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TL: ALT
Chapter 8 – Day 7 of Living in the Demonic Land
Early morning. In the distance, I hear a sound that sounds like metal against metal.
I put on my backpack and walked toward the sound. With an axe in my hand, I walk along the ground covered with dead leaves, brushing away branches that block my path.
As I approached the spot where the sound was coming from, I could feel the tension in the air.
It seemed that someone was fighting a group of monsters. Moreover, the human side didn’t seem to have a good position.
I hid behind a small hill and listened to what was going on.
A group of soldiers, a mix of men and women, were being attacked by a wild bear and its cub. The wild bear was probably in the process of raising its cub.
The soldiers used all their magic but were blocked by the bear’s claws and thick fur and were unable to attack at all. Their heavy armor slowed them down and made their next attack predictable. I think they should take off their armor, but I am not sure if taking it off would make them move faster. I also feel that wearing the armor and releasing the magic is a bit of a chore.
Since we are in such a remote forest, they must be soldiers from a nearby training facility.
They are my closest neighbors. As a neighbor, I should help them.
I put my pack on the spot and ran out.
While the wild bears are startled by the sudden enemy, I slash the cub’s neck with an axe. Amidst a huge spray of blood, the mother bear let out a roar.
In the past, I would have been frightened, but since I live in a demonic land, I don’t see it as a strong enemy. Unlike the monsters in the demonic land, their movements are easy to read, and the plants don’t try to distract me.
It doesn’t matter if it screams more or less, but as long as it’s screaming, it’s unprotected, so I jump up and hit it over the head. The wild bear’s roar was replaced by a whimper, and it fell to the ground.
Realizing that I could hunt any number of careless monsters, I checked my clothes for traces of blood. I was glad there wasn’t that much blood on my clothes.
“Hello. Are you from the training facility? Do you have any vegetables or flour?”
I said to the soldiers who were falling on their butts.
“Oh… Eh? Yes. If we go back to the training facility.”
“Really? I want to trade them for monster meat and magic stones.”
“I don’t mind, but… What are you going to do with that wild bear?”
He pointed to the corpse of the wild bear.
“Oh, you can have the meat if you want. I will take the magic stone.”
I take the magic stones from the wild bear carcasses, one each from the mother and the cub, and go to get my own belongings. The soldiers take the meat from the wild bear’s shoulders and hands and then seem to bury the rest in the ground.
The soldiers then took me to the training facility.
Although it is called a military training facility, it appears to have a variety of facilities. In addition to the training grounds and arena, there are also fields and pastures nearby.
As we walked along the road next to the fields, one of the soldiers suddenly stopped.
“Captain! This man wants to sell monster meat!”
The soldier saluted the uncle working in the field.
The uncle wiped his sweat with a towel and looked at me. Is the captain working in the field?
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
“What are you doing in such a remote place?”
“I live in the demonic land just ahead, and I have some meat left over that I thought I could trade for some vegetables and flour, if you want?”
“You are quite a brave man to live in the demonic land. Are you an adventurer?”
“Yes, I am.”
I showed my adventurer card to the captain.
“Is everything okay? It’s the demonic land just beyond the forest, isn’t it?”
The captain was surprised to see me, a low-ranked adventurer.
“Yes, I’m alive somehow.”
“I see. Let’s take a look at your things first. Please come this way.”
The captain led me to a hut-like building.
The hut seemed to be a warehouse for food and supplies, and the captain said he was the commander of the unit that managed the logistics.
When I took meat and magic stones out of my backpack and showed them to him, he said, “Wow! That’s quite something!” while stroking his stubbled, bearded chin.
“I want vegetables and flour. And vegetable seeds.”
“But that would be too much loss for you.”
The captain countered my request.
It was more like a military man trying to keep things honest than a businessman.
“Is there anything else you want?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s cheap, but paper and charcoal would be very helpful.”
“Is that what you need?”
“Yes. I have enough for everything else.”
The captain handed me as much paper and charcoal as he had on the shelf.
“Are you sure this is all you need?”
“Yes, for now…”
“Thank you for your continued assistance.”
The captain asked me to shake his hand. The pressure was great. I put the exchanged items into my backpack.
“If there is anything you want, I will have it delivered to you by regular delivery every two weeks, just let me know.”
The thought of “sex slaves” popped into my head at the captain’s words, but even if I had slaves, I don’t know if I could protect them in this demonic land. I’ll think about it when I’m a bit stronger.
“Well then.”
“Then come back in a few weeks.”
Before I knew it, I had to promise to meet the captain at the training facility in two weeks.
On the way back, my luggage was lighter, and I wanted to get the seeds in the field as soon as possible, so of course, I hurried. I took a lunch break on the way back and continued to defeat the monsters that attacked me.
In the evening, I arrived at the entrance to the demonic land. As I crossed the river, a slime jumped at me.
It bit me hard, but it was like my dog saying, “Welcome home!” I gave it a nudge, and it ran back to the river.
I thought about camping on the riverbank, but if I hurried, I might be able to get home.
Across a field of swimming flowers, a nocturnal owl monster charged without a sound. I panicked as its big face came at me, but I caught it in the air like a serious blade catcher. I stabbed it to the ground and hurried on.
Just as the sun was setting, I saw the cave.
“I’m home!”
I shouted.
What I thought would take ten days had only taken two. I don’t know if I’m getting stronger, but I seem to be getting faster. I guess I am a little stronger than a rookie soldier.
I fell asleep soon after, probably because I was tired from the journey.
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