I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[044] Wetland Battle #2
The monster’s upper body vanished without leaving a trace.
Each time Malton’s dark iron mace flashed with light, the Kokokuran Warriors scattered like minced meat.
When he struck a helmet, the contents inside burst through the thick iron plate with such force.
As I watched brain matter pile upon the green robe already soiled with blood and filth, I suddenly felt a rough hand grab me from behind.
“Stay still, Doran! I’ll stop the bleeding right away!”
“What, what!? Aaaahhhhh!!”
A pain so intense my vision blurred assaulted me all at once.
For a moment, I thought I’d been ambushed by an enemy, but when I barely managed to open my eyes, I saw a familiar face.
“R-Radi?! What are you doing here!?”
“Don’t move! You’ll reopen the wound!!”
“W-Wait…! If you press there like that, aaahhh!!”
While barely clinging to consciousness and stemming the bleeding, Radi produced an elegant glass bottle.
‘That’s… an absurdly expensive low-grade potion…’
No, that’s not the point right now.
“H-Hey, the battle isn’t even over yet! It’s dangerous! Don’t you see the monsters coming!?”
“Hmph… What does that matter?”
Radi pulled a poison vial from inside her robe, opened the stopper with her teeth, and hurled it.
As the suspicious liquid splattered before us, the Kokokuran Horde flinched and halted.
“That was just water.”
Radi seized the moment of hesitation and threw a second glass bottle into the midst of their dense formation.
This time, she didn’t merely throw it—she intercepted it mid-air with a crossbow bolt, and the deep blue deadly toxin contained within spilled out, drenching the enemies.
The Cococura Tribe writhed in agony, hissing and releasing smoke the instant the poison touched them.
As two Kokokuran Warriors who had evaded the toxin by using their comrades as shields rushed at me simultaneously, I reflexively shouted.
“Damn it! Watch out!!”
Aiming with the crossbow would be too slow.
But Radi, as if it were child’s play, pulled the wire concealed at her calf.
With a sharp ping, a blade shot from the spring mechanism, piercing through the approaching Kokokuran Warrior.
“I’m capable enough to fend for myself. Besides, my level is higher than yours.”
“….”
“Still, I owe my life to you this time. Do you see over there?”
Following where Radi pointed, I could see the Adventurers who had just broken free from the Cococura Tribe’s encirclement.
“It’s all thanks to you, Doran. Because you drew their attention, the enemy’s forces were dispersed and we could survive. The Serpent took care of most of them.”
“…How many dead?”
“Some were wounded, but no one lost their lives. It’s fortunate, really—your efforts weren’t in vain.”
“….”
In the end, it looked as though I had made a sacrifice, but I had simply chosen the best course of action to survive.
As Radi shrugged as if to say she knew I’d react that way, Malton spoke while swinging his mace.
“Get up soon. This isn’t over yet.”
“Right…!”
I immediately seized the wound and climbed onto the raft, severing the necks of the monsters crawling up, but beyond them, an endless tide of reinforcements continued to advance.
‘Did all those creatures chasing Malton and me converge and rush toward us…!’
Malton crushed a Kokokuran Warrior’s skull and raised two fingers.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“The bad news first.”
“The Kokokuran Tribe’s fury has reached its peak, and their assault is intensifying. At this rate, we won’t last long before we’re submerged.”
“And the good news?”
“The Adventurers have broken through the Kokokuran Tribe’s encirclement. At least in this vicinity, there’s only us.”
The absence of Adventurers nearby meant I no longer needed to hold back.
The moment I grasped the true meaning behind Malton’s words, I lifted the corners of my mouth and shouted.
“Abos!!”
「The Wetland Serpent Abos responds to your call and appears!」
「She seems bewildered, seeing you battered and bruised in such a short time.」
“Please give us a ride!!”
—Ssshhhhh—!
As Abos approached and lowered her head, I swiftly climbed aboard with Malton and Radi.
Gripping the Layer Lord’s head and gazing down at the battlefield, the Kokokuran Tribe appeared as tiny as ants.
I had struggled against each of those insignificant specks, yet from this vantage point, they seemed utterly pathetic.
“…Serpent, crush them for me. Make sure they never dare challenge us again. Thoroughly.”
—Ssshhhhh—!
The moment she heard my command, the Layer Lord began the slaughter.
Her colossal body pressed down upon the water surface, and with each thunderous crash of her tail—Boom! Boom!—pillars of blood erupted across the wetland.
Though her movements were simple, as if a child throwing a tantrum, the devastation was catastrophic.
「Anaconda Lord Abos has crushed fifty Kokokuran Warriors!」
「Abos has pulverized sixty-seven Kokokuran Warriors! A new record!」
「Due to your allied status, a portion of the experience from the monsters she defeats transfers to you.」
Abos stretched her massive body and coiled around the enemies, trapping them entirely.
Each time the enormous waves surged back and forth, the disoriented Kokokuran Tribe members shrieked and plunged into the water.
