The next day ~
Inside the noisy guild, the loud shout of one guy resounded throughout the room -
[ Really!? ]
[ ...Ah... The assistant guild master especially said to give you tasks base on your rank... and this one is currently the easiest and the safest out of all the current tasks on the board. ]
[ Oh... Then, what is the task about? ] I asked Diana-san while I hold the piece of paper where the said task is written.
[ Well... even though I said that it's easy and safe... the target itself is still hard to capture. ]
[ Hard to capture...? ]
[ Ah, They're called "Haste Rabbits." They are quite fast, and since they're small too, they're really hard to capture. They will still try to attack you when you get close, but their attacks wouldn't be able to hurt you that much so it's safe. So it would be a good idea to approach them first quietly before you attack. ]
[ Hmm...? Is that so? Then I guess this one would be easy since I know how to use my bow. ] I said as I held the handle of my bow behind my back.
[ Do you think you can complete it without dying Haruto-kun...? ] Diana-san asked with a worried face.
[ ...Of course! ] I answered with confidence.
It seems like Diana-san is really afraid that I might die since her job somehow also relies on my survival every time I take a task.
That's why I answered her with the assurance that I will be able to complete this mission because I don't want her worrying about what might happen to me every time I go out.
[ Then, here's the map to its location. ]
Diana-san handed me another piece of paper with a drawn map.
[ By the way, how many do I need to hunt? ]
[ The request of the person who issued the task was at least seven. He also wish that if possible, the kill should be clean so that the hide will still be perfectly intact when the target is flayed. ]
[ Is that so...? Then I guess I need to kill it with a knife if I want the best result... ]
[ Un, that's right, but if you can't, you can still hunt them the way you want to. ]
[ Yes, I will do just like that. Then, I'll go out now Diana-san. I'll make sure to be back before dark. ] I said, as I started to walk away from the counter.
[ ...Ah... ]
[ Thanks again! ]
[ Un... ]
Waving my hand to Diana-san, I finally left the large room of the guild.
***
[ Un... ]
Haruto-kun finally left.
[ Hmm...? It looks like someone's getting close to his adventurer... ]
[ ...Wha-what...!? ] I exclaimed in surprise.
The joke that suddenly came out of nowhere was from my senpai, Hina, who was just standing beside me, watching since earlier.
[ Look, Diana, we aren't supposed to fall in love with adventurers, okay? ]
[ Who-who said I was in love!? ]
[ Ahh... I know - I know, but don't get too flustered, I was just joking... okay? ]
[ Ju-Just don't tease me like that again! ]
[ Yea... Anyway, I'm just saying that you should avoid getting too close to that guy. This is the first time the guild privately assigned you your own adventurer, right? ]
[ ...Un. ] I nodded.
That's right, for me, Haruto-kun should be the adventurer I must most prioritize since he's the first adventurer that the guild has ever assigned to me.
[ This is just my opinion, but I think that Haruto-kun, despite being loud, is quite sweet, you know? You should avoid falling in love with him or you'll experience the most painful emotions if he suddenly dies... I'm just warning you. ] she said in a serious tone.
I was caught off guard by the sudden change on her tone, but now that I think about it... she was always serious when this topic is talked about between us receptionists.
I heard from my other senpais that Hina-senpai became lovers with a very famous adventurer before who died while trying to subjugate a wyvern.
Maybe that's why she always acts like this whenever she hears or sees someone from us falling in love with an adventurer...
[ ...I think I get what you're saying... But there will never be the chance I will ever fall in love with someone... ] I said to reassure her.
[ Hmm...? What are you saying? You will not be able to avoid love. Trust me. ] Hina-senpai said with a bright smile on her face.
[ ... Is that so... but for now... I'm sure that the only thing I want is for Haruto-kun to always come back alive every time he goes out... ]
There are many reasons I want him to live...
And one of them is Katherine-sama might get angry if I let him die.
[ Haah... You won't be able to become a proper worker here at the guild if you're that soft... Just know that an adventurer's life is always hanging on a thin thread, you won't know when that thread will snap. So always be prepared to lose any adventurers you meet and became friends with. ]
[ ...Un... ]
***
I already have some experience hunting wild rabbits before with my father, so I'm quite confident that I will be able to finish this task with little difficulty.
Well, that experience was when I was still a kid and before I became an Otaku, so I don't know if I still have that talent of hunting and killing animals.
But surely, I'm sure I was able to hone my archery skills when I started competing in archery competitions, so shooting an arrow wouldn't be a problem.
All that I need to have now is the guts to kill both scary and cute animals.
That's all I need to have to kill my targets...
Of course, I will only spare them if it turns out they're some cute bunny girls, but I'm sure they're not.
[ That's right! They're not some cute bunny girls that I wouldn't be able to kill! They're deadly animals who attack people! ] shouting those words on top of my lungs, I gained the confidence and guts to hunt my target.
Now that I have the resolve to hunt my targets, I increased the speed of my feet and continued to go even deeper inside the dark forest near the city.
...
...
...
[ ...! ]
After walking for a while, I was finally able to see a target I was tasked to kill.
It was a white-colored rabbit with blood-red eyes.
I crouched down behind a tree to avoid getting noticed by my target.
I then readied my bow and took one arrow out from my quiver-
[ This is it... ]
This was the tension and excitement I was expecting from being an adventurer - I thought.
The time of the "Herb Hunter" is now over!
With these feelings flowing through me, I put the arrow I'm holding to the string of the bow.
I focused my sight at the target -
It was still not moving from its place and is just continuing eating some kind of meat on the ground.
Realizing that this is the perfect time to attack, I pulled the string of my bow and I aimed the edge of the arrow to my target.
[ U...haa... ]
I took a long breath and prepared myself.
...
...
I then released the arrow -
SFX: SHWOOSHH!!!
Like a bullet, the arrow I shot became invisible to the eye because of its incredible speed.
And not a second had passed before it pierced the head of the rabbit and went straight to the tree behind it.
...
My target instantly became a corpse -
...
After a few seconds of calming myself, I stood up and walked towards it.
[ It looks like I still have my skill with the bow... No, that's for sure... ] I muttered.
[ But I don't remember shooting an arrow at the same speed as that of a bullet before... ]
Looking at the corpse of the rabbit, I felt a little sick.
The kill was so clean that the hole in the rabbit's head was still yet to be clothed with its blood.
[ Is this something I should be proud of... or something I need to be scared of... ] I thought to myself.
***
I took out the pouch Katherine-san gave me from my backpack and opened it.
I look inside -
What I saw inside the pouch was only pure darkness, it was void and empty.
The lady secretary from before said that it can store corpses.
So I took the corpse of the dead rabbit on the ground and tried to figure out how I will be able to put it inside.
I held the corpse above while I left the pouch on the ground, and the moment I lowered the corpse, the pouch suddenly grew to the size that it will be able to store it inside.
I then let go of the corpse, letting it fall, and it went straight inside the pouch.
After a few seconds, the pouch returned to each normal size.
[ Uwah... ] the word came out of my mouth out of amazement.
[ Now... how do I take it out... ]
...
...
...
After that, I continued to hunt more rabbits.
SFX: SLASH! SWOOSH!!! BANG!!!
I was only able to figure out how to take out the corpse inside after I already hunted so many rabbits.