章節 9: Chapter 9 - Hunting Trip

Raiden cleaned himself up as best as he could, the cold seawater biting at his skin. He changed into fresh clothes, the fabric feeling strange against his still-tense body. When he rejoined the others, the deck was almost spotless, though the faint scent of blood lingered in the air.

The fishermen had gathered what little they could salvage from the pirates' spoils. They moved with a mix of relief and somberness. Their gratitude toward Raiden was palpable but Raiden could feel their fear. The sun had fully set, and the sea glistened under the moonlight as they set sail back to the village.

As they began their journey back, Toma gathered the fishermen around, his expression serious. "Listen up, everyone," he said in a low, firm voice. "What happened out here stays between us. There's no need to cause unnecessary panic in the village. They need to know we're safe and the threat is gone, but the details... they don't need to hear those."

The men nodded in agreement, understanding the wisdom in Toma's words. What they had witnessed and survived was heavy enough, none of them wanted to spread fear among their families.

The journey back was quiet. The men were too exhausted to talk, each lost in their own thoughts. Raiden sat at the bow of the ship, staring out at the dark horizon. He felt the boat's gentle rocking beneath him, a stark contrast to the chaos of the battle. He couldn't shake the images of the pirates he had killed. Each face flashed before his eyes, their final moments replaying in his mind.

'Damnit. Those anime were lying. How could they kill so easily.' Raiden thought with a sigh. He leaned back, closing his eyes to get some rest. The day was already pretty tiring.

The villagers were waiting at the dock, their faces lined with worry and anticipation. As the boat drew closer, murmurs of relief spread through the crowd. They were supposed to be back in the village nearly four hours ago. Raiden even spotted Mary in the crowd, staring at the ship with a worried look.

Raiden and the fishermen disembarked, and the villagers rushed forward, embracing their loved ones.

Toma stepped forward, addressing the crowd with a strained smile. "We ran into some trouble, but it's been dealt with. We're all safe."

There were a few gasps. Raiden saw that most of the villagers were staring at them with a horrified expression. It was pretty obvious that they knew what the 'trouble' was. One of the fishermen, his face pale and eyes wide, started to speak up, "But the pirates—"

Toma cut him off gently but firmly. "The pirates are gone. There's no need to worry. Let's just be grateful that everyone made it back safely."

The villager nodded, swallowing his words. The crowd seemed to relax slightly, reassured by Toma's calm demeanor.

Mary, who had been standing near the edge of the crowd, suddenly broke through the mass of villagers. Raiden barely had time to register her presence before she tackled him in a hug, her arms wrapping around him tightly.

"Raiden!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of relief and scolding. "You scared me half to death! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Raiden, caught off guard, felt a surge of warmth at her concern. "I'm fine, grandma. Really," he said, attempting a strained smile.

Mary pulled back slightly, her eyes scanning him for any signs of injury. Raiden had used a few APs, so he was more or less in perfect health.

Mary sighed, finally stepping back but still holding onto his hand. "Come on, let's get you home. You need to rest." She said dragging him away from all the chaos.

Raiden glanced back at the fishermen and Toma, who were still addressing the crowd. Back at the village, the mood was a mix of relief and quiet tension.

Mary led Raiden to their small house, not letting go of his hand until they were inside. Mary gently pushed him into a chair and began fussing over him again, bringing a bowl of warm water and a cloth to clean his face and hands. Raiden let her, feeling a strange mix of comfort and awkwardness.

"Geez. How unlucky are you? Having to deal with pirates. On your first trip no less." She muttered with a somber tone.

Raiden didn't say anything, but just kept his head low. 'She isn't wrong. Not even a month in and I'm already fighting pirates.' he thought with a sigh.

Mary cupped his face and looked at him with a worried look. "What's wrong?" She asked, clearly concerned.

"...nothing, grandma." Raiden replied in a quiet tone, avoiding her eyes. "I'm tired, grandma. I'm going to go to sleep."

Mary hesitated, her eyes searching his face for any sign of what he was truly feeling. She knew that there was more he wasn't saying, but she also understood that he needed space. "Okay, dear. Get some rest," she said softly, her voice tinged with reluctance.

