WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈

Chapter 53: Night Raid (2)

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I'd let my guard down. I'd been complacent. That was all I could think as I faced the golden eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Night was the most dangerous time in the forest. A night when all light had vanished and nothing but darkness settled over everything.

Even so, darkness affected me less than most.

For some reason, I could see to some extent even in pitch-black conditions.

Right now, though, I could only curse that ability.

‘Holy shit. How big is that thing...?!’

A pair of eyes glinted viciously in the dark.

And I could see their owner clearly.

It generally looked like a tiger, except long fangs jutted out of its mouth.

What was even scarier was its size. Its eyes were visible above the barricade in front of me.

For reference, the barricade the dwarf had given me was taller than I was.

That meant the thing had to be well over two meters tall.

‘A four-legged animal is looking down at me...?’

It was beyond absurd. Then again, this was the Forest of Four Seasons.

Despair already washed over me, but instinct shoved it back.

The instinct to survive. I gripped my sword and shield tightly.

“Grrrr...!”

Maybe it sensed my fighting spirit, because the tiger gave a threatening growl.

It was clearly just a warning, yet my knees trembled and my body stiffened.

At least I'd had time to prepare myself. If I'd run into it unexpectedly, I would've fainted on the spot.

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

I deliberately regulated my breathing.

The pressure was so terrifying that I could barely breathe unless I focused.

Could I really fight that monster and win? It looked far stronger than the mother Owlbear.

‘Did the mother Owlbear move her den because of that thing?’

That was likely. If she'd only been scouting, she wouldn't have brought Wonmo with her.

That bastard was basically a thug. The kind of thug who put your life in danger just by showing up.

I wanted to run right away, but I held myself back.

‘Running would only make this more dangerous.’

Wonmo was still asleep in the cave, and dawn was still far away.

No matter where I ran, it would still be dangerous.

‘The best I can hope for is that it leaves...’

Carnivores that hunted regularly were cautious.

Their energy efficiency was terrible, and if they got injured and lost their ability to hunt, they could easily starve to death.

That was why they generally backed off if they decided something was dangerous. The problem was that the odds of this thing doing so were pathetically low.

Just compare its size to mine. The difference in our eye level alone was at least a whole head.

I was literally bite-sized. There was only one thing I could do right now.

Shaaaaa-

Aura rose from my sword and shield. A blue haze billowed even in the darkness.

Like a porcupine raising its quills. If it wanted to hunt me, it would have to be ready to pay the price.

Perhaps sensing that I wasn't ordinary prey, the tiger didn't rush in recklessly and prowled outside the barricade.

‘Thank God I put up the barricade.’

Without it, the tiger would've been right in front of me.

Even if it attacked, it had to clear the barricade, giving me a little more time.

‘Please leave. Please leave. Please leave.’

I prayed and prayed inside my head. The tiger only continued circling the barricade.

Cold sweat ran down my cheeks, and my hands were drenched as well.

How much time passed in that tense state?

“Grrrrr...!”

The tiger abruptly stopped, then slowly backed away.

I brightened, thinking it was retreating, but then I realized something was off.

‘Wouldn't it turn around if it were leaving?’

Yet that enormous tiger only backed away.

As if it were creating space to leap clean over the barricade.

“Ah.”

Sure enough.

Tap!

“Goddammit.”

The tiger charged after backing away, then lightly vaulted over the barricade.

A nimble, graceful leap that didn't suit its enormous frame at all.

Having landed right before me, the tiger exuded the overwhelming presence of the mountain lord itself.

“Roaaar!”

The tiger opened its jaws wide and lunged at me.

Was it the tiger's overwhelming presence? Or the terror of genuinely facing death?

My breath stopped, and my body refused to move. It didn't feel like my body belonged to me.

‘Move.’

I had to move. But I couldn't.

‘Move, damn it.’

I ordered myself over and over. My body rejected every command from my brain.

Before long, jaws that looked capable of chewing up my head in a single bite had reached my nose.

My head would go into that mouth. And then what?

