Chapter 29

In the forest, there was a beast.

It had a large horn on its head, which extended straight like a spear. The beast had two such spear-like horns on its head.

Its appearance resembled that of a deer, and it was known as a Spear Deer, a type of monster.

The Spear Deer was running through the forest.

Straining, it could feel its heart pounding as if it might burst, leaping and bounding between the trees.

At that moment, the Spear Deer was in the midst of fleeing.

Its opponent was a human.

When it noticed the presence, its prideful horns had already been broken in half.

Being hunted – the Spear Deer, shocked and fallen to the ground, instinctively knew and was paralyzed by fear. It had to run, but it couldn't move. The fear of death had momentarily frozen its body, making it unable to move.

However, for some reason, the human did not deliver the final blow to the helpless Spear Deer.

Holding a green branch-like object in one hand, the human did nothing more.

A moment later, as if released from a spell, the Spear Deer's body became free to move again.

Without a moment's hesitation, the Spear Deer fled.

It ran, not glancing to the side, just straight ahead.

It ran, forgetting about its broken horns.

It ran, ignoring the cries of its heart, which felt as if it might burst.

Then, running at full speed through the forest, when it was almost out of breath, the Spear Deer stopped.

In the next instant, it felt a shock.

It felt heat at its neck, realizing it was being attacked.

"Shiver..."

"Roar!!"

Shaking its head, the Spear Deer tried to shake off whatever had bitten its neck, but it was exhausted from the all-out run and lacked the strength.

Eventually, the fangs of the attacker pierced a vital spot, and the Spear Deer felt warm blood gushing from its neck.

Its body went limp. Unable to stand on its own four legs, the Spear Deer collapsed with a thud into its own pool of blood, and the light in its black eyes faded.

§

"Good job."

Right before him, he had just finished off the Spear Deer.

The Spear Deer was a type of monster that could be hunted by adventurers of the Slate Plate level. The sharp, spear-like horns on its head could pierce through tough leather armor, making its horn-based attacks dangerous. Otherwise, it was a low-threat monster with no other notable features.

Spear Deer were highly reproductive and, if left unchecked, would ravage forests near human settlements. Therefore, the Adventurer's Guild often issued regular requests to hunt them.

"Roar!"

The one who finished off the Spear Deer was Neut.

While Node had broken the dangerous parts – the horns – and weakened the Spear Deer by chasing it, Neut had successfully hunted it, even with the help.

Leaping onto the Spear Deer's back from above, Neut used its sharp claws to anchor itself and then bit into the neck, tearing it open.

"I guess monsters of this strength are no longer a challenge."

"Chirp!"

At Node's signal, Neut moved away from the Spear Deer.

Node stroked Neut's head, which was stained red with blood, and Neut chirped happily, pleased with the praise.

With Node's assistance, Neut had become capable of easily defeating weaker monsters.

Node quickly butchered the prey, the Spear Deer.

After draining the remaining blood, he skillfully used a dissection dagger to quickly disassemble the Spear Deer.

The deer hide, though cheap, was still sellable, so he collected it. The meat, divided by parts such as the thighs and shoulders, would become dinner that night.

"Here."

"Chirp♪"

As a reward for the successful hunt, Node threw a piece of meat to Neut.

Neut caught it skillfully in mid-air and began to eat the deer meat with relish.

The young dragon, its deep green scales stained with blood, held the meat in one foot and was growing even larger.

Its body had become more massive, and its limbs were becoming more robust. Its claws were sharper for catching prey, and its jaw strength had increased.

Neut quickly finished the meat and chirped for more. Node gave it more, and it began to eat that as well. In the end, Neut needed a third of the deer meat to be satisfied.

The hunting training Node had given Neut during the long break had brought about growth in the young green dragon far exceeding Node's expectations.

The training, which started with rabbits and wild birds, quickly moved on to small monsters and now involved medium-sized monsters.

Node removed the dangerous parts that could be used for attacks as a precaution, but considering that the scales covering Neut's body, though those of a young dragon, were still dragon scales, much tougher than any armor, Node thought it was about time Neut could hunt without assistance.

"Hmm... There are a few more. Alright, let's go."

"Chirp!"

From the state of the undergrowth on the forest floor, Node discovered that there were other prey nearby.

He signaled to the young dragon beside him, and they resumed hunting.

§

"...So, that's how it went."

"Wow, that's impressive."

After returning from the mission and completing the report, Node always visited the "teacher" at the research facility to give an update.

The teacher, reading the daily report Node had submitted, observed Neut with great interest.

Apparently, since Node started taking Neut on adventures, its physical growth had been significant, and the rate of growth was drastically different from the data from the Iron Dragon Knights' training.

"Is it that different?"

"Completely different. The Iron Dragon Knights just fed them, but compared to that, this dragon is clearly growing at a different rate."

Neut, meanwhile, was curled up and looking bored on the floor of the teacher's room.

At first, Neut was excited by the "new things" in the room, sniffing around and exploring, but with the documents, quills, inkwells, and models of dragon skeletons, and the eggshell it had hatched from, it gradually got used to the room and now just watched the two of them talk, looking bored.

"Look at this. Here... like this, and here... like this, right?"

"Wow... Really. What's different?"

"Dragon rearing methods are still experimental. The first thing that comes to mind is the type of food."

"Or maybe the increase in strength is related."

"Interesting, I hadn't thought of that. Node, why don't you come to the research lab instead of the Iron Dragon Knights!?"

"Uh, no, that's..."

"Haha, just kidding. But I need more data. Can you fight stronger enemies?"

"Sure, I'll look for a suitable opponent on the next mission."

"Please do!"

