NOVEL NEXT Ch29 - A tiger!!
Chapter 29: A tiger!!
Rena was running.
This time, she couldn’t afford to trip over herself like usual. Behind her, at a careful but unrelenting distance, a fierce saber cat was chasing her. She ran, desperately balancing her body as she moved.
“You can’t underestimate it… just because it’s called a ‘cat,’” she thought. Why call it a “cat” at all? It was practically a tiger! Though it was smaller than a typical tiger—around a meter tall—it was still better suited to be named a tiger.
Naturally, Rena had already set her title as “Fugitive.” Her speed was faster than usual… but the only reason she hadn’t been caught yet was that the cat was enjoying the thrill of the chase. If it got serious, she’d be in pieces in no time.
Yet, Rena had no choice but to keep running, with all her adorable familiars cradled in her arms. Because of the jolting, they squealed with excitement, but she didn’t have the luxury to pay attention to them. Instead, she was frantically trying to figure out how to escape this situation.
Why had it come to this?
The story began a few hours ago.
＊＊＊
It was the seventh morning since the monster tamer and her familiars had arrived in Toiria. They’d been tirelessly completing G-rank guild requests, and today, they were finally ready for the final quest to rank up. Thanks to her skilled monsters and her own ingenuity, they hadn’t failed once.
Their diligent work had earned high praise from the guild. To rank up, they needed to complete five G-rank quests in a row successfully.
For their fifth and final request, they accepted a rare “herb gathering” quest outside the city. The condition to count this quest towards their rank-up was to gather a considerable amount of herbs within a single day, which was a somewhat challenging task. But Rena had a plan. She knew that wild strawberries often grew near medicinal herbs and attracted bugs. So, she asked her familiar, Lily, to charm the bugs to guide them to the herbs. Proud to be relied upon, Lily was thrilled.
Crossing the border gate of the Kingdom of Anese, Rena and her group returned to the open fields and began charming insects and gathering herbs.
The people of Toiria had been warm and welcoming to Rena and her familiars, creating a comfortable atmosphere. But for that very reason, she worried about becoming complacent. To stay prepared for anything, she thought it was good to test herself in the wild occasionally.
With that mindset, and thoughts of restocking monster meat from Hamal Drive, she felt confident as she gathered the required amount of herbs and completed the quest.
Then came an important moment. This conversation took place:
“Ahh, monster meat bacon is so delicious…” Rena sighed, recalling the thick-cut bacon and lettuce sandwich from that morning.
“Indeed! The rich flavor of the meat was exceptional!”
“I love that too!” Lily chimed in, “I wonder what bacon from a carnivorous beast would taste like?”
“A carnivorous beast, huh? I think there are a few around here. Would you like to try some, Rena?”
“Yes! I’d love to try it!”
A dangerous moment. The sound of a flag being raised seemed almost audible.
Then, at the perfect timing… it came. A piercing roar, like the one from the bear encounter, echoed across the field!
“GRROOOAAARRR!!”
The sound came from behind Rena and her party. A small tiger with a wicked grin bared its huge fangs as it charged toward them.
“Wha—?!”
“KYAAA!!” “Rena, it’s a saber cat! Run!” “It looks strong…”
Thus, the deadly chase began.
“Isn’t that thing basically a tiger?!”
Rena could only run with her familiars in her arms, as her sheep familiar Hamal hadn’t grown large enough to carry her. With no time to cry, she pushed forward with all she had, wishing she had Hamal’s [Sprint] skill to escape, but she had no way of jumping onto a sheep’s back while running. Too bad.
＊＊＊
And so, that’s how it came to this.
Once again, Rena’s careless words had set off her extreme luck, seemingly summoning the creature she’d wished for. Although there was no proof, this pattern repeated with every wish—like the last encounter with the man-eating bear. It seemed her luck truly had something to do with it.
“Huff… huff…!”
Already, Rena was out of breath, fighting with all she had to escape. Though her physical endurance had improved since her time on Earth, her base stats were still too low. The cat observed her struggle with a smug look, waiting for her to reach her limit.
If they stopped here, everyone would be caught by it, ending the game for them all.
…Is there anything they could use?
