"Ouch, ouch, ouch."
It was late at night when Gordon, clutching his arm, sat up.
It was impossible not to be surprised when he found himself lying safely on a bed in the Hunter Camp, his right arm even splinted with wood, when he should have died in the fierce battle with the Great Wild Boar King.
Frowning and recalling for a moment, the strange horn sound he heard before losing consciousness made him vaguely understand something.
"Meow! You're awake, meow? Are you alright? That's great, meow!"
Just then, a furry face with a pair of adorable big eyes squeezed into his line of sight.
Gordon, startled, blurted out, "A-Airou?"
"How rude, meow! If it weren't for our timely rescue, you would have been trampled into a pancake by that big fat pig, meow!" Facing Gordon's surprise, the owner of the face seemed a bit displeased.
"Ah, I'm very sorry, oh no, I should say thank you very much for your timely help!" After his surprise, Gordon immediately sat up straight and formally thanked the little guys gathered by the bed.
What they said was true; being incapacitated in front of the Great Wild Boar King meant certain death.
Airou, also known as Ailu Cat, belongs to the Beastmen race, similar to the Qimian Tribe.
Compared to the cruel and unruly Qimian Tribe, the gentle and hardworking Airou have a very close relationship with humans.
These little guys, over half a meter tall when standing, walk on two feet like humans, have very flexible hands, and can use various tools, and even weapons.
They produce and live alongside humans, and their figures can often be seen in human settlements, even in remote places like Kokoto Village.
However, judging by their clothing and the cleanliness of their fur, these Airou who saved his life were likely not those who permanently lived in human villages and towns.
Instead, they were a tribe living in the wild.
"That's more like it, meow!"
Seemingly very satisfied with Gordon's sincere attitude of gratitude, a larger Ailu Cat, who appeared to be the leader, folded its paws and nodded contentedly.
Then it extended its small paw towards Gordon.
"According to the agreement with the Hunter's Guild, meow, an Airou who rescues a hunter in the Hunting Field has the right to collect one-third of the mission reward from the hunter, meow!"
Looking at the small paw in front of him, Gordon recalled that his instructor seemed to have mentioned this to him.
Airou are small and agile, able to climb trees and burrow into holes, making it very difficult for monsters to truly harm them. Considering the Airou's natural affinity for humans, the Hunter's Guild negotiated with the Airou tribe.
They would help hunters in crisis in the wild, in exchange for a portion of the hunter's reward.
Naturally, all hunters eagerly supported this.
Although whether one would have the chance to be saved by an Airou was purely a matter of luck, even just the possibility was a great thing.
When it came to their lives, no one would be stingy with money, and Gordon was no exception.
But...
Looking at his carefully bandaged wounds, he felt very awkward.
Since he had taken an assessment mission, the reward was only a symbolic 300z, and one-third of that was 100z. A lavish meal at a restaurant would cost about 100z.
In other words, he bought his life for the price of one meal.
After showing his mission receipt to the Ailu Catleader, the latter's expression visibly stiffened, and its normally upright triangular little ears drooped.
It sighed with an old-fashioned air: "Bad luck, meow, but rules are rules, Hunter-san only needs to pay 100z, meow."
Gordon awkwardly handed over the coins. Even though he was the one benefiting, he still felt very bad.
"Payment received, meow, Hunter-san, please rest well, meow." The Airou leader put away the money and prepared to leave with its dejected tribesmen.
"Ah, excuse me, please wait!"
Gordon suddenly remembered something and called out to the Ailu Cats who were about to leave. Then he quickly went to the storage box and started rummaging through it.
Inside were various materials he had collected along the way during the past two days of hunting.
Ores, herbs, Mushrooms, bone materials, insect materials... everything was there.
This was a habit most hunters had, partly to accumulate materials needed for equipment and tools, and partly to earn some extra money.
A moment later, Gordon took out a few seemingly ordinary fresh branches, and the Airou's eyes instantly lit up when they saw what was in his hand.
"Meow! Matatabi!"
"It's Matatabi, meow!"
This plant, which is just a common medicinal herb to humans, is an extremely precious luxury in the eyes of Ailu Cats, much like fine wine to an alcoholic.
Handing the Matatabi to the Airou, Gordon scratched the back of his head and said, "Although it can't be considered payment, it's just a small token of my gratitude.
My name is Gordon. Even though I'm just a humble Trainee Hunter, if you ever need help, come find me in Kokoto Village. I'll do my best."
The Airou leader excitedly patted Gordon's thigh with its small paw and loudly declared, "Hunter-san, you are a great person, meow! My name is Niu Pa, meow! If there's a chance in the future, you're welcome to visit us, meow!"
Gordon also bent down, shook Niu Pa's paw, and said with a smile, "It's a deal then."
The two sides said goodbye again, and the Airou left, hopping and skipping with their Matatabi, and the Hunter Camp became quiet once more.
Returning to the bed in the tent and sitting down, Gordon slowly exhaled.
First, he took out the only three bottles of recovery medicine from his satchel, drank them all in one gulp, coughed hard a few times to clear the clotted blood from his windpipe, and then sat quietly for a while. His previously severe pain in his right arm and internal organs immediately felt much better.
This did not mean that his injuries had fully recovered.
Three bottles of the most basic recovery medicinewere not enough to heal all his injuries, including the bone fracture in his right arm, and it would also take some time for the full effects of these medicines to kick in.
Now, he faced a choice once again.
Due to the appearance of the Great Wild Boar King, he failed to collect the fangs of the last Great Wild Boar, and the subjugation mission was not completed.
Unlike ordinary Great Wild Boar, the Great Wild Boar King, as the leader of the tribe, possessed a certain degree of intelligence. Under its call, it was unlikely that he would encounter any lone wild boars within the mission time limit.
"Give up the mission."
He could return to the village and explain the situation. The appearance of the Great Wild Boar King in a subjugation mission was an unexpected event, and no one would blame him. The assessment mission could also wait until next year; after all, he was still young.
He exhaled forcefully, then Gordon lay heavily on the bed in the tent, staring blankly at the tent ceiling.
Or, he could directly hunt the Great Wild Boar King, using its fangs as part of the mission items, thus over-completing the mission.
Gordon sat up with a flip.
To be honest, even he himself was startled by the "overambitiousness" of this idea.
He picked up the Dunjian (Shield Sword/Sword and Shield) leaning by the foot of the bed.
On the round shield, a crack almost traversed the entire shield surface, and no one knew how many more impacts it could withstand.
The bone Hunter's Knife was still sharp, but the feeling of it bouncing back as if striking a mountain rock when he swung it at the Great Wild Boar King's body was equally unsettling.
Could he really hunt the Great Wild Boar King?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.