I gazed at my ragged homemade holster that I crafted with my ripped shirt. I tied the pieces of fabric together and managed to make them hold 12 knives securely. They fitted in the belt loops around my waist, and as long as I adjusted them loosely, they wouldn't drop to the ground when I restarted.
Sigh…
I let out a long breath of frustration. It was really difficult to pull out a knife when I sprinted. I wished I had some sewing tools…
Kazu, out.
◇
Bah, the moment I realize that my bachelor degree is of no use on my current occupation as a monster hunter. And I begin to wonder: why did I waste 4 years of my life studying Futurology?
I exhale in frustration. It can't be helped. I really thought that my deception would succeed. I should not rely on what I learned on Earth in this world, where Art of War is useless, huh. I shake my head in disbelief. How can I make sense of this world, where not only the environment is bizarre, but also the intelligent monsters?
I stand motionless, just outside the village gate, feeling dejected.
I let out a weary breath.
I start to stroll casually towards the thick forest. And feel a pang of dread when I notice that the sun is almost disappearing behind the horizon.
"I don't feel like fighting any monsters tonight…"
Maybe I should give them a chance to devour me for once?
While I'm pondering about this. Whoosh! Something drops from the sky. I halt walking and just gaze at it. "Oh, it's the six-legged monster again, surprise-surprise, yey…" I think sarcastically without changing my mood, still dejected.
"What? I already spared you. Just go away. Next time we encounter each other I'll snatch that stone of yours."
The six-legged monster clamps its jaws around a sack and drops it in front of me. It no longer looks scared. Is it mocking me? Does it forget that I killed its master?
The sack splits open, spilling magic stones on the ground.
What is this supposed to mean? Are these the magic stones that belonged to the mad villagers? I don't want them anymore. Just go away already. Besides, without hands or something similar to channel their power, these stones are useless.
Unless… maybe there is something like that in the sack?
I crouch down and peer inside. Nothing. No hands or anything else. Then these stones are worthless to me. Should I ask them for the villagers' hands? And their blood too? Nah, I want nothing to do with them anymore.
I glare at the six-legged monster. I still want those fire magic stones in its body, though. Night is falling fast, and a campfire would be nice.
Hmm… As I stare at it, I see the familiar fear in its eyes. Did it sense my intention? AHHH! It leaps away again!
Tsk, should I chase it? No, forget it. The village is too close, and I don't want to remember what happened there.
In the end, I decide to take the sack of magic stones with me. Maybe I can find something that can replace the medium. With so many magic stones, I can experiment without worry.
Well, not too bad, I guess.
Magic stones. Get!
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Drrrrr! Drrr!
The earth shakes. Then stops. Then shakes again. It follows a rhythmic pattern.
Crap, cold sweat forms on my neck.
As I have been living here and witnessing this chaotic world for 100 days already, not counting of course those times that I was stuck and unable to move, I made a list that shows signs that can indicate impending events.
Forewarn #3: When the earth shakes in a rhythmic manner, prepare to be swallowed.
Damn it, not now. If I get swallowed by a colossal monster again, these magic stones will be gone. I should avoid that. It's not easy to obtain magic stones.
Should I hide them? No, I may not be able to locate them again. And who knows if a monster will consume them, after all they smell like blood. Sigh.
The shadows of the trees extend to their maximum length as the sun is already halfway down the horizon. I quickly climb the tallest tree nearby to see what kind of giant it is and where I should run to escape it.
Woahh! A humanoid giant? That's surprising. Its head is towering over the mountain range, that is too enormous!
Fuck! The largest of all the giants I have seen. It is still walking but its head is already visible.
Screech! What now?
Beneath me, various kinds of monsters sprint in one direction. They are clearly escaping from the giant. Wow, so many, it resembles a wave in the sea but composed of monsters, a monster wave?
Tsk, I can't get down with them down there. While waiting for the monster wave to subside, I think of a strategy to choose in which way I should proceed. Definitely not where those monsters are going. When the immediate threat is gone, they will certainly prey on each other.
Right or left? Hmmm, the safest spot is likely the spot where the giant has already walked through. Let's head there, I'll go around to the right and avoid it until I get to the path it created.
Okay! Let's execute that plan. Ideal timing, the monster wave is over.
I move diagonally to the right to take a roundabout route around it, which also means I have to scale the mountain.
The mountain range is broad, almost spanning infinitely on the left side, while on the right it ends visibly, but still far, forming like a stronghold. It radiates every night with blue light on its peak, forming undulating lines horizontally.
◇
Drrrrr!
I'm at the foot of the mountain range, waiting for the appearance of the giant. It should show up any second now kilometers away in the left portion of the mountain range.
Huff, I had no idea the mountain range was so distant, it seemed so near in the horizon.
Why is it still not showing up?
Drrrrr!
The earth shakes persistently and the force is getting stronger. But the giant is still nowhere to be seen. Does it move too slowly?
I clutch my knife and restart, making sure that I'm in my optimal state. I sling the sack over my shoulder like a messenger bag. Ready to run if it comes to it.
Then, the shaking ceases. Huh? It won't arrive? That's good then, and it scares away the monsters around, so it will be a tranquil night.
As if! The shaking is getting more intense when it stops, which means it is still here!
I stay concealed in a dense bush. I'm too tiny for it to spot me, besides it is far away on the left side of the mountain. Maybe it is pondering a way to scale the mountain or it can't get through at all. Or maybe it is dazzled by the light emanating from the mountain range.
Huh?!
I feel goosebumps all over my skin. I slowly glance up at the mountain peak in front of me. Fuck! Its hand grasps the summit of the mountain that is in front of me, its head and shoulders looming and seeming to gaze at me. It must be my illusion, right? Why here? Did I estimate the direction wrong, or it just chose to switch direction and I'm just unlucky?
Yeah, the latter must be the case, after all I evade most giants this way. There's no chance it is targeting me, right?