Chapter 249

There’s a saying: if your head’s not smart, your body will suffer.

As I mentioned before, humans are incredibly intelligent animals, and it’s safe to say they survive off that intelligence.

If there’s an issue with that intelligence, they might end up being no better than beasts or even less than that.

Of course, any animal will face significant survival challenges if there’s a problem with its intelligence.

With humans, the disparity is substantial due to how significant the role of the head is.

“Are you really going to handle a giant monster using such a primitive method? Is that even possible?”

“Sivar managed it, you know. And he was wielding a stone axe at the time.”

“A stone axe? Like the kind cavemen use?”

“Yep.”

And if someone has a great body, the head doesn’t have to worry much. That saying fits me perfectly.

Grace looked bewildered by Luna’s testimony. She must have seen a lot by now, but still found it strange.

It wasn’t just my thought. Kara, who was giggling beside me, raised a question.

“You must have seen a lot too? I don’t get why you’re reacting like that.”

“No. Until now, I’ve only seen Sivar using his head… I thought catching Usuk was with the professor’s help.”

Now that I think about it, I hardly ever displayed my skills in front of Grace.

During the Usuk hunt, Grace wasn’t around, and during the brawl, there was no time to show my capabilities.

The only time I might have is during the first-year midterms. Even then, I was restricted in combat and used all sorts of shortcuts.

“In Siege Warfare, you just did weird stuff; aside from sneaking in at dawn, you didn’t really do much…”

“I did use my head a lot during the exams.”

Moreover, in exams, I often used my head more than my body. I didn’t need to use my body anyway.

Especially once we entered civilized areas, thinking took precedence over strength. I do enter forests frequently, but I usually go alone.

“You know about the first semester duels? I got completely wrecked dueling against this guy. You remember?”

“Ah, I know that. But at that time, I thought Kara was weaker than expected.”

“I can’t tell if you’re underestimating me or Sivar. Regardless, this guy is incredibly strong, so forming solid theories will be tough.”

Listening to them made me a bit curious. How does an ordinary person hunt a giant monster?

In the Soul World, level design is well-structured, so in the early days, you mostly deal with small monsters.

As time passes and levels increase, you become capable of taking down giant monsters alone.

You can step into the Chaos Forest early on, but most get cut off at the Porori level, making it impossible to even dream of giants.

“What about others?”

“Eh?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you go after big ones. How do you deal with them?”

At my question, people stared blankly at me before looking at each other.

Each monster has its own hunting method, but there must be a kind of manual.

The first one to speak was Kara, who was skilled in combat. Her voice sounded somewhat uncertain.

“Well, I’m a strong type too, so I usually target the lower body like Sivar. But that doesn’t mean I can take down Usuk alone.”

“I find it hard to take down giants alone… I could, if I tried hard, but it’s too risky.”

Kara, as a completed warrior, finds it relatively easy to take down giant monsters, while Luna needs effort to manage it.

I then shifted my gaze to Grace. Being a magician, she would likely avoid direct confrontations.

More than anything, I was asking about general hunting methods. People who aren’t physically gifted like me or Kara.

“Um… I’ve heard from my family that giant monsters are quite troublesome. I heard even for an ogre, three regular knights are needed.”

“And the hunting method?”

“It’s similar to what Sivar mentioned. One draws the ogre’s attention while the other knights aim to sever its tendons.”

“Sounds similar.”

Regardless of the human, it seems hunting methods for beasts are largely alike. For starters, avoid one-on-one encounters.

You can’t win against numbers; humans on Earth fought off every beast without magic.

Some even fought lions armed only with a spear, which speaks volumes about the species.

“Kara, you also go for the tendons, right?”

After hearing Grace’s explanation, Luna asked Kara, as if she thought of something.

“Typically, yes. As long as you cut the tendons, it’s an assured win.”

“Don’t you break the kneecap instead?”

Kara raised an eyebrow at Luna’s question, looking at her as if she just heard some bizarre nonsense.

Then, Kara’s explanation that followed was plenty thought-provoking.

“Why would you do something so inefficient? Monsters of that size have bones that are incredibly tough. Initially, the muscles wouldn’t let a blade in.”

“Why’s that?”

“Typically, those massive bodies need sturdy bones and muscles to support themselves. A regular soldier’s stabbing spear wouldn’t even scratch it.”

Kara’s explanation is spot on. Indeed, larger monsters tend to have sturdy basic durability.

It’s not for nothing that only small and medium monsters show up at the start. A giant is a threat all on its own.

And if it has a tough outer layer like Usuk, it becomes a disaster. Because of that, sword practice tends to stagnate in the mid-game.

‘That mid-game is the bottleneck.’

Small and medium monsters provide little experience, while giant monsters are infuriatingly hard to take down.

Especially since the mid-level encounters happen in Santia, that aspect grows even stronger. In Santia, you’re dealing with machines.

