Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World

The creaking sound of snow echoed in the air.

The fingertips of a leather glove are peeking out from behind a tree, dexterously moving and changing shape one after another.

I nodded and sent my finger in approval.

Gently peeking out, I saw a large rabbit poking its face into the snow. It looked desperate to find food, but its ears stood erect and it was alert to its surroundings, changing angles without a pause.

Slowly, I pulled the arrow out.

The ear turned toward me and stopped.

With a snap, the ear turned in the other direction. I hear nothing. The rabbit's heightened hearing must have picked up something in the distance.

Again, they begin to pull.

The rabbit turns its attention toward me, but I still wonder if it is concerned about the back of the room, so it turns its ears that way again.

The rabbit hears the wind noise and jumps to avoid it, but it is one step too late.

The arrow pierced through the chest, and the rabbit let out a short scream and fell over. It struggled a little and stopped moving.

I kept my guard up and looked around.

I checked to make sure no side-blows were coming and approached the rabbit.

What was strikingly different from the previous world was the number of creatures that attacked people. In this world, humans are predators, and if all life were ranked, they would belong to the lower group. A few months ago, right after I had finished my prey and felt relieved, I was ambushed. It was not that I was not careful. We did not expect a wolf to come down from a tree above us. The opponent was a monster called a tree-climbing wolf, Nudlok. My companion had noticed it from the start and had shot it clean through the neck faster than I could deal with it.

"Well done."

It was my companion, Nerio, who appeared from behind the trees.

I met him when I was five years old, earlier than "Battle Axe of Destruction". Three years later, we met again in the case of Ash Vomiting disease. People said that he is C-ranked and is as good as the "Battle Axe of Destruction", according to Markant. Unfortunately, he was proud to be a hunter and had no intention of becoming an adventurer. Ose was the one who was the most saddened by this reply. Valerie is also a scout in her own right, but she seemed to think that if she and Nerio were to become a double act, they would be able to perfect their scouting skills.

I fell in love with his skills and asked him to teach me his hunting techniques.

There were twists and turns. Nerio was afraid and kept refusing, and my father was puzzled by my excessive friendliness with the commoners. Moreover, Nerio was not even an adventurer. Adventurers contribute to maintaining security and are hired as mercenaries on the battlefield. Some nobles despise them as lowborn, but they are considered beneficial to the territory. Hunters, however, are different. They do not contribute much to help maintains security, and they rarely fight on the battlefield as mercenaries. In the eyes of the nobles, including my father, they are no better than cattle breeders, and if they are not good enough, people treat them as less than cattle breeders. It is no wonder that they do not understand me, since I'm trying to learn his skills from such a hunter.

Nevertheless, my father permitted me, albeit reluctantly.

The deciding factor was probably his ability equivalent to a C-rank. Perhaps, in my father's mind, I had created the image of a retired, seasoned adventurer for Nerio. It is not correct, and my father knows that. So if I were to say, "I'm going to go hunt for someone else," we'd be back to square one.

After that, I convinced Nerio and Roland, who had no scouting skills, to stay on and managed to get me an apprenticeship. That was over a year ago.

The rabbit's legs are tied with rope and hung from a thick branch.

The neck is quickly cut and bled out, and once that is complete, its fur is removed.

Finally, the entrails are processed.

When the belly was ripped open with a knife, what little blood remained stained the pure white snow, and the spilled entrails sank into the ground as far as they would go.

We throw most of the entrails, but only the heart always has a use.

While I worked, Nerio stuck the rabbit's heart on a twig and propped it up against the stomping snow. It seems to be a ritual dedicated to Roove, the god of hunting. Roove is said to take the form of a great stout man or a giant black wolf and is a different god from the little fat man. Well, he said that guy is not a god of this world.

The dismantling of adventurers and hunters was the same work process, but there was a big difference in purpose.

Adventurers target materials and magic stones. Those have a high cash value, while hunters mainly target meat. Therefore, hunters dismantled the meat on the spot as much as possible, knowing that it would attract monsters. Adventurers did not care about the quality of the meat. Safety is their priority, and they do not bring home meat with low-profit margins. The case of Eras Rhino is a case in point.

Most of the meat in circulation is provided by livestock farming, but raising large numbers of helpless animals is a painstaking process. But this process is helped by hunters. That is especially true on the frontier, where monsters are on the rise. When I was a child, I thought adventurers were supplying them, but I was mistaken.

