An active hunter from Hokkaido was thrown into another world - Chapter 51

Request of the Goddess – Chapter

Chapter 51 Professional hunter

Is it possible to make a living as a hunter?

When considering this in Japan, it seems highly unlikely even in the most fortunate regions.

Firstly, the idea of living self-sufficiently in the mountains is not feasible. The mountains and wilderness are either private properties or state-owned forests, which means you can’t simply live there, let alone find a place to shoot a gun. Unless you happen to own a mountain that serves as a paradise for wild animals, this alone makes it impossible.

Next is the issue of money.

Hunting requires a substantial amount of money. Licenses, permits, firearms and related equipment, registration fees, insurance, and most importantly, the cost of ammunition. If you need to use a car to move around instead of walking on your privately-owned mountain, add the cost of gas. It’s safe to assume an initial investment of half a million yen, and then several tens of thousands of yen annually for maintenance.

And yet, the income comes solely from fur and meat. However, there is virtually no demand for these products, making them almost worthless.

Then there’s the subsidy provided by the local government.

This is nothing more than a token of appreciation for participating in specific volunteer activities during a limited period. You cannot expect this income to cover your expenses.

Hunting is a world where profits are disregarded; it is purely a hobby. There are no professional hunters in Japan.

I can say this with certainty.

In this regard, it can be said that this other world is very fortunate.

I am able to thrive as a professional hunter.

Furs sell well, and I can exchange meat for vegetables and everyday goods. Even bones and horns have practical uses.

Above all, it’s heartening to know that the villagers of the Elven village recognize me as a necessary presence.

In Japan, when there’s damage to crops by wild animals, the report comes in late and they complain, saying, “You should have come sooner!” or “Come immediately when called!” Misunderstandings like “You deliberately left some of them alive instead of exterminating all of them” are also common.

What are they talking about?

Of course, I catch everything that comes into sight.

You should accompany a veteran hunter at least once.

You’ll be amazed by their relentless pursuit of prey.

They track footprints in the snowy mountains, walking with skis or snowshoes, you know?

Can you do that?

If you think they just shoot whatever they see along the road, you’re completely mistaken.

Half of the hunters are farmers.

They buy guns to protect their own fields from being damaged.

There are many veteran hunters with poor knowledge about guns from my perspective.

Many of them are not skilled.

But they’re still doing their best.

Don’t ask them not to kill bears or such.

Even a professional hunter who mostly hunts deer, not bears, why would you think they can capture a brown bear alive when it appears? What other options are there besides shooting from several hundred meters away? Why should we have to approach up close to shoot tranquilizers? There’s never enough lives to risk.

I wish the media would stop using the standardized phrase “Shot and killed by the local hunting association.” The hunting association has no right to impose its actions without permission. The decision to kill bears lies with the local municipalities. They should report, “Disposed of by the municipality,” to prevent misunderstandings about what we do.

In this world, there are creatures scarier than bears, called “monsters”…

These “monsters” are a general term for creatures that attack “humans” when they see them in this world…

Whirrrrrrrr…

A whistling sound as an arrow is shot up into the air.

“Shin! Over there!”

Today, we borrowed horses. They’re plowing horses, though.

I’ve also trained to ride a horse, and now I can do it.

I desperately follow Saran’s horse running ahead.

There it is!

Ugyaaaahhhh!

It’s a huge spider!

Why on earth are there such enormous spiders in this world!

Isn’t this Ranoa’s ranch?

Is it a goat? Is today’s target a goat?

Distance: 100 meters!

I dismount from the horse, hand the reins to Saran, and kneel down while shouldering the Remington M700. I load a .375 H&H Magnum cartridge from the magazine into the chamber.

I take a deep breath and steady myself…

Bang!

Thunk!

The giant spider’s large abdomen split open.

I continue running to close the distance.

While their movements may slow down, reptiles don’t die just from being shot somewhere on their bodies. They’re quite resilient creatures, even if you tear off their limbs.

I get within 50 meters and aim for the torso.

Bang!

Its body bursts apart.

Insects with exoskeletons tend to explode from the shockwave spreading inside when hit by a bullet.

Now it can’t walk anymore.

It’s not dead, though. It’s just an insect.

I move in front of it and aim for its face from a 10-meter distance for one last shot.

Bang!

…Its head is gone.

Now, I can finally breathe easy.

Its legs are still twitching, though. But I think it’s finally okay.

Whew…

“Haa… That was scary. Thanks, Shin, you saved us!”

Ranoa, holding a pitchfork, and Ranoa’s son, who had fired the crossbow bolt, arrived.

Oh, I’m just relieved that nobody got hurt.

That spider was about three times the size of a goat!

Could it be the one spotted in the mountains a week ago? I can’t believe it came all the way here. It’s a good thing we were cautious.

Using three H&H Magnum rounds… it’s one tough creature.

Despite their soft appearance, when they have such a large body to support, they become incredibly sturdy. Their exoskeleton is truly remarkable.

These kinds of enemies appearing are what make this otherworld scary.

It’s been five years since the last time. A giant purple spider showing up in the village.

