An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 42

Slime and Magnum – Chapters

Chapter 42  Big incidents are more troublesome to clean up afterwards

“So, you guys want to keep this achievement a secret too, huh?”

The town has calmed down, and with the slimes having fled, the commotion is starting to die down. We discreetly left the customs building after things settled down and made our way to the Hunter’s Guild for now.

“That’s right.”

“Well… I can understand. If it gets known that you defeated a Lyle Slime in such a way, the Lord will come flying in, and worst case scenario, you might get summoned by the kingdom. Your lives are chaotic, huh?”

“It’s better than being burdened with troublesome or dangerous tasks. But we know that something like this will definitely be used for something bad. We just want to live quietly in the Elf village.”

“Yeah, I get it…”

Guildmaster Bal lets out a sigh.

“That was one hell of a noise, though, being in the middle of the town. The sound echoed everywhere, and even the Royal Guards can’t figure out where it came from. Since you guys attacked the slimes from the rooftop, nobody saw you, and nobody would think that someone could attack from such a distance. Everyone probably thinks it was just lightning striking the slimes.”

The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight.

“So, even the Lord and other important figures are busy preparing to flee, and they won’t be coming near the main gate. Well, it’s like the gods themselves sent punishment upon the slimes, or so it seems. The Guild will say that lightning struck the slimes out of nowhere. The Church will be delighted to hear that. It’s good that the Royal Guards managed to drive them away too. If you guys don’t want to claim credit for this, there are plenty of ways to cover it up.”

Speaking of gods, in this world, it’s Nanotesu, who’s always hyper and full of energy.

“Um, about the borrowed 100 gold coins…”

“Oh, don’t worry about that anymore. Consider it yours. I’ll take care of it at the Guild. Your magic must cost a lot. If you managed to defeat the slimes with just 100 gold coins, it’s a great deal.”

Saying that, Bal waved his hand casually.

Later, when I counted, there were about 80 gold coins left.

The Remington M700 with H&H Magnum was expensive compared to regular Remington models, but it was way cheaper than one from Holland & Holland. If it’s profitable, I’ll gladly keep it.

“Magic that costs gold every time, huh? You guys are surprisingly troublesome. The Elf village doesn’t have much gold. That’s why you come to work here occasionally, right? Isn’t that the case?”

Sharp observation. He truly is the Guildmaster.

“…Actually, yes.”

“I thought so. Well, thanks to that, you guys show up here from time to time. I appreciate it. I’d want you to live here, but I guess you’ll refuse that offer. In any case, you came at the perfect time. Thanks a lot.”

“Um, about the Hunter party that summoned that thing… where are they?”

“That’s a secret. If it gets out, they might all end up getting hanged. The Hunter would be fired, fined, and have to pay 100 gold coins to the Guild. Even with this incident, they are trying to cover up the Hunters’ blunder.”

“In that case, um…”

As I was about to take out the gold coins from my bag, Bal shook his head.

“No, Shin, it’s no good. You’re trying to make up for it. I know you’re thinking you’ll do something else. No, no. Mistakes need to be punished. Otherwise, this kind of thing will happen again and again. You guys need to be a little more thoughtful so you won’t be taken advantage of. After this incident, you guys should refrain from taking any action. Understand?”

…

That’s true…

“Anyway, today has been unproductive. Come back tomorrow. Business resumes tomorrow. Do you have something you want to sell? Come see me.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, before that…”

As we were about to leave the room, Bal called out to us.

“Could you catch some pigeons for me? There are too many of them nesting in the warehouse, and even the Merchant’s Guild is having trouble with them. Starting tomorrow…”

“Sure, sure.”

Pigeons are really troublesome, aren’t they?

“We seem to have gotten ourselves into quite a complicated situation.”

“I really want to go back to the Elf village. The wedding will be postponed.”

“Yeah, I know. It would be a pity if that happens. Why don’t we finish our shopping first today? We received the 100 gold coins from Bal, after all.”

“Agreed!”

And so, the two of us spent the entire day going around the market and shopping.

Metalware and tableware were easy to manage, but what should we do about the bedding?

The ready-made ones won’t fit into the Magic Bag, for sure.

Shall we buy only the wool from the farmers and make our own?

It’s quite a challenge.

“This one, maybe…”

“Yeah, let’s get this for them…”

Kano added batting to the request made by Milno, who had been hesitating. We can consider it a gift from us.

That night, we discreetly booked a cheap inn and washed ourselves using a bucket.

Bruises were visible on my shoulders. It’s difficult to lift my arms.

It feels like I’ve been repeatedly kicked by a horse on my shoulders.

Saran has been placing her palms on me and using her healing magic continuously.

Though Saran isn’t an extraordinary magician and the spell she uses is something any Elf can do, it feels pleasantly cool and soothing…

“By driving them away, Shin is truly amazing.”

“I rely on tools, though…”

“But you know, Lyle Slimes are considered dangerous even for Elves. There was no one in this country who could defeat them, so I feel relieved now. Thanks, Shin.”

