LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 19
“There aren’t many animals in this forest.”
“There are plenty of rabbits.”
“Oh, right. Rabbits… Wait a second. If there are so many rabbits, why are we eating bugs?”
“They’re good for your body.”
“Oh, right… they probably are better for you…”
If I’m comparing pork belly to a health food, of course, I’d choose the health food! Eating a spoonful of hot broth, enjoying the refreshing taste while tearing into a chicken leg dipped in salt is much better than pork belly. Not that pork belly is bad, but… ah forget it, I just want to eat both.
When it comes to Korean food, I just want to eat anything.
Whatever it is, at least it’s going to taste nostalgic.
“Rohan.”
“It’s Johann.”
It shouldn’t be that hard to pronounce my name. Renny often gets it wrong, claiming she just can’t remember names. Now that I think about it, I think it was written in the setting that she’s a bit clumsy with reading. This isn’t really a head problem; it probably has more to do with her being an orphan and not having the chance to learn…
But then again, how are we communicating?
Did I somehow get an automatic translation skill without realizing it? I definitely understand I’m speaking Korean, but the conversation flows smoothly, making it feel weird. Everyone’s face is definitely Western, yet it sounds like I’m being filmed for a hidden camera prank. Maybe this is some super elaborate hidden camera show after all.
“Oh, sorry. Anyway, Johann, where are we going right now?”
Did I forget to mention? Oh, I didn’t say anything, huh? I guess I should tell her. It’s easier to proceed if I give her a heads-up on the plan.
“We’re heading to the rabbit field.”
“You mean scouting, right?”
Renny looked at me with a puzzled face. Does she need an explanation? I thought she’d get it since I’ve been through a lot on the battlefield. Then again, this must be a first for her, so it makes sense she can’t read my intentions. I kindly pointed to the area where the rabbits gather with my finger and said,
“We’re going to catch some rabbits.”
“Rabbits? Why rabbits? Aren’t we going to scout an area where snakes live? Why suddenly catch rabbits?”
“Because it helps with scouting.”
“What does that even mean…?”
Is my explanation lacking? I thought she would pick up on it since I’ve worked as a mercenary, but apparently, she’s not catching on. I paused to gather my thoughts and summarized what I intended to do in one sentence.
“I plan to use the rabbits for scouting.”
“Ah, okay. That makes sense. But how?”
“Don’t you know… we catch the rabbit and take it. Then… throw it.”
“What? Throw? The rabbit?”
Why is she looking at me like that? Of course, you need bait for scouting! Isn’t that weird? Renny had a look on her face that made it clear she didn’t understand what I was saying. If she doesn’t get it, I can always show her. I picked up a rabbit struggling in a trap in the open space and said,
“Grab it, throw it. Simple, right?”
Crack.
In an instant, the rabbit’s neck snapped with a bizarre scream, “Kkiyaaaaak,” as it went limp. I handed the neatly decapitated rabbit to Renny, who grabbed the limp rabbit by the back of its neck with a frown.
“…You’re pretty brutal, huh? Planning to use a rabbit for bait? Normally, wouldn’t you check with something like a rock?”
“Rabbits are more efficient. There are plenty of them. Hold it. We need to catch a lot.”
I picked up another rabbit caught in the trap.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The sounds signaling death echoed repeatedly in the calm forest. Watching Renny’s expression change as the sounds increased was quite the spectacle. From a face full of complexity to one that looked at me as if to say, “Is this really okay?” and then a face that cringed at the pile of rabbit corpses in her hands. This girl might be a lot more entertaining than I thought.
It’s a bit touching to see a new side of Renny. Is this what communication is?
I wiped my eyes dampened by the soft fur of the neck-snapped rabbit.
“How many are you planning to take?”
“A lot.”
I took another pouch from my leather bag and started putting the neck-snapped rabbits inside. The pouch quickly filled with rabbits. As plentiful as the harvest was, the fact that I had to use them as bait was a bit disappointing. Should I just take a few and make jerky?
…Nah. If I’m going to do it, I should do it right. Being thorough in preparation is crucial; being stingy could lead to unforeseen problems. Generally, it’s best to overprepare rather than risk anything. I looked at Renny, who was holding a bunch of rabbit ears while I slung the pouch full of neck-snapped rabbits over my shoulder.
“…Don’t I have a pouch?”
“Can’t you just tie it to your waist?”
“That’s a bit much. I don’t have that weird taste for tying animal corpses to my waist.”
