113 – Butcher (2)
As I said before, deep in the Forest of Chaos is a place for high-level Soul Worlds.
As food is plentiful, a variety of plants and animals are distributed, and there are also a significant number of individuals belonging to predators.
Especially when you first enter, Porori welcomes you very warmly. They kindly sent me down to Cheolsan High School and told me not to come any further.
Moreover, predators from the outside often come to the inside. When I live in the forest, they invade my territory whenever they get the chance.
“Kuuu!!!”
In that sense, Usk, where I just launched a preemptive attack, is the same. I aimed for the head, but it didn’t hit because of the skin.
Usk looks like it might appear in a famous space war game. As it looks from the outside, the outer layer is very thin and impenetrable.
In particular, Usk is a hard counter for characters that focus on ‘cutting’ rather than ‘hitting’. The slash resistance was a whopping S, so that’s all I said.
Cutting Usk’s outer shell would be impossible unless you were a rod. Even the professor can’t kill him unless he aims for the head.
‘We came all the way from the grasslands.’
I observed Usk, who had an ax stuck in his head and was starting to go crazy. Usk is a monster that lives in the grasslands.
Just as the elephant on Earth is said to be the true king of beasts, Usk is also the elephant in this world.
It means that there are real elephants in this world, but they are that much of a threat.
Look at those blade-like tusks and hard shell right now. You won’t even dare to fight.
‘If you see just the two of you, you’ve been kicked out of the group.’
I stretched out my hand and walked forward, retrieving Ragnarok. When the ax stuck in his head was recovered, Usk, who was furious, glared in this direction.
If you see a small cub next to Usk, it appears to be a female. Also, seeing as they were just the two of them walking around, it was clear that they had separated from the group.
Usks originally live in groups like real elephants. Males wander around like wanderers their whole lives unless they are mating.
There is only one case of being kicked out of the group. This is when you lose in a battle for rank within the group. It is similar to human political battles.
“Kuuu!!”
As I was thinking about the Usk way of life, the mother started rushing towards me.
I think I realized the culprit when I saw the ax in my hand. I also threw the ax to divert attention.
‘I heard it tastes that good.’
I quietly watched Usk rushing towards me and thought about something else. In Soul World, Usk is said to be particularly delicious.
The meat is not tough like elephants or other animals, and there is almost no skin. This is the result of investing only in a strong outer shell.
Even in Soul World, just a simple roasting had a buff effect, and the ones on the market are extremely expensive.
Above all, it even has sharp bladed tusks that look like they will cut you just by looking at them. That’s a top-tier material.
‘There’s no harm in killing him in advance.’
Usk is very unbalanced when located on the outskirts. Even if you were to fall out of the group, you would suffer great harm from the students.
A small object would be reduced to mush just by being crushed by those massive legs. Most attacks won’t even work.
I feel really sorry for Usk, but it would be better for me to die here. It’s okay to live inside, but not outside.
‘I think I chose the safer outskirts because of the cub…’
If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I strengthened my legs as I saw Usk approaching right in front of me.
It has been a long time since the ax was roughly thrown on the ground.
Cow!
Soon it collided with the huge Usk. The eye level up to the head is roughly similar, so there are many places to hold on to.
Chaaa!
Perhaps due to the force of the rush, it continues to be pushed back. Still, my legs did not break and held firm.
I’m just preparing quietly, so my power is never pushed back by Usk.
Moreover, the distance they were pushed away was not that long. This is the result of using magical power just in case.
“Be careful!”
Sarah’s warning reached my ears. As soon as I heard that warning, I felt a cold sensation on my right side.
When I turned my head, I saw a sharp tusk slowly approaching to cut me down.
Usk’s blade tusks are famous for being very sharp. So, can it penetrate my body too?
Tub!
With one hand, I grab the blade tusk that was coming to cut me in half.
At the same time, I felt more than a stinging pain in my palm, as if I had been cut by something. A bitter pain that I haven’t felt in a long time.
How sharp does it have to be to even cut my own body? There was one more reason why I couldn’t leave Usk alone.
If we just let him go from here, there will be people who will come forward and subdue Usk. Then there will be more victims.
Dismissal!
While holding on to the blade tusk, I clenched my fist with my other hand. As I clenched my fist, red lightning flashed.
Originally, I was only going to use magic power, but I ended up using lightning just in case. These blade tusks were sharp and hard.
Preparations for a counterattack have all been completed. I struck down the center of the blade tusk that I held with my lightning-filled hand.
Kwaang!
“Kuuu!”
A blade-like tusk that snaps exactly in half as soon as you hit it with your fist. Usk screams, probably in quite a bit of pain.
I briefly checked my sore palms. And I couldn’t help but be a little surprised when I saw the condition of my hands.