With a serious look, she surveyed her surroundings.
Somehow, Rena and the others had made it past the open grasslands and ended up wandering into a wooded area filled with low green trees and thick undergrowth. The uneven terrain was littered with rocks, making it hard to run. But with this unique landscape, she might be able to set some traps using these obstacles…
This was her chance! The Cat had grown complacent, certain of its victory. Rena resolved herself, knowing that missing this opportunity would mean certain death.
“!”
Ahead of Rena, the trees were slightly spaced apart. Peering more closely, she noticed large puddles on the ground. The puddles appeared to have a deep blue surface, hinting at a mysterious depth. A number of these water patches were clustered together, creating a gap where no trees grew.
“H-Har-kun… do you know anything about these puddles?”
Gasping for breath, she asked Hamal, who was nestled in her arms.
‘…Probably a habitat for Water Moles. There were similar puddles in the shaded areas of the grasslands. They dig holes and use blue magic to fill them with water, growing aquatic plants as food at the bottom. Depth is around two meters, maybe?’
“Got it…!”
Without hesitation, Rena began planning how to use the puddles for escape.
Once her plan was settled, she whispered her instructions to her familiars.
“…Alright! I’ve got a plan to escape… Will you listen?”
‘Affirmative!!’
‘Yes!!’
Despite her labored breathing, Rena calmly explained.
“I’m planning to use the puddles.
…First, Lily-chan will use [Illusion] to disorient the Cat.
Then, Har-kun, you’ll use [Quick Step] to run, carrying the slimes faster than me to the puddle area.
Kureha and Izumi, once there, stretch your bodies over the surface and use [Ultra-Harden]… to create a membrane.
Can you hold up if I run across?”
‘Leave it to us!’
“Thank you…!
Lily-chan, I’ll need you to use [Illusion] again on the puddle I’ll cross, to make it look like solid ground to the Cat. Make it think it’s just normal land.”
‘Got it…!’
“If the Saber Cat doesn’t notice the [Illusion], it should cross right over the puddle.
When that happens, Kureha and Izumi, return to normal size to drop the Cat into the water. Once it falls in, stretch out again to cover the surface and… [Ultra-Harden]!
––We’ll drown it.”
‘Alright! We’ll do it!!’
‘I’ll do my best!’
‘As you command!’
“This plan relies a lot on luck, but it’s the best I could come up with for now…
…Let’s make it work, okay?”
‘Okaaaay!!’
With that, the plan was set. “Drowning” may sound harsh, but if Rena wasted time over idealism, they would all end up as its prey. She wanted to survive, no matter what it took. She chose certainty over mercy––and was all the stronger for it.
They were nearing the Water Moles’ dens now. Picking out the largest burrow, she decided to make full use of it. She felt a bit guilty, but her life was on the line.
“––Skill [Encourage]!”
‘…Skill [Illusion]!’
‘Skill [Quick Step]!!’
With full trust in each other, they activated their skills in unison. The slimes clung to Har’s fur.
Lily’s [Illusion] conjured a thick, dark mist that clung around the Saber Cat, which lashed out with its claws, instinctively trying to swipe it away. Realizing its physical attacks were useless, it changed strategy, leaping high to clear the mist.
The time it wasted attacking, however, had increased the distance between it and Rena.
Hamar used the [Running] skill with the slime wrapped around him and dashed away from his master with great momentum. The moment he leaped over a puddle, the slime fell off in little drops and splashed onto the water’s surface, stretching thinly over it using [Super Hardening]. Just as planned, a bridge exclusively for Lena was created over the puddle. The edges of the enlarged body firmly reached the ground, so it seemed unlikely that the master would stumble.
Lily used the [Illusion] skill again to disguise the appearance of the puddle as false ground.
Lena crossed the wide, straight path…!
Cat chased after her, running straight ahead… and made a big splash as he fell into the puddle.
“Now…!!”
“[Skill: Super Hardening]—!!”
At the master’s command, the slime quickly spread out again over the water’s surface, hardening its body harder than diamonds.
With the only escape route, the water’s surface, sealed off, Cat struggled, unable to breathe. Desperately, he attacked the slime body with his thick claws again and again.
