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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Two days had passed since the traps were triggered.
During that time, I helped Karina recover and, on the other hand, gathered and stockpiled food and made various items in preparation for any unforeseen situations.
“What is this?”
“Paralysis poison.”
“And this?”
“It’s a sachet made of things bears hate.”
Bears have very keen senses of smell. Their sense of smell is far superior to that of dogs, so a sachet that emits an odor bears dislike could be quite useful. The problem is that humans suffer from the foul smell too, but…
Does that matter?
Without something like this, becoming a meal would be a matter of moments.
“Keep it with you.”
“Huh?”
Without a word, I handed her the sachet. Even she, a saint, couldn’t help but grimace at the smell of the sachet placed on her hand. Was her fidgeting due to an instinctive aversion? She would get used to it eventually, but until then, it was quite a stinky smell.
It was only natural. The contents of this sachet were a mixture of snake dung and crushed herbs that gave off a scent monsters disliked. The smell of dung was originally quite pungent, but it had its uses on a deserted island, as it had such a strong odor. It could be used to drive away bears by assaulting their keen sense of smell or dried and used as fuel.
Human excrement, on the other hand, had absolutely no use…
“Don’t keep it far from your body.”
That nose-stinging smell would serve as a shield to deter the approach of other beasts. At the very least, the mediocre ones wouldn’t dare come near. On this island, the scent of snakes was in many ways an object of wariness and fear.
“Thank you.”
Karina’s expression softened, and she gave me a smile. A face that always puts one at ease, no matter when you see it. It would have been better if it weren’t a deserted island. No, is it because it’s a deserted island that I can see such a smile?
If we leave this deserted island…
“Idiot…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
I had inadvertently blurted out an insult, but fortunately, she didn’t seem to have understood.
It was a relief for me. There was nothing more troublesome than having to explain why I had suddenly blurted out an insult. Before the atmosphere could become more awkward, I got up from in front of the hearth, shouldering a pouch I had made with my own hands from bearskin filled with luggage.
“I’m going on a scouting mission. Get some rest.”
“Okay! I’ll take good care of the house, so don’t worry and come back safely!”
A cute, spirited voice tickled my ears. It seemed she would tidy up the house while I was out today, as always.
So great.
Is this the reason people get married? Of course, we’re not actually married, just awkward housemates… I turned my back on Karina’s warm send-off and made my way deeper into the forest. Today was the day I had decided to officially enter the bears’ territory and conduct reconnaissance.
The objective was to confirm what had happened to the bear leader.
Whether the leader had changed or had gone mad after eating something wrong, I needed to confirm it to determine my future course of action.
What I would have to do would be determined by the leader’s disposition.
For instance, if the leader had changed and the group had become aggressive, a fight would be unavoidable, so I would have to start preparing for a full-scale war. At most, there were only two of us, but we couldn’t just sit back and take it.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to return today…”
The island wasn’t that big, but it wasn’t like I had a car or could move around recklessly without thinking, so I would have to scout in a suffocatingly meticulous manner. I chewed on some dried meat and took in the tranquil forest scenery with my eyes.
“It’s quiet.”
Of course, it was still my territory. Apart from the rabbits that were endless no matter how many I caught, the birds, and other miscellaneous animals, there were almost no other living creatures in my territory. So there was no reason for it to be noisy. At most, there was only the sound of birds chirping peacefully.
Even this peaceful forest was once a hellish place.
It was none other than an area that had been divided between the bears and snakes until I established my territory. Even now, it was a miracle that I had survived. Back then, I didn’t know how to use skills and had to suffer, barely managing to start a fire after half a day.
I had even experienced hallucinations after eating a mushroom that resembled a button mushroom because I was so hungry. Looking back, it was a wonder I hadn’t died. When I came to my senses, I found myself sprawled near the dungeon.
But the most terrifying memory was when I woke up on a tree after a week of being possessed, and a bear was clinging to the tree, staring at me as if I were a fascinating creature.
That was the first time in my life I had wet myself.
Fortunately, the bear left, either because the smell of human urine was pungent or because I didn’t look appetizing. If it had tried to eat me there, I would have become a snack by now.
“I should catch a few rabbits soon.”
