Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 75
“Reinforcements are here! While it’s distracted, stab it in the gut!”
“The captain himself!?”
“Just stab it already!”
I ran toward the sound of battle deep in the forest and came upon a scene where two parties had apparently joined forces to fight.
It was the same kind of monster I encountered earlier: nearly four meters tall, greenish-brown fur, and deep crimson wings—a variant of the Owlbear.
Baskar had mentioned its name: Crimson Bear.
I ambushed it from behind, wrenching both of its arms upward and locking its movement. The other adventurers then pierced it with swords and spears.
“More! Put your weight behind it! Stab deep!”
“Ooooooh!!”
“Hraaaagh!!”
With a sickening squelch and spurting blood, the beast slowly collapsed to the ground.
“We did it! We actually brought it down! I’ve never taken down something this strong before!”
“No way… even we could do it…”
“It’s thanks to the captain!”
“As expected of him…”
As the surrounding adventurers rejoiced, the rear guard party—composed mostly of mages—finally caught up.
“Everyone, step away from the corpse. If you need materials as proof of the kill, take them now.”
“Huh? What’s up, old mage? What about guarding the rear?”
“Hmm… There’s something strange about the flow of magic power in this forest. I had a bad feeling. Captain, did anything unusual happen?”
“It seems natural-born, high-level variants are emerging. I think the monsters encountered were just these three: the one I fought, this one here, and the one being engaged by the left-wing team.”
The old mage furrowed his brows. A strange magic power flow?
“I’ve cut off the feelers and wing feathers for the kill report, just in case.”
“Good. Now… I’ll burn the body.”
In an instant, the Crimson Bear’s corpse was engulfed in flames and reduced to bones.
“Mutated monsters often retain their strength even after death. It must’ve consumed a lot to become this strong. If others feed on its remains, they too could mutate. This is preventative.”
“Makes sense. We don’t really go into dungeons much, so we’re not well-versed in natural power-ups of monsters.”
“Nor am I. But recently, similar reports have surfaced even from artificial dungeons. I’ve been investigating them personally.”
“…Old man, can I leave these guys with you? You seem capable of managing them.”
Panic crept into me.
The corpse I had left earlier—I didn’t burn it.
I just killed it and moved on.
“No problem. You’re in a hurry, aren’t you, Captain?”
“Yeah. If possible, gather the rest and stay grouped together.”
“Understood.”
I dashed back to where I had slain that monster.
What if the left-wing battle isn’t with a new hatchling, but another natural variant?
What if the real hatchling simply avoided battle and hid somewhere?
And if that hatchling waited until people left… and then fed on the corpse?
Baskar had warned me: “It might also gain intelligence.”
“Tch! It’s been eaten…!”
My fears were correct. The Crimson Bear I had killed had its upper body torn apart and devoured.
My lack of knowledge held me back. I didn’t know enough about monster evolution or variants.
Damn it.
I took off again, searching for Melt and the left-wing party she’d reinforced.
Along the way, I saw freshly felled trees—clear signs of recent destruction.
This wasn’t normal.
“Captain——!! Can you hear me, Captain——!!”
I heard Baskar’s voice in the distance.
Where was the powder bomb!? Did something go wrong!?
I kept searching—and finally, I heard battle.
When I arrived, I saw Melt, Nemuri, Baskar, and the entire left-wing team locked in combat against a Crimson Bear—even larger than the one I had killed.
But something was strange.
Everyone seemed somewhat distracted, unable to fully focus on the beast in front of them.
“What’s going on?”
“Captain…! The variant—no, the advanced variant—isn’t just one!”
“Silent! This one—it must be the boss of this place! It’s not just red—its beak is jet black! A mark of leadership! The one we killed earlier wasn’t the male of a mating pair, it was just a minion!”
“…You serious? Then where’s the other advanced variant…?”
No, it’s likely not a hatchling anymore.
It must have already fed—on humans, on corpses—and grown into a new advanced variant.
And now I understood why everyone couldn’t focus.
Suddenly, the entire dense forest shook.
A roaring gust from above—and an ear-splitting scream.
“…It just appeared a moment ago. A fully evolved species… Owl Dragon.”
“I’ve never seen anything like that before… not even in monster encyclopedias.”
“That’s a dungeon-born species. Self-evolution through selective survival, plus an overwhelming supply of magic power… A monster that evolved beyond its category. Even I’ve never seen a real one until now.”
