Chapter 13

The departure was scheduled for the next morning.

The travel outfit I bought yesterday isn't the best, but for me, who had only worn old clothes, it was my first proper set of clothes. The thin leather boots cushioned the uneven ground and didn't get caught on thorns in the bushes. The densely woven clothes, similar to denim, allowed me to move without worrying about branches. The comfort was also great, a far cry from the thin shoes and undergarments I used to wear. Just wearing them made me happy.

We would depart through the northern gate. A small child was leaving, but no one stopped me.

With high spirits, I began to walk. This was my first expedition. Although it wasn't a journey that would take days to return from, it was still a long distance. Unlike usual hunts, which were done on the way back from a short distance, this was a trip for gathering. I hoped something would change on this expedition, which is why I accepted it. I wanted to change my stagnant life somehow.

For a while, the fields stretched out. At this time of year, after the harvest, nothing was planted. About a month ago, golden ears of wheat swayed in the wind. It was probably wheat that was planted.

However, it was a 150km journey. How long would it take to walk? If an adult walks 4km per hour, it would take 37.5 hours without a break. With my young body, it would take even longer, possibly more than double. Moreover, I would be walking through the forest, not on a road. I would need rest. Should I prepare for a journey of more than a week?

Just as I thought this, I realized something. If I flew, the terrain wouldn't matter. Flying at full speed, I could be faster than an adult running. Realizing this, I immediately leaped into the sky and began flying north.

I made a slight mistake. Flying was good, but I wasn't hiding. As a result, I was targeted by a large bird.

At first, it looked like a black dot in the distance. But as it grew larger, I realized it was a bird with wide wings.

"Screech! Screech!"

In the next moment, it dove at my stomach. I barely managed to block its beak.

"Whoa, that was close..."

I panicked and held onto the beak. I immediately used telekinesis to throw it far away. The large bird, its flapping stopped, fell to the ground.

It was big. Its wingspan was probably about two meters. It had a brown body, a sharp black beak, and large, powerful claws. I should probably hide while flying. Just as I thought this, something appeared at the edge of my vision. I realized something was approaching from below. It was the same bird from before.

I quickly increased my speed to almost full. Then, I turned invisible. The bird, surprised by my disappearance, flew around for a while before heading back to where it had been.

I let out a sigh of relief. I could have killed it, but I wasn't hungry. It would be a waste to leave it behind. After turning invisible, I wasn't attacked by any more raptors. I was once again reminded of the versatility of the invisibility spell.

After about three hours, I seemed to have reached Mount Kozu. I judged this by comparing the surrounding mountains with the map I received from the shop owner. It was probably close to noon. I decided to have a meal and rummaged through my bag. Inside was some dried meat, similar to soft beef jerky. I started to chew on it, but it was tough. I wanted some water.

When I went down to the river, it was just as I had heard—various stones were flowing. I cupped the water in my hands. It didn't seem murky, and it didn't have a strange smell when I brought it close to my nose. Just to be safe, I filtered it. I used magic to create a cylindrical container and filled it with stones of various sizes. I poured the water over it and drank the water that came out from the bottom. I also decided to boil it. I created a stone container and heated it from below. A little boiling would be enough.

It was a kind of placebo, but it made me feel better. The water tasted good and had no strange flavor. Magic is convenient.

With my stomach settled, I began my exploration. The goal this time was raw jade. As I could see, large stones were lined up at the bottom of the river. The paper I received from the shop owner had a picture of the target stone.

It was a whiteish stone that was hard to break but soft, and it would shine when polished. It was something like that. I should have asked to see a sample, as I wasn't sure if it was in the store.

Even looking at them, there were several candidates. However, it was hard to tell. Stones generally look the same except for their color. Moreover, some had white streaks or vague web-like patterns, and I wasn't sure if they met the criteria.

This was my first time. It was inevitable to make mistakes. I scolded myself and started putting what seemed to be the right stones into my bag. The bag quickly filled up. It was heavy. The bag, about the size of my torso, probably weighed around 10kg. I couldn't carry it with my hands anymore. I used telekinesis to place it by the river and took a short break.

The sound of water flowing echoed. The water was abundant, and in the deeper parts, it reached my waist. There were fish. They didn't seem to be scared and didn't flee much when I approached and disturbed the water. This place could be a good fishing spot for a while. However, there was no need to come this far just for that.

The rustling of the trees and the chirping of small birds could be heard. I still had to fly for about three more hours, carrying the heavy stones. I decided to take a short break. Thinking about it, I looked for a place to take a nap in the trees, as usual. The forest was always calming.

After sleeping for about 15 minutes, I stretched and thought it was time to head back. There was nothing else to do. I would return, exchange the stones for money, and call it a day. I looked around, my hair fluttering in the cool breeze. I couldn't stop yawning.

That's when I noticed something was off.

There were no fish. The birds had stopped singing.

For a moment, I thought it might be the time of day, but it was unlikely for this time in the afternoon, even if it were night. I had a bad feeling.

Instinctively, I spread my magic around. I sensed something in the water, especially in the deeper parts. I couldn't make out its shape. My magic seemed to dissolve and disappear.

"!"

I immediately tried to retreat to the sky. Or, I tried to.

A long tail attacked me. I used telekinesis to create a barrier. However, the barrier was torn like paper. It was a monster.