Could a headless body even move?

Tug!

“Ghk!”

In the illusion that time had slowed, someone grabbed my clothes and pulled.

My balance tipped backward, forcibly making my body move.

Snap!

It happened in an instant. The tiger's giant jaws bit through empty air.

If I'd been even a little later, it would've bitten down on my head instead.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

As I landed on my ass, feeling returned to my body.

I'd also bitten my tongue when I fell.

The sharp pain spread through my entire body.

“Roaaar!”

The tiger's roar drilled into my eardrums. I hurriedly looked up.

Normally, it should've followed with another attack, but it didn't. In fact, it did the opposite.

It shook its head as if in pain.

I had no idea what was happening, but it was an opportunity.

I hurriedly got up and took my stance.

That was when I saw what was causing the tiger pain.

Scratch! Scratch!

It was Fast Sloth. Fast Sloth had latched onto the tiger's face, tearing at it with its claws.

The tiger swung its front paws, trying to shake it off, but this was Fast Sloth.

It was so sharp-eyed and agile that it could even snatch arrows out of the air.

Even a tiger wouldn't find it easy to throw it off.

Whoosh!

Still, it seemed the difference in their size was impossible to overcome.

The tiger shook its head hard, sending Fast Sloth flying far away.

Fortunately, it flew in my direction, so I caught it without any trouble.

Well, “caught it” was a stretch. I only adjusted its position so it could climb onto my back more easily.

‘Fast Sloth was the one who pulled me.’

I finally knew who had yanked my collar. Fast Sloth had saved my life.

I only had a moment to feel grateful before looking back at the tiger it had clung to.

There were claw marks across its face, but they were insignificant.

‘Right. I can't die like this.’

I moved my tongue. Since I'd bitten it when I fell, I could taste blood.

That taste woke both my body and my mind. I wouldn't freeze up again.

“Roaaar!”

The tiger that had been glaring at us opened its mouth wide and charged again.

Until just now, I'd been too scared to do anything but tremble. Not anymore.

I judged the situation as coolly and calmly as I could, moving my body accordingly.

‘Don't get bitten. The moment I get bitten, it'll be at least a serious injury.’

I could tell from those sharp fangs alone. On top of that, the difference in our size was huge.

Getting swallowed in one bite would take no time at all. I had to fight with the resolve that a single hit could kill me.

Snap!

The tiger's jaws closed with a vicious sound.

I barely avoided them by moving right just before it pounced.

I hadn't forgotten SwordTasteMaster's advice. Never stay still, and keep your legs moving no matter what.

It seemed to work on this tiger too, just as it had against the giant crab.

Bang!

“Ugh...!”

But unlike the giant crab, this bastard was agile.

Just as I was about to swing my sword, it swung a massive front paw.

I barely blocked it with my shield, but the impact was terrifying.

‘Don't forget to breathe. Like I'm drawing out every last bit of strength.’

As I thought that, the tiger rushed at me viciously.

The size difference was so vast that even a casual swing of its front paw was a tremendous ordeal for me.

Every time it slammed its paw down from above, I had no choice but to stagger.

Tap!

At least it exposed small openings every time I dodged to the side.

Whenever it opened its mouth wide to bite me, its movements became bigger. As long as I could dodge, plenty of openings appeared.

Snap!

“Roar!”

“Ah.”

Different sounds escaped the tiger and me.

A roar of pain from the tiger, and a groan from me.

The slash landed, but it only cut halfway through.

The tiger's hide was far tougher than I'd imagined.

‘Even with Heavenly Demon’s Sword coated in aura?’

No wonder the mother Owlbear had fled with Wonmo.

Still, more than half its front paw had been cut off, so its combat ability should've dropped somewhat.

If it swung that paw in that state, the paw would come off...

“Roaaar!”

“?!”

Something was wrong. Half of it had clearly been cut off, so why was it swinging its paw?

My surprise lasted only a moment before I hurriedly raised my shield to protect myself.

Clang!

“Gahk!”