It is beyond the level of being simply cut and is tattered. So much so that it would have been cut in half if it were not careful.
‘They don’t call it an elephant for nothing.’
By design, this blade is worth the price when it goes on the market. Not only was it cool in appearance alone, but the effect was also amazing.
Of course, we are not in a position to be poached like elephants on Earth. To hunt Usk, you have to risk your life.
Those skilled in hunting Usk with ease tend to choose something else rather than subjugating Usk.
Bloody enemy-
Thanks to the regenerative ability, my hand, which was on the verge of becoming a rag, quickly recovered. As soon as my hand recovered, I began my next move.
Before Usk came to his senses, he managed to squeeze his body inside the blade tusk, which was still intact.
Maybe it was because her vision was blocked, but the mother couldn’t even respond. I was busy checking where I went.
From noble mtl dot com
I took advantage of that opportunity and jumped on the guy’s back. As soon as I got on his back, Usk went crazy again.
‘I have to use what I’ve learned.’
Mother Usk runs wild like a bull. I regained my balance as best I could and tightened my fists.
Even though it is combined with red magic, it knows how to use it. Therefore, I used ‘Condensation’, which I learned from Kronos.
Kwasik!
I hit the head hard with a fist using condensation.
Even if it has a hard shell, it doesn’t mean it won’t break. In particular, the thickness of the outer skin of Usk’s head is relatively thin.
“Kuuu!”
A guy struggling in pain as if he was hit with a blunt weapon. The area that was just hit is where the ax was stuck.
I barely held on from being thrown off. This was possible because he grabbed Usk’s head with his free hand and pulled him up.
Kwasik!
Once more strikes, Usk writhes in pain. I did my best to prevent Usk from going to Luna.
Kwasik! Kwasik! Quad!
Punch down your fist without stopping. Every time Usk did that, he went on a rampage and started destroying everything in the forest.
Starting with thick trees and hard rocks. It destroys everything by cutting with its bladed tusks or slamming into its massive body itself.
Usk, on the verge of being suppressed, is causing such chaos that the ecosystem is being destroyed. Good thing he decided to deal with it too.
Kwazijic!
“Kuuu…!”
I think it’s time to finally wrap things up. It is clear that even if you hit it with your fist, its screams become quieter.
I stretched out my hand and retrieved Ragnarok. Afterwards, he struck the head with both lightning and magic power.
Kkjjik!
“Kuuu…!”
Before the guy could even scream, he went down. Use the ax fixed to his face and apply force as if you were chopping him down.
Cow!
Then Usk, which was as big as an elephant, collapsed helplessly. Since the blow was only to his head, his brain must have been mush.
I pulled the ax out of its head and slashed it at Usk’s head again with all my might.
“Huh!”
Kwasik!
Brurrr-
As soon as the ax struck his head, Usk’s body trembled and then fell limp. It was properly cut off.
Usk with one of his tusks completely broken and his head completely shattered. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought.
The heavier one is, the lower the speed and especially the agility is. In particular, the turning ability is very poor.
‘It must be difficult to process.’
I roughly brushed off the blood from my regenerated hands and looked at Usk. You can pick this up and move it.
But I don’t know where to handle it. There is a blacksmith shop in the academy, but Usk is one of the high-quality monsters.
The value is so great that it should be sold at auction rather than at a blacksmith shop. Right now, those bladed tusks alone would fetch a huge price.
‘I just need meat anyway.’
I don’t care whether it’s blade tusks or skin. All you have to do is go to the butcher and ask them to prepare it properly.
So, I guess I should hurry and get it. Basically, the longer meat is left out, the less fresh it becomes.
“Kuu…”
“?”
At that time, a small sound came into my ear. When I turned my head, I saw a baby Usk crying next to its mother.
Does he know that his mother is dead? A really sad crying guy.
Even beasts with a ferocious appearance are really cute when they are young.
“What should I do with the cub?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave it alone?”
“No matter how much of a monster it is, it’s hard to do it alone.”
The students watching from the side shared a word or two. Looks like they feel sorry for Usk, too.
I listened to their story and looked at Luna. She was looking back and forth between me and Usk’s corpse with an expression of admiration.
Sarah is no different. She said she could handle Usk, but it would take a long time and she would take quite a bit of damage.
‘I’ll have to send the baby away first.’
While thinking about that, I walked towards the cub.
******
I had some expectations, but it was still amazing. This is Luna’s impression after watching Sivar defeat Usk alone.
Shivar has a record of defeating Manki in less than 5 seconds. So, I thought that the monster called Usk would be defeated quickly.
However, Usk may have been tougher or stronger than expected, but Sivar also seemed to struggle at first.
