members, we can take down some really big monsters!”

“I was getting tired of just being an escort, too.”

“I agree.”

“Well, I want to go back to the Elf village…”

“…Me too.”

“Don’t say that.”

With that, the members of Ballistes laugh.

“Hey, before we go back, let’s do something that will make for an interesting story. After all, Bal-san suggested we do something together. It’ll be a great opportunity to observe the work of senior hunters and learn from it.”

Bartil’s enthusiasm is admirable.

“Do any of you have something you want to do?”

“Slay a Wyvern.”

“Eliminate a band of robbers.”

“Conquer a dungeon.”

“I’m in favor of it.”

“Exterminate some pigeons.”

“Stay behind and watch the house.”

“Come on, show a little motivation, Raccoon Head.”

Alright, alright.

“Shin, how big of a prey can your magical tools take down?”

“Hmm, probably up to a bear, or something slightly larger.”

Confidently speaking, the .308 Winchester can handle prey of that size.

American black bears, which are found in the United States, are generally just slightly larger than Asian black bears. The .308 is designed for hunting prey around that size.

Even in Hokkaido, the .308 can handle brown bears without any issues.

With that, grizzly bears and moose, such as the gray grizzly bear, are found in Canada and Alaska, not on the mainland United States.

In such cases, Magnum rifles like the .300 Magnum come into play.

For me, it’s still beyond my capabilities.

Shooting multiple rounds of low-powered ammunition doesn’t compensate for a single shot of high-powered ammunition. It doesn’t reach the vital spots.

Wild animals, you see, won’t die unless you hit their vital spots.

They’ll always manage to escape. In the case of brown bears, you might even be attacked.

In an example of a massive man-eating brown bear that claimed the lives of two hunters, it took a single shot of a 7mm Remington Magnum to the shoulder, a shot of a .30-06 to the neck, five rounds of 12-gauge slugs, and finally, a direct shot to the brain of the bear that had a hunter in its jaws with another 12-gauge slug to finally kill it.

Those weren’t military-grade bullets, mind you. Even when hit with hunting hollow-point ammunition like that, they only become more aggressive without dying. It’s quite astonishing, isn’t it?

“What about flying ones?”

“Pigeons, crows, ducks.”

“That’s disappointing, Shin.”

Because it would require birdshot from a shotgun.

“No, no, Leader, it’s amazing that he can shoot down flying targets. It’s impossible with a bow or magic.”

Thank you for the support, flamboyant friend.

“That means Wyverns are a no-go. Well, scratch that.”

“And dungeon conquest is also out.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes an incredibly loud noise.”

“Ahh…”

Everyone feels disappointed.

Dungeons are like caves, right? If we start firing guns in a place like that, we’ll all end up with hearing loss.

“It sounded like thunder.”

Exactly, remember when we fought off the bandits during our escort mission?

“So, that leaves us with the bandit group?”

“And the pigeons.”

“Rejected. Shin, how obsessed are you with pigeons? Come on, let’s do something big since we have the opportunity, right?”

“Even if it’s a bandit group, we won’t know the location of their hideout.”

“Hmm… Plus, it’s probably not the most lucrative option. If they were attacking during an escort, that’d be one thing, but going after them ourselves won’t earn us any bounties.”

“…Shin, you’re not as useful as I thought.”

“What’s the biggest thing that the Ballistes members have defeated?”

“The Hydra.”

“Yeah, it was the Hydra. That’s what got us promoted to Rank 2.”

“The one we took down had three heads.”

“There are even ones with four or five heads.”

“Alright, let’s go find one of those.”

“I agree.”

“Count me in.”

“No objections.”

“I agree.”

Since a while ago, the healer has only been saying “I agree.” By the way, his name is Newton.

I’ve heard that magic users who become hunters are a bit eccentric, but it’s true that Newton the agreeable person is a little unusual. They’re interesting individuals though. It’s quite valuable to have a magic user in the party, isn’t it?

“I’ve never seen a Hydra before.”

“What’s a Hydra?”

Everyone looks at me.

Well… You see, I’ve only been in this world for two months.

