Re:Monster Vol.1 (Day 1 - Day 60)

Day 25

It was currently the end of our morning sparring practice, and some individuals seemed to be having a hard time. So far no one (who has attended my practice) has died during a hunt; although some did get hurt. This being the case, I felt relieved knowing that my training hasn't been squandered.

Afterwards we went hunting, and while hunting the likes of Night Vipers, Armored Tanuki's and Demon Spiders, we found a new prey that undoubtedly possesses better individual abilities than the spiders.

They were a pack of wolves, with black fur that almost looked as if it was made of metal.

Without making it complicated, I decided to call them "Black Wolves" temporarily, and for the time being I decided to quietly observe them.

It seems that the pack consists of 16 Black Wolves, who currently seem to be engrossed in eating. Luckily, we are standing leeward, so they have yet to notice us, however were that to change we could end up like the Kobold the Black Wolves are currently eating.

They were 4 times as many as us, but above all the Black Wolf Leader seemed incredibly dangerous. He was considerably larger than the other Black Wolves.

If we went at them from the front, we'd probably suffer a great deal of damage. Because they had greater numbers, the advantage was heavily stacked in their favor. But even though that's true, an advantage can be turned using a surprise attack.

Gobumi let loose an arrow from her crossbow, piercing the body of the wolf leader who was still in a daze from eating the Kobold meat. At the same time, an arrow from Gobue went through the neck of a nearby wolf.

The Black Wolf Leader wouldn't die instantly from an ordinary arrow through the body, but because the arrowhead had been painted with my venom, after several seconds the wolf staggered unsteadily and then collapsed, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

Even so the Black Wolf Leader didn't die immediately, it was barely hanging on, its life slowly slipping away. By the way, without resistance against the fast-acting poison, the ordinary wolf that got shot through the neck died quickly.

With this we were able to prevent the wolves' quick teamwork. Considerable time is needed to decide who is going to replace the top member in a pack. You could see the panic in the wolves' figures when it suddenly happened.

Making full use of the mess we created, Gobukichi and I moved closer and attacked.

Though it was the first time since I was reincarnated that I fought a wolf-type monster, I was sure that I could easily deal with it so long as it didn't have any special abilities. On approach the wolf bared its sharp fangs at me so it could strike me with its most powerful move "Bite", in response, towards its mouth I thrust my estoc; dripping with venom. With the force of the charge from both sides combined, I easily tore through flesh, drilled through bone, and destroyed the wolf's brain.

I caught a glimpse of a wolf trying to escape the confusion, so I charged a high pressure water blade with electricity and slashed at its feet.

The battle axe-wielding Gobukichi couldn't hack through the stiff-furred Black Wolves, but his attack forcibly broke its spine and ribs and using his running momentum forcibly broke the neck of the Black Wolf that collided head on with his shield.

In the midst of all that, the enemy numbers are further reduced by Gobumi and Gobue's sniping.

After a while the pack of Black Wolves had lost the teamwork that was their greatest weapon and the effectiveness of their bites had been nullified. Not even one wolf was spared.

Once finished, the three of us went to work on cutting up the wolves' bodies. The wolves' fur, for later use, had to be kept in the most pristine of condition, both for function and aesthetics.

Incidentally, Gobukichi had to be excluded since he was incredibly clumsy and therefore couldn't be entrusted with such a task.

Because of this, I placed Gobukichi on lookout duty. Due to my 【Sense Presence】 ability, having Gobukichi on lookout was unnecessary. However, in this world where one is constantly engaged in a violent struggle, the experience of such a task is vital; especially for one's own survival.

Gobumi and Gobue cut up this much without any trouble, they seem to have gained the ability [Dismantle]; so their fingers began to appear skillful.

After that, we gathered the fur and ate the meat, four to each Goblin.

Ability [Pack Leadership] learned.

Ability [Pack Hunting Proficiency] learned.

Ability [Steel Hide] learned.

As I expected, the Black Wolf Leader had superior abilities befitting its status.

[Pack Leadership] and [Pack Hunting Proficiency] were a huge bonus for group operations.

[Pack Leadership] allows me to quickly identify who can contribute the most aside as well as being able to give them instructions. It enhances the ability of the group as a whole.

[Pack Hunting Proficiency] all allies will move efficiently to obey my commands as if I were repeating them to each member individually.

[Steel Hide] the ability increase the defense of fur and leather-based armor in addition to one's own skin and hair. It definitely doesn't hurt to have the ability to increase defense at will. I'm certain it will come in handy in the future.

I hunted some Demon Spiders and Green Slimes before going back. After having dinner, I went to bed.