Chapter 39

The next day, I wake up around 4 am, just before dawn.

I have no idea how long the task will take, so I want to start working as early as possible.

I stop by the guild’s warehouse, borrow a cart, load it with dismantling tools, and set off.

The guards at the East Gate greet me with a “Good morning” as I push the cart with an empty sky.

Seemingly, they don’t suspect anything from yesterday. It looks like they have a shift change between the days.

I proceed along the road for a while and leave the cart where I entered the forest yesterday.

I make sure it’s not visible from the road, but if it gets stolen, I’ll have to compensate.

I aim for the location from the previous day, occasionally jumping to check the direction.

Upon entering the forest, I quickly realize… I somehow remember the path I took.

The anxiety of whether I could find the spot again seems to have been needless, as I safely reach the destination in less than an hour.

I spot the downed rhino… Elasmos, I believe it was, and feel a sense of joy.

“Oh yeah! I did it!”

The sky is beginning to brighten, but it’s still before 6 am. This should give me plenty of time, around 12 hours or so.

However, my attention is immediately drawn to the dog and its offspring.

“Huh!?”

They’ve been lying there all night.

Could it be that they’re dead…?

《Show me where everything is》

I quickly confirm the presence of the blue orbs with the “Detection Magic.”

All four are alive. It’s a relief to know they’re just sleeping.

It seems like a revival from a near-death state, so it will probably take quite some time for them to recover their strength.

If that’s the case, they shouldn’t pose any threat even if they wake up.

Now, it’s time for the dismantling.

But before that, there’s a major issue.

“I can’t dismantle the rhino without turning it over.”

It’s lying in a position with its belly attached to a tree, having slipped down.

I pondered what to do for a while…

“Dig behind the rhino. Use ‘Physical Strength’ to peel it off the tree and expose the belly.”

Well, there’s no other option.

Alright, I brought a shovel, so let’s get started… I realize as I stab it into the ground.

This is where “Earth Magic” comes in handy!

I stand beside it and ponder for a moment.

I press down on the soil around where it has slipped as much as possible.

Then, to make it easier to topple, I use the shovel to clear away the soil near its body.

“Hmm… something like this.”

I lightly jump and land on top of the rhino’s large horn.

I slip my feet between the tree and its jaw, then, holding onto the tree behind with my hands to avoid slipping, I position my body.

Finally, I exert force in my legs and kick.

“Yahh!”

The rhino’s body suddenly detaches from the tree and falls with a thud into the hole I dug.

“Ah!”

As it falls, its long horn pierces the ground.

For a moment, I panic, thinking it might have broken. But it seems quite sturdy and is undamaged.

“Whoa, that was close! The horn is probably the most valuable part. I need to be careful…”

Approaching the rhino, I notice that its flipped belly is roughly at the level of my neck.

It’s around 150 centimeters or so. Well, if I climb on top, I should be able to work…

“All right, all right!”

Feeling satisfied with my ability to handle the situation.

Now, let’s begin the dismantling.

First, I stab the knife around the neck area and slit the belly.

“Good. The belly skin is soft.”

Though it’s softer compared to the back skin, I make an impressive cutting sound as I go through.

I remember hearing something about not puncturing the peritoneum, so I need to be careful.

And then, I notice something I should have realized earlier… it’s still warm.

Come to think of it, I cast “Preservation Magic.”

In that case, does that mean it’s in a state shortly after death?

Then again, I’m not even sure if magic works on a dead body. Is decay already underway?

I continue to slit the belly while straddling it.

There’s a membrane-like thing, probably the peritoneum, and I’m careful not to puncture it.

The abdominal pressure is intense… with each cut, the contents seem to want to push out, which is quite eerie.

Then, I reach in with my arm and peel away the peritoneum and abdominal muscles.

Surprisingly, it comes off quite easily.

It’s like peeling off a stubborn sticker.

But a problem arises. This creature is huge.

“No, my hands can’t reach far enough.”

I can only reach about halfway into its body. I can’t stick my head in and dive all the way.

And then, another issue arises.

“I don’t have a method to pull out the internal organs.”

Dismantling a boar involves hanging it to let the organs fall naturally.

Since I only heard about that method, I hadn’t thought about how to remove the internal organs from this creature.

Stepping back a bit and contemplating…

“Ah!”

I came up with a good idea.

“Raise the soil covering half of the rhino, lay it sideways, and let the internal organs flow out.”

This should work!

It’s a privilege of Earth Magic to be able to raise the soil besides digging. 

With this, I can tilt the body and let the internal organs flow out.

I immediately start raising the soil. Moving around the rhino, I press my forehead against the ground and lift the soil.

