Ch.258Hunting (1)

The next target of the hunting quest after hunting the Forest Troll Net was a creature that posed a substantial threat to the village.

Region Spider. A type of magical beast that can grow up to the size of a bear, with lower-ranked ones averaging between dog and wolf size, becoming mid-ranked once they reach a certain age.

Of course, aside from their size and physical capabilities, they’re just ordinary spider-type magical beasts that can produce extremely tough silk or secrete digestive fluids from their venomous fangs to dissolve proteins.

Additionally, being large arthropods, they’re quite sturdy, strong, and fast—basically average for mid-ranked magical beasts.

However, what fundamentally distinguishes Region Spiders from other spider-type magical beasts is their high intelligence and hive mind structure, which includes telepathic communication abilities.

They possess a mental structure where higher-ranking individuals can completely dominate lower ones, and they can communicate over long distances while having intelligence comparable to that of sentient beings.

What’s more, these spider beasts particularly enjoy feeding on humanoid creatures, as some innate tendency drives them toward cannibalism.

More precisely… they prefer the brains of intelligent creatures as food.

The more brains they consume, the faster they grow and reach mid-rank status. For them, consuming the brains of intelligent beings is instinctual.

Just as humans crave food when hungry, these creatures constantly suffer from a hunger for flesh.

As a result, no matter how intelligent and sophisticated they are, they ultimately use that intelligence to hunt humans enthusiastically, build nests, expand their forces, and eventually become enemies of the village.

Particularly concerning was that among the specimens we discovered this time, there was even one with innate magical abilities, so we set out with full force, determined to completely exterminate them.

We deployed the transport golem armor “BASILISK” combined with an armed container. Additionally, we had Droop’s fire support module configured for base strikes and an extermination-type golem armor (plus Magni) equipped with flamethrowers.

Since they had dug massive underground tunnels covered in spider webs, having such weaponry made the extermination relatively straightforward.

First, Droop and I moved around the surface, eliminating all visible specimens. I handled those within my sensory range by cutting them down with my blade shield, while Droop, aboard a flying bombardment unit, swept the ground with overwhelming firepower and spatial control.

After completing this round of extermination, we needed to root out the remaining specimens that had retreated into hiding.

We blocked several holes and filled the interior with flames from flamethrowers, or used Gretel’s will-o’-wisp magic to create fireballs that exploded inside the nest.

After some time, most had already burned to death inside the nest without being able to do anything, but two mid-ranked spiders and one magic-user specimen managed to crawl out with dozens of subordinates to launch a counterattack.

Of course, they were annihilated the moment they emerged due to our overwhelming firepower, but objectively speaking, the enemy was quite formidable.

Especially when they cast some kind of buff spell that temporarily enhanced lower-ranked specimens to nearly mid-rank level—one can only imagine how devastating such a wide-area buff would be if applied to individuals.

Anyway, from eliminating them, I acquired a total of 5 genes.

‘Mental Communication’ which allows sending something similar to telepathy, ‘Exoskeletal Body’ which forms a thin exoskeleton over the skin, ‘Reinforced Carapace’ which increases the durability of skin-equivalent parts.

‘Protein-Dissolving Venomous Fangs’ which secrete venom that breaks down proteins, and the modest but definitely efficient ‘Spider’s Brute Strength’.

‘Spider’s Brute Strength’ was absorbed and disappeared by becoming part of ‘Incomplete Titan’s Brute Strength’, but excluding that, the other 4 genes were definitely excellent.

In emergencies, just biting would produce some effect, plus I could consume tough, difficult-to-chew animal meat without any problems.

※ ※ ※

After completing the Region Spider extermination, the third target of the resumed “Hunting Quest” was a magical beast called the “Armored Bear.”

As the name suggests, it has hardened material covering its skin that can be described as a carapace, along with physical abilities several times superior to ordinary bears and excellent physical attributes including a brain befitting a mid-ranked beast.

Of course, aside from that, it’s just a typical large, heavy tank-type mid-ranked magical beast characterized by high physical capabilities, so it’s not particularly difficult to exterminate.

The reason for prioritizing the Armored Bear was partly because it likely possessed genes for physical enhancement and durability improvement, but the real reason was its unique carapace generation ability.

The Armored Bear’s carapace isn’t really part of its skin but rather a special additional armor formed by mixing magical power and internal secretions over its fur.

While it has basic carapace equipped over its skin, it can also deploy additional armor.

That’s why I chose the Armored Bear’s carapace formation ability as a way to resolve the side effects of the “Exoskeletal Body” gene I obtained after the Region Spider extermination.

The thin exoskeleton that protruded over my skin was annoyingly fragile yet irritating, so I targeted the Armored Bear’s genes to solve this issue.

Anyway, after the Armored Bear hunting team was formed, it didn’t take long to exterminate this relatively common mid-ranked magical beast.

About 10 minutes after I began wandering aimlessly through the forest, relying solely on intuition, I found it much more easily than expected, immediately attacked and hunted the Armored Bear, and then dragged its several-ton carcass back to deliciously devour it.

Of course, it was impossible to eat the entire huge carcass raw; I tore off more than half of it and cooked the meat into various dishes.

Most of it I grilled wildly with spicy seasonings… food by-products that had a slight toxicity giving them a spicy flavor. Some I stewed well with various spices and vegetables.

I also made bear bulgogi by slicing the meat very thinly, seasoning it with spicy by-product seasonings, and grilling it, as well as a dish where I simmered it with sauce, onions, and garlic, which was quite delicious.

Ordinary bear meat has a stuffy, unpleasant gamey smell that makes me not particularly want to eat it, but this meat, aside from its incredibly tough texture, had an exceptionally excellent taste.

The fatty, slightly elegant sweetness stimulated the palate, and the pure protein flavor, like an evolved form of the bear’s gamey smell, was also excellent.

What I liked most was the bear sashimi that I could chew without worrying about parasites since it was from a mid-ranked magical beast. While most people would question why anyone would eat this, Hannah was the only one who enjoyed this sophisticated raw meat dish with me.

The Armored Bear sashimi, which I could devour hundreds of grams of purely for its meat flavor without any additional seasoning, is personally a food with the finest flavor due to the subtle sweetness from the thinly sliced bear meat.

As excellent as the taste was, the two gene absorption opportunities obtained from consuming the Armored Bear were put to good use.

While the strength-enhancing gene “Bear’s Brute Strength” was truly excellent, what pleased me even more was “Carapace Generation.”

Or more precisely, the gene called “Bio-Armor” that was formed by combining several skin durability enhancement genes.

“Ogre’s Hide,” “Hardened Skin,” “Exoskeletal Body,” “Reinforced Carapace,” and “Carapace Generation.”

This gene, combining a total of 5 genes, not only increased skin durability to the level of dragon hide but also added several modest effects, resulting in considerable performance.

When a certain amount of impact is applied to the skin, it automatically hardens to form a sturdy bio-armor, and if desired, it can even be deployed consciously—the ultimate in durability enhancement.

The fact that it can activate even on vulnerable spots like the eyes was a factor that made me prioritize accumulating other genes over durability enhancement genes for now.

Even now, I still have several genes that need to be strengthened.