An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world

Chapter 45 Report on Lyle Slime Ecology Survey

That evening, we finally arrived at Saaplast.

“How did it go?”

“We did great! We repelled them all!”

“I didn’t ask you!!” Guildmaster Buffalo Bal yelled at Team Elfang.

“Well, we managed somehow. We’ll give you a detailed report tomorrow.”

“I see, well done. If Shin says it’s okay, then it must be.”

Eh, eh, eh…

Protest voices rise from Team Elfang.

“Rest for today. We’ll pay you tomorrow.”

“But we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“Right, I forgot about that. You’ve been a great help. Thank you.”

“Not at all.”

“Oh, hey” Bal calls out to the back.

“Hand over the reward today!”

From the back, a clerk arrives with a leather bag.

It contains fifty gold coins. Just as it was graciously bestowed upon them by the lord of the guild, with no guild fee deduction. Quite generous.

“And this is the one you were looking for.”

They hand over a large cloth bag. When we look inside, it’s filled with wool.

“Thank you, Guildmaster.”

“Thank you very much. This will be a great help.”

Both of us express our gratitude, and Bal-san smiles. “It’s our fault you couldn’t go on the purchasing trip. Consider this a small compensation,” he says.

“How much is it?”

“One silver coin.”

“That’s too cheap.”

“It’s a special discount.”

Ahahaha.

As instructed, we hand over a single silver coin and exchange smiles.

Finally, even Saran manages to smile.

“Alright, you guys! Return your hunter cards!”

Team Elfang reluctantly hands over their hunter cards to Bal-san.

With this, they are no longer hunters. From tomorrow, they will have to start looking for new jobs. Best of luck to their new lives.

It’s our last night, and since we earned a good amount of money, we booked a pretty nice inn.

I took out a 1-naaru ruler, ink, paper, and a pen I bought from the general store.

In this country, the length from the tip of the thumb to the tip of an outstretched hand of an adult male is 1-naaru (approximately 91 cm). This is the unit of length in this world, equivalent to the yard in our world. Well, it seems that even in another world, some things remain the same…

With the room lamp brightly lit, the writing goes smoothly.

Saran already went to take a bath and fell asleep earlier.

* * * * *

Ecology and Countermeasures for Lyle Slimes

- - - Overview

During their juvenile stage, Lyle Slimes are water-colored creatures with a gelatinous internal structure and a crushed-sphere shape covered by a transparent mucous-like outer skin. Their appearance during this stage is similar among all species, making identification extremely challenging. They move by rotating their internal structure and rolling their outer skin, resulting in a slow movement speed, akin to a brisk walk for humans.

As a defense mechanism, juvenile Lyle Slimes expel acid from their body fluids to attack potential threats. They prey on small animals and plants by enveloping them with their bodies and digesting and decomposing them internally. Typically, they prefer habitats near rivers, lakes, swamps, and wetlands and do not thrive in dry environments.

- - - Growth and Metamorphosis

As they mature, multiple juveniles gather and fuse to undergo metamorphosis, transforming into adult Lyle Slimes. At the adult stage, they are flat, semi-spherical beings with a diameter of 5 naaru and a height of 1 naaru, but they can freely change their shape. Their movement method and speed remain the same as during their juvenile stage, although some individuals exhibit behaviors like clinging to surfaces and climbing walls.

When attacked, adult Lyle Slimes show hostility by changing their color from blue to a red fluorescent hue. In this state, they actively pursue and attack, relentlessly tracking their prey through their keen sense of smell, even if it tries to escape. Moreover, the previously vulnerable parts of their bodies, which were easily severed by swords and spears during their juvenile stage, gain elasticity and toughness, making conventional weapons ineffective.

While they can withstand magic and flame attacks, their slow movement speed allows for escape as the best course of action if encountered. In such cases, taking emergency evacuation measures like crossing rivers or dispersing strong-smelling substances to deter their pursuit through scent is likely to be effective in preventing tracking.

If it becomes necessary to defeat them, their central core must be destroyed through some means; otherwise, they cannot be incapacitated. A powerful, heavy, and sharp projectile is essential to achieve this. When a group of Lyle Slimes is attacked and several of them are killed, they lose their aggressiveness and may retreat.