The earth starts pushing up the rhino, and its body tilts slightly, like jacking up a car.

The horn is still stuck in the ground, so the body rises, twisting slightly—

“Ah!!”

I messed up!

I forgot to dig the hole to let the internal organs flow out.

I had peeled off about half of the peritoneum, and as soon as I laid it sideways, the remaining part peeled off with a tearing sound.

Unfortunately, it didn’t come off cleanly; the peritoneum tore, resulting in the internal organs flowing out.

“Aaaahhh!”

And they spilled out around me.

“Ugh, it’s a splatter!”

The smell of the internal organs fills the air. At least it didn’t become a stench of feces and urine.

There’s no helping what’s already done. Now, what to do next…

“Hmm… I know! Let’s blow them away with the wind.”

That’s it!

I aim at the spilled internal organs and cast the wind magic at maximum power.

《Chanting, Maximum Wind Blast!》

“Oh no!”

It wasn’t nice at all—

I blow away all the internal organs and intestines with tremendous force.

If I were to post a video, it would definitely need heavy mosaic processing.

As a result, I’ve created a gruesome scene with blood splattered all around.

Fortunately, I notice that the dog and its puppies, sleeping nearby, were spared from the mess.

I use water magic to wash the inside of the belly after removing the organs and then use wind magic to dry it.

“Well, that should do.”

Then, I realize something… I was able to shake the rhino’s body easily.

Without the internal organs, it seems significantly lighter.

“Hmm, I wonder if the majority of the weight in large animals comes from the organs, including water?”

Of course, thanks to “Physical Strength,” I can move it easily, which is convenient.

The surrounding area got quite dirty due to the spilled organs. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I decide to relocate.

I grab the stuck horn and pull it out in one swift motion.

“Phew!”

It comes out with a smooth motion, and the rhino’s body shifts.

“Ohhhh, quite strong!”

I move it about 10 meters with ease.

Now, let’s start skinning.

I switch to a thin knife and practice what I was told: “Slide the blade on the skin side, not the meat side.”

At first, I’m overly cautious, and it takes some time, but after a while, I get the hang of it and can progress swiftly.

“The outer skin is tough… it’s surprisingly easy to peel.”

It’s good that the knife doesn’t feel like it’s about to pierce through the skin.

The skin is actually quite heavy.

But since I have “Physical Strength” constantly active, I can handle it as if I’m grabbing a thick fabric and peeling it off.

I keenly realize that it would have been impossible without magic.

And then, I notice that the sun has risen quite high.

“I seem to be getting the hang of it.”

I’ve also become accustomed to changing the rhino’s position with Earth Magic.

Laying it sideways to peel the skin on its back, tilting it the other way to work on the other side… I can jack it up in any direction as needed.

I feel like a craftsman of Earth Magic.

When pushing up the soil, I think there might be a weight limit for the object on top, but for a rhino-sized creature, I can raise the soil without any issue.

“I wonder if it could lift a house or something…”

Such thoughts cross my mind as I continue the work.

And then, I finish skinning, realizing that it’s already past noon.

“Phew…”

I’m thoroughly exhausted. Come to think of it, I haven’t had any food since early in the morning.

I’m not sure if I can skin the head, but I don’t know the technique for it. So, for now, I fold it from the neck, keeping it attached to the body.

I’ll be taking the whole head back.

“No, these horns…”

Once again, they are huge.

The horns are thicker than both of my legs. They must be quite heavy… or so I thought, but the horns don’t seem that heavy.

Shaking them gently, the head moves easily. I feel a bit relieved that it seems lighter than expected.

Now, it’s time to prepare for transportation.

I roll up the skin firmly and tie it with a rope.

When I load the head onto the backpack with the horns facing upward, it seems like the horns might scrape the ground.

“Ugh! It’s creaking!”

The head itself is quite heavy. It’s almost a miracle that I managed to load it.

And the skin is sticking out significantly to the side from the backpack.

“I need to walk carefully to avoid snagging it on trees…”

The journey back is likely to be slower.

For now, let’s take a break.

I contemplate what to do with the meat, but since I need to transport the skin first, I’ll take it back to the cart for now.

But I probably won’t come back today once I return. Honestly, more than 70% of my thoughts are leaning toward it being too troublesome.

Well, I’ll decide whether to come back again after I return once.

I suddenly glance at the dog and its puppies—they still seem unable to move much.

I cut out a piece from the remaining meat on the rhino’s body and place it in front of the dog and its puppies.

“Eat this to regain your strength. Goodbye.”

Leaving those words, I begin my journey back.

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