“You’re welcome. But slimes are strong, aren’t they? I always thought they were the weakest monsters.”

“Well, there are different types of slimes, just like snakes and hydras.”

“That’s true.”

In manga, the enemies keep getting stronger and stronger. Even in movies, the villains become more powerful in the sequels like 2 or 3. I’m just an ordinary person, so I can’t become as strong as a protagonist.

I barely managed to defeat today’s slime…

What if a stronger monster appears next time? What will I do?

Even if I have a more powerful hunting rifle, can I handle it?

I should practice shooting with the H&H Magnum and consider adding a scope…

….

When I woke up in the morning, I found that my arm could move freely.

The bruise has completely disappeared. That’s a relief…

Saran is sitting next to the bed, with her head resting and dozing off.

She must have been watching over me all night… Thank you.

“Saran… Saran…”

I gently shake her.

“Mmm… Oh, good morning, Shin.”

“Good morning. Thanks for taking care of me. I’m completely healed now.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

“You haven’t slept much, have you? It’s okay, you can go back to sleep.”

I get up from the bed and suggest to Saran.

Normally, it would be best if I could carry her like a princess and let her sleep without waking her up, but she’s much bigger than me. It’s impossible.

I look ridiculous. Me.

Watching Saran crawl back into bed for a second sleep, I take out the Remington M700 that I didn’t clean yesterday.

Wow, this is amazing.

The floorplate of the magazine says “MODEL 700 1962-2012 FIFTY YEARS.”

It’s a fifty-year anniversary model.

It has been in active service for fifty years. The wood grain of the stock is beautiful. Clearly, they used high-quality materials. It’s the top-of-the-line M700, a premium model. Twenty gold coins… Did it remain unsold in the store?

If I’m willing to spend this much money, I could buy an even more luxurious rifle, like a Sako. I guess no one these days desires the H&H Magnum.

Well, I don’t regret this purchase.

After all, it’s just like the M700 my grandpa had.

The walnut stock with front and rear sights.

It will accumulate battle scars, become covered in scratches, and the black dye will peel off, turning silver.

A shiny brand-new gun forever is actually less cool, isn’t it?

The magazine can only hold… three rounds.

It’s a .375 H&H Magnum, after all. One of the largest calibers used for hunting rifles. Since 1 inch is 25.4 mm, the calculation goes like 25.4 x 0.375…

I can’t do this mentally, so let’s do it step by step on a notepad.

9.5 mm. Impressive…

By the way, in Japan, the caliber of rifles that can be legally owned is 10.5 mm or below.

Even a Japanese person can somehow own this.

I’ve never seen anyone using such a large caliber.

The butt of the stock, the recoil pad, is made of thick and soft rubber.

Without it, my shoulder would have been full of bruises. Modern rifles are amazing.

I press the bolt release and pull back the bolt. The H&H Magnum still has only two locking lugs, just like the Remington way.

I trust it, though. It won’t break or anything, right?

“.375 caliber nylon brush.”

I put in a silver coin and buy a cleaning brush.

I place a cloth on the breech and spray WD-40 into the chamber, then attach the brush to the cleaning rod and move it back and forth. Some people prefer to rub it from the chamber to the barrel without moving it back and forth, but I don’t worry too much about it. However, I need to hold the rod and push it, making the brush rotate with the rifling.

I always use a nylon brush, but if my accuracy starts to suffer, I might try a brass brush.

The twist rate of the rifling in my shotgun, the M870, for sabot slugs is 90 cm.

The barrel length is less than 90 cm, which means the slug doesn’t complete a full rotation from the beginning to the end of the barrel.

It’s slow, isn’t it? Moreover, it’s a half-rifled barrel, so about half of it is shaved off.

People often think that a half-rifled barrel is less accurate than a fully rifled one, but I don’t think there’s much of a difference, to be honest. I’ve seen plenty of videos of foreign shooters using rifled barrels for shotguns, and their accuracy is not much better than my half-rifled barrel. It’s about the same, really. We shoot from a bench at the shooting range, so the conditions are the same. So, just because it’s a half-rifled barrel, it doesn’t mean the accuracy is bad.

Now, let’s talk about twist rate. Normally, rifle barrels have a twist rate of around 30 cm. With a 24-inch rifle barrel, you get about 2 rotations. So, when you push in the cleaning brush, the rod turns about twice until the brush comes out of the barrel.

After that, I attach a patch to the cleaning rod’s end and push it in to remove the dirt and oil. Easy as that.

I take a look through the barrel from the chamber side.

Yep, all shiny.

Now, what about the scope?

This rifle comes with front and rear sights, but it can also accommodate a scope with the threaded holes on it. However, given the significant recoil of this rifle, a person with a smaller build might not be able to handle the recoil and could end up injuring themselves by hitting their eye with the scope. I’m not confident in my physical build.

The power of the H&H Magnum is 1.8 times that of the .308 Winchester. Due to its larger caliber, the perceived recoil is about double. It’s better to avoid shooting from a prone position directly absorbing the recoil with your shoulder. Yesterday, when I shot from a kneeling position, that was the right choice. I could handle the recoil with my upper body.

