Chapter 10

The city of Tria, the second largest in the Naglas Kingdom, is a port town.

The eastern side borders the sea, and it has developed as a hub for coastal trade.

To the south lies the Kossus Forest, which brings many blessings, while the north and west are expansive, lush grasslands.

If you venture further west, you will eventually reach the barren wilderness, and beyond that, the Canobis Mountains, the largest mountain range on the continent, stand majestically.

In the depths of the wilderness and the forest, extremely dangerous monsters dwell, making the land perilous not only for ordinary people but also for mercenaries.

Every month, the lives of overconfident mercenaries are lost there.

Especially the Canobis Mountains, which only the most skilled mercenaries dare to enter, are a death trap.

Even the most dangerous monsters in the grasslands around Tria cannot compare to the weakest monsters in the Canobis Mountains.

Of course, for new mercenaries, the monsters that appear in Tria's grasslands are formidable opponents, to say the least.

In particular, new mercenaries who encounter the "Despair" named "Despair" can only curse their misfortune.

Despair is the apex predator in the grassland food chain.

With an average height of 1.5 meters, its body is covered in green scales, resembling a bipedal reptile.

It maintains balance with its front legs and thick tail, and moves swiftly across the grassland to catch prey with its stout hind legs.

Two abnormally long horns protrude from its head, but they are directed backward and are not used for attacks.

Despair's weapons are the powerful fangs densely lined in its jaw, the sharp claws that can easily tear through leather armor, and its excellent agility, which allows for rapid attacks. It also has sturdy scales that can deflect weak attacks.

Usually, it preys on herbivores in the grasslands to satisfy its hunger, but it occasionally attacks humans.

For new mercenaries, encountering Despair is undoubtedly the worst scenario, and once they do, they must be prepared to die.

"Konia! How's Ralph's wound!?"

While facing the Despair of the grasslands, a young man with ash-blonde hair raised his sword and shield and shouted.

"It's bad, Gresh! We're out of medicine!"

A small girl, tending to the wounded axeman who had lost consciousness from blood loss, cried out in a voice like a scream.

"Damn!"

The young man called Gresh gritted his teeth at the girl's response.

About two hours' walk from Tria, in the middle of the grassland away from the road, Gresh and his companions found themselves in a dire situation.

Gresh and his three companions were childhood friends from the same village.

Driven by the typical young man's desire for the city, they had left their village three months ago.

Without any particular skills, funds, or connections, the only way for them to survive was to become mercenaries and earn a daily wage.

They bought weapons with the money they received as a farewell gift when they left the village and initially took on jobs such as supporting experienced mercenaries, carrying luggage, and doing odd jobs in the city.

After gaining some combat experience and acquiring satisfactory armor, they gradually began hunting in the grasslands on their own.

However, they were not reckless.

They listened to the advice of senior mercenaries, exercised caution when it was unnecessary to take risks, and knew when to retreat if the situation was unfavorable.

They avoided dangerous beasts and monsters like the "Beast King" and "Green Knife" in the relatively safe grasslands and focused on hunting the easier "Snatch."

The Snatch is a type of weasel, about a meter long.

It is a carnivorous beast with a fierce temperament, but it is not a particularly fearsome opponent for a skilled mercenary.

The cartilage called "tail stone" that can be harvested from the tip of its tail sells for a high price, making it an ideal target for new mercenaries.

By midday, Gresh and his companions had already hunted eight Snatches after leaving Tria early in the morning.

The pelts, which also sell for a high price, made their progress of eight by midday a good pace.

Their encounter with Despair happened when they were in high spirits after a rare stroke of luck and decided to have an early lunch.

For a few minutes, their guard was lowered while preparing lunch.

That small mistake put Gresh and his companions on the brink of death.

When Konia, the member with the sharpest eyes, noticed the shadow approaching from the horizon and recognized it as the monster named Despair, the four of them were immediately in grave danger.

Although not as fast as the Beast King, Despair's agility is not low.

By the time Konia spotted it, it was already too close to escape.

Gresh and his companions had no choice but to face it, but they knew they could not win in a fair fight.

They tried to minimize casualties and find a way to escape, but they ended up with injured members despite their efforts.

"Zio! Take Ralph and Konia and fall back!"

"What about Gresh!?"

The long-haired young man standing next to Gresh, sword in hand, asked without taking his eyes off Despair.

"I'll buy as much time as I can here!"

"Don't be stupid! Can we leave you behind!?"

"But if we stay here...!"

They would all die. Gresh swallowed the rest of his words.

"We just need to take this thing down!"

"Stop it, Zio!"

The swordsman called Zio circled around Despair and swung his sword to sever its neck.

However, his sword was blocked by Despair's long horns.

His attempt to cut off the horns was easily deflected, and Despair's tail struck Zio.

The tail, coming from a blind spot, hit Zio's unprotected side and sent him flying sideways.

"Zio!"

Konia's scream echoed.

"Damn!"

With Zio now injured along with Ralph, they could no longer retreat with the injured.

"Konia! You run, at least you!"

"No way! I can't do that!"

Despair, facing Gresh, lowered its head and prepared to attack.

"Shaaaaa!"

A threatening growl was emitted from its mouth, revealing sharp fangs.

In the next moment, Despair's hind legs pushed off the ground, and its massive body lunged at Gresh.

"Ugh!"

Gresh quickly used his small shield on his left arm to strike Despair's side, avoiding its fangs.

But there was no time to catch his breath before the next attack came.

Despair's front leg, equipped with sharp claws, was raised.

Gresh's left arm, which he had used to block the fangs, was still in position, and his stance was off balance.

(Not good!)

Gresh braced for death.

"Gresh!"

Konia's scream rang in Gresh's ears.

At that moment, the front leg that was about to strike Gresh suddenly disappeared.

"Geaaaaa!"

A cry of pain escaped Despair's mouth.

Gresh's eyes, unable to understand what had happened, caught sight of Despair's front leg flying through the air.

The severed end, where the leg should have been, was cleanly cut, and a large amount of blood was gushing out.

"Huh?"

"Shaaaaa!"

Before Gresh, who was still confused, could react, Despair's jaw was about to attack again—when its neck suddenly fell off.

With a thud, the head hit the ground, followed by Despair's massive body collapsing.

Gresh, who had narrowly escaped the fate of despair, saw a short sword, its blade drenched in Despair's blood, floating in the air.

2017/02/08 Correction: Avoid dangerous monsters → Avoid dangerous beasts and monsters

2019/07/16 Typo correction: Attempt to sever the neck → Attempt to cut the neck

2019/07/16 Typo correction: Capture the front leg → Catch the front leg

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2019/08/11 Correction: Gush → Spray

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