Chapter 49: Hunting with Rajah.

[“That’s right. Stay still for [Stealth] to active and slow down your breathing so [Presence Killer] can be activated,”] I explained to Rajah through telepathy.

The young virigress didn’t answer, simply staying still as he continued lurking on the ground. Normally, I would think that he didn’t manage to understand me but prior to our current situation, I told him to not answer me if he understood me, otherwise, he should swing his tail to signal his confusion to me.

It was paramount that we stay still now for we are hunting monsters, or more specifically, Rajah was hunting. As we didn’t have a spare party bracelet, Rajah was excluded from our party’s experience sharing so to have him gain level I had to aid him while he hunted by himself.

Thankfully, it seems him already having [Stealth] and [Presence Killer] wasn’t for show as he showed his experience of having hunted before.

It seems his parents did well with teaching him. It was also possible that he gained his first level all by himself, having already killed his first prey.

…Somehow that makes me feel sad. Kinda like when something is right in front of you, and you really want it, but somebody just inconsiderately yoinks it away. That sorta annoyed sadness that also has a tint of jealously in it.

Oh well, whatever.

Morning has come and as I decided yesterday, I was taking Rajah out to hunt for some food today.

As Rajah was skulking in the bush, I hid in the tree above it. You see, not only am I quite tall now, but I also have very peculiar body features that would risk any potential prey from finding me.

You guessed it, it’s my bright crimson scales and hair.

Honestly, with my stealth skills on, they might not even notice that I was even there in the first place, perfectly evading the animal’s senses with the help of the System. I might not have done it ever since I was small, but my body still knew how to hide from prying eyes.

Staying in dragonewt form and retracting my wings would be enough for me to go ambushing, no problem.

I mean my bright red tail was hanging down the tree's branch like the lazy appendage that it is, but no one has noticed me yet. Insects have started creeping onto my motionless body, causing itchiness to spread everywhere.

It was like these things are seeing me as a part of the tree, and not as a very dangerous fire creating humanoid half-reptile.

However, it was better this way as it wouldn’t risk Rajah’s success chance. I was creeping on this tree, keeping a watch over him as he waited for something to ambush, to make sure that he was doing everything correctly and keeping him safe.

Anything that could endanger him will be quietly dispatched by the rare and sensational dropping dragonewt.

As we aren’t actively hunting and prowling around, it is taking quite long for us to find something. Hunting is all about having the patience to stand still and wait, but this was beginning to drag on. It can’t be helped that I was feeling a bit restless sitting on this branch, thinking that I was wasting precious time

Rajah is small and weak; having learned how to hunt from his parents he was only confident in this sole strategy, to lie in wait for his meal to come to him. It was safer to rely on something that you can trust when it comes to hunting animals in this dangerous forest, where one wrong encounter or event could end your life.

I’m not gonna criticize it, I had to do it in my first month of being reborn so I could fully sympathize, however, I’ve come to being accustomed to taking the lead and finding my meal. There was this disparity between us, but I didn't want to force my ideas onto him now, my better judgment told me to endure it and wait and see; facilitate his growth by gradually adapting your ideas and strategies to his strengths.

…Those were Saori’s words. She told me that a pet was different to a student but that I should give it a try.

Still, I could give him a nudge, right?

Activating my [Storage Magic] I plunged my hand into a random space around me and took out a Fragassa from my storage. These babies are the Peolynca variations of strawberries, only larger, sweeter, and less sour.

I absolutely adore them, and they are a perfect snack in between meals to keep my energy tank going. This fruit has a very special place in my heart as they were the first things that I’ve eaten after being reborn and they have stayed my favorite fruit ever since.

I’ve actually started picking off the seeds on them and storing them, intending to grow some Fragassa plants once we leave Belzac forest. I’ll be storing them in my storage but that should still count as a garden, right?

[“I’m dropping something, don’t be frightened,”] I said while surrounding the better version of strawberry in a capsule of air with [Aerokinesis] and dropped it, landing perfectly in front of the bush that Rajah was hiding in.

After that, silence returned, and we bided our time, fangs and claws ready for anything to come. Eventually, a wild [Mushroom Skorr] appeared, attracted by the scent of the sweet fragassa.

Mushroom Skorr

A four-legged monster that possesses an insatiable appetite for mushrooms. Through a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria, mushrooms can grow on top of the hard shell on its back. Any mushrooms eaten by this monster will be grown on its back, feeding the bacteria colony on its back. Rank F

It was honestly a weird mix between a mushroom colony and a wild boar, so much so that it reminded me that Peolynca’s wildlife wasn’t as simple as the one on Earth…and it already has some bizarre animal species.

