Aiming for a Cozy Life in a Dangerous Forest in Another World! - Chapter 27
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- Chapter 27 - Let's Explore
Chapter 27: Let’s Explore
A week had passed since we finished remodeling our home and base.
We had been making minor adjustments and reinforcing areas that seemed structurally weak, but otherwise, life had been smooth sailing.
…Of course, we hadn’t been attacked by any magical beasts, so I wasn’t able to test if our defenses were strong enough.
Naturally, I preferred not to be attacked, but since we had gone to all the trouble of creating this base, a part of me wanted to test its effectiveness. What a dilemma…
By the way, Pola seemed to be thinking the same thing. She muttered, “No one is attacking us…” and was scolded by Kaito.
Kaito was right, but I understood how she felt, so I didn’t take sides.
Come to think of it, even Kaito and Pola could now easily defeat Fangrabbits, the creatures that were supposedly capable of reducing a large town to ashes.
Pola, like me, preferred long-range, high-powered sniping, so her strength was understandable, but Kaito was defeating them in direct combat using 『Physical Enhancement』.
I wondered if the stories about Fangrabbits were exaggerated, or if Kaito was really that strong…
…Well, there was no harm in being strong, especially since we were living in this forest.
Even Kaito and Pola wouldn’t be able to defeat a Greymlad Viper, and we couldn’t afford to underestimate the magical beasts.
There had been nothing to do lately since we finished reinforcing the base.
We hadn’t even seen any magical beasts.
……Maybe I should venture outside our usual range of activity again, like last time.
Kaito and Pola’s clothes were getting worse, and I was also craving new ingredients.
I loved spicy food, but I was getting tired of eating Fangrabbit meat and 『Amaju Fruits』 every day…
I definitely wouldn’t be taking Kaito and Pola this time.
After the last incident, and because of another goal I had in mind, it would be dangerous to have anyone else nearby.
…That other goal was to train with 『Dragon Transformation』.
I still couldn’t manifest wings or a tail.
Actually, I had hardly used 『Dragon Transformation』 since the Greymlad Viper incident.
Fangrabbits and Forest Tigers were easily defeated with 『Stone Bullet』, and I hadn’t encountered any other magical beasts.
Therefore, I wanted to practice fighting with 『Dragon Transformation』 activated, especially hand-to-hand combat.
…Just like I said earlier, I never knew when I might encounter a dangerous magical beast that was stronger than a Greymlad Viper. It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared.
And I also had a duty to protect Kaito and Pola.
When I told them I was going out, Kaito and Pola, of course, wanted to come with me.
I explained what happened last time, that I wanted to practice with 『Dragon Transformation』, and that it would be dangerous for them to be nearby. They reluctantly agreed to stay behind.
I promised to take them exploring next time.
Rin could now attack with acid and venom, so I considered leaving it behind to protect them. But they told me they were also scared to let me go alone, so Rin ended up coming with me.
……Scared? What did they mean?
Well, it was better to have Rin with me in case I found something I wanted to bring back or if we had to hunt.
I made Kaito and Pola promise not to do anything dangerous and to stay inside the walls of the base, and then headed into the forest.
I was heading to the area on the opposite side of the cliff from the cave entrance, a place we had barely explored.
♢ ♢ ♢
I exited through the gap in the wall on the opposite side of the cliff from the cave entrance and walked for about an hour.
As always, I tilled the ground at intervals to create markers.
Come to think of it, this world also had the concept of cardinal directions. And the sun rose in the east and set in the west, just like on Earth. Did this world also rotate in the same direction…?
Anyway, from now on, I decided to think of it like this: with my back to the cave entrance, north was straight ahead, west was to the left, east was to the right, and south was behind me.
There might be some discrepancies, but it should be roughly accurate.
I refocused and continued walking south.
I started to spot Fangrabbits, but no other creatures.
I figured I would just deal with it when it happened, so I hunted them and had Rin store them.
As I walked, I was starting to feel a little bored when,
I heard a rustling sound coming from a nearby thicket.
It was louder than the sound a Fangrabbit would make, and I sensed a presence I had never felt before.
“…Rin. Let’s go take a look.”
I told Rin and we cautiously approached the thicket, crouching low.
The thicket opened up into a clearing, similar to the one where Kaito and Pola had been attacked.
And there I saw,
“…Umm, a gorilla?”
It had a jet-black body… or fur? Incredibly thick arms and short legs.
Its pecs were insane, absolutely ripped.
It had red eyes and a huge mouth with thick, sharp teeth.
I froze for a moment, then pulled myself together and used 『Appraisal』.
♢ ♢ ♢
Blackera
An ape-type magical beast that inhabits the Great Forest of Chrys.
Its powerful arms can easily slay a juvenile Greymlad Viper.
Its entire body is covered in hard muscle, skin, and fur, making it impervious to most attacks.
♢ ♢ ♢
…Whoa.
I seemed to have encountered another troublesome creature.
A juvenile Greymlad Viper, so like the one we had fought.
It could easily slay it?
Come to think of it, the 『Appraisal』 descriptions seemed more detailed now.
Was it because the skill had leveled up?
I couldn’t be sure since I didn’t appraise the same magical beast or fruit twice, but it felt that way.
I would try appraising a Fangrabbit again later.
Anyway, what should I do?
The Blackera was currently eating a freshly killed Forest Tiger.
It grabbed the tiger by the neck and torso, pulled with all its might, and ripped its head off. Well, that was brutal.
It probably wouldn’t chase me if I left now.
But I had come here to gather new materials and food, and to train with 『Dragon Transformation』.
Fighting a new magical beast would allow me to achieve both goals.
…Well, I wasn’t interested in eating gorilla meat.
And this creature was apparently stronger than a juvenile Greymlad Viper.
Which meant Kaito and Pola wouldn’t stand a chance.
And if it came to our base, it would easily break through our walls.
I didn’t know its territory, but I wanted to nip this danger in the bud.
…Okay, I’ll take it down.
According to 『Appraisal』, it could deflect attacks with its muscles, skin, and fur. 『Stone Bullet』 probably wouldn’t be effective.
I only had one option.
I activated 『Dragon Transformation』, transforming as much of my body as possible.
…It felt like I was covered in even more scales than last time.
Well, I would think about that later.
After confirming my transformation was complete, I kicked off the ground and leaped towards the Blackera, stopping just in front of its face.
The moment the Blackera noticed me and turned its head, I swung down my arm, claws extended, with all my might.