| Author: TA☆KA | Original Source: Kakuyomu / Syosetu |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library |
I had no choice but to cook it over the fire as it was. The feathers stuck to the skin, making it almost impossible to eat, so I scraped off the skin and tried again. It was tough, stringy, and had a liver-like smell that hit my nose hard.
Regardless, I still forced it down. I wouldn’t normally mind the smell of liver, but this time it was just too much.
So I cried again.
(Please, just give me some salt! Maybe some black pepper as well! And some soy sauce too!)
I couldn’t cook wild food in a way that brought out the flavors of the ingredients.
“I wanna eat ramen! A nice bowl of Iekei ramen! One topped with a nice serving of chopped green onions and a juicy piece of pork belly!!!”
I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing out. I was beyond frustrated that I couldn’t prepare or cook anything properly.
“Where’s the guide site when you need one? Please! Where are my cheats when I need them? I just want a simple video on butchering!!!”
I screamed, knowing fully well that it was impossible.
◆◆◆◆◆
“It’s time to get back on track! Today I’m going to try taking damage!”
I had fallen to all fours, but I forced myself to stand up, clenching my fists. The food wasn’t exactly humane, but it filled me up nonetheless. However, even though I was full, a wave of sadness was washing over me. So, I decided to switch it up by turning my sight to my original purpose.
“That one seems good. A Forest Basilisk. Basilisks are nothing more than big lizards that can petrify. It shouldn’t be a problem. It looks big, but it’s not even two meters long… There were also huge lizards up in the mountain, but those were over 10 meters long. I believe they were an Ice Lizard and a White Basilisk. This one looks like a baby compared to them, so it’s all good!”
A two-meter-long lizard would normally be a huge deal, but my standards were already out of whack.
The Basilisk’s appearance resembled a dinosaur more than a lizard. It had strong hind legs, and its forelegs, albeit small, had powerful claws. Its neck supported a long, small head, looking much like a small raptor.
The creature’s body was covered in blue-green scales, and its head was crowned with fins resembling a rooster’s cockscomb. The fins broke off at the neck and spread wide across its back. Its golden eyes locked onto me, and it came straight for me.
I stowed away my weapons and waited, leaving everything up to my heavy equipment.
The Basilisk raised its head high as it charged from about five meters away, its eyes flashing brightly for a moment. For a second, it looked confused, but then immediately picked up pace and rushed in.
I had resisted its petrifying glare. However, I wasn’t the only one of its opponents who could resist it, and there was no shortage of us. After all, if it were to be fazed with every challenge, it wouldn’t last.
When its petrification failed, the Basilisk shifted tactics, intending to strike with its fangs and claws, coated with paralyzing poison. The muscles in its hind legs tensed and then exploded into a powerful leap. It closed the distance in an instant, aiming for my neck.
But its jaw ended up biting on thin air. Next, it tried to catch me by using the sickle-like claws on its front leg, but that too missed by a hair’s breadth.
It then decided to try and directly crush me under its sheer weight, but by that point, I was no longer there. In a desperate attempt, the Basilisk swished its long tail. I not only used it to try and regain balance but also knew that if it hit me, it would be devastating. But unfortunately for it, I was no longer there, and its tail hit nothing but air.
(Huh? I was wondering why I wasn’t being hit, although I wanted it, it seemed like my body was dodging on its own.)
It felt like I was a willow swaying in the wind. My body instinctively moved out of the way of the Basilisk’s attacks without me being aware of it.
(This must be the Level Compensation kicking in. It has to be. This would mean that there’s a huge difference in level between me and this Basilisk. It seems I’ll have to forcefully get hit.)
After repeatedly missing its strikes, the Basilisk, clearly frustrated, began gathering its strength. It crouched low, preparing to unleash a powerful headbutt.
“Oh? You coming? Good! Come on! Come and bury yourself in big sis’ chest. Faster!!!”
The Basilisk kicked off the ground and charged forward. I opened my arms, braced myself, and assumed a welcoming stance. Just as its head was about to hit, I thrust my chest out and caught the impact! The next thing I knew, the Basilisk’s head shattered and burst apart.
“Bleh. Gross!!!”
I ended up with splatters of brain and other unspeakable stuff all over my face.
“Ew! Ptui! Ptui! Disgusting! What the heck!”
I quickly pulled out a jar of water from my Inventory and poured it over my head, rinsing off the mess.
“Arghh… Damn… Ptui! No way…! My chest! Was it a weapon?! Ew! Or was it something else? Argh! I know! It’s because I was coated in Chi! Since I was filled with Chi, it’d be the same as if I were to hit it with my fist! Ew, disgusting!!!”
I rinsed my mouth again and again.
“Ahhhh. I can’t get rid of this awful taste… I just want to take a shower!!!”
After using several pots to rinse myself off, I suddenly heard a small explosion nearby. Reacting instantly, I caught something flying at high speed with just my fingertips.
“So you’re the one that’s been buzzing around since earlier! A Bread Beetle. It looks like a drone beetle with a head riddled with thorns. Whoa! This thing’s tough as hell!”
With a flick of my fingers, I sent the beetle flying like a little missile. It crashed right into a second one that had flown in next, knocking it away.
I then quickly tilted my head to the right, dodging a third beetle. After shooting past me, it hit a tree in the background, which was more than 30 meters tall, reducing it to nothing but rubble.
“Phew! They’re just like bullets. Why did they suddenly swarm me? Did I enter their territory or something?”
There were at least a hundred of these things, and I could feel my stomach turn just by looking at the swarm gathering. I kept my guard up, stomping on a beetle that had landed on the ground near me, crushing it underfoot.
“Eat this!”
A fourth beetle flew at me, but I struck it with my right fist.
“Hya!”
I cut down a fifth one with the sword in my left hand.
“Screw you!”
I swatted the sixth one with a backfist, crushing it in one swift move.
“Haha!”
The seventh one I took down with a left hook.
“Have some of this!”
The eighth and ninth beetles came at me from the right and left.
“Hya! Hyu! Aaaah!”
The beetles flew in, one after another, each accompanied by a sharp explosive sound, but I struck them down rapidly with both fists.
“Ora, ora, ora, ora, ora, oraaaaaaaaaaa! God!!! Where are they coming from? So freaking annoying!” Frustrated, I equipped my sword and unleashed a wave of sword energy, sending it forward in a wide arc. “Scatter!!!”
«Impact Storm»
The entire swarm of beetles in front of me was blown away in one strike. Unfortunately, the blast also took out a large swath of the surrounding trees.
“Oops…” I watched as the trees broke apart and collapsed to the ground. It felt like a bit of déjà vu. “I might’ve gone a bit overboard. Oopsies, hehe.”
God, what in the world was I doing1…
