A very rational hunt.
I reviewed the list Dan wrote:
- Meat of the Billion Buffalo
- Eggs of the Ukokkatrice
- Meat of the Beast King Cattle-Bird
- Sea King Tuna
- Rainbow Shrimp
… and so on.
When it comes to hunting, Geraldin-san is the go-to person. He eagerly joined in, wagging his tail. Jash, who was off duty, decided to tag along as well. Even Jend came to help, saying he wanted to do something for me. I tried to pay them for their assistance, but they refused, expressing a desire to repay the favor.
I spread out the world map and pondered. The habitats are scattered all over. Is there some place where I can find all these boss-level monsters together? … No, the sea creatures are probably impossible...
If I approach this normally, it might take years. Boss-level creatures aren’t just lying around waiting to be found...
“Oh!”
I found it. There’s a place where all the targets can be hunted!
Which brings us here: the extra dungeon beneath the Wolfanea Castle!
“Well, I’ll cooperate, but…”
The Dungeon Master, lounging lazily on Kagiko-san’s lap, sounded reluctant, but he agreed to help.
“Your attitude toward the Awaited One is unacceptable.”
“Yipe!”
To my shock, Kagiko-san grabbed the Dungeon Master (in his puppy form) by the tail and swung him around dynamically!
“Kagiko-san! Don’t grab a dog’s tail! You should pet it gently! You’ll tear it off!”
“He’s not a dog. He’s a silver wolf.”
“No, he’s the Dungeon Master, you know!”
“W-Well, just let him go! Poor thing!”
And so went the comically disjointed exchange with Geraldin-san, the stoic Jend, and the kind Josh.
“Happy to cooperate!!”
Crying and screaming, the Dungeon Master finally agreed and was released.
Then, we were transported directly to the boss room, and the hunt began.
A Billion Buffalo appeared!
Geraldin-san defeated it!
Ukokkatrice eggs appeared!
Josh quietly stored them!
A Beast King Cattle-Bird appeared!
Jend defeated it!
The Sea King Tuna flopped around!
Jash skillfully prepared it!
A swarm of Rainbow Shrimp appeared!
The silver wolf duo defeated them!
Everything was so rushed!!
It was easy, yes, but still! The only effort involved was waiting for the prey to be summoned and then taking them down. Some, like the eggs, just needed to be collected!
“Something feels… lacking.”
“Yeah...”
The silver wolves were too fast, leaving no work for the Valkyrie.
“You’re so spoiled… How about this?”
A buffalo-like creature I’d never seen before appeared. It was massive, dragon-sized, with three heads, horns, and an imposing aura of strength.
“Whoa! That’s…”
It dodged Geraldin-san’s attack, repelled Jend’s strike with a barrier, and retaliated with a breath attack.
“That was close!!”
Thankfully, I set up a barrier in time, or it could’ve been fatal.
“Hahaha! What a worthy foe! My Lord! That must be an Abyssal Buffalo!”
“That sounds amazing!”
It was a monster I’d never even seen in games! Wait, is that a snake for a tail? Jash is getting wrapped up in it!!
“Valkyrie!”
“Rosaariiin!!”
*CHOMP!*
Valkyrie, why did you shove your head into the snake’s mouth?! Well, it’s an opening!
“Wind, heed my call!”
No fire or ice—those would ruin the meat. I needed to bleed it out instead!
“Wha—?!”
“Ahhh!!”
“Nooo!”
“Kyaaaa!!”
The spell reflected off its fur, scattering everywhere and nearly hitting us all!
“It seems its fur has magic reflection properties.”
“I see.”
If that’s the case, there’s another way!
“Valkyrie, activate ‘Bari-Kannon Mode!’”
“Rosaariiiin!!”
A ridiculous pun, but effective. Valkyrie wielded clippers like a multi-armed deity, mercilessly shaving the buffalo’s fur with incredible speed.
“It looks so pitiful without fur...”
To make it worse, Valkyrie left it with a Mohawk style for fun.
“Bumo!? BUMOOOO!!”
It let out a frustrated bellow and charged at me. I couldn’t dodge! Could my barrier withstand it!?
“My Lord! I will protect you!!”
“BUMOOO!?”
Geraldin-san threw herself between us and hurled the dragon-sized buffalo away with brute strength. Impressive.
As if on cue, Jend slashed its belly open, and Josh finished it off with precise strikes to its three heads—and the snake-tail, too.
The teamwork was remarkable, and for the first time, Josh truly shone. He seemed elated when I patted his head in appreciation. Of course, I also praised Geraldin-san and Jend, though Geraldin-san practically shoved his son aside to get his share of head pats.
“Hey, Awaited One,” the Dungeon Master interjected.
“What is it?”
“Wouldn’t even higher-ranked monsters be better than what’s on that list? Should I summon some?”
I grinned mischievously. Geraldin-san looked equally excited, while Jend and Josh exchanged resigned glances. They said they’d see this through, so they had no choice.
In the end, we did it.
The meat was so delicious, even lightly salted, that it made us beam with joy and nearly cry tears of ecstasy. What’s more, it surpassed all expectations, delivering flavors so incredible that they felt otherworldly.
What do you think about this chapter?