Raiden simply got up and left for his room, leaving a worried Mary behind. He reached his room. The bed looked inviting, but as he lay down, he found no comfort. The silence of the night was simply overwhelming, and the images of the battle replayed in his mind.

"Hah! Damnit. Don't think too much about it, Raiden." He muttered with a sigh. He came from a world where killing was not a norm. This was his new reality and something he has to accept. He had to kill to survive. He had to kill to make sure he had the freedom he wanted.

______

"Fuck my life." Raiden muttered groggily. He glared at the morning sun rays. With an irritated sigh, Raiden got up to start his day.

After a night of troubled sleep, filled with nightmares of the previous day's battle, he knew he couldn't stay idle. He needed a distraction, something to keep his mind and body occupied.

Raiden got up and dressed quickly, opting for clothes suitable for a day in the forest. He strapped on his sandals and grabbed his dagger. Before leaving the house, he scribbled a note for Mary, letting her know he was going hunting and would be back by evening.

He didn't care about the whole 'don't go into the forest alone' thing right now. "I'll deal with it later." Raiden said to himself.

Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. The village was slowly coming to life, villagers emerging from their homes and beginning their daily routines.

Raiden made his way to the edge of the forest that bordered the village. The tall trees, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze, beckoned him. The forest was dense and teeming with wildlife, a perfect place for hunting. As he stepped into the cool shade, he felt a sense of calm wash over him. The forest had always been a place of solace for him, a refuge where he could lose himself in the simplicity of things.

He moved silently through the underbrush, his senses sharp and alert. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, every distant birdcall registered in his mind. He soon came across a set of tracks, "A boar by the looks of it. Pretty big too." He muttered quietly. The prints were fresh, leading deeper into the forest. Raiden followed them, his steps light and cautious. After the battle at the sea, he knew the animals here were much stronger than your average pirate.

It took quite some time but soon, Raiden spotted a giant boar ahead, rooting around in the dirt. This was no ordinary boar; it was a massive, seven feet tall hunk of meat covered in a dark brown coat. It had two massive swords like tusks gleaming menacingly in the dappled sunlight.

"Observe." He quietly casted the spell.

[Ding!]

[Status - Giant Bear

Strength - E

Constitution - D

Agility - F]

"This is going to be hard." Raiden muttered, pulling out another dagger from his Inventory.

He picked a stone and quickly hurled it away from the boar. The creature whipped his head up, staring in the direction. Raiden saw his chance and sprang into action. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, drawing his dagger in one fluid motion and slashed it towards its front leg. The boar let out a fierce snarl and charged at him, its powerful legs kicking up dirt and leaves.

Raiden sidestepped the initial charge. He slashed at the boar's side with his dagger, drawing blood. The beast roared in pain and fury, swinging its massive head in an attempt to gore him with its tusks. Raiden ducked under the attack, rolling to the side and coming up in a crouch.

The boar turned quickly, its eyes blazing with anger. It charged again, but this time Raiden was ready. He waited until the last possible moment. Before the boar reached him, Raiden readied up the next attack. He stared at the boar with a grin and threw one of his daggers at it as hard as he could.

The beast was caught off-guard and tried to evade the weapon, that would've otherwise pierced its eyes. Unfortunately, its momentum worked against it, making it slip. Raiden, quickly capitalised on the opportunity, landed a powerful punch on its snout.

"Force Palm." He whispered, as the punch landed full force on it snout, making it squeal in agony.

Not wanting to give it even a moment to comeback, Raiden immediately picked his second dagger and tried to stab it through its eye.

The beast, unfortunately, had recovered just enough to counter attack. Raiden was in its range of attack, so with a quick flick of its head, the board impaled Raiden's left thigh with its sharp tusks.

"Arghh! Y..you damned pig." Raiden screamed in agony and fury.

[20% Damage Received!]

[Rampage is activated. All stats increased by 30%.]

A system notification rang through, something Raiden completely ignored in his fury. He instinctually went with his previous plan.

The boar was basking in its small victory, when a sharp metallic thing buried itself in its eye.

*OINKKK!*

The boar squealed in absolute agony, trying to throw Raiden off of him.

"Now, don't worry. You aren't dying in vain. I'll make sure to enjoy your meat." Raiden said with a menacing grin.

