Once again, a perspective other than the protagonist. And then.
Forest Labyrinth–
Properly speaking, “The Forest of the Greedy Fool” is correct, but we Monster Hunters call it the Forest Labyrinth. Here, Monster Hunters hunt monsters to earn their daily bread. I, Shin, am one of them. My Level is 18 and I am a Greatsword user; as a hunter, I’ve been through my share of battlefields. Usually, I hunt with my partner Luck, a wind magic user, but today our members had increased. Everyone has black hair and black eyes; they are said to be the Heroes summoned a few months ago.
One is Ryunya. He is the leader figure of this Hero party and fights by wrapping magic around his sword. His class is Magic Swordsman, and his skill, Magic Sword, has considerable power; he is a powerhouse who can lay low an Ogre with a single strike, a monster even we would struggle against alone. Next is Susumu.
He is a bit short, and while his strength is inferior to Ryunya’s, he toys with enemies with a speed that more than compensates. His weapons are two daggers. If Ryunya is the power type, Susumu is the speed type. His class is Dual-Wielder.
Yuuko. She is a magic user specializing in the earth attribute. The magic Yuuko uses is basic, but the power is more than double; I wonder how great it would be if she chanted high-ranking magic. She has her hair in a ponytail and is always stuck like glue to Ryunya.
They must be lovers. And Honoka. A user of healing magic, and like my partner, she can also use wind magic. Among these four, she is particularly short, yet despite that, she possesses large breasts that shouldn’t belong to her height. Her face is so youthful that I was surprised when I heard from Susumu that they were all the same age.
It was about 3 months ago when they came to Rubia, which is my and Luck’s home. They said they were doing monster extermination that doubled as training in order to defeat the Demon King.
As for their Hunter rank, it’s Obsidian, the third from the bottom, but in terms of actual ability, they are likely higher than me. If we were to fight, I’d lose four out of five times. Even so, I’m on the stronger side in Rubia (Jade rank, one step above Obsidian).
Even then, my win rate is less than twenty percent. Because we’re close in age, the six of us, including these four, have formed a temporary party.
It won’t last. Eventually, they’ll leave this town. Until then, I want them to learn the mindset of a hunter and things necessary for travel.
Well, regarding combat, there isn’t much to teach. At most, coordination.
”Man, I really don’t have any good memories of this place,” Ryunya muttered, scowling.
”Did something happen?” I asked.
”Nah… we ran into a massive wolf,” Susumu answered with a bitter smile. “Back then, our Level and Status were low, so we couldn’t do anything but run for our lives.”
”Seriously, I thought I was gonna die…” Yuuko said.
”I haven’t been able to handle wolves since then,” Honoka whispered, her face clouding over. She seemed to have a deep aversion to them. Actually, among battle-hardened veterans, there are those who have trauma from “weak” monsters; for example, a certain high-ranking female hunter was violated by an Orc and came to have a severe trauma toward them. In Honoka’s case, it’s the wolf.
”A massive wolf? Do you mean a Barghest!? You’re amazing just for making it back alive… that alone is incredible,” Luck said, his voice full of admiration.
”A-ah. Yeah. I guess so…” Ryunya replied hesitantly.
”But if it’s you guys, you could win against other wolves with room to spare!” Luck cheered.
”I-is that so? I see, that’s right! With us as we are now, it’s a breeze!” Susumu said, his face brightening slightly.
”That’s right. One shot of my earth magic and they’re done for!” Yuuko added.
”Even so, don’t let your guard down,” I cautioned. Ryunya obediently responded to my warning. Their encounter with the Barghest was bad luck, but it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. If they hadn’t tasted fear then, their egos might have gotten them killed by now.
”Anyway, let’s finish the request,” I said. Everyone nodded. The target today wasn’t a Barghest, but it was a nasty piece of work nonetheless.
The Death Mantis. It is a monstrous insect, two meters long. True to its name, it has sent many hunters to an early grave. On paper, it should have been tough for Ryunya’s level-he’s the highest at 13-but they were handling it with terrifying ease. In fact, they were dominating.
”Hah! Too slow! You couldn’t hit me if I stood still!” Susumu shouted, dodging the Mantis’s strikes. A single hit from those scythes would be fatal, but he moved like it was impossible for him to be touched. By drawing all the aggression, he made the beast completely ignore the rest of us.