If she doesn’t like it, fine. I opened up the other pouch so she could drop the rabbits in there. The rabbits, destined to be someone’s meal, fell one after another into the pouch like Newton’s apples. It looks like catching rabbits will be a challenge for a while.
“So we really wiped out the rabbit population.”
“It’s fine. After about a week, there will be more than we caught.”
These beasts breed like crazy; it’s clear that within a week, new ones will be roaming around, wiping out all the greenery. I’m not just trying to make jerky for no reason; there are enough rabbits out there that no matter how many I catch, there will still be more! The fact that bears and snakes didn’t go to war over territory is probably because rabbits are a common food source.
With plenty of food and ample territory, there would be no need to fight for dominance.
“Let’s move out.”
“…You’re not planning anything else before scouting, right?”
“Nope.”
We have quite a distance to the area where the snakes are, so what else would we do?
Gotta walk briskly and see how it goes.
—————-
Renny and I reached the edge of the forest where the snakes were supposed to be just as the sun was overhead.
We grimaced at the nauseatingly rotten stench and the purple-tinged ground coming from the snake’s territory.
“What on earth happened to turn this once normal forest into this mess? Even a slime colony wouldn’t wreck things this badly…”
“I don’t know either.”
I threw a politically neutral response. I didn’t make the forest like this. It’s the Hydra’s fault for messing things up while trying to deal with the zombies. While I did crash some zombies into the snakes’ territory, they were just chasing after me on their own.
So, I’m innocent here.
“Let’s just skirt along the outskirts for now. It’s probably too dangerous to go in straight away.”
“Sounds good. I don’t know the area, so I’ll follow your lead.”
We quickly began observing the purple forest along the border. It’s hard to believe this horrific land was once a lush green forest just a little while ago. We were at a loss for words at the disaster the Hydra had caused.
“Inside looks like complete hell…”
“It seems difficult to enter.”
No matter how tough bear hide shoes were, I doubt they could survive stepping on that toxic swamp. If you accidentally touch it while walking… You might not die, thanks to a certain someone who applies recovery magic to save injured patients, but it will surely be a dreadful experience.
“So what do we do? We have to at least check the inside for scouting or whatever, right?”
“First, I’ll throw a rabbit. We’ll think about the next step after that.”
I pulled out a rabbit whose neck was broken and felt squishy from the pouch, throwing it into the poisonous puddle. As the yellow-furred ball fell into the puddle, a stench worse than sulfur rose as the rabbit dissolved in an instant.
“Ugh, definitely don’t want to step into that…”
Hmm.
I pulled out James, who always claimed that happiness came from loving baseball, and tossed him into the puddle again.
If there had been a hoop, it definitely would’ve been a three-pointer, but unfortunately, such artificial objects don’t exist in this hellhole. I clicked my tongue as I watched James dissolve like he was in sulfuric acid.
Should I toss someone else? Plenty of friends to throw.
And so, Momo, McCurry, Colin, Macbeth, and Duckchun became family with the puddle.
“What a heartbreaking display of family love…”
“What on earth are you saying?”
“It meant I couldn’t pass the usual way.”
“You’re not speaking to me in a different language, are you?”
Her reaction is strange. Didn’t we communicate? Did that rumored translation skill relax and decide to stop working?
Or perhaps the effects of the toxins still hadn’t worn off, and I was just hearing things.
“Why are you giving me such a pitying look?”
“You should have just rested at home. Your body still isn’t in good condition.”
“What are you talking about? Speak in a way I can understand…”
Renny looked half out of it, tugging at her hair wildly. It seems the poison seeping from the puddle is messing with her head. I decided to lead Renny away from the border for now.
“Let’s move away for a bit.”
“What? Why? Why all of a sudden?”
I silently grabbed Renny’s wrist and moved away from the border. Renny seemed to resist at first but eventually realized something was off and quietly followed me. We stopped at a spot just far enough away that we could barely see the border and sat on a nearby rock.
Time for a short break.
Anyway, it’s pointless to search for a safe zone to scout inside and create an escape route now.
Finding a safe zone in a place that looks like it’s been doused in acid is way too troublesome…
…Is there even a need to search?
Oh.
Come to think of it, there’s no need to look.
I watched Renny as she sat on the rock and drank some water. She noticed me staring and met my gaze with a shaky look. After briefly selecting my words, I cautiously threw her a question.
“Renny. Can you move in heavy armor?”