“[Familiar Recovery] skill! [Familiar Recovery] skill! [Familiar Recovery] skill! [Familiar Recovery] skill…!!”
The overly protective master relentlessly used recovery magic on the slime. Occasionally, he layered the [Inspiration] skill just for good measure.
Lily squinted from the air, keeping her eyes on the flickering flame of the saber cat’s soul…
The movements of the fiercely struggling Cat began to slow down. The bubbles that occasionally spilled from the corner of his mouth were now almost nonexistent. He must have exhaled all his breath. Even so… the opponent was an absolute powerhouse. Everyone kept their eyes glued to Cat.
“…Ah.”
Suddenly, a cute little voice slipped from the fairy’s delicate mouth. Her expression turned joyful, blooming like a flower.
“…Master—!
The saber cat’s soul light just went out!
It’s okay now. We’ve won—!”
Hearing Lily’s voice, the master stood still for a moment, mouth agape in shock, but gradually his cheeks flushed with excitement as he let out a small shout.
“…We did it—!!”
The slimes returned to their original grapefruit-sized forms and rushed over to Lena.
“…We did it, Master—!”
“Yeah…! I’m so glad we got away.
Phew… it’s all thanks to everyone…! Thank you for your hard work…!!”
“Everyone, good job!
Lena too, you did well, okay?”
“Indeed. Lena is amazing, amazing!
Good job!”
“Wah…!?”
A slime plopped onto Lena’s face, wobbling as if it were patting her.
“…Hehe!
…Oh, but we need to hurry up and get out of here, or the saber cat will sink, okay?”
“…Ah! Right!”
“Okay, withdrawal—!!”
“Are we pulling back?”
The slimes wrapped around Hamar, who had grown large beside the puddle, like tentacle ropes, while the other end wrapped around the saber cat’s body in the water (Izumi was responsible for the underwater part), gradually contracting its body. The saber cat, now heavy with water, was pulled up from the puddle.
The clean monster material, with no external wounds, would surely fetch a high price if sold.
Lena clasped her hands together once over the deceased body. Even though it had been their enemy, she believed it was a matter of respect for the deceased. The familiars imitated her. The master gently patted their heads.
With Kureha’s drying magic, they dried the saber cat’s body, storing it directly in the magic bag without using [Dissolve]. Previously, they had been using their smartphone to look up meat-cutting pages for the slimes, but there was definitely no page for tiger meat.
Lena gazed at the smartphone, which still worked as it did back on Earth, with a curious expression.
Suddenly looking up at the sky, she noticed it was already tinted with a light purple hue. Night was approaching.
“Wow. This is bad…! We need to hurry back.
…Haru-kun, I’m sorry for making you work hard, but can you run big and fast to the border gate?”
“As you command—!”
As the entrance to the Anes Kingdom, the closing time of the gate near Troiria was late.
Still, she wanted to pass through early just to be safe. She needed to report on the herb gathering to the guild by the end of the day.
The master pushed himself, feeling exhausted from running too much, as he rode the wildly shaking sheep toward the town. He felt slightly dizzy from not being able to ride properly.
＊＊＊
That night, Lena and the others rushed into the Troiria Adventurers’ Guild, which was sparsely populated just before closing time. The master dashed in from the entrance of the town, panting as if he were on the brink of death.
“Are you okay…!?
I was worried because you all hadn’t returned yet, even though it’s so late!”
The receptionist girl kindly addressed Lena with concern.
“Y-yeah, I’m f-fine… huff… t-thank you very much…”
Seeing the clearly not-fine response from the rookie adventurer, the receptionist couldn’t help but chuckle.
After resting for a bit to catch her breath, Lena placed the bundle of herbs, which she had swapped into a regular bag, on the counter.
Several piles of fresh green herbs were stacked in front of the receptionist.
She looked astonished.
“Well…! Hehe, you did well, didn’t you? You’ve been completing your requests properly? I thought you might have failed this time.”
“If I had failed, I wouldn’t have run here so quickly!”
“Haha, that’s true!”
The assessment was successfully completed. Although the cut surfaces of the herbs were slightly damaged due to the unfamiliar knife used for harvesting, they were told that it was not a problem at all. Finally, Lena could relax her shoulders in relief.
