Only I can Return After the Class Transfer Translation

12. The First Battle

Well, this is a dense… forest? How do I say it… while walking through this place filled with extraordinary tall and ancient trees, a mamono appears. It’s a horn rat like we saw on the first day…it’s red. With that through, I focus my attention on it. Doing so brings up the mamono’s name within my field of view.

[Red Horn-Rat]

“Red?”

“They seem to have different colored fur. It might be a subspecies?”

“Is there a difference in strength?”

“Somewhat…I haven’t finished analyzing, but according to Taniizumi-kun and the others, they have attribute resistances corresponding to their colors.

Well, it’s within the margin of error. Now that I think about it, Taniizumi-kun and the others would often return carrying mamono corpses of various colors.

That’s when 3 of the red horn-rats approach us. Not 1, but 3. I’m bewildered by the sudden numbers.

“JU-!”

The red horn-rats notice us, and charge with clear hostility.

“They’re coming! Everybody, get your weapons ready!”

“Un-Understood!”

Hiyama-san, despite being the only one to have been promoted by Taniizumi, belittles herself. No, although she has combat experience, this time she’s fighting as the vanguard. She can be said to have no experience in this. When those guys with combat related abilities go out, they only use them on small fry. The combat experience they have is actually pretty thin. Regardless, we of the base group have abilities unsuitable for battle. Just how much will we accomplish with our current weapons…?

Dou1! Ah…I missed!”

Hiyama-san slashes at the red horn-rat with her nimble movements. Yet, despite her posture and form, she misreads the distance and misses due to being unfamiliar with her weapon.

“JU-!”

The red horn-rat doesn’t miss the opening. It points it horn at Hiyama-san and charges. I step in and catch the horn with my onion shield.

Doshin, the overpowering shock from the impact makes me drop my shield. It’s… somewhat stuck to the shield. Without this shield, I would’ve died!? Eh, wasn’t this supposed to be good quality equipment?

Damn… my teleportation ability… doesn’t work in battle!

The red horn-rat moves scurries around the place as I try to target it with my teleportation ability. After that, it attacks me.

My teleportation ability takes 5 minutes to activate. Furthermore, it isn’t reactive like Taniizumi’s. Even if I were to wait those 5 minutes, the red horn-rat will have moved someplace else. I could also die in those 5 minutes if I’m not careful. It’s natural, of course, but fighting with this ability is difficult. 

Actually, could I even win the normal way? There are three of them, but just one is tough. If I wasn’t in a party, I would be dead already by now. Anyway, since using my ability is impossible, I have no choice but to defeat it with a sword.

“Hiyama-san! Go!”

“Y-yes!”

I block the red horn-rat’s attack for the second time. Shigenobu matches his breath with mine and aims for it while its horn is caught on the shield. He calls out to Hiyama-san as he raises his sword overhead.

“JU-?!”

Gass

The red horn-rat seems shaken and shocked by Shigenobu’s attack, but is still alive.

Ku… tougher than I thought.”

“Go down!”

With those words, Hiyama-san follows up. Then, with a good gass sound ringing out, red horn-rat’s body collapses in on itself. The impact broke a bone. A considerable difference lays between Shigenobu and Hiyama-san. Must be from the massive difference in LV.

“Chuuuu…”

As the caught red horn-rat’s horn slips out of the shield, it lets out a cry and dies.

“Alright!”

“Don’t lower your guard!”

I turn my attention behind me to Himeno-san. She was given a staff along with armor equal to ours. I was worried about fighting, but with my shield in both hands, I am able to block the attacks from the red horn-rats.

“Th-this is a real battle!”

Was it the vigor of the red horn-rats…? For us, who lived peacefully in Japan, our first experience of killing a live animal is an unsettling sensation. Just a little, I wonder about why we’re doing something like this. But if we don’t, we might end up become the slaves of Taniizumi and the others. I think that thought is what pushes our fighting spirit.

While I’m pondering such, the corpses of 3 red horn-rats appear before us.

“Haa…haa…so the first battle…is something like this…”

Shigenobu says, while out of breath. That said, I’m in the same sorry state. On the first day, Taniizumi and the others were killing these with a single blow? Eh? What? Is there really such a difference in ability?

Or rather, does Hiyama-san have an opinion on Taniizumi, who can do things like this? Amazing… I seriously have to respect that. I’ve learned with my whole body how the combat groupcame to be under Taniizumi’s control. I speak as soon as I catch my breath.

“That was harder than I thought. Completely different from how I imagined.”

“That’s right. Still…it’s something we have to do.”

Uwa… nobody hurt?”

Himeno-san calls out to us in worry. Hagisawa seems to be out of breath just like the rest of us.

“I’m fine. Are you guys uninjured?”

“Ah, probably cause we were given good equipment? It’ll be harsh, but it’s doable.”

I blocked it was a shield to block, but I also took a charge from a red horn-rat. Still, it might only be with equipment, but I am able to fight.

“Honestly, weren’t these just small fries?”

“Yeah, they’re the weakest of all the mamono.”