As I set the rabbit down, I turned my gaze to the entrails beneath his feet.

"I knew there were no magic stones. A rabbit this big should have some."

It weighed so much that the thick branches were large and writhing. It must have weighed at least twenty kilograms. Even if it were a medium-sized dog, it would be one of the biggest.

"The magic stone bearer is different from the outside, you know. If it's just big, it's just a rabbit. It's an animal."

Nerio was wary but responded fluently.

After seeing each other so often, Nerio was getting used to it. The initial nervousness was long gone. I miss the days when he was a little nervous, but I'd be in trouble if he got hurt entering the forest in that condition.

"But how should I carry it? I can carry it on my back alone, but it won't move fast enough."

"I don't think anyone would buy the whole thing if it's this big, so shall we split it in two?"

"Right. Do you want it vertical or horizontal?"

"The butcher will be surprised if the head is cut in two. Let's do it lengthwise."

Nerio smiles mischievously.

I lay the rabbit down on the snow, pull out my Rhino sword, and slice it open in one swift motion.

Without much resistance, the rabbit splits to the left and right.

After wrapping it in cloth, I stuff it into the leather bag I brought.

The leather bag we use is a fur pouch, a favorite of adventurers. The leather bags are boiled down with Ezetini leaves, and although they are only faintly aromatic to the human sense, they are said to fool the noses of monsters. It is sold in stores under the dubious name of "Fur Bag" and is generally more commonly known as a "fur container". The fur pouch I am using was the one I bought as an extra container when I bought the alchemy equipment. I found that the shopkeeper is surprisingly conscientious, but I think he needs to rethink his customer service attitude.

"That's a good enough result. The time is good. Would you like to continue a little longer?"

The sky hasn't turned color yet, but the sun is well into its tilt.

I think it's time to pull up.

"Let's go back. It's too heavy to share. Can I go ahead of you on the way back?"

"Go ahead. Be careful. The snow is deep. There may be small monsters lurking."

"Yes."

When I agree, Nerio disappears behind a tree.

I shake off the snow from my Seiran Cloak and activate my "Stealth" and "Presence Detection". I blend into the forest too.

When hunters act in groups, they often spread out to widen their warning net. Unlike adventurers, I assumed that I would not get attacked.

Even after spreading out my "Presence Detection," I could not find any sign of Nerio anywhere.

I stepped on the snow, relying on that.

◇◇◇◇

The next day, the town of Reedwald got hit by heavy snowfall.

I think there is a lot of snow this year.

I would have sword training unless the weather was this bad, but Roland looked up at the sky, which showed no signs of stopping, and decided to take the afternoon off. That makes me want to go hunting, but my mother doesn't look happy about my behavior. My father stopped worrying so much after he learned about my status and told me that I could report back to him after the fact if I wanted to do a simple search in the woods. My mother has been giving me more and more small talk because of what my father did. If it is because of her aristocratic appearance, I could leave it alone, but since I could see that she was concerned about me, I was having trouble coping.

Today, I would read quietly.

If I was hunting, Nerio would have left long ago, and if I'm at home, it would be my day off.

I sit down at my desk and pull out the book I've been reading.

I turn the pages, relying on the snow light coming in through the shutters, the lantern, and the indirect light from the fireplace.

This time of year, I find myself freezing. Not only my room, but the stone building itself was cold. For this reason, I can't turn on the fireplace.

The sound of exploding firewood and falling snow echoed quietly in the background.

When I looked up a few moments later, it was dark outside.

I took my eyes off the book and stretched lightly.

I had gotten used to it, but it was still dark compared to fluorescent lights. Reading alone is fatiguing. One of the reasons for this is that the book's contents are very formal.

What I am reading now is the history of the Arsis Empire.

It is a different book from the one I read before, which my father recently purchased.

The content of the classroom lecture has changed since a while ago. My father has joined the lecturers, and there is more history and relations with neighboring countries. Compared to Roland's combat techniques and tactics, it was a simple study in itself, but he has been pounding a lot of things into his head as if it were necessary.

I opened the armored door to change the air.

Outside was a pure white world.

The falling snow connected heaven and earth, and the quiet wind drew it like a veil.

