Flying through the forest.
　Winding through the dense trees.
　The roots of the trees and the unevenness of the ground made it difficult to run, but you soon arrived at the scene.
　There is a furry man wielding a bow and a long-furred, bull-like creature.
　The man, who appears to be a barbarian hunter, calmly confronts the bull while shooting his bow with precision.

　There were countless arrows stuck in the bull's body, but none of them seemed to be fatal.

　The bulls are two sizes larger than normal bulls and are wrapped in woolly body hair, so they seem to have better defense. The arrows didn't pierce deep.

What a troublesome creature.

　Muttering this, the hunter grinned. He bared his yellow teeth and agreed.

Agreed. I've been a hunter for many years, and there aren't many demons more troublesome than Berserker Bull.

Is that a monster called Berserker Bull?

Yes, a bull-type demon only found in this neighborhood. It's a bull-type demon that's only found in this neighborhood. Its meat is A5 and very tasty.

No matter how good it is, it will be hard to hunt.

　Once again, the berserker bull looks more like a big monkey than a bull. It has the muscular body of a gorilla and the face of a bull, making it look ferocious. It's also known as 'Violent Cow Monkey'.

That's right. So there's nothing we can do to you. We just ran into him when we were looking for him in the woods.

I see, you seem quite excited, can you avoid the battle now?

Well. Do you want to ask her, just in case?　I'm going to give you all the food, so please spare my life.

　The hunter's words were ironic. The bloody eyes, excited snorting, and drooling from the mouth of the berserker bull make you realize that this is impossible.

"You look like a carnivore, even for a bull.

You're right. You have a look on your face that says, "You can't wait to eat us.

Indeed. But we don't have any reason to let you be eaten quietly.

You know what I'm talking about.

　With that statement, the hunter takes two arrows from an arrowhead on his back and places them on his bow.

I'll show you something interesting for your prize.

　The hunter smiles fearlessly and shoots two arrows at the same time.
　The bow and arrow split neatly in two directions, hitting the bull's right and left shoulders.

　Bersel Bull roars a painful roar of pain.
　Having been shown this wonderful technique, I honestly admire it and ask your name.

My name is Will. What's your name?

My name is Zynga. I'm a hunter in this forest. What brings Will into this dangerous forest?

"I had to go to the Mountain of the Gods. I tried to run the shortest distance and got lost.

Haha, honest man, you are. The Mountain of the Gods is a forbidden area. You are honestly going there.

It's forbidden, but the gods are good people. They wouldn't be angry if they had a good reason.

It's true that the gods are good people.

"I agree with that.

　I am vehemently convinced that I am a child of the gods, but I could not come forward.

　That I am a child of the gods is not something that is particularly hidden. It is information that some people actively disclose, but this time I did not have time to explain it.

　I didn't have time to explain it because the muscles of Bersel Bull, who had injured both shoulders, were abnormally swollen.

　Bersel Bull's muscles enlarged with a pounding sound. He's been shot in both shoulders, and it's as if a "switch" has been flipped. It's as if a survival instinct has been awakened.

　The arrows fall from Bersel Bull's shoulders as his muscles enlarge, and blood gushes from them. Blood gushes from there, but when it subsides, it takes advantage of the enlarged muscles. It rushed forward at blinding speed.

Watch out!

　I pushed the hunter out of the way and let him avoid the rush.

　Where we had just been, a cloud of dust filled the place and the huge tree behind it was shattered.

　Zinga whistles at the sight.

...... Oh shit. I'd be dead if it weren't for Will.
　I was thanked, but there was no time to return the compliments by the book.
　I regrip my mithril dagger.

　I pump magic into the dagger, but I become a little impatient when I see Berserker Bull wrapped in his thick fur.

(...... The dagger is cracked from the battle with the demon. (Don't let it break if you send your magic power into it.

　This means that the dagger would not be able to send magic into the battle.
　This means that we must fight with a greatly reduced attack strength.
　As you panicked, you can hear Lunamaria's voice from behind.

"Will, it's all right. Master Will will not be defeated by any monster.



　The cheering is unquestioning and unpredictable. Lunamaría seems to genuinely believe in my abilities. She's like a little girl with a hero in front of her. I would like to live up to the expectations of the owner of those unblemished eyes - but as I hesitate, my left hand vibrates.

"Will, you haven't forgotten about me?

"Ah, Aegis.

　He speaks to his shining shield.

"You underestimate the power of your shield because you have been knocking down enemies with that one dagger since you were a child.

Not really, but there's no shield technology in Ronin's school.

"A flying, lopsided school of thought. Okay, then this Aegis himself will show you that a shield is a fine weapon.

　When he says that, Aegis glows even brighter.
　Watching this, Belsel Bull begins to get excited.

"It looks like the enemy's offensive power is up.

"I'm making the cow excited. It looks like I'm glowing bright red to her.

　When I looked at Aegis again, the light was definitely red.

...... Are you trying to get me to fight a bull?

You're right, when Bersel Bull sees me in red, he gets excited and charges at me, and Will dodges it with a paperweight and hits me with a bokeh.

That's messed up.