The Skorr shared quite a few features with a normal Earth’s boar, which included its long tusks, bristly fur, flat snout, and that annoying shriek that it does when scared.

Major differences are that the Skorr had tusks as large and sharp as an elephant and that a hard shell was protecting its back. On the shell, I could see moss and mushroom freely growing which reminded me of sloths.

This animal species and its many variations were the primary sources of pork in this forest. They had the same size as a normal swine, so they gave plenty of meat and were delicious to boot!

Just looking at this thing made my mouth watery.

[“Aim for its neck. You must immediately immobilize it with your venom and avoid its hoofs and disease-infested back,”] I warned Rajah.

Most Skorrs have good immunity towards poison due to their sturdy stomachs as they needed it to consume fungi of any kind. As the bacteria on its back cultivated the mushrooms that it ate, some very nasty-looking ones could be protecting its back.

Although it's hard to kill with poison, venom, on the other hand, doesn't enter its body through its stomach. Having no way to eliminate and filter the venom coursing through its bloodstream, it'll probably die if Rajah can inject enough with his [Toxic Claws].

All he needed to do now was wait and execute.

You can do it, Rajah!

Approaching the fragassa with its drooling mouth, the Skorr began ravenously consuming the large strawberry once it thought that nobody was around.

Taking care not to frighten the boar, Rajah slowly crept forwards, advancing soundlessly and carefully. He was waiting, analyzing for the correct moment to pounce at the Skorr to deliver the fatal bite and strike in one go.

Failing would mean that he would leave himself open to a counterattack from the swine’s huge tusks. Even though they shared the same monster rank, Rajah was only five months old while the Skorr was stronger on paper due to its age and tusks that could gore a hole into my pet virigress.

Wrapping my tail around the branch, I anchored my body to it and began materializing my wind rifle. Holding on to it tightly, I aimed at the Skorr’s head, ready to pull the trigger if it came to it.

Like a flash, Rajah’s strong hind legs pushed his body towards the Skorr’s undefended neck. Pouncing on to it, the Skorr wasn’t able to recognize his attack until the young virigress’ sharp fangs and venomous claws pierced through its skin.

Squealing and flailing in shock and horror, the boar tried to shake the young feline off his body, but Rajah quickly dug his hind leg’s claws into the swine’s body, attaching himself to the boar to avoid being thrown off.

His quick thinking helped him avoid the Skorr’s rampaging hoofs as it mercilessly stomped the remains of the half-eaten fragassa.

Finally realizing that it couldn’t shake its hunter off, the boar decided to slam its body onto the ground, effectively crushing Rajah under its weight.

[“Jump off!”] noticing this, I commanded him to unhook himself from the boar.

“Mroew!” hearing it, the young virigress escaped the body slam in time.

Growling, he waited for the Skorr to stand up again, as it was impossible to attack the beast as it laid on the ground. The shell was protecting its back, giving Rajah zero openings to land a successful bite.

However, much to our surprise the Skorr had trouble picking himself up from that fall. His legs were trying to push him up, but it seems like he didn't have the strength to do so, a consequence of the rampaging venom in his body sapping everything away from him.

Realizing that he’s already won, the young virigress began sauntering towards his fallen prey.

[“Stop!”] I shouted to him.

Visibly shocked from my outburst, the feline stopped and growled confusedly.

Prompted to answer, I said, [“It only has [Poisoned (Minor)]. Don’t approach your enemy when he isn’t dead yet. You haven’t gotten the level up, correct? Then just take it slow and patiently wait for it to perish. We waited for a whole day so a bit longer shouldn’t hurt.”]

He defiantly tried to continue approaching the Skorr, despite my warnings. Annoyed by his behavior I consequently ordered my parallel minds to attack him mentally, to reprimand him of his behavior.

He squawked in pain and hissed at me. Having him angry at me was better than risking his safety due to his arrogance. Maybe it was a bit extreme using a mental attack, but it beats actually shouting.

Reluctantly obeying me, Rajah stood still and waited until he leveled up to level two from the boar’s death. At that point, he quickly approached the Skorr’s corpse to feast on it, but I jumped down the branch in a hurry to stop him.

“Mreowwwww!” he aggressively snarled at me, baring his teeth to threaten me away from what was his.

What a feisty little guy, I said to myself.

[“Don’t be like that, Rajah,”] I tried to soothe him. [“I’m only trying to get rid of the poisonous mushrooms and the moss.”]

However, contrary to my expectations, he stayed defensive and blocked my path with angry hissing and meowing. He was even swiping his paws at me like an angry cat whenever I tried reaching my hand towards the corpse to disinfect it from bacteria and poison.

