An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 35

An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 35   Exterminate hydra

“Snake was delicious, but Hydra is even more delightful!”

“Oh, really? That’s interesting.”

“The rest of the team agrees too.”

“Yeah, if we could take it back, we’d make a fortune selling it. But that’s just wishful thinking. Still, we managed to turn some of it into dried meat, and it fetched a good price.”

“Indeed, the skin sold for quite a sum.”

“We can take the skin back, but the meat is a no-go. It’d spoil.”

“Well, at least we get to feast on Hydra right on the spot. Hunter’s privilege, I suppose.”

“Yeah, though there might be some leftovers…”

We had such a discussion yesterday, and today, from morning, we are tracking the trail of the Hydra we spotted.

“Hmph, something new.”

“It’s close by…”

“Approach cautiously and quietly.”

…

Slowly, we proceed.

…

“There it is.”

By the water’s edge, coiled up.

Or perhaps it’s just resting. Do snakes sleep?

About 200 meters upstream. It must have recently shed its skin; there are still traces of it clinging to the body. It seems like it doesn’t want to move much until its body settles.

It’s huge!

The diameter of the coils is around 5 meters. As expected, the girth is about 50-70 cm. It’s thick.

And it has… four heads.

“How many heads does it have?”

“Four, I believe.”

“Hold on, are those binoculars and glasses?! You’ve got some fancy gear, Shin!”

“Oh, are those available? Let me borrow them!”

Binoculars are incredibly popular, huh? When we had the incident with the thieves, Bartil saw it once, but now everyone is taking turns looking through them and getting all excited.

It might lead to a fight.

“There are four heads, but there’s one more smaller one growing. It makes five.”

Bartil nods deeply.

“…A formidable creature.”

“It’ll be the biggest catch for Ballistes.”

The tension is palpable, even reaching us.

“Now, if it were us, we’d shoot it with arrows, surround it, and attack from where we can cut it. We keep fighting, weakening it little by little, until we can behead each head in order until it stops moving. Shin, what would you do?”

In this world, there’s no way to defeat a big creature in one hit. The Hunter’s rule is to create multiple wounds and aim for death by bleeding. But for me…

“Everyone will hide from a distance and surround it, and I’ll fire a few shots towards its thick body from a higher position by the riverside. When it weakens and moves slower, I’ll target each head one by one. Considering the vitality of a snake, it will probably thrash around violently as soon as I hit it, but it’s safest to watch it weaken. With its enormous size, there’s no escape for it, and we can track it down even if it tries to hide. When it’s weakened and resting, we can aim again.”

“What a clumsy… I mean cautious approach. Truly a Pigeon Slayer’…”

“Well, we’re also afraid of its venomous fangs. If we can hunt it safely, no complaints.”

“Its skin fetches a good price, so we don’t want to chop it up too much with everyone involved.”

“I agree.”

The members nod in agreement.

“Alright, Shin and Saran, you two will be in a separate team, aiming from the higher ground near the riverside. That spot should be suitable.”

Saying so, Bartil points to the cliff above.

“We’ll quietly surround it, keeping some distance.”

“What will be the signal to start?”

“Shin’s magical tool makes a loud noise, so that should do.”

“Understood.”

“Understood.”

“I agree.”

“Alright, we’ll count on you, Shin.”

“Got it.”

Saying that, Saran and I start pushing through the bushes, climbing up the slope carefully, making sure not to make any noise.

Reaching the top of the cliff, we catch our breath before peeking over the edge.

From above, it’s an impressive sight. Four heads resting on the coiled body, each facing a different direction. It seems like they are resting while remaining vigilant. The fifth head, still growing, is lying near the base of the neck.

With its size, there are likely no natural enemies. It doesn’t even flick its tongue out. It appears completely oblivious. So, the base of the four heads is located near the center of the coils. That must be the target.

The distance is about 100 meters?

I place the backpack I was carrying in front of me and rest the Remington M700 rifle on top, ready for a shooting angle from above. The rifle is loaded with four rounds of .308 Winchester, with spare ammunition placed beside it. Looking through the scope… Perfect. The distance is right on target. At 100 meters, the rifle’s shots are only about the size of a 500 yen coin.

Keeping a distance of about 50 meters from the Hydra, the rest of the team takes their positions.

From here, we can see each other clearly. When I wave, everyone responds with a wave back. Okay, we’re ready.

The heart of a snake is located where its chest would be, which means it’s in the middle of the thick part where the necks meet. For a regular snake, you wouldn’t know the location of its heart, but this is a Hydra!

“Saran?”

“Nothing in the vicinity.”

“I’m going to shoot. Cover your ears.”

Since the distance is relatively close and I’m shooting from above, the crosshair on the scope should hit slightly higher.

The target is massive! But if the heart is where I think it is…

BOOM! (Dooon… Dooon… Dooon…)

As the echoes of the gunshot resound, I swiftly operate the bolt!

Gwaaah!

The Hydra lifts its four heads and looks around!

One more shot below the base of its necks!

BOOM!

The coils loosen, and blood gushes out, splattering everywhere!

Did I hit the heart or a major artery?

BOOM!

It starts thrashing around!

Flipping over, I fire another shot into the exposed base of its neck!

BOOM!

I can’t tell where it hit exactly, but I think I got it!

Everyone rushes in, but the Hydra is still thrashing around, and it’s not safe to attack while it creates such violent splashes of water. We maintain a safe distance and assess the situation.

Chak-chik-shaa. I directly load another round into the chamber through the ejection port and close the bolt.

“SHAAAAAAH!”

One head raises in a menacing posture, holding a shield, challenging Mild.

That head…

BOOM!

Bish!

The eyeball flies out, and the head collapses.

Three heads remain!

Another head aims for Mild.

Chak-chik-shaa.

BOOM!

The head swells and bursts open.

Two heads left!

A fireball strikes one of the heads, engulfing it in flames. It shakes its head vigorously.

The other head confronts Bartil with his spear.

Shwoosh, a fully opened mouth of the head comes flying at them.

That’s terrifying!

I can’t aim for the heads, but perhaps near the base of the neck…

BOOM!

Bish!

A hit to the neck!

Instantly, the movement of the neck becomes sluggish.

Zak!

Bartil’s spear pierces from the jaw to the crown of the head.

The Hydra shakes its head frantically.

Bartil releases his spear and steps back.

The tail swings wildly, preventing the other members from getting closer.

The Hydra’s ignited head has arrows from Lant piercing it one after another.

“Be careful not to cut it! The skin might get damaged!” Bartil raises his voice, instructing everyone to stay away.

“Saran?”

“I’m fine. There’s nothing around us.”

The Hydra stumbles…

Its movements are slowing down.

It will take a little more time for it to die completely.

We’ll continue to keep a close eye on it.

Since both the skin and the meat can fetch a high price, we shouldn’t make too many holes in it.

Once during a joint eradication with the Hunting Association, when we all fired at a startled deer, we put too many holes in it, and they wouldn’t take it.

After watching for about fifteen minutes, it finally stops moving entirely.

Bartil beckons to us from the top of the cliff.

It’s over.