Earth Dungeon 83.1

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Chapter 83.1. Hunting

The grassland is a pleasant place. The grass rustles as it sways in the wind, carrying its scent. Although it's a bit chilly in the autumn, the green aroma blends with the breeze, giving a refreshing vitality.

"Hey, Sakimori. Are you planning to hunt here?" 

Shingen, who had crossed the bridge nervously, asks.

"Yeah, I've decided to secure our footing this year. Conquering the grasslands will be next year's goal. We'll be clearing out the monsters in this area." 

I reply while surveying the grassland. Nobukatsu and the others are behind me.

That's right, I brought Shingen and the others to the grassland. We've come here in a Jeep, armored vehicles, and a cavalry. I wish we had a carriage; someone should make one.

"Since it's autumn, gathering a lot of meat in this area should help us get through the winter with fewer starving people." 

Katsuyori says with a calm expression, his arms crossed.

In Tokyo, it has been snowing heavily for about ten years now, with an average of about 50 centimeters of snow. The cold is severe, and food is scarce. There are no stoves or anything to warm up with, of course. 

As a result, there are many cases of starvation and freezing to death. When the snow melts, you often find bodies scattered around.

I think we can handle freezing to death somehow. Well, we have to.

"It would be better to hunt a lot of big rats, I think, aniki."

"Well, first, we need to lure the enemies. Take the blood-dripping carcasses of the big rats and attach them to your body, Ooki-kun. Then, take a walk in the grassland."

Are we hunting big rats to use them as bait for the enemies on the grassland? 

Yeah, that's probably it.

"No, no, no, I'll die!" Daiki protests.

"Meat-eating animals don't eat plants, so you'll be fine Ooki-kun"

"I'm a human! I'm a human!" 

What the hell? I thought you were a plant. I'll shrug and leave it at that. I'll put a certificate of authenticity on the smoked meat. The ingredients have to be decent, or I won't accept them.

"More importantly, aren't there too many wolves here? How many are there?"

"Oh, I gave up on conquering this place for that reason."

Before us, there's a grassland with a pile of wolf carcasses. It's almost 200 wolves now, with more coming.

"Myan Myan."

The physically incarnated Mike and other Shadow Tigers, who look like cute kittens, are effortlessly taking on Grass Wolves. They're also taking down a particularly large wolf that resembles a tiger within the pack of Grass Wolves. What's going on?

[That's Grass Wolf Leader. It's an E-rank. It doesn't really lead them.]

[It's like a Hobgoblin, I see. Got it.]

Even with the same stats, the animals seem stronger when I'm watching the wolf pack.

"Hey, Sakimori? Have your shadow tigers gotten stronger?"

"They might have gotten a little stronger."

Shingen utters dubious words. It's more than a little. Why is he giving me that look?

"I think it's more than a little."

"You're just imagining things. Getting old is tough, isn't it?"

"Are you indirectly saying that I'm senile? I'm still in my prime!" N

Is that so? I shrug and turn to Mike.

It's a black-furred tiger with glossy fur. Unlike Armed Shadow Tigers, it no longer has metal equipment. Instead, its fur has become transparent like crystal, making it look even more beautiful than the other Shadow Tigers.

"Myan."

Mike pounces on the attacking Grass Wolves with tremendous force, stomping on their heads. Grass Wolves make unpleasant cracking sounds as their necks snap, and they meet their demise. Mike continues by using the wolves' heads as stepping stones, running like the wind. The black wind doesn't need to claw; it just stomps, effortlessly defeating even Grass Wolf Leader.

Mike Shadow Tiger

Mana 400

Stamina 400

Strength 500

Dexterity 300

Magic 300

Unique Skills: Aura Efficiency Conversion, Magic Efficiency Conversion

Skills: Shadow Magic 3, Martial Arts 3, Non-Magic 3

Those are quite impressive stats. In fact, not only Mike, but Kou is also stronger than us, right? They have higher overall stats.

[Well, I think it's because the core's basic performance is high. It seems like characters created later get more bonus points, so they can be made stronger than the initial characters.]

[In that case, I need to work hard not to lose.]

"These wolves. The numbers are abnormal, so they must be drawn here from a faraway place. That's why we should be able to thin out the grassland relatively easily."

"Got it. Alright, you guys, the disassembly team will skin the wolf fur. Don't forget to collect the cores. As for the meat..."

"The meat should be buried. The second team is coming, so the meat will be gathered when they defeat the newcomers!" 

Shingen announces loudly and then adds from the side. 

"Wolf meat probably doesn't taste good. They're basically carnivores."

The concept of a second team leaves everyone puzzled at first, but they quickly understand when they see rabbits and deer darting out of the tall grass.

"Mya!"

"Myaan!"

"Myan!"

Following the animals, the voices of cute kittens can be heard.