I managed to defend myself with my arms, but the impact was too strong. I was knocked down and landed with a thud in the mud by the river.

"Ouch!"

I was momentarily breathless. My arm was numb, and my back, where I landed, was in terrible pain, making it hard to stand. Stars danced in front of my eyes.

"Ah, come on!"

Just as I was about to leave, this happened! Looking towards the river, I met the eyes of a snake. The attack had stripped away my invisibility spell, allowing it to see me.

This must be the giant snake I had heard about. Its head was about a meter high, and its large yellow eyes were glaring at me. It was probably sniffing the air with its tongue, trying to determine if I was edible.

It decided I was edible. The giant snake opened its large mouth and lunged at me, trying to swallow me whole.

I rolled to avoid it. I couldn't be eaten yet.

It glared at me. It didn't like that its prey had escaped. I was still a bit unsteady, but I managed to stand up and catch my breath.

The fact that my magic was dissolved and my invisibility spell was stripped away meant this was a monster that could handle ki. It wouldn't be affected by weak magic. It wouldn't use magic, but its strength was a problem.

Magic wouldn't work on this thing. It wasn't that it didn't work, but using too much magic would leave me exhausted and unable to return home today. So, I wrapped myself in ki. I felt a surge of power, and the pain in my back disappeared.

Seeing me wrapped in ki, the giant snake hesitated for a moment. But it quickly recovered and lunged at me again.

I jumped to the side and punched its side.

A dull thud echoed, and the snake was sent flying. It crashed into a rock ahead.

After a few convulsions, it tried to attack me again, bending its neck.

I wouldn't let that happen.

I focused ki in my legs and jumped right in front of its head. The snake froze, unable to react. I didn't miss this opportunity.

I kicked the ground and launched a kick at its jaw. The snake's head snapped back, and the powerful muscles rippled, transmitting the force to my leg.

I put all my strength into my right arm and punched the snake's belly. The punch easily penetrated the hard skin, thanks to the ki.

"Roar!"

A scream-like noise echoed. My arm was covered in blood. The snake's head swung down, trying to crush me, but it lacked the force it had used to knock me down.

I dodged to the side, and a moment later, its head hit the ground with a thud, shaking the air around it.

I kept my distance to avoid being caught in the snake's thrashing. It was thrashing around, uprooting trees and turning the river red with blood from its small but bleeding wound.

I decided to finish it off. It had come to eat me, to kill me. I should kill it. But I had almost no means to deal a fatal blow.

I couldn't decapitate it as usual because magic didn't work. I might be able to use a lot of magic to penetrate it, but that would leave me drained and unable to return home today.

Opening a hole in its body, as I did earlier, wouldn't be fatal unless done multiple times. It would eventually die, but it was troublesome and dangerous. I would only do it as a last resort.

Infusing a dagger with ki was the same. The small blade, suitable for dissecting small animals, would only create a small wound.

Then I had an idea. I suppressed my ki and flew into the sky, spreading my magic again.

The magic was dissolved, and the spells were canceled, but objects weren't. I used telekinesis to lift a log that the snake had broken. It was quite heavy, and thanks to the snake, I had plenty of ammunition.

"Roar!"

I aimed at the thrashing snake's head and launched several logs. The magic was canceled, but the momentum wasn't.

A dull thud echoed as the logs embedded themselves in the snake's neck. After three hits, the snake stopped moving, except for its tail, which was still twitching.

Was it dead?

I used a wind blade to cut off its tail, which was easily severed. It no longer seemed to be infused with ki.

I was tired.

My whole body ached. I had bruises on my arms, and I probably had them on my back too.

I treated the minor scrapes on the spot. I wouldn't use ki for the rest of the day.

Looking behind me, I saw the giant snake's corpse.

According to the shop owner, the fangs, skin, and a water-storing sac inside the body could be sold. I would start with those.

It was extra work, but it would earn me money, and it was an experience.

I used magic to dissect the body. I didn't know the proper way to do it, and the stone shop owner had only said to "cut it out roughly."

Inside the gills, connected to the mouth, was a rubber-like sac. It was impermeable and stretchy, useful for various purposes.

I broke off the fangs at the base. Some meat was attached, but that was fine.

The skin... I gave up. I didn't want to cut out just a part, and I didn't know how to carry a 10-meter-long piece. Besides, it was too much trouble to cut out.

After dissecting, I had another problem. What to do with the rest of the corpse.

The shop owner had said the snake's meat was edible.

I had killed the giant snake that had come to eat me. I thought it was polite to eat it, and I was curious about the taste. But I couldn't finish such a large amount.

I decided to cut off some of the tail meat and try to cook it. But it was no good.

The problem was that I couldn't bite through it.

My teeth could penetrate, but the flexible muscle fibers wouldn't tear, making it impossible to break it down in my mouth.

The flavor that seeped out was quite good, but it was impossible to eat.

It seemed non-toxic and edible, but I needed a stronger jaw. It was a different story. I would complain to the shop owner later. Food grudges are scary.

In the end, I used magic to cut the meat into small pieces and swallowed them.

I couldn't eat it, and the problem wasn't solved. What should I do?

Thinking about it, I looked at the remaining snake corpse and was surprised.

The hawk that had attacked me in the morning was pecking at the snake's body.

I see, they would eat the rest. I hoped so.

Nature is amazing. Even though I couldn't eat it.