"Force Palm!" With a yell punched the handle of the dagger hard. The blade launched itself into the skull of the boar. It let out a final, pained grunt and collapsed to the ground, its massive body shaking the earth.

[Giant boar killed. 35 AP received.]

[Rampage has been turned off.]

Raiden clicked his tongue in annoyance. The amount of AP he received from killing these wild animals was much less than he received from killing the pirates, even though it was much stronger. The only reason Raiden could guess, was the fact that killing a human makes a much bigger impact on the story.

With a wave of his hand, Raiden stored the beast into his inventory. His inventory was pretty amazing. As soon as Raiden stored the corpse in his inventory, the dagger that was lodged in the boar's head was quickly removed and placed separately in another 'box'.

He winced as he looked down at his left thigh, where blood stained his clothes from the boar's tusk.

"Damn boar, got a lucky shot in," Raiden muttered to himself, gritting his teeth as he checked the wound. It wasn't deep, but it stung fiercely. With a sigh, he activated another 10 AP to heal himself, the familiar warmth spreading through his body as the wound closed up.

[10 AP used. The host has been restored to his peak condition.]

Feeling slightly better physically, Raiden straightened up and retrieved his second dagger from where it had landed after the battle. He cleaned the blade on a nearby patch of grass before sheathing it.

Raiden sat down with a sigh, staring at the tree in front of him, mindlessly. "I have a pretty decent amount of AP right? Let's use some of them." He said to himself.

[Ding]

[Status: SILVERS D RAIDEN

Titles:

Member of D clan -

Effect : Constitution +50%

Charisma +50%

Physical stats:

Strength - E (15/1000)

Constitution - E (15/1000)

Agility - E (5/1000)

Will - E (55/1000)

Charisma - E (25/1000)

Haki - None

Observation Haki (not available)

Armament Haki (not available)

Conqueror's Haki (not available)

Devil fruits - None

Combat techniques -

•) Force Palm (G) - 0/10

•) Rokushiki -->

1) Shigan(G) - 0/10

Skills -

•) Observe(F) (0/100)

At the host's level --> cannot check attributes of non living things.

(Can be used to enhance ???)

•) Rampage(D) (25/1000)

Achievement Points - 1050]

He immediately put 10 points in Force Palm and Shigan each, bringing them to E rank, while putting 995 points in his agility.

[Ding!]

[•) Force Palm (10/10) --> G-->F

•) Shigan(10/10) --> G-->F

•) Agility(1000/1000) --> E-->D]

Raiden felt a surge of familiar energy fill him and sighed in relief. He could feel his movements become much lighter.

He tried to rest for a while, but couldn't shake off the lingering sense of unease and restlessness. What happened the previous day was still pretty fresh in him mind.

"Maybe some time by the sea will clear my head," Raiden mused quietly to himself, and began moving towards a familiar path leading to a secluded area next to the sea. He found this place by chance a few weeks ago, and his anti social side immediately took a liking to this place. The sound of crashing waves and the salty tang of the ocean air beckoned to him, promising a temporary respite from his troubled thoughts.

He settled himself on a weathered piece of driftwood, gazing out at the endless expanse of the sea. The rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore was oddly soothing, a stark contrast to the chaotic battles he had faced recently.

With each wave that rolled in and receded, Raiden felt a sense of peace slowly settle over him. The vastness of the ocean reminded him of the world beyond the village, a world filled with mysteries, challenges, and endless possibilities. It was a world he was still trying to navigate, one battle at a time.

Closing his eyes, Raiden let himself relax for the first time in days. The tension in his muscles eased, and he took slow, deep breaths to calm his racing thoughts. The sound of seagulls overhead and the gentle touch of the sea breeze on his face grounded him in the present moment.

"Man, I need a fucking therapist." He said to himself with a chuckle.

He jumped up to his feet, feeling a bit calmer and decided to get back home. He began walking home with slow steps, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Raiden's footsteps slowed as he saw a peculiar figure on the beach. It took him a moment to realise that it was a humanoid figure. Concerned, he quickly made his way towards it.

"What the...?" Raiden muttered in an incredulous tone. At first glance, it seemed like a mirage, but as he drew closer, the distinct features became clearer. Raiden's eyes widened when he saw the said figure up close.

"A fishman?!"

____