The impact was far stronger than before. My body lifted into the air and flew backward.

At least I didn't land on my back. Fast Sloth, clinging to my back, acted as a brake.

“Roaaar!”

“Argh!”

The tiger's attacks didn't stop. I rolled away just before it pounced on top of me and barely escaped.

Fast Sloth fled as well with its characteristic quick movements. There was no follow-up attack.

With the two of us split up, it seemed the tiger was deciding who to attack first.

That gave me time to get up and steady myself.

‘That's impossible! Did it regenerate?!’

I stared wide-eyed at the tiger's front paw.

The paw that had been severed in half had already been restored perfectly.

The same went for the face Fast Sloth had scratched earlier. It was completely clean.

Its durability was already terrifying, and it had regenerative abilities too.

That was why it had charged despite my threat. It could just heal any damage.

“This is fucking awful.”

“Roaaar!”

As I muttered under my breath, the tiger opened its mouth wide and charged.

It seemed to have decided to kill me first rather than Fast Sloth, which was harder to catch.

A perfectly reasonable decision. But I had no intention of dying obediently.

‘When I get the chance, I'll cut with everything I have.’

Not merely halfway through. I would sever it completely.

Even if its regenerative ability was amazing, recovering from a wound as severe as amputation would be difficult.

And if it recovered from even that... well, then I'd fight like hell.

Bang!

The tiger's front paw struck the Golden Shield.

I'd been ready, so I was only pushed back slightly instead of sent flying.

But blocking one attack wasn't the end.

The tiger's fighting style was persistence itself. It never backed down.

‘The barricade's behind me.’

As I retreated while defending, I eventually ended up with my back against the barricade.

The tiger seemed to take that as an opportunity and raised its front paw high.

My chance had come. I watched the paw descend until the very end.

Just before it hit my body, I swiftly moved to the right.

Crash! Crack!

The barricade made of solid wood shattered into pieces.

If that had hit me directly, my head would've been crushed flat.

But it wasn't my head that was crushed. It was the barricade.

The barricade took the blow from the front paw instead, forcing the tiger to falter slightly.

“Hyaaaaa!”

I attacked its front paw with all my strength. I pumped mana into Heavenly Demon’s Sword.

Aura whipped around it like flames rather than haze. This would be enough.

Slice!

“Roaaar!!”

And the result was excellent. The tiger's right front paw was severed.

With the front paw supporting that enormous body cut off, the tiger had no choice but to lose its balance.

“Roaaar!”

“?!”

But the tiger was still standing.

Despite losing its front paw, it kept its balance and opened its jaws wide at me.

I'd let my guard down a little, so it was too late to dodge. Too late to block with my shield too.

Instinctively, I thrust forward the arm holding the shield.

Clang!

“Rrrgh?!”

The Golden Shield went straight into the tiger's mouth. The shield lodged there.

The tiger looked thoroughly flustered, as if it had never expected a shield to get stuck in its mouth.

It tried to spit it out, but the shield was firmly jammed in place. It repeatedly opened and closed its mouth.

‘Now!’

I let go of the shield and gripped Heavenly Demon’s Sword with both hands.

Then I drove the sword toward the tiger's neck.

Stab!

Even a tiger with tough hide had to be vulnerable to a thrust.

The tiger screamed in pain when the sword pierced its neck.

But with the Golden Shield firmly wedged in its mouth, it only made strange noises.

I seized the chance and forcibly twisted the sword buried in its neck.

Riiip!

The sword began cutting through the tiger's neck, agonizingly slowly.

Even gripping it with both hands, this was all I could manage.

The tiger's powerful regenerative ability and durability combined made it difficult to cut through even with Heavenly Demon’s Sword infused with aura.

“Roaaar!”

“Argh!”

The tiger began clawing at my body with its remaining front paw.

Its sharp claws felt like they were slicing me into strips.

Fortunately, the uniform PrincessChaenggu had given me minimized the damage.

Even so, I could feel blood streaming down inside my clothes.