“Only the archers need to watch the sky. Everyone else, keep your eyes on the big one.”
“Understood.”
No wonder Baskar didn’t use the powder bomb.
That thing hasn’t found us yet.
If he had used it, it would’ve revealed our location.
Since it didn’t react to his shouting either, it likely has poor hearing—maybe because it just recently gained the ability to fly. Its senses might not be fully developed yet.
“Listen up. Everyone scatter in all directions now. It hasn’t picked a target yet. Confuse it just for a second—freeze it.”
Melt was dashing between the treetops, throwing it off and buying time.
Everyone else was slowly surrounding the monster, looking for an opening, but struggling to make a move.
No wonder—there were countless craters around the area. This monster had clearly gone on a rampage.
Getting hit even once could mean instant death. No one dared approach recklessly.
That’s why scattering helps. Even just getting away to safety contributes to the fight.
“Go… NOW—scatter!!”
At my command, everyone bolted in different directions.
The monster froze, clearly unsure of who to follow.
That moment—I sprinted.
At the same time, Melt jumped from tree to tree, narrowly passing in front of the stunned monster.
Its animal instincts kicked in. Surprised by Melt’s movement, it froze again.
Its head—so massive I couldn’t reach it even with my sword raised.
I stomped hard with my right foot, leaped into the air with all my strength.
Thanks to Melt’s distraction, I soared just above the beast’s reared-back face.
Beneath me, its giant head.
“I’ll bring it down in one blow.”
The sound of straining muscle echoed.
I raised my greatsword overhead, arching my back as I prepared to swing.
The power gathered in my arms was so intense it escaped as audible tension through my grip.
Every fiber of my body, every ounce of spring-like energy, I focused into this single strike.
Using the force of gravity from my fall, combined with my full-body strength, I released it all in one devastating blow.
“Earth-Sundering Fang—Descending Fang!”
The downward slash came with my fall.
A clean, resistance-free cut, one that even split the very ground beneath it.
A heartbeat later, I was bathed in the spray of blood—warm, metallic, and reeking of life and victory.
A blessing of sorts. Proof that the battle was mine.
“Only one left… Baskar, give me the powder bomb.”
My head was still reeling from the rush, but I felt I understood how to beat the last one.
That thing’s still immature—a kid, most likely.
It has no idea how to fight yet.
“Melt, can you fly on my signal?”
“Huh?”
“Can you launch from here?”
“Ah! Got it! Yeah, I think I can! No promises after that, though!”
“I’ll handle the rest.”
“Roger! …Alright, I’ll give it my all!”
I almost said, “Wait, you weren’t going all out before!?”
“Baskar, hurry up and give it to me.”
“W-What are you going to do with it…?”
“Just watch. Everyone else, hide behind the trees!”
With Melt being the only one not in hiding, I hurled the powder bomb into the sky.
A sharp POP! echoed, releasing a white puff of smoke like a signal flare.
Naturally, the Owl Dragon—still unfamiliar with aerial navigation—headed straight for it.
“Melt, get on!”
“Got it! Ready when you are!”
As the dragon flew toward the smoke, I—
“HRAAAAAAH! GET UP THERE, MELT!!”
I hurled Melt into the sky by swinging my greatsword upward with all my strength, using the flat of the blade to launch her.
She shot through the air at high speed toward the incoming Owl Dragon.
At the very instant they crossed paths, I saw it—Melt, with the momentum of her flight, cleanly severed the Owl Dragon’s head.
I immediately took off running through the forest, tracking where she’d land.
Melt deftly adjusted her posture midair, then kicked off the treetop to slow her descent. Bending the branches with her weight, she gradually dissipated the fall’s force and landed softly, almost theatrically.
“Woooo! I flew! I actually flew! I’m probably the first beastkin in history to fly without any gear!”
“Haha… That’s your takeaway? You’re seriously something else…”
I almost reached to pat her head, but then remembered I was still soaked in blood and held back.
At that moment, an earth-shaking crash echoed through the forest.
“It’s down. The Owl Dragon’s fallen.”
“Do you think the others down there are alright?”
“They were evacuated, so probably.”
Forcing my slightly weary body to move, I headed toward the dragon’s fallen corpse.
