CH 164

"Taking it out on others? No, no, it's the Manticore's fault."

Translated by Dawn

“Taking it out on others? No, no, it’s the Manticore’s fault.”

The next day after spending a night at the village chief’s house, I headed north from the village toward the location where the Manticore was said to be, early in the morning.

Still burdened by the guilt from yesterday, I couldn’t sleep well and woke up much earlier than usual. Unable to fall back asleep, I decided to make breakfast for Fagares and Meril, borrowing the kitchen in the house.

Although it wasn’t necessarily an act of atonement towards them, it was also a way to alleviate some of the sadness they felt from losing their family. It was also a gesture of gratitude for making me realize my selfish and shallow thoughts, even though they were unaware of it.

When I served breakfast to the two of them, they were surprised to see me, an adventurer, cooking. But their eyes widened in astonishment as they tasted the dishes, and they even asked for seconds. With that scene in mind, I headed to the anticipated location where the Manticore was believed to be a bit earlier than usual.

The place where the Manticore was said to reside was relatively close to the village, and even without using flying magic, it would only take a few hours to reach by foot.

Although it was just a prediction, considering the Manticore’s physical abilities, that distance wouldn’t pose much of a challenge. The ideal location would be relatively close to the village, allowing me to reach it quickly on foot while still maintaining some distance, and serving as a potential lair. The options were limited in that regard.

As Fagares, the village chief, mentioned, I had surveyed the surrounding area to some extent. The area around the village was a vast plain with no obstructing objects. If it were to settle in such an empty place, it would naturally attract human attention. Understanding this as a monster, I could reasonably predict where the Manticore would likely be.

“There it is, the place where it might be.”

The location was indeed a slightly elevated area, as Fagares described. Beyond that hill, there was a large rocky area with rocks placed at regular intervals.

In that place, even a large-bodied monster could conceal its presence among the rocks and remain inconspicuous from a distance due to the terrain.

“Well, I’ve already confirmed it, but it seems pretty big.”

Using the Sense Manipulation skill to its fullest, I explored the surrounding creatures. As a result, I found one creature with an unusually large physique.

It easily exceeded five meters in size, comparable to the Skull Dragon I encountered in the Orargrand Dungeon.

“For now, Octopus mentioned that SS-rank monsters, which appear outside of dungeons, can understand human language. Let’s start with attempting a conversation, like a Japanese person… Wait, am I still a Japanese person, or am I a Schell’s person now?”

Muttering such nonsensical thoughts to myself, I approached the direction where I sensed a reaction. After a while, I arrived at an open area without rocks, where an enormous something was seated.

“I thought there was something here, but it’s just a mere human child. What, did the villagers already offer a sacrifice so soon?”

“I did come here regarding that matter, but I didn’t come as a sacrifice. Sorry to inconvenience you, but could you just die?”

There, I saw a lion-like monster with a body covered in golden fur, exceeding five meters in length. While its body resembled that of a lion, its tail ended in a sharp scorpion-like stinger, clearly indicating a venomous shape. But above all, what stood out the most was its face, which was not beast-like in a lion’s way, but rather grotesque and distorted like a human face.

“Guhahaha, little child. It’s not funny, but what can someone with such a small and feeble body like yours do?”

“I can kill you. So, come at me already. As the superior one, I’ll let you make the first move.”

“Hmph, you ignorant little child. Allow me to teach you who the superior one is.”

After saying that, the Manticore rose up with a menacing roar. If an ordinary person were in this situation, they would give up on life just from that alone. But I had already experienced the humiliation I didn’t need to taste, all thanks to this creature. I wouldn’t let it go unpunished.

While suspicious that its intimidation had no effect, I activated Body Enhancement and engaged in close combat. The attacks, reminiscent of a cat’s punch, unleashed from its overwhelmingly large body, would sound cute if only heard as words, but in reality, they were quite ferocious attacks.

With a single blow, it gouged the ground around it, and the attack range was unfairly wide. It would be impossible for an ordinary person to dodge. Well, I say an ordinary person, but that doesn’t apply to me.

“Is that all you’ve got? That’s a rather gentle attack, isn’t it?”

“N-No way!? Then, how about this?”

Saying that, it thrust its scorpion-like tail toward me. It probably intended to pierce my body with the needle at the tip of its tail and poison me. But that attack meant nothing to me.

“Why?! Why doesn’t the poison stinger penetrate?!”

“With such a weak attack, it won’t even leave a scratch on this body!! …Well, well, I’m a little disappointed. Did you go easy on me? It was a chance I gave you, after all.”

“…”

“Now it’s my turn. Don’t just die easily, as I’ll show you my true power without holding back.”

“You, you dare underestimate me, little child! In that case, I’ll show you my true power—ugh!”

Ignoring the Manticore, still proclaiming something, I launched an attack against it.