Seriously… we’re having a hard time against the weakest mamono even with decently good equipment.

“The combat group fights against mamono like these every trip.”

Fighting without abilities and only weapons, it’s harsh. If we had fought empty-handed, our party might have been destroyed. It took two weeks to prepare this equipment, but it really was the correct decision.

“I’m sure I’m depending on my ability, but fighting was pretty fun.”

“This is fun? Hmm…”

I just endured all that, so I’m not too sure myself. Would it be fun if I could easily defeat my opponents?

“Strangely, I’m not really feeling much of a rush after that…”

Shigenobu also tilts his head some.

“But our first match was a victory!”

Himeno-san’s words captures everyones feelings of victory. Certainly, that is an unmistakable fact. More important than anything else is that this is proof we can fight mamono. Never again will we be designated as noncombatants.

“For now, Yukinari, can you transport this mamono corpses to my house’s workshop?”

“Yeah, I’ll try.”

I transport the remains of the mamono to Shigenobu’s home. Since I had already decided where to send the killed mamono from the start, it was easy to create an image. Although long chants are a disadvantage, Shigenobu uses that time to check the wear on everybody’s equipment while Himeno-san heals the group. Hiyama-san turns her attention to Hagisawa, who also looks to Hiyama-san for help. Eventually the red horn-rat corpses in front of me disappear.

“I also got a few points.”

“Ah, although this was a 2 hour expedition, even just earning a little isn’t a loss. Let’s continuing fighting like this and get used to it.”

We nod at Shigenobu’s words and start moving. Next to appear are the 5 greenish rhinoceros beetles known as the Opal Green Beetles. Honestly, I think it looks more like a jewel beetle with its strange coloration and large size. Overall, it’s about fifty centimeters long. This feels like a monster hunting game.

And… I reach a conclusion. This, isn’t a place members of the base group can venture alone. This isn’t good, 5 mamono… the previous 3 mamono were hard enough, now we have to fight 2 more. Without a flame ability like Taniizumi’s, this’ll be tough.

“—–”

With a strange chirp that doesn’t become a voice, the Opal Green Beetles attack.

“They’re too fast. I can’t hit them!” 

Hiyama-san is used to fighting them. She dodges the attack of an Opal Green Beetle, flanks it and thrusts her sword into the gap between its head and torso before snapping it in two.

Paki, a good sound rings… uwa, gross! The Opal Green Beetle’s head splits from its torso as it dies.

“This is its weak spot. Remember it!”

“Got it!”

“Although I can deal with their speed, I think it would be better for all of you to counter right after it strikes.”

“Understood!”

With that, we aim for each of the rhinoceros beetles’ necks. I deflect a rhinoceros beetle my shield and Himeno-san comes to strike it down. She’s more spirited than I thought. 

“Well…actually I’m not good with insects.”

“Neither am I.”

Himeno-san agrees with me. Honestly, there isn’t much of a difference between rhinoceros beetles and cockroaches. I’m also bad with cicadas. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m not into girls who like insects. Hiyama-san… I wonder if she likes them?

Yotto!”

I too put my strength into it, and defeat a rhinoceros beetle the same way Hiyama-san did. That’s when I notice all the rhinoceros beetles are being defeated one at a turn. …Looks like they’re manageable if you know the strategy.

“However, the shells of these Opal Green Beetles are excellent materials for weapons and armor.”

Shigenobu says with a thumbs up. I see, they’re good from the perspective of raw materials. There are many games where equipment can be made from insect materials.

“Dismantling these…”

The base group is tasked with dismantling the mamono brought back by the combat group. At any rate, all the troublesome matters seem to be done by the base group.

“Hanebashi-kun, looks like you’re fine with anything other than insects, huh?”

“Hm? Well…I’m just used to it. I do it like I would a fish. Rather than say I like this, I dislike it.”

I’m just bad with bugs. Like…one time when I was small, a dragonfly got stuck to my clothes. I flicked it away with my hand. Seeing only its head remaining attached to my

Clothes left me traumatized. It’s a bad memory.

Another time was when I was walking around my house in the dark one night and accidently stepped on and crushed a cockroach with my bare feet. Another was when I got stung by a hornet. They’re just stupid traumas I can’t do anything about.

Most recently was summer of last year. I was heading to Shigenobu’s house and saw Ono collecting insects in the woods. I approached him, wondering what he was doing, when I heard the dreadful shrill of a cicada. I took a peek and saw that he was

plucking the wings of cicada with a smile on his face. That sight and sound were burned into my eyes and ears. Naturally, I felt uncomfortable and escaped from that place. Fortunately, Ono didn’t notice me. 

Well, that’s the real reason I dislike Ono. Whenever I see him, I feel like I can hear the shrills of those cicada. It’s not like I actually hate insects or anything.

“He’s been bad with cicadas and rhinoceros beetles ever since we were young. Bees get the strongest reaction out of him.”

“Shut up!”

They’re something I’d avoid if I could. That said, we’re not in a situation where I can.


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Chapter 13>

  1. Pretty sure this is a kendo term