Earth Dungeon 83.2

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Chapter 83.2. Hunting

"Did Shadow Tiger send a decoy? A bow, no, a spear? Shingen quickly assesses the situation but hesitates about what to do.

"Whoa, Ooki, no, Honda Tadakatsu is here again! Daiki, no, Honda is here again! It's important, so I'll introduce myself twice!"

"Hey! That person over there is a fake. I'm Honda Tadakatsu!"

"Behold the power of Honda Tadakatsu's Dragonfly Cutter! Witness the strength of my spear, unlike the rabble around here!"

Ooki-kun waves his spear charges out, and chases after a deer, while many others brandish their spears and pursue rabbits.

"What's going on there?"

Shingen creates a magic spear and shoots down the deer while feeling bemused. There seem to be too many Honda Tadakatsus.

"Ah, it seems there's a rumor that there's spiritual power in a name, ever since the Suwa battle the other day."

Shingen scratches his cheek awkwardly, his expression a mix of confusion. But indeed, Honda Tadakatsu has never been wounded in battle. People want to emulate that, it seems. They're quite a bunch.

"Guffaw."

A rabbit leaps out from the forest area and knocks Ooki-kub off his feet. It's rolled up like an armadillo, charging at Ooki-kun like a bowling ball. It's not your typical rabbit.

[That's a Charging Rabbit, right? It's an F-rank. It charges at the enemy once and then runs away. An annoying enemy. The charge is about as powerful as an adult body slam.]

[It seems there's some delicious prey around. What's the deal? We won't go hungry.]

If they're going to pop up, it's easy to get meat. I wish I had come to this place sooner.

[Charging Rabbits don't pop up often. They're not rare, but they're not popping up. It's believed that other monsters are eating them. Plus, they're fast.]

Charging Rabbit that defeated Ooki-kun maintains its charging speed, hopping around then quickly disappearing into the tall grass. It's an unusual type of monster.

Those who get injured are expelled from the Honda Tadakatsu squad. Honestly, it doesn't matter.

"You guys, stop fooling around and work properly! If you slack off, you won't get paid!"

"Yes!"

"Sorry."

"I'll get back to work right away."

Shingen's furious shouting causes the men to scatter like a flock of startled birds, chasing after the rabbits.

[Rabbits are delicious, especially in Kano mountain.]

[Come on, Shizuku-san, that's so cliché.]

[True, it's quite an overused joke. My bad.]

Shizuku sticks out her tongue playfully and laughs mischievously. Her graceful, dancing figure as she flits through the air is adorable and rather comforting.

In the grasslands, men wave their spears in an attempt to hunt down the deer and rabbits. However, the animals' speed is too much, and they can't catch up. Even Daiki, who's powered up, can't manage it.

"We need bows, don't we? Or maybe some trap hunting."

Frowning, Shingen crosses his arms in thought. Indeed, this is a problem.

"Sakimori! Leave this to me, Baba! My companions are currently undergoing archery training. With your permission, we can produce archers in abundance. They might be of use in this grassland!"

As Shingen contemplates his next move, a man approaches, loudly addressing him. Breathing heavily, he points behind him, where five individuals armed with compound bows and crossbows are gathered, each with a serious expression and seemingly full of confidence.

"If things go well, we would like to request an archer unit establishment. The rifles you've secured, if left in storage will serve as nothing more than decorations. If you could entrust us with a portion, we can create a gun unit, and we will serve in various roles from maintaining security to guarding dungeons!"

He thumped his chest with confidence. Who's this? I know he's one of our employees, but I vaguely remember his face.

"Oh, this guy is Baba. See, he decided to go by Baba due to his connection with Shingen."

Shingen scratches his cheek awkwardly, but it makes sense now. Bamba, huh?

"Baba?"

"I have taken the name Baba Nobufusa."

"Did you get shot by Oda's firearms at the Battle of Nagashino?"

"That's correct."

Is he from a past life or something, wanting to create a firearms squad?

[Past life, I was Banba Nobufusa. In this life, I want to create a firearms squad and become unbeatable. Sounds like something out of a novel.]

Shizuku says with a mischievous smile, holding her hand to her mouth as she speaks. What's she talking about, a novel?

[We don't need that kind of stuff. Hmm.]

I look at Baba, wondering what kind of person he is. He doesn't deny it, so he seems reasonably competent.

Looking around, it's chaos. Everyone is just chasing with long spears, acting independently. That's bad; relying on Shadow Tiger might be a problem.

"All right, Baba-kun. Try shooting that deer."

I point to a deer being chased by Ooki-kun and the Tadakatsu squad. If he's going to do it, he needs to demonstrate his skill.

"I'm on it!"

He quickly nocks an arrow in his compound bow, draws the string taut, and aims at the deer.

"You guys, move away while I'm shooting!"

He issues a warning, and everyone steps back as he takes his shot. The arrow whizzes through the air and strikes the deer in the neck. The deer, which had been running, collapses and dies from the single shot, earning admiration from those around.

"How about that, Sakimori-sama? I recently reached Archery Level 1.."

Baba proudly stands with his chest puffed out, relaxed. It seems he's more than talk.

"You're doing quite well."

It's a pretty ordinary skill. I don't see any major weaknesses. So, it's good.

"All right, Baba. Show your skills here in this grassland for a while. We'll see how things go and decide whether to establish a unit."

"Yes! Understood!"

Baba stands at attention and salutes. Yeah, archers seem to be well-suited for the grasslands. It looks like we'll have plenty of meat.

"I'll entrust  Shadow Tiger and Shadow Snake to you, so do your best."

I smile warmly and pat Bamba on the shoulder. I'll secretly keep Shadow Cat in Baba's shadow as well. I'm a considerate guy, so I'll have them ready to act in case of an emergency.