16 - intensive training

The next day, Thor and Thora headed deep into the forest as usual.

When Thora greeted them cheerfully as they passed through the outer gate, the day watchmen looked at each other and looked away awkwardly, so it seems that last night's incident had already become a rumor.

After two and a half hours of walking through the woods, we arrived at the end of the forest just before noon.

From there we started hunting goblins, and after killing three groups in about two hours, we took a break for lunch.

We hunted four herds in three hours, taking a five-minute break every hour, and then took a long break to recover our magic and strength.

"We're going to hunt the big one for the last time today."

"Oh?　The big one?"

"Well, it's pretty big in a way."

That's exciting! Yeah, I'm full!　You can always go."

Sola, having finished biting into her apple snack, stands up vigorously.

"How's your magic?"

"Yes, I'm all better!"

"Well, we'll see how it goes at first, as usual.

Yes, I'll be watching carefully.

Picking up a dead branch, Thor headed for a corner where the sun was shining through a gap in the trees.

Upon closer inspection, he found that the surrounding trees had been stripped of their leaves.

It seems that this is the only place where the sun is shining brightly.

And in the sun at the base of the tree, there were two large green masses lying in the sun.

They were about as tall as an adult's thighs, and had a long, horizontal body shape.

Their girth is just barely enough to be held in both hands.

The first thing that caught my attention was its pure white fur.

Long, thin hairs grew out from its body without any space between them, as if covering its entire light green body.

Sola, who had been staring at the figure from the shade of a tree, slowly speaks up with the correct answer.

".................. caterpillar?"

"Yeah, it's called a big caterpillar."

"Uh-huh. It's a big one, isn't it?

Sola lets out a few muffled squeaks as she looks at the monster, which is at least a hundred times the size of an ordinary caterpillar.

"Do you think it might be poisonous?"

"Yes, there is."

"Does it spray poison or something?"

"It's more like flying. You just have to hit it to get it out, those poisonous hairs."

"Wow, how do you kill it?"

"You just have to be patient and beat them to death."

Thor boldly approaches the monster, covering his neck and head with a hand towel he has brought with him, hiding as much of his bare skin as possible.

The caterpillars, which had not moved at all, lifted their heads and began to move as soon as an intruder appeared in their territory.

They come at us as if they were leaning on us, but not very fast.

Ducking lightly, Thor struck a blow to the head.

White poisonous hairs fly into the air with a flurry.

He swings his wooden sword down at another one coming from the side, and more hairs fly up in the air.

Without stopping, Thor rounded the blind spot, brushing away the poisonous hairs blocking his way with his wooden sword.

However, the poisonous hairs had already penetrated through his collar and sleeves.

A furious itch attacked Thor's neck and wrists.

Resisting the urge to throw out his sword and scratch furiously, Thor concentrates his attack on the head of the caterpillar, where the ganglion is located.

Thor runs around in the space where poisonous hairs are flying around, and he slams his sword sharply against it while enduring the terrible itching.

The caterpillar moves slowly, but its endurance is high.

The caterpillar slashes over and over again at the slowly closing wounds, cutting through the flesh little by little.

Sometimes they could not stand it any longer and used , and sometimes, with the support of Sora, Thor continued to beat them for nearly thirty minutes until they finally quieted down.

"Hah ...... hah ............,kuuh, it itches!"

"Are you okay, Thor?　Oh, do you want to put some mushroom medicine on it?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

After using full-body restoration for the seventh time, Thor finally got a breather.

He had chosen this monster to train himself to use quickly in battle, and it was as formidable an opponent as ever.

However, he had gotten the hang of it, and more than anything else, the caterpillar was a lot of fun after he had defeated it.

"Phew, I almost used up all my ..."

"Good night. Wow, they look pretty big up close.

"Their poison is very nasty, but their meat is actually quite tasty.

"Oh, those green steaks!"

The meat of the giant caterpillar is rather dubious looking, but first of all, it has very little odor.

But it is a very popular food with a high flavor content and a ham-like texture.

Thor carefully brushed off the poisonous hairs from his clothes and went back to the shade of the tree where he had left his belongings.

Taking the bundle of dead branches and flint that he had gathered, he returns to the caterpillar's side.

Dexterously piling up the branches, Thor starts a fire using a loosened hemp rope as an opening.

It's hot, Thor. Why are you making a bonfire?　Oh, okay. Now we're going to roast them and eat them!"

"Burn the hair. Come on, you can help."

Sola was handed a stick of embers, which he pushed against the caterpillar's back.

The two of them carefully burned off the caterpillar's hairs, which contained poison, being careful not to spread the flames to the surrounding area.

In less than twenty minutes, the large caterpillar had transformed into a large caterpillar.

While Thora covers the fire with earth with her digging spade, Thor approaches the monster and kicks it, knocking it over on its side.

He then pulls out what looks like a green blob, while draining its blood by sticking a knife into its abdomen.

"This poison gland is the part to be killed, but be careful not to break it by accident. Be careful not to break it by accident. Your skin will get a nasty rash.