Fed up with the situation, I cast [Terra Wall] to launch the body up in the air. As Rajah watched his hunting prize getting thrown away, I used [Air Walk] to jump and catch the Skorr’s body.

I used [Cure] and [Purify] on it. Using my newly learned magical knowledge, I made sure to tell the spells to get rid of all bacteria, toxins, and other harmful substances.

Rid this beast’s body from any poisons and neutralize any toxic sources, Cure.

Purify the impure bacteria and viruses that are using this body as a housing, Purify.

Simply cooking meat over a hot flame was usually enough to kill off any biological hazards in my meat, and I rarely ever had to eat poisonous meat nor was I afraid of eating them with [Cure] and [Abnormal Status Nullification].

However, now that I finally realized that I could disinfect my food with a [Cure] and [Purify], I decided it was worth it to make sure that we stayed hygienic and safe. Never know when we accidentally eat a maggot, right?

I quickly peeled off the shell and stored it in my storage. As I landed, I threw the body to Rajah who thanked me with a defiant hiss. He might be cute, but I shouldn’t forget that he is considered a wild animal…

Saori might be right…sigh.

Voraciously biting and eating to his heart’s content, I simply watched. As time pass by, Saori and Tasianna returned.

“Hey, Hestia, you doing well?” Saori asked me in one of Peolynca’s languages, Common tongue.

“No, no, Miss Saori. You have to say ‘Cintriily Hestia, sa jou ilks klatfis?’ (Princess Hestia, how are you fairing?). What you said was grammatically not correct,” Tasianna told Saori as she corrected her speaking mistakes as she sat on her shoulder.

“Oh, ahem, Cintriily Hestia…,” Saori was about to say that sentence but I immediately stopped her.

“Oi, ‘Cintriily Hestia’ means ‘Princess Hestia’! Tricking no good, Tasianna,” I complained to Tasianna, having my own difficulty with the language.

Giggling, Tasianna began praising me, [“I apologize for my rudeness, Miss Saori. I was simply testing you if you could see through it, however, it seems our hard-working Princess is more adept with Common tongue.”]

[“Urgh…I am doing my best. Learning a new language takes time…] Saori mildly grumbled.

As it was for every new language, learning it was far more effective if you used it in your daily life instead of only doing it theoretically. Saori and I understood this fact, so we decided to use what meager vocabulary we have already learned to practice a bit, slowly getting used to the pronunciation and accent.

It was still impossible for us to participate in a deep conversation with it, but we were able to greet others, begin some small talks, and ask for directions. Slow progression is good.

[“To you question, Rajah finally hunted his first Skorr as you can see him feasting on it,”] I answered their question. [“How did it fair with you guys?”]

Acting as an answer, Saori slowly took out eleven different Skorr variations from her storage and gave them to me to dismantle. In the time that it took Rajah to hunt one single Skorr with my help, Saori and Tasianna hunted down eleven without breaking a sweat.

As they hunted the boars, I would dismantle them. They hunted around the area and in the limited range of the experience sharing function, so I was able to gain some of the experience, although it was little more than peanuts for us three.

As I disinfected and dismantled the Skorrs, Saori transformed back into her Cadejo form and began working out. Rajah didn’t bat an eye.

[“Are you training your abilities again?”] I asked.

After using one of her abilities, [Shadow Descent], she answered, [“I’m trying to incorporate my [Unarmed Technique] abilities in my normal form when we need to fight against something seriously. Using them in my wolfkin form is no problem but I still am not sure how to use [Just Blink] and [Shadow Descent] in a wolf’s body.”]

Tasianna not only taught us a language and magic theory, but she also introduced us to learning weapon abilities. Saori, possessing the skill [Unarmed Technique], was able to learn two unarmed abilities and through their usage was able to learn [Unarmed Mastery].

Through some creative thinking, she figured out that she could integrate her [Shadow Armament] unique skill to create new abilities to suit her own fighting style. Supposedly, people would be taught common weapon abilities first but as Tasianna didn’t know any, Saori had to create her own.

[“That’s good to hear. I’m kinda sad that I’m not showing any progress in that front…”] I said dejectedly.

[“Don’t give up hope, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna comforted me. [“You possess the unique skill [Spark Fire Dragon] that grants you powerful, almost rare, abilities. With some practice, I am sure that you will be able to create a magnificent variety of abilities.”]

Tasianna has finally decided to address me as “Lady Hestia”. It wasn’t as stuck up like “Princess Hestia” and it was formal enough that Tasianna was happy about it. She also experimented with “Young Lady Hestia” and “Young Mistress Hestia” but she found that it sounded a bit too formal.

