“Hmm.”
Matillo gazed at Alice’s greatsword.
It had been handled so roughly that both the blade and its surface were worn out, covered in countless scratches. The handle was in an equally deplorable state. Cracks marred its surface, and within those cracks, someone’s blood was mingled.
She was said to be only Rank 1, yet judging by the sword alone, one might think she had just rolled through a battlefield.
The girl’s spirit, too, was comparable to that of veteran hunters.
She never faltered before him, pushing her will forward to the very end.
Unyielding even an inch, she carried a resolve within her hotter than the forge’s blazing heat.
Still, for a Rank 1 hunter, it would likely take quite some time to defeat a Kakaari.
Perhaps he could use that time to repair her greatsword.
Matillo sat before the rough workbench. The sweltering air blowing through the forge made sweat pour from him naturally. Wiping the sweat with his wrist, Matillo immediately began hammering the handle.
He recalled the days when he was in his prime as a hunter.
Now, he was nothing more than an old man rotting away in a corner of the forge district, but there had been a time when he was a hunter brimming with passion and challenges. That was already ten years ago.
The reason Matillo had abandoned his life as a hunter and taken up the role of a blacksmith in this forge stemmed from a personal goal.
Over the years, he had watched hunters fall and die to monsters with disheartening ease, and he had made a vow.
He would become a blacksmith to protect the hunters who protected people.
Yet he was never satisfied with his creations.
He believed that equipment like his couldn’t truly safeguard hunters. He thought that forges run by young, sharp-minded blacksmiths would surely outshine his own, burdened as he was by age and a rigid mind.
So he practiced. Starting late, he trained with desperate fervor.
After ten years of relentless dedication, he had become a master craftsman.
But in the end, all that remained was a grumpy old man without a single customer.
The result of turning away patrons and pouring himself endlessly into his work was a harsh one.
No one came to visit. Only armors, yearning for owners, waited silently in the forge.
What could a cantankerous old man’s forge—irritating to anyone’s temperament—possibly offer compared to the thriving workshops of others?
Suddenly, Alice’s words surfaced in Matillo’s mind.
It has to be you.
“That youngster… she’s making me expect something…”
Matillo looked at the greatsword. His face, reflected in its blade, bore a strange smile.
“Old man!”
“…What?”
The one who shattered Matillo’s smile was a young man who barged into the forge with bold cheerfulness.
Matillo responded to the lively voice but didn’t budge. This was a technician from another forge, someone he occasionally crossed paths with.
“I heard a customer came here? It’s already the talk of the forge district. Are you finally taking on clients?”
“…Hmph, I just made a request to a hunter.”
“A request? So you’re really going to work on it. That greatsword too, huh?”
“Shoo, if you’re here to spout nonsense, get out. I can’t focus.”
“No, wait, I’ve got something important to say!”
“What is it?”
“The customer who came here—she’s got white hair, right? That’s what the forge folks are saying.”
“…Yeah. What’s the problem with that?”
“That white-haired one? She’s an incredible rookie hunter! She’s already the talk of Antico. Didn’t you know? I thought you picked her because you knew. You secretly like newcomers, don’t you? Stop pretending otherwise.”
“Shut it. But what’s so great about that kid…? Isn’t she just a Rank 1 rookie?”
“If she were just any Rank 1, would it be like this?”
In the forest city of Antico, rumors spread like wildfire.
This chatty technician had caught wind of the tales from other hunters, and amusingly enough, those rumors had now reached Matillo.
The young man’s story continued. Matillo, who had been replying half-heartedly and growing bored, found his eyes widening bit by bit. His gaze settled on the greatsword resting quietly on the workbench.
The worn blade and cracked handle bore marks that were far from ordinary.
—
Kakaari.
It has wings, but it cannot fly. Yet those wings are tough and strong. The crest atop its head is hard, and it uses this crest to charge. Its legs boast remarkable strength, allowing it to close the distance to far-off enemies in an instant. Not only is its charge dangerous, but its claws are too—razor-sharp, they could tear flesh with the slightest touch.
I focused my mind and stepped forward. I swung sideways, testing its patterns.
Naturally, I sheathed the greatsword on my back and threw myself into motion. The creature’s beak stabbed into the ground where I’d just stood.
No matter the opponent, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.
Even if a Kakaari would lose to a one-eyed Lugarak in a fight, it wasn’t an easy foe.
That’s the nature of monsters. To humans, every monster is an overwhelming presence.
Strength alone won’t win. Stamina won’t either. Humans have no natural advantage to boast of.
We must use every trick, every strategy, to overcome that gap.
———Kaaaa!
The wounded Kakaari let out a throat-rending roar.
The booming cry of a monster with such a powerful voice was enough to make any hunter flinch.