“That was amazing, Captain! You cleaved that massive Crimson Bear in one stroke! Then followed it up with that insane strategy—you defeated a flying monster in a way no one else could! Melt, you too! That dive attack while airborne and still landing safely… What kind of reflexes do you even have!? I swear I’ll never forget this day! It felt like we were part of a legend in the making!”
As I arrived at the crash site, the others began to gather.
There didn’t seem to be any casualties beneath the dragon’s body.
“So what do we do with this? Do aerial dungeon monsters even have proof-of-kill parts?”
“No. In dungeons, monsters usually vanish after death, sometimes leaving behind items as blessings. Everything breaks down and returns to the dungeon. Occasionally, they become dungeon cores.”
“I see… So having a variant like this born outside a dungeon is an extremely rare case.”
“Exactly. Still, like with other dragon-types, its scales, membranes, and wing bones should be valuable materials. This Owl Dragon should be no exception.”
“Good. An old mage told me something earlier: apparently, when variant monsters feed on each other’s corpses, they can rapidly evolve. This thing is the result of that. Either way, we can’t leave this corpse lying around. Let’s take all of it with us—it might fetch a high price as rare material.”
“Corpse-eating mutation… I’m sorry, I didn’t even think of that. This thing must’ve eaten the first Crimson Bear we killed… right?”
“Exactly. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t know their ecology either.”
Whether this incident was mere coincidence or part of something orchestrated—it was hard to say.
But at the very least, the head Melt had severed showed no sign of any implanted magic devices.
Nor did the other Crimson Bears we had taken down.
“After regrouping with the right-wing party, we’ll transport the corpses and return! Someone, go deliver the message. The right-wing party should all be gathered in one place.”
“Ah, then I’ll go!”
After seeing Baskar off, I finally let out a long breath, slumping to the ground and sprawling out flat on my back.
“Ahh, I’m exhausted! I’m so not cut out to be a captain! I’m gonna complain to Remiya when we get back—seriously, complain!”
“Good job, Silent! I’m totally worn out too!”
Melt flopped down beside me in the same starfish position.
“If you get too close, you’ll get blood on you.”
“Ah!”
Still lying down, she rolled away from me like a log to escape.
That sight made the others nearby chuckle softly.
Well, with that… our team’s mission is complete.
After regrouping with the right-wing party, we began dismantling the Owl Dragon in the forest.
Along the way, the old mage incinerated the large Crimson Bear, but its black-glimmering beak remained unburned. He brought it over to us.
“It’s not a usual proof-of-slaying part, but it seems to hold some kind of power. Captain, this belongs to you.”
“Is everyone okay with that?”
There were no objections, so that was settled.
The real issue was the dragon’s corpse.
“If everyone helps with dismantling and transport, I’ll split the profits evenly from the sale. Will you lend a hand?”
“Whaaat!? Seriously?! Even us from the right-wing party?!”
“We barely did anything but watch, though!?”
“But Captain and Melt are the ones who actually beat it…”
“You’re fine with this, right Melt? Everyone fought tough monsters during this mission. If everyone’s getting paid, it’s only fair the bonus gets shared too, right?”
“I’m fine with that! I got to fly through the air, and that was super fun! I want to do it again sometime!”
“No way. It’s way too dangerous.”
“Awwww!”
Please invent a parachute first.
And with that, we all got to work dismantling the massive corpse.
“Even after draining the blood and removing the organs… it still weighs this much.”
“That’s dragons for you…”
“Still, they say sub-dragon species like this are lighter than most monsters. This is probably on the lighter end.”
“Nemuri… you’re surprisingly strong for your size.”
“I used to be a soldier.”
We tied the severed parts with rope—carried what we could by hand, slung some over our shoulders, and dragged the rest.
As for me, I was tasked with pulling the bulkiest parts: the wings—said to be too valuable to cut—dragging them behind me toward the campsite.
Feels like something similar happened recently with Sheele…
“…I look way worse than everyone else, huh. I should probably find somewhere to wash off. I can smell myself.”
“Haha… yeah, same here.”
“There’s a river near the campsite. It flows straight down from the mountains.”
“Ah, right, I remember that.”
“Want me to make you a bath? I can whip something up with magic that’ll last at least a day!”
“Really? Then I’m counting on you.”
Melt is way too versatile… Honestly, I’d give her the MVP award for this mission.
Runner-up: Baskar.
Honorable mention: that old mage.
And so, with everyone helping out, we finished dividing up the monster remains and safely returned to our campsite.