Not content with this, as she slowly constricted, a bone-chilling sound of wetland vegetation being uprooted reverberated through the air.
Horrific screams erupted from all directions, but the Kokokuran Tribe’s cries soon faded, drowned out by the sickening crunch of shattering bones.
Entrails burst from the immense pressure, staining the water surface crimson, while an indescribable, fishy stench drifted across the mist.
A particularly formidable-looking Kokokuran Warrior howled and hurled a spear, but it merely left a small scratch on her thick scales before bouncing away.
—Ssshhhhh—!
Abos simply opened her massive maw and swallowed them whole.
Demonstrating her inexhaustible stamina, she wove through the wetland, systematically annihilating the Kokokuran forces, while I desperately braced myself against the wind pressure and surveyed the battlefield.
Wherever Abos passed, deep trenches of mud formed, and freshwater surged in, swirling to fill the voids.
A ghastly rain of blood mingled with the thick mist of the wetland, and drawn by the stench of corpses, water beetles and aquatic snakes swarmed to the surface, creating a grotesque tableau.
This was destruction on the scale of a natural disaster.
Occasionally, some creatures managed to crawl up her body and attempt to strike me, but Radi’s bolts pierced their brows before they could even approach, ending their lives instantly.
‘…Next time I encounter another Layer Lord, I must never make them my enemy.’
As I steeled my resolve, a notification materialized at the edge of my vision.
「The Kokokuran Legion is retreating!」
「You have successfully repelled the Kokokuran Wave! The Cococura Tribe, now utterly broken in spirit, will no longer dare to attack you!」
「Having experienced bone-chilling terror, the Cococura Tribe will henceforth abandon their weapons and flee at the mere sight of you! Word of your deeds spreads among certain monsters.」
「You have achieved the remarkable feat of vanquishing a colossal monster army! Should lords and nobles hear of this, they will be profoundly intrigued by the command qualities you possess! Your Intelligence permanently increases by 2.」
「Quest completed! You have flawlessly overcome the trial! Upon reaching Level 30, the curse of death that bound you has been partially lifted! Certain changes now occur.」
Watching the Cococura Tribe scatter in all directions, abandoning their weapons as they fled, and observing Abos contentedly yawning with satiation, I finally felt the reality of battle’s end settle upon me.
Though there had been several perilous moments along the way, surveying the devastated Wetland around us, I felt fortunate to have survived at all.
“Ship, Serpent… are you satisfied?”
—Hisssss!
As Abos contentedly flicked her tongue, I finally exhaled in relief.
Guiding her toward the corner of the Wetland, I spotted rafts barely maintaining their forms after being swept by waves, and Adventurers bearing expressions of exhaustion.
But the moment I beheld their faces, I realized I had encountered yet another predicament.
They stared up at me with their mouths agape, as if…
‘…they had just witnessed a monster.’
Had I not glossed over my explanation of Abos?
Come to think of it, being caught transforming into an Undead or commanding a Layer Lord might carry similar repercussions.
Following “Golem Slayer,” I desperately wished to avoid acquiring yet another epithet: “Colossal Serpent Tamer.”
As I racked my brain for an explanation, my pale face betraying my distress, Abos released a leisurely belch that echoed across the Wetland.
—*Burrrp!*
At that sound, the Adventurers who had been standing in stunned silence snapped to attention and began whispering among themselves.
“Did you see that?! Handling such a colossal boss monster as if it were a mere pet…!”
“Insane… could that be the legendary Taming Master we’ve only heard rumors about? The one who can only master it through a Legendary-tier Rune.”
“Or perhaps a Druid…? There’s no other way someone could handle such a creature like a common dog!”
Speculation and misunderstanding erupted from all directions.
Some even seriously insisted I was an Ancient Dragon transformed into human form.
‘No, you’re all wrong… I simply got lucky and managed to subdue her, that’s all.’
But who would believe me now?
They would only revere me further, exclaiming, “How humble!”
Moreover, those Adventurers gleaming with fervor in the corner—what were they about?
“Hey, did you see that? That overwhelming charisma! I’ve decided. I’m going to serve under that person someday.”
“Get in line, you fool. I called dibs first.”
A faction of followers was already beginning to form.
At this rate, I would accumulate countless titles before even reaching Layer 2.
Radi clicked her tongue with an expression of exasperation.
“Congratulations, Doran. Your reputation grows with each passing day.”
“Don’t mock me… I’m seriously considering fleeing right now.”
“Where would you flee to? Those people won’t simply let this gossip slide. If you leave it as is, by the time you return to the Surface, rumors will have spread throughout the entire district.”
Following Radi’s gaze, I spotted an Adventurer excitedly scribbling something onto parchment.
They were likely composing a report on these events.
A monster tamer has appeared in the Acaia Guild! Or so the rumors go.
‘Damn it all.’
I exhaled a weary sigh and splashed cold water across my face.
How in the world am I supposed to contain this mess…?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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