The tiger's claws tore chunks of flesh from my body, and the pain was excruciating.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Riiip!

I moved the sword with both hands, using every last ounce of strength I had.

It felt like cutting through hide and flesh. It was horribly unpleasant, but surviving came first.

Splurt!

Bright-red blood burst from its neck like a fountain. The tiger's blood began soaking my body.

Now it was a race against time. Would the tiger slice my body apart first, or would I cut through its neck first?

I clung to the sword until the end, determined to completely decapitate the tiger.

Clank!

At that moment, metal clanged near my ear. Without thinking, I turned toward the sound.

It was the Golden Shield, crushed beyond use. The Golden Shield that had been wedged in the tiger's mouth.

Which meant the tiger had spat the Golden Shield out.

“Roaaar!”

Crunch!

With its mouth free, the tiger had more than enough room to bite me.

I twisted my body sharply.

“Gaaaaah!”

It hurt. It burned and ached as if lava had been poured into my wounds.

The tiger bit my shoulder. Its long fangs pierced through my body.

At least I'd twisted my body, so it hadn't bitten my head.

“Argh! Aaagh!”

“Grrrrr...!!”

Instead, my right shoulder was completely ruined. The bone must've been shattered too.

But I couldn't give up after coming this far. I didn't let go of the sword.

My right shoulder was ruined, so I could only use my left hand, but that was fine. Both hands weren't destroyed.

‘Please die. Please...!’

Blood had clearly sprayed like a fountain as I cut its neck. Yet this bastard kept struggling until the very end.

How long did this have to go on? I could feel my consciousness gradually fading.

Just as the strength began draining from my body, something unexpected happened.

Stab!

“Roaaar!!”

The tiger that had been biting my shoulder suddenly lifted its head.

As it did, my shoulder was freed from the sharp teeth buried in it.

I looked up, wondering what the hell was happening.

Stab! Stab!

It was Fast Sloth.

Fast Sloth was stabbing the tiger's eyes with its sharp claws.

No matter how strong a tiger was, getting its eyes stabbed would make it go crazy.

With only one front paw left, there was no way it could pull Fast Sloth off.

I was dazed for a moment, but I didn't let the chance slip away.

My left hand was still holding onto the sword.

‘This one strike...!’

The tiger had lost a front paw and had long since lost its balance.

It was the perfect time to aim for its head.

“Aaaaaah!”

I waited until the tiger rolled across the ground.

I thrust my sword straight toward the space between its eyes. It was the best shot I could take.

Fast Sloth seemed to understand what I intended. Just before I thrust, it leaped away and fled.

The tiger was still too busy recovering its injured eyes to react.

“Grrr...!”

Before long, the tiger's eyes regenerated. It shook its head and regained its senses.

But perhaps it had lost too much blood earlier, because its movements had become noticeably slower.

It was a priceless opportunity for me.

Stab!

Heavenly Demon’s Sword pierced straight between the tiger's eyes.

Normally, it should've gone berserk, but as I said before, it was exhausted too.

It had lost so much blood that it couldn't even react.

Slice!

I pulled the sword upward.

Heavenly Demon’s Sword emerged through the top of its head. The tiger's skull split in half.

Even something that regenerated quickly should die if its brain, the most vital part, was destroyed.

Tremble-

The tiger, its brain split in half, trembled all over.

Worried that it might regenerate after all, I decided to turn it into a pincushion.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

How many times had I stabbed its face?

Even without a front paw, the tiger staggered as it struggled to keep its balance, then collapsed with a thud.

Its body was so massive that the ground shook simply from it falling over.

‘N-No. Not yet. I need to make sure it's dead...’

Its regenerative ability was powerful. It could be playing dead and come back to life.

Even in the chaos, I moved my sword. The first thing I had to do was decapitate it.

I felt like I wouldn't rest easy until I cleanly cut off the tiger's head.

Riiip! Crack! Riiip!

As I did everything I could to sever the tiger's head.

Thump-

That was where I lost consciousness.

Footnotes:

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