"But you can still do some damage. And now that your favorite dagger is losing its attack power, this one is stronger.

　Aegis assures me, and without taking my consent, begins to glow. It begins to glow so passionately that even I can see red.

Totally ......

　As soon as I blurted out, Bersel Bull charged at me, but I watched his movements until the very last second and dodged with the smallest of movements.

　It was so close that part of my clothes could have been ripped off, but it was worth it.

　As the bull rushes past me, I hit the enemy in the head with my Aegis as hard as I can.
　A dull thud echoes through the forest.
　The bull staggers to his feet. He wobbles.
　Seeing this, Aegis proudly declares.

'Hmm. What do you think?　This is what's called a "shield bash. Top-notch warriors use this technique too. Ole!

　Look at the wobbling Bersel Bull. Indeed, the shield bash technique seems to be very powerful. Even the life-like bull is on the verge of a coma.

　But it was not fatal to Belsel Bull, nor did it take away his will to fight.

　Aegis says, stunned.

That's why I don't like bull monsters. They have too much HP for nothing.''

"For all your bravado, is this the only way you can attack?

I'm not going to use a special move against this cow. Therefore, I'll just use my hands and shove!

That means you're going to have to do that one over and over again.

"That's what I mean. Look, there's a second lunge.

　And sure enough, Bersel Bull is kicking up the ground on his hind legs. It rushed forward at a speed not quite as fast as the previous one, but as fast as it could be. I dodge it with paper, as I did before, and hit it with my shield as soon as it was in my pocket.

　Once again, a dull sound echoes through the forest. I deliver a more powerful blow than before, but the berserk bull still falls. Then he repeats the same action twice, and as expected, the tension builds. The fourth attack not only tore off his clothes, but also part of his skin.

(...... I'm losing my concentration. And your strength is declining.

　If the battle continues like this, we might fall behind.
　A cold sweat runs down your back, but Zynga sees it coming and calls out to you.

"Will, don't get cocky. Your attacks haven't been ineffective. He's master of the woods. He's proud. That's why he'll stand up to the blow over and over again. But he's a creature. No man can take a blow to the head with a block of iron and be safe.

　That's encouraging to hear. Indeed, my shield bash seemed to have done some damage to Bersel Bull. Its four legs were trembling like a newborn fawn. It felt like it could barely stand. One more shield bash to the head and it looked like I could take it down.

　I thought that this would be my next and last shot, so I focused my concentration.

　It might look smug from the edge, but dodging the bull's charge was very hard. The bull was charging at you at bullet speed, and it takes a lot of concentration to dodge the attack, which could crush you if you make a mistake.

　--This is the last.

　As you dodge the bull's attack, you put all your strength into it and swing your shield at the bull's head.

　With a thud, a cracking sound can be heard.

Yay!　Critical. This one even got a skull.



　Aegis blustered, but I had a good feeling in my left hand too.
　I should have given him the best shot.
　I calmly analyzed that, but the bull was staring at me with his nose in the air.
　He's kicking up the dirt with his hind legs.

...... still coming.

　Maybe this bull is immortal. Just as I broke out in a cold sweat at the thought, Lunamaria stepped in front of me. She pulls out a shortsword from her waist and says, " My twiggy sword is a berserker bull.

...... My twiggy sword may not be a match for Belsel Bull. But I cannot abandon Master Will.

　I want Lunamaria's safety more than anything else, and I do not welcome her dedication to the cause.
"Lunamaria, no. He's immortal. Just get out of here.

"I would rather slit my own throat with this sword than do such a thing.

　I pushed past Luna Maria and stepped in front of her, but she protested - but not before Zynga the hunter won it.

'Little girl, you stay out of men's business.

"Fighting demons is not a gender issue.

A feisty little girl. Your noble heart is looking up, but this time you're spinning your wheels.

What does that mean?

"It means no one has to fight anymore. Will won. That monster.

　The moment he declares this, Bersel Bull blinks. The giant plummets to the ground.

His skull is caved in.

　A great deal of foam was coming out of his mouth. The black body is convulsing.

"This is a perfect shield bash. I killed it with very little damage to the skin, so it'll fetch a nice price.

　Zynga happily announced and pulled out a dagger from his waistband and began to peel off the skin of Bersel Bull. It's a good idea to check on Master Will's well-being first, and then thank him for his help," Lunamaria said with a sigh, but it seems he has a point.

　They say the fresher the skin of a berserker bull, the higher the price it sells. He wants to cut them up and take them back to the village.

　Lunamaria is a little taken aback, but I don't care. I knew Zinga meant no offense, and I thought he was justified in his actions.

　If I could skin him quickly and sell the material for a good price, who cares? The hunter would make money, the merchant would get good quality pelts, and the one who bought them would be happy. No one will lose.

　Admonish Lunamaria as such and ask her to make you a cup of tea.

　It was just after the battle and I was thirsty after getting lost in the woods.
　Perhaps because I asked her to, she happily begins to prepare the tea.
　I'll help her do the same.

　I could have helped you dismantle the zinga, but I've heard that flaying a berserker bull requires expert skill. Amateurs like me had no part in this.