Chapter 37: First Subjugation Request
"All right, let’s go with this one."
Jin said as he tore the request off the bulletin board. It was an E-rank request titled "Extermination of Harmful Beasts in Magna Village."
Until now, Jin had only taken gathering requests, but he had finally decided to take on a subjugation request. One of the reasons, of course, was his upcoming temporary party with Rachel.
The target of this request was not a magical beast but a normal animal, making it a relatively low-risk E-rank job. Jin thought it would be just right for his first subjugation request.
"Good morning, Aria-san. I’d like to submit this request."
"Good morning, Jin-san."
Aria took the request Jin handed her and began the processing. She slightly furrowed her brows at the unusual request.
"Thank you for waiting. This is your first subjugation request, right? I think you’ll be fine, Jin-san, but please be careful."
After finishing the processing, Aria said this to Jin.
"Yes, thank you. I’ll be very careful. Well then, Aria-san, I’m off."
Feeling Aria’s concern, Jin said this with a smile to reassure her.
"Take care, Jin-san," she replied, relaxing her expression slightly as she smiled and waved him off. Jin felt happy to be sent off with such warmth and set out for Magna Village.
It was about an hour’s walk to Magna Village. Around Lienz, where Jin lived, there were several settlements like Magna Village. Each primarily engaged in agriculture or livestock farming, and soldiers like Burke were dispatched from Lienz to protect them in shifts. However, the soldiers’ role was to defend the villages, so harmful beast extermination was the adventurers’ job. Even though these were ordinary animals, there was still a risk of magical beasts, making it all the more important.
Magna Village looked exactly like a peaceful European farming village. Adults busily tended the fields of wheat and vegetables, while some children helped out and others took care of even smaller kids. Laughter rang out as the children played, creating a lively and cheerful scene.
The scenery, different from the city, felt fresh and enjoyable to Jin. Smiling, he greeted the villagers he met and headed straight to the mayor’s house, the request window.
"Hello. I’m here for the harmful beast extermination request. My name is Jin."
"Ah, how polite. I’m Elan, the mayor of Magna Village."
Elan was solidly built, though his hair and beard were completely white. His handshake was strong, and Jin felt he was a person of substance.
After greeting Elan, Jin asked about the types of harmful animals and the areas most affected. Recently, there has been an increase in damage, likely caused by wild boars coming from a nearby forest. Magical beasts only attack living beings, so crop damage meant the culprits were ordinary animals.
Jin’s task was to hunt at least two boars, but any additional prey could be sold to the village, so nothing would go to waste. The lodging was a room in the same inn used by the soldiers. The stay could be up to three days, but Jin planned to finish the task with just one night’s stay if possible.
"All right, I’ll get started."
"Take care not to overdo it. Good luck."
After Elan saw him off, Jin equipped his bow and began his journey. Considering the range, a bow was the most suitable weapon for hunting.
Jin first used his MAP to search for boars. As expected, multiple responses appeared in the forest. He then cleared the information and reset the MAP to only display individuals who were highly dangerous or hostile.
Previously, a mutant’s Stealth barely triggered his Presence Detection, so Jin knew that Presence Detection and MAP couldn’t always guarantee detection. That’s why he prioritized raising Presence Detection.
Keeping Stealth in mind as well, Jin paid attention to sounds and movement as he approached the forest. He moved downwind to avoid being noticed by smell. Soon after entering the forest, he successfully spotted two boars.
Hiding carefully, Jin slowly readied his bow, materialized arrows using Equipment, and drew the string. After taking careful aim, he released an arrow at one of the boars.
The arrow Jin released pierced one of the boars perfectly, but he didn’t stop there. Immediately after firing, he used Equipment to materialize another arrow and shot again—then a third and a fourth. Only after releasing a total of four arrows did Jin finally take a breath. Each boar had two arrows lodged in it and had already stopped moving.
"Phew…"
Jin let out a relieved sigh. Approaching the boars cautiously, he confirmed they were indeed dead.