“Well, a Hydra is a giant serpent. It’s a creature with two or more heads. It can have three, four, or even up to nine heads. The ones with nine heads are immortal, you see. Even if you cut off their heads, they’ll regrow. But if they have fewer heads, you can defeat them by systematically killing each head in order.”

The flamboyant friend explains it to me.

“What’s the size of their heads?”

“Slightly larger than a human’s.”

“And their total length?”

“About enough to go halfway around this house.”

It’s nearly 20 meters, isn’t it?

“…You guys did well to defeat it.”

“Well, it had three heads. With our larger group now, we should be fine even if there were a few more.”

“What kind of attacks does it use?”

“Biting, venomous fangs, and strangulation.”

“That’s scary.”

“It’s a hit-and-run tactic. If we surround it together, we should be able to handle it.”

“I agree.”

“If anyone gets bitten, we have potions for antidotes, or Newton can provide an antidote.”

Newton, wearing the hat, is truly impressive. They’re talented, but it seems like they’re not cut out for serving in the royal palace and more suited for the hunter profession.

“Alright, let’s get ready to depart. The location is the Aragast Forest Zone.”

“The forest zone?!”

“Don’t be so noisy, Shin.”

Yes, it takes a whole day to travel by the shared carriage. We’ll camp for a day and then finally venture into the mountains.

I’m feeling a bit uneasy.

“Alright, let’s make this our base camp.”

First day in the mountains.

A scenic hilltop with a few tall trees.

“To keep our belongings from being ravaged by animals, let’s hang them from the trees.”

We gather the camping gear and other items, secure them with ropes, and hang them high on the trees. It’s a method to keep ourselves as light as possible. You can’t engage in combat with all your gear strapped to your back.

While Saran and I can store most of our equipment in the magic bag, we’ll keep it vague for the other members. If we reveal everything, we’ll surely end up being burdened with various requests.

“Search within the visible range from this hilltop. Try not to stray too far from each other. Same as usual. Shin and Saran, you’ll be behind Newton in the center. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

As usual, I load buckshot into the magazine of my 18-inch barrel M870 shotgun, leaving the chamber empty as we walk. If something were to suddenly appear, this would be my go-to weapon.

I suppose my body has been trained a bit as well.

Despite panting heavily, I manage to keep up with everyone.

Both Newton and the flamboyant gentleman have stamina similar to mine, so they accommodate us.

Huff, huff, huff…

“Are you alright, Shin?”

Saran is behind me.

“I want some water…”

“Here.”

Saran joins her hands together, creating a water sphere for me.

I press my lips against it and gulp down the water.

Ah… She truly is a wonderful wife…

“Ugh…”

…I apologize, everyone.

“Isn’t this the trail of a Hydra?”

Lant, the archer at the front, has discovered a path that appears to have been crushed in a peculiar pattern.

“…It’s in the process of shedding.”

Translucent skin-like material is rubbing against the trees here and there.

“It seems to be rubbing its body all over as it moves.”

If this is the path of the Hydra, then the body of the Hydra must have a diameter of at least 70 cm… It could easily swallow a human whole.

“Alright, let’s stop here for today. We’ll head back to the base camp.”

Thank goodness… If we continue searching and engage in battle now, it will definitely be nighttime.

“Saran, let me know if you spot any snakes.”

“Snakes, huh?”

Saran moves a bit away from the group, rustling through the forest, and then returns.

“Look!”

“Aahhhhh!”

Saran has grabbed the head of a snake and brought it back!

It’s still alive!

It’s coiled around Saran’s arm!

“Shin, you’re being noisy.”

Well, it’s not like I’ve ever seen a snake before.

There are no snakes in Hokkaido.

Well, there might be, but even a country bumpkin like me who grew up in a rural area has never seen one. That’s how rare they are.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be a live one.”

“Is that so?”

When Saran tightens her grip, it starts wriggling…

It takes about five minutes for it to calm down and just hang there like a snake.

What incredible vitality.

“With snakes, you cut off the head and skin it, and even during cooking, it still twitches.”

…Saran, wait, are you planning to eat that?

Everyone has set up tents and gathered firewood at the base camp.