I needed to catch a few of those pests, no, rabbits, and make smoked meat so that I could stockpile food to sustain myself in case something happened. After the scouting mission, I should go hunting. Meat was very important for survival on a deserted island. No matter what you did, you needed to use your body, and without meat, you wouldn’t have the strength.
Thinking about this and that, I walked for an hour. I finally arrived at the boundary line. The traps installed at the boundary line hadn’t changed since I repaired them two days ago. It seemed there hadn’t been any further commotion since then.
I carefully crossed the boundary line and entered the bears’ territory. As I stepped into their domain, I noticed bear tracks scattered haphazardly. They were probably the tracks of the ones that had died in the traps. Carefully examining the direction the tracks led, I could tell that the bears had run straight from inside their territory.
It was only natural, but anomalies reveal themselves in the most subtle differences. So even things that seemed obvious had to be closely observed.
In the wild, it was not uncommon for familiarity to lead to overlooking something that could become a noose around your neck. The slightest change in the wild could often result in a fatal mistake.
“…There are no notable anomalies on the outskirts.”
Muttering to myself with no one to answer, I quietly advanced deeper into the forest. The target was a small hill within the bears’ territory. If my memory served me correctly, from a tree on top of the hill, I could catch a glimpse of the area where the bears lived.
I diligently moved my feet and arrived at the entrance of the hill. The hill, surrounded by trees, was tranquil.
However, the condition of the hill was not.
“Did a bulldozer plow through here?”
Or did the bears collectively go mad and get possessed by X-fight?
Why are there so many fallen trees? I clicked my tongue at the sight of the trees haphazardly covering the hill. The trees were stained with blood. Several gruesome bear carcasses could also be seen crushed under the trees.
Perhaps they were the companions of the bears that had fled to my territory. Some died here, and the rest escaped and got caught in the traps laid in my territory… It seemed like a highly plausible inference.
Turning my gaze, I examined the base of the trees. The intention was to check the broken traces. Upon closer inspection of the broken parts, I noticed irregularly torn cross-sections. As expected, it seemed they had been broken by a strong impact.
However, there were spots where the cross-sections were too cleanly cut. It was as if they had been sliced through in one stroke with something like a sword. Why were there such traces?
It wasn’t thin, but the thickness of the trees was such that even embracing them with both arms, your hands might not touch. And they were cleanly cut?
Is that possible?
At the very least, the bears couldn’t have done this.
Even the leader, with a size rivaling a rhinoceros, didn’t seem capable of such a feat. Just what had happened here? It was as if they had been cut with something like a sword…
A sword?
Could it be what I was thinking?
At the sudden thought, I couldn’t decide whether I should be happy or displeased. If what I was thinking was correct, it could easily turn into a misfortune.
There was no way a powerful being capable of hunting the leader would be friendly to me. Even if that opponent was a character, no, a person I knew. It was a one-sided situation where I knew about them, but they didn’t know me.
Rather, there was a sufficient possibility they would view me as a suspicious person and be hostile, so I had to move with caution, wary of the newly emerged possibility.
Perhaps a monster wielding a sword had popped out of the dungeon, but I had never seen a monster that had emerged from the dungeon fighting with a weapon.
So, these traces were likely left by a person.
I climbed the hill, stepping on the trees with my guard raised to the max. The hill wasn’t very large, so it took about 10 minutes to reach the top.
“Crazy.”
Had a tsunami swept through without my knowledge? I couldn’t close my mouth at the sight beyond the hill.
The forest that had been filled with trees had become a plain with only tree trunks remaining, as if lumberjacks had ravaged it. The beach, which was usually not visible, could be faintly seen.
Just what had happened? The familiar corpses that could be seen here and there amidst that gruesome scene were all bear carcasses.
While carefully scanning that horrific sight, a chilling sensation ran through my entire body.
Danger.
Run.
I can’t stay here any longer.
My instincts sounded the alarm. It was a loud alarm that made my head feel numb. I immediately tried to turn my body to flee, abandoning the reconnaissance mission.
“…Damn it.”
Blood gushed from my bitten lip and flowed down my chin. Even as that damp and sticky sensation stained my chin, I couldn’t think to wipe it away.
Overwhelming bloodlust.
A gaze filled with so much murderous intent that my whole body froze.
Whoever was looking at me, one thing was certain.
“This damn deserted island is starting again.”
A being harboring fierce murderous intent began to approach me.
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