Of course, as soon as I saw an opening, I mercilessly beat his head and subdued him.
The finishing touch is the signature ax chop. All I could say was that it was amazing.
‘I’m glad I wasn’t born as an animal.’
Suddenly a thought occurred to me. If you were born as an animal and entered the Forest of Chaos, you would have been killed by Shivar.
Just when I was thinking how lucky I was to be born as a human, Sivar approached the baby Usk.
“Cooooo!”
The baby Usk cried bitterly at the death of its mother Usk, and then took a alert stance as Sivar approached.
It seems he instinctively knows that Sivar killed his mother Usk. According to Sarah, Usk is a highly intelligent individual.
‘Are you just going to let me go?’
I’ve seen it in books sometimes. Wild beasts feel guilty for hunting their mothers without even knowing they had cubs.
This means that they also have feelings and guilt. I’ve seen something quite impressive.
“Professor. What happens to that bastard?”
“Even if it’s a cub, Usk is Usk. If it’s on the outskirts, there’s a good chance it will grow up easily.”
“Um…”
Then should I just send it away? Luna was very worried.
Meanwhile, Sivar approached Usk and slowly bent one knee. Then he stretched out his hand towards Usk.
“Kua!”
As soon as Sivar extends his hand, the cub bites it. The blade tusks had not yet grown, so they bit it with their teeth.
Shivar’s body is basically strong, but Usk’s jaw strength is also formidable. Perhaps that was why his bright red blood flowed down.
People, including Luna, were surprised to see that, but Sivar still had an expressionless expression. He was rather calm.
“Shish shish shush-“
Shivar reacts as if it is okay for his hand to be bitten. On the contrary, he was offering his hand as if to reassure me.
Did Usk even feel something from that reaction? He slowly relaxed his guard by gradually loosening the pressure on his jaw.
Sweet-
Sivar, feeling his jaw relax, slowly stretched out his other hand. Usk was shocked, but waited quietly.
Soon, Sivar patted Usk on the head. It seems to be expressing regret for killing its mother just now.
‘······Does Sivar also feel guilty?’
Luna thought as she watched the situation in real time. Even though she was nothing more than a simple communicator, she resonated deeply.
You get used to it, but Sivar lived in the wild. So, compared to other people, he probably interacted with animals more often.
Above all, he was fighting and fighting with Ratatosk, but he is doing fine now. Maybe baby Usk will be similar.
“The situation seems to be well organized, right?”
“Okay. First of all, since other monsters may come after hearing the commotion, it would be better to get things sorted out quickly. I’ll call it a day and return.”
Sara responded to Luna’s question with a slight smile and gave her instructions. Meanwhile, Sivar patted Usk on the head.
Like this, the baby Usk will live in the wild and grow well. The students watching the two thought so.
Sweet-
“Kuu?”
Sivar, who had been patting his head, covered the baby Usk’s eyes with his hand. Usk reacts strangely as his vision darkens.
It didn’t end here. Once Sibar’s hand was free from Usk’s bite, he very slowly began to wrap it around his neck.
It was such a natural process that even Sarah and the students wondered what that was doing. But the results came out right away.
Wood!!
“Huh…?”
“Ah…?”
“······?”
Shock and fear itself. There was no other expression that could not be explained.
Shivar wrapped his arms around the baby Usk’s neck and broke it. Very mercilessly.
Even in Usk, joints exist. Therefore, if you break the neck joint, you will naturally die instantly.
Chuuk-
The baby Usk was lying on the floor as helpless as its mother. Sivar slowly put down the cub and stood up.
Despite being a cute looking cub, there is not the slightest trace of mercy.
When everyone was shocked at the sight, Sivar felt the gaze and turned his back.
Unlike his infinitely red eyes, his expression was calm. As if he had done his job.
“······Why?”
Shivar tilts his head and shows doubts at the gazes looking at him. Her response is that she did something wrong.
Luna saw that reaction and looked at Usk and Sivar. She feels so disconnected that she can’t find anything to say.
Still, she did her best to get her voice out. I can’t stand being curious.
“Si, Sibar? Why is the cub…?”
“Huh?”
“Why did you kill the cub? Can’t you just let it go?”
This is a matter that everyone, including Luna, would be curious about. Why did you kill a cub who could have shown mercy?
Sivar blinked at her when he heard her question. Blinking her eyes is a Shivar-specific habit.
Her head is probably spinning by now. She didn’t seem to know what she had done.
“Mercy.”
“Mercy?”
“Yes.”
The words that eventually came out of Sivar’s mouth were:
“I sent it to you with my mom.”
“··· ···”
It was a statement that merited serious consideration of his ethics.
here I thought he was gonna raise it