How she thought those two were “too formal” while addressing me as a princess wasn’t, was beyond my understanding and I wasn’t willing to pry any further.

Anyways, back to the topic of abilities. As Saori learned her first two abilities, I also participated in the training. Thinking of a choreography and a cool name, I repeated the move a hundred times, but it was denied by the System.

Not only did it not accept any of my ideas, but it also called it redundant. The skill wasn’t registered by the System. All four of my ability ideas were denied.

They were cool names too, like ‘Rampaging Tail Swipe’ and ‘Tail Lance of Heavens’. My Mama would be proud if she heard them~

[“Oh, that’s right,”] Saori stopped working out, having realized something. [“We actually found signs of a marshland nearby.”]

[“A marshland?”] I asked.

[“It was a small body of water, and I initially believe it be a pond, but as I followed it, I noticed that it continued on without an end.”] Saori said.

[“Couldn’t it just be a river?”] I responded.

[“I do not believe so, Lady Hestia. The water movement was minimal, and it was quite shallow. It seemed more like the start of a swamp or a marshland,”] Tasianna explained.

Hmm, that sounds pretty interesting. We could find new monsters there! But…

[“…Frogs and toads love those sorts of places, right? The ugliest and most disgusting ones are usually found there!”] I said, remembering something I saw on an animal show.

[“Unfortunately, it seems it is in our way towards the elves. We must go through it otherwise we must take a large detour,”] Saori informed me of my options.

Urgh, whyyyyyyyy…

On one hand, I wanted to make as much progress towards the north as possible, but I can’t stand the idea of random toads and frogs jumping out of the muck and attacking us. The horror of that thought was enough to send a shiver down my spine.

I admit, if that were to happen then I would turn into a useless, wimping kid. I would be useless as a fighter in that situation. Urgh, I could hide inside a blanket for days after showing Saori and Tasianna my embarrassing phobia for frogs.

[“Will you be alright with it, Hestia?”] Saori asked worriedly. [“I will make sure to avoid those sorts of encounter if you agree to come. However, we can also go around it if you are not willing to.”]

[“Your safety is our duty, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna said. [“I have practiced, and I will make sure to block any threats!”]

Your ice is see-through Tasianna. It will be even creepier in that case, I said to myself as a counterargument to that statement.

Still…they are being so selfless about it…even offering to accommodate me…urgh.

[“I-I’m ok with it,”] I reluctantly said. ["L-Let's directly go through the north. Even if it's an amphibian infested zone."]

[“Good, thank you, Hestia. That’s very selfless of you,”] Saori said with a smile, stroking my hair in thanks.

[“I will be your shield, Lady Hestia! I will not leave your side!”] Tasianna said energetically.

“Mreow,” Rajah said once he was finished eating. He returned back to his more approachable self now that his stomach was full.

Gosh, I will discipline you well, you naughty kitty, I know cats are assholes, but I really thought Rajah was different. He was perfectly fine being cuddled but his aggressive behavior today must be stomped if I wanted him to travel with us.

His feral nature has to be toned down, which means teaching him like a proper pet owner.

[“Rajah, I understand that you have to be defensive around your food but don’t forget that we three aren’t here to hurt you, ok? You do understand, right?”] I said while sounding as authoritative as possible.

“Mreow,” Rajah laid himself on the ground and showed his stomach to me, displaying his submissiveness.

Scratching his belly, I praised him, [“Good boy!”]

“The girl is too soft…” I also faintly heard Saori criticize my pet handling…

After dismantling the rest of the Skorrs, our party began moving towards the north. It took us four days to finally reach the end of the lake, the main hub was a long streaming river surrounded by marshlands and swamps.

The sight of this massive body of water was entirely different compared to the lush green trees and vegetation of the Belzac forest. This place looked more like a rainforest. Water was everywhere and it even flooded the roots of some trees and shrubs.

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It was an amazing change of scenery and I welcomed it happily.

As we wandered along the swamp bank, Saori made sure to keep an ear and eye out for any frog ambushes, stating “if I kill something without telling you then just presume it to be a frog or toad” and then shot out a large spear-like [Dark Bolt] into the depths of the swamps.

As blood slowly flowed up, I unconsciously shivered.

Don’t think about it. Just imagine it away as you wander through this beautiful natural scene, ♫ I sang to myself to keep my mind off the source of the experience that flowed into me.

“Mreow?” suddenly, Rajah stood still.

“Hmm?” Saori, having killed whatever horror was in the depths also stood still, noticing something.

All of a sudden, Rajah began running off without my consent.