- - - Reproduction

Their reproduction process closely resembles that of “slime molds.” Dozens of juvenile Lyle Slimes merge to form an adult, which then combines with around ten others to create a gigantic organism that takes on a mushroom-like shape. The lower part of these slimes dries and takes on the appearance of rooted trees, while the soft upper tissues extend upward, forming a mushroom-shaped cap.

In the case of Lyle Slimes, their height reaches nearly 30 naaru, transforming them into giant trees or colossal mushroom-like beings. Witnessed instances of this transformation occurred from dusk until dawn.

Upon completing the cap, like typical fungi, they are expected to release spores from the cap, which will eventually develop into juvenile slimes. However, this process has not been confirmed.

Once they have transformed into plants, Lyle Slimes lose their mobility, becoming defenseless and harmless like ordinary plants. Due to their slim and colossal mushroom-like appearance, they are easily detected. Similar to their habitat preferences, the process of transformation into plants takes place in locations close to water sources, such as rivers and waterfalls.

If encountered in this state, prompt action is necessary before spores are released. Either swiftly cutting down the trunk or removing the cap is crucial to implementing countermeasures. The felled trunk and cap rapidly wither as their water-conducting vessels are destroyed, preventing the spread of spores. Therefore, any felled parts should be burned on-site to prevent spore dissemination.

- - - Countermeasures

- - - When dealing with individual juvenile Lyle Slimes that are susceptible to conventional attacks, try to defeat as many as possible to reduce their population.

- - - When multiple individuals are present and are about to merge and undergo metamorphosis into an adult, direct attacks are not advisable.

- - - Use metals that are resistant to corrosion from acidic body fluids when launching attacks, as the slimes’ body fluids are acidic.

- - - It is presumed that attacks on adult Lyle Slimes will have limited effectiveness; therefore, focus on evacuation and observation.

- - - Wait for adult slimes to gather and undergo plant transformation, then cut them down.

- - - Once successfully defeated, promptly apply oil or similar substances to the cap and trunk and burn them on-site to prevent spore dissemination.

Above are the suggested countermeasures.

* * * * *

Sigh…

Is this enough for now?

It somehow turned into a report for the municipal office. It’s a bit lengthy.

In situations like this, ideally, it should fit on a single A4-sized paper.

One page, and people will read it until the end.

But when it becomes two pages, only about half will read it till the end.

Three pages, and it’s about one-third, four pages, it’s down to one-fourth of the readers who will make it to the end. That’s just how it is. I haven’t collected any statistics, but based on my experience of working on documents in the municipal office, that’s the reality.

For crucial notices and information, it’s important to keep it concise, fit it onto a single page.

As for Saran, she’s already asleep.

She’s always cuddling up, so maybe I should do the same tonight.

Goodnight.

Morning comes, and it’s time to depart from the dock behind the Merchant Guild using a canoe.

Everyone is here to see us off.

The members of the Guild, as well as Team Elfang.

Surprisingly, Ballistes party is here too.

“Shin! Looks like you pulled off another big job! Why didn’t you bring us along?”

“Well, it was the kind of work that couldn’t be done too openly.”

Ballistes leader, Bartil, wears a dissatisfied expression.

“It’s mostly business-related, you know?”

“Even so, I still wish you’d take us along! What you guys do is always interesting!”

Hahaha… Sorry, but I can’t do that anymore.

“Bal-san, here’s yesterday’s report. Make sure it’s presented to the higher-ups as well.”

“…This is the first time you’ve written something like this and submitted it to me. Were you doing this even when you were a scholar?”

Well, I was actually a civil servant at the town office.

“Keeping you guys as mere hunters is a waste. No, maybe it’s a waste not to have you serve in the palace. If all hunters could write like this, the Guild would be even better. But let’s face it, there aren’t many like that among hunters.”

It’s unfortunate, isn’t it, Bal-san?

“Monsters don’t bother teaching you how to defeat them, especially top-notch hunters. You’re quite different.”

Ah, I see.

“In any case, your insights seem helpful. I can’t create something like your ‘thing,’ but I’ll think of something. Thanks!”

“I appreciate your help.”

“After you finish your business there, come back immediately. There’s plenty of farm work waiting for you.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“No, you should work harder as a hunter too.”

You’re absolutely right, Saran.

“That’s not true.”

Everyone smiles wryly and then bursts into laughter.

“Alright then!”