“Elf village may be peaceful, but occasionally, creatures like this appear…”

“It’s frightening. How did you deal with them before?”

“Well, we all threw spears and managed somehow.”

Arrows wouldn’t do much, indeed. In this world, the most effective weapon seems to be the throwing spear. It has the most killing power, no matter what anyone says.

In the Elf village, there are still one or two people who die from being attacked by monsters every year.

Since I came to this world, it hasn’t happened yet.

“What should we do? Shall we burn it?”

“Nah, let’s use it as fertilizer for the fields! It’s an opportunity, after all!”

“Hahaha.”

“Shin, thank you for today, both you and Saran-chan.”

“You’re welcome. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call me.”

This time was quite dangerous, I think. If we had been a little later, either Ranoa or the goats would have been eaten.

Using the .375 H&H Magnum was quite challenging.

The round-nosed .375 H&H Magnum loses about 70% of its bullet power when it flies 200 meters. It’s designed to deliver effective impact on large animals, so the bullet is rounded, but due to high air resistance, its power diminishes rapidly, hence we need to get close within 100 meters.

By actually using the .375 H&H Magnum, I feel like I understand the feelings of African hunters who faced elephants and rhinos with this ammunition. It seems they had no choice but to get this close to bring them down.

The data on these ballistic trajectories is written on the ammunition package, but it’s all in English. Well, you can figure it out if you look at it.

This is one of those things you won’t understand until you have a real gun, I suppose.

“…Let’s take another look around the mountain. If there are nests or eggs, it could be troublesome.”

“Agreed…”

“I don’t think that search is necessary.”

As Saran and I were discussing, the village chief arrived. The villagers also gathered around, pulling thread from the still twitching spider’s abdomen and winding it up rapidly.

They say they use the twisted thread as bowstrings. It’s quite sturdy.

“Um, it was called the ‘Murasaki Dekai Kumo,’ right? How do they build their nests?”

“Yeah, it’s a big one, a ground spider. The females dig their nests in the soil. Before laying eggs, they catch a larger amount of prey to get nutrients. Look at its abdomen.”

The abdomen that I shot with the Magnum earlier is oozing and there are round, bloated things resembling eggs. It’s quite gruesome.

“Good thing it was before laying eggs.”

Yes, it’s really fortunate. I can’t even imagine what it would be like if a large number of these spiders were born.

“But if it was preparing to lay eggs, there should be a male, right?”

“The males of Murasaki Dekai Kumo are small. An adult can easily take care of them. It’s fine to leave them alone.”

So, the males are smaller. They’re like Saran and me.

“Well, just to be sure, I’ll take a look around.”

“Sure, that would be reassuring. I’d appreciate it if you could do that.”

“Understood.”

So, that afternoon, we followed the path the spider had walked and crushed a couple of male Murasaki Dekai Kumo with the backshot of the shotgun.

The females were over 3 meters in size, but the males were also about 70 cm. It’s gruesome.

“What’s this…?”

There was something resembling a moss-covered stone ruin in the mountains.

It’s full of spider webs. It seems like they made this area their stronghold.

“Oh, this is a shrine, where they seal the Demon Lord.”

“Demon Lord?! In this world?!”

“Yeah, they exist. They appear once every few hundred years or so.”

Saran says it casually, but it surprises me. I had heard about it from the Goddess Nanotesu, but seeing it with my own eyes makes it feel real.

“There are shrines like this scattered all over, and they suppress the Demon Lord’s power.”

“Wow… that sounds scary.”

“The power of this shrine is weak, and when the Demon Lord gradually regains strength, it becomes stronger than the shrine. Then, it appears and commands monsters to attack humans.”

“How did they defeat it?”

“When the Demon Lord revives, a hero always appears. The hero is the one who defeats it.”

“Oh… How is the hero chosen?”

“It’s chosen by the church or the kingdom. Well, I don’t know the details of how they choose.”

“I see… I wonder if an Elf could be chosen as a hero too?”

“No, that never happens. The hero who defeats the Demon Lord is always human. That’s why in this world, humans are considered the most important and boast about it.”

“I see…”

It seems like it doesn’t concern us at all.

“What would happen if the Demon Lord were to revive?”

“According to the village legend, all the mountain monsters would attack the village at once. Even the monsters we usually manage to defeat would be overwhelming in numbers, so we’d retreat to the lake and gradually resist them.”

“Ah, that’s why you have preparations on the island in the lake, right?”

“Yeah, in the center of the lake where we live, there’s an island with various weapons and food stored. If something happens, we all evacuate to that island.”

“Ah, I see. All the Elves can swim.”

I guess that’s the reason.

“Well, I don’t think the Demon Lord will appear while we’re alive.”

“I wonder what the Demon Lord looks like.”

“Um, it’s a huge creature, different in each era—dragons, bears, wolves, you name it. The human heroes and the church probably know more about it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“When we go to town next time, let’s look it up.”

“You’re so eager to learn, Shin. I don’t really care about that stuff.”

“Haha, I just like to research everything.”

Being a municipal employee, disaster preparedness and crisis management are important duties, even for a small village.

It’s essential to plan ahead for potential threats to the village.