It was fortunate that there was no blizzard. Looking at the town, I saw several black shadows moving awkwardly along the main street. They seemed to still be at work. It's a hard thing to do in this kind of weather.

There has been no outbreak of Ash Vomiting Disease since then.

My father continued to send soldiers into the territory to investigate that, while I prepared for any eventuality. After a month of receiving reports from around the country, my father concluded that the disease was over. I was relieved, but then I was troubled by the sacrilege that occupied a corner of my room. The amount of wine was several dozen bottles.

It could be used for cooking and would not go bad, but I did not want to leave it lying around.

Under the pretext of paying tribute to those who had contributed, but could not be invited to the party. I decided to rent the dining room of the Ryogoku Kantei and set up a table for them. The participants were "Battle Axe of Destruction" Ragnidig, Simon, Nerio, and several other hunters. All but Nerio had never met before, so we thanked them again for their hard work. I almost laughed at the men who all froze at once as if in agreement. But they were the ones who had done the most. I took the initiative to offer them food and drinks to help them relax.

I regretted that I had not entertained them sooner, as Nerio later thanked me, saying they were all very impressed.

I noticed white breath and closed the armoire.

Thanks to running around in the winter forest, I learned "Ice Resistance" last year. Although my rank was still low at 2, I didn't mind a little bit of cold. A single piece of fur would be enough for today. When I learned that I had acquired this skill, I turned off the fireplace to see how much I could stand, and Meredith came in and said, "Are you trying to freeze to death?" and it caused a bit of a commotion. I never change, no matter how many years go by.

I returned to my desk and opened my status.

Name: Alter Les Reedwald

Race: Human

Level: 14 (+6)

HP: 67/67 (+29)

MP: 173/173 (+69)

Str: 12 (+5)

Int: 16 (+2 )

Dex: 14 (+5)

End: 11+2 (+6)

Agi: 16+2 (36: doubled) (+4)

Charm: 15 (+1)

Skills

Increased Growth Potential, Increased Growth Value, Status Disguise, Language Proficiency, Fast Movement, Multiple Chanting

Mental Resistance 4 (+1), Ice Resistance 2 (new), Appraisal 4 (1+), Mixing 6 (+1)

Tracking 3 (new), Stealth 4 (new), Presence Detection 3 (new)

One-handed Sword 6 (+2), Taijutsu 5, Dagger 5 (+1), Archery 3 (new)

Fire Magic 4 (+2), Water Magic 4 (+1), Wind Magic 5 (+2), Earth Magic 5 (+2)

No-Attribute Magic 4 (+1), Ice Magic 1, Lightning Magic 2 (+1), Denatured Magic 4 (+2)

-Beginner Level

Fire Bolt, Water Bolt, Wind Bolt, Earth Bolt, Magic Bolt, Ice Bolt, Lightning Bolt

Flame Blow (new), Water Blow (new), Stone Blow (new), Water Shield, Wind Shield, Earth Shield, Magic Shield, Physical Up, High-Speed Movement

[Title]

Reincarnated, Ace of the Homecoming Club (+2 Endurance, +2 Agility), Second Son of Baron Reedwald

As usual, the range of the increase in magic power is extraordinary. Well, it's better than a low magic power, and even a little bit of random firing of beginner-level magic doesn't cause a loss of magic power anymore.

There are so many skills that I have lost track of them.

My new skills were taught to me by Nerio, and to train them outside of hunting, I have been accompanying "Battle Axe of Destruction" and participating in defeats and searches as a temporary member. At first, I tried to request him as before, but he refused, saying, "I don't need an escort". However, he also said he would welcome a collaborator, so I decided to be lenient.

Once again, I looked at the status and sighed lightly.

The types of skills have increased, and overall, I have grown, but not as much as my rapid growth when I was eight years old.

I know why.

Most of the prey for hunting is animals, and monsters are not targeted unless they are in demand for food. Even though I had acquired the skills necessary to be a hunter, I had few opportunities to use the other skills. And even in my adventures with "Battle Axe of Destruction", I did not come across any big game as I did on his first expedition. Does the difference in level change the level of proficiency gained, or does it become harder to raise as one's rank increases? Either way, it's a bit of a teething problem.

"It's normal for growth to slow down, isn't it? We have to make progress little by little."

I told myself as if admonishing.