It was an extreme downward shot from the rooftop, so I couldn’t shoot from a prone position. I got lucky.

I’ve been shooting the .308 for several months now, and I’ve improved quite a bit, but it’ll still be a while before I can master the H&H Magnum.

Yep, let’s go without the scope until I can manage the recoil better. I’ll try using the iron sights for a while.

Some might suggest putting on a red dot sight, but it’s not practical for me. When it’s slightly bright outside, I can’t see the dot at all. On a snowy field in broad daylight in Hokkaido, where is that dot even? Plus, the dot is too big, it’s a 2 MOA dot, which is useless. It’s more than 5 cm at 100 meters. I have no faith in it at all.

If I ever have to use it in a dark place like a dungeon in the future, then I’ll consider it.

I wipe the action thoroughly with an oil-soaked cloth and then take aim with the cleaned M700, firing into the air.

Click.

Yep, it feels the same.

When you change rifles, the feeling of the trigger also changes. Trying out various rifle models can be good, but each trigger pull can be different, and when it matters most, it might throw off your shot. That’s why I purposely chose the M700, which has the most variety in calibers, as my go-to rifle. I have it set a bit heavier, considering the rounds I’m using, the H&H Magnum. It can’t be helped.

The trigger weight can be adjusted, but generally, in larger caliber rifles, the triggers are heavier due to the significant recoil. You need to firmly grip it, so the instinct to pull the trigger tightly with your index finger is hard to avoid, even if you’ve trained to do otherwise. A light trigger could lead to accidental discharges.

For those who only shoot model guns or airsoft guns, they won’t understand the feeling of this trigger in a lifetime. The crispness is on a whole different level. It’s hard to explain what “crispness” actually feels like, but let me tell you, a heavier but crisp trigger is far more accurate than a light one.

Real guns have strikers or firing pins made of steel, sharpened like blades. This allows them to have that crispness. In contrast, softer metals like zinc alloys can’t be sharpened as precisely, so they lack that crispness. Even electric guns are simply switches, so they lack any mechanical feel.

Nothing beats the real thing when it comes to firearms.

As much as I’d like to go for a test shoot and adjust the sights to check the ballistics, I’ll have to be patient. I head down to the inn’s dining area, remove a tip, and pick up breakfast for two. Since Saran is still sleeping, I’ll eat alone for now.

Rest well.

――――Author’s Note――――

※1. Floor Plate

In bolt-action rifles without detachable box magazines, when emptying the magazine to clear the rounds, you have to operate the bolt one by one to eject the spent cartridges. To avoid this inconvenience, the bottom of the magazine in this type of rifle is designed to open like a hinged door when you press the latch. This allows easy removal of the remaining rounds all at once. The magazine follower and plate spring remain attached to the floor plate, reducing the risk of losing them.

Some might think that detachable box magazines would be more convenient since you can quickly swap them out, but in hunting scenarios, you don’t typically engage in rapid-fire shooting while changing magazines. Moreover, detachable magazines can be more prone to feeding issues and losing them could lead to a big fuss, so many experienced hunters prefer this design. It’s the difference between a military rifle meant to take down as many enemies as possible and a hunting rifle intended to bring back a single kill.

※2. Locking Lugs

The mating surfaces that engage when inserting the ammunition into the chamber and rotating the bolt to close it. The protrusions on the bolt are called locking lugs, while the recesses in the chamber are called locking recesses.

For .22 caliber rifles, there is usually one, while conventional rifles have two or three, and in magnum rifles, there might be three sets of two locking lugs, for a total of six. Regardless of the caliber, Remington rifles have only two locking lugs.

In reality, whether there are two or three locking lugs, the contact area remains the same, so there’s no difference in strength.

Having two locking lugs means the bolt rotation angle is 90 degrees. With three locking lugs at 120 degrees, and for semi-automatic guns that can’t have a wide rotation angle, there could be 6 to 10 locking lugs.

“It’s better to have three lugs for faster shooting, with a smaller rotation angle.”

“How can you trust those small lugs? You have to rotate it firmly at 90 degrees; otherwise, it’s dangerous.”

In short, it doesn’t really matter. If you’ve read this far, you shouldn’t worry about these minor details. (Then why write about them?)

※3. Trigger Feeling

It’s almost impossible to explain in writing, but here’s another point.

In guns, numerous springs are used, and while old-fashioned flat springs have been reduced in use, coil springs are more common in modern firearms.

You might think of leaf springs in trucks or off-road vehicles as having a negative connotation compared to coil springs in passenger car suspensions, as the latter provides better ride comfort. However, when it comes to triggers or hammers in guns, some argue that flat springs offer better feeling. In fact, many revolvers still use flat springs even in modern times, and competition-grade over-under shotguns also extensively use them.

Although some manufacturers stubbornly stick to using flat springs, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are outdated. It could be attributed to the manufacturer’s unwavering design philosophy.