Was it because I heard the roar from too close? A ringing filled my ears.
Hwaruk.
At the same time, flames flickered from its mouth.
When enraged, the Kakaari uses its red protrusions—oil sacs—to spew fire. But it’s not like a true dragon, capable of unleashing breath at will. There was a limit to the firepower it could produce.
Even so, it’s precisely why the Kakaari is called the first gate.
That fire meant close combat would inflict constant burns and damage. Stay too near for too long, and I’d end up scorched.
Even approaching it, I could feel the searing heat. Dodging the Kakaari’s flailing claws to the side, I sheathed the greatsword on my back once more.
In a situation like this, there was only one thing to do: extinguish its flame-wreathed state.
I backstepped, creating distance.
The Kakaari’s charge came rushing in. I rolled between its flapping wings and legs, grazing past them. Touching the ground with my hand, I spun my body around. I reached into the bag swinging at my waist.
What I pulled out was a hard-shelled water fruit.
A fruit brimming with water inside, perfect for throwing.
It was something Noah had handed me at the shop, saying it’d help against a Kakaari.
Noah, thank you.
As the Kakaari turned its head toward me, I twisted the fruit’s shell slightly and hurled it.
The blue fruit struck the Kakaari’s beak, bursting with water. Drenched in the sudden deluge, it twisted its head. The flames weakened visibly before my eyes.
The Kakaari’s red protrusions are oil sacs. They ignite when they meet intense heat, spewing fire. But douse them with water, and the heat cools, sapping their firepower. For now, I wouldn’t have to worry about the flames. I drew my greatsword again. With its fire sealed, the Kakaari had no choice but to rely on physical attacks.
But I have the power of technique to overcome sheer size. I have knowledge amassed over time.
You cannot touch me.
—
Its crest shattered, and its claws cracked.
The greatsword’s blade peeled away skin, and blood flowed endlessly.
Clang!
A fierce swing slammed into its neck.
———Karrruuu…
The skin tore, and blood trickled down. Staggering back from the impact, the Kakaari lowered its head slightly, drooling.
The Kakaari’s weary eyes fixed on Alice.
Alice was breathing heavily, but not a single scratch marred her body.
Unlike the creature, battered to ruin, she stood unscathed.
Even the attacks that had grazed her left only faint marks on her armor.
The Kakaari raised its head.
To survive, it should flee.
No—could it even survive if it fled?
It wouldn’t run. There was something behind it to protect. Even sensing its own death, it couldn’t retreat.
Flames flared once more at its mouth.
A final surge of rage enveloped the Kakaari’s body. It recalled the image of a mighty monster. That kind didn’t rely on such petty flames. What it needed now wasn’t a small flicker. The Kakaari drew a deep breath.
The firepower intensified. The flames heated the air around it oppressively. Beyond its limits, its neck and beak began to burn. Pain radiated from the red protrusions.
“…Again?”
Alice clicked her tongue. There were no water fruits left. Now, she had to finish it in this state.
She had to end it… but something was off about the creature.
Unlike before, the fire was growing larger.
A chilling thought flashed through her mind. This was ominous. She’d never seen a Kakaari gather flames like this.
The Kakaari opened its mouth. In an instant, her vision flared.
It was coming.
Mimicking the breath of dragons, the Kakaari’s fiery blast shot toward her.
Should she block it?
No—she could react in time. With this body.
Alice threw herself to the left. The Kakaari’s breath grazed her side. A powerful, linear torrent. Her waist burned as if aflame. The smell of singed hair filled the air.
This puts me at a disadvantage. I’ll end it in one strike.
Alice crouched low and darted out of the Kakaari’s sight.
Sizzle.
She sliced through the breath with her greatsword, the iron heating to a blistering red. The heat reached the handle, stinging her hands, but she never let go.
Soon, the breath subsided.
The Kakaari exhaled acrid smoke, struggling to catch its breath. That blast had been its desperate, all-out struggle. Its throat felt like it was burning.
The human—was she dead?
The Kakaari shifted its vision, narrowed by exhaustion and adrenaline. The human was nowhere in sight. Had she burned to ash, reduced to cinders?
…No.
She had cleverly concealed herself within the breath and closed the distance. She was already right before it, their eyes locking.
It was too late. With its exhausted body, it couldn’t escape the greatsword’s reach.
Alice stepped forward with a resounding stomp. The pulsing beat traveled through her body, channeling into the tip of her greatsword.
Sizzle.
The red-hot blade seared through skin and flesh as it passed.
Smoke rose, and blood sprayed.
“Haa…”
Catching her breath, Alice drove her greatsword into the ground beside the Kakaari’s corpse and looked up.
Before she knew it, a red sky stretched above her.
The sun was already sinking far into the distance.
—