The conversation between Node and the teacher was lively, but Neut couldn't understand the content. After getting bored in the room, Neut had been waiting to be carried by Node, but as it grew larger, that became impossible. So, Neut had to lie on the floor, waiting for Node to finish his report.

"Alright, thanks."

"Understood."

When Node finished his report and stood up, Neut woke up at the sound.

When Node gave a light signal, "Let's go," Neut stood up and followed Node outside.

By the time they left the research facility, the sun had already set.

Node helped Neut onto the bed of a carriage parked in front of the facility. It was a covered carriage with curtains to prevent people from peering inside.

Neut had grown too large to be hidden in a cloak, so Node had managed to borrow a military carriage.

For travel during adventures, they used this carriage.

There was no driver, so Node sat on the driver's seat and controlled the horses.

At first, the horses were very nervous about Neut's smell and the presence of the dragon in the bed of the carriage, but they eventually got used to it.

When Node signaled with a whip, the horses started pulling the carriage.

The wheels turned on the cobblestones with a rumbling sound as Node drove the carriage through the night streets.

§

After that, Node took Neut on many adventures. The young green dragon, growing rapidly, had become capable of handling Gemstone-level monsters on its own through hunting experience.

As the long break was coming to an end, Node decided to take Neut on a Crystal-level mission.

He chose a mission to hunt a group of monsters.

Group-type monsters are those that form packs, such as wolves or insects.

In contrast, there are solitary-type monsters that live alone, such as bears or dragons.

Of course, this is a tendency, and there are cases where solitary-type monsters live in pairs within the same range.

For missions of the same level, solitary-type monsters are tougher than group-type monsters. While group-type monsters become more threatening in numbers, solitary-type monsters are recognized as threats based on their individual combat power (or ferocity).

Node could already handle solitary-type monsters, but he wanted to see how Neut would fare, so he decided to use a group of Crystal-level monsters as a test and let Neut fight them.

The target of the mission was the Land Shark.

It is a lizard with a shark-like appearance, and it is called such because of its ferocity, which rivals that of the shark monster known as the "sea killer."

Land Sharks, which wander in search of prey, can be found almost anywhere except in the cold northern regions.

They cause damage to travelers and livestock, making them the most common monsters that Crystal-level adventurers deal with.

The location of this mission was off the main road leading west from the capital.

While road security is the responsibility of the knights, the main roads connecting major cities are prioritized, and smaller side roads are often neglected.

However, if merchants and travelers are attacked during this neglect, the villages connected to these roads can dry up.

Therefore, as soon as Land Sharks are spotted, a hunting request is immediately issued by the Adventurer's Guild.

"Did you find them?"

Node called out from inside the carriage he had borrowed from the knights.

His partner was in the sky.

In the clear blue sky, a single shadow swam freely.

It was Neut, the young dragon, flying with its wings spread.

Under the summer sun, Neut's green scales were scorched, and it was circling in the sky, riding the wind.

Its golden, vertically slit eyes caught something moving in the distance.

It was something Neut had never seen before, with a shark-like appearance.

"Chirp!"

Neut let out a long chirp, a signal Node had taught it, and directed it downward.

After confirming that Node had heard the chirp, Neut flew in that direction, leading the way.

§

The combat power of individual Land Sharks is not particularly high.

Individually, they are among the weaker enemies that Crystal-level adventurers face.

However, when they form a pack and attack like sharks, they become a threat.

Without any weapons, merchants and travelers would be picked clean to the bone if they had no means to defend themselves.

Several Land Sharks leaped from the ground and attacked Node simultaneously.

Aim for the neck, hands, and legs – Node instantly grasped the trajectories of each and swung his sword.

A green flash cut through the air and sliced through the body of a Land Shark that had leaped into the air.

Before the two halves of the dead Land Shark hit the ground, Node sheathed his sword and swung it again.

Another Land Shark was reduced to a corpse.

Node had almost cleared the area of Land Sharks.

One remained.

Node sheathed his sword and looked at the last one.

The Land Shark, covered in earth-colored scales, showed signs of caution.

Its target was not Node.

– Whizz! Whizz!

Above the Land Shark, a green dragon flew freely in the sky.

It was flying in a figure-eight pattern above the Land Shark, maintaining a distance out of reach and looking for an opening.

The Land Shark, aware of this, moved its head to keep the dragon in its sight.

This made it vulnerable, and Node could have easily finished it off from the side, but he deliberately observed the situation.

To give Neut more hunting experience.

For a while, Neut and the Land Shark kept each other at bay.

Then,

The conclusion was dramatic.

Neut, which had been circling, suddenly changed its course.

This created a momentary opening for the Land Shark, which had become accustomed to the movement.

The speed of Neut's attack from above was fast.

The green dragon's strike, combining the speed from its circling and the added velocity from folding its wings, hit the Land Shark in that momentary opening.

The speed transformed into power upon impact. The sharp dragon claws pierced through the earth-colored scales and dug into the flesh.

Before the Land Shark could even cry out in pain, it was pinned to the ground, and Neut's jaws, lined with vicious saw-like teeth, tore into its vital spot.

After that, it was a repetition of the same.

After several encounters with packs of Land Sharks, Neut's fighting style became more refined.

By the time the Land Sharks were eliminated, Neut could hunt multiple Land Sharks on its own.

After the battle, it would still seek praise from Node with a playful gesture, a sign of its youth, but Neut had grown into a capable hunter.

The innate talent of a "dragon" as a hunter was beginning to bloom after six months of life.

Next, the conclusion of the long break.

I'd like to try keeping a "Dragon Observation Diary" too! I wonder if they sell dragon eggs at the egg department store?