CH 165

"Rather than humiliation, the priority should be appetite, which is to say."

Translated by Dawn

“Rather than humiliation, the priority should be appetite, which is to say.”

Let me narrate the recent events as they unfolded. The Manticore was blown away.

Do you know the act of flicking someone’s forehead with your middle finger while holding your thumb down? It’s called a “decopin.” The Manticore had been attempting various attacks on me, but I was not so kind as to let it have its way.

However, there remained a question of whether the Manticore was capable of causing damage to me even without my intervention, but it was likely impossible to reach a conclusion. There was no point in wasting mental energy on such futile thoughts.

Returning to the story, as the Manticore relentlessly launched its attacks, I delivered a decopin straight to its face.

Normally, a decopin would only cause a slight momentary pain and be nothing significant. But the decopin I delivered was not so trivial.

Though I intended to restrain its impact as much as possible, it seems I couldn’t hold back entirely, and the Manticore’s massive body was sent flying into the air.

Its flight trajectory extended for ten, twenty meters and continued without losing momentum. Despite colliding with obstacles like trees and rocks along the way, its momentum remained unabated.

After being propelled for about fifty meters, its momentum finally started to wane, but its colossal body still hovered in mid-air, yet to come to a complete stop.

And then, after twenty-two seconds since the decopin, at a distance of approximately seventy-eight meters, it finally came to a complete stop.

“Well, there’s no more room for restraint. Looks like I’ll have to do it with just my little finger.”

Muttering such words while gazing in the direction where the Manticore was sent flying, I chased after it. The path to reach the Manticore turned into a chaotic scene, with everything in disarray.

The dense vegetation was swept aside, large rocks were shattered, and only fragments remained, leaving no traces of the rocks’ existence.

To transform the natural scenery into such a sight in just an instant… Is this the power of an SS-ranked monster?

…I know, I was the one who did it. But let me offer one excuse. It was the Manticore that caused the destruction; I merely blew it away.

With that unnecessary excuse lingering in my mind, I approached the Manticore, which was twitching one of its legs.

Ultimately, the reason the Manticore came to a stop was a towering, gigantic cliff-like rock wall. Despite the forceful impact, it seems it didn’t manage to pulverize the mountain-sized rock wall… Did I hold back a little too much?

“No, this isn’t some competition to see how many rock walls the Manticore can destroy. If anything, if I had exerted more force, its face would have exploded, and it wouldn’t have been blown away.”

At that moment, my body would have been soiled by the debris scattered by the Manticore, resulting in a disastrous situation. Well, I have magic, so I can clean up in a matter of seconds.

“Damn, this is troublesome… Wake up already!”

And then, feeling impatient with the still-unconscious Manticore, I cast a water magic spell that hit it directly, causing the Manticore to finally awaken. Its first words after waking up were as follows.

“Where am I?! Who am I? Who am I, you ask? That’s obvious. I am the mighty SS-rank monster, Manticore-sama!”

“…[Stun Paralyze].”

“Jubabababababaaaaabaaaabaa.”

I used a magic spell to paralyze the opponent, using it as a substitute for a strong medicine to awaken the still groggy Manticoa.

I couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat unfair, but this creature was guilty of attacking the village. As a pardon for that, I wouldn’t hesitate to resort to any ruthless act against it. The crime of humiliating me was not to be taken lightly.

After a while, Manticore, who was unable to move due to the paralysis, finally regained its strength and started shouting in an angry manner.

“You dare pull such a trick on me! I won’t forgive you!”

“You’re the one who pulled an unforgivable trick first. And how long will you continue to act like a predator…?”

“Wha!?”

Perhaps sensing something from me, who was starting to find dealing with Manticore tiresome, it began to panic. It understood, through its wild instincts, that I was a threat, and its visible attitude suddenly changed.

“Wh-who are you?! Why does a monster like you exist?”

“There’s no reason for a monster to call me a monster. I’m just a being who came to eliminate you, an annoying intruder. Our conversation ends here. Are you prepared?”

“Damn it!”

With a desperate and reckless attack, Manticore charged, using its large body as a simple means of assault. This would be an effective method against an ordinary human, but as Manticore pointed out, I was slightly different from an ordinary human. A mere charge wouldn’t work on me.

“Haa.”

“Guuh.”

I readied the sword I had equipped at my waist and swung it in one swift motion. In an instant, Manticore’s front and hind legs were severed, leaving it resembling a pseudo-Sphinx. …Does the Sphinx have legs?

“It’s over.”

“I won’t beg for my life. Kill me.”

“That’s the plan. Now, easily… Huh?”

Just as I was about to deliver the final blow to Manticore, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the front and hind legs I had previously severed. I analyzed them and the following information was displayed:

[Premium Monster Meat]: A super high-quality meat said to be obtained from high-ranked monsters. Its taste is said to be indescribable, making it widely known as a legendary ingredient.

“…?”

“Hey, what are you doing? Stop it and–“

—Sizzle, Crackle, Sizzle…

“Hey, why are you suddenly starting to cook?! And don’t you dare grill my meat in front of me!!”

“It’s done. Monster yakiniku.”

From that point on, I ignored Manticoa’s protests and proceeded to confirm the indescribable taste mentioned in the analysis. After cooking and tasting it right there, it turned out like this.

“Alright, you. Become my pet.”

“The hell would I do that?!”

Never did I imagine a day would come when I’d be teased in the Kansai dialect by a monster from another world… Life is truly unpredictable.