CHAPTER 21: SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOUR MEAL (PART 1)

We peek out from the thicket and see a Clamp Boar, just like we expected. It’s a bit smaller than the one I fought the other day. It rummaged around a low bush, looking for fruits. There’s other similar bushes around, with fruits of the same color, so they’re probably the star berries Ophelia mentioned.

We hold our breaths and approach the monster silently. It seems like the Clamp Boar is too focused on its food, not noticing our presence. Mir firmly holds her sword low, readying her stance. I’m ready too. We nod to each other. And with Ophelia’s signal, Mir dashes ahead.

Then-

“Bugyaaa!”

The Clamp Boar lets out a horrible shriek. Mir hasn’t reached it yet though, barely halfway there and her sword still lowered. What had happened?

The Clamp Boar falls down, and I finally understand. A large set of jaws appear on top of it. Blood spewed in large quantities from the Clamp Boar. After swallowing the jaws lowered again to the Clamp Boar’s neck, twisting and tearing it apart. Beyond the spray of blood, a scaly long snout becomes visible..

“Dragon…”

I mutter, but that was not exactly it.

“No, that’s a Tyrannoghavial, a crocodile-like monster. With that size it’s probably a rank C monster. Usually they live further inside the forest though.”

Ophelia corrects my mistake. Rank C monster all of a sudden. If I remember correctly, a Clamp Boar is rank D. The Tyrannoghavial picks up the Clamp Boar’s carcass and carries it back to the forest.

“Ah, our Clamp Boar!”

The Tyrannoghavial stops and turns to look at Mir. having heard her cry. Its slit vertical pupils focus on her, dropping the Clamp Boar from its jaws. We all knew that wasn’t because it was surrendering its prey. Its entire body became visible now.

She had called it a crocodile type of monster, but its plump torso and thick limbs remind me more of a hippo or rhino. Basically like a triceratops with a crocodile head. That’s probably how crocodiles would look if they had evolved to live only on land.

“Grarrr!”

Mir recoils hearing the Tyrannoghavial’s roar, but quickly recovers and reaffirms her grip on her sword.

“I need that Clamp Boar! I won’t let you take it from me!”

I expected as much. Resigning myself to this fate, I jump out of the thicket and fire the first shot. The magic bullet hits the Tyrannoghavial’s shoulder, but its sturdy scales and strong muscles easily absorb its momentum.

“Mir, don’t lower your guard now. This is a completely different type of beast.”
“I’ve noticed.”

I stand next to her, and sweat forming on her forehead. She was stressed. Her objective was a Clamp Boar, which she’d struggle against alone. But now she was thrown against a larger and more powerful monster.

(This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library)

(Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!)

This really is too much. But we can’t step away from it. It’s unrelated to me and Ophelia, but if we retreat, it’ll leave a very sour aftertaste. So let’s do everything we can.

“Let’s go!”

Mir shouts and runs with her sword ready, and I begin shooting to support her too. But all my bullets end like the first one, unable to do any substantial damage.
Mir’s sword isn’t much better.

It could easily cut through the goblins’ leather armor, but it can’t pierce the Tyrannoghavial’s scales.

“Garr!”

It opens its jaw with a roar, and Mir quickly retreats. We had seen it tear a Clamp Boar apart earlier, so getting caught would be too dangerous. But at the same time, we can’t escape from the fight anymore.

I repeatedly jump back while continuing to fire. Eventually the Tyrannoghavial starts paying attention to me.

“Yahh!”

Mir’s sword glints, drawing an arc, but it’s repelled once again. A blue speck of light follows into the same step, but barely does anything. Nothing we did had any effect.

With another swing from the sword, it turns his eyes back to Mir. I run closer and pool all the magic power in a magazine into a single attack. The magic bullet hits the Tyrannoghavial’s flank, causing a wild explosion, but all it does is tip its body to the side slightly.

A moment later, it’s standing back on its feet. I quickly throw my hand and hold onto a nearby tree, and pull myself there as fast as I can. From the smoke of the earlier explosion, a long snout lined with sharp teeth appears and bites where I had been standing.

If I had taken a bit longer to react, it would’ve gotten me. Once all the smoke dispersed, I looked at the spot I had hit earlier.

“Barely a scratch…”

I speak my mind without thinking. A similar blast had taken out a Clamp Boar before, and I had gotten better at molding magic since then, but it had almost no effect on this monster.

Wait, maybe I was just thinking about this wrong. Regular bullets only affect a small area, but they have a lot of concentrated power. Incendiary rounds affect a large area, but their power is dispersed. Regular bullets should be better for enemies with strong defenses like this one.

“Hyah!”

Mir’s sword strikes are fast, but they’re just as useful as before.

“I’m not done yet!”

(This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library)

(If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.)

Her first attack futile, Mir swings again. Oh no. I quickly throw my hand at her and pull her towards me.