“Sivar shattered bones with a stone axe. That sound was really vivid.”

“Really? Ah, never mind. He could probably do that. It’s certainly his unique method.”

“In the end, it seems Sivar needs to establish his own unique way.”

To sum it up, it dawned on me that theories didn’t hold much meaning for me.

When it comes to theories or whatever, it’s way easier to just use my body first.

But that doesn’t mean I can completely disregard it. As mentioned earlier, the importance of theory is 70 percent.

“To use theories well, you need to be a good writer. Though I haven’t seen Sivar write anything.”

“Weren’t you supposed to study with Sivar?”

“That has nothing to do with theories. Theory is about expressing your own thoughts.”

“Hah, right… so basically, you’re saying I need to produce a paper.”

Kara ruffled her hair, looking frustrated. The prominence of theory implies its significance.

If it were about half, you could slack off a bit. But when I think about it, Kara still has to take this exam seriously.

“If you were just going to ignore it, weren’t you?”

“No. This exam is important for me too. I need to hear less about being a barbarian.”

If it had been a typical practical, Kara would have breezed through it. After all, she could obtain a high score easily with even half-hearted efforts.

But this exam has a high theoretical weight. Kara is still viewed as a barbarian.

Though the perception has lightened recently, her appearance is so striking that it’s hard not to be reminded of it at times.

Her hair is even red, making it impossible to overlook.

“Weren’t you just going to hang out with Sivar?”

“That’s different from the exam. That time, I was genuinely planning to have fun.”

“…..Kara.”

“Why? What’s up? You hang around Sivar every day. What’s the harm in sharing a bit?”

When Grace shot a piercing glare at Kara, she replied clearly.

An exam’s an exam, but it seems she wanted to be with me.

Grace has every right to be incredulous. She hasn’t spent much time with Kara lately.

“…..Okay, then. How about we all study together this time? Since it’s theory, perhaps writing something fun will be okay.”

“I can’t write.”

“Me neither.”

“You two don’t read… Oh. Never mind.”

Grace shook her head at everyone’s responses.

Kara and Luna would rather dedicate themselves to personal training than read. And that’s perfectly normal.

Reading might be food for the soul, but if your body is tired, it won’t sustain you. No need to call it ignorance.

“And I just want to be alone with Sivar, not thinking of studying together.”

“How greedy of you.”

“Who’s the one saying that? You’re the most greedy of all. I get your point, but don’t be overly ambitious.”

“Tch. Fine.”

“So…?”

Having received an unspoken permission, Kara turned to look at me.

I faced her with my trademark blank expression, curious if she had something to say.

After staring at me for a while, Kara finally smirked and reached out. Her hand soon touched my cheek.

“How about we check your writing skills first? You can keep it short, but I bet you can write something.”

As Kara pinched my cheek to make her suggestion, I remained indifferent.

The foundation of the theory needs strong sentence skills, hence studying is a must. Plus, my sentences barely go beyond the simple level.

“That’s good. So how about we create a theory based on taking down giant monsters?”

“No. Let’s first see how well you can write.”

“I’ll grab some paper and a pen.”

Soon, Luna returned with paper and pens—four each, to be precise.

At first, I wondered why two pages. But I nearly choked on laughter after hearing what Luna said next.

“We’re doing it too!”

“Why are you guys?”

“We can’t just single out Sivar, right?”

“…..You’re really sharp in the most pointless areas.”

Everyone accepted it without objection. I took the paper and pen, pondering for a moment.

Honestly, I had something in mind already. I was just worried about attracting suspicion if I wrote too quickly.

Finally, as I started scrawling something, every gaze turned toward me.

It was a bit daunting, but I managed to push through. After finishing, I showed everyone what I wrote.

“……This is strangely embarrassing.”

“Sivar, you’ve clearly been thinking in a certain way. Now we all feel embarrassed.”

What I wrote was this:

[Civilized man is rude. Because they don’t get their heads cracked when they act impolitely. That’s why I prefer barbarians.]

Kara’s response to that?

“Hey. I’m better than you. What do you think?”

“K-Kara, you’re a civilized person too, right? Just when do you intend to keep thinking of yourself as a barbarian?”

“Sivar. Who do you prefer, me or Grace? It’s just classic to chat with a barbarian, isn’t it?”

“Sivar, I must emphasize again, Kara isn’t a barbarian. That term in itself is just prejudice.”

What’s happening here? I just wrote something, and it’s turning into this chaos?

“But hey, Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“When you act rudely, don’t you pull tongues? You did that last time.”

“….”

Luna’s teasing is relentless. I can’t tell if she’s joking or genuinely curious.

I smiled back and asked, needing to confirm whether it was a joke.

“Should I pull yours too, Luna?”

“….”

She promptly shut her mouth this time.

So it was a joke after all. What a cheeky one.

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