An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 43

Chapter 43   Is there such a thing as a compulsory event?

In the afternoon, we left the inn and even after having a late breakfast, Saran said, “I’m still hungry!” So, I took her to the food stalls and let her eat whatever she liked. After that, we headed to the Hunter’s Guild.

At the guild, they had deer fur, raccoon and fox fur, and various hats, each adorned with cute fluffy tails at the back. They were just like the ones we always wear. No wonder people call us “Tanuki Heads.”

“The boss told me to offer you a higher price today. It’s your reward from yesterday, right? Maybe you were the ones who drove away the Lyle Slime yesterday?” The old man who always handles the purchases greeted us with a smile.

“No, it wasn’t us.”

“Oh, you don’t have to hide it. Well, I won’t ask any further. So, how about this… How does a total of 182 gold coins sound?”

“Thank you very much! That’s perfect, please.”

“How do they look?” The old man smiled and playfully put on the raccoon hat.

I wonder if we look like this too. The way the tails are wagging definitely makes it look childish, doesn’t it?

“This is going to be a hit! Keep coming to sell more!”

“But if it becomes a trend, we’ll lose our anonymity.”

Well, Saran, I actually prefer that.

Anyway, as long as it makes money, I have no complaints. Kano-chan, who made these, will be happy, right?

“Thank you very much.”

“Waitttttt!”

We were stopped by the old man who handles the purchases.

“What is it?”

“Pigeons.”

“Ahh… as expected…”

In the afternoon, we spent the whole time shooting pigeons.

With the Diana M52 air rifle.

What a contrast compared to the .375 H&H Magnum.

When you compare them, air rifles really feel like toys, don’t they?

But you know what, shooting pigeons with an air rifle is my favorite job.

Because it yields the best results, no doubt.

About three months ago, we wiped them out once, so combined with the merchant guild’s warehouse, we’ve taken down around thirty pigeons, and it seems to have made a noticeable difference.

The complete eradication strategy is truly effective.

Pigeons are defeated once they remember “this place is not safe for me.”

Being patient and persistent in exterminating them is still the best approach.

“You guys, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“After this, I’ll return to the Elf village.”

“Well, don’t say that.”

Bal-san approached us and apologetically began speaking.

I really don’t want to get involved anymore…

“The lord has sent a request.”

“I really don’t want to do this even more.”

“I understand how you feel.”

Bal-san pointed to the bulletin board.

“It’s a red-urgent posting. We’ve been tasked with eradicating the Lyle Slime nest. It’s close to the town, so they can’t just ignore it. The lord is worried that they might come back again. They paid fifty gold coins as an advance reward. It’s a paltry sum… But don’t worry, I’ll give it all to you guys.”

“Are they specifically requesting us for the job?”

“No, not really. If the guild can handle it, do it as the guild’s mission. They don’t want to use the military. It’s a regular request, anyone can take it.”

Well, then, it doesn’t have to be us, Bal-san…

“In that case, we can go back, right?”

“Why do you want to leave like that! You guys came after a long time, so take your time!”

“What’s relaxing about a subjugation request! We came here just to do some shopping for our friend’s wedding in the village! If we’re late in returning, the wedding will be postponed!”

Whoa! Saran’s really upset!

“It’s also the guild’s way of helping you out. This recent trouble is almost becoming the fault of idiot hunters. If the guild takes care of it, we can let it slide. If left unattended, it’ll become a problem of responsibility for those hunters who messed up.”

“But you were the one who told us not to get involved, Bal-san.”

“Hunters who mess up might face execution.”

“Ugh…”

“Though there were no casualties, the main gate had to be rebuilt. If things had gone worse, it would have been a disaster.”

“Ugh…”

“You’ll do it, right?”

Bal-san’s face was really, really close.

“…Just this time, okay?”

“I know.”

I’m already tired of this.

“Tanuk… Raccoon head! Long time no see!”

When we were led into the meeting room, there were the members of Team Elfang.

“Long time no see, everyone.”

As I greeted them, they all turned their faces away, looking embarrassed.

“In fact, they ran away from the Lyle Slime.”

So that’s how it is, Bal-san. Before, they ran away from Goblins, right?

Truly, a party with no luck.

“Well, their bad luck is already catastrophic. They found a Slime nest and tried to attack it, but it turned out they were all Lyle Slimes.”

Sigh…

“We didn’t think they were Lyle Slimes. They were just ordinary small Slimes. But when we attacked them, they instantly merged and became huge, turned red, and our attacks didn’t work… We don’t have any magic users in our party, so there was no way we could handle it. We had to run away. But they chased after us…”

“Slimes can merge?”

Bal-san shook his head as well.

“I’ve never heard of that. But that doesn’t mean we should doubt them. Well, maybe it’s just one of their yet unknown traits.”

“Could it be some kind of slime mold, these Slimes?”

“What?”

Do people in this world not know about slime molds?

Wasn’t Minakata Kumagusu, the botanist, or Emperor Showa, an expert in this field?

“It’s a microorganism so small that you can’t see it with the naked eye. It grows like mushrooms, spreading spores and then each spore moves, absorbing nutrients as it grows. Eventually, they come together and form shapes similar to plants. They are creatures that are neither clearly animals nor plants. So, the Slimes are just the giant versions of these microorganisms, I guess.”