The update of her guild card was done right away. Promotions up to E-rank can be completed at the reception counter.
Guild Card: Rank F
Name: Toudou (藤堂) Lena
Occupation: Monster Tamer (モンスターテイマー) LV. 8
Equipment: Linen shirt, culottes skirt, leather shoes, bag, M bag, robe
Affinities: Black Magic, Green Magic
Stamina: 23
Intelligence: 54
Agility: 16
Magic: 54
Luck: Unmeasurable
Skills: [Familiar Contract], [Inspire], [Messenger], [Obedience], [Familiar Recovery], [Blunt Strike]
Familiar: Kureha, Izumi, Lily, Hamal
Gift: [Rare Class Change Trait] ☆7
Title: Fugitive, Older Sister
Compared to when she was thrown into the other world of Ranashu, Lena had become quite strong. Her level had increased by four since the last time she checked.
The experience points from defeating the saber cat had not yet been reflected in her level, so her next level-up might come soon.
She decided to check her familiars’ statuses when she had more time. With a happy expression, Lena carefully looked at her guild card before hanging it back around her neck and tucking it into her shirt. The guild card is similar to a passport on Earth. Many adventurers wear it like this to avoid losing it.
“Oh. Excuse me, miss. Could I see the monster encyclopedia? I’d be happy if it has details about the meat parts of the saber cat…”
Lena timidly asked the reception girl. She seemed a little concerned about asking for a book at such a late hour, so her voice was quiet.
Since she hadn’t obtained any other herbivore monster meat today, her mind was filled with thoughts of tiger steak. Even if she intended to use the fatty parts for bacon, the lean meat would be best seared medium-rare for steak. Thick cuts would be good, and diced steak would also be nice—Lena thought about such things. Since the shops handling ingredients were already closed, she planned to have tiger for dinner tonight.
The girl’s expression relaxed instantly, and the reception girl looked back and forth between her and a slime that had inexplicably started dancing, wearing a confused expression.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something… a group of four adventurers, likely part of a party, noisily entered the guild, talking loudly. Lena froze with a shiver at the content of their conversation.
“…Ahhh! Why can’t we find the saber cat? Wasn’t it supposed to attack the girl immediately? It should be here, girl! This is so frustrating!”
A young adventurer with a boyish appearance and light brown hair was scratching his head and shouting in frustration. After listening to their conversation for a while, Lena realized they had failed their hunting quest.
“Bwahahaha! Well, Patricia, it’s probably because you’re so clumsy that it didn’t attack thinking you were a boy, right? Be more ladylike!”
This was the voice of the bald adventurer she had met at the guild before. He was as noticeable as ever, both in voice and build.
“Ah-haaa♪ Like this, right? If you add a heart mark to the end, it might sound even more girly?”
“Bwahahahaha! My stomach hurts!”
“That’s not a girl; isn’t that a mature woman? A mature woman?”
“…Shut up! I just failed my E-rank promotion exam and I’m down about it! Be kinder to me, everyone! I have to start over from scratch!? I’m really pathetic!”
“You’re the loudest one here!”
“Oh my, oh dear♪”
…They were conspicuous. The shouting girl, the very loud bald guy, and the dancer who was twisting their body, inexplicably calling everyone “mature women.” How unfortunate that Lena always found herself connected to such vibrant characters.
“Um… could you tell me more about the saber cat monster?”
Lena whispered discreetly to the reception girl. However, despite her very soft voice, the word “saber cat” caught Patricia’s attention. Patricia abruptly threw her arm around Lena’s shoulder.
“Did you just say ‘saber cat,’ little girl…?”
A low, gravelly voice sent a shiver down Lena’s spine.
“…Eeeek!?”
Lena inadvertently let out a high-pitched scream. All eyes in the guild were fixed on her, who did not want to stand out.
Ah, I really didn’t want to get involved. Lena had already been caught by Patricia, who had approached without making a sound like a horror movie character. Patricia’s glaring green eyes were staring intensely at the monster tamer.
Patricia’s head was tackled by a fluffy attack from all her familiars.
It made her even more noticeable.