"Mm-hmm. Hey, hey, what are you going to do with the meat?"

With a drooling look on her face, Sola looks at the dead caterpillar that has been drained of its blood.

She grew up in the countryside and doesn't seem to have any aversion to eating insects.

"I'll take it home with me. What do you think I went to all the trouble of borrowing that thing for?"

"Oh, that?　I thought that if I got tired, you would just pull me along on your back.

"Of course not. You'd rather be the one pulling me."

Thor lightly poked Sola and lifted up a vertical board that was propped up at the base of the tree.

It was about the height of the navel and about shoulder width across.

Short boards were attached to the sides of the board to prevent the luggage from falling out.

Two sliding boards are attached at the bottom, and a thick leather strap is tied in front of it to pull it along.

It was exactly the size of a child's sled.

Thor lifted up the sled, brought it to the monster, and somehow placed it upside down.

In the middle of the back side, there was a round silver disk.

Thor then took out a clear pint-sized stone from a small pouch on his belt.

It was a magic stone that had just come out of a goblin he had just defeated.

Thor loosened the screw in the center of the disk and pushed the stone into the gap to fix it firmly.

As soon as he put it back in its original position, Thora exclaims in admiration.

Sori was floating in the air, but only slightly.

What is this?　You're floating, Thor!"

"It's equipped with a magic stone tool called a rebounding disc. Okay, hold that leg."

The short legs of the caterpillar, which had been lying on its side, are forcibly held and placed on the sled.

Next, he pulls up the other caterpillar as if to pile it on top of the other one.

"Oh, no, it's on the ground.

"Do you want me to give it a little tug?"

"I've got it, I've got it!　What's that?

Leaving the cane to Thor, Sola pulls hard on the leather strap, but it is much lighter than she expected and she stumbles.

It looks obviously heavier than Thor, but when he actually pulls on it, it weighs only as much as a child.

"Wow, it's so light. How does this thing work?

"All I know is that it repels the ground. Ten magical stones will only last about an hour, so we'd better hurry.

Wary of their surroundings, the two men with sleds in tow set out for the city.

On the way, they load and unload the magic stones twice for exchange, and give way to wagons carrying lumber, but manage to arrive at the outer gate before nightfall.

The reassuring-looking guard, Carles, made his usual lighthearted comment, and Thor raised one hand in greeting.

The other older guard remained silent and turned his head away.

Pulling their caterpillar-carrying sled across the square, they finally reach the Adventurers' Bureau.

Receptionist Enna, who was no longer fidgeting, completed the assessment quickly and efficiently.

Today's earnings were seventeen goblins, eight magic stones, and four hundred and twenty copper coins.

And 40 coppers for killing two big caterpillars. Incidentally, the additional skill points are the same two as for goblins.

In addition, the purchase price for the poison gland is quite reasonable at one large copper coin, so the total is six large copper coins and sixty copper coins.

Next, we pull the sled out of the magic stone and head for the buying station.

Sargon, a staff member with a horn on his forehead, greets me with a happy smile.

"Well, Mr. Thor. You're a big fish today.

"I'll sell off the whole of one, and only half of the other, please."

Yes, sir, of course.

He also takes back the sled he had borrowed and receives a heavy bundle of green meat.

Since each sledder is purchased for one large copper coin, the owner earns one large copper coin and fifty copper coins.

The cost of the sled rental was one medium copper coin.

Since the magic stones we used were found, our cash income for the day came to seven large copper coins and sixty copper coins.

In addition, I have five bunches of bitter grass, five white-spotted mushrooms, three magic stones of the tenth grade, and a sack full of caterpillar meat that I did not sell.

"This meat is different from the one I brought, isn't it?

Sola asks curiously as she looks at the meat, which has already been dismantled and wrapped in leaves.

Thor's lips slightly pursed as he recalled the same question from his early days as an adventurer.

"It's usually something that was hunted the day before or the day before. They say the meat tastes better if you let it sit for a while."

The fish are brought to the buying station in the evening, so they are first disassembled and gutted.

Thor had been told by a close staff member that the fish would be hung in the warehouse overnight, and then skinned and butchered the next day.

"Well, then, if no one hunted yesterday, is it possible that there is no meat?"

"That's normal."

It is not so common with monsters in the kobold forest, but it is a common story that as you go deeper into the forest, the number of adventurers decreases and you do not have a lot of prey.

"In such a case, you will be given a prize tag instead. If you take this tag with you, you can exchange it for goods when they are available.

"Wow, you've really thought this through."

The tags are used not only when the item is not available, but also when having equipment made.

If you hand over the tags, you can get a discount on the price of the item without having to bring in the materials.

This system is also useful for stores, which usually have to bid at the wholesale market, because they can exchange goods at a fixed price.

"Well, let's get home early and have the meat cooked, Thor-chan.

"Well, don't rush. We have to make a stop today.

"Are you going to stop somewhere?"

"Yeah, we got plenty of meat. They're going to love it.

Who are "they"?　Are you a friend of Thor's?"

Thor grinned at Sola's question and walked away, looking slightly flustered.