[“Oi, Rajah come back…and there he goes. Urgh, and I was doing such a good job disciplining him and now he just runs off without telling us anything? What the hell?”] I complained in rapid succession.

However, Saori placed a hand on me in her wolfkin form and said, [“It is ok; however, I think we should follow him immediately. I think I just heard something interesting.”]

Interesting?

Shrugging my shoulders, our whole party began running after Rajah and towards whatever intrigued Saori.

Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Synergist’s Oath Lv. 3] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 2] [Probability Correction Lv. 5] [Tracking Lv. 3] [Air Walk Lv. 2] [Holy Resistance Lv. 6] [Wind Resistance Lv. 3] [Identify Blocker Lv. 3] [Toxic Secretion Lv. 2] [Woodworking Lv. 2] gained

Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Lava Resistance Lv. 1] acquired

Saori's Status Board Update

Profile:

Name: Saori Segawa

Level: 3

Race: Young Shadowstalker Cadejo

Age: 2 Months

Status:

Health: 4385/4385(+503) Mana: 1578/1578(+300) Strength: 2654(+296) Intelligence: 950(+98) Vitality: 1750 (+158) Wisdom: 1938 (+196) Agility: 3575 (+346) Stamina: 2862/2862(+453) Effects: None Skill Points: 0 (-50) (1450 SP spent) Unique Skill: [Shadow Armament Lv. 2] (+1)

Skill: Magic skills and related

[Mana Efficiency Lv. 2] (+1)

[Arcane Mind Lv. 4]

[Mana Control Lv. 6] (+1)

[Dark Magic Lv. 7] (+2)

[Dark Amp] (New)

[Space-Time Magic Lv. 3]

[Space-Time Efficiency]

[Chant Revocation Lv. 10] (+1)

[Mental Stability Lv. 3] (+1)

[Mental Warfare Lv. 3] (+1)

[Silent Casting Lv. 4] (+2)

Physical skills and related

[Unarmed Technique Lv. 3] (+2)

[Unarmed Mastery Lv. 1] (New)

[Sundering Enhancement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Crushing Enhancement Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Claws Lv. 9] (+1)

[Enhanced Fangs Lv. 7]

Senses and movement skills

[Primal Senses]

[Stealth Lv. 9] (+1)

[Prediction Lv. 6] (+1)

[Concentration Lv. 2] (+1)

[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 8] (+2)

[Danger Perception Lv. 4] (+1)

[Tracking Lv. 4] (+2)

[Heat Vision Lv. 1] (New)

[Night Vision Lv. 6] (+1)

[Presence Killer Lv. 7]

[Evasion Lv. 6] (+1)

[Acrobatic Lv. 8] (+3)

[Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 5] (+1)

Resistances

[Physical Super-Resistance Lv. 1]

[Absolute Pain Tolerance]

[Bleed Resistance Lv. 2] (+1)

[Poison Resistance Lv. 4] (+3)

[Paralyze Resistance Lv. 10]

[Torpor Resistance Lv. 3] (+2)

[Arcane Corruption Resistance Lv. 10] (+2)

[Ice Resistance Lv. 1] (New)

[Holy Resistance Lv. 2] (New)

[Fire Resistance Lv. 3] (+2)

[Earth Resistance Lv. 5] (+1)

[Water Resistance Lv. 2] (New)

[Wind Resistance Lv. 3] (+2)

[Dark Resistance Lv. 4] (+1)

Stat growths and related

[Health Recovery Lv. 4]

[Mana Recovery Lv. 3]

[Stamina Recovery Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv.´4]

[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 2]

[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 4] (+2)

[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 4]

[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 5]

[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 4]

Other

[Dancing Lv. 1] (New)

[Identify Blocker Lv. 3] (+1)

[Identify Lv. 7] (+3)

[Terror Aura Lv. 4]

[Bloodlust Lv. 1]

[Battle Mind Lv. 2] (+1)

[Lifetaker Lv. 2] (+1)

[Mana Weave Lv. 6] (+1)

[Sewing Lv. 5] (+1)

[Royal Etiquette Lv. 2]

[Cooking Lv. 7] (+1)

[Dismantle Lv. 3] (+1)

[Humanize Lv. 6] [Telepathy]

Ability List: Unarmed techniques

[Just Blink]

[Shadow Descent]

Spell List: Dark spells

[Dark Bolt]

[Dark Tendrils]

[Shadow Dash]

[Dark Slash]

[Shadow Clones]

[Shadow Snake]

Space-Time spells

[Haste]

[Storage Magic]

Titles:

[Belzac’s Successor] [Otherworldly Reincarnator] [Hestia’s Retainer]

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