Taking advantage of the opening…
”Wind Cutter!” Luck and Honoka shouted in unison.
Luck’s magic only made it flinch, but Honoka’s spell sheared off the front-left scythe. The gap in their base stats made the difference. The Death Mantis screeched, its balance shattered. That’s when Yuuko made her move.
”Eat this! Stone Bullet!” Yuuko cried. The magic pulverized the Mantis’s head, but it didn’t die yet.
”Hah!” I stepped in.
”Crimson Lotus Sword!” Ryunya roared. I hacked off the remaining scythe. To finish it, Ryunya swung his flame-wreathed blade in a wide arc, finally bringing the creature to a halt.
”Good work, everyone. That was surprisingly stubborn,” Ryunya said.
”I can’t believe it kept moving even after its head was crushed…” Yuuko muttered.
”Insects are like that, Yuuko. They don’t die immediately just because the head is gone,” I told her.
”Wait, what? How thirsty do you have to be…?” Yuuko asked, looking disgusted after Honoka mentioned mantis mating habits.
”Alright, quit the chatter,” I interrupted. “Let’s grab the proof and head home.”
I reached down to pick up the severed scythe.
CRACK-SPLAT!
It sounded like something overripe bursting. I whirled toward the noise, and there-
”Luck!” I screamed. My partner was on the ground, his head split open like a pomegranate. He was gone instantly.
And standing over him… a Minotaur. One of the kings of this forest. But there was no way one should be this far in the middle layers. Ryunya and the others were frozen in fear. Fear took hold, and without a second thought, they bolted.
”W-wait! Ryunya! You guys can take him! HEY!” I shouted. They didn’t listen. They just ran, leaving me alone. They used me as a decoy. I turned to face the Minotaur, my greatsword ready. Steel met iron with a bone-shaking clang. The strength was too much. I threw myself backward, creating distance. The Minotaur slammed its axe down, burying it in the floor. An opening.
”This is for LUCK!” I screamed, charging.
But the Minotaur sneered. He parried my strike from below, sending my sword flying. I was wide open. The axe swung down in a crushing arc. I coughed up blood, a white-hot pain rushing through me. I slumped to my knees. The Minotaur raised its axe for the final blow-
But the blow never came. I forced my eyes open. The Minotaur stood there, but its head was gone. It toppled over.
”You’re not exactly ‘okay,’ are you?” a voice asked. A man with black hair, accompanied by a small wolf and a woman, stood there.
Summary:
Shin and his partner Luck join a party of four ‘Heroes’ to hunt in the Forest Labyrinth. After easily defeating a Death Mantis, a powerful Minotaur suddenly appears and kills Luck instantly. The terrified Heroes abandon Shin to use him as a decoy, but he is saved at the last second by a mysterious black-haired man.
Character Insight:
Shin transitions from professional hunter and mentor to a victim of betrayal, realizing the true nature of the Heroes’ cowardice. The Heroes, specifically Ryunya, show a regression into instinctual fear, prioritizing their own survival over the duty their title implies.
Behind the Scene:
The author notes a recurring theme of ‘Trash Heroes’ abandoning allies, drawing parallels to a previous character named Natsumi.
T/L:
1 ↩ Forest Labyrinth (Shinrin Meikyuu): A common name for the dangerous hunting grounds.
2 ↩ The Forest of the Greedy Fool: The formal, more ominous name of the labyrinth.
3 ↩ Monster Hunter (Mamono Kariudo): Those who hunt monsters for survival and profit.
4 ↩ Greatsword: A heavy, two-handed sword type.
5 ↩ Magic Swordsman (Madou Kenshi): A class that combines physical swordplay with magical enhancement.
6 ↩ Magic Sword: A skill that coats a weapon in elemental or raw magic.
7 ↩ Dual-Wielder (Soukenshi): A class specializing in the use of two daggers or swords simultaneously.
8 ↩ Obsidian (Kokuyou): A low Hunter rank, third from the bottom.
9 ↩ Jade (Hisui): A Hunter rank above Obsidian.
10 ↩ Wind Cutter: A basic wind-element offensive spell.
11 ↩ Stone Bullet: A basic earth-element offensive spell.
12 ↩ Crimson Lotus Sword (Gurenken): A powerful fire-element sword skill.
13 ↩ Level: A numerical representation of a character’s strength and experience.
14 ↩ Status: The collective attributes and abilities of an individual in a game-like system.