Saran is preparing the food. Everyone is excited.

In the meantime, I’m in a corner dissecting the snake with a knife in hand.

It’s about 1 meter long.

I cut off the head, place the blade on the top of its skull, and give it a firm tap to split the head vertically into two.

The brain is just behind the eyes. It’s still small…

So the Hydra had multiple heads. It seems targeting each head one by one would be quite challenging after all.

I confirm the location of the anus. It’s quite far back.

Unlike eels or fish where the organs are incredibly compact, often less than half the total length, snakes are different. Their organs extend to about three-quarters of their total length. They don’t eat plankton or other digestible substances like fish. They consume frogs whole, so their digestive system is robust.

I cut open the belly and remove the internal organs.

The lungs and liver are elongated and aligned. Snakes have only one lung, as the other has degenerated.

The position of the heart… It’s quite low, just above the lungs. If we consider the chest as the location of the heart, snakes have remarkably long necks. Approximately one-sixth of their total length is composed of the neck.

The stomach is located near the center of the body, which is surprising.

The intestines are long and tightly folded. They make up about half of the internal organs. Reproductive organs and other structures follow the path of the intestines.

While all the internal organs are elongated, the heart stands out as a compact organ… In other words, it’s not as simple as hitting the heart by shooting randomly.

Snakes are reptiles. They can be described as lizards with extremely long necks and no limbs.

Determining the exact location of the heart is not easy at first glance.

So, it seems I have to target each head one by one…

But there are three or four heads sometimes.

If the heads are split, it means the necks are split too.

Ah, I see!

“Are you planning to keep it all for yourself, Shin?”

I’m called out by a team member.

“Well, it’s better to skin it first before butchering! You’re doing it in the wrong order, Shin!”

“Let’s skewer it and grill it.”

“I agree.”

“Get rid of the internal organs. There might be parasites, Shin.”

So, the assumption is that we’re all going to eat it.

“Because snakes taste good, you know.”

Is snake meat really tasty?

“Here, I’ll give it to you…”

I hand over the snake with its entrails removed and head severed to Bartil-san. He ecstatically makes a cut in the snake’s skin and, along with Mild-san, the vice leader and a swordsman, they each hold one end and start pulling, saying, “Let’s goooo!” The snake’s skin is peeled off, tearing apart bit by bit.

“Whoaahhh!”

…After that, we cut it into pieces, sprinkle some salt, skewer them, and grill them over the fire. We all enjoy eating together. The main dish is Saran’s stew.

“It’s delicious! So delicious!” Everyone happily enjoys the meal. It seems they usually rely on preserved food.

Since they’re all men…

“Here, Shin.”

Mild-san hands me… a skewered snake…

I take the plunge and try eating it.

Hmm, it’s surprisingly refreshing and tasty. There are a lot of bones…

“Is this your first time eating snake, Shin?”

“Yes, where I come from, there are no snakes.”

“Must be from the northern region?”

“Well, yes.”

“Snakes are rare there.”

“Yes, that’s why I was trying to find out where the heart is, or where the brain is, and the vital spots.”

“The snake’s heart… I’ve never really thought about it. Just cut off the head. Besides, even if you look, you wouldn’t know where the snake’s heart is.”

“That’s true.”

“My husband hunts using his head.”

Saran says that, and everyone admires her statement.

“Safety first, you always preach it. Don’t push yourself too hard, don’t go too deep, don’t compete, don’t rush ahead, don’t fall behind. Prepare properly, practice diligently, do your research thoroughly. Since I joined forces with Shin, we’ve never been in any dangerous situations.”

“What a coward.”

“But still a man.”

“…I agree.”

“Is hunting like that even enjoyable?”

“Shin… you…”

“Don’t badmouth my husband.”

With a stern voice, Saran silences everyone.

“You see, having a husband who’s cautious, careful, and lives a long life is the best. Who wants to marry someone who might die anytime? That’s why you guys aren’t popular!”

Saran hugs me tightly from behind and rubs against me.

“…Shin.”

“Yes?”

“Please let me call you ‘Master.'”

Well, that’s a bit too much. What are you saying, Bartil-san?