kscans

Chapter 39 - Acorn Rolling, Rolling. Falling in a Hole...

The Monocorn Bear came charging at a furious pace. Or at least, that's what one would want to say. Its speed was a bit slower compared to wolf or boar type monsters, but its fighting spirit was more than enough. It was running on all fours, likely to gain momentum for its charge.

Which meant that the bear-type monster's greatest weapons, its forearms and their claws, were unusable.

Yuri calmly assessed the situation and decided to adopt a tactic that would take advantage of the current favorable conditions.

"[Excavation]."

With Yuri's earth magic, a hole about one and a half meters in diameter suddenly appeared... right in front of the charging Monocorn Bear. Without even a moment to dodge, the Monocorn Bear plunged headfirst into the pitfall.

The Monocorn Bear was just over two meters long. The hole Yuri had created was about that deep. Because it was supporting its body with its outstretched forearms, it hadn't fallen in completely, but its center of gravity was entirely within the hole, making it almost impossible to get out. It thrashed its hind legs, which were barely still outside, but that did nothing to improve the situation.

"Yeah... I think I managed to do it according to the book... maybe?"

Yuri muttered with some uncertainty... but if I may be so bold... he was wrong.

What was written in the book, the text of [Anti-Monster Tactics], was a method for hunting with a large group while avoiding danger. One of those methods was to "drive the monster into a location where a trap has been set beforehand." It was by no means an outlandish method like creating a pitfall beneath a charging Monocorn Bear.

Of course, Yuri had his own excuses for this. Most of the methods in the [Anti-Monster Tactics] book were tactics for adults, either adventurers or soldiers, to carry out subjugations in groups. In other words... there was no description of tactics for a seven-year-old boy to hunt a ferocious monster alone. This was probably a matter of sound common sense. However, just because it wasn't written didn't mean he could just stand by and do nothing... In the end, he had no choice but to find a method that seemed usable and adapt it to deal with the situation. That was Yuri's own excuse, and it was as a result of this that the current situation had come to pass.

"Now then..."

Yuri slowly approached the Monocorn Bear and placed a stake created with earth magic against its anus. It might seem somewhat vulgar, but the anus has been known as a weak point since ancient times. When you think about it, it's a part where one end of an internal organ, the intestine, is exposed. If you shove a stone stake in there, it's clear that it will tear through the internal organs and lead to a fatal wound. With a calm demeanor, he prepared to apply force to the stone stake... and then he realized.

"...If I do it like this... the inside of its belly will be covered in feces..."

It was doubtful whether the smell would come out no matter how much he washed it, and even if the smell did come out, he wouldn't feel like eating such meat. That said, he couldn't just throw away the meat and fur he had obtained. Yuri didn't have the luxury to be so wasteful.

"This is a problem... In this situation, how do I deliver the final blow...?"

With the Monocorn Bear's upper body firmly stuck in the hole, it was impossible to attack vital points such as the heart, medulla, or throat. He could raise the bottom of the hole with earth magic to get the Monocorn Bear out, but doing so would either reignite the battle... or the Monocorn Bear, sensing the danger, would flee. Either way, it was not the outcome Yuri desired. Before the Monocorn Bear, which was still growling and struggling with growls and roars, Yuri was brought down by the lack of cards in his hand.

In the end, Yuri decided to make the pitfall a little deeper and pour water created with water magic into it. Fortunately, the Monocorn Bear was in a state of doing a handstand in the hole. If he poured in enough water to fill a third of the hole's depth, even considering that it would float slightly due to buoyancy, he could expect its head to be submerged and for it to drown...

Thus, Yuri succeeded in hunting the Monocorn Bear using the unusual method of drowning.