He tied each of their legs with ropes, hoisted them onto a thick tree branch, and quickly drained their blood on the spot.
"Man… this really hits you, huh."
Hunting animals like this inevitably reminded Jin of the act of taking life. Unlike hunting with others before, doing it alone made the reality hit him even harder.
"I guess I’m a bit of a wimp. But it’s supposed to be normal if it’s for survival."
Back in his original world, wild boars and other harmful animals were a problem, and hunters would take them down. Even when eating supermarket-packaged meat or fish, it had originally been alive. Jin remembered what Greg had said during his rookie training:
"We must never forget to respect the lives we take…"
Jin put his hands together and bowed toward the two boars in a small gesture of respect.
After draining the blood, he used Earth to dig a hole and bury the blood and other remains. He then hoisted the two large boars—one on each shoulder. The ropes tied around their legs caused them to hang down from his shoulders.
"Heavy… maybe carrying two at once wasn’t the smartest idea."
Grumbling slightly, Jin began walking back to the village, carrying over 100 kg on each shoulder. His high stats from leveling up made this possible. Soon, he arrived safely at the village.
Carrying two large boars on his shoulders made Jin stand out. Adults working in the fields paid little attention, but the small children playing nearby gathered around, curious.
"Wow, big boars!"
"You’re so strong!"
"You’re amazing!"
The children spoke freely, and Jin responded cheerfully.
"Thanks! But it’s dangerous, so don’t touch them yet. You can touch them after I put them down."
Before reaching the house, Mayor Elan appeared, perhaps called by the children’s excited voices.
"Well done. Quite an impressive display."
"Thank you. I’ve drained the blood, but where should I put them?"
Following Elan’s instructions, Jin set the boars down and allowed the children to touch them, making sure they promised to wash their hands afterward. Smiling at the children’s delight, Jin then turned to Elan to ask about the next steps.
"With this, the two-boar requirement is complete. Should I hunt a few more?"
"That would help, but I also wonder if it’s right to occupy someone of your skill with such a simple task."
Elan continued:
"I’ve seen adventurers for a long time, but this is the first one who can hunt two boars in just a few hours and carry them both home alone. I appreciate your willingness to take on this relatively minor task, but I think you have much more important things to do. Don’t push yourself too hard."
Leveling up physically only comes from defeating magical beasts. Hunting normal animals yields no magic stones, and compared to magical beast requests, the rewards are low. Elan was grateful for Jin’s kindness in taking on the task and even hunting extra, which was why he spoke with concern.
"Thank you for your concern. I appreciate your advice."
Jin felt Elan’s care and thanked him sincerely. After a moment of thought, he conveyed his plan:
"All right, Elan-san. I’ll go hunt again, then stay one night here in the village. I’ll return to the city first thing in the morning. Does that sound good?"
He had already planned to stay one night, and it was only slightly past noon, so there was no issue.
"Couldn’t ask for better, but are you sure?"
"Yes. There’s no significant difference if I return immediately. Also, if possible, I’d appreciate a cart or something similar—it would make carrying the prey much easier. Carrying it on my shoulders was tiring enough."
Jin said this jokingly.
"Haha, we’ll get one ready immediately. Thanks, that’ll help a lot."
Returning the mayor’s smile, Jin set off for another boar hunt. But first, he used Water to wash the children’s hands, dirtied from touching the boars.
"Thanks, Jin-nii! Do your best!"
Cheered on by the children, Jin left energetically for the hunt. By evening, he had taken three additional large boars. This time, the villagers, including adults, welcomed him back.
With five boars total, Jin kept about one-third of a boar, mainly the leg meat, and donated the rest to the village. He joined the village women in cooking and then took part in a feast using the donated boars. Jin enjoyed himself with the children, villagers, and off-duty soldiers.
For Jin, being surrounded by people like this felt like a ritual confirming his place in this world. He realized he truly lived here, felt grateful, and spent a joyful time with them.
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
Comments
Post a Comment