“You know some weird stuff… Well, no one has actually researched the ecology of Slimes, so there are still many things we don’t understand. But for now, they are the only ones who know the location of that nest, so we need them as guides.”

“Whaaat!! Are we going too!!?”

Team Elfang starts booing loudly.

That can be traumatic for them, right?

“You guys want to get reported and hanged? What are you going to do with the hundred gold coins for the fine?”

Team Elfang trembles in fear.

“But how are we supposed to defeat it? We can’t handle it at all.”

“That’s where Tanu… Raccoon head comes in. You guys will be just the guides.”

The members of Team Elfang look dejected.

“If it goes well, I’ll exempt you from the fine.”

“…And the reward?”

“I’ll give everything to Raccoon head. You guys will be working for free. Once it’s done, you’re fired. Quit being hunters and find honest work. You guys are just not cut out for hunting, that’s all.”

“…”

Wasn’t being a hunter a legitimate business? It’s disappointing.

“The main gate has a hole, and if that thing is broken, the Slimes will keep growing while devouring the townspeople, don’t you think they deserve a severe punishment?”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll do it. Please let me do it.”

Bal-san is skilled at manipulating people, isn’t he? Will he keep using us like this forever?

“When will you do it?”

“We need some preparation too. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

Saran looks incredibly unhappy. I’m sorry, Saran, Milno-kun, Kano-chan…

Before dusk, Saran and I went to the rocky area and test-fired the H&H Magnum.

Hitting a 5cm target at 100m with iron sights is indeed challenging. After firing about ten shots to get used to the recoil, we decided to mount the scope.

Once you get used to it, you can shoot well with the .375 H&H Magnum!

It’s all about getting used to it in the end.

When you think about it, who would buy a rifle that even humans can’t handle? It’s natural for the manufacturers to avoid making such weapons. No matter how powerful it is, a large and heavy gun that requires shooting from the shoulder or kneeling position is impractical for hunting. The reason why the H&H Magnum has been continuously used for a hundred years without being replaced by other ammunition is that it has a limit that even ordinary people can handle.

Actually, I bought shoulder pads and a tripod with my magic bag. For me, shooting from a seated position with a cushion on my shoulder and using a tripod as a rest is the basic approach. The ammunition costs six silver coins for a box of 20 rounds, making it quite expensive at 250 yen per shot.

In hunting rifles, it’s common to directly screw in the manufacturer’s dedicated scope mount rather than using standardized mounting rails like in military rifles. The latter tends to loosen or shift due to the powerful recoil.

I chose Nikon’s Slug Hunter scope, which I had previously mounted on my shotgun, the M870, and was already familiar with. Since I bought this rifle, I won’t be using the shotgun anymore, so I decided to keep the scope and mount it on the new rifle. The maximum effective range with this scope is 200m.

The H&H Magnum prioritizes power, and I don’t plan on doing long-distance shooting, especially since we are dealing with slow-moving Slimes. If I wanted, I could probably hit a target at 500m with this rifle, but it’s not designed for long-range shooting. The bullets I’m using have rounded nose tips with high air resistance, so their power diminishes significantly at long distances. Besides, it’s better not to change the ammunition that has proven to be effective.

There must be a good reason why these bullets sacrifice accuracy to have rounded nose tips, but I don’t know the details.

Interestingly, the recoil of the M870 shotgun firing 12-gauge sabot slugs is stronger than that of the M700 rifle using .308 Winchester. The perceived recoil goes as follows: H&H Magnum, 12-gauge sabot slug, .308 Winchester, and regular shotgun pellets.

In other words, I have been shooting a gun with stronger recoil than the .308 Winchester for a long time. The Slug Hunter scope has been mounted on the M870 all this time, and it has never broken or shifted. The eye relief is exceptionally long at 5 inches (13 cm), and I’ve never bumped my eye against the scope. I think it’s a good scope.

Since I use various guns, it’s better to keep the scopes as consistent as possible.

However, I’ll still wear eye protection. It’s like the transparent polycarbonate glasses used in airsoft. I want to wear them as much as possible. It may attract attention in this otherworld, but at least when no one is watching, I’ll wear them.

When zeroed at 100m, the first reticle of the 4-9x magnification scope, which I always use at 6x, roughly aligns with 250m. Since it’s a slug-specific scope, the reticle spacing is wider. Considering the characteristics of this rifle, if I can group shots within 10cm at 150m, it should be sufficient for its intended use.

“Alright, ready.”

“Is it already time?”

Having a spotter who can tell me where the shots hit through binoculars is really helpful. If I were alone, I wouldn’t have the courage to face such a large Slime. Without Saran, I would have fled from this kind of job long ago…

“I feel sorry for not being of much help. Against a Lyle Slime, I’m utterly useless.”

“Saran should try shooting a gun.”

With Saran’s physique, handling the H&H Magnum would be a piece of cake, and I think she could become a skilled sniper.

“No way.”

“Why not?”

“Protecting Shin is my duty. I can’t give up on that, no matter what.”

It makes me happy. Tonight, let’s splurge a little and stay at a nice inn.